Lego hockey was invented to let off some steam and have some fun. The kids worked really hard all during January and wanted to start Febraury off in a fun way. It worked.
Here is the arena.
I love how they used paper clips to fashion the hockey sticks.
The score keepers.
Nicholas's birthday was a huge day for him. He has been dropping hints about a Nintendo DS for months, although he didn't want it for Christmas. He was just sure that he would get it....and he did. The other highlight of the day was not having to do school. We took a day off to fully celebrate his birthday. My children - three of the four seasons. Naomi lives in summer, Nicholas is spring and Jeremy is fall. Here they are enjoying the new toy.
For dinner we had meatball subs with pumpkin roll cake for dessert. I can't believe he is already nine years old. Where did the time go?
In between the boys birthdays we completed the rechartering for the Cub Scout pack and celebrated Valentines Day. We started volunteering at the library as well. The kids and I have sponsored a row of books that we visit weekly. We straighten the books, make sure they are all in alphabetical order and report any books that are misfiled or falling apart. So far we have found several books that have been on the "lost" list for months. It has been a lot of fun. I have also noticed that the boys are treating the library with more respect and reverence. It has been a good thing. I also ended up in the doctor's office with a sinus infection. Naomi came with me to my appointment. She was noticing that my doctor was in the same series of buildings as her doctor. I pointed out that the doctor who delivered her was also here. She was quiet for a minute and then asked, "Mom, what is the name of the doctor who mailed me?" I love what comes out of kids mouths. It is very entertaining.
Jeremy's birthday was full of friends and fun. He has created a band and they have weekly practices in case they get a "gig". Most of the time they just make a lot of noise with their instruments and they laugh a lot. You never know where it might go though.
Jeremy's Band: Elliott, Rachel, Jeremy, Talon and Caleb (aka Happy)
After a fun day of playing with friends we had a hot dog roast for dinner and cheesecake for dessert (he is my boy!) I can't believe he is 12! 
I am so proud of him. He completed his Faith in God and had his priesthood interview with the bishop. On Sunday, February 20th, he was awarded his Faith in God certificate as well as his religious knot for his scout uniform. They said goodbye to him in primary and we went to Young Men where he was given the priesthood by Steve and ordained to the office of deacon. I now have one in junior primary, one in senior primary and one in Young Men.
The Blue and Gold Banquet was on Tuesday, February 222nd. The kids came to the church and helped us get the room all set up. It was tons of fun. Since the theme was "Turning Back the Clock", we made the door into a time machine so our guests could be magically transported to the past. Each table was decorated with things from different times in history. Tracy, the decorating wizard, even came up with a time line that spanned a whole side of the room highlighting the different periods in history. It was a very festive atmosphere. We had 60 people RSVP and had 75 show up. Needless to say, it was crowded, but everyone went away that night saying how much fun they had. I think we can call that a success.
Nicholas worked really hard to finish his Wolf. In fact, not only did he earn his Wolf, but he also earned his Faith in God knot, one gold and two silver arrows. For those of you who are not familiar with scouting, this means he completed 12 goals with at least 5 requirements under each just to get his Wolf. The Faith in God knot had 10 requirements. Each arrow point signifies 10 extra requirements that were completed as well. It is impressive enough just saying that, but most boys have a complete year to do all this. Since Nicholas didn't start scouts when he turned 8 (he started in September 2010) he only had 5 months to complete all this. Here he is presenting me with the Wolf pin.
The boys really had a good time participating in the cake competition. They had to bake a cake with their dads from start to finish. We had people judge the cakes and hand out awards and then we ate the cakes for dessert. Nicholas won "best tasting". His cake showcases his one gold and two silver arrows.
