Happy, Happy Easter!

Easter time is always very fun in our neighborhood.  our annual pot luck has grown and changed over the years.  with most of our littles in soccer, we've started having an evening party rather than a breakfast.  the girls were thrilled to break out the baskets.  (when will they stop "posing" for the camera?)  this was Colin's first bone fide egg hunt, and he was unsure what to expect.  

 this is most of the motley crew that gathered for the big egg hunt.  (Colin is not pictured as he was too busy playing basketball and i am too pregnant to chase after him for a photo op.) 

once he got the hang of the hunt, he found it fun.  he had lots of help from sisters too!

                       

 dinner was delicious!

 and we gathered enough candy to wire these kids for 3 days!

 Easter Sunday we had a fun dying Easter eggs before church.   

church was uplifting and a wonderful celebration of our Savior's life, atonement and resurrection.  and marked Anna's very first performance with the ward choir.  afterward, we hosted out Earl family for dinner, and snapped some pics of these Easter cuties.  

Happy Easter!

first swim of the season?

the temperatures are starting to soar, but i'm not sure the pool has caught up yet.  the girls begged and begged to go in, so:

they stayed in there for a while, despite the squealing.  

spring break, mountain style!

we are so lucky to be surrounded by generous friends and neighbors who invite us to their great mountain retreats.  usually, we've gotten away during the dog days of summer (and fall), but this time we went during spring break, and there was actually a little bit of snow.  

 this poor kid has inherited pink furry snow boots and pink gloves.  since this is likely his only snow day this year, we were not willing to make a more masculine investment.  

 the double-decker view from the family room of  this cabin is amazing.  me and my sore back enjoyed it very well during our stay.  

 some may have said, "there's not enough snow for a snow man." but these 4 proved them all wrong!

 here is our favorite activity up there, quad riding.  the scenery is too delicious not to explore.  and the quad gets us places we wouldn't otherwise be able to go.  we got stuck twice and lost 2 machines to repairs, but we still had an amazing time.  

 the girls had so much fun playing with Conner. 

 the quad takes us to such amazing places to hike and explore. 

 we got to see some cool Native American hieroglyphics.  

 love my boys!

 we rode to the top of a neighboring mountain for a fun and delicious picnic in the snow.  

 quad/rhino rides are also excellent for lulling nappers to sleep!

big thanks to the Whites for sharing their piece of heaven with us.  we love the opportunity to explore and play!

student of the month - Anna Earl!!!

i was so happy to receive the phone call from Mrs. Casey that Anna was chosen as February's student of the month, representing the virtue of Charity!  it's fun to go as a family to flag ceremony and honor all the students of the month.  

Here's what Anna's teacher, Mrs. Casey, had to say about Anna:

Anna is a great role model to her peers.  She works well with others and is a great help around the classroom!

Anna, 

we are so proud of you and your accomplishments.  it's warms our hearts to know that the sweet girl we see at home everyday, is taking that light and shining it at school as well.  knowing that your teacher sees you as a role model is one of the best compliments you can receive, and speaks volumes of your character.  keep up the good work. 

love, 

mom and dad

we've got spirit, yes we do! BFCS Spirit Week

so, somehow i did not take a photo every day this week in honor of spirit week.  but here are the highlights:

decade day!  first i had to explain what a decade was.  then i had to use technology to show my children how styles have changed over the years.  then i had to explain why it is fun to dress in those styles.   phew!  that was a lot of work for school spirit!  

Anna chose the 80's

 Madeline went with 70's.  both wanted to know how i made "costumes" out of their regular clothes.  i explained that it was all about the hair!   (wish i had a photo, but Madeline won an award on Hawaiian day! woohoo!)

 the other photo-worthy day was twin day.  the girls chose shirts to be twins with each other, and friends at school.  

all in all, Spirit Week was a success.  the girls had so much fun showing pride in their school.  they were disappointed when field day was cancelled due to rain, but since it made snow in the mountains, and then we went to the mountains for spring break, they quickly got over it!  

we've got spirit, how 'bout you!

happy birthday to me!

i had a wonderful birthday with my family.  i am spoiled by my sweet husband, and our little army of cherubs who flit around us daily.  words cannot express how blessed i feel to be sharing my life with these people.  (we did not take any photos today, we were too busy having fun, but here's one of mommy's little helper:)