Jog-A-Thon, Wild Animals, and Other Assorted Adventures...

Ethan participated in his school's annual jog-a-thon and ran 5-200yd laps without breaking a sweat! Thankfully it's not truly a "jog-a-thon" but more of a "how many laps can you run in 5 minutes-a-thon". This works out much better as I'm not sure how long it would've taken before the kids started dropping like flies. It was fun watching them race around the track all in the hopes of getting the prized popsicle at the end!

It was spring break and the highlight of the week was the birthday trip to the Wild Animal Park. Our neighbor down the street turned 7 and he and his sisters and Ethan and Ava partied it up all day with the animals.


Ethan's favorite part of the day was seeing all the snakes, lizards, and spiders in the "Hidden Forest." My favorite was the lion exhibit...maybe because they were so close - literally just the other side of the plexiglass - and because there were so many cubs all curled up together.

Ava's favorite part was "Lorikeet Landing" were she was able to handfeed the birds a bit of nector. This one looks a bit sickly...but oh well, everyone needs a little nector! This was also Ethan's least favorite part as he believed it to be the "Dome of Doom" and probably the scariest place he has ever been... Maybe he stayed up late one night and watched Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" unbeknownst to me!

The next day we headed out to Bullhead to visit Grandma and Grandpa. What is there to do in Bullhead when it's a bit windy...no, a lot windy and a tad chilly?

Yes, miniature golfing for everyone! Surprisingly a pretty fun activity for all ages!

And then we went out to the dam and Lake Mohave...just for a scenic tour. We even got to see a bunch of spring breaker's bridge jumping. Mmmm...seems like just yesterday that I was on spring break looking for a thrill. Oh, how things have changed!

9 Months!

True to form, I am late on posting Andrew's 9 month birthday. Yes, I know most of you don't care as this is really for my own record keeping, but her it goes anyway.

This month Andrew got his first haircut and surprisingly, he needs another one already! He has 4 teeth (2 on the top and 2 on the bottom). The last two came with a lot of pain, fevers, and grief (on my part mostly!). He's still little (my back thanks him). We'll see how little at the doctors in a week or so but he can still wear a size 2 diaper! My kids never really have bellies or butts! He has stood up on his own, unsupported, but quickly lowers himself to the ground as he really isn't ready for all the falling that walking will bring. He has also discovered that he really doesn't enjoy falling down the stairs and stays far far away from the edge. Unfortunately, this does not stop him from going up! Andrew is a pretty good eater unless you are trying to feed him baby food veggies (really, can you blame him?)...or anything from a bottle or sippy cup which he thinks are teething toys. Bathtime is his favorite even though he mostly shares the tub with two other squirmy bodies. The more the merrier, right? He has learned to be a pretty good sport tagging along to all of our activities and adventures. Sadly, my hermit days have come to an end... He is however, a great napper! He takes 2 and 3 hour naps which allow me to finally get things done a bit more. You know, I think kids nap just so that we parents have a chance to take a breath! Thank goodness for that!

34!

Happy Birthday to ME! I'm 34 (really?). This was us at lunch that day (it was the 29th of March - I'm a little late). Andrew was unwittingly the highlight for our demented sense of humor as Todd slowly added cereal stars to his face for decoration.

Ethan, the Bilder...

At school, Ethan is learning the art of writing essays. Ok, they aren't that advanced but everyday he writes a few sentences on something they have been talking about or on something he has done. I LOVE to see these papers (with the accompanying drawing). Sometimes I feel as though I get a little bit of insight into the mind of a 5 year old. Of course, this insight is limited by the vocabulary they are able to sound out and put to paper and is limited even more so by how long it takes to do so...attention span is everything! This is my favorite paper to date...

Notice...it looks as though he is lifting a weight or something...Well, I asked and no he is not wanting to be a "body" builder. He is building a bridge in the picture. If this is the way he intends to build, I truly hope he grows a whole lot more!

Ava has powers...

So for Family Night on Monday, we discussed repentance and how if you do something wrong, you need to ask the person you wronged and your Father in Heaven for forgiveness. So the next day Ava and Ethan are having an argument and Ava hits Ethan. Once the dust settles, Ethan tells Ava that she needs to pray and repent. Here's what I heard as I listened quietly in the kitchen:

Ava (obediently sitting in the corner begins to pray): "Heavenly Father, thank thee for this day. Please help Ethan not to get hurt..."

Ethan (interrupting): "No Ava! You have to say you are sorry for hitting me!"

Ava (begins again): "Heavenly Father, Please bless Ethan and my friends..."
Ethan interrrupts again and eventually coaches her through her prayer.

Ethan: "Now, don't you feel better?"

Ava: "No, my heart is still angry."

Ethan: "Why is your heart angry?"

Ava: "Because I have powers."

Ok?? Ethan just dropped the conversation at this point. He didn't know what to say. I later asked her what her powers were and she answered, "my blood."

Who knows?? But at least we know that one kid was listening pretty well during FHE!

Happy Easter!

Today as we sat down to our Easter dinner....we discussed the Savior and why we celebrate Easter. Ethan informed Ava that Jesus lived here "in this world" a long time ago. He thought it would be fun if Jesus lived on our street because then he could participate in the Easter egg hunt and get all the eggs that were hidden up high but that he couldn't peek while mom and dad were hiding them. This comment made Todd and I giggle a bit but then as I thought about it...Ethan really does see his Savior as his best friend. He is always talking about him as if he is right there with him, truly a part of his life, sharing his experiences. The faith that a child has is amazing! I was humbled as I thought how I could do a better job of making Christ a part of my daily activities.

Just a note for posterity...Ethan gave his first talk today in primary, "Jesus is My Savior" and Ava gave the scripture and sang with the primary during sacrament meeting. We were proud! One of these days we'll get Ethan over his fear of perfomance and maybe he'll join the group without breaking down in tears:) Poor kid! I remember what that fear was like all too well!

8 MONTHS

Yes, Andrew is 8 months. It has sped by - I really can't get over how fast - and I'm already missing the tiny infant I had what seems like just yesterday. That said, I truly LOVE this age and can't get enough of my "tiny mighty" as I so affectionately call him. Though getting older, he is still so small and spry. He has mastered going up the stairs (about 3 weeks ago) though down is another story so needless to say - I spend much of my day chasing him off the stairs all together. He loves dirt and sticks and hence makes of a mess of my potted trees around the house. He hates grass but loves to be outside swinging and tasting the wind blowing on his face. He has finally sprouted his first tooth (about 2 weeks ago) and has at least one other that should surface any day. He screams a lot...I suppose this is a stepping stone to finding his own voice. Really cute, for the first couple of seconds...but quickly becomes annoying as he becomes incessant about it. Fortunately he is moving on to bigger and better things lately and the screams have transformed into a variety of babbling noises. I really appreciate this! This kid has a smile for everyone, loves his siblings and has had some really cute moments with his dad. I'm, of course, his favorite - I am still the milk truck and as such, cannot be replaced or forgotten. But overall, he is turning out to be one dang cute little man!