Ok, this is a lot of Valentine's Day, all in one email... And it might be long. But here goes! So we forgot to include some pictures last letter:
Gisel's mom sent her a Chinese New Year package, so they celebrated hard core... Year of the PIG!!
And hilariousness:
And not as hilarious, but SO TRUE, found by Miranda:
And Miranda has these daydreams, and can't help herself:
And last week when she wasn't with us:
So this week started off very very snowy. And ended very very snowy. Here's an ordinary day with homework, and a cat:
And more homework:
My dad bought some AR lower receivers with his Gunsmithing logo etched into it... the first originally manufactured ones from his shop. Now my mom is going to let us all have one of them and build them out the way we want in his shop. I've been going over ideas of what to make mine look like. I finally landed on Stormtrooper style:
BUT. I've changed my mind. You see, when I was about 10, my dad gave me a bike that I thought was the most beautiful thing ever. I LOVED that bike and took SUCH good care of it. I found out years later that my dad had gotten an old maroon bike, painted it, put new seat & handlebars & tassels, and fixed it up to look brand-new. I had named it Blue Crystal:
That's why, when Jeff gave me a choice of a car to drive (that would supplement the 15-passenger van), I chose one that was the same color, and subsequently named it Blue Crystal.
The color means a lot to me, because it also reminds me of the color of my dad's eyes, which were the most cool, sparkly blue ever. I know I wouldn't put all this together so immemorially if he hadn't passed away, but he did. So I get to wax nostalgic. So my brother Aaron sent me this picture, and BAM. My Levie Precision gun is going to look like this. Blue Crystal lives again.
We switched ADJ's, or After Dinner Jobs, and this son gets to load the dishes every night now. I'm already so proud of how he takes it seriously. He's the best so far.
At Cubs, Connor's den practiced their skit for the Blue & Gold Banquet next week. I can hardly wait to see it!
At mutual, we played Human Hungry Hungry Hippos, and it was awesome. Here's Morgan pushing his friend to the middle, to try to capture as many balloons and balls as possible with the laundry basket:
And Halle taking her turn:
Miranda the artist!
On Valentine's Day, Morgan passed the driver's test!!! In Blue Crystal, of course... of course, her name has morphed to the Angel Car, but whatever. He's legal!! Now to really get the hang of stick shift, and he has his own truck to drive!
The twins had their 6th grade Valentine's dance. So every year, the whole 6th grade learns & practices dances from all eras: jitterbug, waltz, cha-cha, electric slide, modern line dances; then they decorate the gym and perform them at a dance whereat the parents come to watch, take pictures, and see their performance. It's so adorable.
Best part of the letter: I got pictures of ALL the other kids at their 6th grade dances. YESSSSSS I did.
Since I had a more terrible camera, Miranda gets 2 pics of her dance day:
Before you go to the next email, I want you to notice the same wire hanger hearts at each dance... I love that they did it every year. It makes comparing the dances so easy. All my kids are the same ages in these pictures...
I hope they keep it the same for my last child!!!
Meanwhile, Derek went to his school dance; SO PROUD of him for taking a picture!!! Everyone arriving:
Partner in crime:
This was posted:
Jeff & I stopped by for sushi on our way out of town. Jeff rented a mini cabin in Duck Creek for the weekend. 
We're hoping the kids survive without us. We drove until 10:30pm in a blizzard and finally arrived at the sweetest cabin... that was blinking. The power went on & off all night. Ha!
Meanwhile, Carlie got these flowers and chocolates from Hale... the guy who also asked her out for Friday night to a play and dinner... uh oh. Realizing he has a major crush on her; not reciprocated, but nice to know she's a wanted woman!!
Miranda's amazing Vday night. =)
At 5am, there were TWO EARTHQUAKES in Utah County! A 3.2 and 3.7, originating in Bluffdale, right by the point of the mountain, and actually, a 3.3 down in Fillmore, about 2 hours south of us later that day.
So that day, Friday, while Jeff napped, I read a book in ABSOLUTE SILENCE. Like, starting at noon, the power went completely out, and they didn't fix it until 7:30 that night... so I was sitting in a cabin buried in snow, with not even normal buzzing of appliances resting in the corners of the room. It was utter, profound silence.
After a while, I got out the lunch and snacks out of the off fridge, and when I was done, just put the perishable foodstuffs on the porch in the snow to keep them cold. Ah... fancy cheese, IBC, fancy chocolates; the things Valentine's Day are made of.
When Jeff woke up, we watched these Polygamist women drive up, park their pickup in front of our cabin, and start SLEDDING DOWN the street in front of us... Why oh why oh why did I not take a video or picture!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!? I failed. They were dressed alike with the same hair and everything. But I did feel already super awkward that they could fully see me in my pink Christmas PJ's watching them. If I had taken a phone out while they were watching... So while the power company came and worked on the lines to the cabin, we went out for pizza at this super quaint place in this super quaint city.
And then on the way home, it was almost impossible to capture how snowed in the area is; that they had plowed a one-way path that you could absolutely not share with another car, no matter how small. You really would have to back up all the way if another car came.
Meanwhile, Carlie went on her date with Hale (heart heart). He's a junior that asked her out to dinner & a play - she said yes, and didn't think of it as anything, until those flowers & chocolates came on Vday... then she knew what he was thinking about this date tonight. When they had a gap between dinner & play, they went bowling:
Then to A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder.
And somewhere in there, she got the notice that she didn't get into BYU. We were all so sad for her, and Jeff & I were sooooo sorry we weren't there to hold her and love her. She's smart, intelligent, and smart again... she's going to do so great wherever she goes, but it was such a blow.
Beauty from ashes, though:
Miranda's weekend pictures started pouring in, so we'll just stick them in here. Visiting Grandpa Lund's house with Emily & YuYu:
And as soon as Jeff & I drove back on Saturday, he sent Carlie & I out for sushi. We tried a new place, Nori, and it was good. Still, Tsunami reigns. But they were a 1.5 hour wait.
Sunday, Connor was sick, so while everyone else went to Grandma Madsens to celebrate Arianny's bday, we had eggs & toast & IBC. =)
Memes!!!!
Ok, get ready for the onslaught of Valentine's memes; anything to do with love, marriage, or love. Or the weird love/hate that some couples have. That we don't have, but it's hilarious.
And because Brach's went bankrupt, but the company that bought them didn't have time to make enough conversation hearts for this year. So any conversation hearts, in dwindling numbers, were last year's candy and all we were going to get:
And real, true, true love:
The end. Love you!!! Us
