SPRING BREAK DAY 1

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I just lay in bed enjoying the morning until 9:00. Then I got up and ate cookies for breakfast.

This was partly out of celebration(no work), partly because they were easy access on the table, and partly because no one would have to deal with the hyper sugar rush that would follow, but me.

At least until 5:30.

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I recently used my Christmas gift card at Barnes and Noble, to buy a certain favorite movie of mine. I tried to watch it with Andrew last night, but fell asleep around 9:30. I think Spring Break has been a long time coming.
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So this morning, I watched it again. Okay, fine.
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Twice.
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The second time was with commentary.
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But the day wasn't entirely unproductive. At Barnes and Noble, I had also bought a recipe binder that now needed to be put together. My stacks of hastily scrawled note cards have quickly become unruly. It took both viewings of Nemo, before all of my favorite recipe cards were carefully organized.
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After a lunch of (ahem) cookies, I sat in the window, pondering with delight the green splashes beginning to appear in random corners of our lawn. But then, I watched as unexpected snow flurries worked to cover them up. Not even our tiki torches escaped the new blanket of snow.
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Spring: so close, and yet so far.
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But then, our friendly, neighborhood UPS guy saved the day with an unexpected delivery!
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Someone must know me very well. Oh, how I love tulips!
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I was happy to be celebrating spring indoors, even if Mother Nature wasn't cooperating without.
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Alright...this may be getting extreme. But I can hardly help it! I love them. As I type this, I pause every few moments, just to gaze at the vase sitting next to my computer.
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Yes. Somehow, the tulips managed to find themselves in this photo as well. But I did mention how I love them, right? Anyway...I digress.

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A few hours later, Andrew greeted me at the door, bearing the contents of our mailbox. This included a much anticipated package from a much admired dress-making-company! (the contents of which, will have to wait for another post...)
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Now I am off to deal with this sugar-induced headache . I think a candle-lit bath is in order. Note to self: Make oatmeal for breakfast tomorrow.

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Until tomorrow then!

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LOVE THE BLOG

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*The Koivisto Blog Header

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So, I want to pass on another favorite blog of mine. (Why not pass on a good thing?) See that guy up there? That is Jyri. He is an old friend/FHE brother from 4-5 years ago. His lovely wife, Katie, is seated next to him. I only met her once...briefly at an Albertson's grocery store back when they were engaged...an event, I'm guessing, she has no recollection of.
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However, I have been following their blog for a few months now, and I love it. Let me share why:

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1. Jyri is from Finland. Katie is from Kansas. They recently graduated college in Idaho before moving across the world to Finland, where they are pregnant with their first. I am drawn by the interesting and often humorous perplexities that arise as a result of their very different cultures. (You should read the post about picking a baby name. American or Finnish?)

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2. Every post title is written in English and Finnish. It's a fun, creative way to see the progress Katie is making with the new language.

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3. The thought of being a new, young wife, pregnant with my first baby, and living across the ocean from everything familiar is so terrifying, that her confidence and good humor captivate me. It's like those extreme sports videos on YouTube. No matter how horrifying the content matter is to the fear center of my brain, I can't look away. Her bravery is the coolest.

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4. Katie is a good writer. Funny, clever, and honest. Plus, I really am a fan of short, sweet, and to the point.

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5. Her daily problems and experiences are so different from my own...and yet somehow, so similar. It's fun to peek into the life of a woman living through the same stage of life as me...yet on the opposite side of the planet.

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Intrigued? Go check it out HERE. Hope you enjoy!

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LEPRECHAUNS, STAIN GLASS, AND SAGUARO CACTUS

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This month we are charting the weather on a daily basis. Is that old saying correct? In like a lion and out like lamb? Or is the other way around? We're going to find out.

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Everyday we vote as a class. Was the weather more like a lion or more like a lamb today? Then we take the winner from the pockets on the side and pin it in on that day's date on the calendar.

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These pictures were taken a few weeks ago, but so far, our prediction is correct. March has generally been quite lovely(think 40 degrees as opposed to 10 degrees). And according to the weatherman, we're going to have rain and snow these last few days.

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We've had these Lucky Leprechaun Rainbows hanging up all month. Super easy and pretty. I created a full tutorial HERE. 

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And because I am far behind, here is February's craft. Just "paint" tissue paper onto wax paper with a glue-water mixture. Once dry, cut into the shape of a heart and add a construction paper border..
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They look stain glass-ish in front of a light. Try hanging them in a window!

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Learning about pronouns the last couple of weeks. Super simple bulletin board to get the kid's attention and help them practice replacing nouns with a pronoun.
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Our curriculum's story of the week was "Alejandro's Gift" and set in the Sonoran Desert. I grew up there, and it is my personal opinion that not many places in the word compare in beauty. As such, I went all out with the desert theme. Hopefully, these Idahoans didn't mind.

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Each student made their own saguaro cacti out of construction paper, then added tissue paper, cactus blooms and rice spines. Took them only 10-15 minutes.

