Jen and I heard this on CMT last night and we LOVED it! Couldn't find a way to download it to the iPod or anything, so we thought we'd post it for all to enjoy!

Our Lovely Easter

So, according to Kassi, we had a very boring Spring Break. "Are you ever going to be done with your church work, Mom?" "Can't we do anything fun besides your enrichment stuff?" "Can you please stop and take me to the movie, Mom?" Apparently, I was the worst spring break Mom there was this year. Kassi would have nominated me for an award if there was such a thing! So, come Friday, Enrichment was done and we decided we should do something fun. We went to the day-old bread store and the kids got to pick out what they wanted (sounds weird, I know, but we went with the intention of picking out pies. It didn't end up that way, but they liked it!) After that, we went to the mall to get little sweaters for the girl's Easter dresses and looked at a few things. After that, we went to see "Horton Hears a Who". The kids loved being at the movies with their friends. Nathan said that the movie was pretty cute. I couldn't hear a lot of it, but the animation was adorable. I'm pretty sure she had enough fun on Friday to kind of make up for a few of the other days. The rest of the weekend made up for the rest, and I redeemed myself as a fun mother. Whew! That was a close one!




Easter started with a Primary party on Saturday. The kids got to decorate little Easter sacks and then played a few games. After that, the hunt was on...all 2 minutes of it! The primary kids are fast, man! I got a few action pictures of the kids running around trying to gather enough eggs to reach their quota. The kids had a great time. Trevor had been asking to hunt for eggs ever since they had received their package from Grandma & Grandpa. That was on Thursday. I was so grateful to the primary to have their party on Saturday! The rest of the day was spent cleaning up the house (it had enrichment-itis. For those of you who have never put on an enrichment, you wouldn't know. For those of you that have, you'd be familiar with the volcano/tornado/explosion like mess your house can get to if you work on enrichment non-stop for a few weeks!) I got so busy tiding up that we forgot to color eggs. It's a good thing we have 1:00 church and my kids were still awake at 10:30 p.m.(!) when I decided I better color eggs with them. We had a good time, with probably more giggles than usual due to the late hour. I'm not a bad parent, I'm just making great, silly memories, right?!? (only time will tell!!!)






On Sunday, it was a lovely morning. The kids woke up to another trick from the funny bunny this year! Every year we get the silliest bunny at our house. He knows just what to do with our yarn that we leave out the night before. This year, we even left out our own baskets that the kids picked out from the store. I think he was happy he just had to fill them! Anyway, the bunny takes all 3 skeins of yarn and strings it all over the house. The kids have to follow their color of yarn (they pick it out @ the store) to find their basket. Our bunny has taken us all over the house and around the yard before, but never did the bunny go through the refrigerator like he did this year. Kassi was going to die laughing! After they found their baskets (under the kitchen table) they played with their goodies and decided it was time for the real hunt. They had a great time trying to find their colors that the bunny left for them. I have to say, next year I think we'll do breakfast first, as they devoured their candy from the eggs in pretty record time. They didn't eat much of their teal french toast, pink scrambled eggs and purple juice. Crazy kids. We put on our Little People Easter CD (a great buy, by the way) and danced until it was time to get ready for church. The kids looked so sharp in their Easter get-up. I COULD NOT get them to get a good picture. Sorry to those that live away. The ones that live here got to see them in person, but I don't think the pictures do their look justice. They just looked so spiffy! Look at the first picture - it cracks me up! They were trying really hard to be good - look at the camera and smile - but the sun was just too darn bright! They couldn't even keep their fingers together. It was like their eyes were being electrocuted!




These were the pictures taken after church. Nursery adventures added a cute bunny nose and Primary adventures had apparently forced Trevor to untuck his shirt. Like MiaLisa said about taking pictures of kids - these aren't perfect, "but at least they have character!"



The night moved on with a group of great friends over for an Easter meal. I had a lovely time in my little house, and I hope the others did too. It was a little cozy, but a good cozy. I hope that all of you had a great Easter, too!

Trev's Soccer Pictures

Trevor had his team soccer pictures taken. These were the shots I could sneak in... Plus a shot of the girls cheering him on at the game!

When they told the team they were going to take a silly picture, this was the face he pulled! Cutie pie!

