Timber!!! and other activities

We played a rousing game of "Don't Eat Pete" for family night on April 2.  It's always more fun when you can play with starburst jelly beans (my favorite!).

So when we moved in, there were 4 big pine trees in the backyard.  Very quickly, the one in the middle of the yard died and had to be cut down.  Another one started looking sick, losing bark and limbs and whatnot but we kind of ignored it for a while.  Until...I was doing dishes on Monday April 2 and happened to see movement in my next-door neighbor's yard.  They had a dead tree just like ours and while I watched, it just fell right over!  What are the chances that I'd be right there glancing out the window at the exact moment it fell right over!  Thankfully the tree didn't hit their house, but it did knock down part of their fence.  I began to have visions of our dead tree falling down on the kids while they played on the swings and we decided to have it taken down!  Immediately!  So we called our tree guy and he came to cut it down on Tuesday April 3.

There she is...

So tall.  

And poof!

Down.  And it didn't even hit the garden boxes.  

It was our night for babysit swap on April 6.  It's craziness but it's a good time.  Here are the 9 kiddos--7 big kids

And the babies, Candy and Trent--just 3 weeks apart in age (so they are both just shy of 9 months here)

Then on April 7, it was the neighborhood Easter Egg hunt.  The girls loved it--even Candy took part!

My Dad broke out the Ukrainian egg supplies this year, so Dan and I tried our hands.  Mine is the pale one.  We had fun trying it out.  It had been a LONG time since I'd made one myself.  

March Randoms

My sister is working on a life book for my Dad's 60th birthday coming up in April.  She's gone year by year, finding pictures and facts and stories--it's amazing.  There were a few years she needed pictures from--so I found this gem from his 42nd birthday--April 11, 1994 (I was almost 10).

Here are two of my sweethearts snuggling after breakfast on Mar. 9.  Dan and I got to go to the rodeo that night and watch Reba--such a fun entertainer!

Candace sure likes to feed herself...this is from dinner on Mar. 10 (one day shy of 8 months)

My childhood friend Kathryn came to visit us in the morning on Fri. Mar 16.  Megan and Kaden have fun playing and Kat and I love catching up.

Spring was coming!  And I could NOT resist these adorable tutu swimsuits.  In all 3 sizes?!? Sold.  Thank you Target :).  I had the girls try them on after quiet time on Mar. 16.

The girls got to officially test them on St. Patty's day while we planted the garden for the year. 

I had to document that Dan finally got to try his hand at homemade sushi after stake conference on Mar. 18.  He'd been wanting to make some for years!  It turned out pretty good too.

Spingtime is so fun here.  I love sending the kids outside to play and play and play.  Swinging girls on  Mar. 19.

My little Picasso's tried their hand at painting on Mar. 23.  I love watching them let their creativity show.

We kept Candace busy during the painting by practicing her new skill of drinking applesauce from a straw--brilliant!  

 While Dan was studying on Sat. Mar. 24, the girls and I killed time by playing at Grandpa's.  We got to put the suits to good use in the hot tub!

My sweet Candace.  

Aunt Carrie and Brookie.

Dan's sister Heather had a new baby girl and I had so much fun making her a blanket, onesie, shoes, and burp cloth.   I'd never made shoes before and they turned out so cute.  Here they are before I mailed them off. 

A day in the life...my crazy girls, giggling on chairs, riding trikes in the house, and just being happy.  I'm so thankful I get to spend my time with them.  Mar. 30

Livestock Show 2012!

Once again it was Rodeo Time in Houston.  I still love it.  And it seemed crazy that Mom had gone with us to it just a year ago when we still felt so sure that she was beating that cancer back.  I'm so glad she felt good enough to go that one last time.
We headed there for playgroup on Wed, March 7.  It's such a fun day with friends!

Watch out for the bull!  Cute girls:  Megan, Cassidy, Brooke, and Audrey

Watching eggs hatch--it's mesmerizing!

Candy mostly hung out in the stroller...

Megan and Brooke loved the petting zoo this year

My awesome friends Jenebie (w/baby Tanner and Cassidy) and Shelly (Audrey's mom) along with Megan and Brooke--we were waiting for the start of the piggy races!

It was windy!  But Candy and I were there too :)

At "Fun on the Farm"--where the kids get to pretend to plant and harvest crops

And they even get to drive tractors--look out ahead!

Cuties.  It was a good time!