Tulips

The tulips were just as breathtaking this year as they have always been.  Todd loves me so much, that when we got there, he told me to jump out while he took a long drive around the block with the kids before they met up with me.  I really loved those moments alone to soak it all in.  As funny as it sounds, I teared up.  The beauty is just so overwhelming to me.  The beauty of God's creations.    

Pinewood Derby

Last night, we had a blast at our Pinewood Derby!  It was a ward activity so the kids got to race against Grandpa!  Cooper used one of Ethan's old cars and I award him the most enthusiastic racer award!  Haha!  He was a hoot to watch when his car won.  Todd and I were thinking we might need to teach that kid some winning etiquette.  He has quite the celebration dance!

 Madeline couldn't have been more thrilled to make her own car.  And yes, it's a unicorn with rainbow hair.  And yes, she rocked it.  Only one other car was faster.

 I have to say that Ethan and Madeline's cars were the same as fast.  They both beat each other three times!  In the end, the three Madeline won were the ones that counted so she got 2nd overall and Ethan got 3rd.  But the final race of the night (Grandpa vs. the grandkids) he won, so everyone was pretty happy.  Ethan's car is called Electric Maniac!

I enjoyed eating chocolate cake and laughing like crazy watching everyone's reactions to the races.  There were a lot of cool cars.  An egg car that looked straight out of a Richard Scarry book, a coffin on wheels, and some other sweet rides.  In the youth division, my kiddos took 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.  And they all beat Grandpa.  That made everyone happy (yes, even Grandpa!). What a fun night.  A special shout out to Todd for spending a lot of time on the cars, especially the wheels so they'd fly down that track!

The Random Stuff

Love his kisses and snuggles 

 Best Friends!  Joshua and Cooper

 Ethan won our families March Madness Bracket and chose Menchies for our treat.  Yep, we all won!

 These two cuties were pretty excited to find a salamander in the window well!

They named it Charcoal.  :)

And my oh my, the sky was sure amazingly beautiful tonight.  The picture doesn't do it justice of course, but it was such an amazing fade from light to dark blue.  And you can see the moon and Venus.  

Spring Cleaning!

I've gone a little crazy the last week.  Crazy in a really good way.  The spring cleaning bug hit hard and I've spent hours going through every closet and drawer and getting rid of things.  This is our donation pile!  It's mostly toys and clothes that Madeline and Oliver have outgrown.  Lots of baby stuff!  But also random household items too.  I figured if I haven't used it since living in this house, it's time to let go.  I threw a lot of stuff away too.  There's only so many art projects and school papers you can save.

 I also painted this wall in my laundry room.  We had a repair patch spot for months and months and now it's gone and done.  Hooray!  The lighter color makes the cabinets look so pretty.

 Here's an example of some of the spring cleaning.  Before (don't judge, I know it's scary!):

After:

And during all this spring cleaning, I came across this little gem.  A paper backpack that Ethan made me for Christmas a long time ago.  He's so cute.

 He was probably 6 or 7 I'd guess.  It came with a water bottle and a lunch box and a folder.

That year, he made one for Madeline and Todd too.  It took him forever.  Such a sweetie.  And always happy when he's busy with a goal.  I guess I can let go of it now.  It's not the easiest backpack to store.  :)

It feels so good to get rid of stuff we don't use.  It's nice to have closets and spaces organized.  Even the family room looks toy free now when it's clean.  Every thing has a place.  That sure makes me happy!

Victoria Sandwich

Baking is so much more fun than cooking.  Just saying.  Too bad we can't just eat Victoria Sandwiches for dinner.

The Great British Baking Show inspired me again.  I love that show.  Almost as much as actually baking.

Deception Pass

Yesterday we went to Deception Pass.  We weren't planning on it originally.  We were on the hunt for tulips but when we got to the fields, most of the tulips weren't blooming yet and it was raining, so we ventured to Deception Pass and just as we arrived, the rain stopped!

 The views were amazing.

 The bridge was really cool!

 I loved it.  I love trees and ocean and green.

 We watched a seal swim in the ocean.

 To be honest, the kids were having a hard day.  Lots of bickering and unhappiness, though you wouldn't know from the pictures.  But we persisted.  The funny thing is, they'll all just remember it being neat and liking it.  Maybe with time, I'll only remember it like that too.  :)

 But oh my, it was beautiful!

This is the Washington I fell in love with

Like the good old days

I went out yesterday with my real camera and took pictures of flowers.

 Like I used to love doing.

 I think I loved it this time too.  It's been a really long time.

 I think I've forgotten everything I learned about photography.  And I never actually knew anything about editing.

 But mostly, I just like it anyway.  There is something to be said for searching for beauty and interesting things.  Tiny delights.

Who knows, maybe I'll take it up again.

I Love to See the Temple

I really loved going to the Jordan River Temple Open House.  This has always been my temple!  It was simple yet beautiful inside.  I loved the bride's room!  And the giant picture of the Savior in the Chapel.   

 I loved having all the kids get to go too.  Kate held hands with Cooper the whole time.  It was really sweet and made me happy.

 Forever family!!

 And speaking of temples, that is pretty much what Ethan spent his Spring Break doing!  I feel like going to Utah was worth it simply because Ethan got to go to the temple four days in a row, to four different temples!  He LOVED it!  I'm so grateful my mom took him so many times and so grateful he loves going.

Draper Temple

 Oquirrh Mountain Temple (Todd went with him to this one)

 Salt Lake Temple

 Saturday, we drove home.  We left early and despite fog and hard rain, made it home in 13 hours!  I'm still not sure how that happened.  I guess not stopping had something to do with it.  Only two stops for gas and to go potty, each less than 10 minutes.

We sure loved our visit to Utah!  It was a week spent with family and food and temples and Easter and General Conference.  That list is hard to beat!