April

We started April with General Conference.  Bryan made the most delicious huevos racheros.  It is my very favorite.

 The picture makes it appear they all listened intently.  I can assure you that was not the case.  I always hope they at least get a little bit out of conference.

 Spring break came in April and we didn't make any plans so we decided to try and do a few fun things here close to home to make it a fun time for the girls.  We kicked things off with a little roasting of hot dogs and marshmallows.  It's always a lot of work getting out there, starting a fire and dealing with the mess but it makes the girls so happy and I love making these memories with them.

 Bryan did take a day off and we went to "This is the Place" for the day.  It was so much fun.  I think I had pretty low expectations and they were very exceeded.  We enjoyed ourselves very much even though it was pretty crowded being spring break.

 The girls really wanted to ride the ponies and that was the only thing we had to wait in line for a while to do.

 The blossoms outside all the cute little pioneer houses were so pretty.  Bryan was getting donuts while I waited with Julia and Grace outside.  The donuts were well worth the calories.

 This was the school house where we learned about the Deseret alphabet.  It was very interesting.

 This was the bank.

 The girls pounded leather.

 We ran into our very good friends randomly while we were there.  We love the Richards.  Bryan and Mike were home teaching companions in Ohio for a very long time and Candice was such a dear friend.  It was so fun seeing them.

 The girls rode a train around the pond and then panned for rocks and gold.

 We drove through Emigration Canyon and stopped by Ruth's Diner and had the MOST delicious breakfast ever.  So so yummy.  It was such a fun day spent as a family.

 The Gaileys came into town and we slipped over to Surf and Swim and did a little swimming.  We are always so happy when they come to town and are even more excited for the little girl that is making an appearance soon!

 To top off a very fun Spring Break Bryan and his mom took the girls to a local theater to see The Little Mermaid.  They said it was a very good production and had such a great time.  Lily's very favorite princess is Ariel so it was pure magic for her.

 Lily wore her mermaid outfit and looked so cute.

 This Grace keeps growing up!  She has pigtails now and looks so old!

 Look at how sweet she is.  She carries a baby doll wherever she goes.

 I am still doing Activity Days and we had a "spa" day.  They did mud masks and we painted nails.  It was a fun time.

 Audrey was twinning with her bestie Scarlett.

 It was so rainy all April.  I thought the trees and rain looked pretty while we were at the girls' school one day.

 We had to sing in the family choir for Stake Conference at the tabernacle by the temple.  It was crazy with Grace and she poured an entire bag of cheerios on the couple in front of us but I do love being close to the temple and we made it through 3/4 of the meeting so I considered it a success.

 More beautiful blossoms.  It was a gorgeous spring.

 The girls were out playing on the swings and Lily got really made at Audrey so she threw a rock at her.  By pure luck she hit her right square on the head and split it right open.  Unfortunately that meant stitches.  Lucky for us we have an in house doctor that could do the job quickly.  We drove to his office and he stitched it right up.

 She was so relieved that it didn't hurt and I think more damage was done to the poor Lily who was feeling the deepest of deep guilt.

 I was upstairs using the restroom and heard water running.  I finally find the culprit downstairs and it is a mess all over our carpet.

 I was hoping I could dry it myself but the carpet is just so shaggy and thick I couldn't do it.  I had to file an insurance claim and it has been a nightmare.  Thankfully they have taken care of everything and we get new carpet out of the mess but still....painful.

 This baby loves her babies.  Is this not the sweetest thing you have ever seen!?

 My dad came one night by himself while my mom was out of town.  We hit his favorite Chuck-a-rama and went on a super fun hike.  We love it when papa comes to town!

 Lots of bike rides outside as it's getting warmer!

March

We made it over to the Bell's farm to see all the cute baby goats that were born.  The girls loved it so much.  Julia was particularly worried about this goat that cried like a real baby.  They said that it left it's mama just the day before and that tugged at Julia's heartstrings a bit.  

