Iris & Grandma Lopez on a Field Trip!

I have the greatest grandma in the world!

While I was on a field trip with Isabella,

Grandma Lopez accompanied Iris on her

field trip to the Sunflower Market.

They had the best time together,

and as much as Grandma looked out for Iris,

Iris looked out for Grandma!

Since this field trip,

Grandma has had a mild stroke,

making it impossible for her to do something like this again.

How grateful I am for time well spent

together as families,

and for captured memories too!

Thank you, Grandma!

You do so much for us!

Dog Days

Welcome to the family, Louella Mae!

And then there were eight!

...

Yes,

once upon a time,

 said I would never.  ever.

ever, ever, ever, ever, ever.

Have a dog.

And yet.

Here. We.  Are.

Sigh.

...

In a nutshell:

It was love at first sight! 

Even for me!

And the kids?

They finally

-FINALLY-

have a dog!

And sometimes they still can't believe it!

And yes, I'm the the one that takes the most care of her!

Sigh.

Blue Goo

With the kids home for Easter break

we did some fun things in the kitchen including

making "Blue Goo".

The recipe came from a

Science Project workbook and was super-simple:

Blue Goo

1 c cornstarch

1/2 c water

blue food coloring (liquid-not gel)

Pour the cornstarch into a large mixing bowl.

Slowly add the water and a few drops of blue. 

Squish with your hands mixing well,

and...

Wa-La!

...

The result?

Craziness!

I think we were all at a loss for words.

Liquidy.

But dry?

Crumbly.

But wet?

You really have to try it for yourself!

And the kids?

Of course,

they loved it!

...

Summer break?

Bring it!

We're ready!

The Li-berry

Easter Morn

Happy Easter!

Things kicked off a bit sluggishly...

can you blame the Easter Bunny for being tired?

But it's always worth it!

Love those early morning smiles!

After a wonderful Sacrament Meeting,

we met up with my family for Easter Brunch,

and later we met up with Samuel's family for Easter Supper!

Talk about a feast!

And last but not least,

a good ol' fashioned egg hunt!

...

Easter, for us,

is a celebration of our Savior, Jesus Christ,

of family,

and of love!

We hope you had a wondeful day too!

Lazy Park Days

Love, love, love

lazy days!

And the piece de resistance?

Playing to the very last coin...

and winning!

Go, mom!

{Sorry, Bella!}

The Classic Easter Egg Hunt

We love visiting the Wyllie Home

for their annual Easter Egg Hunt!

The wide open spaces,

the green grass...

it beckons:

"Hide your eggs here!"

And hide them we do!

The kids go nuts,

the adults relax,

we all puzzle over that last

missing egg...

It's wonderful!

HAPPY EASTER!

It's nearly time...

Anxiously waiting...

And their off!

My beautiful girls!

Owen

Gabriel

Strategizing...

Sometimes things don't go your way...

But we ended on smiles.

Thanks, Dad!

...

And thanks to the Wyllie Family!

A replay of the action...

83 years!

Happy 83rd Birthday, Grandma Lopez!

We loved celebrating with you!

Beautiful!

I couldn't NOT include my monster shot.

This was in frustration to the seemingly

endless amount of photos we had to take in which

everyone was still or almost smiling!

Love this crazy bunch!

Oh, the trials of youth!

To not be able to climb all the way up to the top bunk-

let alone climb down...

Of course this was a temporary setback,

like most challenges are,

and days later,

guess who was triumphantly shouting from the top bunk

and taking swings at the ceiling fan?

Oy!