May 2014

May was a busy month and we had a lot of fun things that happened in that month.  First was the elementary school's annual art show and ice cream social.  My kids wanted to go mostly for the ice cream.  And it was Cold Stone ice cream, so I was inclined to actually go since Cold Stone has awesome ice cream.  So we went and got to see art work from the year around the school and have a yummy treat along with it.

Analyn had her last day of school in May.  She loved school so much and I'm glad that James and I decided to put her in for this year.  She likes to ham it up for the camera.

Another annual activity at the elementary school in May is Ag/Earth Day.  The kids spend the day at the fair grounds and get to see animals and learn about other trades and things that happen outside.  I was asked to go with Clay to help out.  He did really good and he really enjoyed seeing everything (especially the animals).  He got to plant a pumpkin seed too and it has grown!  So he is very proud that he will have an orange pumpkin to carve for Halloween that he grew himself. 

The last thing we did in May was go to Tahoe.  It was a last minute trip and it was a fun one!  We did drive after bedtime though, and I will never do that again.  But the kids enjoyed seeing our family up there.  And it was more exciting than a boring weekend at home.

Catching Up....April & Easter

Okay so my new goal is that Sundays will be my blogging days.  I'm hoping I'll be able to stay on top of it, we will see I guess.  February and March were pretty uneventful for us (at least picture wise, and I can't remember what actually happened then) so we're starting again in April.  On a whim I bought the kids some kites for $1 and we went to the park during Spring Break to fly them.  The kids all enjoyed it (Lizzie didn't at first since her kite was not cooperating).   

 In March Analyn's preschool had a Mommy and Me night at the school with different activities.  Analyn got to make a tie dyed shirt.  I'm glad they have school for this stuff, because it was a mess!  But it's a cute shirt, I just wish her colors came out brighter.

 And of course there was Easter.  I can't even remember what the kids got.  All I know is the Easter Bunny was smart this year and didn't bring the treats for the baskets until we were at church.  Made it easier for the kids to pay attention, but I think they were antsy for those 3 hours too.  An egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa's is becoming a yearly tradition.  This year we did it outside.  It's hard to hide that many eggs and remember where you put them though.  We also got to enjoy a nice dinner with my parents and the Elders.

 I absolutely hate dying Easter eggs.  And I was really excited that my kids hadn't brought it up this year.  Of course somehow they were reminded and since they asked I was going to let them do it.  This year wasn't the giant mess that it usually is (yeah for kids getting older)!  Elizabeth is getting much more detail oriented.  Clay is all about getting the eggs in and out fast so we had to explain he has to leave them in to make the color better.  Analyn just was excited to do it herself. 

 All dressed up in their Sunday best for Easter!  They clean up nice and I actually got a photo of all 3 of them looking at the camera at the SAME TIME!!  Miracles do happen people!

Another first happened in April too.  Analyn went to the dentist for the first time and she did great.  She was thinking it was cool she got to wear sunglasses in the building too. 

 

More updates to come soon...

Analyn Turns 4

 Sorry I am way behind on blogging.  I'm going to try and work on it every Sunday, but we will see how I follow through.  At the end of January Analyn turned 4.  My baby is 4, which makes me sad and happy at the same time.  Donuts from breakfast is pretty much a tradition for us now on birthdays.  Analyn's birthday was no exception of course. 

At Analyn's preschool you get to pick "a day to shine" for your child.  This can be any day but it's usually a birthday if it falls in the school year.  Analyn's was on a school day so James and I went with her to school that day.  She got to get a crown and to show off a toy to her class.  She was really excited.  On their day to shine they also get to bring a special snack.  Analyn got the short end of the stick for that.  Her birthday ended up being on the day they had their Buckaroo Breakfast where ALL the parents are invited.  Unfortunately almost all the days around her birthday were already picked for days to shine, so we just had to go with it.  She still had a fun day. 

That night we went out to eat for her birthday and then headed over to Grandma and Grandpas' house to do cake and presents.  She really loved opening presents this year.

The kids keep asking for really elaborate cakes that I just can't pull off.  Originally Analyn wanted a Dora the Explorer cake.  So we ordered one for her.  Then I got a call that day that they didn't have any Dora the Explorer kits.  HOW DO YOU RUN OUT OF CAKE KITS?  Seriously?  So we had to find a substitute.  Luckily Rapunzel worked out perfect.  So she was still happy.

And here she is modeling the outfit James and I got her for her birthday.  She's getting so tall!  I bought the outfit in a 5 and it fit her really well.  My 4 year old is in size 5 clothes!  So weird.

Merry Christmas

This was the first year that Analyn got what was going on.  So all the kids were super excited for Christmas to get here and for Santa to come.  They were dying to open there Christmas Eve presents from us and their presents from Grandma and Grandpa.  They all got new pajamas and slippers from us so they immediately wanted to change into them.

 Clay showing us his best dinosaur impression.

 Once we were done with everything at my parent's house we headed out to go look at some Christmas lights.  We all enjoyed finding new places to look at lights.  This year was a challenge since every night we went anywhere we ended up going to look at lights.  

Santa came during the night and the kids were so excited when they woke up.  My kids actually slept until almost 7am!  I think we had to actually wake Analyn up for presents.  Lizzie was excited that she go the Easy Bake Oven she wanted.

 Posing with all his loot.  Clay got a Bat cave from Santa. 

Elizabeth with all her stuff too.

Analyn with all her gifts.  She got a dollhouse from Santa.  And she was really excited for her first teddy bear from us.  

 And a picture of the kids with the tree.  This is pretty miraculous in itself, usually I have to use my photo editing software and switch heads on bodies to get all faces looking at the camera.  The picture below is editing free!!  I was so excited to finally get a picture I didn't need to edit.