I LOVE Logan UT

I did the 2nd half of my BA at Utah State University in the small town of Logan Utah.  And I loved it.  I already had a love for my grandparents' house and the Logan Roller Rink.  But when I moved there, my heart expanded to include so much more! There were hard times, sure.  Break ups (several), roommate challenges (several), and busy busy weeks.  But during my time in Logan, I became the Tricia Randall that was ready to become Tricia Norton less than a year after I moved to Seattle.
Here are some of the reasons Logan is special to me:
-I got my first paid job teaching fitness
-I got to give grades to students for the first time (I taught PE classes for the University)
-I took classes that I loved from professors that I loved
-I actually did really well in my classes
-I made some best friends that I cherish...Shari, Tony, Mikicko, Sarah, Jenny...
-I watched a lot of baseball (in SLC thanks to Tony)
-I got to watch lots of football from the front row, 50 yard line without having to camp out before games (thanks to Tony again)
-I got to live with amazing cousins, Jeralynn and Nancy
-I got my official aerobics teaching certification after many early study sessions
-I decided to trust the Lord and go on a mission
-I got a job at Logan Parks and Rec--teaching fitness, working the desk, and monitoring the weight room
-I took education classes that made me so excited to be a teacher
-I did my student teaching and knew, FOR SURE, that being a teacher was what I wanted more than anything
-I was brave enough to leave and go to Seattle, even though I wanted to stay
-I hiked, biked, and swam (splashed around in the Oakridge pool)
-I learned about the value of visiting teaching
-I gained a testimony of the Atonement
-I won paper prizes
-I travelled to present papers at several conferences
-I realized just how much I loved learning
-I fell in love with the history of the Czech and Slovak people, especially Masaryk
-I learned to cook big Sunday dinners, cinnamon rolls, and fondue
-And even though I decided not to stay there during the semesters after my mission, I consider it sacred the time that I got to live in my grandparents' house.
-Oh yeah, and even though it was inconvenient, I stood my ground and I got married there...
These are just a few of the reasons I love Logan.  It is beautiful inside and out to me.  Even with the increased traffic.
SO, I am unashamedly trying to plant seeds (that will grow into giant tall trees) to get my kids to go there.  They may not feel right about it when the time comes, but it won't be because they haven't been there and felt a bit of the magic.

Here are my favorite pictures from this year's Logan tour.

Outside the temple where Derek and I got married (sealed) in 2003.  

My grandparents' house.  I just walked in this time and tears came to my eyes.  It still has the same smell, the same calming effect that it always has.  I love this house!

Gossner Cheese factory...Yummy ice cream.

Sarah and Libby with their Great Grandma Louise

A pic with Sarah Louise, Tricia Louise, and the original Louise.  And Libby and Ben wanted in too.

Training them young to be ready to meet the challenge!

Not sure if I want them to become TRUE Aggies right away....but they like standing on the A.

The Old Main tower.  It glows white on most nights, but if there has been a victory of some kind for the school, they light it up blue.  Once when two of us from the history department won paper prizes, it was all lit up for us!

What did we do this week?

I put away the Easter decor.  I couldn't help taking a picture of this chick peeking out.  So cute.  He didn't want to go away until next year...

We tried to get Ben to ride the balance bike.  He has no interest.  How to get him excited?

Sometimes when I get to the end of a week, I have to check the pictures on my phone (a good week) or my google calendar (a more insanely busy week) to see what happened.  This was a good week.  I had lots of pictures of fun and sun on my phone.  

Derek did a demonstration on how to ride.  It was pretty hilarious!

Ben decided to go for the scooter instead.  Sitting down.  

I cleaned all 3 bathrooms in one morning.  Ben & Vegas bear were huge helpers.  I actually splashed more toilet water on the ground than they did putting the brush away after they used it.  

The girls got their report cards this week.  So, per Randall tradition, we needed to have a "Good grades" dinner.  Libby showed some improvement in her reading grade, and so did Sarah.  Libby was sad she didn't get any 4s (the highest) but we pointed out her improvement in many areas.  That was what counted to us!  We had some Buca de Beppo gift cards, so we went.  We have been reading Harry Potter no. 3, so we read while we waited for our food.  We almost finished the book.  Grammy read them the end after we got home and Derek went to play basketball and I went to dance.  We watched the movie together as a family yesterday.  Seriously those books are so gripping!  So good.

It was pajama day at school on Friday.  I have never seen the girls more excited to "get dressed." 

Ben also wore pajamas all day.  So, he was Spiderman at his gymnastics class.  We are doing drop in "open gym" these days.  He had a great time except for when a kid stole his hula hoop.

Easter Fun

I decided to experiment this Easter with a low candy basket.  And a smaller overall Easter.  It went over quite well actually.  No complaints.  It was a fitness oriented Easter.  Derek got a fitbit.  Libby and Sarah got walkie talkies, to play with OUTSIDE, and yoga mats and a yoga DVD.  Ben got a balance bike and helmet that is WAY too big.  The first thing they all bit into was the giant carrot in their baskets.  Perfect!  Libby and Ben were so distracted by their baskets that Sarah found all of the 15 eggs the bunny had hidden around the room.  But, no one seemed to mind.  After our little egg hunt, they played with their new toys (inside and out) until we hosted the Norton/Barrett egg hunt and Easter dinner.  It was a beautiful day!

The Easter Updos.  Libby hated hers and made me take it out right away.  She wanted a twist.  Always the same hair for this girl.  Kinda like me.  

