Black and White Days

Black and White Days

The big event this week was going all the way to Utah for Black and White Days that happens in Chris' grandpa's home town. I know we have missed a few when we lived to far, but this time we planned to drive and then camp out afterward. The weather ruined it and we ended up driving all the way home the day of, but we got their early enough to spend some good time with family. The girls had a lot of fun playing with the dogs and cousins, and was so excited about the parade, and barely ate any dinner because there were so many snacks and candy before hand. Chris's cousin has provided the meat for the past couple years because he has his own food truck with delicious food! In the past, we had a lot of cooking and setting up before the parade, but recently there is more time to play and chat. Chris went shooting with his brother, and the kids played pirates in a trailer that was in the back yard. Adrian was nonstop walking around and exploring after the 5 hour drive and tired himself out for the drive home. 

The Week

School is winding down so there has been a lot going on for the girls and less homework sent home so I collected the summer books they can start using it soon. They still have one more week and then I will have to find things for us to do every day! Shay has a zoo trip tomorrow, she did an animal report as homework and was so excited to share it as a powerpoint with her class. Adrian brings his blanket when he gets out of bed and sometimes plays peek-a-boo with it, or just runs into walls and the couch. It hasn't hurt him yet and is just so cute and funny. He didn't love napping in the car as much as I thought he would but was able to nap when we had our trip. He was also a fun entertainment at the Baby Shower we went to for our friends Sunday night. It was a fun get together and we all went as a family which made the party even better. 

Happy Mother's Day!

Mom

It has been a wonderful Mother's Day for me. On Friday, the girls got home from school with presents they had made at school. Shay made a shrink-dink note for me on my key chain, and Claire made a coupon book with colored puns on the outside. Chris gave me a massage and then made me French toast for breakfast today, and he will be making dinner tonight as well. At church, the primary sang a beautiful song about mothers, and we had a short Relief Society lesson and treat. Adrian also took a nice nap after church so I could nap too! There are hardly words to describe how glad I am to be a mother, and I love the family and life that I have.

Adrian

He spends his days exploring our house and backyard still, taking anything out of cabinets, drawers, and organized bins and spreading them as a tornado of destruction. It has been a long time since I've had to pick up after my girls, and I'm getting used to it again, but there are a few times he likes to give me things, so maybe clean-up time won't be too far away. When the girls are home, he likes to be involved in their games, and sometimes they like him to play, but more and more, they try to do it on their own because he just destroys instead of builds up.

School

As we are counting down the last days of school, the girls are doing tests, having field trips, and getting excited about next year. Claire came home saying she can't wait to be a 3rd grader, and Shay said she can't wait to be a 3rd grader either! Shay has expressed not wanting to leave, and I'm excited for them to bring their new cameras to school and take pictures with their friends. I'm also hoping to make summer educational and fun for them with library trips, camping, splash pad, waterparks, and all the parks around. Spring is always a fun time to look forward to playing outside, and remember to wear sunscreen. 

A Week Full of Spring

 Adrian

He has now started wiggle dancing when some of his toys give him the music, and I caught it once this week. There is barely any crawling, and he seems to want to tell me things all the time when he wants things, still not great at copying the signs I'm teaching because his own signs work too, apparently. I had a Relief Society lunch, and he had fun with the bubbles and toys that were there while I visited and ate; he played and explored. It is nice that he is a happy, friendly boy when he is rested and fed. He has his own sense of adventure and plays by himself sometimes, too, although sometimes he is purposefully exploring to see if there are things he can mess up. He is also working on his tools while eating, and usually gets jealous if I have a fork and forget to give him one. Now we find them in the toys and around the house since he doesn't like to drop them after the meal.

Claire 

She has been taking her end-of-year testing this week, and when she comes home, she tells us that she is trying hard. I hope she is able to focus, but knowing how crazy she is at home, I have my doubts, but she says her teacher lets the kids get wiggles out if they need to. We went to a donation swap yesterday and they got a few new clothes, a fun book, some toys, and jewelry too. They were super excited to go because they remembered the yard sale we went to last year, and this place was all free because it was donations. We have had some fun afternoons in the grass and got to play in the water this week because it was really sunny and warm yesterday. We even tried to fly a kite earlier today, but the wind wasn't constant enough, and we only stayed in the backyard, so there wasn't enough of a running track. 

Shay

She had a field trip to the library this week to practice for the zoo field trip that will be coming up in two weeks. I wish I was able to volunteer to the zoo like I did for Claire a few years back, but they spots got filled up really quickly so if I went it would just be tagging along and I wouldn't want to be a distraction since last time I 'helped' the kids were fauning over Adrian. She has homework that we have been working on that she will do as a presentation for her class, and it is making her excited. We have been researching Snow Leopards and finding pictures and adding them to a slide show so she can tell her class all that she has been learning. Shay had a crazy idea to put her socks on Buttercup, and had a blast playing dress up and making her act funny with socks on.