Temple Sqaure

On Wednesday we headed down town to visit Temple Square. (Emily and Joe were not on Spring break and had to go to school so they missed this outing.)

We started out across the street at the Church History Museum. On Tuesday we went to the BYU Museum of Art to see the Carl Bloch Exhibit. while the kids seemed to like it, it was a lot of being really good. So when we told them we were going to another museum we got a couple of moans from the peanut gallery.

But once we got there I think they had lots of fun. This is a great museum for kids. There are so many fun things to see, and they have a great "Book of Mormon" Play area. After the Museum we went over to Temple square and took the kids into the visitors center. I forget that we have such fun places to visit so close. We usually go to Temple Square in December, but I never think to take the kids at other times. It is a lot nicer to go on a warmer less crowded day.

The Twins

During this visit Valerie and Sam became really good friends. by the end of the trip I was calling them the twins. Like Valerie Sam also has a great talent for climbing, and he also likes to be in the kitchen when there might be food. So we often found them together helping Grandma in the Kitchen. Most of the time they were helping make bigger messes. But they were having fun together. Unfortunately for Grandma, they also liked to help Grandma eat her food, even after they had a plate of their own dinner. Grandma didn't seem to mind.

Dino Museum

Friday all of my kids were able to join us to go to the Dinosaur Museum. This was the perfect place to go on a rainy/snowy day.

The girls seemed to like it too. I think the kids favorite part was the water and sand play area. The kids all tried to build dams to stop the water.

Last month Joe had spent the night at this museum for a friends birthday party. So he was a good little tour guide through the first part of the museum. He was really excited to get to show us where he slept. Before we went he had told me that he slept by the Utah Raptor, but he didn't tell me that he also slept right underneath the brontosaurus.

One of my kids favorite exhibits is the big shark head. And lets not forget these big guys.

Classic Fun

To finish off a week of fun with the cousins we headed down to classic fun center for a party.

The kids loved it. And we loved having a place for the kids to run around and get all of their energy out. With all of the bad weather this was not easy to do at home.

Even Valerie and Sam loved it. Their favorite part was when Grandma pushed them around the skating rink on the scooters. Valerie really liked the music. I tried taking her in to the other track by the bouncers, but she wanted to be in the party room where the music was playing.

I have to admit that I was not sure what my niece Bethany would think of Classic, but we could not have gone on a more perfect day for her.

It was princess day. so not only were the princesses there, but they played a lot of the princess songs to skate to. The next morning we went to Violets baby blessing, and then my family headed home. It was so fun to have them come visit for the week.

Now it is life back to normal. Valerie already misses Sam, Grandma and all of the babies. We can't wait to see you again this summer!

The Ice Dragons

Because of all of the snow storms we have been having, softball season has been a little slow getting started. The clinic has already been rescheduled twice and one game was cancelled due to the fact that the fields were covered in snow. But Tuesday the weather was nice and by Wednesday the fields were playable. So Emily got to play. Her team is light blue this season, so they are calling themselves "The Ice Dragons."

Emily has graduated from the beginner league and is now old enough to play by all of the rules. So this season is going to be a lot more work, and a lot more fun. No more coach pitches. Three strikes, your out!

Emily loves softball and was sooooo ready to play. She was excited to be the first up to bat. I would have been too nervous, but Emily did great and got her first hit of the season.

She also got the first run for her team.

Catcher is Emily's favorite position. She was really happy when the coach put her there to start the game. She does a really good job at it too. I think her coach was pleasantly surprised when she threw the ball all the way to second base.

The other position that she played was second base. Where she picked up a ball and threw it to first to get an out.

My family was in town this week, so Grandma and Grandpa, and a couple of the cousins came to watch the game. The cold wind was blowing in the next snow storm. So it was really cold and by the end of the first inning most of the fan club had moved to the car to watch and keep warm. Emily didn't mind. She was happy to have them there, and they gave her their blankets so she could keep warm in the dugout.

