Random Things in April

 Conference weekend we made donuts at the kids' request and apparently that tired Dad out.

I have loved this. Earlier this year when Grayson changed primary classes his teachers gave him his own copy of the Book of Mormon. It has to stay on top of his stuffed animals so he can sleep with it every night. A few months passed and one night he exasperatedly asked me when I was going to read it to him. So we started that night. We've been reading it together ever since before bedtime. He has a good memory and is enjoying the story of Nephi right now. It's also been really great for me to read. He asks if there are any verses he can highlight as I read it. I love this quality time we have together before bed.

Oh Zander, what an imagination you have.

The kids tried to save their clubhouse from me getting rid of it for a vegetable garden space. They cleaned it out and furnished it and now play in it after not using it for the last 9 years.

We taught the kids about budgeting and finances using Skittles. They were shocked at how few Skittles they had left after all the taxes and bills were paid for, haha! They started out with 50 and ended up with somewhere around 3 Skittles to spend on the fun stuff

Grayson Turns 6!

 What can I say about my spunky 6 year old?! Grayson is so inquisitive and asks a lot of questions about how the world works. It's usually after we tuck him in for the night, haha. But he has a contagious smile and adventurous spirit about him. He loves to be with his family, and make people laugh. He has a lot of energy and is always moving and crafting and building new projects in his bedroom. He loves to be independent and do things on his own; he has a lot of confidence in himself. We sure love having him around. Happy Birthday little buddy!

He asked for an Oreo cake and wanted a scooter the most for his birthday

He got a big gummy peach, but I guess I could've thought through that a little bit better because all he saw was a giant bum crack and it cracked him up all night long.

Performances

 Grayson just had his kindergarten performance. They read Where the Wild Things Are and Caps For Sale and kinda acted them out. he had a lot of fun with it.

The other three kids were involved in the school play Finding Nemo Jr. We went to opening night and I was so impressed with how well all the kids did in their roles. It was a lot of fun to watch. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Lucas had a singing solo part! He nailed it. All the kids are tired of rehearsals, but it all paid off once they took the stage. I think they all loved the rush and excitement of being on stage. Lucas played Bruce the shark, Hannah was part of the open ocean chorus so she was dressed up as a colorful fish, and Zander manned the play behind the scenes as stage crew. He was also pretty excited that he got to hold the net at the end so we could see him, haha! So proud of these four kids! 

The girl next to Lucas in the wheelchair was so fun to watch. She was one of the little blue fishes that tells Marlin and Dory where to find the EAC before they get caught up in the swarm of jellyfish. Anyway, I'm going to assume she has cerebral palsy and is nonverbal, but when she got on stage her eyes lit up and she looked like she was trying to dance by swaying her arms and sing with the group. It was such a sweet moment to witness, and I am so pleased to see the school included the students with disabilities. We had two kids in that class who wanted to participate. The proceeds of this play are going towards an all abilities playground for our school. We have quite a few disabled students at our school, so I hope we are able to reach our goal and get that playground for the kids.

Our Newest Family Member, Eevee!

 
I cannot believe I'm writing this, but we finally caved and got the kids a dog. We had talked about it since last summer and saved up for all the expenses. I found this pup in Malad, Idaho in January and instantly took a liking to her. We had to wait 6 weeks before we could bring her home. She was the only puppy born in the litter and she looked like such a sweetheart. I couldn't wait to meet her and officially name her. Stephen and I made a short list of all the names we liked. Rogue was at the top because in her first pictures I saw the white tuft of hair on her head and it reminded me of Rogue from X-Men and we were so sure that was going to be her name, but when we finally met her and picked her up it just didn't fit. None of the names on our list fit right. I had Eve written down just because, and I went back to it and said out loud, "There's Eve, but knowing the kids they'd call her Evie." And Stephen said, "You mean like the Pokémon Eevee?" I looked up Pokémon to see what Eevee looked like and she looks like a dog and it felt right, so that's where she got her name.

We surprised the kids after school and they were all in disbelief. We had them each open a gift in the living room that had dog supplies in them and then Stephen came out from our bedroom with Eevee. Hannah sprang up off the couch and gave me a big hug; the kids went over to Stephen to pet the puppy while Zander sat on the floor crying. We finally made his dream come true.

We have loved having her, but it is a lot of work training a puppy good manners. The kids say good night to her every night and good bye every morning on their way to school.

Catching Up

I went to an 80s skate night with my friends from dance class. I haven't put rollerblades on in a long time and we skated until midnight!

This little dude cracks me up. He came out of the bathtub wearing these sunglasses.

I couldn't believe how easily Grayson could slip his whole arm through the mug handle. He's too skinny!

I love this picture of Hannah in her ballet class. So dainty and beautiful

King and Queen Day at school

Zander and his friends playing D&D. You would never guess that this is early February when we should have a foot of snow on the ground. We got next to nothing this year. Driest winter in history.

Luke, Paige, Tommy, Zander, Jack, and Carter

Dad took the older boys out to see the play Clue on Valentine's Day. They loved it! Clue is one of Zander's all-time favorite movies; he's watched it over a dozen times.

While the boys went out I took the younger kids to Bug World at the history museum downtown. 

We had our annual Mother/son Night at the school. This year instead of a dance they had carnival games and laser tag. Love these three boys of mine! This was Grayson's first year and only year to go with Zander.

Ice skating for young men/women

Look at my best high score!

The boys joined a ninja warrior gym. They both got up the smaller warped wall on their first try