First Fire

We finally got to warm up the fire pit this season.   Ryan even pulled in at the right time to eat with us, it couldn’t have been better!  We have been loving leftover peeps in smores.  They are fun to roast on a fire too!

Little brother is getting so independent and it hasn’t been that fun for us!  He is got his own agenda for sure and it doesn’t include any holding still and lots of screaming!  He does not have my quiet voice for sure!

The pit was pretty overgrown with grass, it will get all broken in before we know it!

Strawberry Jamming!

The kids all like to help in the kitchen which is really nice…. sometimes!  It really is nice to have them all for making strawberry jam though.  It is kind of a mean trick because they are so excited to help until they have to stir for 3 minutes straight and their arms get SO tired!  We always are counting down with the timer!  Even Rett has to be in on the action, unloading the drawers!

I have fond memories of making jam with Mom, I think my kids will too.  It is a great tradition!

Rett’s most favorite place is in the fridge.  Claire came to rescue the eggs (they are on the bottom row, Rett’s perfect height)  I had to take a picture of her, her apron is getting to short for her and she had on Emma’s play glasses.  This girl is growing like a weed!

Our Days

Claire Bear and I have just been having a lot of time together it seems.  She is quite entertaining!  She has been really wanting a dream catcher to catch her bad dreams. (Grandma Violet got one for Justin and Claire likes it)  Anyway Grandma Violet sent another one over.  Claire was so excited!  She put it right up and it worked really good until about the third night.  I heard a jingle and then got whapped with a dream catcher.  She said, “this thing doesn’t work!!!”  She was so mad!    It was too funny! 

In all of our painting, sewing, and Little Mermaid watching,  we found a shelf out in the stash for Claire’s pictures.  It just needed a fresh coat of paint.  We also found a frame for her picture of Christ.  She was excited to show the kids when they got home from school.

Jaci rode the bus over one day.  I had to make the girls stand back to back because I could tell they were getting really close to the same size.  They are exactly the same!  Twin cousins!

Jaci said she knew who was taller out of her and Justin.  What a smart girl! 

Darling picture of her, silly boy picture!  Fun cousin friends!

Jackpot!

Justin came home from school saying he found the jackpot of dandelions! 

He lovingly hauled them all the way home just for me!  What a boy!

Spring Planting

The potato crew has been in our pivot the past two days.  I love all of the excitement, people, and equipment around.  We have had more traffic in two days than we have had the entire year!  I love that huge bucket on the loader.

It just takes one load to fill up that planter.

We are going to really like having a field of potatoes at the back door. 

All of the Spring work is moving along really well.  Ryan is working really hard at getting his water going.  It is pretty dry already, it would be great to get some rain.  It has been even GREATER to have Ryan farming at home!

Little Brother

Little Brother isn’t so little anymore!

I about died when I peaked in on him napping.  He is taking up way to much of that crib!!

He is still snotty nosed and coughing but it doesn’t slow him down much.  He loves the outside and crawls all over the grass, gravel, dirt, it doesn’t matter, he just goes.  He even went crawling down the road!  I have NEVER had a baby who would crawl outside, he is crazy, and trying to keep up with everyone else!  He is so blondie blonde still too, it is fun!

Sunday Shots

We had a good Sunday.  It is so nice to have Ryan around.  We are getting really tired of this spring work already!  The weather was really nice, I hope it stays.  Rett is loving some first tastes of watermelon.  Both cheeks were stuffed full!

Ashley is still working on those chickens.  I never have to tell her to do chores, she does them all on her own.

I think we may wear out this trampoline this summer!

We have had rain clouds but still no rain.  I turned some water on the yard.  I love to hear and watch the sprinklers go around.

Ashley has been fort building all weekend.  It takes up almost all of toyland and everyone has their own room.  What a fun mess!

Church was really nice.  We had a mission farewell.  One of the boys who was in primary when we moved here is old enough to serve.  He will do great.  Ashley said Ryan’s lesson was good in primary.  I had to give the Relief Society lesson. It was by Elder Oaks.  It has made me think, what do I think of Christ.  Jesus has done so much for us and all that we have is because of Him.  I need to be more thankful for all that I have!  We are so blessed!

Sunshine Day

Today has been beautiful!  I should be out in it working in the yard, but I’m not.  We had our first picnic outside, and didn’t even freeze!  It was great.  It was really shiny though so we all had to wear sunglasses.  Maybe we have to re adjust to all of the sun, it is such a great change!

“Can you see my eyes through these dark glasses?”

I finished up a sewing project while the kids made hundreds of forts in toyland.  It is all fun and games until the sword fighting comes out, someone always ends up crying!

Grandma sent Rett a new Johnny Tractor book.  Justin can read it to him.

Rett figured out if he uses that tongue he can get up on the chairs and couches!   Such a climber!