Kassi on Lunch Duty / Her Half-Birthday

Kassi told me that she was helping this week in the cafeteria. They have two kids from each class wash their class table and sweep the floor. We decided we'd join her for lunch and then see her in action. The camera's batteries were out, but Nathan jetted home from her school and saved the day by bringing the batteries just in time! Notice how her hand is positioned when she's sweeping the floor. She's so darn cute!


The same day she had lunch duty, it also happened to be her half-birthday. In our house, those days are events not to be missed! We celebrate like it's your birthday, just without the same amount of presents. You get a few, just not as many. *wink* We got to visit her classroom bearing 1/2 a cake to Kassi and each child got 1/2 cupcake and 1/2 a cookie. We sang "Happy Half-Birthday" to her and everyone thought she was the coolest girl ever. They'd never heard of a 1/2 birthday before, so Mrs. Kayser-Boyd explained it to them. She just loved it. It was nice timing, too, because then the kids got a treat right before their spring break/Easter holiday! Ashlee and Trevor love going to her big school and being in her classroom. They thought this was the best, though, because they got to all eat Kassi's cake. Besides that, Kassi's classmates shower attention on them. They think it's great fun! For the rest of the day, we ran errand after errand for Enrichment meeting but that's a different story. My little Kassi must have been inspired because she chose Souper Salad for dinner and that little whisperings of the spirit got me out of a huge rut for Enrichment! I decided to have them cater my event and it took a load off of my mind! Thanks, Kassi! It was a nice half-birthday for a nice little girl!

TCU vs. BYU

We had a fun night getting together with some friends and gathering in TCU's gym to watch a game of BYU basketball. We had decided to leave Ashlee home with a sitter and Mei-Mei (her very best-est friend!) and take the "big kids" with us. We had a very full Saturday, but I was able to finish a few BYU shirts for all of us to wear right before we had to leave. We painted the kids hair blue (if the darn paint didn't rub off on everything it touches, we would have gone to town with the colors!), bought them a few megaphones and clappers, and loaded them up with cotton candy. They had a great time! We were a few rows down from the very top, but after several flinches from the row in front of us, I decided to let the kids go to the very top. I think Kassi loved being "on her own" with her own seat, watching ball with her friends. Every once in a while, you could hear them chant or yell something to the team. It was adorable. I tried to show the kids how you get up and dance when the music would start. Once I realized I was the only adult dancing, I didn't shake my groove thing quite as much, but did a lot of dancing from my chair! But, "every so often" I'd bust a move *wink*. I kept nudging Nathan to call Ken & Lisa - finally he did and we found out he was there. It was fun to see them and especially Brinlee! We had a great time!

Yea for Kassi!

Kassi keeps on truckin' with her good grades. Nathan, Ashlee and I attended another one of Barton Elementary's Awards Assemblies to watch Kassi get her "A Honor Roll" certificate. This is four out of four for her! We're so proud of you, Kassi!

These are my kids in a nutshell

I was walking down the hall when all three of my kids come charging in the opposite direction. As I tried to dodge them, they all revealed their little personalities. Kassi politely said, "Excuse me," as she shimmied past me.



Trevor, on all fours, looked up and said, "Aroo (like Scooby-Doo)," then crawled around me.



Then comes Ashlee the diva, who comes to a stop right at my feet and says, "Mwah Mwah." (It is actually a kissing noise that she uses when she wants a sippy).



Those are my kids in a nutshell!

- Nathan

Lots of fun things have been going on around here....

It's been a little while since I've been blogging, but that's what a busy life will do to ya!