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And because you got me all homesick for the Sonoran, here are some pictures in honor of that incredible place. Nowhere else like it.

None of these pics are mine. I borrowed them from the Internet.
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Desert springtime blooms.

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Superstition Mountains at sunset. Favorite place to hike in the spring.
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Over and Out.

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ON THE WAY HOME

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After our Ferndale adventures, we jumped in the car and commenced our journey home...Andrew, don't look so sad. It's only a thirteen hour drive...
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Accompanied by Andrew's brother....Sup, Ryan. Sweet shades, by the way...
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And Andrew's brother, Lane....You can't make me smile....
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...Leaving behind the beautiful, snow-capped Mount Baker.
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After two hours on the road, we were rewarded with a view of Seattle. All I could think about though was Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, and a fancy, little house boat.
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But we stopped at a beautiful, ocean front park to eat lunch...
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And meet up with our Blevins buddies! They were kind enough to ferry across from Vashon Island to spend an hour with us. And bring along a ten-course meal! We couldn't believe all they spread on that picnic table to share!
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We sure love them. Hopefully next time, we'll have more time to spend with 'em.
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While we were there, Andrew couldn't resist the miniature zipline. He wanted to do it Superman style, but decided against it when a bunch of little kids showed up to watch.

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Wimp.

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After our visit came the driving-all-day-and-night-back-to-Idaho part. It had the potential to be mind-numbingly boring. But somehow, it became one of my favorite parts of the trip.

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We played every car game known to man: Alphabet Game, Twenty Questions, Rhyming Game, I'm Going on a Trip, Fortunately-Unfortunately...

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Several of these games had me laughing so hard!
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These two guys were extremely entertaining

...whether they knew it or not.

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While playing a game in the back:

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Don't put your elbow there...it's in the way.

Can I put it here?

No.

Well, you can't put your elbow there either!

Fine! Neither of us will put our elbow there!

Fine!

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I think that's about how it went down.

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Then it turned in to the wee hours of the morning, and I slept. Somewhere in the middle of the dark, empty state of Montana, I woke up to Lane and Ryan beginning a game in the front seat:

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Lane:

I spy with my little eye, something that is...

{pause}

...Something that is....

{pause}

Never mind. You can't see anything out here.
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I smiled before drifting back to sleep.
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After rolling in to quiet Rexburg, we collapsed into our beds. But not before Andrew took a picture of Lane and Ryan , who from the looks of it (who must have been really out of it), are snuggling on one side of the bed.

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Nothing like brotherly love.
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The next morning, I got up to go to work, while the guys slept the day away.

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Jerks.

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But they did come together that night to create a fabulous Japanese dinner! Yakisoba and gyoza. Mmmm....
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We were sad to see them go.

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GREAT WOLF LODGE

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From the Seattle Airport, we traveled to the Great Wolf Lodge to spend two days relaxin with the Ashmore family.
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Let me just say...this place was flippin' awesome. I was blown away by the coolness of the front lobby, before I'd even been to the water park part. Let me give you the tour:

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The view as you walk in the front doors.

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A view looking back at the front doors. I liked the can't-believe-it's-not-real pine tree, myself.
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Here is the view from the second floor, looking down on the rest of the lobby. Antler chandeliers and cushy, log furniture set a cabin-y mood.

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My favorite part was the two-way fireplace. River rock, stuffed wolves, and flickering flames. I wanted to spend a day with my book, curled up on the couch in front of this baby.

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Where they put on shows for the kids.
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The most magical part of the lodge were the bracelets. Passing them over the hotel door knob, made our room automatically unlock. I felt like a mix of James Bond and Harry Potter.

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And the water park. For me, seeing this for the first time was more exciting than walking into Disneyland. That giant bucket sure holds a lot of water.
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See?

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Ready to get wet.

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The wave pool.

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The water slides. The Howlin' Tornado drops you unexpectedly into a giant halfpipe. Oh. my. heck. SO fun.

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Maybe it was just the goofy artist in me, but I loved the trees painted on the walls.
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Grandpa Ashmore and Braxton (our nephew) walk hand-in-hand.

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The family stake their claim and prepare for a wet n' wild day.
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Andrew plays with Baby Laney (our niece).
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Andrew's brother Jeff plays with his two kids: Brax and Adelle (or "sissy", as she informed me earlier).
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Adelle gives Uncle Ryan a high-five! Look at that grin (and that cute baby belly) !
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Anyway... we wore ourselves OUT. My full recuperation from all this fun required several days and nights.

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But next, we were headed to Ferndale, WA, for a not-so-surprised, surprise party for Andrew's mother. The BIG 5-0.

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Lots of people showed up to celebrate Rhonda...

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But all Braxton and Riley really cared about was getting some cake! {I just love Brax absentmindedly running his fingers through his cousin's hair . So precious.}
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On our last day, we were privileged to attend the beautiful baby blessing of brand-new baby Emmett.

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Then, we piled into the car with Andrew's brothers, Lane and Ryan, and began our journey back to Rexburg. But, that folks, is another adventure in and of itself.

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To be continued...
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