April 2011

~A beautiful double rainbow during a rare rainstorm~

As Fall finally begins to makes its appearance in our little corner of the country, and winter quickly approaching here I am finally writing about Spring.  When April arrived it was technically and officially Spring, but the weather we experienced through the beginning of the month was unseasonably "winterish" and rather cool.  No complaints though, the unusually cool weather was WONDERFUL and we enjoyed being able to be outside knowing that the unbearable heat was just around the corner!  Though I didn't take any pictures, the desert flowers and trees were in bloom unlike we'd seen in our first three years here and everything was absolutely gorgeous.  You'll just have to take my word for it.  Instead here's a picture of our kiddos for you to enjoy:

~Thank you G'ma S for the great T-shirts!~

While the April weather was unseasonable, our level of keeping busy was not.  Activities for M and Li'l J were plentiful and lots of fun!  I got to help teach M's Webelos den one night a little bit about the Spanish language and then another night I helped drive them on a field trip to a nearby dam as they were learning about the history of the area we live in.  On a third night, both J-rod and I got to help out with a mock camp-out at the Cub Master's house so that the Webelos could sign off a number of their requirements.  The boys had to show up completely packed as though they were prepared for an overnight camp-out.  Once they arrived, they got to take part in an obstacle course where they got to practice tying and untying knots and then they built a fire which they cooked over.  We love our Cub Scout leaders and all that they do for our boys!

The weekend before Spring Break, Li'l J and C-sta attended a birthday party for a classmate of Li'l J's and her younger brother.  The party was held at a local park that had just opened their splash pad for the season.  Our kids had such a good time!

~Li'l J, C-sta, and friends have fun splashin' around.~

Both M and Li'l J went on class field trips (the last of the year) and I got to go as a chaperon with each of the boys.  Li'l J's kindergarten field trip took us to a puppet theater where we enjoyed The Tale of Peter Rabbit.  The story was told non-verbally through the movement and interaction of the puppets; it was all set to music which also helped move the story along.  It was a really fun production that we all enjoyed.  The next day was "show and tell" day in Li'l J's class so he took a Peter Rabbit puppet we were given at a baby shower when I was expecting M.  Li'l J's class LOVED it!

~Our 10 year old Peter Rabbit puppet.~

~Li'l J Cottontail~

C-sta and I went with M when the fourth grade celebrated Earth Day and the completion of their "life science" unit by going to see the "Disneynature" documentary, Africa Cats.  I think my favorite part about this movie was the beautiful cinematography: the African Savannah is breathtaking and viewing it this way is probably the closest I'll ever get to it.

~Using his Legos & his creativity,

M builds a scene from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.~

~Track stars!~

We all enjoyed cheering M and his friend M on as they took part in their first track meet.  For a beginner, M did fairly well in his events: the discus throw, the long jump, the shot put, and hurdles.  So it looks like the strong "track" legacy from J-rod's side of the family will be carried on in our family too--yay!

~"leaving, on a jet plane":

*waiting for the plane

*playing Angry Birds with J-rod to pass the time

*"da plane, da plane" finally arrives

*M gets to board the plane 1st~

Also in April, M and Li'l J had Spring Break.  M got to fly by HIMSELF to visit G'pa and G'ma S for the week.  Thank you G'pa and G'ma for having M and for taking such good care of him while he was there!  He sure enjoyed himself and looks forward to being able to come visit again soon.

Putting M on a plane by himself was not easy for me to do, but it all worked out so smoothly that in the end I was really glad he got to go!  M had a wonderful with all the family he got to see and can't wait to go back.  Li'l J now wants to know, just when will he be allowed to fly by himself to visit G'pa and G'ma??  Uh, not until he's at least 10 like M, sorry bud!

While M did take a camera with him on this trip, we forgot to make sure there was a memory card in it!  As it turned out, the camera M had didn't hold very many pictures and the ones he did take got accidentally erased.  Fortunately G'ma S came to our rescue by sharing with us the pictures she took while M stayed with them.  Thank you G'ma S!

~Happy early birthday to N!~

Since we are notorious for sending our loved ones their birthday gifts long after their special day has passed, we sent N's presents with M so that he'd have them.  We figured N wouldn't mind having his presents early, as early is always much better than late!

~Four wheelin' during a chilly evening.~

M emailed us a report of the fun activities his first day away.  In his own words, this is what he shared with us:

"Hi! How are you? Yesterday I got home after midnight. Today me, N, and C went bowling. When we got home I went and played with the dogs. Maddie got most of the attention because when ever Scout came by, she bumped him out of the way. Later C drove us on the ATV to Uncle E's house and we jumped on the tramp while we talked to Aunt C. Then we drove home. We picked up N from track practice. That's how the day has been. I love you. Bye."

