March 2014.

Ashley and Soren visited from Boston! Soren and Isla are only a month apart, and it was very cute to see Soren interacting with his cousins. We were unable to do any sightseeing until the very last day Ashley was here, which turned out to be a surprisingly freezing day! We jumped out of the car, ran to the Alamo, ran down to the Riverwalk, and sprinted back to the car, with most of the kids crying about the cold.

When there was a last-minute scheduling conflict at the church, we ended up hosting a really fun dinner and games night at our house for all the Primary teachers. This was on a Saturday that Rick was on call. It was funny to me that he texted during the party to ask me how my day was, probably picturing me and the kids playing in the backyard or something, when we had fifty people at our house and the backyard set up with tables like a restaurant!

Everett and Faye in the kitchen sink! Notice the drying rack next to the sink. One Sunday evening I was doing dishes while trying to convince Isla to wait until I was done to jump in the sink for a bath. I quickly finished up, filled the sink, and plopped her in. I was wiping down the counter when she started screaming. I had left the blade to the food processor on the drying rack, and she must have grabbed it or knocked it in the sink. It sliced her on the ankle, right above her little foot. The cut was probably two to three inches long and deep enough that Rick convinced me that she needed stitches.

We called a friend (another surgeon) to help, and he and Rick sewed her right up. I do NOT do well in situations like this, and I think I cried as much as Isla did. Carson had to run next door to get Cheryl to help me hold Isla during the stitches. Isla did great though, and now her cut is healing up really nicely. We do not do baths in the sink anymore!

I am the room parent for Carson's class, so as part of my job I got to collect donations and put together a basket to be auctioned off at the school carnival. It was fun to shop with other people's money! This is what we put together for the move night basket.

Faye and Julia on Q pre school day. Q is for queso. It's hard to do this in Spanish sometimes!

We had some really, really nice weather in March! It felt like we actually had a nice cool winter this year, and Spring is just lovely.

This was a Saturday when I left Rick at home with the kids for the ENTIRE day. I don't think that has ever happened before! I got home at five p.m.... and the boys were taking a nap. What??

He wore them our playing soccer I guess! (I was at a workshop to become certified to teach Insanity! I found out a few days ago that I passed the test, so now I'm applying to teach at the YMCA.)

Our friend Rachel threw a surprise birthday party for her husband, and we actually got a babysitter and went! It turned out to be a really, really fun night. Even though I told everyone I stink at ping pong, somehow I WON the girls' bracket, and Rick beat all the boys. So we played each other for the championship. I don't think I need to mention who won, playing with his left hand.

Rachel and me in the semi-finals.

Just some cute girls. Isla now prefers to sit on a stool rather than her high chair, and she pushes a sippy cup away to use a regular one. I try not to think about the fact that I don't have a baby really anymore. (Except when I see or hold someone else's newborn... I cry every time!)

Isla with her babies. Technically one is Faye's, but Faye has more important things to worry about, like beating up her brothers. So Isla mostly takes care of the babies. 

During the kids' Spring Break, we worked on their family history books. We collected pictures and wrote their and our life histories. We need to do the grandparents' now...

Everyone had runny noses in March. :)

At a friend's birthday party. I hardly ever make corn since the boys don't like it, but Isla loves corn on the cob!

The boys helped out majorly with some yard work, so I took them to Yogurt Zone with the money they had earned. We counted it up and divided it between savings, tithing, and spending. Then we spent some on yogurt! 

Sunday afternoon walk.

Girlies peeking out the window.

Post-library visit.

March madness began! Carson loves, loves, loves this. He's obsessed with all the numbers... the teams' records, the shot clock, etc. We let him stay up to watch a few games. My favorite night was when Wisconsin won to go to the final four. He and I stayed up, huddled around my phone, cheering on the Badgers.

The girls and I ventured out to Trader Joe's. 

Carson at the Scobee Carnival, which was really fun! Carson pounded a piece of pizza, sausage, and who knows what else. He's starting to eat like his dad sometimes!

Faye had her first real hair cut! She loved it and still talks about it.

Another really nice park day!

In March Faye started giving up her afternoon nap... yikes. She still does a quiet time, which is nice except for when she uses it to pack up her room. 

Isla sneaks over to the neighbor's house whenever she gets the chance. They've got dogs, goldfish crackers, and Granny Cheryl; what more could she want?

A nice Sunday afternoon. I made bread and played Parcheesi simultaneously! 

Faye found two roly poly bugs (real name for those things??) one day and played with them for a long time. She named them Penny and Stella.

Hearing her "interact" with the bigs was hilarious. She tried to boss them around... "PENNY, get back in your cage!"

S'mores!

We were thrilled that our friends from Austin came down to visit for the last part of Spring Break. We had so much fun with them! This was our visit to the Riverwalk.

We even got to do the boat ride, which we haven't done since right when we moved here.

The best part about the visit was that I had a whole loaf of homemade bread that I had forgotten about and let rise way too long, so it was flat and gross when I baked it. The kids all got plenty of bread to feed to the ducks!

Now March is over, and it is already 90 degrees here! Rick also started a new rotation in April at the V.A. I thought it was impossible for him to work any more hours than he was... but the V.A. is insane! He had last weekend "off," but was doing notes until Saturday evening and was preparing a presentation all day Sunday. The kids have not seen him all week, so we're excited for tomorrow and crossing our fingers he can finish those dang notes! I vacillate between feeling lonely each evening by myself, and feeling like superwoman for doing everything on my own. (Including taking care of ALL the leaves and mowing everything last weekend!) I am so glad I have two good boys who help me and stay up at night sometimes with me, a Faye who keeps me laughing, and a baby girl to snuggle.