how ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm

This morning we drove to a nearby state park with a living history farm where we rode the horses,

invented a new way to play hoops,

fed the chickens homemade cornbread,

and washed some laundry.

It was a great day.

magnolia

Yesterday Granny, Auntie Heather and our cousins came to town to help celebrate Linus's birthday this upcoming Sunday. Hooray for 5-year-olds, family, and magnolia blossoms!

li'l gymnasts

Tonight was the last of the gymnastics classes for this semester (and we're going to take the Summer off). The kids love their gymnastics classes and I know they are going to miss it. Mama, however, is ready for a little break. I enjoy watching them learn new skills and make new friends, but I do not enjoy the twice-a-week drive across town in rush hour traffic, the frantic dinners at 4.45, or the challenge of keeping a 2 1/2 year old happy and entertained during the two hours of lessons. We'll see you in the Fall, gymnastics!

how does your garden grow?

We met our dear homeschooling friends at the Horticultural Gardens this morning for lunch and some playing/walking. It was a great time with great company, as usual.

grateful sunday

This week I am thankful for:

• the wonderful weather, again. We had one hot and humid day this week, but mostly we've spent our days with the house fan on and the windows wide open with the smell of honeysuckle wafting in.
• the wonderful Primary teachers and leaders that my children have. I know my kids are loved and taught by amazing people and I so appreciate their hard work and devotion.
  
• all the yard work we got done on Saturday. It feels to to have things starting to grow and looking tidy.
• the nap I got today. I literally passed out on the bottom bunk during quiet time. Thanks for holding down the fort and making a leek, prosciutto, walnut cream sauce over pasta for dinner, Todd.
  

and . . . Spotlight!

For spotlight night, Gwennie did an amazing hula hoop routine. That girl can wiggle!

Spotlight Night . . . practice

For the annual Primary Spotlight Night (a kids' talent show at church), Linus wanted to do his "moves", which consists of him jumping around a lot and flexing his muscles. We talked him into a gymnastics routine involving froggie hops and forward rolls. When on stage, he added crab walking and donkey kicks, as well as more forward rolls. It was pretty hilarious (and not just to the family -- you should have seen the couple sitting one row in front of us) and adorable.

Earlier this week, we had a Family Home Evening lesson on being selfless. Linus spent most of the lesson practicing his headstands, so I didn't think he'd gotten anything out of the lesson. But as we were leaving the church building tonight after the talent show, the Bishop (who was the MC) told Linus that he'd done a good job on his tumbling moves. Linus responded, "Thanks for doing the talking. That was very selfless."

Earth Day

The Wump Worl-lerd is Casper's favorite book. So to commemorate Earth Day this year, we read it, The Lorax, and several library books about recycling. Casper got so excited that he decided to call Daddy and tell him all about "air complution."

does this count as Spring or Summer?

It was definitely hot outside in the late afternoon and they all had a wonderful time playing in the sprinkler, but came in shivering after half an hour. They'd like to do this everyday, but I'm happy to wait another few weeks for Summery weather.

expanding vocabulary

Gwendolyn, explaining the reaction of one of the kittens who had gotten spooked by something, "He jumped five feet in the air with scaredness and surprise-tation!"

honeysuckle

It's later than usual, but our honeysucker (as Gwennie has it) has finally bloomed in the back yard. It's one of my favorite scents and scenes, and I think that the children are nearly as excited as I am about it.

self-portrait as a young snake

tarzanesque

Gwennie found another little ground snake while we were working today, and she became (typically) enamored of the beast. Because he crawled so quickly from hand to hand, she decided to call him Cheetah.
Initially, Linus was skeptical, even when Gwennie pointed out that Cheetah was sniffing at Linus' hand while sticking his tongue out. Eventually, though, he became pretty enthusiastic about feeling the snake slither across his palm. When we had to leave to run an errand, they were both crushed at having to leave Cheetah in the yard. (Gwennie thinks that any animal will respond to her call, but even she recognized that there is little chance that Cheetah will come when she sings out his name in her little animal-calming tone.)

imp

Casper, looking at a toy Noah's ark on a shelf asks, "Mama, will you get that yacht down for me?"

Casper: "Will I be a grown up?"
Mama: "Yes."
Casper: "Yes I will. I certainly will."

the ballad of "reading goal"

Gwendolyn is one of my stubborn children (I have three) who won't do something until she decides that she wants to do it. Reading was like this. One day I was begging her to read to me from an early reader for 15 minutes, the next day she can't put down Harry Potter. She's now about half way through with the book and though she still struggles with some words (about 4-5 per page), I think she's done remarkably well. She began in early February (just reading a page a day at first) and now hopes to be done with the remaining 150 pages by the end of May. Go go Gwennie!

