It's springtime, 2102.  It has been a beautiful spring this year with butterflies galore!  During my runs (you know, jogging, not bathroom problems) I have collected some of the butterflies and brought them home for the kids to see.  Really, they have just been everywhere!!  They seem like little tiny happiness reminders.  Now, the little happiness reminders have gone home with Sophie for further enjoyment. 

I know it's been a long time since I've written.  I want to blog.  I just don't want to take the time to blog.  But, I want a place to put the things we're doing and what I'm thinking, and to stay in touch with family, and to keep for our own family history.  It can sometimes feel overwhelming.  But, as I read other blogs, I think that it's such a wonderful place to see pictures and read words with feelings that will be a treasure for years to come.  

I don't need to catch up on the world, but Allison was baptized last October....we took a last minute family vacation to California to play with Greenwood cousins over Christmas....Quinn broke his arm at wrestling practice....Tanner was in the paper for writing a paper....Connor has played football and run cross-country and track this year. 

I am trying desperately to finish up this second year of seminary.  I haven't missed a day of teaching yet.  (I have missed some inservices, but not a day of teaching).  And no, I don't feel like I need to keep it up for the next 2 years, however, I also won't throw away my attendance record for just anything.  

Scott is getting things ready for Scout camp.  We got to sneak off, thanks to Stephanie and a friend, to Dallan and Carrie's wedding in Seattle.  Loved the market and the laughs!  Scott would just like to go on a bike ride, but seems to be filling his time up instead with teaching Connor how to home teach (trimming shrubs), playing catch with Quinn, going to Tanner's ballgames and trying to figure out how to get on Allison's good side.....  

Allison was baptized in the dress my mom made for my sister, Paula.  Allison's cousin, Zoey, was also baptized in the same dress.  Grandma Prince made the dress for her to wear afterwards.
Sweet, white memories!

I didn't even answer the phone when the school tried to call and tell me what had happened....I'm thinking thoughts like:  "who is this call from Lemoine??  he keeps calling me!! I am trying to get ready to get the kids from the elementary school!!  why won't he just leave me a message??"  BECAUSE YOUR SON BROKE HIS ARM AND IS GOING TO  THE HOSPITAL IN AN AMBULANCE!  That's why we keep calling you, and why I am not leaving you a message!

http://www.arlingtontx.gov/animals/pdf/animalessays/2012/Tanner_Greenwood.pdf

That link, my friends, should take you to Tanner's animal essay contest that won him 3rd place in the 5th grade entries in Arlington.

http://myarlingtontx.com/2012/03/08/2012-animal-essay-contest-winners/

This link shows Tanner getting a second with Mayor Cluck.  He is about 1:25 in the clip.

https://picasaweb.google.com/102592117960894692099/AnimalEssayContest2012VisitingSchools#slideshow/5709798623116972962

This will hopefully take you to the picture of when Scott and I got to go to the school to surprise Tanner!  He didn't want to enter this essay contest when I showed it to him at the library.  But, thanks to his wonderful teacher, Mrs. Doskocil, who encouraged the students to enter, he did!  BTW, Mrs. Doskocil is retiring this year.  I am saddish because she taught all 3 boys, and I would've liked Allison to have had her.  It is becoming extremely challenging to have any creativity and fun in the classroom because of state mandated testing, so she has prayed and decided it was time to leave teaching.  We love our teachers!

 Connor is on the top ladder at the top.  How cool is that to climb on, on your campout with the scouts and your dad?!  I tried to get a picture of Connor at a track meet, but I haven't been able to get one on.  (That is one reason why it drives me nuts to blog....I can't figure it all out and it takes a long time).  

Back Handspring and Artwork at AISD

Allison can do a round off back handspring! She can also do one from standing. Just recently, she has added another back handspring.....doing two after her round-off. I haven't seen the double one yet. She is doing this in the neighbor's yard (nicer, softer, more level grassy area). Her gymnastics group gets to be the opening act for a Chinese acrobat show while we're in Branson this summer.

Tanner had his artwork displayed at the AISD administration building. Connor took the pic of Tanner and I. Connor got to come with us to the little reception they had for the "artists." Tanner's artwork represented the 4th grade at Corey. He is pictured with his art teacher, Ms. Black....his artwork is above his head (the teal green checkered ball looking artwork).

It's been too long

I guess maybe I'm not going to try to catch up ;) I can put whatever I would like to on my blog whenever I can. Hopefully, that will help me not to worry about keeping this blog in perfect order!

(and I'm reading a little here and there in a book that reminds me that I don't have to choose all or nothing...think it will help?)

Connor won the elementary school spelling bee, only to be knocked out in the first round of a district bee....can you spell "tandoori?"

Tanner chose to make a lightning bolt for his pinewood derby. Scott chose to still make it fast....he placed 2nd. He also got an award for the "Most Metallic!"

We've missed 5 days total lately of school and seminary due to the winter weather. It was such a nice break! It was great having Scott home and I loved the fun each day of hearing that school was indeed cancelled for the next day (okay, so it started to get a little old, but then it snowed, so it was good!)

We got to have Sophie stay with us while E&S had Elinor.

For Christmas Scott got the family tickets to Jim Brickman. Wow! He surprised me with it before Christmas. It was fun to look forward to after the holidays (the concert was in Dallas at the beginning of January). I get that sad-kinda-feeling (like Tanner does) about taking down the Christmas tree and the holidays ending. I really enjoyed taking the kids to experience something I like. Allison commented that it was making her tired (b/c we'd play Brickman at bedtime ;)

Coloring Eggs, and, well, laying eggs

It's strange how they only need me to buy the egg coloring stuff now, and boil the eggs for them.

They can do the rest themselves.

But, they do still need me to buy the stuff, did I mention that?

Connor, Tanner and Allison had some fun laying some eggs, too, in the cubbies in the family room......the things they think up sometimes ;)

Ruffles and Light Sabers

That's our girl.....

What a tender mercy that little girl is to me, and how much I LOVE getting to do the girly things. I like how tough and strong she is, along with all her ribbons and curls.

And I know you already know, but I'm rather crazy about our three sons, too!

Louisiana

Well, I guess I'm starting at the end of the trip....

The last thing we got to do with Edd and Anne and

family was to go to Church with them.

It's no fun to say good-bye to cousins!

(It snowed on the drive home, so that was a good distraction for the sadness.)

I made Edd take a pic of our family before we headed home.

Edd and Anne always serve the best food.

Edd had a crawfish boil for us.

So, the light hit Connor's ears just right---too funny!

This is where we ate some fantastic po' boys.

We also had beignets one evening. The trip also included a trip to Lake Pontchartrain and some blow-up mattress playing.

I will end this post where the trip began: an amazing swamp tour!

We enjoyed the boat ride and I couldn't believe some of the things we saw.

We still miss them...

We still miss our neighbors, Wade and Loren.

The kids have spent hours playing with them. They always left their socks at our place.

They moved away this past summer.

Tanner still talks about Wade.... I still miss my good friends who have moved away, too, Tanner.