So, I don't feel like I have a lot to say - but thought I should get these pictures up. Last Saturday (a week ago) our ward had a drive-in movie. Benjamin had really been wanting to go - but he'd been having such an attitude. I told him if he didn't change it, he wouldn't be going. So, it ended up that just Sarah and I went. I'd been cranky most of the day (I probably didn't deserve to go either!) but this seemed to be just what I needed. We both had a good time. And it was really just the 2 of us. We built our cardboard car - she had the idea for the eyes, which was good because I was kind of brain-dead that night. They had races. Sarah didn't want to race. Then they had a movie - some Wallace & Grommit "previews" and then the old Johnny Lingo. Sarah was good - and sat still for it all. She was really excited about all the goodies - "nickolish", a Kit-Kat, whoppers, skittles, jellybeans, water! I ended up feeling kind of depressed after watching Johnny Lingo - I feel like "Muhana, you ugly" more than an "eight-cow wife."

Benjamin gave a great talk on Sunday about mothers nurturing the family. I've been reminded several times, by him, that I need to play with my children, because that was in the talk. I've really tried to do that more. I know it's important to them - they ask me all the time. I'm just not a "player". We did visiting teaching on Monday, the library on Tuesday. Wednesday we had "school" at our house. We were on the letter "T". I had the boys do a texture hunt (found a great story in a 1983 Friend!) Then we tried to make taffy. I obviously didn't cook it long enough, because we couldn't get it to hold together. I've got it in a bowl now, I can scoop out a "piece" of candy with a spoon! So, that was kind of disappointing and I just let them play after that. We did toast and tang for a snack.

On Thursday and Friday I had some energy. I did a lot of spring cleaning. Washing windows in and out, cleaning dust bunnies under the couches, sweeping cobwebs, washing cabinet fronts, pulling weeds, etc. It all started in an effort to be ready for the in-laws visit this last weekend. But, I just wanted to clean stuff.

So, here is a flower bed, before and after. Can you really tell the difference? It's salt grass and that stuff just doesn't come out easily. I wish we could get it all killed off. The front yard is just salt grass. We hope to be able to dig it all out soon.

BEFORE

AFTER

On Friday night, even though my in-laws were coming (they didn't get here until 9:30), I went to a Twilight party with my friends. We just visited, ate, and rewatched the movie - critiquing as we went. It was so nice to get out for an evening.

Saturday morning, we got up and went to yard sales. We didn't have money for them, but figured the parents would pay if we found something we really wanted. The kids each had a dollar from Grandpa and Kannon and I found some quarters. It was pretty fun. We spent what we had - the kids each bought fishing poles - and we even got some stuff for free. Then they took us out to breakfast (at 11:00!) That's the 4th time this year that we've been to Jerry's. We'd probably gone a total of 4 times ever before! This is the second time with his parents, his uncle and grandpa took us, and we had an old friend visit a weekend ago that took us out in exchange for a bed. We're getting to know their menu pretty well. It's just that that's the only real sit-down family restaurant in town, that isn't in a casino.

This is Sarah entertaining herself while waiting in the car at a yard sale.

Ben wasn't real well this weekend. On friday, when I came in from weeding, I found Ben asleep in my bed. He never takes naps any more, and they'd only been in the house without me for about 1/2 an hour. So, I was really surprised. He didn't wake up for about 1 1/2 hours. Then he just sat on the couch, snoozed one more time. He had a fever. I had my friend, Julie - a kinesiologist - check him and she said it wasn't viral, just toxins in his body, and that we could fix that with some special baths. Saturday, he was about the same: fevered off and on, sleeping, not hungry, just sat and lay around. So, I stayed home with him today - but he was just fine - Yeah! No fever, and he acted so normal. Even stayed up this afternoon while the rest of us took naps.

The other thing this week was more car problems. I don't remember if I blogged about the burb - had to get an ignition module replaced. Well, the week before we had to buy a new tire for Kannon's car and pay to have the snow tires taken off. This week, our neighbor said our car sounded really bad - he thought it was a clutch deal. Kannon said the sound got worse, so we dropped it off Wednesday night at the mechanics. They called me the next morning to let me know it was not the clutch, but the transmission and it would need to be replaced. AAARRGH! Last year when we got our tax return we had to redo the whole engine. The clutch was replaced in October, I think. Now the transmission. The car has almost 200,000 miles on it and it better last now for a lot more - it's almost all new inside! They fixed it by Friday morning, but that was a huge chunk of our tax return. I might not get to remodel my bedroom before this baby is born. =( But, I really am trying to just feel grateful that we had the money and didn't have to go in debt.