Kids' Creativity

Here are some of the kids' creations on photo booth. It is so much fun for them.

Dipping Berries

Strawberries were on sale bigtime last week, so I bought a bunch. I also had to try the dipping wafers they had next to them in the store. I remember from 10 years ago Lynann Ellsworth bringing chocolate dipped strawberries to a YW activity and it has taken me this long to recreate the experience.

You can see how much Ben liked them. He hesitated at first but was the last one standing, so to speak. None of us were spotless, but he takes the cake for really jumping into the chocolate.

Boys Room Revisited

I decided that I could never keep the boys room clean and the beds all made nicely for long enough to trick everyone into thinking it was an ad for PBK, so I might as well just show you what it looks like. I can't get a nice shot from the entry into the room . . . but that is because of the angles of the entry. So instead you get a nice shot of the window with toy boxes underneath, but sideways because I don't know how to rotate it on the blog. Benjamin is the only one who allows me to put the quilt on his bed. Eventually we will put stuff on the walls. Good stuff. And get some beanbags or something. And a rug.

Central Vacuum

How do I love thee, let me count the ways . . .
to dust the fan, the blinds, the desk,
and even the armoire
is oh so simple with a hose
that reaches everywhere.

For the past several nights I have been in misery trying to sleep. I can fall asleep fine, then I wake up for several hours in the middle of the night with an allergic attack. Last night it was particularly bad. I imagine it was because Dave rearranged items on his "desk" without paying attention to the dust he stirred up. So today I started at the top of the room and I'm working my way down. There will be nary a speck of dust left. Hopefully I can sleep again tonight.

Jeremy started swimming on Elaine's swim team. He is quite good. He only knows backstroke and freestyle so far, but he is learning breastroke and butterfly. He also wants to play summer soccer. Alex is doing baseball. I missed the first registration for swim lessons at the Y, so I guess I'll attempt to teach Ben when the water gets a little warmer. Liam doesn't care how cold the water is, and he swims with his floaty suit just fine. Last year Ben could swim independently for about 10 feet, but he has yet to submerge in our 74 deg pool this year.

I'm going to start lifting weights at the Y with Dave's second cousin Sharee Jackson Williams. She did the Casa Grande Triathlon last fall, and will be training again. Hopefully I'll have the nerve and gumption to train with her.

TTFN

Easter

So on Easter morning while driving to church I was discussing the resurrection with the kids. I asked who else would be resurrected. Everyone said, "me, me, me." Except Ben. He said, "well, I don't really like nails in my hands." That Lutheran preschool he goes to is really making an impression.

Spring Skiing

So we just got back from our spring break vacation where we went to 2 weddings, and 2 ski resorts. One wedding was for Dave's cousin, and the other was for a young man from our ward in Texas. Nana watched all 5 kids for the weddings, and the youngest 2 for the ski days. We had a great time. In the pictures, Alex is in yellow, Jeremy in a green coat, and Elaine is all red. We bought helmets and rented skis, etc. Luckily, there were no funerals even after Dave and co. risked some dangerous slopes (see photo with skull and cross bones). We went skiing at Brighton, then The Canyons. We met up with a few of Dave's cousins and their kids, and also my brothers and one child. Too much fun. Especially for me. I pooped out after half a day at The Canyons.
We drove home through St. George, stopping to say hi to Grandma and Grandpa Porter. Then drove over Hoover Dam (aarrgggh!!!!!) and through Wickenburg. What a cute town. Dave and I might go there for a weekend getaway. His great-grandfather ranched near there.

Spring in the Desert

Eventually I will take a class from Chelsea and learn how to post photos with subtitles rather than uploading them and hoping they stay in the right order. Anyway, here are some pictures of the hill behind our house covered in Mexican Poppies and other wildflowers. We even have a few bluebonnets and blue bells. I don't know what the small, light purple flowers are, or the small yellow ones. In one picture you see a fairy duster (mostly gone to seed) mingling with some poppies. It really is surreal to look out the window at our usually brown hill and see all this color! Apparently, we had a wet winter. I got most of the shots while the sun was hiding, but a few you can see where in the bright sun, which makes it hard to see the flowers.