We made our first strawberry shortcake of the season and cant wait for more warm strawberry days like today!  Happy Sunshine Day!

Nothing Runs Like A Deere!

The grass is growing faster than I want it too, well not really, I am ready for summer and green grass!  Ryan put ME in charge of changing the oil (a year ago Dad did it for me when they were here when Rett was born).  I got an oil filter and changed the oil all by myself.  It really was not a big deal.  I read the owners manual and found out I need to do a lot more maintenance on my green machine if I want it to run forever.  ANYWAY, it started up on the first try, when does that EVER happen…. NEVER!  But it did this time, I went to mow with my big helper and the blade wouldn’t go.  I knew it was all going to well.  Luckily Ryan pulled in the yard at this very time and fixed it right up for me.  (Now that is even more rare then the lawnmower starting on the first try!!) We got the lawn mostly all mowed during Rett’s nap.  I have to leave the rest for Ash and Justin to help me on, they have been begging to mow!  OH, the best part, we found two lost Easter eggs!  How funny!

Up He Goes!

So maybe my awesome made-over step stool wasn’t such a good idea…..

YEP, all the way onto the counter!  This is Claire’s perch, she  opens the cupboard and puts her music on.  Rett just kept opening the cupboard and laughing, he knows it’s a cool place to be, but not really sure why.  I have to keep my eye on this boy!

Sunday Shots

We had Stake Conference this weekend.  It is always a treat.  I LOVE the Saturday night adult session.  It is much easier to listen and concentrate when I'm not worried about fruit snacks and fussy babies.  Sunday morning we were up bright and early because Ashley and Emma got to sing in a primary choir.  It was the first time we have ever sat in the chapel at stake conference.  Ashley and Emma did good.  They were nervous about being on camera (because it was broadcasted to two other buildings)  Emma sneezed during one of the songs and was worried if that was on camera!  I didn’t know if it was because we were in the chapel.  It was a good experience they weren’t even a bit nervous.  Someone asked if they were twins, they get that from time to time.  We just laugh because they are so NOT twins, they do look a little alike and are the same size though, I can see why you might be tricked. (they also had the same dress and hair too) 

We had a quiet afternoon.  Grandma stopped and ate with us.  Grandpa had bishop meetings so he couldn’t stay.  After we got rested we decided to drive up to Magic and check it out.  It is flowing over, it was pretty.

The weather was not very agreeable.  Ryan insisted I be in a picture, lets just say it was a TAD bit windy! 

So lovely!!  The kids had already booked it back to the car, it was a little scary on the cliff there with the wind blowing, it even scared Rett.  We stayed up too late reading stories and getting ready for school.

Kind of Sick

We have been kind of sick at our house this week.  The kids all have a runny nose, cough, and all of that yuck.  Claire bear fell asleep at six o'clock, she of course woke up at ten and then didn’t want to go to bed at all!  It was not a fun night!  We have had lots of rough nights this week, I hope we are getting over it soon!

School Report

The girls are having their end of the year school tests.  They both have done so well so far.  Emma scored the highest of the girls in her class on the reading ISAT.  Her teacher gave her 10 smackers for it!  Lucky girl!

Ashley had her Math ISAT this week.  Math is NOT our best subject, both girls have to really study and work at it, not like spelling and reading that just comes naturally.  Ashley ended up with the highest score in her class!!  We were all SO surprised, but then not really.  This is Ashley we are talking about here!  She is such a good student. 

This is a project she made of the water cycle.

Justin is doing well too in Kindergarten.  He is getting faster at reading.  His teacher had only good things to report about him.  This morning at scriptures he grabbed the Book of Mormon and started reading!  We were all surprised!  We always read and he repeats what we read, but not anymore, he could do it with out much help!  We are all excited for him!

Claire is doing good at mommy school.  It hasn’t been very formal lately.  We are having more domestic mommy school.  Sorting colors of laundry, trying to do jobs when asked, and keeping her bedroom picked up, well at least enough to walk in to!  Claire is SO into the Barbie princess movies right now.  She is a different princess every day.  I can never call her by the right name!  She totally entertains herself all day, she is so fun!

Summer Like Weather

Ashley got the sprinkler going outside this week.  Any day with out wind is a great day!!  It was a bit to cold for sprinklers, but that didn’t stop the fun!

Hopefully Summer is getting closer! 

Sunday Shots: Family {homemade} Pictures

Aren’t we a FINE looking bunch!  My most favorite family picture is the one on the tractor (Rett wasn’t born yet)  that we just set the timer on the camera and put it up on the back of the suburban and snapped it,  so I know some day we will get that perfect shot again so I have try and try.  The kids are very tolerant of me, Ryan is by far the biggest complainer when it comes to the pictures, he is not used to being bossed around… not by me anyway!  HA!  I am SURE he would agree with that statement!!!  We had a great Easter day anyway!