I'm going to start of with one of the sweetest things...Nathan's Valentine present. He had been planning this thing for about 3 weeks, and while there was a slight hiccup with the plans (due to Trevor's fever that arrived that morning) the day was just magnificent. The present began to unfold when I dropped the girls off at a sitter (Trevor stayed home with us & played the computer when he felt up to it) and came home to a lovely brunch prepared by Nathan and a few friends. He grilled pork chops, had mini quiches, a fruit salad and bagels ready to go. After a nice brunch, I was sent out for a few minutes while the rest of the present was to get ready. After a short trip to Trevor's soccer fields, I arrived home to a very romantic and thoughtful setting. There was a massage table set up in the Living Room with the aroma of candles in the background, along with music. Then when you advanced into the Family Room, there was a station to do pedicures and another station to do the manicure. He had hired a lady in our ward (who's trained and certified for this stuff) to teach him the proper way to do a back facial (that's what the massage table was for) and the other things. There was not one detail forgotten by the men. It was a sight to behold, notes out and unfolded as he gave me a personal pampering experience! We started with the back facial (very romantic and nice!) and then moved on to my hands. They even had purchased magazines for reading when you were waiting for your next station. We had started the pedicure but the baby sitter's time was up and so the kids had to be picked up. I'm sure you can imagine my relaxation if the day got going at 12:00 and we weren't even done with all three stations by 3:30! The day didn't officially end until Nathan had to go to the Stake Center for the Stake Dance at 5:30 p.m. and it was pure fun the entire time. The day was a blast and all of his efforts paid off with a very lovely day. He makes me feel so appreciated and loved! What did I get him? A new racquetball set. We're having lots of fun with that, too!




The kids came down with Strep throat the week after our Valentine Saturday. Trevor's fever had gone away by Saturday afternoon, but came back with a vengeance on Monday morning. We took him in to see Dr. Blair - his strep test was positive. We were nervous that all of the kids would get it, but just Kassi picked it up after that. She fell ill on Tuesday, so they both had a few days off from school.

That following Saturday (2/23) was Trevor's first soccer game! He got a little tired during the game, but very much enjoyed playing. We invited his friend, Gabe to come watch. I think the kids had a blast! We had posters made up for the team and one just for Trevor. Then I got these cute hats for the kids to wear. It was a little windy, so the hats didn't stay on long, but I'm saving them for another game. I just love wacky team-spirit kind of things! The coach had asked Nathan to be the assistant coach for the team, so this was his first game coaching. I think he really likes it!

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

This past week we've just been back to our normal routine. Trying to fit in some volunteer hours at Trevor's school, keeping every one's homework going, schedules to keep with the sports and dance, and getting some church work done in my "spare" time! Nathan did have a great start to the week on Monday. He had a committee meeting (I really should have him follow John's lead and post it himself so everyone can understand it better!) - his committee helps decide when the department feels as though his Ph.D project is at a point that he's ready to graduate - and they said that he's done everything he's supposed to do, so he should get ready to graduate this summer! YEA!!! I was so excited to hear this news. HE was SO EXCITED to hear that they recognize his work being complete and think he's earned his degree. Wow, what he's accomplished is just so great! So, all-in-all, he has a few experiments to repeat, his thesis to write and a paper to write (to get published in a science magazine) and he's done! We're hoping that he can get it all done by June. If so, he can continue on with the MSTP (Medical Scientist Training Program - otherwise known as an M.D./Ph.D program) schedule, entering back into the medical school portion. He'll be a "3rd year" medical student. That's the year that they work in the hospital and get the actual clinical training. By the way things look, he'll be getting his double-doctorate in May 2010! I'm just so darn proud of him.... :)!

The week ended busy, but well. I went to dinner with friends on Thursday to celebrate a friends birthday. Friday was spent putting together sacks for the upcoming enrichment. Saturday was full with Kassi performing her dance number at the Community Fest and Trevor had his second soccer game shortly after that. Here's some pictures of our pretty Kassi at her dance performance. Boy, she's growing up fast.

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Today we were supposed to have a ward "break fast" but we received 3 calls this morning telling us that it had to be canceled due to hazardous materials in the kitchen. I'm not kidding. So, we got together with friends tonight to eat the food we made and a few extras to make a meal. Life really is good!

It's official - I'm a soccer mom!

Last night was Trevor's very first soccer practice. After we found his little team (there were a ton of them on the fields!) I just stood there for a minute. It was like I couldn't walk away. Silly, I know, but I turned around, and started crying and couldn't stop! Nathan just looked at me and started to laugh. I didn't know it would be so hard to let him play soccer. All the while I'm thinking, "What's wrong with you! He'll be fine!" But, to watch my kids hit benchmarks in their lives makes me emotional. I can't help it. It's always such a mix of emotions, that all I know to do is cry 1/3 happy, 1/3 sad and 1/3 nervous tears! Finally, after I got over myself, I enjoyed watching him kick the ball and run around. To my credit about being a little nervous for him - his cleats are 2 sizes to big because we can't find them small enough for him. Not even Sports Authority had them. His pants are XXS and they're rolled up a few times at his waist. I was scared that he'd trip over his feet and/or his pants and get a black eye from another little one that's wearing cleats that are too big. Thankfully, it didn't happen! The coaches are a husband/wife team that seem to be really nice. They were good with the kids. I was really happy to see that. Trevor seemed very happy also, until the end of the one and a half hour practice. Not because it was over, but because the ice cream man left. Oh, that's my Trevor!

