Maggie's quiz

 Mags 2013 end of the school year quiz

Favorite color:  light blue, wait . . . light blue, light pink, and light turquoise
Favorite food:  chicken picatta
Favorite movie:  ice age: continental drift
Favorite TV show:  house hunters
Favorite trick at gym:  back walkover
Favorite thing to do with dad:  Play games with him, train game
Favorite thing to do with mom:  play games
Favorite thing to do with Sam:  basketball
Favorite thing to do with Zach: play games
Favorite thing to do with Casey: play spy
Favorite thing to do with Jill:  color
Favorite thing to do with Anna:  color
Favorite friend:  Maddy and Jessie and Eliza
Favorite toy:  i don't have a favorite toy, wait . . . dino
Favorite Primary song:  follow the prophet
Favorite song:  you're beautiful
Favorite craft you have made: my bedroom
Favorite book:  Wonder
Favorite Animal:  Cheetah
Favorite ice cream flavor:  Mint green with chocolate chips
Favorite Restaurant:  cafe rio
Favorite Scripture Story:  Esther
What are you good at doing?  lots of things . . . gym and swimming and basketball
What do you like about yoursef?  i am smart
What makes you happy?  happy things around me
What are you afraid of? spiders and snakes and bugs
What new thing would you like to learn this year?  percentage and stuff
What would you do with $100? Go to Disneyworld
What do you like to do for other people? ding dong ditch nice stuff
What is your favorite thing to do at school?  recess
What do you wish was different at school?  no work
What was your favorite thing in fourth grade?  i got candy
What are you excited for in fifth grade?  nothing.  i don't even know what fifth grade is about
What is your favorite thing to do in Arizona?  lots of things.  fun things.  going to cafe rio.  and friends. and swimming.
What is your favorite thing to do in Missouri?  sports
What do you want to do in ten years?  not have to pay for college
What do you want to be when you grow up? a pharmacist or stay at home mom

Let's get ready to rumble

Mags at the talent show.

Mags turns 10

Can't believe it.  Double digits is big stuff around here and today, Maggie turned 10.  We celebrated with her favorite dinner, mint chip ice cream brownies, crepes, and a box full of balloons.  We love having an amazing Maggie in our family.  So, here are 10 reasons that we absolutely and completely adore our Mags.

1.  Her sisters think she is most definitely the best.  Many nights we find two little people snuggled up with Maggie in her bed fast asleep.  Jill and Anna love to be near her and copy many of Maggie's best traits.

2.  Maggie is able to calm the storm - when she wants to.  I love to overhear the grown-up skills Maggie has when diffusing a situation.  Many times she is able to distract, coerce, or settle a dispute.

3.  Maggie is up for anything.  If anyone wants to play a game, make a treat, go for a walk, read a book, go on a major roller coaster, play kindles, or jump on the tramp, Maggie is a willing companion. 

4.  Maggie loves to cook and has got some master skills.  She likes to help make bread, cupcakes, or mac and cheese and is a super helper at critical dinner times. 

5. Mags is a gatherer.  She loves to have everyone around and is the organizer of games and such. 

6.  Maggie is determined and can accomplish anything she wants to. 

7.  Maggie loves to go to activity days and is excited when it is the first or third Wednesday.  Her leaders are fantastic and the girls are all happy to be there.  I like to peek in the window and see her busy working or just talking with one of the other girls her age.  

8.  We love to watch Maggie create.  She is very creative and enjoys colors and creating with her mind and hands.  She is careful with the sewing machine, thankfully, and I love doing projects with her.  We both wish for an afternoon free of responsibilities and a moment free of people who think glitter belongs on everything.

9.  She loves the bakery.  Enough said.

10.  Maggie is brave - in every sense of the word.  She is willing to jump off the cliff at the lake, she is willing to jump high and try new things at gym, but most of all she is brave enough to be who she is.  We all knew fourth grade would be a hard year at school, but Maggie has been able to be brave through it all.  She is quietly strong and amazes me all of the time.

Love you tons, Mag.  You are a joy and strength to all of us.

