Spiders

This morning Tyler said to me, "Mom!! If you put a spider in your eye it will bite your eye out and then you won't see." And I replied, "Really? Let's not put spider's in our eyes."

Now I must ask, "Why would anyone ever think of putting a spider in their eye?" I just can't help but laugh.

Next time you see a spider, please refrain from picking it up and popping it in your eye. I know if will be difficult, but it's definitely not worth losing an eye over.

Highlights

We've had some really good weekends the past several weeks.

Highlights:

--The second weekend of April our stake had a very large temple day. It was centered around the Primary and we had over 200 children at the temple day activity (most traveled 4-5 hours to get there). Several very sweet couples in our stake were group leaders and took the kids to different stations around the temple while parents and youth participated in temple work. It was a wonderful day and the boys loved the opportunity to be at the temple. I think it is an experience they will not forget, nor will I. President Thomas S. Monson has said, "as we touch the temple, the temple will touch us (“A Shining Beacon on a Hill: Jordan River Temple Is Dedicated,” Ensign, Jan. 1982, 77)." It took a little bit for Tyler to warm up to his group leaders, but he finally did (with a little bribery from mom). And, I think both Tyler and David will always remember going to the temple, singing songs, and having the opportunity to "touch the temple." We also had fun seeing Jen and meeting her neighbor with the talking parrot "Coco."

--The weekend of the 17th I took the boys and Madilyn to the park and we went for a hike on one of the local trails. The trail was extremely steep. With packing Madilyn and a botched up knee, it was a bit rough for me on the way down. Plus, there was a really creepy guy in a truck who would not go away. Everything turned out okay, but I called my mom on the way down from the hike and she almost called the police.

--The weekend of the 21st LeAnn came down and we went to Pipestem Park. It's a fun mountain state park in West Virginia that has a lot of activities and trails. The kids enjoyed playing and a hike to a lookout tower on the top of the mountain. We also had a picnic. David #3 has been wanting to go on a picnic for several months and we FINALLY made it happen.

(The kids built this fun little lean-too tee-pee thing by the

picnic shelter around a tree. They kept calling it their house.)

(David and Ella at the top of the lookout tower. They refused to look at me)

--And last but not least, last weekend, we went camping on our farm. Now that was quite the experience. We wanted to do a "trial run" before Memorial Day weekend, and I'm not sure we're ready for a full fledged outing until Miss Madilyn is a little older. We had a really good time--definitely a great memory for the boys. We set up the tent, built a campfire, roasted hot dogs, and toasted marshmallows. We then sang some silly songs and played Frisbee with David's new glow in the dark Frisbee. Afterwards, we packed in the tent. We started out taking up the whole tent, but by the time the night was out, we were all smashed together in about 1/4 of the tent. Needless to say, little bodies got cold and they snuggled up to big bodies. We ended up getting up around 7am and heading back to the house. It was lovely to be so close to home. :)

(David #3 is not a deer. He's a moose.)

The kids helping dad build the fire at the pit

And those are some of the main highlights. I love weekends. If you talk to me during the week, I'm usually a bit frazzled, but the weekends are spectacular. I covet them. And, they are always just a little too short.

Bologna

Is it a sin to feed my children bologna? I hate the stuff. Just the thought of it makes me crinkle up my nose. But, my children LOVE it. That's their favorite lunch. And the label on the above picture -- "gourmet bologna." Can bologna really be gormet? Is it even considered a meat? I don't think so.
I can't stand it, but I buy it by the mass packages for my children.

I'm a bologna hypocrite.

Scratches

It looks like we put Tyler in a cage with a very ferocious cat. In all reality, he tumbled right into a rose bush while we were cleaning off a corner of the farm a few evenings ago. His poor little face and legs are all scratched up. We're taking a family excursion this weekend up to DC. Perfect timing for the evil stares (from people who think I abuse my children.)

I can't wait for a family outing. I love them and we are visiting one of the best places on earth!!

Easter Fun!

We had a very nice Easter. My brother, his wife, and their two cute kids came in very unexpectedly from Texas. We had a nice weekend. Highlights:

**General Conference--What a wonderful time to have General Conference and celebrate the life of the Savior! I love when General Conference falls on Easter weekend. I love the opportunity to hear from our church leaders. I really enjoyed the specific talks on families and the importance placed on building stronger families.

**Easter egg coloring and hunting--We've always hunted Easter eggs. Even in high school, we colored eggs and mom and dad would hide them. It's one of those fun traditions that we can't stop.

(My niece Ella could not keep her hands out of the dye)

**Easter brunch--We usually have a big Easter dinner, but this year we did a big breakfast right before the first session of General conference on Sunday morning. It was delicious--and fun to have friends and family gathered together.

**Sunshine--Oh how the sun did shine!! I loved it! We spent many hours out and about. We went on walks, played with the new baby calves, and enjoyed warm weather!

The kids with Uncle Jake (Please note that the kids

did not actually take a ride all together. This was just for a picture.)

**Egg-golfing--This is officially a new sport started by my brother Jared. Everyone needs to try it sometime. :)

Wicked Wicked Wife

Hubby David is the worst prankster ever. He always seems to win at everything, BUT this morning I actually got him good. And, I'm competetive. Frankly, I like to win too!! He fell for my April Fool's Day trickery. He actually took the bait and ran with it. I won. I actually won! It was a true miracle. :)

And, if you haven't had a chance, you need to go check out Google's main search page: www.google.com. It's cute. Make sure you read the link that says "Not In Kansas: learn about our new name."

Happy April Fool's Day!

Tyler the Builder

Tyler is our little guy with a real silly bone. He's always making jokes and trying to make everyone laugh. And, I just like this picture of him. He loves to put on this ensemble and say, "MOM, I'm Bob the Builder."

There you go, Bob. Thanks for brainwashing my children.