Spring Break

The best thing that happened over spring break was the announcement of the LDS temple that is being built right where we live. We were really excited because we were in Utah when this happened. Here is a picture of me and Kathleen in front of the Conference center in Salt Lake. We are sitting in temple square. She was so fun to be with for this moment.I took a weekend trip to visit my sister Alyssa. We got pedicures while we were together.

This didn't happen during spring break, but I am a little behind. We babysat for a friend and Cody was in love with her. He insisted on feeding her and enjoyed every minute of it.
Kathleen had her 3rd grade singing performance. She was so cute.

Cody and I were running to Costco and he asked if he could bring a snack. I told him that was fine, but when I turned around, this is what he had (a gallon sized ziplock with some cheese and crackers):
Brandon built a cup tower.
Now back to spring break, Ryan and the kids made monster sized cookies while I was gone.
When I got back, I took the kids to the local penitentiary. Then I left them there.

Just joking. But then we went out of town as a family to Utah to visit Ryan's Granny. While visiting her we went to a dinosaur museum.

Cody played the "drums" on some of their displays. I know, we really need to teach that kid some discipline. But in his defense, these stones did all make different sounds when you banged on them.



The kids call Granny by the name of "Blue Granny". A few years ago when we visited her, we called her "white-haired Granny." At the time, Kathleen and Brandon's favorite colors were both blue (tells you how long ago that was). When we left, they said they loved her so much that they didn't want to call her white Granny, they wanted to call her Blue Granny. And she has been Blue Granny to them ever since.
We visited Aunt Marsha and Uncle Jim on their farm. It was so much fun. The kids got to see animals...
Ride on 4-wheelers...

And even help Uncle Jim plow the field on his new tractor.

Then Brandon got the flu, so we came home a day early. But we had a ton of fun, so it was all good.

Happy St. Patty's Day

Here are my cute little leprechauns:And my cute big leprechaun, sending me a picture text of himself while he is talking to me on the phone at work:
We had our annual green dinner with our good friends.
I realize it isn't much to look at, but it is tradition.
On the morning of St. Patrick's day, we wake up to a mess. The leprechaun has been through our house and pulled out the kids toys and left them all over with little piles of candy and gold coins. It kind of isn't the best tradition since you have to clean up all the toys first or you don't even notice a difference. But then you get mad at the mess you have to clean up all over again. What we do for our kids...
They were really surprised to see the their books were out of their rooms and on the floor in the hall. The best part was when Cody saw the reflection of a rainbow on the ground in the kitchen as the sun hit just right through the window. He thought it was awesome that the leprechaun left us a rainbow on the ground.
Kathleen has many good friends, but for Brecklyn's birthday she got her a Best Friends necklace that is a mood necklace and is magnetic. They thought it was the coolest thing ever.
Eating green eggs and toast with honeydew melon:
Ryan and I have been really liking the show Psych. In it the main guy is always giving away pineapples as gifts. So of course, I had to get Ryan a pineapple a couple weeks ago just for fun.

The kids had Dr. Seuss week at school. Can you guess who they are?


Cody is way into coloring and stickers right now. I just love when he likes doing something that doesn't involve electronics.
How much do you love your brother? As much as I can squish him!
Cody got to go on this fun field trip with some of his buddies for their preschool to a pizza place. He loved it. They let the kids make their own pizzas. Cody accidentally tried to eat his before it was cooked.
And here is my child that is a holy terror at the dentist. We switched him to a special dentist for kids because I couldn't abuse our family dentist any more. He is a good friend of ours and was so patient with Brandon, but Brandon is terrible any way. So we had to try something different. They had toys there and look at this...a smile. That is right, he is smiling at the dentist. Who would have thought it possible. Of course, he didn't have any work done this day.