Sarah's waterfall braid looked pretty cool.  Until they started playing kinda rough.  But it didn't really matter.  I just did the updos to kill time.  We were waiting for Derek to come home from work so the Easter Bunny could come!  Lazing around watching conference is awesome!

 Finally Derek got home from work (of course a late call today!).  The kids went in the sunroom to play and the Easter Bunny hopped by and dropped off their stuff.  Libby and Sarah are no longer fooled.  We were pretty sloppy about it.  But Ben didn't seem to notice their comments.

Ben's basket.  I ended up getting each of them a healtheir snack that started with P.  Didn't start that way on purpose, but it worked out...Ben's was pineapple.  He was totally freaked out by it.  He said, "could you please lift that thing out of my basket?"  But he was stoked about everything else.  

Libby's healthyish snack is pickles.  She takes after her aunt Rachel.  She had already eaten 4 at my last count.  

Sarah's fav fruit is a delicious pear.  So that is what the bunny brought her.  

Starting in on the carrot!

Yoga mat and DVD!  

Libby busted hers out right away and started doing some good moves!

Walkie Talkie Time!

"Let's make silly faces with our carrots!"

An Eggstraveganza!

In the last 3 days, we have had an Eggstraveganza.  Seriously.  4 egg hunts, and 2 egg dying sessions.  And I got to eat egg salad twice already because the first batch of boiled eggs had a little Ben help into the pan and we ended up with 7 cracked eggs.  Yum.
We dyed eggs and then went to an egg hunting party on Friday night.  It was an Epic Egg Adventure.
I learned a few things.  Sarah, surprised me.  She quickly dunked each of her eggs into dye...and done.  No coloring on them, no rubber bands, no nothing.  Then she was sad that she was out of eggs.  So, she redunked them in other colors.  Then she was sad again.  Then, she dropped her yellow egg and cracked it.  Total meltdown.  The next day Ben happened to mention the yellow egg dropping incident and it was almost another epic meltdown.  That girl gets really attached to stuff!
Overall they get really into the egg thing.  And, since they got minimal candy outside of the egg business for Easter this year, I was okay with it.
My favorite egg hunting pics:

Our egg dye set up.  I put Sarah in charge of covering the table.  We ended up with random scraps from the recycling bin "covering" the table.  Thus, we also ended up with a few blotches of dye on the table when all was said and done.  But, it goes perfectly with the Sharpie that is already on there.  

Ben at the Egg party on Friday night.  Libby's school friend's parents put on a great little party!

My favorite picture of Libby in awhile.  Her enthusiasm is amazing!

Libby and her bestie.

Sarah with her loot on Friday night. 

On Saturday we had a BBQ with some of Derek's coworkers.  We had a good time egg hunting there too.  Sarah cleaned up since she is a fair amount faster, taller and more motivated.  I helped her take care of the red and blue tootsie rolls.  My favorite!

Then on Sunday we had the traditional Norton/Barrett egg hunt.  Eggs provided by the amazing aunt Maren.  We tromped all over our baby grass.  Hopefully it forgives us and keeps growing.  

Each kid got 26 eggs.  They had a good time finding them.  20 of them were real eggs.  19 made it into the house to become deviled eggs.  1 was left outside, but luckily we could see it from the dinner table and we sent Libby out to get it before an animal did right after dinner.  

Kaj getting his egg hunt on.  Look on those baby blue eyes.  

I was trying to get a good pic of Ben, but when I tried, he spotted an egg up on the fence.  Then he realized he needed to go potty.  So, off to the bathroom he went!  Through the doggie door.  

Ann got all 26 of her share of the eggs too!

Ben and Maren were so matchy matchy.  I had to get this shot.

 

Benny Quotes

This week there were a few great Ben moments.
I loved it when he asked if I would do him a "flavor."

He also got really into it when I taught Libby's class some yoga on Friday.  He does a really great "lion's breath" where you open your mouth and do a huge exhale with your tongue out.

What is really impressing me lately is his logic.
Here was our conversation the other morning.  We got home from dropping off the girls at school.  Normally he watches a movie on the iPad while I have clients.  But that morning, for some reason, he said, "Can I watch a movie after lunch?"  "Of course!" I said and off he went to play.  A few minutes later the doorbell rang.  He came and saw it was my client.  Immediately he said, "Can I watch a movie?"  I reminded him that he was going to watch a movie after lunch.  He thought for less than a second and said, "Can I have lunch?"

He also loves to take videos of himself on my phone and watch them over and over.

April Fools!

My husband's mother is the kindest, sweetest, most generous woman ever.  So, you would never suspect that her sassy streak really comes out on April Fools day.  She did everything from wake her kids up super early, put garbage filled chip bags in their lunches, feed them cookies with cotton balls inside, etc.  Honestly, she rocked April Fools!  For the past couple of months I have been trying to decide if I could create some April Fool Foolery around here.  I thought about all the fun/ny tricks I could pull on my kids, Geneva-esque.  But I just couldn't bring myself to do any of them.  I did have in the back of my mind however, an April Fools dinner where my sister Emily helped me set up.  I was probably in high school or early college.  She is 13 years younger than I am, so she was just old enough to help.  We set wacky utensils and made pretend punch.  I decided to go that route.
I set the table with a painting drop cloth, used dishtowels for napkins and wrapped up funny serving utensils for our eating.  The kids were delighted!  Even Derek was happy even though his "plate" was an ice cube tray.  I wasn't sure if we would actually be able to eat with the items I chose, but we did.  We ate the mix of all the types of noodles I had in the pantry with (for the kids) blue butter and (for the grown ups) spaghetti sauce.  Luckily asparagus is a pretty good finger food.
I think this might be a new Norton Family tradition.