I am happy that my front room often looks like this:

This week Megan has been finishing the Hunger Games trilogy and Mariah has been frantically reading straight through the first Hunger Games.  Who says movies can't inspire better readers?  Here Sarah is even rereading some of the Hunger Games, although she's been reading other stuff this week. 

We've been having some really nice weather -- days that even I would classify as warm!  It is so nice to walk outside and not have the air bite you.  I find myself still tensing up whenever I walk outside and then --- aww, relax.  It's nice out!  The kids have been outside alot.  Especially this guy:

This bike is propped against the tree, but it still gives him the illusion of riding it!  Considering Ben has been playing outside all week, I think it's impressive that he's only been brought back by the neighbors once.  Mostly, we keep good track of him and mostly he has been staying close to where his sisters are -- who he calls, "guys."  He runs after them calling, "Guys!  Guys!"  He likes to pull the wagon up and down the street and riding his little blue "car."  He has also discovered dirt.  He sits and plays in it, making piles and doing whatever it is little boys do with dirt.  I walked up next to him this week and said, "Playing in dirt again, Ben?  That's fun!"  Bethany who was playing nearby looked at me like I was crazy and said, "No it's not, Mom!"  That's my little girl!

Savannah left us this week.  *Sob!*  She left at 4:45 Thursday morning for her long-anticipated choir tour.  You know the one that she got the job for so she could pay for it herself!  She will be gone through Monday and will get back to the high school early Tuesday morning.  They went through Las Vegas and down to California.  She has promised to do a special edition Skinner Update when she gets back to let us know what all she did!  It will be worth waiting for  . . .  Meanwhile, we miss her and find ourselves with lots more computer time than we're used to.  :(

Sarah, Megan, and I went to the church to watch the YW broadcast on Saturday night.  It was REALLY good and it was fun to be there with my girls.  Although we missed Savannah.  :)