It's been awhile since we had any visitors out here, so the kids were extra excited to have Grandma and Grandpa come see us last weekend. We had a fairly busy weekend (it's soccer season, you know!) but we did manage to squeeze in a few yummy meals, some shopping time, and lots of just chilling outside in the lovely weather.
The kids made sure that Grandpa spent plenty of time with them on the trampoline. Some days I'm not sure how I'll get Brielle off of that thing, but Grandpa is almost as bad as she is! We were able to watch both Trayson and Kutter kick butt in their soccer games on Saturday, then we did the whole jr high thing where the girls and boys split up and ignore each other! Awesome! The boys went golfing (Kutter's first time and he is already addicted!) and the girls headed to the big city for some real fun!
Grandma Linda wanted to make this a special weekend for Breje, since she will not be able to be here on her birthday. She got to choose the dinner (prime rib, of course) and most of the shopping was about her. She has been dying for a Build-a-Bear for years, so that was one of our first stops -- where we welcomed cute little Blossom into our home ....

... I'm thinking that I'm kinda glad it took so long for us to get there, because she turned out way cuter than she probably would have four years ago!

Breje got a few cute new shirts, but the best part of the night was all Grandma Linda's idea -- she took her to the make up counter at Macy's and had them do a min-makeover for her. Since she will be allowed to start wearing make up this summer, they gave her some great tips on how to make sure she doesn't overdo it. It was loads of fun and it almost killed me that such a tiny bit of make up made her look so grown up and beautiful!

We forgot the camera, but I did manage a quick snapshot before she went to bed. What do you think, should we just lock her up now?!

Thanks again to Grandma and Grandpa for making the long, boring drive out here to brighten our weekend!

Our Easter started early with a way fun package in the mail on Friday. I should warn you that I did a terrible job shooting this video, so feel free to skip past it. We just wanted Grandma Linda to see how much the kids enjoyed their surprises. The highlights are that everyone got their first cute new spring outfit, loads of candy, and even the fancy Easter egg coloring kits that their mom is way too cheap to buy. They were absolutely thrilled, and Grandma definitely took some of the pressure off the Easter Bunny!

It was kind of strange knowing that we would be spending the entire holiday without any extended family, but we have definitely been very blessed with friends here. We spent Saturday afternoon with a few families from our ward and the kids had a blast. They got to have their Easter egg hunt with about 13 or 14 other kids and over 200 eggs! Then we had a big barbecue all together and colored about a million eggs to finish off the evening. Thanks to the Wortham's for throwing such a great holiday bash and inviting such fun people!
I was thinking that our Easter dinner would be way late because we don't even get home from church until about 4:30 or so, and I just couldn't have Easter without a huge dinner (it's how I was raised!) Lucky me-- my sweet friend Angie invited us over to her house for a huge Easter feast -- complete with all the fixings and some of my very favorite people. They are defiantly my family away from home and it was lovely to spend the day with them (and not just cause I didn't have to cook!)The bonus to the day was how adorable my kids looked in their Easter duds--- and the best was hearing Breje play the violin in Sacrament meeting for the very first time. She played beautifully and it was the perfect addition to our celebration!

More Brielle

Brielle has had quite a day. It began with a "quick" trip to Walmart to complete our Easter purchases -- including 2-18 packs of eggs. (If I couldn't contain myself and already shared this story with you, you can just scan down to the pics!) I carefully placed said eggs in the seat next to Brielle because it seemed dangerous, at the time, to place them at her feet. I then proceeded to make another "quick" stop at a friends house on the way home. Brielle stayed in the car. Can you see it coming, folks?
Yep. I returned to discover both egg cartons face-down on the floor of my car. Empty. Where were the eggs, you might ask?That would be her lap. All 3 dozen eggs were now sharing the car seat with her. She just looked up at me like she had no idea she'd done anything wrong. And really, it's me who should've known better! I'm ashamed to say that I did not have my camera with me, and although I did ponder leaving them all in her lap until I got home, I really really wanted to save the ones that weren't cracked open yet! Surprisingly, only 6 or 7 eggs completely bit the dust. 6 or 7 eggs can be really really really messy! It took forever to get it all off of her, her clothes, her blankies, the car seat, and the car. Looks like she had fun, though! She tried to make up for it later, by indulging in her cleanup habit. I have to admit that I usually enjoy this side of her. It's nice to be able to let her get out the blocks and scatter them all over the house, without thinking that I'll have a huge mess to clean up. The best part of this game is that she totally loves the clean up song. I couldn't help recording her version of it to share with you all. A few things to note before you view
-- She's already been doing this for about 10 whole minutes. It was a big mess, but she never stops until she gets them all, and she sings the entire sons.
--Yes, that is the only line she remembers.
--She gets her musical ability from Grandpa Mike. Enough said. (Love ya, Dad!)
--Her little "so good" at the end of the song. It is completely her own addition to the song. Enjoy!