Sunday finery

Yesterday Casper wore one of Linus' former Easter outfits to church -- a linen shorts suit with matching bowtie (Linus actually wore the shirt and shorts when he came to the hospital and met Casper the first time). I think Casper looked charming, but Gwendolyn was particularly enthralled: "He's going to look like a small gentleman going to business! Congratulations, Casper, you got a job!"

grateful sunday

This week I am thankful for:

• the amazingly beautiful weather that we've enjoyed. Countless hours spent outside this week. Windows wide open, house fan on.
  
• our humble little garden. Since moving here 2 1/2 years ago, my attempts at a garden have been feeble at best, but yesterday we jumped right in (a little late in the season, admittedly) with help, support, and advice from my mom and more digging from Todd. Still, I'm proud of our little 3'x6' space, and I look forward to cucumber and tomato salads for lunch all summer long!
• family dinners together. This is typically such a happy time for our family as we reconnect at the end of the day and enjoy one another. Sunday dinners are the best of all, in large part due to the fact that Todd does all the cooking on weekends. Yum.
• family outings together. Yesterday afternoon we told the kids we had more errands to run and loaded three tired little ones into the van and took them to the movies! Going to the movies as an entire family is actually not something we have ever done before, but How to Train Your Dragon was enjoyed by all.
  

Introducing the Amazing Triangle Head

sweet dreamin'

Casper is giving up naps, which I hate. At least he knows we all have quiet time after lunch, and he happily plays in his crib when he doesn't sleep. Sometimes I question him as to why he hasn't slept when he is obviously exhausted.

Mama: "Casper, why didn't you sleep?"
Casper: "I did sleep! On purpose!"

Mama: "You didn't sleep, sweetie."
Casper: "I did sleep! Bunches and bunches!"

hailstorm

For fifteen minutes this evening, a sudden and violent hailstorm hit town. I'm not sure I've seen hailstones as large as these, which were the size of small marbles (or, as the kids might say, Lemonheads and Friends). After the rain and hail ended, the children wanted to go out to inspect and collect the stones and splash in the water. With the overcast sky trapping the light, it was an impressive setting.

boylers

An unrequested hug

Easter morning

Would you believe that we took a dozen family pictures this morning and this was the best one?

The day started with a healthy breakfast followed by an egg hunt, followed by a second breakfast of chocolate and sugar. We later learned that Linus had stuffed the pockets of his church pants with candy, most of which he ate on the ride to church. After church he sneaked in his room and ate the rest of the candy in his basket. Then he had three servings of dinner.

A dialogue before we got dressed for our Easter portrait and a single session of conference at church:

Linus (modeling the shirt he found in his Easter basket, which has a shark on it): Daddy, do I look sharp?
Mama: Yes, you do look shark!
Linus: No, I said "sharp!"
Casper (modeling the shirt he found in his Easter basket, which has a jeep on it, and getting the joke better than Linus had): Do I look jeep?
Daddy: Yes, I'm afraid you do look cheap.

Second breakfast for the parents -- a poached egg with toast for dipping.

grateful sunday

This week I am thankful for:

• Easter. I love Easter. I am so thankful for the sacrifice of my Savior. I am thankful for the promise of eternal life and for the knowledge that He lives.
  
• General Conference. I admit to being a little bit of a conference junkie. I love listening to these talks. I am always so edified, humbled, and inspired. I've already put my favorite 12 on my iPod (trying to rein things in a bit). Does anyone else have a little bit of a crush on Julie Beck?
  
• more money! The raise associated with Todd's new job kicked in this month. That bump on the paycheck really made me very, very happy.
  
• a clean storage shed. Todd and I organized and cleaned out the shed on Saturday. I love a well organized space.
  

decor

Todd is always in charge of decorating eggs with the kids. Maybe because he is the artist in the family, maybe because he has more patience with that kind of thing, maybe because he actually hollows out half the eggs and does wax batiking of flowers, names, and Easter scenes. Needless to say, the kids had a ball and the eggs turned out beautifully.

transportational options

Gwendolyn sees a blimp in the sky and calls it a "blub."

Linus tells me, "My heart's always sinking, Mama."

Prankster Day

Oh, Prankster Day! How my children love you. The day started with the the children waking in different beds than they'd fallen asleep in, finding hidden dollar bills rolled up in the toilet paper and notes on the potty. They hid plastic dinosaurs in the salad Daddy took to work for lunch and put a rubber band on the vegetable sprayer of the kitchen sink (Mama got drenched). For the day's finale, they went driving in the sky (well, they parked on a roof) and then Todd made them "grilled cheese sandwiches" (toasted angel food cake filled with orange-tinted butter-cream frosting) before bed.