The Final March...

Later in March...

We had a lot on our shoulders this month.

We did our best to sit quietly through Amberlee's Spring Musical Program.  She did a great job and was super cute.  They sang "And Here We Have Idaho."  That just delighted me!

It wasn't the Idaho History program of my youth-- I am amazed when I think of all the work those teachers did to make that happen, but it was fun to hear some of these songs again. :)

The boys and I enjoyed a Mommy/Son date at Sizzler.  Their favorite part was the ice cream. :)

Some of us have been ready for school to be over a bit early this year.  It's hard to get up some mornings. :)

It takes a minute, but we can usually come up with a reason to be happy.  (Autumn was pretty happy about her lost front tooth.)

I am proud of how hard the girls have worked and how much they have learned.

Seth has been busy creating interesting things at home too. :)

And Brigham...

...mostly plays. :)

Speaking of play.  The girls earned a Girl Party/Late Night.  We played games, watched a show and painted nails.

We were feeling festive for Saint Patrick's Day.

Amberlee helped make dinner that night too.

We had another fun week of Co-op Preschool at our house.

I started participating in Bountiful Baskets.  I've enjoyed the yummy produce so far!

Enjoying the park on warmer days.  We love Settler's Park.

Fun day at the river, throwing rocks and sticks.

All in all, we think life is pretty good,

 ...and we're not just "pulling your leg." :)

Marching Through March...

In March...

Back in the Saddle for Nation Book Week/Spirit Week at the girl's school.

We started the week off with "Books for Breakfast."

Followed by "Wacky Hair Day."

And finishing the week off with "Dress like your favorite book character Day."

Here we have "Laura Ingalls Wilder" and "Abigail Stewart" from the Dear America Series.

While the girls were having their fun at school, the boys and I hit preschool at the Library.

And made a couple park stops.

Not to mention Brigham's First Birthday Party Invite.

We took a fun Family Day Trip to Lucky Peak Dam.  The view was pretty spectacular.  We hike around, and found a great place to settle in and build little rock villages in the sand.

The kids have begged us to go back, so I think we'll have to take another trip there again.  It's fun to have some neat places close by!

Speaking of Family though, we've had some fun Family Nights.  Doug helped me out on an object lesson of being "equally yoked."  The boys said he has "too much power." :)

And when they misbehave during family night, we know just what to do.

This has worked out quite smoothly thus far. :)

Surprise Birthday Visit for Grandpa Ben...

This is my daddy.

I really like him a lot.

For that reason, the kids and I hopped in the car for a quick surprise visit for Birthday hugs.

We also got to see fun cousins.

We had a happy time together, though, some were more excited and energetic than others. :)  

Really- it was so fun to visit with Beth and Jon. I can't believe all they are doing!  Growing a baby and single-handedly finishing a basement!  They are amazing!

And we didn't get nearly enough time with a precious Stewart Grandparents, but at least we got to give them hugs!

We finished the Sunday evening off by blowing out birthday candles.

That night, it almost felt surreal sleeping in my old attic room again.  I was just reminded of how good I had it growing up in such a cool old house with such great parents, and it inspired me to write this poem.

 A Visit to my Attic Room

 By Lydia Stewart

I was a girl in this room.

Despite the awkward low angled ceilings and the slim square footage,

This was my palace.

Enough room to hold six sleepless little bodies on Christmas Eve.

            The tick-tocking coo coo clock ensuring wakefulness.

Space for a crude trundle bed made of ply wood and roller skates,

Adorned with a homespun sunflower quilt, fabric of my choosing.

A floor covered with hundreds of paper dolls or old postage stamps.

A window-seat for reading and drinking in sunshine.

Walls freshly blooming with bright yellow sunflowers.

Clearance for singing, dancing, giggling sisters.

A place for stories, secrets, laughter, and letters.

A sanctuary.

A perfect place for a little girl to grow.

Now I see it, small and dated.

The painted paneling with faded sunflower stencils remain.

The same cold draft sneaking through the walls.

Even my glow in the dark stars still greet me in the night,

not unlike the familiar Milky Way Galaxy,

constant as the North Star.

Oversized paintings cover the single unslanted attic wall,

waiting awkwardly for a more permanent place,

collecting cobwebs,

Ancestors speaking through their brushstrokes.

The coo coo clock hangs lifeless; the bird silent for years.

Over-grown trees veil the old window view,

Masking blinking lights of old friends who lived across the field.

I prop the door open, waiting to hear my brothers guitar strumming in the other room.

Instead I’m wrap in the rhythm of my sons breathing down the hall.

I know this place—the creaks and moans of this old house are familiar.

It remembers me, greeting me with memories as my head hits the pillow.

I was right.

This is my palace.

Walls safely guarding, holding treasured memories of a happy little girl inside.

A sanctuary.

A perfect place for a little girl to return to.

And then I so appropriately woke up to delicious homemade crepes in strawberry sauce.  My mom is the best!  I really did feel pampered.

And just to set the record straight, I think I have the cutest, most characterful nieces and nephews around!