Hopefully the rest of the season is a little warmer, but I am excited to watch Emily play. She loves it, and I love watching her.

Josh's Soccer Plan

Wednesday was Josh's first Soccer practice. Each boy was told to bring his own ball, and for the practice the coach played games with the boys that involved kicking the ball to the goal. Josh's favorite game was "red light, Green light" They kicked the ball on green light and stopped on red. When practice was over Josh was happy and excited for his first game. On the drive home he talked about the practice and his team. Then he realized that while practice was fun something was missing.

So he asked. "Will the coach tell us the plan next time?"

I asked. "What Plan."

Josh said, "The plan for winning the game!" That's my Josh, always planning.

Today was his first game. Knowing how Pre-k soccer works, every boy for himself, I decided that I better make a plan with Josh. So while I was helping him get his uniform on I told him that the plan for the game today was to kick the ball as much as he could, and try to get it in the goal. Josh seemed satisfied with that plan and was ready to play.

Josh did great. He stayed with the ball and got a few kicks in here and there. As usual with this age group the boys were often found in a big mass kicking each other while trying to get the ball.

Josh loves an audience so he was happy to have his fan club there.

He didn't seem to mind the assistant coach who kept following him around to give him his ball.

Grandpa took on the Job of keeping the Assistant off of the field.

After watching his brother and sister for years, Josh is so excited to finally be playing sports and getting to be part of a team. He had so much fun today, that he is already talking about signing up for soccer again next season.

Baby Talk

Valerie is 20 months old and makes me laugh almost everyday. She is figuring out her place in the family and testing the boundaries of just how bossy she can be. (We let her be pretty bossy at this point, because she is so cute and we can't help it.) She is also learning a lot of new words. She talks quite a bit, but the part I love most is when I catch her singing, sometimes she is trying to sing a song we all know, but she also makes up her own little songs.

All of our Children have come to this age with many words of their own. It is fun to hear some of the words they come up with on their own and it is also fun to figure out what they are saying. Emily called Prince Phillip "Pea Soup." Joe called Emily, OHWEE for a couple of years. Josh was our most creative in the language department and used a lot of different words for things. Like Boo Boo meant train. Valerie has also come up with a few words of her own, and we think we know what most of them mean, but we could be wrong.

Valerie has figured out that if she does not like what someone is doing she can cry and usually someone will come running to see what is happening. She has also learned to say owie if she does not like what is happening. For example, one night she kept getting out of bed, and I kept putting her back in. About the third time I put her back in bed she changed her M.O. from crying, to screaming OWIE, OWIE, OWIE. Hoping that dad would come and save her.

She is getting really good at using that word, but it is usually followed by a word not found in the English Dictionary, "Ma May"

With all of her climbing talents and just the normal trouble a toddler can get into in a day, there are many moments when we have to stop her from doing things. Or tell her NO. So when anyone does something that Valerie does not like, she will go tell on them to someone else. And she will tell them that they are "Ma May." For instance. I take her off of the counter and tell her she can't climb up there. She will go to dad and say in a sad or mad voice.

"Mama, Ma may!"

Ryan and I are "Ma May" at least once a day, and there are days when everyone is "Ma May" for one reason or another. A couple of Weeks ago Ryan had to take something over to his parents. When he left we were all being "Ma May," so Ryan took Valerie with him to see Grandma. As soon as she got to Grandma's house, Valerie went down the roll and told Grandma that we were all "Ma May".

We have decided that "Ma May" means, "mean to me," but I am still not convinced, because sometimes she will come and tell me that Josh or Joe are mean. All I know is that if someone tells Valerie that she is "Ma May" she gets really mad, so whatever it means it can't be good.

Josh has been "Ma May" so much that one day when Valerie was playing I heard her sing this little song.........

"Joshy, Joshy, Joshy, Joshy, MaMay"


I wish I would have recorded it. Maybe someone else will earn a song soon.