Update on Happenings Around Here . . .

What we've been up to lately:

Ben - 

 He went to Florida (a first for him!) for a work conference. I don't know if it was a conference, but I don't know what else to call it. Basically a company, Arthrex, shows off its medical orthopedic devices to docs and medical reps in hopes of their usage of their equipment. Ben was invited to go. He felt out of place there for many reasons, but I think it was a good, overall experience for him! It definitely was beautiful.

Me -

I found excellent deals on chacos for all the kids - here are we girls showing ours off.  :) Awesome. I've just been busy with the same-old things I'm always busy with: grocery shopping, cooking meals, putting together lunches, exercising, an itty-bitty of working, PAC'ing, giving talks in church (my second one in just 6 weeks - two different wards, though - is this Sunday), etc.

Miles -

Miles has been doing some driving . . . not a ton, but some. He really likes it. He's an okay driver.  :)  He just needs more experience. He loves his car, "the boat." He loves showing it to his friends. He loves honking its horn (sounds more like a train toot). He bought a manual for it and is anxious to get it working great.

He is doing well with his schooling and hopefully will finally finish his first semester of English very soon (second semester will be done this summer - lucky him).

He had his first job interview - with the forest service. He did not get it, but it was a good experience in filling out an application, working on his resume, and actually interviewing. It would have been the *perfect* job for him - but he had one big strike against him: it's a 10-week job and Miles would have only been available for the first 8 weeks, due to family reunions. The lady called to tell him he didn't get the job, but that he interviewed very well (Ummm, even with responding to, "What is your biggest weakness," with "Sometimes I get distracted. . . " Yikes!), and that she hopes he'll apply again next year. He definitely will!

Jonas - 

He decided to do lacrosse and track this spring. Two sports he's never done before. He likes them both and it definitely keeps him very busy! He has track every day after school. Lacrosse is Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday - pretty much after track. He's managing it well!

 On Jonas' first lacrosse game, he got to play for like 2 minutes, at most. It was kind of disappointing, but Jonas wasn't too upset by it (probably Ben and I were more so!).

 The second game (it was a "tournament" and his team had two games on Saturday and two games on Sunday - which Jonas didn't participate in) Jonas saw a little more action. We told him if he got a hold of the ball, we would buy him some Dippin' Dots after the game. Luckily he did - for a brief moment!  :)

Then this past Tuesday I spent my day in Olathe at a track meet. It was chilly and windy and sort of miserable up there, but oh well. Track meets go on forever - or at least 4 hours. But it was kind of fun (it would have been way more fun without the chill and wind) and I got to visit with my friend Sarah the whole time.

For some unclear reason to me, Jonas chose to do "long-distance" running in track. He hates running and he doesn't have good endurance. But he did just fine at the meet!

 Jonas had two events - the 1600m (1 mile) and the 800m (1/2 mile). First up, the 1600!

 And he's off!

 Go, Jonas, go!

 He wasn't first, but he wasn't last either. :) I was proud of him. His time was 7:19. He ran the whole thing and had a great sprint at the end.

My camera didn't like me during the 800m, so I don't have any pictures from that. But pretty much the same thing: not first, not last. He liked the 800 much better - actually, he felt a little sick after the mile run. I think it's more than he's ever really exerted himself. His 800m time was 3:34. There were two kids on his heels but when one of the kids' mothers cheered on her son and told him to get ahead of Jonas, Jonas kicked it up a bit and didn't let that happen.  :) He realized he doesn't want people passing him.

 Awesome Jonas.

The Girls -
Ha, I'll just link them together. Emmy is working on her Personal Progress program in YWs as it will end this year. There is a slight modification for new beehives that will help them in finishing it up in one year - although it will still be quite a challenge! She completed her Faith project and is now working on Divine Nature. It's awesome that she's doing it! We are doing our 5k training while Lucy has piano lessons and that's really fun for me to run with her.

Lucy continues to love school, friends, sugar, and gymnastics. Both girls are working on their fly-aways from the bar. Oh, I think I have some videos . . .

(These videos were taken a couple of weeks ago. Emmy has told me she has greatly improved and that Coach is hardly spotting her now . . .)

I was nominated by one of the girls' teammates to make a cake for their Easter party they were planning for during one of their practices.

 It wasn't quite as picture-perfect as the one online, but cute enough. Oh, and delicious, too - a homemade coconut vanilla cake. The girls had a fun night at gym with cake, egg hunts, veggie trays, etc.

Okay, that's enough for now!