Macey's 1st Trip to the Temple!

 The same day of the boys' baseball game, we miraculously found 1 seat open for baptisms at the temple! We had been searching for an appointment for weeks. We really wanted to be able to both go with Macey to the temple the first time she went! The Salt Lake City, St. George and Manti temples are all closed for remodeling, and while there are several new temples that have been announced in Utah--it has been nearly impossible to get an appointment to the temple! We were so, so glad when the appointment opened up! My parents watched the other 7 kiddos.

One of the most incredible things has been to watch Macey figure out spirituality. Principles click so easily for her, and she is already honing in how the Holy Ghost speaks to her. We got done in the temple, and she asked to sit on the couches in the waiting room, just to feel for a little bit. So we sat, and we listened!

Macey's first temple experience was in the Provo City Center Temple! Thankfully, we were able to take a few pictures before it started!

We wanted to take out Macey to a fancy restaurant--just the 3 of us! (Because that hardly ever happens!) Macey chose Olive Garden. It was the first time she had any memory of eating there (even though she has eaten there many years ago!).

BYU Baseball Game!

For Cooper and Quinn's birthdays, Grandpa and Grandma Christensen bought the boys tickets to go to a BYU baseball game! Grandpa Christensen played baseball for Utah State a few years ago, so it was fun to go to a college ball game with him! It was a cold Saturday in March, but they were able to stay busy and warm enough in their coats. Grandpa Christensen, Scott, Cooper and Quinn all went together. It was a GREAT day, in which fun was had by all!

They had loaded hot dogs and popcorn for lunch. Quinn danced and sang to every walk-up song! The boys even got a visit from Cosmo, the cougar!

A Big Day Up North!

For Cooper and Quinn's birthdays, Grandpa and Grandma Christensen got the boys tickets to a BYU baseball game! It had been so hard finding a time when we could take Macey to the temple for the first time. We really wanted to be able to go with her her first time! We found 1 seat open in the Provo Temple that same afternoon, so we snatched it up!

That meant, to save on gas, money and time we all went up north together! Grandpa, Grandma and Aunt Amy so graciously watched the kids while Scott and I took Macey to the temple and then out to dinner together.

This is a 3 part story. For now, here is our first portion: at grandma's house!

 

While the boys went to their game, the girls had pizza and breadsticks at home!

Lucy Loses Training Wheels!

Lucy learned how to ride on 2 wheels! She woke up one morning wanting to do it...and then she did it! She picked up on riding SO quickly! 

 

Grinding Wheat!

 My mom let me borrow her wheat grinder. It was a hand crank, and we wanted to see if we could grind some wheat! It was tiring!...but we ground it!

Quick Trip to the Temple!

We were really excited to be able to go to the temple in February. We are still missing our Manti Temple dearly (it's still closed for renovations!). It is nearly impossible to get a temple appointment in Cedar City or Payson--both are the same distance from us (1 hour 45 minutes away). We were able to get appointments for initiatories at the Cedar City Temple with our friends. We were sad that we couldn't do our annual couples trip this year, but we were so grateful that we got to tag along on the beginning of their trip!

We went with the Carters and the Zabriskes to the Cedar City Temple and Chilis afterward, for dinner!

 

Macey's Middle School Talent Show!

Macey and her friends decided to audition for the middle school talent show! There is a song out on YouTube known as the "Chick-fil-a Song" about a guy that wants Chick-fil-a but it's Sunday (and it's closed on Sunday). She and her friends choreographed a lyrical dance to that song. (To be honest, it was one of those things that I didn't quite understand as an old woman, but I fully supported her getting out there and doing something fun!)

I didn't think I would be able to go see her, but at the last minute, Scott offered to watch Harper for 30 minutes (the twins were already sleeping) and prep his lesson from home. I ran to the school to watch her perform, gave her a quick hug, and then slipped out the back! She didn't know I was going to be there, and she was ecstatic! It was TOTALLY worth it!

Quinn's 7th Birthday!

Quinn is 7!!! He is such a gem. I love my Quinny so dearly. Quinn is quiet, and he moves along with our family, with little fanfare. If he is ever in a silly mood, he is hilarious! He has always been our ham, and he continues to live up to that title! Quinn is well behaved everywhere we go. He is a good student, and he is well-behaved in the classroom. Quinn catches on to school concepts quickly, but he doesn't make a big deal of it, and he goes with the flow. Quinn is currently in speech therapy for his "s" sounds, and he loves it! He is a diligent student, and practices those sounds for 5 minutes every night--just like his speech teacher asked him to. Quinn loves heroes. He loves heroes from the scriptures and all superheroes. He loves to draw and create. 

Quinn's birthday was on a school day. He had a sister who had dance class after school, so we didn't get to do dinner, presents and cake until a little later in the day!

I mentioned to Quinn at the beginning of present opening that I wanted to take pictures of him with the presents. After opening the first two presents, I looked up to discover that he posed with every single present. If I was in the middle of conversation, he would sit perfectly still, holding his smile, waiting for me to take a picture before he opened his present! I couldn't help but chuckle every time--and of course, take the picture! Lest you think this is the same picture, Quinn is holding a different present in every picture! It still makes me chuckle. Enjoy!

If you know Quinn, you know that he would eat McDonald's every day of the week, if we let him! So...McDonald's was his birthday dinner of choice!

Cooper persuaded Quinn to have a pinata cake--with candy in the middle!