More Birthday Pics

A couple of Nat's presents - she's always wanted one of these goofy microphones.

And a 'skip-it' - which is trickier than it looks! It took her a few tries.



It was a nice evening so the girls did a little jumping . . .









The cat wanted to come out and play too, she is always escaping into our backyard.

Natalie's "cake" (o:

A birthday visit from grandma.



Modeling her new outfit.

For her present from grandma and grandpa T, Nat got to go for an evening of shopping, which is becoming a favorite "tradition" for the girls now. I think this little girl had a pretty darn good birthday, and we havne't even covered the friend party yet . . . (o:

Fickle!

I am learning that during spring in Utah you can have a beautiful day like this one day . . .

And wake up the next morning to this!

This was conference weekend for those of you who are LDS, you may remember that the Saturday sessions of general conference we had weather like the top picture (that was April 2nd) and then Sunday morning they showed pictures of temple square looking like a winter wonderland (April 3rd). It was actually really pretty and didn't last long even considering how much snow fell, but still! That is quite a difference!

Our neighbor's beautiful tree.

Shoveling in shorts - must be spring snow!

We just got this baby all set up! The net got so weighed down we had to go shake it off. This snowstorm actually broke a lot of trees because the snow was so wet and heavy.

St. Patrick's Day Troublemaker

Last year in Family Fun, they had some fun ideas for leprechaun traps that I wanted to try. My girls love trying to "catch" Lucky the leprechaun and see the mischief that he makes when he comes. We decided to try the funny hat trap. Lucky is lured to the gold on top of the hat and climbs the ladder. When he steps on top, the hat gives way and he gets stuck at the bottom.

The sign telling Lucky what NOT to do, tempts him to disobey because leprechauns are full of mischief.

The next morning the girls found green confetti all over and a mess in the kitchen. They were so excited to see if they trapped Lucky. Unfortunately, he got away, but he left golden treats behind.



As he often does, Lucky had to use the bathroom apparently. He always makes a little mess and forgets to flush. (O: (see the green toilet water - the girls' favorite part)

I love this funny mask Angela made at school. (O:

We Are Sowing!

Back in February, mom had a fun idea to take a gardening class at Thanksgiving Point. So one Saturday morning she and dad and I headed off to learn about growing plants from seeds. Dad attended a general gardening class at the same time. We left with several packets of seeds, a small tray of seeds already planted and big plans!

A couple weeks later we got together with several more supplies and seeds and got sowing! While we planted and labeled our little babies, dad and Mo* made the light contraptions we would use to give our little seedlings warmth and light.

And what do you know, within a few weeks pretty much everything was growing. It was so fun! I kept a vigilant gardening journal and checked on my "babies" every morning. Every time something new would pop up, it was like Christmas! My tomatoes really worried me. They were what I was most excited to grow from seed and they were one of the last seeds to germinate. But up they came and they did very well.

Now lest you get too jealous and think I am some kind of magical green thumb, I had several failures and over-watered and under-watered a couple times. So . . . for the most part it was a success and hopefully everything survives the transplant in the summer! I'm so glad mom thought of this fun idea! We had so much fun checking on each others plants and progress. I still check in on her little plants to see how they are doing! What a fun hobby. I feel so agricultural!

Signs of Spring!

I have been so excited to see little green surprises popping up out of the dirt all over the yard. Since this is our first year in the house, and we've really only lived here during the winter months, I don't know what kind of plants we have in the yard. I am feeling very grateful to the previous owners for all their hard work planting the bulbs that make me so happy to see. Every time spring comes and the little green sprouts pop up out of the dirt I can't help but think of "The Secret Garden". I love the way Burnett describes the world coming to life again after a long, cold winter. I love spring!

Ahhh, another not-so-lovely sign of spring. Yellow jackets. Bart's* arch enemy. Our lovely wood beams in the entry of our house that I love so much are also loved by yellow jackets. I believe Bart* killed about 100 of these babies after he discovered a huge nest above one of the beams.

And, of course, playing outside again without coats, gloves, boots, etc. The girls found another use for the sleds we used in the winter. They made perfect boats for their imaginative play.

Randomness in May

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We found these fun flip flop crafty things at Joann's recently and just had to make them! Now we are ready for summer with our flip flop bling!

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Natalie's creativeness never ceases to amaze me! I LOVE this hat she made by herself. It fits her personality so well - whimsical and cute. It kind of reminds me of a pretty version of Peter Pan's hat! What a cute kid.

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A couple pics from our family bowling outing in May.

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Sarah is VERY competitive and can't wait for the day when she can beat mom and dad. It drives her crazy. We're not that good, so it probably won't be too long before she beats us.

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While volunteering at school I noticed this funny post it note. I wonder what the story is behind this! (o: I was grateful for the reminder so I wouldn't have a "story".

Spring Flowers!

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I LOVE our Wisteria that hangs by our entryway - it is such a welcome treat when spring finally comes! The color of Angela's dress matched so perfectly I had to snap a picture as she did one of her chores - sweeping the porch. She looks like Cinderella working away. She was singing and actually quite enjoying the work sweeping up all the pretty petals.

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Natalie in front of the pink Rhoddie.

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Sarah looked extra cute with her hair all done up from Paige's spa birthday party.

The Farmers in the Dell

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Look at these two cuties. They've been friends since we were doing their preschool field trips! Now they are the 'big kids' at the little siblings field trips! Sarah was especially excited to see Paige this day because we had recently learned that Paige is going to move very close to us! Sarah jumped up and down when she found out. These two have always gotten along so well - they are such close friends - even after we moved away 4 years ago. We love Paige!

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Duyck's Peachy Pig Farm is such a fun place. It's nothing fancy, but that's why I like it. It feels like another world - away from the chaos of cell phones, television and bustling cities. It's a place where we like to go to get back to nature and simple joys. This time of year is the best because all of the animals have just had their babies. Baby pigs, baby ducks, chicks, kittens, cows . . . and the kids can hold and/or see all of them.

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Natalie - my animal and baby lover - this combination, animal babies, was heaven for her!

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So sweet - I love this one.

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What's cuter than adorable kids with adorable little kittens. I can't think of a single thing. Little Savannah - Lucy's little sister, especially loved the kitties and literally cried when she had to put them down.

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A baby cow!

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The kids played on the old merry go round for over an hour!

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