February Fun

Brandon is such a cute basketball player. He smiles the whole time he plays. See bottom of this post for a video of him making a basket.Ryan and I went on a date to a basketball game this weekend and got awesome seats right on the court. It was so much fun (minus hearing the foul mouths up close) being so close to the action. They even gave us stats updates fresh off the press each quarter.
I know I forgot to update pics from Valentine's day. So this one will have to do. Grammy and Pompa sent the kids a soda bottle in the mail that was full of candy. The LOVED it!
We built a monstrous fort. The kids love it. We read books in it the other night.
Cody decided one day this week that he wanted to play the DS, but he also wanted snacks. After about 3 trips to the pantry, he disappeared. Then I found him. I guess he decided it was easier this way.
Brandon and his basketball buddy Noah:
Kathleen did this video contest thing with her class at school. They didn't win, but they gave all the kids t-shirts. Kathleen's was an Adult Large. Who would send that to a 3rd grade class? But that didn't discourage Kathleen. She thought it was cool and decided to go all 80's with it, complete with belt, tie in the big hair, and head phones. And she did this without help from mom. That's what 80's day at school will teach a kid.
And here is cute Brandon making a basket:

Sweet Cody

For anyone who had lived near us, you have probably noticed the rashes that are constantly a part of Cody's life since last summer. At first doctors said it was allergies. But I finally took him in this week because the stuff they have been giving us no longer works. So now we are doing a round of "what is wrong with your kid" and that means blood work. I knew it was bad when the doctor pulled out a huge book and just sat there reading for a while in front of us. I can honestly say I have never seen that before. So off we went to the hospital for blood work. Cody was amazing. I don't know how I got so blessed with such a good boy for my last kid, but I did. He didn't even cry. Just said "ouch" when they poked him. Then whined a little (and very quiet) "ouch" a few seconds in that sounded like a little bird. It was pretty cute. No crying at all. But when we were done, he turned to me and said, "Mom, I don't ever want to do that again." Well, we could have had a talk about life, but I just said, "Okay. Not today." But as a reward, we went to Krispy Kreme, AKA The Doughnut Factory.
So proud of his battle wound:
And the hat:
And the box (Cody wanted pictures of everything):
No more pictures and I mean it!

Anybody want a peanut?

Goldilocks & the Three Bears

For fun (and yes I mean FUN) we decided to act out the story of Goldilocks & the Three Bears. So sit back and enjoy the story...

Once upon a time there were 3 bears. A Daddy bear (Brandon), a Mommy bear (Ang) and a Baby bear (Cody). They sat down to eat some porridge.
But it was too hot. So they went for a walk...to the bathroom. Yes, all three of them (plus Kathleen) squished into our tiny downstairs bathroom. The door added effect. Or something like that.
Then along came Goldilocks (out of the same bathroom...AKA outside). You know the story from here.

Too hard!
Too squishy!
Aaaaahh. Just right!
HEY!
Someone ate my porridge!
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
My chair is broken! Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
GET HER!!!!!
AND CHASE HER DOWN THE STAIRS!!!!! (Nothing dangerous there)
Grab her and throw her in the closet. AKA "Catch her and sell her to the zoo". That is how all Ryan's stories end. And after all...
Ryan was the narrator. And yes, Kathleen is shut in that closet...I mean zoo.

Bowling

After our 3rd attempt to get the kids bowling, we finally had success. They earned it for reading the entire Book of Mormon in the year 2010. But every time we went as a family, the lanes were full with tournaments, etc. So we finally got in and Cody got to bowl for the very first time. It wasn't his forte, but he sure had fun. And only one time did the ball not make it to the pins, although one time it was so slow that the pins actually stopped his ball. But it did make it to the pins.

Here is the final product you have all been waiting to see...Ryan finished his pioneer shirt. And it actually looks like a shirt! And yes, we match. We look so hot!
For Ryan's birthday his parents (and I am sure his sister Emily helped too) made him these "chatter blocks." When ever we go to visit his parents he plays with theirs. And now he has some of his own. Today Kathleen asked him if he could write "Kathleen is my girl". He said he would try. It took every letter, but he did it. I am really surprised he was able to.