Easter Saturday

We started our day with a W for Blaine Soccer.

So far we are undefeated! (two games into the season, but that is HUGE for us.)

The girls have turned a corner and are just dominating. It's so fun. 

Does it look cold? Well today was a downright summer day compared to last week's game in the SNOW. 

Then we came home and hunted eggs.

Me and Jim were sitting here looking at these egg hunt pictures and realizing just how old our kids are getting. These traditions and the pictures that follow really showcase the kids' growth. 

It's kind of killing me.

Especially this.

She loves hunting eggs in her Easter dress. But for how many more years? And please bless that she will always combine the sneakers with the pink flowers. 

We were also lamenting that we didn't get a video of Andrew finding his Easter toy. He went sprinting and screaming across the lawn,

"MISS FRITTER! I GOT MISS FRITTER!"

Over and over until he came to where I was standing. 

Also "A RUBIK'S CUBE!" was a hit. 

Then this evening I was wondering what we should have for dinner. We have been eating candy all day, so I was looking for something healthy and protein-y. 

Hard boiled eggs! 

We came thiiiis close to skipping egg dying. But...dinner is served. 

Tomorrow I plan on hunkering down with a puzzle and some General Conference.

Easter is my favorite. 

March

Three important happenings around here in March:

Number one: Trampoline.

What a childhood staple. The kids are learning all kinds of tricks, every child in the neighborhood is at our house after school, and I am revisiting my own childhood tricks.

Last weekend, the men went mountain biking and the women and children jumped on the trampoline. 

When the dads got back, the trampoline strained under the weight of all the bouncers. 

No one broke an arm.

Number two: The return of the Padden experience.

This weekend the men went mountain biking while us women and children went to Padden and played at the park. 

This is the only picture we got of Evan - taken while we were waiting for a table at Fiamma Pizza - which is such a bummer because I was in literal tears laughing at his situation:

So, back at Padden, the kids were playing by the lake - the girls were fishing out "litter" (saving the ducks), and the boys were throwing in sticks and all that.

Evan came sulking over to me, legs completely muddy and wet from "falling in". 

I was somewhat annoyed at the situation, so I said "You'll just have to wait until those jeans and shoes dry" (which is reasonable in the desert, but unlikely in this biosphere),

but Bailey and Avery the "Problem Solvers - Vigilantes - Earth Custodians" were stoked on helping Evan find a solution.

They took to the car, searching for Emergency clothes I have stuffed in a cubby for such an occasion, and found the only suitable item were some shorts, size 3T (I need to update my stash).

So there appears Evan in super short shorts - khaki colored, (so = flesh colored), and a shirt that is kind of long making it looks like he isn't wearing any shorts at all. And his spring legs are white and long. 

We cracked up.

All three came down to the park with a look of triumph - problem solved!

We stifled our laughs, because if Evan's happy, then I am happy, and everyone is happy.

The one last problem was the shoes. He didn't want to wear wet shoes.

So Avery gave him one of her shoes, and Bailey offered one of her shoes (but it's size tiny so that doesn't work).

 They decide Evan should wear Avery's shoes, but then Avery is barefoot, so I give her my shoes.

Now I am barefoot, which isn't a problem except we are going to eat at a restaurant when we finish at the park.

So The Saga of the Musical Shoes begins. 

Jim offers me his casual shoes, and he puts back on his muddy mountain bike shoes.

We pack up and head to Fiamma Pizza. 

While waiting for our table - the kids running around in their mixed up shoes and Evan in his spring pony boy legs, mohawk, and girl shoes (blending in perfectly with the downtown Bellingham scene), I look at Lisa's feet and she is wearing pretty black ballerina shoes. 

I point to her shoes, then point to my/Jim's giant shoes. She offers me her tennis shoes she was wearing at the park. I put those on, and Jim goes back to wearing his nicer casual shoes. 

After dinner (while I am taking Andrew to the bathroom, so I missed the whole conversation) they decide we should drive to Edaleens and get some ice cream. Since I assumed we are all heading home, I return a sweaty pair of tennis shoes to Lisa's car. 

Eventually I come to the realization that we are going to yet another establishment that frowns on bare feet, I end the night wearing Jim's dirty mountain bike shoes. 

