Letters

Hattie: drew some lines on a paper, "look Mom!!!"

Me: Great lines Hattie!

Hattie: They're not lines, they're L's!  

As in the letter 'L'.  I didn't teach her, she just picked it up!  Thank you Super Why!  That's the only explanation I have.

A few days later, while making Valentine's for her nursery class, she showed me this- look Mom! A 'C'!

Since then I have taught her 'O' and 'H'.  And just recently she 'reads' signs to me.  Today on our walk she told me one sign said "H-I-J-K please pass".  This girls is adorable and a genius.  I'm lucky to be her mom!

Gymnastics

Hattie got to participate in her cousins' gymnastic class.  It was adorable!  She was terrified of the zip line though...she hasn't mentioned wanting to go back so she might not follow in her mom's footsteps.  It was cute while it lasted!

Idaho

Sadly, my friend Jeanette's dad passed away at the end of January.  I used to be at a complete loss, not knowing what to do when someone loses a loved one, and I'd keep my distance.  

I still don't know what to do, but I do know that those who called, who visited, who came to Henry's funeral, who remember each anniversary of his passing, those who mourn with me, are so important.  I love them.  So even though I don't know what to say, and I probably smiled too much for a sad occasion (Hattie can make anyone smile!), and I brought my noisy toddler, I was there.  I'm learning what it means to mourn with those who mourn.  It's hard, but it brings people closer and hopefully lets those who are mourning know that they aren't alone.  

Jeanette's dad is from a small town in Idaho, only 15 minutes from where my Grandpa lives.  We were able to spend a couple days with Grandpa, see Jeanette, and visit Henry's grave.  Jeanette stayed with her family in Utah for the rest of the week- we got to see her again a few days after the funeral.  Despite the circumstances, it was great to see you Jeanette!  We love you!  And as Hattie said after our day together, "I'm very sad about Jeanette leaving."

Some Valentine's Day decorations for our little man:

   

Provo City Center Temple Open House

We went to the open house for the new temple in Provo.  It used to be the tabernacle, but burned down several years ago.  It's a small temple, but it's beautiful!  I have loved being able to see so many different temples since living in Ogden.  We have gone to open houses for Ogden, Payson, and now Provo temples.  Hattie loves going and Henry went to the Payson open house with us.  It's a special and fun experience.  I can't help but think of Henry- think of what the temple represents, think of my eternal family, and remember that I once went to an open house with my sweet boy.  He's ever present, even though he's not seen.  Gosh I miss him.

Anyways, photos:  It snowed a ton that day- we got several inches.

Kurt's cousin and his family were in Provo the same day!  We met up with them and cheered on Caleb in his tournament.  It was so great to see the Hendersons!

Sledding

Hattie went sledding again!  It's been a much snowier winter than last year and Hattie has loved it.  We tried to get all the girls on the same sled...it didn't work too well, but they kept on trying!  It was hilarious.

Brave girls!

Someone had made a big ramp out of snow so we used that to go sledding...without sleds!  It was slippery enough that they were able to slide down on their bellies like penguins.

Waiting for Char to crash into them!

The snow has rapidly melted over the past couple weeks so we probably won't be going again until next winter.  I bet Hattie will love it even more!  Maybe we can tackle bigger hills.

Paint Nite

For my birthday Jeanette gave me a gift certificate to Paint Nite!  And I finally got around to using it :)  I loved it!  There's an instructor who tells you step by step how to paint the painting of the evening.  I think Kurt liked it to.  Regardless, it was nice to have a night out together!  We rarely do.  That whole going to school and working thing sure keeps Kurt busy.

My painting:

Pictures I got off their Facebook page.

Thank you Jeanette!

Brigham City Temple

We did a family service (kinda) project in January.  We placed some wrapped candy in a baggie, along with a thank you note, and a quote from Boyd K. Packer about serving in the temple.  We placed these on cars parked at the Brigham City Temple.  I found something similar on my car once upon leaving the Seattle temple and have always wanted to do it myself.  Hopefully people knew it was safe to eat the wintergreen lifesavers, but I figured writing "these are safe to eat! I promise!" probably wouldn't convince anyone who's skeptical.  I hope we uplifted at least one person!