Arrow of Light

We can't believe Talmage is now an 11-year-old scout! He had wonderful Webelos leaders. And the good news is Clint got called to be Assistant 11-Year Old Scout Leader! So he's definitely getting a great experience each week.

Spring Sing, March 29, 2012

Trace is in Ms. Wendy’s Preschool Pals. She has been doing preschool in our neighborhood in her home for more than 18 years. I’ve been to lots of preschools with my boys and I wish they could have all gone to Ms. Wendy!  Wendy takes such an interest each child and learns their learning strengths and where they are at developmentally. She tells me so much about Trace! She’s really good at helping them use correct hand position so that they can get off on the right foot when starting to write. Within a couple of weeks she had Trace writing his name by himself! The home environment makes it so much fun. Where else would they get to bake bread to go along with the Little Red Hen story? Or where else could they pick vegetables from a garden and hunt for eggs from backyard chickens? I love it that she has pet rats, fish and a dog for the kids to take care of. Once when I came to pick up Trace the kids were spray-painting the snow with tempura paint in spray bottles. Another time they were bouncing in a blow up trampoline in her living room. Childhood at its best. Here is Trace's class at their Spring Sing.

Here Trace announced to the parents, "We are wearing hats!"

The Apple Pip Princess, March 20, 2012

This is my wonderful friend, Gina, and her oldest son, Josh backstage after the Virginia Tanner Children's Theater performance of the Apple Pip Princess. Since I moved back to Utah I've been dying to see Josh perform! I remember when he was a 4-year-old dancing in his living room as he watched the Nutcracker over and over again. He's been on scholarship dancing with the Virginia Tanner dance company for many years now, and Ballet West before that. That is many miles on Gina's car driving back and forth from Ogden.

I have to say sitting there in the theater with Gina I felt like I'd come full circle. It was Gina who directed our one-act play "The Voices" that took first place in region in high school. Our circle of friends did lots of Shakespeare, melodramas, choir, dance, orchestra and visual art as well. Exulting in the arts is something I associate with my old friends and Utah. Watching those children perform dances that they had created themselves to depict that beautiful story and seeing the gorgeous costumes and scenery and hearing the beautiful music... my spirit said, "Yay! I'm back!"

St. George Air Show, March 18, 2012

One of Utah's Navy Recruiters is a part-time tenant in Clint's building. He got us VIP tickets to the Navy Airshow in Saint George in March. We jumped at the chance to finally get down to St. George and visit our good friends, Kristen and Tyler Nelson.

 We had seats right in front of the grandstand.

Did you know Tyler is a long-hair now? Here, you can catch a glimpse of cool teen Carter in the shades and awesome Spencer in the red Tee.

Trace and Jack running around with Spencer and Bryce.

After the airshow was over the mesa was overtaken by a windstorm and the whole crowd exited enmasse across the 1/2 mile dirt parking lot. We had dust in our ears, eyelids, socks....! Aah! Clint said it reminded him of an Iraqi dust storm.

All weekend long Talmage's goal was to get up close and personal with a real  palm tree.

Thank you Nelsons for a perfect weekend! We loved the long talks and your wonderful home. The kids got along great. Tyler made these AMAZING 5-inch cookies with a whole pound of butter in them. I've now tried and failed four times to duplicate them. Tyler, once I finally get it right I'll be sending you my Weight Watchers bill.

My Little Real Estate Problem

As Clint's mom likes to say, "We Cresaps are really good at obsessing." Anyone who knows me well knows that real estate is my little addiction. It's the thing that I turn to when I need an escape from doing the things I should be doing but don't feel like doing. You know, like meals, dishes, laundry and putting the kids to bed. Well, March was the month that I really fell down a real estate hole. I let the mortgage commercials get to me and thought, "We might really regret not taking advantage of these low prices and interest rates!" After all I could see houses like this lovely one on the east bench in Layton. It has 4,000 square feet 5 beds/3 baths, hot tub, views, community pool, courts and private access to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. This house would cost 1/2 what we're paying in rent! Seemed like a good idea to me. And I can be very convincing, so Clint let me start exploring options. Many missed meals, piles of laundry and tired children later I realized that it wasn't a good idea to buy a house when Clint may not be retiring from the Navy yet, or even if he does, when he doesn't know what his second career will be or where we will be living! My thanks to Clint for being really patient with the insanity. And I'm back to being a full-time wife and mom. It turns out it really does take my full-time effort to keep a happy family! Not to mention that we live in such a lovely neighborhood where all the boys have wonderful friends, Clint comes home for lunch everyday and we couldn't ask for better neighbors, ward or school. It has been a lesson in quieting my restless feet and being where I am.

