The craziest thing I've seen--Scott is now 13!

In the past, the most requested birthday breakfast was strawberry milk and donuts.  We may have turned a corner at our house, with Gracie's eggs, Emma's pancakes, and Scott's request: Cream of Wheat.  It's true, and I'm recording it here, in case I don't believe it later.  We had jalapeno cheese sausages (and hot dogs for the girls) with chips and mangoes for his dinner, and a homemade angel food cake with whipped cream and strawberries for his cake.  I may have influenced his choice on that, because YUM.

He has already gotten some good use from his main present this year--a backpacking tent.  He has also been quoting endlessly from another of his gifts--the Seasons 1 and 2 DVDs of Studio C.  I have to admit to laughing hard enough for tears for some of the skits.

So far, being a teenager has been good for Scott, with only minimal angst.  (Come on, Mom and Dad--you are just too un-fun sometimes!)  So far, having a teenager has been good for me, with only minimal angst.  (We got a reading chair for my bedroom, to replace the rocking chair that we got when Scott was three months old.  I didn't realize how I would get so nostalgic about it when we moved it out!)  Let's keep the angst to a minimum all around, OK?

I love this interesting, cheerful, funny, intelligent, thoughtful, musical boy of mine. 

She's in heaven now she's eleven!

Emma requested pancakes for her birthday breakfast this year, and her wonderful Daddy willingly complied.  Her birthday dinner was a trip to CiCi's Pizza, though we had to limit desserts to one, since we had cake waiting at home!

Emma had fun sharing one of her gifts--Just Dance for Kids for the Wii.  It's a fun version, because it has levels for the whole family.  I think the favorites so far are the Gummy Bear song and Manamana.  She also got a game that Ben chose for her--you feed a dog some playdough-like "treats," squeeze the leash to pump air through the dog, and collect what comes out the other end...  He and the kids think it is hilarious.

She requested a soccer ball cake.  I made a chocolate cake with mint chocolate chip ice cream inside, but was apprehensive to do the design.  I found some black "sugar paper," and Ben volunteered to help out.  He pulled out his exacto knife, a soccer ball for guidance, and got to work.  I think the joint effort turned out great!

Emma is a dynamic, energetic, helpful, imaginative, playful, fearless girl, and we love having her in our family!

So divine...Gracie's nine!

We celebrated a day late, due to our trip to Oklahoma for Easter.  This sweet girl requested fried eggs, toast, and juice for breakfast, and mashed potatoes, fish, and veggies for dinner.  I made her some bird nest cupcakes (with Chinese crunchy noodles coated in melted chocolate and butterscotch chips, with M&M eggs in the centers).  Did you notice the 2 and 7 candles?  They equal 9.  The day ended with a trip to the pet store to pick out her own betta fish.  She chose a pretty blue one that she named Spike.  He seems to be pretty hardy, too, since he survived who-knows-how-long being on the counter after jumping out of his little tank.

We sure love this happy, bright, talented, playful, reserved, artistic girl.

Excited, with a dash of crazy

I took Tessa to register for Kindergarten a couple weeks ago.  This means that next year, for the first time since before Emma was born, I will have only one child at home with me every weekday.  So...I did the logical thing and decided that I'm going to teach preschool.  It will only be two mornings a week, and at my home, and for only eight kids.  They've already signed up.  I'd think I was crazy to add this to my life, except that I'm so excited about it.

Anyway, I just thought I'd let my 5 readers know, in case...well, I guess in case the crazy starts to take over.

OOOOOOOOOOOHK-lahoma!

My brother and his family invited us up to Oklahoma to their new home for Easter.  It's only three (and a bit) hours away, and we hadn't made the trip yet, so I arranged for Primary to be covered and we went!  We had Good Friday off for school.  Ben and Scott already had a big campout at Glen Rose dinosaur park planned, so they left for that and I headed up north with the rest of the clan.

(Pardon the sideways pictures.  I can't seem to make them flip today.)

When we arrived, we headed out to a multi-family egg hunt their friends were hosting.  Benson held his own in the toddler area.

  The older girls helped hide and the younger girls found!

The next day we went to a family fun farm.  I did not intend to take so many pictures, but there were a lot of things to do there, and so many cute faces doing them...

We started on the carousel.  Here are Jadyn and Emma,

 Regan and Gracie,

and Brooke and Caytie.  Tessa, Benson, and I sat on the bench.  Wa hoo!

 We tried to ride the train.  There were so many people there that day that the train was having trouble going up the hill.  We went up part way, backed up, tried again, backed up, and tried again.  When we saw they were backing up again, we hopped off and walked up the dang hill ourselves.

There was a hay mountain to climb (with Brennan, the King of Happy Times, so thankful to be spending his last Easter before his mission with his little cousins!),

 a giant tube slide that apparently gives you quite the bumpy ride,

 a giant chess set (and checkers to the left), where Gracie and Regan played a whole game,

 beanbag tosses (a Benson favorite),

 photo opps, next to the goat and pig barn,

 and giant bouncy pillows, go-kart bikes, a playground, and...and Easter egg hunt!  Gracie got a token in her egg that let her "pan" for gems in the "river," and she ended up with a baggie of pretty stones to take home.  We spent much more time there than I had thought possible, because there was so much to do!

Grandma and Grandpa arrived soon after we got back, and Scott and Ben drove up after their campout and arrived that evening.

The next morning was not only Easter, but also Gracie's 9th birthday!  We started out with a hunt for the Easter baskets and for the eggs we had dyed the day before.

 Gracie had agreed to celebrate her birthday after we got home the next day, but her sweet cousin Regan got her a gift, and Gracie was so pleased!

 Here they are, pre-sugar high.

 Easter is a great day to have afternoon church.  We were able to enjoy the morning (and amazing breakfast made by Kristen) and get ready for church with some time to spare for pictures.

 I was so glad that my parents were also able to be there!  Now that they work in the temple in Tennessee every day, they don't get to travel without special permission.  I guess we were special enough!

After church we headed home.  It was a rainy drive the whole way, but we made it back in time to get to bed for school the next day.  It was a happy, happy Easter.

Photo Buffet

Take what you want; leave the rest...

We got the pictures back from the Daddy Daughter dance at the elementary school.  Looks like someone was a really good sport!

Tessa had an Easter egg hunt at her preschool, and little siblings were invited.  She begged to wear her new Easter dress, and felt so special all day!  Benson got some good egg hunt training in.

 Her friend Craig from church is in her class.  He does not normally look like he's in so much distress.  It was just a really bright day, and they were READY for the hunt to begin!

Tessa got the camera out one day, and wanted to take a picture of Benson.  He complied by lying in front of the fireplace in only his diaper for his pose.  It was so funny (and thankfully not too sultry~)!

 Where is the mom in this household?  Ahh--there she is, talking on the phone. So busy.

Ben snapped this of Benson one late afternoon.  This is how the nap happens on some days, and we'll take it.  It was probably after three or four failed attempts during the normal napping hours.

And a note about the floor, because I need you to know that it doesn't always have beads all over it.  Caytie was making 30 bracelets to "sell" at her 1st Grade Store after a unit on marketing and money.  The bead bucket was spilled on the floor at least once each day during that week of preparation.  So, now she's done, the beads are put away, and I'm fairly certain that we have found 99% of them.  Thanks for letting me explain.