What A Face!

What are these crazy kids doing???

That's a good question. It's amazing what you find on your camera when you download your pictures. I'm assuming that they were having fun snapping a few pictures of each other's crazy faces.

Hmmm, I wonder what I'll find on my camera next time.

Driver's Permit

Well, after months of waiting Andrea finally received her driver's permit. She will now have 6 months to practice driving before she can get her official license.



In January we helped her buy a car of her own--A red Geo Prizm
(This was actually my first car. When our family grew out of it, I sold it to my sister. When she was ready to sell it, she offered it back to us. I'm so glad we have it back in the family)



Here are a couple of questions from Andrea's drivers test. See how many you can get correct!

1. A red arrow pointing to the right on a traffic light means you may:

a. Turn in that direction after slowing and checking traffic.
b. Not turn in that direction until the light turns green.
c. Turn in that direction after you come to a complete stop.

2. If a pedestrian is in a crosswalk in the middle of a block:

a. The pedestrian has the right-of-way.
b. The pedestrian must yield the right-of-way.
c. Vehicles have the right-of-way, but drivers must legally take care for the pedestrian's safety.

3. At night, if an oncoming vehicle fails to dim its high beams, look:

a. Toward the center of the roadway.
b. Toward the right edge of your lane.
c. Straight ahead in your lane.

4. If the roadway is wet and your car starts to skid, you should:

a. Slowly ease your foot off the gas pedal.
b. Slow down by shifting to a lower gear.
c. Slow down by pumping the brakes quickly and firmly.

5. If there is a single set of solid yellow lines in the center of the roadway, you:

a. May cross the lines to turn left into a private driveway.
b. Are on a two-lane one-way street.
c. Should not cross for any reason.

6. When roads are slippery, you should:

a. Avoid making fast turns and fast stops.
b. Pump your brakes to test the traction of your tires.
c. Decrease the distance that you look ahead of your vehicle.

Answers:
1-B
2-A
3-B
4-A
5-A
6-A

Spring Break

During spring break we rode out bikes down to the channel and had some fun on a big swing. The weather was great and it was fun not to think about school work for awhile. I even had a turn on the swing! You may be wondering why Seth isn't in any of the pictures. Well, . . . he had another crash on his bike on the way to the channel! So he stayed home to nurse his wounds.

Science Project

This year for Kiana's 4th Grade science project she wanted to find out if bubbles would last longer in cold water vs hot water. She had a fun time watching the bubbles disappear and recording the results.

So, what do you the conclusion was--Hot or cold?
(see answer at bottom of post)


Answer: The bubbles lasted longer in cold water

PV Alumni

Every year Aaron plays in the Pleasant Valley Alumni B-Ball game. It is a lot of fun to see guys who played ball together in high school get together again and shoot some hoops.


Aaron and his cousin Matt!


This guy LOVES basketball!

Flat Stanley

We were able to help our cousin Marcus with his Flat Stanley project. This is when a flat paper Stanley is able to visit different parts of the world. Marcus sent us his own "Flat Stanley" and we were able to take him around our town of Chico and then send him back with photos and information about our town. It was a lot of fun finding places to have Flat Stanley visit.


The kids had a great time being a part of Flat Stanley's adventures.



Thank you Andrea for being our hand model and holding Flat Stanley for all of his professional pictures.

Hot Breakfast #6

* Hot breakfast eaters are less likely to wear sweater vests. (Based on research done by a space chimp.)

Hot Breakfast #5

* Research shows that hot breakfast eaters hit the snooze button 2 times less than cold breakfast eaters. (Based on imaginary research)

Hot Breakfast #4

* Your game doubles after eating a hot breakfast. (Based on a wild guess)

Hot Breakfast #3

* In a blind taste test, hungry people chose a hot breakfast over cold cereal 90% of the time. (According to totally made-up survey results.)

Hot Breakfast #2

* Your chances of getting a promotion increase significantly on days you eat a hot breakfast. (Based on research done by a space chimp.)

Snow Trip #2

Well, the kids couldn't get enough of the snow so the next day we headed back to our great spot with our friends the Whitmores. More snow, more sledding, and more fun. We had the sun shining the day before, but today we actually had snow falling. I asked myself why I went back for another chilly, wet adventure. Well, if you're with good friends it's worth it!

Snow Trip #1

Every year the kids always ask to go visit the snow. This year we headed up towards Butte Meadows with our friends the Keables and Petersens. The day was sunny, the snow was cold, and the kids found a great sledding hill. I'm not a real lover of the snow unless I'm inside where it's dry and warm, but the beauty of this "winter wonderland" was worth a little bit of my warmth.

Holidays

The Holidays are always a busy time of year, but we always seem to find the time to enjoy the season. Here is a quick recap of the good times we had during the month.

I'm very lucky to live close to both of my moms. So, when it comes to holiday dinners, we're always invited over. The only downside is that we never get to enjoy leftovers from a Christmas feast. This year I went ahead and made our own turkey dinner and we thoroughly enjoyed the meal and leftovers.



Kiana's 4th grade class learned about California missions. Here she is showing off her great creation. We were able to go to her classroom a view all of the missions that the students completed. They all looked awesome!




I thought this day would never come. I love sleeping in, but my kids never seemed to like it. Well, they are growing up and this vacation we ALL enjoyed some extra sleep and less structured days of vacation. I love this picture. I snapped it quick before they woke up. Hey, they are still asleep . . . why aren't I still in bed???



Yes, another year OLDER! My only request this year was to keep it simple and to enjoy donuts for dessert.



Christmas Eve!



Christmas Morning!

Hot Breakfast!

Andrea has enjoyed having a Hot Pocket for breakfast before she heads off to early morning seminary. Each "Pocket" comes with a small bit of advice. Here are just a few:

* Having a hot breakfast is proven to increase the snappiness of your comebacks. (Based on a hunch)

* People who eat a hot breakfast smile 3 times more often than those who don't. (Based on imaginary research)

This Next one is dedicated to our friends the Wrights. If only we could have given this to them before their trip! :)

* People who eat a Hot breakfast are more likely to win big in Vegas. (According to totally made-up survey results)

Stay tuned for more inspiring quotes to help you throughout your day!