Goofy

or Minnie

Here's some random photos from the last few months.

Tessa was a volunteer penguin at the library puppet show.

She has been losing teeth left and right. :)

Yikes!  The bear in the cave at the Bean Museum.  

Date with mom to cache in the free Frostys from school. 

I have to point out Michael in the background doing his thing with the Rubik's cube.

We had to enjoy Grandma's birthday cake for her and sent her a picture.
 She wondered if Jordan recovered from being smooshed.  

Our primary presidency happened to be well coordinated in our outfits for a Saturday morning baptism, so we snapped a photo.  

Tessa has been working on her photography and selfie skills lately.

And lastly I hope to upload one of Jonathan's dance videos.  His specialty move is pivot and spin.  Pretty cute stuff!

Easter and Birthday!

We snapped a Stan Clark family photo in the backyard Saturday morning before Easter and birthday celebrations.  I'll get that uploaded soon.  

Here are a few others from the day:

Berries with cream at the Easter Lunch.  Yummy!  

Cake pops from Grandma Deanie

Making friends with Leon and Grandma

I attempted a lemon cheesecake this year for Jared's birthday.
And he got a few favorite books for his collection from mom and dad!

The kids look forward to this hunt in the backyard every year.  And Grandma manages to make it fun every time with treats, special prizes, and a golden money egg for each child.  

 

Jonathan found a Peep in one of the kids baskets, so we let him dig in.  

We made mom's hot cross buns!
And I had to include reminder notes in the Easter baskets about Jesus as the Bread of life and Living Water.  

We tried some new and some old traditions this year to remember the meaning of Easter.  

I'm grateful for the time leading up to Easter Sunday that is an opportunity for extra study and reflection on the life and sacrifice of Christ.  

Sunday Walk

We love our neighborhood.  I finally took a walk with the kids to the bridge that goes over the main road near our house.  It was a beautiful spring day.  We explored and took some pictures.  And then we saw a mother sheep in the field across the street who had just given birth to some baby lambs,  It was a great Sunday afternoon adventure!  

Jared's Shenanegens

Jared went to Naples Florida for a business trip in February.  He happened to be there the weekend his law school hosted Mitt Romney for a lecture and breakfast.  So he visited with some old friends and fit in some fun at his old stomping grounds.  

The kids built a train and said they were going to go on a trip to Florida as well.  

The boys attended a seminar with Jared at the Capitol building a few weeks before the legislative session began.  

Then Jared took them back one afternoon with Tessa to see the events on the floor.

Jared and the boys completed a leadership course through a group promoting political activism.  After the first class they brought home a copy of "The Law" by Bastiat to read for homework.  They learned a lot and really enjoyed it.  

Here's Jared with the Webelos scouts (and our kids) on their 3 mile hike along the Jordan River Trail. 

Girls

We have been trying out some new systems for incentives and rewards with the kids.  Tessa responds the best, based on her age and disposition.  Hopefully we make progress toward more helpfulness and order with all the kids around the home.   

Grandma Keller shared her collection of porcelain dolls with each of the Great-Grand daughters.  The girls love them!  They are such a special gift.    

And Grandma Clark shared some of her china including a tea set, so now we have regular tea parties with sisters, friends, and dolls.

One of my favorite Christmas gifts this year was some tickets to watch the BYU Young Ambassaders perform at Winterfest on Temple Square.  We had to wait till February for the show but it was worth it!  Tessa loved the singing and dancing and wants to be on stage soon.

Leisel cracks me up almost every day.  She is so fun.  She is so often the little sister in the shadow of the big kids that I love to see her with her friends.  She is growing into a very smart and talented little lady.  

Tessa brought home a boot from the Dr. office for her broken toe that is taking forever to heal.  And Leisel picked a silly mustache prize with her token from the receptionist.   

The girls were excited to try Grandma's Mexican guava fruit from our bountiful basket. 

More of Leisel's style

One of those sweet (and somewhat rare) moments where the girls played together peacefully in the morning before school. 

Umbrellas are a hit this spring...fun toy and handy on a rainy day.

February Cabin Getaway

The kids had a day off of school and we jumped at the chance to spend some time at the cabin.  

Fisher came to play for the afternoon and Jordan and he compared survival kits.  Talk about prepared.  Jordan gets to learn from the best.      

Then the boys spent hours outside trying out the cross-country skis and the old wooden snowshoes.

Cousin's Baptisms and Visits with Family

Sunshiny day for Beckah's baptism :) 

We got to see Jared's cousin Zack play lacrosse at the equestrian center.
It was a treat to see Wade and Debbie too!

Leisel is such a big girl with so much fun personality.
She carries her own chair and often brings along her backpack, hat and sunglasses.
Somehow she has her own cute natural style that I didn't teach her.

And Jonathan loves anything that has to do with a ball!

Jordan has been practicing using the flint and steel grandpa brought and they got a fire started at the dinner table. :)

Pocatello cousins came to town because they are going to be our new neighbors soon!
House hunting on their spring break was a success!

They hosted us at their hotel pool too.

Ella had a special baptism day!
She flew in her Aunt Ranell to be her hairdresser from Minnesota.
And Tessa got in on the fun too.