Brad's birthday

All I can say is we are so lucky to have Brad in our family. He makes all our lives better. We can't wait for him to get home each night.

The kids were so thrilled to wrap his presents and couldn't wait to have him open them.

Happy Birthday sweetie! We love you dearly!

somebody shrunk

Spencer is never at a loss for imagination.

Lately, he's enjoyed pretending he's a midget.

That's fine, as long as he isn't pretending in the middle of a crowded hallway at church. Right Spencer?

sick

These pictures take me back to when I was young and would get the stomache flu. My mom would always bring us a stainless steel mixing bowl to throw up in.

It became almost comforting to see "the bowl" because it meant mom was aware of our needs and knew how to help us.

I hated being sick, but always knew there was an end to it.

After several hours of not being able to keep anything down, she'd bring us soda crackers or plain toast and apple juice or 7-up.

Now, when my little ones are sick. I know just what to do.

And as sorry as I feel for them,I make the most of several hours of quiet while they're recovering.

Now, the only bummer is that when I'm sick, my mom's not around.

I'M THE MOM! And, nobody knows the routine just like she did.

Oh, to be young again...

1st grade musical

Charlie had a 1st grade musical titled "Old McDonald's farm", which Lucy and I attended. Charlie didn’t seem enthused about being there, but Lucy was held in rapt attention.

I guess being on stage isn’t Charlie’s passion. He barely sang, did hand motions, or showed any expression. He looked nervous or bored, and told me the best part of the musical was “eating cookies afterwards in the classroom.”

Performer or not, he sure made a cute dog. I got a picture "after" he took off his costume.

Fishing

The boys have discovered our neighborhood creek and now can't wait to get there everyday after school.

Charlie purchased a fishing pole with some birthday money. The first pole didn't cast well, so we took it back and got another one.

The second one doesn't cast well either, so he wants to take it back.

Either we don't know anything about fishing poles (which is true) or we keep getting lemons.

We'll have to get this figured out because it's such a great pastime for the kids.

And, with a baby coming this summer, I'm all about finding activities that will keep these kids outdoors and having fun.

dancing and dessert

Lucy got her costume for the dance recital and couldn't have been more delighted. I'm excited to have all the boys go to her recital and make a big fuss over her. She'll eat it up. She couldn't wait to show them her costume when they came home from school.

Mmmm... Lucy captured how everyone felt about the "dirt cake" we had for our family night dessert. We played a game of Qwirkle beforehand and the winner got first dip.

And then, someone kept coming back for more.

General Conference weekend

During one of the conference sessions, we put each of the kids in a different location with worksheets and candy to keep them busy as they listened.

Sunday evening, we continued our tradition of making bunny buggies for Easter. Brad found the idea years ago and the kids love it.

You basically use twinkies, peeps, and candy to create a bunny car. They end up looking pretty gross, but the kids always look forward to it. And, many times, these take the place of Easter baskets at our house.

A visit from Nana

We were lucky to have a visit from my mom during her Spring break. She was here for General Conference weekend and left Easter morning. The time went by way too fast. We didn't get near enough pictures, but we had a lot of fun and can't wait for her to come back in June.

Some of the highlights with Nana were:

• Listening to General Conference
• Swimming
• Visiting a local farmstead (Deanna Rose) and eating a chocolate bar (kids)
• Treats for the kids
• Watching Charlie's soccer game
• Shopping at the outlets (looking for navy blue shoes)
• Watching Lucy's dance class
• Book group
• Stake conference
• Walking around the track at the middle school
• Several trips to Wal-mart (looking for leggings)
• A Primary Easter activity at the church
• Baking bread
• Eating yummy breakfasts (homemade hashbrowns, eggs, pancakes, sausage)
• Going out to dinner one night (adults only)
• Brad and Anne-Marie even got a day out to the temple (which is an 8-hour round trip experience)

Thanks Mom, for all you do for us. Hurry back, we already miss you!

We're hoping these goggles will help Lucy turn the corner on swimming. She's not at all afraid of water, but still not able to swim independently. So, we're hoping these babies will help.

Husky Pride Night

We enjoyed walking around the boys' school and looking at some of the amazing work they've done this year at Husky Pride night. They all have wonderful teachers.

Spencer and Mrs. Otto

As a writing assignment, Spencer made a nice tribute to his grandparents.


Sawyer and Ms. McGrew

Mr. Charlie beaming in his classroom.

Puzzles

Lucy is at the age where she loves putting puzzles together. I remember all the boys going through the same stage and loving how busy it kept them. So, here's our latest puzzler in action.

Spencer the pig?

I'm not actually sure what animal Spencer was trying to characterize, but this is how he chose to go to school one day. He'd broken an egg in half and taped it to his nose.

Easter contest

A few weeks ago, Brad came home from work with four Easter pictures for the kids to color and enter into a contest at his office. Boy, were they ever interested. I don't think I've ever seen them so into a coloring project.

When they saw Lucy's finished product, all the boys gooed and gawed saying, "She's going to win for sure."

We didn't end up having any winners, but it sure made for a great family night project. And, hands down, these kids are all better artists than their mom. I admire their creativity.

Robotics

In Spencer's enrichment class at school, they've been building robots with the Lego Mindstorms and programming them to do different things. Spencer has really enjoyed it.

A few weeks ago, they invited parents to come and watch the robots in action. I'm amazed at all the kids are capable of at this age. I know I wasn't building and programming robots in 5th grade. We didn't even use computers.

Spencer and his robotics partner Freddie

I appreciate that Spencer still likes having me around. As I was leaving, he said, "Bye mom, love you..." and gave me a hug- all in front of his friends. I'd love it if that never changed.

Spring Break in Utah- Part I

We decided to split up for Spring Break this year. Brad and the boys headed to Utah for their first ever ski trip. Lucy and I remained home for a "stay-cation."

Something about a 16-hour car ride, 7 months pregnant, just didn't do it for me. But, we all had a wonderful Spring Break.

The boys got to see all four grandparents, many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. Lucy and I did some outings and got lots of projects done around the house. (Which sounds really boring to most people, but thrills me to no end). I love whittling away at my lists.

Skiing was an absolute thrill for the boys. The first day they stayed on the bunny hill. Day 2, they started on groomed runs, and then there was no turning back. Sawyer even ventured out to some black diamonds.

Now, they talk about all the different runs like they've been skiing them for years. So, it looks like we've just introduced a very expensive hobby. But, it's true, there's nothing like being in the mountains on a sunny, blue sky day.