April's Ten Things

April was a great month.  Busy and wonderful.  Here are my ten things to smile about in April:

1.  Spending lots of time with these ladies:

 2.  Oliver starting to eat baby food!

 3.  Ethan's piano, and particularly him playing The Entertainer at the Ward Talent Show and playing it perfectly!

 4.  Easter!  I've decided it is definitely my favorite day of the year, especially how I feel inside my soul.  I also loved loved General Conference.

 5.  This little one's smiles

 6.  SPRING!  And especially watching Todd with my children work in the yard together.

 7.  This:

 8.  Watching Madeline play soccer.  I would say watching Ethan play soccer, but since Todd and I divide and conquer, I haven't been to Ethan's games yet.  SOON!

 9.  Playing hide-n-seek with Cooper while we wait for the kids to come out from school.  SO many places to hide when you're stuck in your carseat!  :)

 10.  These two little buddies!

My Two Little Boys

Ethan and Madeline were off track from March 7 - April 7.  Needless to say, we got pretty used to having them around.  When they finally went back to school, the house was a little quiet and Cooper was missing Madeline as his number 1 playmate.  It was weird to not have the piano going every hour and we felt a little lonely.

But now we're used to it again (and honestly, I feel less overwhelmed!) and I enjoy spending the majority of every day with my two little boys:

This one is still easy peasy.  Still smiles all the time, sleeps pretty good, and is generally happy.  Though he's started to take 45 minute naps and then wake up which is less appreciated than the 2 hour ones he used to take.

 Cooper still takes a 2 hour nap every afternoon which is heaven for me.  Occasionally he won't go to sleep and then ends up falling asleep in the late afternoon in the car.  But usually he sleeps really good and I'm grateful for nap time.  It's a break from the very twoness that Cooper is.  Like today, he decorated Oliver's carpet with polka dots of marker called "grape jam" and then promptly took off his pjs (somehow a necessary step) and grabbed the hand sanitizer which he was planning to squirt all over the marker spots "to clean up the BIG MESS"…sigh… it was actually pretty funny but I'm glad I intervened before the sanitizer was used!

 Nap time is a nice break from playing diggers too, which Cooper never gets enough of.  He constantly says, "Need a mommy play diggers!"  Because he REALLY NEEDS me to play!  Oliver just won't grow up fast enough for Cooper!  We are all excited for when they can be best buddies.

 When their friendship will extend beyond taking turns in the exersaucer.

 lol.

 But we have happiness together, them and me.  Even if Cooper tells me to stop when I make Oliver laugh.  They still both seem to like it when I sing, which is always a happy spot in my day.

 And Cooper does love holding Oliver

He held him for a VERY LONG TIME and kept saying, "not done yet".

My sweet little Oliver is starting to grow up.  I know one day too soon I'll wonder where my baby went.

And Cooper, my goodness, he's getting big too.

I sure do love my two little boys.

Our Easter

One day, in late March, Madeline randomly said, "MOM!  How come you never let us paint eggs?!?!?"  Maybe because I never knew you wanted to?!  So this year, I bought two dozen fake decorating eggs and early Easter week, Madeline finally got to paint eggs!  The kids thought it was a blast.

 Each day leading up to Easter, we learned about Christ's last week of life.  Starting with the Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday right up until the Resurrection Easter morning.  Friday, we made our annual Resurrection Garden and rolled the stone in front of the door.

 We also dyed Easter Eggs on Friday.  Dyeing Easter eggs is somewhat of a disaster with Cooper…just saying!

 But they enjoyed it.

 Bright, decorated, pastel...

 Oh yes, and Oliver was around being cute too...

 On Easter morning, the kids bounded up the stairs and I was thrilled that the first words out of Ethan's mouth were, "He is Risen!"  Followed by jumping up and down.

 After wilting all Saturday, our Resurrection Garden was looking pretty sad, but just like the miracle that it celebrates, our garden came to life.

 Ethan insisted on wearing his Sunday shirt and Madeline picked out her outfit too.  My darling sweet children:

And since Easter was on Conference this year, we enjoyed entirely too many cinnamon rolls for breakfast.  And I listened to the entire Messiah between sessions.  It was perfect.  The feeling of Easter was incredible.  Conference was amazing.  I felt so full of gratitude and reverence and joy.  The kids also found eggs and baskets and ate candy for breakfast as the side dish to their cinnamon rolls…ahem...

 For dinner, we enjoyed a traditional Easter feast with my sister and her family at my parent's house.  Amazing ham, potatoes, deviled eggs, rolls, pea salad.

And for fun, here are the desserts we ate:  sugar cookies, coconut macaroons, brownies, pineapple pie, raspberry cream pie, and bread pudding.  And ice cream.  You know, because the candy and cinnamon rolls weren't enough.

I need to start my diet again...

I Like These Ones Too

I finally got around to editing the rest of Oliver's 5 month old pictures.  And well, I never post only one.  I thought these were cute too.

Five Months Old!

I love you!

Cutie Pie Oliver

Yesterday, Oliver tried rice cereal for the first time.  He wasn't so sure about it.

 Seriously?!?!  What is this stuff?  It was neither formula nor medicine, the only two things he's ever tried.  Poor kid...

 But true to Oliver's nature, he was happy anyway!

Two of the Best Women in the World

My mom and my sister.

I NEVER tire of being with you both.

Of talking about treats we will make (and eat!)

of shopping we will do.  The laughing and talking for hours with never a moment of wondering what to say.

I'm grateful for your inspiring goodness and your perfect love of my imperfect self.