Happy Easter

 Does someone look a little tired to you?

This year the Easter Bunny hid the kids' baskets and left clues around the house for them to follow. The kids loved having to look for their baskets. Alexis informed us that it was the worst Easter ever because we didn't decorate for it or have Easter pictures to color. John and I thought that it was a pretty great Easter, relaxing and lots of time with the kids just having fun. Maybe next time we'll get it right and have more Easter stuff for them.

Happy 6th Birthday Alexis

 Alexis turned six on the 6th! If you ask her she'll tell you that she still feels like she's 5. 

Alexis requested a pineapple upside down cake for her actual birthday cake, hence the no frosting.

 When we told her to pose for a birthday picture she had fun! 

 For her birthday party we invited ALL 25 of her classmates to a party. We had 13 of them show up!

Alexis requested a flower and animal birthday party. We had tarantula and flower cupcakes. We played a bean bag toss that all the kids loved. They would cheer each time someone made it in and ahh every time someone missed. They played pin the crown on the frog which was also a hit, they all took multiple turns. When it finally stopped raining, the kids went running outside. They had sack races and went nuts with the big swing in the back yard. Many of the kids didn't want to leave when it was time because they wanted to keep playing on the swings.

 All the kids waiting their turn for the bean bag toss.

 Opening gifts was a joke. They were all handing their gift and some were yelling out what they brought before she could open the gift because they were so excited!

John was the "timing referee". Because everyone loved the swings so much John had to yell switch every couple of minutes so that everyone would get a turn. Some didn't want in the swings, they preferred to run and then be drug by the swings. I'm pretty sure some parents were cursing my name when they saw the grass stains on their kids' clothes!

Swimming lessons

This isn't a great picture but it will have to do until I can figure out how to get some better ones while holding a baby who only wants to get in with them!

The kids started swimming lessons last week and they don't love them, but they do like them. They don't like having to put their heads under water or jumping in and going completely underneath, but they are always asking when they get to go next.

I promise better pictures as soon as I can get some!

Grandma Rappleye's funeral

 At the viewing for Grandma Rappleye my kids were the ones who were being crazy runners. So it only figures that someone elses kid gets hurt. Poor Gavin plowed his head right into the corner of a chair leg. He immediately got a HUGE goose egg that according to his mom made him look like a dinosaur! Once it was determined that it probably looked far worse than it was and we would just watch it, we went to Barry's to have icecream and some good cousin play! Because the kids were all wound up this is the best picture that we got!

 These are the only two pictures that we got of the funeral itself. It was a very nice funeral. All of her kids got up and told fun stories about her, it was so fun to hear! I'm sure Grandma would've loved how her funeral went, lots of stories and love!

 After the funeral John and Josh went to the Jazz game against the Mavericks, which we lost. 

While the boys were at the game, Jenn and I invaded Matt and Angie's to let the kids play some more. Again, they were all so crazy that we didn't get any fabulous pictures of the kids, but I guess that's what happens when it's nearly 11 at night! 

Going to the Ball

 Every night we get the surprise of finding how Madison has decided to go to sleep. When we tuck her in, everything is within normal bounds, when she finally falls asleep you never what you'll find.

 Jocelyn LOVES to play in her crib. She does not however like to sleep in her crib all night. Madison loves to play in her crib with her - occasionally Alexis and Drew will also join in the crib fun.

 Alexis decided to put on a Ball. She prepared all the "guests" and had some music going to dance to. You had to come dressed in a dress, mommy included, Drew was exempt from the dress requirement thankfully!

Madison has taken up wearing her Snow White dress ALL the time. She will say "I'm not Snow White, I'm just Madison. Hurry, get Madison Snow White!" She also likes to wear her little skirt under her Snow White dress because when she wears the skirt she can dance. While at WalMart in her full Snow White glory a man in line told her he liked her Snow White dress. Madison backed away to the other end of the cart and then loudly told me: "Mom I don't like that guy!" It was only slightly embarrassing!

Madison was wondering around the house looking like a little caterpillar with her tent tunnel connected to her back side.

Madison dressed herself - which should be self evident. She loved that she had on so many fun and colorful things to wear while watching her Dora shows.

Alexis' view of us

I'm pretty sure the last two pictures show where the packs of gum I am missing disappeared to.

Alexis loves to go and take pictures of randomness throughout the house. These were some of her better pictures of us this time. She also didn't take "junk" pictures this time! She used to take pictures of the bookshelves, floor, what was on t.v., you get the idea; this time she was all about taking pictures of people!

(She did take some of daddy but since he didn't have his hair done and it was all crazy I didn't put any up.)

St. Patty's Day

 Some leprechauns left some candy under our table this year. My children don't actually look excited, no matter how excited they are. Madison was far too tired to function correctly. She insisted that I take her picture again and she put both hands up for some reason.

 We went to play at the park afterwards and we discovered that Jocelyn absolutely loves to swing. So much so that when I took her out she cried and cried. 

If you look closely you'll see balls dropping out of the helicopter.

To top off our afternoon, we went to a Guinness World Record of 20,000 bouncy balls being dropped out of a helicopter a hundred feet up! Had I realized that it would be so anti-climatic, we probably wouldn't have gone. My anxiety levels were at all time highs. First the helicopter was far to close while it was wavering in the air. It seriously looked like it was going to fall out of the sky. We were on the very front of the crowd so we would've been some of the first hit. Once they were all dropped the kids all went running. The only problem was that Madison fell and then started crying. Some of the college students there were good enough to pick her up and bring her back. Then Alexis and Drew disappeared. Yes, my children ran to get some balls and I couldn't find them. I'm sure you can only imagine how high my anxiety levels were at this point. Luckily I spotted them together and I was able to wrangle them all back to the car! So glad it is all over! And no there weren't enough balls. Some people were kind enough to give each of my kids a ball and then someone heard Madison complain she wanted a yellow one, so they gave her one!