Hughes Family: February 2014

Another month in paradise! When it rains it pours. February was filled with so many things that I was almost certain I was going to blow up (I mean literally explode… I think I came close). Now mind you, these things weren’t the fun stuff you make blog posts out of (well, actually some of the work related stuff I will blog about – but it wasn’t fun). Nevertheless, here are the Hughes family highlights:

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We had a couple of “kid dates” this month. I took the boys to try sushi. Mike seemed to like it alright, but Gabe wasn’t a big fan. I’m not going to give up on him though. I didn’t like sushi the first time to I had it either.
Fran took Claire to walk around the temple grounds. Afterward they went to Pier 49 Pizza… where they apparently ate salad. Silly girls.

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Claire recently acquired a Rainbow Loom (apparently she was the “last person on earth” to get one) and she has been hard at work making bracelets and necklaces. The Rainbow Loom is a pretty nifty invention that allows you to string rubber bands together in complex patterns & shapes.
Gabe is great at games that involve memory and now we’re trying to expand his ability to develop strategies (for more advanced gaming) by playing things like Connnect Four and Yahtzee. It won’t be long and he’ll be settling Catan with us.

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February was an exciting month for Mike. He and I made a Super Bowl bet. I lost and he got more time on his iPod. There was never a happier Super Bowl bet winner.  Fran gave Mike a job scanning photographs (digital preservation is important everyone!). I think this is a great part time job for kids.  Fun fact: Mike is left handed, but he’s learning to play the guitar like a righty. He gave us a concert of songs he’s learned so far; three strings down, two more to go.

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There aren’t too many movies the whole family sees in theaters (we usually just wait and rent them) but we made the trip for The Lego Movie. Our kids love Legos and they were extremely excited to see this movie. It’s a cute family friendly film with plenty for kids and adults (it made me feel very nostalgic since I used to glue my Legos together).

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On Valentine’s day the kids were served a holiday-themed breakfast and they dressed in their holiday-appropriate clothes (Mike wore a taped on sign that said “Hello, My Name is Sweetie Pie” on a dare).  Claire baked cookies for her friends & siblings. And that night we ate Raclette and had Zupa’s chocolate covered strawberries for dessert. Yum!

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Amid all the chaos the Blue and Gold ball added a little extra. Fran made Chili and prepared a slide show for the festivities. Chloe is at that wonderful age where it’s best just to keep her home so she and I spent a few hours working the Play-Doh.
And sadly we said “goodbye” to an old friend. Fran’s mixer has been with her since college and has helped make many meals and desserts. Gabe and I took it apart to see what was wrong, but the mixer was terminal (cracked parts).