Seashells from the Seashore

The boys were so excited to get two postcards in the mail from Grandpa this week. He took a business trip to Florida and picked up some shells for them while he was there. Thanks for thinking of us Grandpa!Parker has been collecting shells ever since we bought a little basket of them at Walmart in the craft section. He's also got the shells from two hermit crabs that we had in the past (washed out well, of course).
One of the postcards Grandpa sent had pictures of all different shells and their names. We had a fun (and confusing) time trying to figure out which was which.
McKay's favorite part of the package, the bubblewrap. As soon as it came out of the box he had it on the floor, popping away.

Thanks for sharing!

I just want to say thank you for all the blogging tips and hints that I've received from so many of you. Like I said in my craft post, I haven't been very creative lately and this has given me an outlet in which to express myself. I'm excited by the idea of digi-scrapping and look forward to creating new blog headers and scrapbook pages. I especially love that there are so many free downloads available! I already let Aaron know that we'll be needing a new computer with LOTS of memory and PS Elements for my upcoming creations. Feel free to keep sharing your tips with me, I'm just getting started!

Easter Pageant

Last night we went to watch the Easter Pageant. It's such a beautiful production. Dallin did a great job sitting and watching and McKay did pretty well too until right at the end when he decided to run away (I'm so glad it was shortened to an hour!). We got to see Aaron and Parker right before it started and took a picture of them in their costumes. This is Parker's second year in the pageant and Aaron's third. They really enjoy the experience even though the late nights are hard at times. This year all the pageant participants were set apart as missionaries and Parker told me on Sunday that he was glad he got a suit for Christmas so that he could look like a "real" missionary. He's made a lot of friends at the Pageant including Sister Partridge who brings him candy and a friend named Mary who's teaching him how to knit hat on a circle loom. Maybe when the other boys are a little older I'll be brave enough to try out with Aaron and Parker. For now I'm content listening to their stories and watching from the grass!

Craft time

I finally took some time to be crafty! It has been over a year since I stopped doing Stampin' Up! workshops and since then I haven't sat down to make anything!

I decided a while ago that I wanted to make a memory board for a wall in the computer room. So, I got some directions, gathered my supplies, and did it! And the best part is that it didn't cost much money. I had some gift cards left from Christmas and found the fabric in a box that I was going to take to DI. (I'm glad I looked in it first!) It took about two hours to complete. It felt good to start a project and finish it in the same morning.
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Yee Haw!

After baseball practice on Saturday we headed out to Queen Creek for Kimble and Karter's birthday party (my niece and nephew). The theme was Down on the Farm and my brother, Ryan, brought his steer head and rope. Parker had a good 'ol time trying to get the rope headed in the right direction.

My Little Monkey

It doesn't matter how well or how high I hide things, the boys are going to get them if they're determined. This perfectly describes McKay the other day. I walked into the kitchen to find him standing on the counter cutting my cute little treat bag to pieces. His mission: jellybeans. Luckily, I caught him before he cut any of his fingers off. (We already had to sew one back on!) McKay has been pushing around our kitchen table chairs since he could walk. Since then he's been caught standing on the table, washer/dryer, kitchen counter, piano, and whatever other high space you wouldn't want your kids standing on. What a monkey!

Before:
After:

Play ball!

The baseball season began for us last Saturday. Parker had his first practice with this year's team, the Blue Claws. He will be playing machine pitch this year and already knows a couple boys on his team from church. Last year he played t-ball and really enjoyed it. Actually, I think he really enjoyed the treats after the game. In t-ball all the kids did was stand in the field, so we're hoping for a little more movement this year!

FHE

For Family Home Evening this week we decorated heart cookies. I found a kit with the cookies, candy, and frosting at Michael's for 99 cents. Yay for bargains! The kids loved decorating and eating their creations.

This is McKay's new "Cheese!" face. We love the scrunched up eyes. Hopefully he'll forget this before the next family photo!
Aaron's cookie creation created just for me!

AZ Science Center

Dallin LOVES dinosaurs. So when Janell asked if anyone wanted to go, I knew we couldn't pass up the chance.

Dallin's favorite dinosaur is the T-Rex.

Here's McKay, Amelia, and Evienne digging for dinosaur bones.

Cannon and Dallin were entertained by the Legos for a little while. Why is it that the exact same toy that we have at home is so much fun somewhere else? :)

Park Days

The weather lately has been just wonderful! We've been able to go to the park several times over the last week and have had so much fun playing and enjoying friends. We're hoping this weather sticks around for a little while before we're stuck in the house for the summer!