Disneyland

Last weekend I went with my parents and siblings (no kids or husbands!) to visit my brother, Brian who moved to California in January. We also happened to stop by Disneyland for a few days too! It was a very fun trip and an unusual opportunity for us to all be together in that type of situation. It was great to see Brian and we all had a really fun time just hanging out together as a fam. Mucho thanks to Byron for making it possible for me to get away for a few days. There are more pics to come, but they are all on Kristin's camera so hopefully I will be getting a copy of them soon.

Little Miracles

Last week Byron brought home two little eggs from a nest at work that he had to remove from the rafters of a house they are building. He set them on a pile of tissues on the counter and there they sat for 3 days. Then on Monday Benson came in from school and found one of them hatched! I didn't believe him when he ran out to tell me, but sure enough there was a little baby bird squirming around on the counter. We were all pretty excited, so we set up a basket with more tissues and made a little home for our bird. We put out a lamp to keep the bird warm and started learning about what to feed it and how to care for a baby bird. Luckily, Byron's mom is an animal whisperer and she has fed a few baby birds of her own, so she gave us some great tips. Later Monday night we found the other bird starting to crack out of it's shell, so we all were able to watch it struggle and squirm out of the tiny egg. We cared for these little birds for 4 days, and Byron and I even woke up at night to feed their tiny little bellies. I'm not much of an animal person, but it was fun to have a few little baby birdies to care for. Sadly, on Thursday morning we found the weaker bird had died and then later that night the other one died too. We were all so sad, but it was a great experience to care for these fragile tiny birds and witness a little miracle of life here in a tissue lined basket on our kitchen counter!

Camping

We went camping over the weekend and it was so beautiful. Spring is such a great time of year and there were wild flowers all over. Byron's parents came up for our dutch overn enchilada dinner Friday night since we weren't too far out of town. We loved having them join us! Byron cooked us some french toast and bacon the next morning. Yum! Camping food always tastes so good!

After breakfast we played for a while, cleaned up camp, and then went on what we thought would be a little hike. We heard it was around 1 mile, but found out later that it was actually 3 miles. The hike took us up a canyon to some little pools and Indian heiroglyphics. It was really neat and worth the walk. The kids did great too! They are really good hikers.

Ladybug Picnic

We are in the middle of 2 weeks of spring break, so you better believe we have been getting creative over here trying to keep these little minds and bodies active! Last week we had a ladybug picnic and the kids had a blast! We made little french bread pizzas for lunch and then played with our ladybugs. (They sell them at Home Depot for gardening.) Then Kristin made ladybug cake for dessert. We went to my mom's house so her and grandma could join in the fun too!

There were ladybugs everywhere!

Grandma and Lucy, two lovely ladies

Here is the ladybug cake.

Don't you just love Paige's camera smile!

8 Wonderful Years

Last week Byron and I celebrated our 8th anniversary! Byron suprised me with a super cute outfit that he picked out himself. :) Lucky for me it fit perfect and I got to wear it out on our date. Some of our favorite friends, Loren and Claire, were here from out of town so we all got babysitters and went out together. It was so fun because we have all been friends since we got married and it was a big event that we all got to go out on a real date together. We reminiced about the good ol' days when we would hang out and watch movies every weekend in one of our little newlywed apartments. Great memories! We went to Outback, visited the "Reflections of Christ" display at the temple visitor's center, and finished the night off with our favorite treat, Nielsen's Frozen Custard. Yum! I am so grateful for the perfect friend and companion Byron is to me. I love the life that we have together and am glad that he is the one who will always be there by my side. Thanks for a wonderful 8 years, and here's to an eternity more!!

Good times

Well, my kids totally redeemed themselves yesterday. We were home all day and had a great time together. The boys played peacefully together all afternoon while Paige was napping and I was so happy that we all went to Bahama Bucks after dinner. They deserved it! Here is some of the fun stuff we did...

We made some "magical mystery mud" out of cornstarch and water. It was so fun to play and make a mess with. It's so cool because if you punch it then it feels hard, but if you push your hand slowly into the mud it sinks in like quick sand. We got out all their little animal toys and "rescued" them from the mud trap. Everyone loved the magical mystery mud, mess and all!

Clark couldn't get enough of this stuff!

Kristin brought her kids over while she went to a dr. appointment, so the kids and I got out the old wrapping paper and traced ourselves. Benson, Lucy and Clark had fun drawing clothes and other accessories to their self portraits. They added watches, painted fingernails and even mowhawk hair. They all thought it was so funny when I told them to grab some crayons and trace me too!

Clark still has magical mud on his face!

After the cousins left I figured we had a little more time before everyone would be ready for naps, so we decided to head over to the neighborhood pool. They heated it for spring break and I figured it would be worth a try. I had my doubts about the water actually being warm, but the kids had a blast and I even got in up to my shoulders and it was just right. I can't believe it is already swimming weather. I'm sure we will be going to the pool daily once summer hits. It is so nice to have a pool right around the corner. I love how Paige tested the water before she got in and the boys pretty much jumped right in!

