March 2-8, 2026

Katie and Josie liked giving each other hugs when Josie and Jack came over on Monday. Katie loves dogs. I forgot to write it down but there were two dogs at the park last week and Katie just wanted to pet them and hug them. When the ground is level but the surface changes, like side walk to gravel, she will get on her hands and slowly put her feet onto the new surface as if there was a step. It's good because gravel is uneven and she loses her balance on it easily. She still loves to say, "I stuck". She also says, "All done!" "Gotcha!" and "chicken" She can make bird sounds when we play the bird game (quack, ca-caw, etc.) and she can pretend to sneeze. She also said "elephant" this week. She's good at copying sounds.
Mary likes to pick out movies that correlate with her clothes. She was wearing her ballet recital dress and noticed it had roses on it so then she wanted to trade middle names with Katie. So she was Mary Rose and Katie was Katie Alice. Mary told me to "just leave it be" when I wanted to help her with her hangnail. Mary normally doesn't like dogs but she held the leash of the black dog we saw at park last week. She told me, "Come on, don’t be shy," when she wanted me to come with her. She said, "I don’t know how, I’m too young." When she doesn't want to do something. I went to throw away a diaper outside and Mary chased after me and jumped out to surprise me then immediately lost her smile and said, "Hey! You’re not Nana!" We did better practicing letters this week. Mary read, "V-A-N: Ice cream truck" because the van example card had a picture of an ice cream truck on it.
Mom: I did really well with cooking at home this week. I made dinner for 5 days this week!
Dad said goodbye to Saif this week, who is going to Texas. He left for Japan this weekend and had a fun shopping day with Hiro and Fangfu.

Monday we had Josie and Jack over. The weather has been pretty nice so the girls played outside a lot. Nana is coming to visit this week so I am using that as motivation to clean the house. I did some deep cleaning projects each day leading up to Thursday night. I taught violin that night and went early to have a make-up class for my Saturday students for the class I missed when I was sick but no one came. I practiced my violin instead, so it worked out. That night I started my udemy course on color analysis.
Tuesday I shampooed our couch in the morning then took Mary to dance and Katie and I played at the park while we waited. We spent the afternoon weeding the front yard. I tried to weed the backyard too but I was tired.
Wednesday we went to the church for our weekly playdate. We normally go to the park but it was too windy.
Thursday I got Nana's room ready then we went to the church for the exercise class. I made minestrone for dinner and finished mopping right before Nana got to our house. Mary was instantly excited! Katie thought Dad was home and was surprised when it was Nana. She was a bit shy but warmed up quickly. We sat with Nana while she had some dinner then helped her bring in her things. The girls were excited about their gifts from Hawaii. Nana made us a beautiful crocheted blanket that I am excited about. Nana helped me put the girls to bed. Dad had a close work friend, Saif, quit this week and he went to a goodbye party for him Thursday night. He's going back to work for Exxon in Texas since Redwood is downsizing his department.
Friday I drove Dad to the airport for his Japan trip. I grabbed breakfast on the way home. We had a playful morning then took the girls to the library for toddler play. We saw Naomi there and a couple acquaintances I've met before. We played outside a little bit then went home and put Katie down for a nap. Mary had so much fun playing with Nana. I would try to hangout with them and Mary would say, "No, you go out there. I just want Nana."
Saturday I made hootenannies, duck eggs, and sausage for breakfast. We took the girls to the park for a couple of hours. I taught violin then we went to Reno. We got some lunch then did some shopping. Nana has been telling me about this great vacuum she and Grandpa use instead of sweeping and she generously got me one when we went to Costco. I am excited to try it out!
Sunday I made us a French toast bake. I put dinner in the crockpot (nacho chicken) and got the girls ready for church. Nana got the girls adorable matching dresses for Easter and ironed them for me. It was ward conference today so the Stake taught Young Women's. It was a great lesson from the leaders as well as great participation and thoughtful answers from the youth. Katie went to the nursery for the first time and loved it! Mary loved primary as well, she got fun things from the stake primary leaders. It was a nice sunny day so we spent time outside enjoying the weather in the afternoon.
It has been so nice to have Nana here. The girls love her and she has been so helpful in taking care of them and helping me keep my house clean.