At the end of the practice, they asked me to be the team's "Soccer Mom." I'm in charge of making sure that the papers are ready, assign other parents to bring snacks and to help spray paint the team members hair for the games. Their colors are gold and black. I was a little shocked about the last assignment, but how fun! I think that the girls are going to love this too. They'll get to cheer on their brother, and they love stuff like that. Last night, Ashlee kept putting her hand on her brow to search for Trevor. When she'd find him, she'd yell, "Run, Trevor, run! Go, Trevor, Go!"

Super Bowl

A few days before the Super Bowl, Kassi told Nathan that she wanted to watch it with him. I wasn't feeling very well and Trevor wasn't either, so we opted for a quiet night at home. On Saturday, we all went to Home Depot to do the parent/child craft. They were so excited to make a football stool for their super bowl party! The kids made the stools and I got them painted that night.


We also went shopping on Saturday and picked up special snacks and treats for them to munch on. As the game started, they all sat down and watched, chanting for the Giants (I told them that I liked that QB better ;D ) and then it happened. Boredoom set in. Ashlee was the first to leave. Then Trevor. I think they lasted for a whole 7 minutes. It took more time getting everything for the party, than the actual length of the party! Kassi tried really hard to stick it out, but when she saw that my cold medicine kicked in and I fell asleep on the couch, she too told her Dad to come get her if the Giants made a touchdown. So, for a good chunk of the game, Nathan had a quiet room with lots of snacks. I'm sure he was heartbroken! *wink* I did happen to wake up for the last half of the game and got to see all of the exciting parts. I was so happy for the Giants. I didn't like them very much when they beat my team (the Cowboys), but I wanted them to beat Tom Brady. I still haven't gotten over his whole dating situation!
Anyway, I had another reason to be happy. Nathan and I played football squares. We had some pretty great prizes, and guess what? I swept them all! All four quarters were in my favor! Now, Nathan has to clean both cars, bathe the kids for 2 weeks, fold and put away laundry for 2 weeks and make sure all of Kassi's homework is completed for one week. Wow. What on earth am I going to do with myself?!? Hee,hee. So much better than playing for money!

Our newest nickname...

Heff. That's Trevor's new name. Let me tell you why.

Trevor has always wanted a robe. He didn't ever constantly beg for one like he does with other things, but he'd tell us every so often that he wanted a robe. When we were in Vegas, Melissa got out some of the twins' old clothes for us to take for Trev. One of the items was a robe. Since we've been home, Trevor hasn't taken the robe off. He just wears it over his clothes. He even tried to wear it to bed the other night. When I was thanking Melissa for the robe I explained Trevor's obsession. She asked if we had started calling him "Heff". I said "NO, but we will now!" So, I'd like to introduce you to the newest nickname of Trevor's:
Heff.


P.S. Props to Missy for the a laugh and the name!

Silly, SILLY Trevor

All of my children are cute and silly and give me a good laugh. Trevor, however, seems to have some ability to crack me up. He can be so witty at times. Anyway, I forgot to mention this in the last blog and I thought it was funny. On our way home, we had to wait for a minute in the jetway. We were almost to the plane and he could see that we were just about through the door, but we were stopped again. Out of the blue Trevor blurts out, "Come on, people! Why aren't you moving? Don't you know that this plane isn't a museum?!?" I turned around to tell him that wasn't nice, but I couldn't due to my giggling. Needless to say, his face was as dramatic as the statement he chose to blurt out!

Also, when I was making "Purple Potter Popcorn" (we make it every time we watch a Harry Potter flick) tonight Trevor was singing. "You know I've never, I've never seen you look so good...." Hmmmm...Too much Guitar Hero III around here, wouldn't ya say?! I've been told quite a few times that he won't stop singing at school. The last thing I need is to get a call from his school telling me that he's learned the rest of Poison's "Talk Dirty to Me" while doing his desk work!