Lydia's Baptism Day

Lydia was baptized two days after her birthday on June 30, 2012. Grandma Sheila and Aunt Shannon gave the talks. Her dad, Tim baptized and confirmed her. Despite her practicing prior to the baptism, her toe popped up and she had to do it again. After, we went to a park and had a picnic with many family members from both the Pedersen and Despain clans. It was a wonderful memorable day. Lydia truly wants to be more like her Savior and strives to be kind every day. We're proud of the young lady she is becoming.

Eight is Great!

Lydia is eight years old. She is getting so tall and beautiful. For her party we launched rockets, hit a pinata, ate cake, and opened many presents. It's hard to entertain 20+ kids, but the upside is there are also many presents.

Lydia is a great student and reader. She becoming very accomplished at the piano and enjoyed her dance class this year. She graduated to the next level in swimming lessons (level 4) and loved her cooking classes. She is helpful and so very kind-hearted. If you are sad, she's the one to cheer you up. Lydia is creative and is always making things. We love having Lydia in our family!

Spring Break!

We had such a great Spring Break! On Monday we went to Trafalga with Jana Hendry and her kids. We packed a lunch and spent about 4 1/2 hours there rock climbing, golfing, laser tagging, and riding on the rides.




Then dad took Tuesday and Wednesday off so we could go camping! We went to Diamond Fork canyon. The weather was just perfect. We hiked in to the natural hot pots. The hike was about 2 1/2 miles, but the kids were troopers. They LOVED the hot pots. People have created different pools, some are pretty hot, and other are mixed with the cold water from the river. Bryant thought it was like getting to take a bath with the water continually running.
At the campground, Ali found a great climbing tree. Bryant helped build the fire and we all made s'mores. Tipsy got to join us on our trip, and Lydia took great care of her. We just had a terrific time. On Wednesday we walked a trail that winds around the campground. At the end of the trail we saw some deer tracks, then some cougar tracks. Then we heard a low growl in the bushes. We decided our walk was done, and headed back. We didn't see a cougar, but we weren't going to make sure that is what it was. We also saw deer, a snake, a blue jay, and a chipmunk on our trip.







Thursday was a play with friends day. Friday we took a trip to BYU. We visited the Bean Museum and caught a live reptile show. Then we went out to hear the bell tower. Luckily they played songs for a half hour while the kids danced. We met up with Uncle Danny and ate lunch at the Creamery on 9th. We had such a great week! We can't wait for summer!

Easter

Easter was the beginning of spring break this year. On Sat. we went to two egg hunts, one in Orem and the second in Provo. The kids didn't get much in Orem, but we got some great coupons! I was with Ali.

In Provo they had some fun activities for the kids to do. The kids made sandy candy, and candy jewelry, then got their faces painted.

Bryant loves the blow up slides and actually waited well for his turn. Of course, getting him off the slide was pretty hard.



Then we painted eggs at home. We had some great ones!

Of course Easter morning the kids found their baskets left by the Easter bunny. We had a wonderful time at church and then Grandma Marsha and Uncle Danny came for dinner. What a great Easter!

Ali's Rainbow Party!

Ali's birthday just a few days before St. Patrick's Day. This year we had her party on the 17th, so I thought a rainbow theme would be fun. I also found some great ideas on pinterest for rainbows, so it all came together well. I made rainbow cupcakes, we had rainbow ice cubes in our drinks, we did a treasure hunt, and we had a rainbow pinata. Ali thinks every party needs a pinata, it's her favorite part. I thought it turned out great!





Ali is now 6 years old. Here are some of her favorite things.
Color: red
Food: burritos and pickles
Friend: Elena Nelson
Toy: Lalaloopsy dolls
Animal: Leopard or Jaguar
What she wants to be: An animal doctor
Ali reads very well, she loves to dance and sing. She always wants to be outside and enjoys soccer and swimming. If anyone in her vicinity is hugging, she runs over to join in because she LOVES to snuggle. She is a happy, vibrant girl and we truly enjoy having her in our family. Happy birthday, Ali!

Warm BYU blankies

Bryant's favorite blankie is his BYU blanket. His favorite way to use it is to put it in the dryer to warm it up and then be wrapped up all nice and tight. He'll bring us his blanket and say, "warm BYU!" He'll even let us hold him and snuggle for a while if we fill this request. We usually fill it.

Fancy Nancy Tea Party

I took my little preschool girls to a Fancy Nancy Tea Party at the library. Ali and Lydia both came as well. The loved dressing up. When we arrived we were greeted with, "bonjour" because French is always more fancy than English. They had Ms. Devine come and tell us a little bit more about how to be fancy. We had cupcakes, pink punch, and fuchsia m&m's for refreshments. It was stupendous!