President Day Weekend

This year we stayed home for President's day weekend since Tyler had a basketball on Sat. It turned out to be a very fun weekend. I need to start taking more pictures but I did take my camera on two of our activities to document for the kids, just remember children you had fun and mom and dad must love you a lot!


Friday I let Tyler get out of some school so he could go snowboarding with his cousins Easton and Jacob and Uncle Steve. The had a blast and there is even a story about a run away snowboard! Treven and Halle weren't so lucky and got to stay home with mom, but they got to play with Dylan until 10pm so it made up for it and they got to have a movie night.

Saturday was Tyler's last basketball game until their playoff game for 3rd place. They had a great year and a great coach, Ryan. Even though he claims he knows nothing about basketball he did a really good job with the boys. Tyler had a great year and keeps getting better and better.

Tyler's supporting cast

After Tyler's game the kids got to chose either to go shooting or swimming and the kids wanted to g o swimming. So off to the Springville Pool we went along with Carter and had a fun time watching the kids play tag with Ryan, making gaint cannonballs off the diving board, um Ryan, and making sure that Emery didn't drowned since she has no fear of the water and loves to jumped into the pool! After the pool Ryan and I got to go to the temple with our friends the Roylance's while Tyler babysat. We are in a whole new world now with having Tyler being able to babysit for a couple of hours and we love it and he does a great job. AFter the temple we came back to our house to have a pizza and play games with the Roylance's and the Jackson's. We never got to the game playing but the kids took care of that while the adults gabbed the night away. Thanks guys for a fun night!

Sunday was church and a day of relaxing since Emery has had the hardest time sleeping the last two weeks. I don't know what it is but it feels like we have a newborn baby again. She has been getting up aleast three times a night! So we took Sunday as a rest day and took naps and watched a movie all together. Treven and Halle wanted a little art project and so we found the butcher paper and made some people for them to color. Dinner was at Janette's and then the kids got a sleep over with Luke and Dylan while Tyler went down to the Lancaster's house and slept there.

Monday was spent out in Orem since Treven had an assessment at the Sylvan learning center. So while Treven was at his assessment, Tyler was up at Sundance with Nathan, the girls and I spent a couple hours at the mall killing time at the treehouse and getting a little shopping done. After Treven's assessment the kids got to choose either Classic Skating or getting a toy. Well Treven can't pass up an oppurnitity to get more legos. So Treven choose a trip to walmart for a lego set while the girls wanted to go and do Build-a-Bear.

For FHE we were having a nice little lesson when Ryan told the kids he needed some help with a work project and so the next thing I have four kids in their swimming suits ready to help dad no questions asked. The project was finding out what would work better if you had to pop a balloon full of shaving cream or whip cream, you have to love games you have to come up with for a construction business meeting! Well we found out if you needed to have a game of popping balloons full of cream the whip cream explodes the best! Either way the kids had a blast, my shower got really clean, and the kids all smelled nice like shaving cream.

Valentine's Day

Valentines day at the Strong household always begins with a good breakfast that most of the kids like, pink heart shaped pancakes, unless you are Treven and all you ever want for breakfast is good old fashioned sugary cold cereal! The kids were excited to take all their Valentines to school and Treven had to remind mom about teacher Valentines so mom was doing the mad dash down to Reams since I forgot, thank you Treven! After school we did our Valentine day drop offs to the Grandparents and then came home and had a dinner of the kids choosing, Grilled Cheese and Tomato soup. I really don't know why I even cook!

I have carried on the tradition of my mom's Valentines and so every year this is when they get their new swimsuits. Along with with swimsuit they also get a balloon and candy. Emery was more excited about the balloon than anything and so of course mom helped her out and ate some of her chocolate heart, funny that every year they get the candy that mom likes!

Ryan gave me my Valentine's early by taking the kids on the weekend so I could go on my annual girls trip with my friends. This year we were only able to go for 1 night but we made the most of by playing most of Saturday away and sleeping! I can't remember the last time I just lounged around in bed until noon and it wasn't the night after I worked, but it did feel like it since we stayed up so late. I have a wonderful group of girls that I got to go and have some fun shopping, pedicures, good food, good conversation/gossip, and a movie that turned out ticking all of us off, so much for good chick flicks anymore!  It was a blast but of course while I was away Tyler and to go and have his best game ever this basket ball season. He does this with every sport. When I can't make it he has to go and do something great, like win the game with 4 seconds left and he gets to shoot to fould shots, missing the first and then sinking the second for the win! Lucky for me he not only had Ryan cheering him on but his Grandpa Averett and that is even better than having old mom their. That is one thing that I hope my kids never forget is how much support he has from his family.

Treven bummed that he has to have a pancake and not cereal!

We really need to get a new camera!

The girls just had to try out their new swimming suits and had a party in the tub.

Feb. activities

Every year I make my New Years resolutions and it always includes family history/blog books but this year my only resolution was, "Come what may and love it!" So no weight loss goals or blog goals or keep my house clean goals, just take this year and love every minute of it good or bad. The only problem with this is I have been loving every minute just not documenting it or taking pictures. So here is all I have.

Emery my little hat lover loves to find anything and place it on her head! I missed they day she had my garments on her head, but I did catch her with Tyler's snowboarding helment and Ryan's swim cap.

Jan and Feb has been busy with basketball for Tyler and Treven along with Ryan coaching Tyler's team, Baseball camps for Tyler, and then came the science fair. Carter and Tyler were computer programming fools and made theri own bouncing ball program. It was fun to see these two figure it all out on their own since Ryan and I both don't know much about computer programming. The boys work hard and learned all about html.

Thursday have turned into a lunch date with Halle's gymnastics buddies Kamery and Helen. We usually go out to lunch and let the girls play but Halle has been wanting to throw a tea party with the server set she got from her great grandma Strong. The girls had fun making their own pizzas and the making their desserts called Changing Dresses from Sleeping Beauty, notice the pretty pink and blue sprinkles. Emery loved the tea party and the girls were bleching all day long since they all had about 4 cups of pink soda! The girls have been loving gymnastics and it is fun to watch these girls jump, cartwheel, and just have fun.

This month was the Teddy Bear picnic in Mrs. Hylton's class. This is my third Teddy Bear picnic and it is still as fun as the first. Halle brought her favorite bear and had a blast singing songs and showing mom the fun things she has learned in her 100 days of school. Emery loved the picnic but kept trying to get a hold of the all the dots they use to decorate their 100 day bears.

Halle has been lucky this year with not only having her friends Kamery, Helen, and Ellie in her class but her cousin Luke!

Our finished product along with the fun treats for our picnic. Thank you Mrs. Hylton.