Drinking buddies! The boys got haircuts and it was traumatizing to say the least. Once haircut (torture) and bath were finished, they snuggled together to comfort each other over a cup of warm chocolate milk.
The boys are loving our music class. Tommy likes singing the "Shoo Fly" song because they get to hit magnetic flies with a fly swatter. His next favorite is "The Crawdad Hole". Joey likes all the songs that involve instruments or rhythm sticks. I love how much they are learning about music and the time it gives us to play together. It is especially cute to see them dance.
My dear friend Katie Wells lost her brother in law, niece and nephew in a tragic plane crash. Her sister in law was not with the rest of the family when the plane went down due to pregnancy. She is now a widow, due to have a baby in two months, and grieving the death of her husband and children. Some friends in their ward started a fundraiser to help her. Lily and Annie were so saddened by the accident that they wanted to help in some way. They started selling cookie dough and decided to donate all the money to Katie's sister in law Kristin. They earned $280 - which meant 36 dozen cookies. We made a lot of cookie dough! Even some friends had to help us so we could fill the demand on time. Tommy's little buddy Makiah was covered in cinnamon and sugar after helping us roll the dough. It was tough for the girls to do all that work and not keep a penny of it. I hope they will remember this service and want to do more in the future.
Tommy is in the bucket on the head phase. Uncle Brady did this for quite a long time at around the same age. We'll see how long Tommy does it. I love this little guy so much!
Poor Annie had barely recovered from her previous UTI when she was struck with another one! Mommy could tell what it was immediately and we got ourselves to the doctor ASAP. She was prescribed a different antibiotic and ordered to do some further tests. Soon we'll take her in for an ultrasound to have her bladder and kidneys checked for damage or deformities.
Annie rallied back from the UTI with just enough strength to participate in her clogging competition. She was pale and very tired - even napped a little between numbers. But she was all smiles on stage and did a great job.
I love her class. So many sweet girls and moms. Their new wooden shoes number is my favorite. And that costume is too darling!
Lily has done competitions before. She knew it would be a long day, so she brought books and a cross-stitching project. We had the boys and Daddy with us too - BIG MISTAKE! We spent so much time and energy keeping the boys entertained that we were running all over the place. We missed Lily's first number. We lost each child once that day. It was a headache. No more brothers at dance competitions! Lesson learned.
Annie resting up for her next performance. Can you spot Lily in the pictures below? She's in the back row near the right side.
Once the class dances were done - we had to find the right stage for their solos. They group the dancers into lines of 5 or 6 and have them do the same routine at the same time. It was chaotic and noisy. The girls did awesome. We just couldn't get up close enough for good pictures. Annie is front and center below.
Two tired girls with a few more hours of clogging ahead of us.
Annie above in the black shirt on the far right. Lily below on the far left.
Two busy boys who didn't like all the noise in the performing rooms. Daddy was a trooper and tried to chase after them while Mommy was helping with the multiple costume changes, make up touch ups, etc.
We were all so happy when 9:00 p.m. finally came and we could go home. Now we know that boys and dance competitions don't mix.
After a nice quiet night at home, we woke up ready to tackle another adventure Saturday morning. Bear World was having a fundraiser at a local school. You could hold and pet bear cubs, plus get a picture. Guess who didn't want anything to do with the cute little cubs? TOMMY! The three brave kids were rewarded with a sweet experience. Lily was proud to get to hold the cub.
Annie was a little disappointed she didn't get to hold the bear, so they let her have some extra petting time after the pictures were taken. Tommy just spread himself face down on the floor and tried to ignore everything around him. Maybe next time.
By Sunday we were exhausted. Annie was finally feeling better from yer UTI, and we needed a quiet rest day. After church, the kids put on sweats and pajamas and climbed up into our bed to watch Bible videos and eat crackers. Great way to spend a chilly Sunday afternoon.
Lily is helping more with scripture reading at night. We love hearing her improve and gain strength in learning to understand the language of the scriptures.
Before we knew it, Spring Break was upon us. The girls were excited to get out of school early to begin our trip. Joey had to be bribed with Cheetos to stay quiet. We couldn't think of anything to get Puna for her birthday so we decided a week long visit from the grand babies would be a good gift. If only it didn't take so long to get there!
Tommy finally figured out how to pee standing up. The downside to that is, he always wants to stop for extra potty breaks just so he can perfect his new skill.
After a long drive through unfamiliar parts of Oregon, we finally made it to Prineville. It is the headquarters of Les Schwab Tires. Who knew? Brady had to weigh in and get registered for his strong man competition the following day. The kids were excited to go, but after trying to watch for less than an hour, we were done. The music was too loud for Tommy. The girls kept asking when it would be over. Joey kept wandering off. It was not fun.
The girls stayed long enough to give Brady a massage, and then we left for the rest of the day. Puna and Papa stayed at the competition to support Brady in his remaining events.
It was a tough competition. Brady didn't do as well as he had hoped. But he learned a lot.
Mommy learned that kids and hotels don't mix. We were asked to leave the hotel because the kids were too noisy during the afternoon while another guest was trying to sleep. So we spent the day wandering around town trying to find parks to play at. We won't be staying on a hotel again any tine soon!
It felt good to get on the road and make our way to Washington. The drive took much longer than expected but we finally made it to Puna and Papa's house! Thank goodness for a nice park to stretch our legs and get a little sunshine - plus a little bit of mud.
Monday morning we enjoyed a trip to Woodland Park Zoo with Puna and Papa. I have always loved this zoo. I love sharing it with my children.