The water was just right so after the toe dip test, we were all smiles!

Thanks kids, for a wonderful day!

I'm gonna miss this

I feel like it has been a crazy few days with my kids. They look cute and innocent, but sometimes I wonder if they are all out for me! Monday we were in the grocery store and Paige started screaming, so I lovingly put my hand over her mouth. She then bit at tiny chunk of my finger with her baby sharp teeth. Eeeyooowww!! The more I told her to stop the harder she bit so I smacked her on the head in the middle of the store. No one else saw her biting me, so all they saw was her screaming and me getting mad and bopping her on the head. I guess I am one of those parents now. Being a parent puts a lot of things in perspective.

It's ironic because just the day before my sister was telling me about someone in her neighborhood that had his daughter taken away for 3 weeks because he was caught on surveillance dragging his kid out of the store in the middle of a tantrum. I haven't seen the video, so I'm not sure exactly what happened, but Kristin said that many of her neighbors vouched that the guy was an awesome dad, always playing out front with his kids. He says that they don't even spank their kids. However, he does have longer hair and a beard, so his looks don't resemble a typical clean shaven father. So now he is being punished for it. I guess it's a good thing I don't have a beard!

Another thing in the news this week was a mother who left her 5 year old at Amazing Jakes (a pizza/game restaurant). Now I am thinking that might me a good idea. They won't even let your kids leave Chuck E. Cheese with an adult that doesn't have a matching hand stamp, so they would be sure not to leave. "Hey kids, I'll be back in a few hours. Here are some tokens. Have a great time!" A little hassle free shopping, a much needed date; there would be plenty to do with a few kid free hours! The mother who left her son thought another family member had taken him home, but it was 18 hours until she claimed her son after seeing his picture on the news. Kinda scary!

I'm totally kidding and I would never leave my kids! I am even wondering if I should post this because of what people would think. I don't really know all the details on these stories, and they are probably more serious that I am making them seem, but they do make me think. I really do love my kids SO much! I know everyone has days like this, but there are lots of sweet moments that make up for it. Clark (who is also out to get me) does often say the sweetest things to me just out of the blue. Everytime I put lotion on in the car, he says, "Mom, you smell good." One afternoon I was laying down with him and he said, "Mom, thanks for letting me take a nap." Where did that come from!? And Paige has a precious smile and nothing compares to when she gives you a big squeeze. Benson can be so helpful and I love watching him help his litte bro and sis. The other day we were at the park and he was so sweet to help Paige up the steps and down the slide over and over. Moments like these make everything worth it! I really do LOVE my children and I am so grateful to be a mother and to be able to stay at home with them everyday.

Last night Byron told me about a song that puts everything in perfect perspective, and it makes me appreciate even the hard times even more. I LOVE the chorus. I have thought this many times, but this song says it perfect. We are all at different points in life (I am at the part where it says, "One kid's cryin', one kid's screamin'") and at times we wish we were at another point, but the truth is that life goes by too fast not to just enjoy where we are at. Someday I'm gonna miss this, so I am going to treasure every moment!
Here are the lyrics...

She was staring out the window of that SUV
Complaning, saying "I can't wait to turn 18"
She said "I'll make my own money, and I'll make my own rules
"Mamma put the car in park out there in front of the school
Then she kissed her head and said "I was just like you"

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Before she knows it she's a brand new bride
In a one-bedroom apartment, and her daddy stops by
He tells her "It's a nice place"
She says "It'll do for now"
Starts talking about babies and buying a house
Daddy shakes his head and says "Baby, just slow down"

Cause you're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Five years later there's a plumber workin' on the water heater
Dog's barkin', phone's ringin'
One kid's cryin', one kid's screamin'
She keeps apologizin'
He says "They don't bother me.
I've got 2 babies of my own. One's 36, one's 23.
Huh, it's hard to believe, but ...

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

--Trace Adkins

Soccer

Here are some shots from Benson's soccer games. He really picked up on the game this year. He is a fast runner and is learning how to handle the ball better. It was a fun season watching him play.

GO BENSON!!

Here are the fans!

This is at the awards banquet. Benson loves his trophy! I love how his friend is looking at my camera and Benson is looking at his friend's mom's camera.

Dress Up

The other night it was one of those moments where it suddenly gets quiet.....too quiet. So Byron and I look at each other like we know something is going on. We find the kids all in the toy room and they are all decked out in Power Ranger costumes, including Paige. I guess it's time for us to get some princess dresses or something else for our sweet little girl to dress up in.

Then they finished the night off with a wrestling match with dad, everyone's favorite way to end the day! Aren't dad's the best!?!