Last But Not Least . . .

. . . My baby, Breje, who is just so not a baby anymore that she won't even let me take a picture! That's why this post has taken so long. She is never home, and when she is, she avoids the camera (or is it me?) like crazy. You would think she is too old to have any quotes to share, but I've been saving this one up.
-- it was about midnight and we were in the middle of canning our apple pie filling. The kitchen is positively overflowing with the smell of apples and cinnamon and she pipes up with "Wow, this stuff smells just like a really good candle!" Yup. I blame Scentsy.

What she loves: Pretty much everything girls her age usually love. Clothes, chocolate, shopping, music, etc. She still shares my love of reading, but now we get to share shoes, too! Yay!

She also seems to love helping with her baby sister (most of the time -- she has been trying all of our patience with her climbing habit!) and she's been enjoying learning how to cook a few things.

What she doesn't like: Most of the time she'd say her brothers, but when they are not thinking about it they get along really well. She seriously hates mornings and cleaning her room. She hates getting ready for the day, but can't stand not looking put-together. Again, I'm thinking it's that whole age thing!

I have to take a little minute to brag about her. She also just had her parent/teacher conferences and they were pretty fun. She usually gets good grades and her teachers always rave about what a great kid she is. Every one of the teachers I talked to said she wasn't just well-behaved, but the kind of kid that is kind to everyone. I think it's rare that a girl her age can be friends with every girl in her class and it's a talent she has that I am really proud of! One teacher also told me that he's sure she will have a full-ride scholarship to college someday and that she's the kind of kid I will never have to worry about as a teenager! He said she was a testament to her parents! What mom wouldn't want to hear that?! I'm thinking that will make up for some of the teenage-girl-drama we have coming our way!

Trayson

I got to go to Trayson's parent/teacher conference yesterday, so I really like him right now. It is so much fun to hear that his teacher wants to clone him and that he is the sweetest and smartest kid ever! He also got to bring home the dinosaur which he built last week out of turkey and chicken bones (his teacher admits that she is pretty much crazy!) This brings me to some of his latest funnies...
... "Mom" (before the conference) "It's kind of funny that lately the kids in my class have all been saying that I'm, like, the very smartest kid in the whole class. I don't know why." Wow. Real humility there, Tray!
"Mom?" (on the way home from the conference) "Do you think my dinosaur looks like a Pachyosepholosaurus? I think it does because they had skulls that were 15 feet thick and they were so tough that they didn't even get bruises". Sure thing, kid.
What he loves: All sports. He has way too much of his dad's competitive spirit. If there's not a sport to play right now, he'll make one up. It makes me almost grateful for soccer season!
Girls. All girls. I think mostly because they ALL worship the ground that he walks on, so that he can take a break from it. Heaven help me!
What he hates: Anyone to be upset with him. This kid is a pleaser and just gets so upset if anyone is mad. He also really hates it when anyone else around him is not obeying the rules. His teacher says she can see him get stressed when the other kids get out of control.
Having nothing to do. He cannot sit still unless it is to play computer games. The busier he is, the happier he is. I CANNOT wait for summer so that he can run around outside!
One of my favorite things about Trayson is his tender heart. I also love that he is constantly reminding me of his Grandpa and his Uncle Cody. I have no idea how someone so young can have so much useless info in his head to spout off at random moments, but he sure does!