Maggie's Quiz

Favorite color:  light blue
Favorite food:  chicken picatta
Favorite movie:  Princess Protection Program
Favorite TV show:  Avatar
Favorite trick at gym:  arial cartwheel
Favorite thing to do with dad:  Play games and jump on the tramp
Favorite thing to do with mom:  do crafts
Favorite thing to do with Sam:  play tasty morsel
Favorite thing to do with Zach:  jump on the tramp
Favorite thing to do with Casey: go butterfly hunting
Favorite thing to do with Jill:  play animals
Favorite thing to do with Anna:  push her around in a basket with stuffed animals
Favorite friend:  Maddy and Eliza
Favorite toy:  erasers
Favorite Primary song:  Missionary rap
Favorite song:  Pop, Pop, Pop
Favorite craft you have made: Pingy
Favorite Animal:  Cheetah
Favorite ice cream flavor:  Mint Chocolate Chip
 Favorite Restaurant:  Rosa's
Favorite Scripture Story:  Abinadi
What are you good at doing?  gymnastics
What do you like about yoursef?  that I am good at things
What makes you happy?  dad coming home
What are you afraid of? bugs
 What new thing would you like to learn this year?  back tuck
What would you do with $100? I did that in school.  I would go to Disneyland for a week.
What do you like to do for other people? help mom with dinner
What is your favorite thing to do at school?  math and gifted
What do you wish was different at school?  to draw whatever you want in art
What are you excited for in fourth grade?  the candy
What is your favorite thing to do in Arizona?  see my friends
 What is your favorite thing to do in Missouri?  go see other cities like Kansas City and Springfield
    and St. Louis
What do you want to do in ten years?  go to BYU
What do you want to be when you grow up? a pharmacist

botd - The very hungry caterpillar

April 5 - 

We have been invaded. 

By the very hungry caterpillar-s.

In the hundreds.

Maybe thousands.

Out went the kids.

To try and save the rose bushes.

4 times today.

Bags full of furry "web worms."

Yep.  It was gross.  Every time I backed  the car out I would squish 10-20 of them.  The kids did one cleaning before school and took the bags of caterpillars to school.  Sadly, the bags were sent back home.  We dumped all of the bags in the garbage with Anna screaming, "Zach, garbage, my cattapillrrs."  All I could see when I closed my eyes last night was a scene of very hungry caterpillars.

Hair cuts

I had to go to church early last week, so Ron was in charge of bringing the bunch.  For some reason, when they arrived I saw my kids through a stranger's eyes.  I decided it was time for hair cuts.  So, off we went with bribes of suckers and smiles.  Thanks, Lacey for putting up with us.

100 day

Monday was 100 day.  For the fifth year in a row, Maggie went out the door looking like this.  

I'm starting to wonder how long we celebrate 100 day in Missouri.
Here is 2008. 2009. 2010. 2011. 2012

Mini Must Mag

Mags got to perform at the pep assembly for her last mini mustang performance today.  She got to tumble and show off her aerial cartwheel.  She was awesome and is looking forward to working with Mrs. Land again next year.   

Lucky Nine

Happy Birthday to Maggie!  We love her so much and love how independent and helpful she is becoming.  It seems like we have been lucky to have her in our family for more than nine years, but here are nine reasons we love her bunches.

1.  She is an excellent big sister and many times we find Jill sneaking into Maggie's room at night just to be by her.  Maggie usually relents and they end up snoozing through the night in her twin bed.  Anna adores her and many times wants Maggie to be the one to get her out of her crib in the morning.

2.  She can do anything that you ask her to do.

3.  She loves helping with dinner and has become quite a good cook.

4.  She is stubborn which allows her to withstand a lot of the junk that surrounds her in the world.

5.  She is excellent at running, gymnastics, swimming, basketball, cheerleading, and likes to be active.

6.  She is very persistent when she wants something and is very good at changing the subject if she happens  to be in trouble.  

7.  She loves to jump on the tramp and has devised ways to coerce Jill into going inside so she can jump higher and do lots and lots of tricks.  

8.  She loves to craft as long as the project can be finished in an afternoon.  

9.  She knows that she is a Child of God and that He loves her.  And, that is the most important thing of all.

Happy Birthday, Maggie.  We love you tons!

more first day of school photos

Just a few more pictures from our back to school bash.  Somehow, Sam escaped, and the missionaries didn't want to show off their eyewear.  But, school is off and running.  It has already been a much better year than last year.  A little less crazy without football and adventures all around Missouri.  So, hopefully the good will continue and the bad will stay away for a really long time.