The Bank of Dad

In light of the first Presidency's recent letter regarding finances, we decided it was time to get our children's finances in order, too. So they all opened an account at the Bank of Dad.

When given money, each child will give it to a parent, and in return they will be given Monopoly money to put in the proper slot (tithing, savings, and spending). Instead of getting an allowance, James will pay them interest on the money they keep in savings. Everything will be recored on an Excel spread sheet, and with fake money, we won't have cash lying around that could get lost or stolen.

They will be required to choose a portion of their money to put in savings, but they are at liberty to spend their spending money any time they wish. While they are so little, we will make those purchases for them. But when they are a little older, they will open real accounts and be responsible for their own purchases. They all know they are saving for college, missions, etc. (I can't believe the number of parents that feel they are responsible to take out a second mortgage on their homes in order to pay for their kid's college.)

Now I know some of you grandmas are concerned about birthday money going towards the college fund, and not the intended birthday gift. The kids will be allowed to spend all their birthday money. We are talking about random dollars in the mail, as well as money they earn from working for Mom and Dad.

Just another cute picture of Grace. Her new favorite meal: pizza!

Here is a little Easter treat the kids and I made yesterday.

Easter at School

Marie's Kindergarten class went on an Easter Egg Hunt.

Looking for eggs in the park.

Tessa and Ben guard the Easter baskets.

Ready to hunt for eggs.

Enjoying a post-hunt snack.

Skipping with her Easter basket.

Marie's Missionary Moment

The following was a conversation I had with Marie while doing her hair for school. I dont' know how recent the experience happened, as she didn't remember most of the details. It involves her best friend, Marley.

Marie: Mom, Marley doesn't believe in Jesus.

Allie: Did you tell her that you did?

Marie: Yeah, but she said that Jesus was only something on TV.

Allie: I am proud of you for sharing your testimony. How did you guys get to talking about Jesus?

Marie: I don't remember. But Mrs. Lynch believes in Jesus.

Allie: How do you know?

Marie: She says she does. And Marley only believes in the Devil. If you are bad you go to the Devil. But we know Jesus loves everyone. (Note: Marley was a devil for Halloween.)

Marie, continued: It was a hard conversation to have because I didn't know what to say.

Allie: When you don't know what to say, you can just tell that person that you know Jesus loves them very much. Then, the Holy Ghost can help that person know that what you are saying is true.

Papa Randy in Tucson for Business

Papa Randy tooks the kids on an outing to get Mom some bread pans. The kids came back with a treat: Animal Cookies. Hasn't every kid wanted one of those boxes?

Ben shows off his good fortune.

The girls got purple purses and gloves.

Hey, Baby.

Hollywood, here I come. (Never mind the crooked glasses.)

Getting Ready for Spring

James takes a break from yard work to do bubbles with Ben.

Ben helped himself to a well-balanced snack. My personal favorite: bran flakes.

Tessa drew this spider on the white board and wanted me to share it with everyone.

Little Darlin', Here Comes the Sun!

Allie munches on some corn at our community's Rodeo Round Up.

Hot dog and corn. What could be better?

The booths were sponsored by a local church. Notice the crucifix around Tessa's neck.

Ring toss around the Sahuaro.

Grace sucks on her thumb during the horse and wagon ride.

Hello, Dad.

Grace and Allie

To show her spirit on crazy hair day, Marie wore all her bows to school.

This is James' idea of inspiration for Ben.

Aint it a bloomin' shame? Can you believe they build houses that close together?!

Kids painting on a rainy Friday.

We built a tent under the kitchen table then had a campout.

So this is love...umm mmm umm mmm.

Tess holding the flosser that Marie gave her. I don't think its a match for all the junk they've had on Valentine's Day.

Ben modeling his new "Woo woo shoes."

Check out those eye lashes!

Marie, after school. She scored quite a few Valenties. (You should see the list of names Marie brought home from school. Tirzah? Itzel? Ysidro?)

Ever wonder what RED #40 looks like in cake batter?

James gets ready to pour syrup on pancakes. He surprised everyone with a rather festive breakfast.

Tessa and Marie up early for the pancakes James made.

This picture, slightly blurry because Marie took it, captures my new chair from James. Ever since we have been married, we've wanted a second office chair so we can work at the computer together.

A "Dirty" Little Secret

Now I realize that I am often mistaken for Martha Stewart. Many people believe that our house has never been messy. Well, folks, I have documented proof that I am, at best, sub par compared to Martha (plus the fact that I've never been in jail). The good news is that we worked really hard yesterday and got everything back to order in time for Sunday.

A Little of This and That

Over Christmas break, James started a project he has wanted to do since we moved in. Now that it is finished, I thought we'd share some before and after pictures. BEFORE: You'll notice in this picture that the bar is WAY to tall for any adult--let alone a child--to use. The stools are, in fact, bar stools.

AFTER: The height is considerably shorter, and the kids can now enjoy helping Mom cook.

Ben and James about to dig into a large pile of cookies.

So apparently if you want to attract guys, these Walmart-clearance shoes are the way to go. James' first comment when he saw me was that they were darling, and even the executive secretary came up to me today and told me that I had really great shoes.

Off to the Grocery Store

By our standards, it has been freezing here. Others would call it balmy. I just thought the kids were looking cute all bundled up for our outing.