April's Ten Things

Ten things that made me smile in April:

1.  Ethan in glasses!

 2.  Celebrating my sister's birthday

 3.  General Conference (always with cinnamon rolls Sunday morning)

 And GIANT ice cream sundaes on Monday - each scoop and topping earned by notes on talks.

 4.  Ethan competing in Math Olympiad.  My kid is a smarty!!!

 5.  Watching Ethan play basketball.

 6.  Finally getting out our fryer and making homemade donuts!!!!!!!

 7.  This picture:  "I'm ready to go"

 8.  And this one too.  Not sure how he has room in there to sleep...

9.  TULIPS.  Need I say more???
10.  Madeline's Grandparent Program.

Madeline's Grandparent Program

The Second Grade always puts on a Grandparent's Program and this year Madeline could not have been more excited to be a part of it!  She's been excited for MONTHS!  And completely spoiled that all four of her grandparents were able to attend.

 They sang darling songs, recited poems, had a slide show, danced the waltz with their grandparents, and told stories of their grandparents.  Madeline's part in the program was sharing a story about how wonderful it is to have two grandmas that sew.

 Nana and Grandpa:

 Mimi and Bapa:

 These two grandmas that sew!  Both sewing beautiful dresses for her when she turned 8.  She did such a great job telling the audience how she'll cherish her dresses forever and always think of her grandmas when she sees or wears them.

Too bad I didn't get pictures with the grandpas...arg...

Seriously though, cutest program ever.  And I've had the song, "Grandpa-pa" stuck in my head ever since!

Tulip Festival!

I am so completely in love with tulips.   I cannot believe how beautiful they are.  There is nothing on this planet that takes my breath away the way a giant field of tulips does.  With all the varieties and colors...I have no words.  These pictures are from our second trip to The Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point.  I could have gone every single day.  Every.  Single.  Day.   

 Just look at my beautiful children:

 We had so much fun winding through the gardens.  Just pure joy walking through beauty watching my kids be cute.

 The fish are pretty awesome too.

 Feeding them cracks me up.  They pile on top of each other trying to get to the food.

 ACK!!!!  Do you not die seeing those TULIPS!!!!  DIE!  Heaven is made out of tulips I think.

My Backyard

It's been a few years, but I used to LOVE LOVE LOVE taking pictures of little pretties outside.  It was my favorite hobby.  And lately, I've been smitten with the beauty of my backyard.  So I decided to capture some of the beauty.  I have the most fun when the camera is in my hand.  And I think looking at the pictures sends me back to those moments.  I didn't edit these at all.  I don't have time and I don't really care to anyway.  But I love these.  And I love all the pretties in my backyard.

More About Oliver

There is no denying that this kid is cute.  I spend a good part of each day kissing those cheeks, but seriously, in the past two weeks he has royally started acting his age!

Favorite pasttimes:  emptying the drawer with all the plastic plates and cups and licking each one, taking out every cookie sheet and walking on them, unrolling the toilet paper and ripping it into little shreds to spread around each room, emptying Cooper's dresser and taking his shirts to various places in the house all while saying on repeat, "thank you!", coloring on the walls and cabinets, throwing shoes and jackets down the stairs, and eating gross things.

Really gross things.  Like trying a tiny piece of fertilizer (first time as a mother calling poison control!  He was totally fine.) and licking the squirt bottle of hand sanitizer (he thought that tasted awful) but enjoying the day old yogurt cup he pulled out of the garbage can.  ACK!!!!!  Don't even get me started on the random food he finds under the table...

I am taking something out of his hands that he's not supposed to have at every turn.  My other kids leave doors open, crayons out, books on the floor, etc, and it's REALLY hard to keep up.  All I can say is I'm grateful he's been blessed with safety.

And I'm just really glad I have him.  Even when every day is an adventure of messes.

17 Months

Best. baby. ever.

Should I call him a toddler?  He does toddle and it's REALLY CUTE.  But no.  I'm going to call him my baby for a while longer, I think.  He is growing up fast though.

He's so sweet and mellow.  He is AMAZING in public.  Quiet and content and super easy at stores or restaurants.  At home, he likes to throw balls and carry around Cooper's toy saw.  He likes the hammer too.  He's enjoyed being outside this past week, though walking on the bumpy grass is a lot more work!

He likes saying "ah oh" and I never tire of his "mama, mom".  He is constantly gabbering and he sure acts like he knows exactly what he's talking about.  He copies what we say a lot too, but you have to be paying attention.

He really likes looking in the oven when something is cooking.  He always perks up when he hears the garage door opening when Dad gets home.  And he has a knack for finding all the things he's not supposed to have.  Like pens and crayons and my phone and iPad chargers and dvds and rolls of toilet paper.   He likes opening the craft cupboard and banging the blinds and being chased by Dad.  He loves dancing whenever music begins (either from a toy or the piano being played by a sibling) and he always pretends he talking on the phone.

Oliver still takes two naps.  We tried switching to one and it didn't go over very well.   His favorite thing to eat is grapes.  But he loves cheese and strawberries and peaches.  He likes pizza and cheese sandwiches and quesadillas and noodles, and tolerates chicken nuggets.  His favorite breakfast is toast.

Basically he is really cute and lots of fun and I love him to pieces.

I like April

April is already off to a great start!  Ethan got glasses!  He was pretty happy with how awesome the world looked through them and now he won't have to squint on the back row of school anymore.  And I think he looks so great wearing them.  

 I had such a great time celebrating Raelynn's birthday with her and all the family.

 Happy Birthday to you!  Raelynn pretty much is the best.  In every way.

 And it's really spring.  The weather has been so nice.  And I love tulips.

 And the trees are ALMOST gonna blossom.  And Cooper is as happy as can be playing in the dirt for hours out there.

 And General Conference was SO GOOD.  And so were the cinnamon rolls we stuffed ourselves with while watching.

So far, so good.