Sprinter Skiing, March 10th

Cole is always way ahead of the rest of us in the ski lines so I was able to take this picture of him from the lift chair. 

Tal and Cole do not love skiing. It takes a surprising amount of bribery and coersion to get them on the slopes. But this day was so warm and gorgeous, they seemed to really enjoy it. Tal called it "Sprinter" and Cole loved skiing in his short sleeve T-shirt. I didn't hear a word of complaint until the sun went down and "Sprinter" was over. Jack loves skiing in any weather, even though he's the only one who ever falls down!

1st Grade, That was Easy, March 9, 2012

Jack loved the theme of his 1st Grade program. There were a dozen songs and skits demonstrating all the things they have learned in 1st grade. His favorite part was at the end when they put the microphone up to the EASY button and it said, "That was Easy."

Can you see how seriously Jack took his job of holding up the picture of the dog? Big time.

Fist bump from Dad.

Really cute boy.

Jack with his best girlfriend, Maddie Nielsen

Thank You, Library Pass, February 2012

This demonstation at the Leonardo museum let the boys see how algae can be used as a thickening agent in food products. The Leonardo is in the old Salt Lake City Library Building. It's new interior has become spectacular with floor to ceiling scuptures, like the algae-inspired sculpture you see behind the boys that climbs 30 feet upwards and is anchored in dirt beds on the floor.

Green Screen Fun

Trace is making his own film strip to go in the movie wheel at the right.

Talmage is learning what it is like to relearn to walk with an artificial limb.

Woah, boy! That looks tricky!

This movie was created by Cole at the stop-motion studio in the Leonardo. Now the boys are working on stop-motion movies at home.

Here, the boys are at the new Natural History Museum. The outside of the building is the real spectacle. Rio Tinto donated enough copper to cover the entire exterior. It is stunning. And the interior is designed to make you feel like you are inside Utah's canyons with towering ceilings and rugged winding passageways.

These outings were courtesy of our City Libary Community Exploration Pass, which gets your family one visit each to the Gateway Children's Discovery Museum, the new Leonardo Museum, the new Natural History Musuem and Red Butte Gardens. Salt Lake City can't be beat for cheap things to do with the kids!

Valentines 2012

Photo proof that Clint and I went out on a nice date. We had a week of Valentine's Celebrations this year. The week before I planned a date and we went out for Thai food. It was a yummy place called Chanon Thai, very fresh. Then we drove up to Park City and heard the Utah Symphony perform Beethoven's Fifth and a Mendelssohn violin concerto. Just loved it.
Clint had planned to make me a yummy dinner and 1,000 calorie a bite chocolate cake, but I begged off. I have goals. So instead, he brought me a gorgeous bouquet of white and pink roses. We got the boys to bed early and watched Breaking Dawn on blue-ray. Very entertaining. We can suspend our highbrow prejudices and enjoy those movies very well, thank you. Love to all you valentines out there!

Red Butte Gardens

Last week it was 50 degrees on Monday afternoon. We thought it was a perfect time to use our free pass to Red Butte Garden, which expires at the end of February. What a gorgeous place! The boys loved it. It has lots of water features, so it would be a great place to hang out in the summer.

Accolades

     Color me amazed. Talmage and Isabella got 4th place in the Science Fair! We are so proud of them. It was a month-long project between our two families. Isabella came up with the question: What has more acid a grapefruit or a lemon? Then we beefed it up by organizing a taste panel to compare taste buds to PH test strips. Isabella came up with all the artistic touches on the poster. Talmage came up with the conclusion. Isabella's parents crafted the methods for the taste testing and took the photos and I did all the typing. Pretty awesome for two kids in resource!
     In other news, Trace's Sunbeam's teacher told us how impressed she was with Trace. They were talking about the pre-existence and Trace told them all about the war in heaven--of course, it was a war! My boys are highly interested in wars! :) He also said, "You know that when someone dies, it is not the last time you see them." I guess this means I can't kick Trace out of Family Home Evening anymore, because apparently he does understand.

Shoveling in a Snowstorm

It's not wasted effort. For Jack, its a challenge! Jack vs. snowstorm!