 This Lily is the animal whisperer.  She loves them with all her heart.  She was letting those baby goats climb all over her.

 These goats are the cutest when they are tiny like this.  We also saw baby bunnies and puppies.  The Bell family is so generous to let us come and visit.

 It was Audrey's best friend's birthday and she got to go to Disney on Ice with her.  They both dressed up and had the best time.  Audrey got to go to the Cheesecake Factory and then the show.

 We had a visit from Carli and Nana.  The girls were obsessed with sweet baby Gloria.

 Grace has decided that unlike Lily she actually really likes the swings!  She started walking like a champ this month as well.  She has her animal sounds down and knows most of her body parts.

 Lily went on a field trip to the local grocery store and it was so fun for her.

 Julia had some time off of sports so I signed her up for a cooking class for a few months.  At the end of her three months she had to pass a cooking test in order to earn her blue apron.  She made corndog biscuits and did a great job.  She is so proud of her blue apron.

 We had an adult Easter egg hunt this year with friends and it was such a great night.  There was lots and lots of laughing and a great deal of silliness.  It's always so much work to throw something like this together but I'm always so glad that we do.  It's particularly rewarding to see it be a success.  This pictures was a real gem from the night.

 Remember how Julia entered the essay contest from her visit to the Capitol?  Well she won!  They called and told me that we needed to be there but didn't say specifically that she won.  Imagine our surprise and excitement when we discovered that she did!  They had the entire fourth grade gather together and Julia read her essay and Representative Dee spoke to all the kids.  It was a great moment and I was so proud of Julia.

 Easter was a fun time at our house.  We dyed eggs out on the deck.

 They turned out beautifully.  The funny thing is when the Easter Bunny hid the eggs, wild animals took off with more than half of them.  The girls were pretty bummed we only ended up with about six hard boiled eggs the next day.  Crazy!  I never thought that animals would take the eggs in the night.

 That night my friend that also teaches piano let me have my girls join in and play as well.  They did such a great job and I was so proud of their efforts.  I have been nervous as to how it would go being their teacher so it was extra rewarding to have them play so well as their teacher AND their mom.

 They hunted for eggs the next day and were SUPER excited.

 Audrey was most exited about the baby stuffed lamb.  She really loves lambs.

 Lily found her basket easily.

 Julia's was the hardest to find but she persevered.

 Lily loved her baby bunny.  She carried it around the entire day giving it loves.  It was so sweet.

 We then headed to Bryan's moms for her annual Easter Egg hunt.  The girls love this hunt because Grandma hides money in some of the eggs!  She also hides presents for each of the kids.

 This grandma is the best.

 Easter was a bit unique because we celebrated the day before and Bryan was on call.  So it really was just like a regular day.  Church was really nice though and I could help but snap this pictures of Grace playing with one of her little church buddies.  I just can't get over my baby's curly hair!  I love it so much.

 The girls did have the cutest Easter dresses.  It only took a million attempts to get this pictures but it was worth it!

 I fixed Lily's hair cute one day for preschool and needed to document my efforts.

 Bryan's birthday came at the end of March and we had to celebrate him.  Bryan takes such good care of each of us and we all adore him.  Seriously he will be well taken care of for the rest of his life.  He is by far the favorite in this house.

 We got him clothes which the girls thought was super lame.

 Carli blessed little Gloria and it was fun to get a rare sibling picture while we were all together.

 Julia's winning made it in the newspaper.  We tried to buy it but kept getting the wrong edition.  It was so kind of her primary teacher to send this to us with a sweet note.  I am so thankful for primary teachers that go the extra mile and make my kids feel loved and special.  It makes such a difference.

 Bryan's mom drove all the way up to just give Bryan a birthday cake.  It was delicious and very nice of her.

 It is finally getting a little warmer outside so we can slip to the park on occasion.  After a long winter it is the most wonderful thing to be outside.

 I love these girls so much.