Tommy was fascinated by the map. It was very colorful and full of images. He kept asking where we were and where we were going. Then he would find the next exhibit and try to make sure we were on the right path. Joey was just along for the ride.
It was amazing to get up so close to the gorillas. There is a baby in the exhibit almost the same age as Joey - and they were the same size.
We ordered lunch at the food court and waited over an hour for our food. Once we finished eating we discovered an interactive play exhibit for the kids. Too bad we didn't go in there while we waited for our lunch. The kids didn't want to leave. There were so many things to climb on and play with.
We spent a lot of time in there - until we heard that the zoo would be closing in 45 minutes. There was still so much to see! We hurried out and chose a few last exhibits to catch before closing time.
And we let the kids open their giant suckers. I think they might have been more excited about the suckers than the animals.
The lions looked beautiful! We even heard a good big roar after we left their exhibit.
Tommy really wanted to see the giraffes. They were not wandering their usual exhibit, they were already put away in their enclosure. But we got a lucky sighting. One of them walked right out to the fence and got close to us for a few mintues.
Like I said - the kids were more excited about the suckers than the animals.
One of the coolest sightings was the hippo! Usually the hippos are just hiding in the water pond but today one was out, walking around, and eating. Tommy thought it looked like a big pig.
More sucker pictures!
All too soon, it was time to go home. Thank you Puna and Papa for a memorable day at the zoo. We all loved it.
When we got home, it was time for dinner and Tommy's birthday party. We had spaghetti - Tommy's favorite (minus the sauce for him), and chocolate cake.
Puna made an amazing cake covered with all of Tommy's favorite heroes. He was thrilled!
After all the excitement of zoo, cake, and presents, it was time for showers and baths in Puna's big bathroom. Our kids talk about the bathroom at Puna and Papa's house all the time. They love the giant soaker tub and the glass shower. Annie says it like a hotel.
Puna treated Mommy to a shopping trip for some birthday gifts. The kids weren't having it, so Mommy sat in the play area with the kids while Puna tried to pick out a few items. She did an amazing job and everyone was pretty happy by the end. A little frozen yogurt and giant pretzels helped too.
Before we knew it, the week had passed and it was time to go home again. To break up the drive we decided to stay in Ontario, OR for the night. It was a little stressful trying a hotel again after how badly the last stay went. The kids were on their best behavior and tried so hard to be quiet so we wouldn't wake anyone in neighboring rooms. The highlight was the swimming pool. It helped us get out some noise and wiggles before bed time.
The next day we made a stop in Twin Falls because the falls there were at historically high water levels. We could feel the mist and spray from the viewing decks. The amount of water pouring over the falls was staggering. Tommy was asleep when we got to the park, so Puna stayed in the van with him while the kids and Mommy wandered around.
Joey was so happy to be out of the car. He was on a mission to move. It took Mommy, Lily, and Annie to wrangle him.
We took him to this little hill and let him climb up and down to his heart's content.
We made our way back to the van and saw that Tommy had woken up. So we let him get out and roll down the big grassy hill a few times with the girls.
This was our last stop with Puna before we dropped her at the Pocatello airport. Good golly it is hard to get a picture with all four kids!
After dropping off Puna, Mommy bought all the kids a popsicle and we started our last leg of the drive home. Thank goodness for movies and headphones. The last hour passed quickly and we were soon safely home to Daddy. Hooray!
Joey loves hats and sunglasses now. Silly little guy.
Lily asked if we could go to the temple and the park on Sunday afternoon. It feels so nice to have Spring weather. The kids are ready for more outside play time.
Only a few more weeks until the temple open house We are excited to take the kids inside this wonderful place and help them learn more about the temple.
Tommy is usually a Mommy's Boy, but he hasn't wanted to be far from Daddy since we got home. That little smile says it all.
The boys wanted to build a fort int he living room with their friends. I told them they had to help me clean first - the friends even pitched in! Joey loved the fort - until he discovered he could destroy it, then all he wanted to do was knock it down.
Tommy's actual birthday was March 27. We didn't tell him, and just let him share Mommy's birthday the next day. We make our birthday cake together in the morning.
Not as good as Puna's, but Tommy loved it and was proud that he got to help with it.
That night we took the whole family to dinner at Red Robin. Tommy sat patiently in his seat and held his presents on his lap for the whole drive.
We were pretty sure Tommy would burst with excitement if we waited any longer to open presents so we let him dive in.
He got everything on his wish list: transformers and Hungry Hippos from Grammy and Grampy, Legos from Puna and Papa, Hot Wheels tracks and cars from Mommy and Daddy, Super hero stuffed toys from the girls, and a surprise from Uncle Brady - Fighting remote control robots. Could a 4 year old have a better birthday? We think not!
Mommy age 38, Tommy age 4
The robots from Brady were a big hit - still are. All the kids love them. When the robots punch each other in the chest, their heads pop off.
Happy birthday little Tommy! You are one of a kind!
The girls started piano lessons in March. We are excited to finally have them taking lessons.They are progressing so quickly. They were ready for piano and they love to practice and learn.
We had so much cake left over that we had all of Tommy's friends and their mommies over to finish it off. Everyone brought Tommy a gift too. His favorite is this marble racing track. We build new tracks every day to race. So fun.
Annie wanted to expand the product line of their business again. She asked me to teach her how to make playdough. It was a success. So now she's selling play dough in every color of the rainbow. We've had four orders so far.
Yay for more time together. We love going to the park and letting the kids play. This was Joey's first time on the merry go round. He liked it.
And just like that, March was done. Here's to warmer weather, flowers, gardening, and springtime!
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