Friday, February 25th, we went to the Discovery Place with our good friends, the Tufts. This place is amazing. Let's just say that we spent 5.5 hours there and we could have stayed longer if we didn't have plans for the evening. We thoroughly explored the water works station, the veterinarian shop, the store, the farm, the rock climbing wall, the cafe, the bottom of the ocean, different ways to make music, the craft room, the large sandbox, the brick factory and the treehouse. Believe it or not, that is only a portion of what was available. We will have to go back to experience the roller coaster making area, the airport (complete with scanners!), the mechanic area where you get to go under the hood and under the car, the bank, the doctor's office and the performing stage area. Here are a few pictures of the days highlights. Naomi, Haylie and Paige stayed in the vet clinic for a good hour. Each one of the animals got a full examination and some extra loving.
Jeremy wouldn't leave the brick factory until he had figured out and mastered the entire thing. It spanned two floors and kept him occupied for two hours.
Nicholas and Phil enjoyed the Cafe. The girl's would bring them any food they wanted (plastic, of course, they loved it). I think they paid $100 (fake money provided) for the pizza they are eating.
Nicholas quickly realized that if customers would pay $100 for pizza he would like in on this business. We spent a couple of hours exploring all the possibilities of the cafe business. You never know, but he might end up owning a restaurant some day.
We went home, exhausted, but happy from our day at the Discovery Place. The day wasn't over yet. We were going to a Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband concert that night and needed to get ready. Naomi had gone to bed the night before in tears because she thought we had missed the concert. She was relieved to find out that it was TOMORROW night and that she hadn't missed it. With tears, and excitement, in her eyes she asked me "Oh, Mommy! Will I get to touch him?" I told her I would do what I could to arrange a handshake. So, you can imagine our level of upset when we got that call from the gentleman who was promoting the concert that it had been cancelled. Naomi was in tears!! I asked Dave, said promoter, if I could have Ryan's cell number. Dave is a good friend of mine and he knows that Ryan and I have been friends for years. He gave me the cell number and I left a message for Ryan. I didn't know if he would call me back. After all, I hadn't seen him in 9 years, since we moved to Charlotte. When Steve got home, we took the boys over to Walmart to look at DS games. They had some money from their birthdays they wanted to spend. While we were shopping Ryan called and we got to talk for a bit. I told him that I had a 5-year-old who really wanted to meet the guy who sings the "Corn Dog Song" and to shake his hand. Long story short, we ended up hosting an impromptu concert at our house that night for some people who had driven from Kentucky to hear the band. Jeremy in a "jam session" with Craig and Roger.
Nate, the drummer, didn't have his drums so we had to make-shift a set for him. Naomi volunteered to hold the "cymbal" for him. She really got along well with Ryan Tilby, the bass player. He was missing his 5-year-old boy and Naomi made sure he wasn't lonely.
The band took requests. Of course, "The Corn Dog Song" was on the list. The kids sang along. Both the band and the kids enjoyed it. Ryan had Naomi come up and sing the chorus with him. Everyone was happy after that song.
They played for 2 hours and it was a fun night. As if that was not enough, they didn't have a place to stay for the night (since the promoter didn't keep his end of the deal) and were going to have to find a hotel. We just pulled out all our air mattresses or they crashed on the couch. In the morning we fixed pancakes, sausage, and eggs before they had to leave for their concert in Jacksonville, NC. Before they packed everything up, Roger had time to admire Naomi's pink guitar.
AND...Naomi got to have her picture taken with Ryan
Spring arrived without us noticing. We had been so busy. Naomi was thrilled to have time to explore the new world of spring blossoms. We ended the month in the most perfect way. At our weekly park day, Nicholas reconnected with an old friend from school that he had been missing. Her name is Catherine and they were in kindergarten together. Catherine is his ideal of a woman. Afterwards he came to me and very reverently said, "Mom, she held my hand. She hasn't touched me in so long." Apparently, Catherine had been asking about Nicholas as well. Michelle, her mom, and I exchanged numbers and we are going to get them together more often. 
During all this we have been frantically preparing for the Science Olympiad, which is next weekend. We got our bottle rockets constructed and have studied and trained furiously for experimental design. Wish us luck. We will keep you posted.
PHEW!! I am exhausted just recapping. I am going to take a nap now!
