Happy Easter

It's so strange for Easter to have come and gone, and it's not even April. At any rate, here are a few pictures from our weekend's activities. The kids had fun going nuts chowing down on candy and playing with their favorite gift, a fun spring umbrella! Nicolas was so happy; everytime I turned around he had his mouth stuffed to capacity with sweets. The three older kids awoke at 5am Sunday morning, and I sent them back to bed until 6. It worked out okay because they had time to enjoy their treats before going to church at 9.

The rest of the afternoon we spent watching the new movies the kids received: Evan Almighty and Enchanted.

A day for distractions...

Today Sammy's hamster (that he got for Christmas) died. He was very sad, and the cute, sensitive little boy did a lot of crying over his dead "Hammy". So Chris and I filled the day with some distractions and special surprises to cheer him up. First, Chris stopped at the pet store on his way home from school and picked up 5 new baby chicks, that he planned on buying this Spring anyway. We knew they would put a smile on Sammy's face. Then we colored Easter eggs, always an entertaining activity, and of course the kids had so much fun. Then I made him his favorite, homemade pizza for dinner. By the time he went to bed, he seemed in much better spirits!

Noah's 8th birthday party!

Today Noah turned 8 and had a fun little party with some of his friends. We played a couple of games, "Pin the antlers on the deer", (a version of the donkey game that Noah invented), and "Hit the bullseye with Silly String". Anytime you take 8 year old boys, blindfold them, spin 'em around and ask them to do something that takes coordination, there are bound to be some laughs! I think Chris and I were laughing harder than they were! Anyway, here are a few pictures from our day.

I've Been Tagged!

This game of Internet "tag" seems to be the trend, so I'll play along (thanks, Lindsay) and try and come up with a few, less commonly known facts about myself. Here goes:

1. I played oboe in high school, and despite the occasional comment that I sounded like a dying duck, my claim to fame was that I played in the pit orchestra for our community/school production of "Oliver!"

2. I often call my children by very strange nick-names, and have been given some very odd looks by people overhearing me do this. For example, mumpshkin comes to mind...my son Sammy, often referred to as Mammers, Sophie, aka: Dee Dee girl, and Nicolas, otherwise Nickerpicker. Sometimes I just call them whatever weird sound feels right at the time, like goojie, or gubie or whatever! (I know a lot of moms do this this, it seems some sort of mommy-love phenomenon.)

3. When I was a kid (from age 3-7) my dad was in the Navy and we lived in Iceland. For most of the time we were there, we didn't live on the Naval base, we lived in a duplex surrounded by Icelandic natives. So my best friend, Hulda, that I played with all the time, didn't speak any English, and I didn't speak Icelandic, so I'm not too sure how we communicated, but as creative as kids can be, we obviously found a way!

4. I never went to high school Prom. Sad, I know. (Sad, pathetic; not sad, boo hoo!) I'm scarred for life. :)

5. I have a very strong aversion to many and certain smells. It's very bad when I'm pregnant, often being a trigger for much gastric unpleasantness! Sometimes I can smell things when no one else can, it drives my husband nuts.

6. Once on a vacation in Costa Rica, I held a sloth! So weird, and again, the smell!

7. I like to put cinnamon in everything! Chicken recipes, smoothies, Postum (which they don't make anymore, by the way, I'm very disappointed about it), hot cereal, anything.

8. I HATE mouth noises. I'm sure there are many others who would also appreciate this one. Unfortunately, this becomes a (small) source of contention between my husband and I, as he is one of those people tolerant of almost anything and can't understand what my issue is with what he calls "being human". Ugh.

Well, that's about all I can think of offhand. Hopefully a bit of entertainment for someone out there!

Now I tag: Katee, Kristen, and Kristie? (I really need to build up my list of blogging "friends"!)

Playtime

These are the moments that are so much fun with little kids, so I just thought I'd post a few pictures of them at-play.

Nicolas can still only say about 5 words (a little behind on that milestone, I'll admit), but one he says well and often is "bubbles!", and it's the cutest thing. The other day I let Sophie blow bubbles in the sun room, since it was too cold to go outside, and Nicolas was having a blast chasing after them. When she was finished, she put the bottle of bubble liquid up high on a shelf in the laundry room. A few minutes later I heard a weird "shooshing" noise coming from the sun room, and on my way to check it out, I passed through the laundry room where I saw an old formula can that we use to store cat food on the floor near the shelves, and the cap to the bubble bottle sitting there. So, of course, it was no surprise when I looked into the sunroom and saw Nick trying fervently, but unsuccessfully, to blow bubbles by himself. So funny.

Sleeping arrangements.

Some months ago, after watching one episode of a show called "Goosebumps", (based on the children's novels), Sophie asked me if mummies were real. Without thinking it through completely, I replied in a matter of fact way, that yes, mummies were real. I explained to her that in Egypt, when people died, they were traditionally wrapped in cloth and buried in tombs to protect the body. Well, from that day forward she has refused to sleep in her own bed, in her flamboyantly pink room, and insists she join the boys in their room. So, despite our efforts to convince her that she would be perfectly safe, and trying different night-lights, etc., here is a picture of their current sleeping arrangements, much to Noah's chagrin, I must add!

Laughter, the best medicine...

The past couple of years at about this time of year, I've seemed to get a little melancholy. I think the weather's partly to blame. That late winter, early spring gloomy, grayness can be so depressing. Our house is surrounded by mud and dirty snow, and it's too cold to be pleasant, but too warm for the snow to stick around. Also, with Chris and the kids in the middle of a semester, we're hitting that point of the midway doldrums. At any rate, in an attempt to get some laughs wherever I can, I took these pictures of the kids being silly. Another funny story: Today at church during Sacrament meeting, the bishop's wife and son performed a musical number. Just as they finished and there was a nice, quiet reverence in the chapel, Nicolas gave his seal of approval with a gleeful shriek at the top of his lungs. Ahh, so much for the quiet...