Better late than never

I know I am almost a month late with this picture, actually I think I am! I have been crazy busy for the last month or so, which is why I have not responded to anyones emails or commented on anyones blogs. I have been looking for brief moments, but no long enough to comment. So sorry. But here is a quick photo from Easter. I was trying to get one before church, because after church Natalie is a bear or she is asleep. However we were running late, even though we don't meet until 1:00!! I don't know how that happens. Too bad that only 1 out of 3 is looking at the camera and 2 out of 3 are completely dressed. But I am glad that 3 out of 3 were actually all happy to go to church that day!

Our week's Summary

When food dislikes interfere with your fun
Evan is going to be a boy that loves April Fool's Day. He was thinking of stuff all day to try and trick people. Zach wanted to put ketchup on him to pretend he was bleeding. Evan thought that was cool, but he doesn't like ketchup so he thought he would use something else that is red. On Thursday he comes home from school and asks me if ink on your skin can give you ink poisoning. And then he shows me his hand. He was so excited to try and trick his dad and proud that he beat his brother to it! But then mom made him wash it off.


What I have been up to this week
Our dryer hasn't been drying very well lately and it seems to just be getting worse. I called a service guy to schedule to come look at, and it is $60 to just come look at, not to mention if there is anything that need replaced or labor hours. So, I have been reading up everything I can to figure out how I can do it myself. What I thought was the problem ended up not being right. But I tore the dryer apart, took the part in to have it tested, and then put it back together. When that wasn't the problem I thought maybe there is a clog in the vent leading outside, but that isn't it either. Bottom line I tried so hard to avoid a service fee and be independent but I guess some things you just can't get away with. Darn it!!! I hate spending money that I know I could save if I just knew more about things like this.

"Take me out to the ball game. . ."

Zach had his 2nd game on Sat and was so excited, he made an out and he hit the ball and made it to 1st base! What a day. I love the first picture you can see his team mate in the back telling him to run. He was playing 3rd baseman and he tagged the base and then when the player got to 3rd base I think Zach tagged him at least 2-3 times. He was going to make sure that he got him out! This was really good for him considering both games he gets up to bat in the last inning with 2 outs and bases are loaded and then he strikes out. Gabe and I don't think he realizes the whole picture, but he was really upset his first game that they lost. He came home crying and very upset. Sports can be so good for kids, but hard.

My Dear Sweet Husband

I have a great husband!! I know cheesy, cheesy!! But he reads my blog and I wanted him to know how wonderful I think he is.
Gabriel went on his first camp out this last weekend with the Boy Scouts. I was impressed and worried the whole time. It was pretty cold that night. He said there was a little bit of snow flurries when they woke up Saturday. But they had fun! And I am so impressed with him. Way to go Gabriel!!

We have had many a discussion about doing thoughtful things. So, last night this is what I found on my pillow. Yes, I did watch the movie and read the books, but am not one of the obsessed ones. But this box cracks me up! Can you read what some of the hearts say? Hilarious!!

Thanks Gabe! I love you.

When Mom and Dad are sick. . . .

What do you do when mom and dad are both sick? Just ask our kids that entertained themselves all day today while Gabe and I have taken turns sleeping and just taking it easy.
So, this is what our kids did to pass the time.

1. Build a "water track" to drive your boats down the hill to the pool.

2. Find all kinds of creatures while digging in the dirt. We discovered worms and some slimy thing, we think it is a snail.

3. Bury treasure in your backyard, Mom and Dad don't care if you make a hole in the grass.

4. Play pirates with each other.

It really amazes me sometimes what kids can come up with when left to find fun on their own. Makes me wonder why we have a playroom full of toys. Kids are amazing.

Spring Break

We had Spring Break this last week and it wasn't as we had planned, but in the end I think the kids had fun just having a break from school. I know I sure did. Evan started getting sick last Sunday and was sick for most of the week, Natalie followed him a few days later and then me and now Gabe has it. We wanted to take the kids up to Chicago for the day and go get Giordano's. The kids have talked about it for weeks. I did a mini class for our last Primary Activity about serving a mission in Chicago and pizza was talked about it. Zach had asked if they had ever eaten it and Gabe and I decided that would be fun for the day. Well, due to the fact that St. Patrick's is a huge deal in Chicago, the flights were all packed for most of the week. So, we will have to pull them out one day and do that later. And since 2 of 3 were sick we just hung around the house. (How fun is that!?)

A tip from a friend lead to this. I sent the kids out to "wash" the trampoline. We put soap and water all over the and they had so much fun. It was the best slip and slide too! Zach said it was the best chore ever!

We went to the park one day and had our first ant attack. Minutes before we were leaving Natalie fell on top of an ant hill and got quite a few bites. It was a scarry few minutes. As we were leaving the park Natalie says to me, "Thanks for saving me Mom." How is it that a 2 year old can make you feel like a million bucks? I got a few bites myself trying to get them off of her and she is always coming up pointing to them and will say, "You got bit? You saved me from the ants?" She is a little terrifed of going to the park now, but hopefully will soon forget.

And we did cleaning. The kids were great about helping out, especially since they were rewarded with a new Wii game dad had borrowed.

While the boys cleaned the house, Natalie was cleaning herself. She would put foamy soap on a brush and rub it in her hair. After I captured her she went and got her hair washed and not 10 min later she was back doing the same thing. I have had to put all our foamy soap way out of her reach!

Gabriel took Friday and Saturday off and we went to an indoor water park on Friday. The kids had a blast. It was very crowded, but fun. Not anything fancy, but we had fun being together and I will be sad to have my boys gone all day tomorrow. Spring break is a very nice break!

My Cowboy

Evan's kindergarten class has been learning all about Texas and for the finale they were to dress up as cowboys and girls. Well, other than a hat I didn't have anything for him to dress up. The shirt I picked didn't have long sleeves and apparently cowboys do. "Cowboys wear boots, not tennis shoes" Evan informed me that morning. And the bandana that I had intended for him to wear around his neck appeared to be too close to what a cowgirl would wear. So, he is looking at himself in the mirror saying that the kids aren't going to be sure he is a cowboy. (How is it that kids 'know' everything!) I suggested that I could put a mustache on him to make it more western. Well, long story short he agreed and we all had a good laugh. He went to school a lot more excited about his costume. He came home just as excited, no one else had a mustache!

What a cute cowboy!

At it again

We had our Blue and Gold this last week. Our theme was Cities Across America. We took our menu from an old time diner menu: hamburgers and hot dogs. Therefore, we had cakes made the same. A neighbor of mine is a genius when it comes to cakes. We had a little trouble with the hot dog, but it still looked pretty good and it was all cake, minus the hot dog which were twinkies! The boys thought they were great and that is all that mattered.