Cousins

Last week was spring break for my family in Washington, and it came just in time for Jon and Jenny to bless their new baby Violet. So starting Monday April 4th, things were very busy at our house. Monday night we went to Jon's for a final four party. (none of our brackets were even in play by then.) Then Tuesday everyone came to dinner at our house. The kids were really excited to see their cousins. The first couple of days the weather was pretty nice so the kids were able to play outside. But Wednesday a storm blew in, And after that this was the chosen activity when we were home. Good thing Grandma had a lot of fun things planned for us to do instead.

Valerie and the babies

Meet Violet, TJ, and Ben. The three newest members of the family. Valerie was so happy to have so many babies to take care of. She took turns holding each baby, and was very interested in what they were doing.

She was really happy when all three of them were on the floor. She tried to keep them all happy by giving them their pacifiers and even a few kisses.

Valerie was very happy to have Baby Ben stay with us all week. She was always trying to help Aunt Ellen take care of him. At one point she even tried to trade Ellen her baby doll for Baby Ben. The other thing Valerie liked about having baby Ben around, was the toys he brought with him. When she wasn't busy checking out Ben, she was in his toys.

It is fun to see her interact with the babies. Thanks Ellen for letting her "help" you with yours.

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.