March -- in like a lion, but not out like a lamb

Our March was busy.  Very busy.  And it never stopped.  The phrase "in like a lion out like a lamb" kind of describes our month.  March came in like a lion with all kinds of business and commitments. But it did not go out like a lamb.  We pretty much kept busy all month long.


Eye doctor

A few months ago, Hannah had her 1 year check up with her pediatrician.  They did a quick eye exam and recommend she go see a specialist.

So, we made an appointment and saw an optometrist.

The diagnosis: Hannah's left eye is not focusing as well as it should so she has to wear glasses for 1-2 hours a day with an eye patch on the other eye to help strengthen it.  It's not something she will have to do for the rest of her life, but if we don't take care of it now then she'll have major eye problems later in life.  For a few weeks she kept telling people "I can't see so I need glasses."

So she got to go shopping and pick out some glasses.  When she saw the glasses with Ariel on the side it kind of sealed the deal.

Crazy hair day

In honor of Dr. Seuss, Hannah's school has crazy hair day.

It's kind of hard to do her hair crazy with it so short (and with her not really wanting me to do her hair).  But her teacher had an awesome hair do that was very photo worthy.

Our new (used) vacuum

Our vacuum that we bought when we were first married is officially dying.  It doesn't suck anything up anymore, which is kind of a problem.  So, for a couple months we just stashed some cash in a "vacuum fund" envelope while keeping an eye out on Craigslist for a used vacuum.

I saw this Dyson vacuum and watched it for a few weeks to see if the price went down.  The price or vacuum didn't move so I emailed the lady and offered $150 for the vacuum ($80 off her asking price). To my surprise, she accepted and we are now the proud owners of a Dyson vacuum -- which is AWESOME by the way.  There is a reason why these vacuums are pricey, and now I know why.

St. Patrick's day

Hannah had a St. Patrick's day party at school the day before March 17th, and a leprechaun came to her school (though she didn't see it).  They followed tiny footprints to the library where there were some surprises for the kids, and when they came back to the classroom it was all messed up.

Hannah would not stop talking about the leprechaun footprints for the rest of the day.  So I told her "maybe the leprechaun will come to our house tomorrow."  Sure enough, he did.  Not only were their footprints around the house, but he left a "pot of gold" for her (by the way, Hannah made that little pot at preschool).

Easter

As I said earlier, March was just nuts for us this year.  Nathan and I got asked to speak on Easter Sunday.  I had to spend a lot of time prepping for my talk due to it's unique assignment (I was assigned to talk specifically about Mary Magdalene).  So we were very distracted on painting the house (more on that below), and prepping for our talks that we kind of forgot about the Easter bunny.

Luckily though, the Easter bunny remembered to come at 4:00 am on Easter morning!  Yep, I heard it.  Not only could I hear it stuff the eggs with money and then hide them in the house, I also heard it squeal as it noticed a HUGE spider!

After the Easter bunny left I fell back asleep.  Hannah awoke around 7:00 am and came running into our bedroom saying "IT'S EASTER!  IT'S EASTER!"  It took some extra love for me to get up from a nice sleep and go out to see what the Easter bunny brought.  Hannah on the other hand, was full of energy and excited.

After church, we had dinner at some friends house, and then we came home and crashed from being so tired.


FPU class comes to an end, but brings new beginnings

Our FPU class that we hosted came to an end and it was a bitter sweet experience.  We had such a great group, and the camaraderie was amazing.

We ran some stats for our class:

Of the 8 households that attended, the average household paid off $5,000 in non-mortgage debt and saved $1,900 in the course of 9 weeks!  Oh, and there were 19 credit cards closed and cut up too! How amazing is that?!

Well, it was so inspiring for us that we are actually setting up to host another FPU class.


Painting

Well, this is pretty much the same reason we've been so tired this month.  I have painted 5 rooms in 5 weeks.  I am learning of muscles that I never even knew I had.  I took some after pictures with my phone, but I didn't have much luck with the lighting.  And I can't use my regular camera because it's broken at the moment.  Sigh.  So, these after shots will just have to suffice for the time.

Guestroom before:

Guestroom after (and we are getting a new bedding set):

Guest bathroom before:

Guest bathroom after:

Master bathroom before:

Master bathroom after (it's a very pale, pastel green that's hard to see in this lighting):

Master bedroom before:

Master bedroom after (I can't get a good picture of my bed on my phone with the lighting):

Kitchen before:

Kitchen after (I'm not putting my decorations on top of my cupboards until the dining room and living room are painted.  Sanding creates too much dust):

Women's broadcast

Every 6 months The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a Women's conference broadcast, and it is truly amazing.  Well this year, my mother-in-law got to sing in the choir.

As the broadcast started we gathered around the computer and told Hannah we were going to look for Grandma.  And we saw her!  Lots of times.  Each time we saw Grandma we pointed her out to Hannah and she would clap.  It was a very precious and tender moment.

Well, that wraps up March.  We've got two rooms left paint in the house, and I will be so grateful for when they are done.  Despite the busy schedules, we have had a very pleasant March.  Spring has definitely come and we are embracing it with open arms.