Mindy's Sentiments

To celebrate the season, we went to Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point with some friends.

The kids did slides, and went through an inflatable dragon as sort of a spook alley.

We also had tractor races (some more intense than others)

There were even some princess things for the little girls!

Overall, a super fun day with family and friends!

As soon as it was warm enough, Jane was outside riding her bike every day all day! I noticed she could balance well enough, and I asked if she wanted me to take off her training wheels, she got really nervous and told me I could when she was 5 years old! I may have gotten a little stubborn because I knew she could ride without them. So I just took them off. She. had. a. fit. I tried to talk her into it, I tried bribing with a piece of gum (because that is usually magic), but she still wouldn't get on the bike. Finally, I took her to the store and let her pick out a basket and a bell and told her I would put it on her bike if she could ride it without the training wheels.

That worked!

This year we spent Easter in Mesa, Arizona! The kids had a whole week off of school for Spring Break. It was nice and warm and sunny and perfect! We spent lots of time outside: hiking, swimming, going on walks, going to the zoo, we even had our Easter egg hunt outside...in shorts!

We hiked to the Wind Caves in Usury Mountain with our friends the Ludlows.

The girls loved dressing in shorts and sunglasses. Sidney took the dressing up to a new level!

One of the days we went to the Phoenix, AZ zoo. It was gorgeous! The animals were active (that seems to be a problem at the Hogle Zoo here in Utah sometimes) so it was a treat to see them actually move!

At the house, Sidney did get stuck in front of the TV once or twice, but found an interesting way to watch it, always in her swimsuit, and sometimes with a leg up on the sofa!

It couldn't have been a trip to AZ without eating at In-N-Out! The kids were mostly interested in the bike rack and the hats!

Just being outside relaxing was fun and unusual for us! But swimming was definitely the most all-time favorite thing we did! We had put the kids in private swimming lessons early this year, so by the time we went on the trip, Jane could swim on her own without her lifejacket, though I still made her wear it when I wasn't in the water:(

There are a few parks in the area we stayed, so Jane was working on crossing the monkey bars everywhere we had the chance to try! Ashlyn, Tori and I kept trying to 'hop' from bar to bar without putting our feet down. Tori got it after a few tries, but no matter how many times I tried, I couldn't do it. I HATE reality when it means I can't do things I used to be able to!

This was Sidney's 1st Easter she could really participate in. And she had a blast! The idea of walking around the backyard finding brightly colored eggs that opened up to reveal candy was a welcomed surprise!!!

We didn't pack baskets, but it didn't dampen any of the fun for the kids! I usually hide their baskets in different places around the house. Hiding them outside was way more fun for me! Alex's was between the garbage cans! Sidney's was in a plant. Jane's was in between some rocks, and Ashlyn's was in the outdoor fireplace!

I am not totally sure, but the trip may have been more fun for me than the kids! I love love love the stages my kids are in, all potty-trained, somewhat responsible, and fun! Thanks Mom and Dad for letting us stay at the house and giving us the chance to make such great memories!

There are a few birthday traditions we have made up in our family. 1st: I put streamers on the birthday boy or girl's door frame so when they get up, they walk through them and immediately start to feel special! 2nd: we gather in the morning for them to open presents, they sit in the "special" chair to open them 3rd: we have their favorite breakfast, which is usually German pancakes 4th: we have a birthday party with friends 5th: they get to chose what we have for dinner!
This year, after 1,2, and 3 were done, Alex and Jane wanted to entertain Ashlyn before she went to school! Alex made up a few tricks to make her laugh!

Since Ashlyn's birthday was on a Thursday, we had her party on Friday so we had a little more time! She wanted to go to my parent's house so we could play a few relay races indoors and to have a different atmosphere!

They swung on the rope, shot baskets, and danced with the disco ball going!

They played outside a little too!

Ashlyn requested Papa Murphy's pizza, breadsticks, cut up fruit, and jelly belly's. Apparently 10 years old is when I say, make me a list and I will check it off;)

Then we had cake and ice-cream (with a tradition from my own mom: using an abnormally large candle for the cake!) Happy Birthday Ashlyn!