Easter

 We had our ward Easter breakfast and egg hunt last weekend. The boys couldn't wait to find their eggs. I helped Lucas while Dad helped Zander, although he did pretty well by himself. Lucas was really whiney and wanting me to hold him all of a sudden. He wasn't really into the egg hunt as I thought he'd be. After we finished he kept pointing to the car saying "seat" like he wanted to go home, So we packed up and went home. As soon as we got home Lucas threw up all over Stephen. I knew something was off, poor boy! He threw up and rested all morning and by the time he woke up from his afternoon nap he was bouncing around his bed good as new. No one else caught whatever he had, so we are grateful for that. I had Stephen stay home with Lucas from church the next day just to be sure he wouldn't pass anything around in nursery.

 The Easter bunny made it to our house! All Lucas cared about was his treats, and Zander loved seeing all his new toys. They both got a kite, new garden tools and gloves, a car and a Star Wars figure.

 Dad made homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast!! I am so glad he loves to cook. These are the best cinnamon rolls, seriously. He cooked us a New York steak roast for dinner too. I've never heard of such a thing, but boy was it good!

A Week of Babysitting

Last week I had the opportunity to watch Joseph and Trish's kids while they went on vacation for a few days. I wouldn't say it was something I was looking forward to, but I knew my boys were, and as it turned out, it wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. I didn't think the kids were going to be bad or anything I was more concerned about how bored  I would get not having anyone in town to visit with or talk to. I never got bored, in fact, I had a lot of fun with the kids and rather enjoyed myself. The kids kept me busy and entertained, and I can't even express the feeling I got when I heard the kids playing and laughing together; it really made my heart want to burst with joy.

Trish's kids were all great helpers, and they all played and got along with Zander and Lucas. The boys let Zander play with their Iron man figures and cars all week which he loved and Jaidin played Star Wars with him on the game cube. He thought that was the greatest thing. They played outside together even though the trampoline broke, and I even got some of the kids to play board games with me in between bouts of Mario Kart. Linley really started to warm up to me by the time their parents returned. I stayed an extra day at Mom's though so I could get caught up on sleep. Lucas didn't sleep well while away from home; he would wake up and cry and scream at least two to three times a night. I think he was just missing being home. The boys missed their dad as well.

Charity taught the kids about baking soda and vinegar; they were all really amazed and loved seeing their cups explode into colors.

 Lucas was always playing in the sink! He loves playing in the water and if I couldn't find him anywhere I knew just where to look.

 Charity made cookies for dessert. These two got to lick the bowl.

 Zander and Jaidin played "house" outside and took moss from the pond and pretended to eat it for dinner. Zander thought that was pretty neat.

 The kids slept in the living room our last night there and had a party.

 Our last night at grandma and grandpa's Lucas didn't want to sleep in his crib, so I let him stay in the living room with Zander. He thought he was big boy! He didn't last very long though.

My First Bouquet of Flowers From Zander

Moab

Stephen and I decided to take a little family vacation to Moab last weekend with the boys. He had a free night stay at the hotel, so we thought why not take the kids; we've never been to Moab, and right now is one of the perfect times to go. The boys were excited to go on vacation and stay in a hotel and go swimming in the pool. It was an almost four hour drive in the rain down there. The boys did great in the car, but they went bonkers as soon as we got to the hotel. I was expecting this since it was their first time, but holy cow! Don't let this picture fool you.

Friday morning we headed to Arches National Park, and it was a perfect day--the sun was shining, blue skies, and low 70s. We did most of the really easy hikes for the sake of the boys and myself. I don't think we hiked any further than a mile at a time.

Our first stop was Balanced Rock. I'm not going to lie, I think the Idaho version of  "Balanced Rock" is way better than this one, but it was still neat regardless. The boys were anxious to get out of the car to explore and climb the rocks.

Our next stop were The Windows and Double Arches. These were pretty cool, but you had to climb pretty high to get underneath them, and of course, Zander had to try. Stephen followed him up while I stayed behind with Lucas; it was too steep for the two of us.

We found some lizards in the bushes!

Our last stop in the park was the Delicate Arch Viewpoint. We didn't want to hike with two toddlers to the arch itself because it's kind of steep with a narrow trail and a drop off, so we saw it from afar.

Once we got back in the car the boys fell asleep, so Stephen and I took a drive down Potash Road across from the park so the boys could nap for a bit. On our way back we stopped to see some dinosaur footprints which the boys loved.

We finally made it back to the hotel for some lunch and a swim. I honestly think going swimming was the highlight of the trip for the boys. It's all they talked about and asked about every 10 minutes until we got in the pool. It was an outdoor pool so I thought it'd be too cold for me, and I wasn't even sure if my "swimsuit" was going to fit me, but it did so I got in. We had a great time, but it made for an exhausting day.

the next day was our drive home, but we stopped at a dinosaur museum to see some more dino tracks and try to tire the boys out so they'd sleep in the car. We got up too early and the museum wasn't open yet, so we took another scenic drive and stopped to let the boys explore until  we could go back to the museum.

 That is sandstone that Lucas is trying to take a bite out of.

Finally we got to see the dinosaurs!

 We let the kids play for a while before eating lunch and heading home. We stopped in the gift shop and let the boys pick out one thing to take home. Lucas got a bucket of little dinosaurs, and Zander chose a triceratops mask. I'm glad we make time every now and then to spoil ourselves and go on vacation. These are what our childhoods are made up of. We sure made some good memories!