New stages, a household quiz, and an inexplicable dislike of bows

We played the picture-sentence game for Family Home Evening the other night and everyone could play! And another time we played Pictionary! This is unprecedented. Up till now, there has always been someone having to be made to feel that he or she is participating…someone who gets to be "on Daddy's team"…but hardly ever a game where we can all actually play. It was fun and strange.

I liked this cloud casting a shadow on another cloud

More interesting clouds, taken by Daisy

We listened to a presentation about hydroponic gardening at Thanksgiving Point and then the guy let the children have some barley sprouts to feed the animals. Gus saved his specially for the turkeys, who already love him for some reason and always come squawking eagerly when he gets near.

Clementine fed hers to a goat.

Our Quebec missionaries came over! This was the best time yet because we had four of them! (Emma had to leave before we took a picture, though.) What a joy. We are so lucky they are all close here at BYU/USU!

Speaking of BYU. Daisy and I get to have many adventures there when I'm there with her for French class. It's fun.

I forgot how often you can find free food on campus

Sam's office in the new Arts Building is starting to look more finished at last!

Fortifying Jamba Juice before our first French exam

We're back to our weekly field trips at Thanksgiving Point (while the older girls have Math Class in Lehi). Here Gus is treating a sick Caw at the Vet Clinic.

Bubbles

A head, a head, did you say…a head?

Tiny sink for Clementine

Whirling dervishes

One of Clementine's delightful creations (and the reason I can never find any tape in the house when I need it).

Our House Anniversary dinner (six years here!) with Goldie's beautiful decorations

I made a "Household Quiz" for the occasion, with pointed questions like "Where do your socks go when you take them off?" The children showed that their knowledge exceeds their capability to act (which honestly is my own position in the gospel, so I guess I should sympathize).

My last-ditch effort at finding the orange kitchen scissors was unsuccessful (but at least Daisy gave an honest and accurate answer here)

Rain and Sun

Here is Clementine's guilty face after being asked sternly, "Clementine, why did you cut all the bows off that dress?" (I should know better than to ask that question; kids never know why they are naughty—but sometimes I just can't help myself!) Actually this time she did have an answer: a sulkily mumbled "I don't like bows."

Which is true, actually. She had the cutest little sweater dress last year that I was always trying to get her to wear, and she never wanted to, usually with grumbling questions about the bow on the waist and why it was there. And a few months ago she said to me wistfully, out of nowhere, "When I grow up I will have some Sunday Shoes like Daisy, except they will have no bows." I do not know where this animus came from, but it culminated in her cutting three perfectly darling pink bows off this dress-up dress and me giving her a talking to while trying with all my might (and with only moderate success) not to burst out laughing.

I would not have expected how often that happens as a parent, actually.