Griffin and His Trains

 

He would play trains all day long if I kept building the tracks. And if no one else bothered him. He is very protective of those built tracks, until it is HIS idea to destroy. 

Scooting Chairs around...

 

My Knight in ...Shining Armor?

 

Pinto for Memorial Day Weekend

 

Jesse helping Parker fish and Lincoln fishing. Finally getting to use the new fishing poles!

 

Lincoln caught a fish on his first cast! But wouldn't touch it and freaked out when Jesse put it close up...

 

Oliver trying fishing..

 

Asher showing Griffin and Oliver the snake he caught. 

 

Jesse and Parker on top of the hill. 

 

Ashley gutted her first fish! (The fish Lincoln caught didn't survive the swallowed hook...)

 

I took Lincoln on a ride up the hill on a 4-wheeler... He was incredibly worried about getting lost.

 

This is Parker riding a kid-sized 4-wheeler. He and Lincoln were in heaven - the only one that they had to share it with was Jet!

 

I took Charity for a ride, too. She was obsessed after that ride and kept climbing up and asking for another ride. She and Parker are the thrill-seekers in our family!

My Little Yogi

 

My little yogi... I went to grab my yoga mat this morning, which happen to be near the scriptures. Charity cheerfully said, "sip-shuhs" and then I grabbed my yoga mat. I asked her if she wanted to read scriptures, and she changed her mind and said, "No...yo-ya!" This is her impression of downward dog... 

 

Her and Ada (cousin) wanted to join in on the fun. Charity knows it is impressive to fold in half, so she likes to show off her flexibility. 

 

I tried to get her and Ada to have their legs straight and to touch their toes, and this is what I got... Cute girls.

Bye Bye Butterly

9 of the 10 chrysalides hatched into butterflies this week!

 

They drink their food, so sliced fruit was placed in their "garden". 

 

We were excited to release them, me included! 🤓

 

One even let us hold it for a few minutes. That was definitely the highlight of the release. 

 

I think Griffin, Lincoln and Parker all got a chance to hold it. Oliver was squeamish and Charity was scared of them when they were in their cage...

Zion National Park- Emerald Pools

Before we got all grumpy and tired, I wanted a nice picture. Flora and Lola (cousins) came with me, and Charity stayed home with her Aunt Audrey and cousin Pearl. 

 

 

They loved the shuttle buses. Flora is such a character- she loves to make goofy faces for the camera. 

 

Our first stop was Zion lodge lawn. Fueling up with lunch. 

 

I chose Emerald Pools- challenging, yet doable without having to bring a stroller. One of our many breaks- Griffin and Oliver are only 3 years old, so we took many. 

 

They loved climbing up the rocks - probably one of their favorite things about the hike. 

They also loved the "cave" and the waterfalls. 

 We had to take a potty break...

 

Then they wanted to take off their shoes and play in the water for a while. 

 

At the top (that chain behind them was a warning to stay away from a giant cliff... I was REALLY nervous here and talked to them about how dangerous it was before reaching this point).

 Had to bribe them with French fries to avoid meltdowns. They did awesome! It was fun to have a couple extras with us this time!

Best Part of Spring

 

My strawberry garden!

Lincoln's Talk in Primary

Lincoln did so well - he read the whole thing all by himself, without me standing next to him. He wrote most of it by himself, with a couple quotes added by me. The theme of the month is "The Restoration".

My Future Missionaries

  

Downtown Splash Pad

  

I took the 4 younger ones to the splash pad after camping... To make up for the cold camping trip and to give Jesse time to prepare his lesson. I love when they all play like little buddies. 

Camping Trip

 

We went camping in Pinto, Utah (near Pine Valley) on Jesse's dad's property with Jon & Jenn. We tried to plan it so the weather would be perfect, since we both have kids 6 and under. Temperatures looked great, a bit  chilly (upper 60's and mid-40's), so we continued with our plans. We didn't realize until after we got up there that there was a wind-advisory warning for southern Utah...

  

Setting up the tent was a bit of a pain in the wind, but doable. But it got interesting when a whole side of our tent ripped free from its stakes... So we improvised with staking directly into the bottom layer...

 

And then one of the poles (hollow but sturdy metal) bent, and eventually broke. So we tried tethering the tent to the van...

 

And after a lot of frustration, thinking we may have to pack up and go home, 2 hours of persistence and ingenuity from this handsome hunk, we (okay... Jesse) came up with this:

 

... which held through the night. After a lovely, peaceful night's rest [read as "no sleep whatsoever" 😣], we woke up and packed up immediately after breakfast. I did a lot of praying for that tent!!!

 

And as we finished packing, the sun came out and the wind was very gentle. 😒 Lincoln didn't even get to use his new fishing pole. Another time... 

D.I. Finds

 

We went to Deseret Industries (D.I.) to find some second-hand shoes for Parker for camping. Lincoln begged and begged for these shoes, and finally decided to buy them with his own money (he just barely got new shoes, so I wasn't going to buy more). They are very gently used Air Jordans... which new go for quite a bit of money. Nice find, Lincoln!

Book Club

  

I hosted this month, which I decided to have at my house (we usually meet at a restaurant). My book of choice, Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson, had a lot of fancy food and clothing, so I served Hors d'voeuvres and wore my fancy flows dress. It was a lot of (fun) work, and turned out really well! Here is what I served:

• Bacon-Wrapped Dates by Martha Stewart (Here)
• Bacon-Wrapped Pineapple by Nom Nom Paleo (Here)
  
• Mango Shrimp in Endive Leaves by RealSimple (Here)
• Queso Verde by Our Best Bites (white cheese dip - Here)
• Restaurant-Style Salsa by Pioneer Woman (Here)
• Strawberry, Lime, Cucumber & Mint Infused Water by Back to Her Roots (Here)
• Harvest Apple Salad by McCormick Gourmet (Here)
• Rustic No-Knead Artisan Bread by Anna's Table (I used 1/2 whole wheat flour, 1/2 white flour found Here)

Yum! Also, for dessert we had chocolate bowls with berries and whipped cream. (http://www.justataste.com/video-chocolate-balloon-bowls/ - surprisingly really simple & easy to make... Not so easy to eat, however... But delicious nonetheless.)

Forts

 

Lincoln and Flora (and I'm sure help from the others) built this fort in the backyard... They are always building things. It is awesome to see their creativity at work! And... after I saw it, I said, "Ok, let me get a picture so you can clean it up!" Haha... But it actually worked. Sometimes they listen!

And yes, that is a screen door off to the side. 😒

Chrysalis

 

They are starting to form their chrysalides... Exciting times! 3-4 more days and we will have butterflies!

Perk of Parenthood

 

I love my little massagers... They do good work and accept little pay (...actually none). 

 Charity can't help but notice when I am taking pictures and loves posing for pictures and seeing herself in the screen. Not camera shy at all!