Yeah...April is here!

So I'm finally done with the catch up from January and am into the actual month that it is...Yeah! And the good news is it has been a pretty slow month so far so it won't be as much as that crazy month of March! I am happy to be able to just keep the blog up to date now instead of feeling like I'm behind all the time...which means I am almost ready to actually invite you all to come look at it. So, happy April (even though we woke up to snow on the ground this morning...BLAH)!

Superstar! (3/25-28/08)

Warning:Seriously Proud Mom Bragging Ahead!



Max participates in a musical theater class in Orem called Scera Youth Theater. They are divided by age and learn singing, acting and dancing and put on 2 little shows and 1 "big" show each year. This year Max's class did Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, a short version written especially for kids to perform. After auditioning last January Max was thrilled to be cast as Charlie. He was so excited and worked really hard to learn his lines and songs. Being the non- stage mom that I try to force myself to be (heehee), I did not attend a single rehearsal (aren't you proud of me?). When opening night arrived our expectations weren't too high, I mean, it is children's theater. We were absolutely amazed with the final product. Max was awesome!! Seriously! He sang a few solos, had tons of lines, and performed at a level that we had never seen. I was so proud to watch him. He has grown so much and really worked hard to develop a talent that he really loves and has had a wonderful time doing it. The rest of the cast was great as well. Special thanks to our friend, Julie Mortimer, for directing such a great show and for giving Max a chance! Also, thank you to the friends and family who came and supported him, it really meant a lot for him to have you all there. Now, excuse all the pictures (you wouldn't believe how many I actually took!), but I couldn't narrow it down. Could you? I mean, look how cute he is!

Easter Sunday (3/23/08)

What a great day. For starters, we had Cassidy with us, which is a rare treat. First thing in the morning we had our little family egg hunt. At our house the Easter Bunny leaves clues on each egg leading to the next egg and eventually, hopefully, to a basket full of goodies. Each kid has their own trail to follow and it usually ends up as a race to see who finishes first. Afton even joined in the fun with the help of her dad. She enjoyed looking for and finding the eggs, but didn't want to pick them up! Once we found the baskets it was all we could do to get her to stop eating the candy... she couldn't have been more thrilled with her treasure! After that Chris made the most yummy breakfast ever! We had crepes with strawberries, peaches, or lemon. So good! At church Chris and I had the opportunity to sing with the choir and speak. At first I was bugged that we had to speak on a holiday (you know, you're busy trying to get everything ready, find the perfect Easter clothes, shoes, etc, buy groceries for breakfast and dinner AND I was in charge of the Blue and Gold Banquet 2 nights before, in addition to the regular kids activities...and you want me to prepare a talk too?...give a girl a break!), but when you have the opportunity to really study and think about the atonement and the resurrection for the week it really makes Easter special.  In the end I was extremely grateful for the opportunity and the spirit it brought to my day. After church we destroyed our beautifully decorated Easter eggs to make 2 dozen deviled eggs and raced to Lindon to have dinner with my family. Everyone was there, the meal was delicious, and we even had the opportunity to talk to my brother, Joel, serving all the way over in Afghanistan. After that we were off to the Higbee's for dessert, visiting and 1 more egg hunt. The older cousins did a great job hiding the eggs for the younger cousins and Afton finally figured out what the whole thing was about...find egg, pick it up and put it in basket (pause to smile at mom with the camera), eat lots of candy! It was seriously a day to remember...one filled with the spirit, family we love, and lots of good food and candy. Seriously what more do you need in life. It will truly be remembered as one of my favorite Easters ever. Again, what a great day.

Coloring Eggs (3/22/08)

In our home we LOVE to color Easter Eggs. We always do it on the Saturday night before Easter and the kids go nuts being as creative as they can possibly be. They love to mix colors, make difficult designs, and try to come up with an idea that's never been done before. This year they even tried to make camouflage eggs...it was quite challenging, but they worked at it until they got it. 

This was the first year Afton helped color eggs. She had a blast and her face when the colored eggs came out of the cups was priceless. Her favorite thing to do was dip the egg in the vinegar solution and then suck it off the egg.  She would have done it the whole time if we had let her.  

My favorite part about this tradition is that for about an hour the kids are enjoying each other and having a great time using their creativity (translation: mom enjoys the peace and quiet and the opportunity to take cute pictures!)

In the end we had 2 dozen beautiful eggs for the Easter Bunny to hide for us. Good Job Kids (and Chris).

The coldest Easter Egg Hunt EVER!! (3/22/08)

This was seriously one of those days that you wish you'd never left California! It didn't help that Easter was early this year. The sun was shining so we didn't bundle up too much, but once we stepped outside...Holy Cow!... It was literally freezing cold. We went anyway, did the hunt super fast, grabbed a donut and ran home. No visiting with the neighbors for us and definitely not a lot of pictures. Poor Afton was literally miserable and had little tears streaming down her face the whole time. Including the walk to and from the park I think we were only actually outside for 30 minutes but we were frozen to the bone by the time we got home. We all put our warm jammies back on and curled up with blankets to thaw out.