girls soccer

... just enjoying soccer season with the Yellow Sunshine (very appropriate name for a cute little team of 4 and 5 year olds) and the Purple Plumbers (we're not sure who or why they picked that name, but at the end of every game when the opposing team comes to ask what their team name is they always ask "what?").

art studio

Jeremy is a thinker and a dreamer. I tease him that he, like his grandfather, is a product of the depression. He saves other people's junk with his own plans to build something specific with it. And, to his credit, he does just that.

He's wanted, and planned for, a studio for a long time. This studio will be used for pottery, art, and creativity, all things Jeremy loves. Because he loves these things and because he shares them with our children, our children love these things, too.

Of significance is the large sliding door which came from Grandma and Grandpa Wright's home. I'm grateful that they're part of this project.

Our kids are lucky. They're thinkers and dreamers, just like their dad.

pjs

Zachary and I started a sewing project over spring break and finished up this weekend. Zachary did darn near all the work on these pajama pants and I'm proud of him. This morning he told me that his pajamas were very comfortable to sleep in. :)

thumb or binky?

Lincoln loves his thumb. He's not picky, he'll take right or left. We try really hard to replace the thumb with the binky (for various reasons, most of which stemming from me sucking my thumb until the 3rd grade), but he sure prefers his thumb.

I like this picture because you can see his chubby wrist and fingers. He loves to sleep with his softy, too. Sweet baby.

soccer

The boys playing spring soccer...

Linc

I can't believe my 15 pound bundle of chubby love is 4 months old. We are completely enjoying this little boy. :)

super fun play group

Saturday was my niece's baptism. She looked beautiful and had lots of support and love from extended family.

Afterward we went to my mom's house for a nice dinner and playing with cousins.

A bit later after the babysitter arrived (fyi: Zachary wasn't being babysat), the adults (plus two darling 4 month olds) went to Syracuse Spare Time Fun Center. A big thanks goes to mom for generously funding the evening.

Whilst listening to teenager-upbeat-hip-shaking-music we played a game of bowling (Michael won, everyone at least broke 50) and had a grand time. It was cool to see how fast (shown in mph) we bowled. Then we played a round of miniature golf, complete with black light and 3D glasses. It sort of made me feel sick, but we all agreed that it would be a fun date (for 16 year olds). We ended the evening with a few games of laser tag, the highlight of the night (in my opinion). We had the place to ourselves and divided into 2 groups (thanks again to mom who hung out with the babies). It was a complete riot!

The kids had fun without us (of course the older girls made a list of the injustices they faced by staying home rather than going out, and, perhaps more importantly, Anna has determined what kind of parent she is going to be!). We rounded out the evening with the kids and lots of options for our ice cream sundaes. What a fun night for all of us!

banana split pizza

Recently Anna checked out a couple of cookbooks from her school library and we've tried a few with fabulous success. In addition to making a nice treat or part of a meal, she's working on doubling fractions and making accurate measurements, as well as discussing how to alter a recipe to make it taste even better (such as using milk chocolate chips which she prefers to semi-sweet chocolate chips).

Banana Split Pizza

1 pkg brownie mix

2 8 oz. cream cheese, softened

2/3 c. powdered sugar

1 c. sliced bananas

1 8 oz. can pineapple tidbits

1 c. sliced fresh strawberries

1/4 c. milk chocolate chocolate chips

1. Mix brownies as directed on box. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Pour brownie batter onto cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

2. Mix together cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. When brownies are cool, spread mixture carefully over the brownies.

3. Place strawberries, pineapple, and bananas on top, sprinkle with chocolate chips. Refrigerate before serving.

Happy Easter

I bought the least expensive egg dye kit and we were surprised that it came with 12 colored tablets! The kids were interested in dipping the eggs in different colors and had a fun time discovering.

We had to wait for the snow to melt before having our egg hunt outside; we're pretty sure the kids found all of the eggs. It was fun to have Aunt Suzy and Uncle Brannon here for the Easter egg hunt and to watch General Conference with.

We also had a nice discussion over dinner about the real meaning of Easter and what we're really celebrating.

Lincoln

Lincoln is 3 1/2 months old! He's a giggling, drooling, chubby, happy baby who loves his jumper, reading stories, and being tickled.

strawberry jam

We got a great deal on strawberries and bought 3 flats. I chopped strawberries while Anna carefully calculated doubling fractions and measured all of the ingredients. We finished up our freezer jam in just under 2 hours. It was a very enjoyable time for both of us, I think. Anna is becoming a young lady and I am loving spending time with her.