Easter

We had a wonderful Easter. The week before Easter my Mom came out and visited. Everyone had a good time visiting with her. We spent a lot of time shopping during the day while the kids were at school. This is something I don't do too often anymore because Ryan and Abigail don't enjoy it and they do everything they can to help me not enjoy it, but it was good to get summer and Easter clothes for the kids. The highlight of Grandma's stay for the kids was the night before she left. We went out to eat, bowling, and then rented a video. They thought it was great the Grandma could beat me at bowling!

One Good Friday we spent a lot of the day weeding the bigger half of our garden. We were very thankful we did that since it got cold on Saturday. Saturday the kids went with Jeff to the movie, and then they decorated Easter eggs.





Easter morning the kids enjoyed doing an Easter egg hunt around the house before church. I enjoyed getting them all dressed in their Easter outfits. I don't know how much longer I will be able to make them coordinate for Easter and Christmas, but I enjoy being able to so far. I only have a one requirement from Tyson and Justin NO SWEATER VESTS!



This is not the best picture of them in their outfits, but we needed to get to church! I am planning on having a friend do some pictures of them in a few weeks so I will post them when I get them.

After church we went and visited with Lorel and Annabell. Annabell had just gotten out of the hospital, and we were all happy to see her doing so well. It was a great Easter!

Emily's Projects

Emily had two big projects due right after Spring Break. They both kept her extremely busy! She had to make a life size person to use while she presented a report on ancient Rome. She chose to make a giant doll. I was glad a knew how to sew and had made several dresses in my life! I thought she did a good job.

The second big project Emily had was to design and build a house out of Popsicle sticks. She was very excited about this project. Her art teacher encouraged them to be creative when designing their houses. After eight weeks of working on them at school they brought them home over Spring Break to complete. By the time the project came home Emily was not near as excited about it. She had the roof, flooring, and landscaping left to complete at home. After a lot of hard work it was complete and she got a 100% on the project. We were all impressed and proud of her hard work. We also learned if our other kids take art not to be quite so creative in the shape. Emily said she wished she wasn't the one who always had to figure these things out for everyone else!

The outside of her house


The inside of her house

Spring Break

We had Spring Break this past week. We didn't go any where, but we had a lot of fun around here! The highlight of the week was our annual trip to Palo Duro Canyon. We go every year with our friends the Hardy's since their dad always has to work too and they don't ever go anywhere either. The kids have more fun doing this than I think they would doing anything else.




This is at the turn around point of our hike. I must say this hike is a lot easier when I am not pregnant!



Once our hike is over we always let them go play in the water. We have learned from past experience to bring extra clothes. The first few times we didn't expect them to get in the water. We haven't had much rain so the water was extra muddy and their was hardly any current. The boys made a mud slide to go down. Emily would have nothing to do with it (I don't blame her!). I am happy to say no one got sick from being in the dirty water!


Abigail loved to throw rocks into the water. Once when she was bending forward to get a rock she slipped and fell in face first. She didn't enjoy this very much, but once she got wiped off she went right back to throwing rocks in.



While we were having fun, Jeff was busy at work. That day he had left at 5:30 in the morning to catch a flight, and didn't get back home until 10:30 at night. This is how I found him when I went to say goodnight. He is a heavy sleeper and spent the whole night like this. It is times like this I wish I was strong enough to carry him to bed, but I have learned if I wake him it is very hard for him to get back to sleep.




The kids also enjoyed each getting to go on a date of their choice this week with Jeff and I. We usually do one child each month, but we have gotten behind so this was an easy way to catch up. Ryan started out by choosing to go eat pizza and then go to the mall and get a gumball. He also enjoyed riding up and down the escalator (usually I have a stroller so we always take the elevator). Justin chose to go out to eat at a Mexican restaurant and then play miniature golf. Tyson chose to go to Dave's Need for Speed where we played lazer tag and drove go-carts. Emily chose to go to the movie "The Search for Witch Mountain." Jeff and I always enjoy taking each child out individually. We had a wonderful time. We have never taken them all out back to back like this. You can really see a difference in each of their personalities. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful children!

Tyson's Creation

Tyson has just learned how to make his own pancakes, and now makes them all of the time. He likes to make them without me around so he can add "extra" chocolate chips. I walked into the kitchen the other day and this is what he had in the pan.
I don't know if you can tell by the picture, but there were so many chocolate chips in them they wouln't even stick together! He couldn't eat it all because of how rich it was!

A "Real" Cowboy

Justin had cowboy day at school about a week ago. He was very excited because he got to tell his class about his Grandpa, who is a real cowboy. He was suppose to dress up, when I gave him is cowboy hat he just looked at it and said, "I am not wearing that hat, I want to wear a real cowboy hat." He went and got Grandpa Yardley's old cowboy hat that he had given him and wore that to school so he could show all of the kids what type of hat a real cowboy wears.

Abigail loves her pacifier!

Abigail has had her pacifier longer than any of my other kids. I have always taken them away before now. None of them have given them up on their own. I am dreading taking hers away, because she can now ask for it by name. She likes to have one in her mouth and two in her hands when she is sleeping. The other day she had two in her mouth at once!

I keep saying I am going to take it away, and every time I plan on it she gets sick, and I don't have the heart to take it away while she is sick.

Abigail also started nursery. She has only been once, but she hated every moment of it. There were 12 kids between the ages of 20 - 18 months with two leaders. It is a hard class to have. We have three nurseries right now (the joy of being in a ward with lots of young students!).