Other things M did while at G'pa & G'ma's that he thought were pretty cool:

*M watched Scooby-Doo every morning with his Uncle N.

*M learned about doing yard work from Uncle N.

(So how do we get M to think that doing yard work at home is fun???)

*M went to the library with Aunt C & Uncle N.

*M walked to the movies with Aunt C & Uncle N from the library; they saw Rio.

(This is pretty cool considering our "smallish" town doesn't have its own movie theater and walking anywhere around here is almost out of the question.)

~M enjoyed dying Easter eggs with Uncle N & Aunt C.~

~Before his return trip home, 

M spent part of the day at Uncle N's track meet.~

While M was away Li'l J got pink eye, C-sta worked her way through croup, and J-rod worked lots of LONG hours so I just laid low with the kids and Copper that week.  During the middle of the week I thought some fresh air would do us all some good so Li'l J, C-sta and I took Copper for a walk.  Here is how I reported our walk on my Facebook status that day:

"SB '11 Day 4: walk w dog & kids = epic fail! Dog got out of harness mid st. x-ing. Couldn't chase him, Sis had to catch up: she was pushing her stroller. Once at park, finally caught dog after he chased lizards! Walk home: no better. Worn out, dog laid down 2x's refusing to move. Sis wouldn't sit in stroller, push it, or walk. Finally carried her home as she kicked & screamed. We ALL took a nap after lunch!"

Though its seems funny now, apparently we ventured out too early as that walk was clearly more than we were ready to handle!  By the end of the week when the kids were feeling a bit better and I was beginning to go stir-crazy, Li'l J, C-sta, and I met up with some friends at Peter Piper Pizza for lunch and then we also went to see Rio.

~C-sta before she got croup, enjoying herself poolside.~

~Li'l J enjoyed making chocolate chip cookies once he was clear of pink-eye.~

When M flew home, he happened to be on the same flight as some good family friends.  We were all grateful he had such good company and someone to help calm his nerves on that return flight.  Thank you N & J for taking such good care of our boy!  It was fun to visit with N & J for a few minutes after they all got of that plane. : )  Once we said goodbye to N & J, M and I made our way over to the temple where we met up with J-rod, Li'l J, and C-sta to watch the Easter Pageant.  What a great way to welcome M home!

~Welcome home M!

We're glad you had such a good time.

We sure missed you and are very happy to have you home!~

~Happy Easter from our cute kiddos!~

~Celebrating our friend M's birthday. 

After lunch and presents, we saw Hoodwinked Too with him and his family.

Our kids picked out two things for M that he really wanted:

1. Pokemon cards

2. A darling little garden gnome.~

April turned out to be a big movie month for our family.  In addition to the movies already mentioned, we also saw Hop in the theater (with our friend J that had just moved back--yay!!) and then at home we put C-sta's copy of Tangled (that she got in her Easter Basket) to very good use.  Also, J-rod and I finally got to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.  It definitely left me looking forward to seeing the second part!

J-rod and I also went on some fun dates in April.  One night we saw a stage production of one of my favorite musicals, Fiddler on the Roof.  I have loved this musical since I was a little girl and it's like an old friend. In fact the day I got all four of my wisdom teeth pulled, when I came home after the procedure I asked for some chocolate ice cream, sat in my dad's comfy chair, and watched Fiddler.  So how J-rod and I managed to get this far in our marriage without my making him sit down and watch the dvd with me before taking him to see the stage production, I don't know!  To see the professional stage production was amazing for me--I LOVED it!!

Though somewhat non-traditional, another fun date we went on was to serve at the Cannery together with one of J-rod's counselors and his wife.  The day we served, we helped can yummy spaghetti sauce.  J-rod and I got assigned to work side by side putting the glass jars onto the conveyor belt which carried the jars to the steam bath.  Though I only broke one jar, we did have a couple more that came out of the boxes chipped that we then had to throw out.  When our shift was finished we were told we helped bottle approximately seven thousand jars of spaghetti sauce.  On our way out we were given a jar to take home as a thank you.  We're grateful we got to serve at the Cannery that day.

Another date we went on was to the Elder's Quorum activity entitled, "Date Night".  We met at the home of one of the EQ counselors, visited with the other couples that came, ate the yummy food everyone brought to share, and then enjoyed a fun movie together.  Such a simple activity and yet, so fun!

There you have the end of April 2011.  When will I ever get around to writing about May...or the rest of 2011?  Hopefully over Christmas Break 2011!