Are you still reading this? 

Why?

Ha ha. I think stuff like that is so hilarious. The amount of shoe exchanging going on...and Evan walking around looking like he doesn't have any shorts on at all - but having no problem with it - cracks me up. 

While waiting at Fiamma Avery was dancing The Floss. You know that elementary school fad? It's so funny. That age group latches on to the strangest things. 

The other night we had a family dance party, and Avery taught us all the moves to Whipp, Nae Nae. 

I took a picture of me wearing the mountain bike shoes so that I don't forget this very hilarious story. 

Number three: Britta and Stevie

We are dog sitting our neighbor's two chocolate labs. 

My kids are gaga over them. 

You might be able to convince me to get a dog right now. 

They are learning so many great lessons - how to be alpha, confident, responsible, brave...

See Evan running around the pond? Who is exercising/rehabilitating who here?

And: tomorrow is officially spring! Yay!

It Snuck Up On Us

This has been the strangest winter in that I have barely noticed it. 

Can you imagine such a thing?

In fact, spring has snuck up on us. 

Usually I am sitting at the window like a dog, waiting for spring to arrive. 

But this year, I looked around one day and noticed the little leaves on the tree - they grew without me watching. And the crocuses are in full bloom.

Yesterday Avery told me she heard birds chirping and frogs croaking..."oh yeah! I hear them too!"

I don't know how it happened. Maybe it was all the time we spent in Vegas? Probably it has more to do with the mildness of this winter. There was lots of sunshine.

Our biggest snowstorm happened while we were in Vegas, and it was all melted away by the time we came home. 

Whatever the reason, I am stoked. Spring is the very best. 

This week was parent-teacher conference week.

All three of my kids are doing amazing at school.

I'm so proud of them. 

Of all the things I hoped for as a mother, this is on my top 5 list: thriving at school. 

Avery's teacher remarked that Avery is so kind to everyone. "She doesn't judge, and she's not catty."

This makes me so happy. There is a boy(Gabe) in their class who is really difficult. He gets angry and worked up easily. Mrs. Lawrence asked around, and only Avery and another boy were willing to be math partners with Gabe. She said that when Gabe starts getting intense, Avery is patient with him and waits calmly. "Avery makes my life easier".

For a while she would only read graphic novels but is currently into the "Gregor the Underlander" chronicles. She's on book 3. 

She tested at a grade 6 level for math. She is so good at math, even though it's not her favorite. 

Besides her all-star review academically, the social intelligence makes me the most happy. 

I told Mrs. Lawrence that Avery is a gift in our home, and she said, "she's a gift in my classroom!"

Evan's teacher also had nothing but praise to offer. Evan thrives in the classroom environment. He's super good at math. He's a self manager. He tries not to laugh at the silly boy who sits behind him. 

They are going to keep him on his IEP for reading. He's right on the verge of becoming a super fluent reader. He walks around the house "reading" chapter books. He's so close to really taking off with the comprehension part of it. 

He is friendly and happy. He has an intense awareness of time. He loves the structure of it. If I tell him that we are going somewhere at 5:30, he manages all things and is ready to be out the door right then. 

It calms him to know the exact timeline of things. 

When we miss a day of school, he announces where he WOULD be, at that time, if he was at school. "It's 12:30, we would be doing silent reading right now."

"It's 10:30, we would be eating snack right now."

Andrew is doing amazing in preschool. He is the only one in his class who knows all his upper and lower case letters - even among the non-delayed peers. He can read and write some words. 

His current biggest delay is verbal processing. For example, he can put images in the right order all day long (like 5 pictures of someone peeling an orange, then eating it), but he can't clearly verbalize what is going on in the pictures. But all his teachers LOVE his happy attitude and funny personality. 

While I was talking to Teacher Andrea, he shyly walked up to us and asked if he could do a puzzle.

Then he kneeled on the floor and quietly put the whole thing together. 

. 

Lastly:

Evan started scouts! We borrowed a shirt for the first meeting, so that's why he's so successful with all  those patches there. 

He expected it to be more like Russell from Up - walking around and being helpful, you know - but he soon realized it's basically Lord of the Flies.