March Update

Some of this will be a repeat for all of you, and all of this will be a repeat for some of you, but, for posterity's sake, here's the monthly email update I sent to my grandparents (who don't read the blog).:

We had a WONDERFUL time on our vacation to Disneyland/Southern California. The kids did amazingly well traveling in the car, and Audrey, especially, loved visiting Disneyland. She went on almost every ride there, which really surprised me - she generally tends to be a little timid, but she evidently has a bit of her thrill-seeking mom in her! Jared and I took turns riding rides with her and letting Adam explore. The highlight of the trip for him was the hotel - he loved the elevator (a glass one that went up 11 stories and looked down on the atrium below) and the swimming pool. He loved the gift shops at Disneyland, tolerated the rides (there were a few he really enjoyed, like the teacups and Peter Pan), and did not enjoy standing in line. Luckily, lines were pretty light, since it was off-season. Audrey absolutely loved meeting all the characters - especially the princesses at a special princess lunch we went to. We had fun collecting autographs of the characters in an autograph book and watching the parade, as well. We also enjoyed seeing some of the shows. There was an Aladdin show that was like a Broadway show with elaborate sets, costumes and music that was incredible - they even flew on a carpet up above our heads! The kids liked hearing the princesses tell stories - Adam was picked to play the handsome prince when Sleeping Beauty told her story and got to dance with Princess Aurora. My favorite part of all was the warm weather! It was so hard to come back to the cold and snow. We also really enjoyed the chance we had to visit with Jared's family - especially some of the extended family we don't get to see that often. The kids had a fun time playing together, and Jared's brother and his wife took us to look at some model homes in their neighborhood to try to talk us into moving down there. I have to say, after the lovely weather, it wouldn't be too tough of a sell!

I've spent the days since we've been back trying to convince the kids that just because it's sunny outside doesn't mean it's warm enough to go out and play! It's been sunny but cold, and I'm still waiting for that telltale 'Spring is on the way!' bit of warmth to show up! Adam must have really missed his toys while we were gone, because he was so excited to come home and see all of his trucks waiting for him in his room. He played happily with toys and stayed out of mischief for 4 or 5 days straight, which must be some kind of a record for him! We've also been working on potty-training a bit - he's had quite a few successes, actually, but we've still got quite a ways to go. It's different than with Audrey - she was very motivated and independent and, pretty much from the get-go, would tell me if she needed to go. Adam, on the other hand, has to be reminded and taken and helped every step of the way, which means a lot more work for me. We'll keep it up, though, as I'd like to start him in preschool this fall and he needs to be trained before then.

Speaking of school, we're getting geared up for Audrey to start Kindergarten! We just found out she has a spot in both of the charter schools I'd signed her up for (they do a lottery for admission, since they limit class size, and there are generally more applicants than positions). I feel really lucky that she got into both, but now I need to figure out where we're going to send her! Almost all of the kids around here go to the public school, which really is a good school, but I feel like the charter schools are a little more structured and academic, which is pretty important to me. There will be one other little girl in the ward going to the one that's a bit closer to us, but the one that's further away has even smaller classes (20 children, and 1 class per grade vs. 25 children and 2 classes per grade) and emphasizes music, in addition to the academic core. It also has the highest test scores. So, I'm torn. I guess it's an enviable position, in some ways - choosing between 3 great schools! I also need to get her in to have her immunizations, which she's nervous about.

It seems like we've been in constant celebration mode around here between our trip, Jared's birthday, St. Patrick's Day (Audrey's school had a party, and I made a green breakfast this morning, which Audrey thought was great), and Easter coming up next week. I'll be ready for a little downtime when it's all over. Jared's birthday was really fun, though. He received your card and check in the mail - thank you so very much! I had his family over the morning of his birthday for a birthday brunch, and we had a lot of fun just visiting and letting the cousins play for most of the day. We got together with our family on Sunday for dinner to celebrate Mom and Jared's birthdays - again, lots of fun! Laura and Chris were able to come to that, so it was fun to talk to them a little bit about their engagement and the plans they have for the wedding. We are hoping to make it out for the wedding this summer, and to see you guys! It's been way too long since I've been in the South!