marching right along.

This past week was "Spring Break", which I guess is a thing. We went to BYU, where there is no spring break, and Chris has since done 6 busy years of graduate school, so we've never really had a spring break to enjoy. What can you do? We joked that at least he is going to be a professor so maybe he'll get a spring break . . . after he gets tenure. Cheers! He did come home at lunch on Friday, and temps climbed above 40, so we headed out to the zoo. It was a beautiful afternoon and it felt incredible to be outside in the sunshine doing something fun. I have to admit, these lingering weeks of winter have been wearing on me. I don't usually get too upset by winter, but this winter has been totally cray. Maybe we are seeing signs of the end, but the foot and a half of snow lingering outside is going to take many 40 degree days to melt.

[Zoo day; waving to friendly Mr. Lion who only had eyes for meaty John; hand-in-hand; 

daddy giving John a good view of the passing train, because that is why you go to the zoo.]

We had a nice weekend. Carly went roller skating with a friend, I got a haircut and went to the gym, we went out to Mexican for dinner (I don't think we'll be able to feed all 5 of us for $20 for much longer. Bummer.), and Chris and I watched Catching Fire while consuming a pint of Chunky Monkey. Yesterday church was canceled because of a gas leak in the building. We had a lesson at home about thinking good thoughts. We made a little "head" by sticking eyes, ears, mouth, and a nose on a vase. Then I had strips of paper with bad or good thoughts written on them. I would read them out, and Carly would have to say if the thought should go in the head or in the garbage. It was good. Then we watched The Restoration, our current favorite Sunday movie. We went for a walk outside and ate pancakes for dinner. This life of ours is so very simple, but so very good.

We've got a good thing going. I have found myself really embracing this phase. Life feels a little bit more doable, and I think when spring comes and I can release them into the wild, things will be even better. I love their growing independence; I love that we can have so much fun with [relatively] less complication. We've got a routine down, we are out of that completely crazy two babies phase, and even though 2 toddlers will drive you up the wall, they are so so fun. I mean, they are really great kids. Every night before bed we sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Quinn has got the rhythm down and sings along. John is completely off, but sings random sounds along anyway, and it cracks us up. Carly is getting so big. She has a quality sense of humor, but just enough sweetness and blonde airhead to really be the frosting on the cake. We were watching Finding Faith in Christ one Sunday (1:00 church has driven us to more church movies, that is for sure) and Carly saw all the language options. She wanted to watch it in German, and Chris was translating as it went. "I didn't know Jesus could speak German!" she exclaimed. She is a constant delight.

[John's a simple man, Quinn a complicated woman, when it comes to crib company.]

[Life is good when you're the Czarina.]

I have been sugar and tv binging my little heart out. I seriously don't even know what is going on, but I don't really worry myself over it. YOLO, right? ha! Really it started with the Olympics. Oh, I love the Olympics. Tears and goosebumps and screaming at the tv for two weeks. You just can't beat it. I have to admit, I was kind of relieved to get my life back when they ended. The great irony of the Olympics is I would sit on the couch for 4 hours eating sweets watching world class athletes do their thing. And after it ended, the habit just kept on going. Few things relax me more than curling up on the couch under a blanket eating something sweet and watching television. I need to cut back . . . I promise I will when the weather gets better. Yep. In my defense I have been eating healthier besides the sugar, and cooking healthier for our family. It is going somewhat well, besides that one time the twins gagged their food out and Carly quite literally threw up all over her plate because the food grossed them out. You win some, you lose some. C'est la vie.

[Along with extensive Olympic watching and cookie making, we also held FHE Olympics. Luge in pillowcases down the stairs, daddy as the skeleton sled, and pillow sack races (naturally). We had three happy gold medalists as we listened to the Star-Spangled Banner.]

Chris's dissertation is chugging along. He is running all over the place getting his data collected and spending a strange amount of time on Facebook coordinating his undergrads' schedule. The man never gets on Facebook, so I was very confused at why I kept seeing it pulled up on the computer. "That is how these people communicate," he informed me. We have already had lots of little tender mercies occur during the process, like his IRB going through surprisingly fast and me getting home just in time to find the UPS man on the doorstep with an important package for me to sign for. Things remain stressful, and will only get worse before it gets better, but I'm so proud of him. He is my very favorite person, and I am glad he is the one sitting next to me watching Scandal and pretending to be disinterested even though he wants to know what he missed in episodes I watch without him (just saying). I wouldn't want anyone else.

The sun is starting to shine, and we just keep marching right along.

xoxo.

[Above freezing out, so naturally we're eating snow slushies.]