Nathaniel

I can't believe my baby is 13!!!  Nathaniel had an nice birthday.  When we asked him what he wanted to do, we were surprised when he said he wanted to go to dinner and a movie with Mom and Dad--just us, no other kids or even friends.  Wow!  We were happy to oblige.  The night before his birthday, we took him to see Oz the Great and Powerful, and then we went to our favorite Chinese buffet.

 

 

Here he is with his requested cake--white cake with white frosting.



His N2A card, which apparently makes his Nook Tablet "much cooler."

Off to Priesthood Session of General Conference (a broadcast from Salt Lake City, UT) with Dad.

 

Spring Piano Recital at school

 

Happy Birthday, Nathaniel!

Spring Break in North Carolina

We had a fantastic Spring Break in North Carolina!  We stayed in a cabin just over the Georgia border.  Papa was able to have a long visit with us, so he came for a little bit, too.  On Tuesday, Nathaniel rode with us up to the cabin, and the other kids rode with Papa.  His truck is way cooler than Mom's minivan. :-)  On Wednesday, it was cold, but we all hiked on the path down to the river to fish.  I came back early with Daniel and Jonathan, and the others followed after a while.  Michael and Papa kept fishing, though.  Papa had to leave on Thursday morning.  Michael took Nathaniel, Emily, and Andrew fishing on Thursday and Friday.  We spent the rest of the time playing games, watching movies, and relaxing in the hot tub.  We left for home on Saturday morning.  We had a great time!

Easter Egg Hunt

We had a blast hosting the Easter Egg Hunt for our ward primary.  We did a craft that focused on the Savior, and the Achievement Day girls did a puppet show about the Resurrection.  Then we had the egg hunt and finished with snacks.  It was wonderful!  Everyone seemed to have a good time. 

 

 

 

 

 

That afternoon, we did what we always do when Papa comes to visit--a trip to Bass Pro Shops and to the zoo.  Bass Pro Shops was offering picures with the Easter bunny, as well as *another* egg hunt.

 

 

Jonathan was fascinated by the Easter bunny.  When I wasn't looking, he cut the line and ran over to him.  In most of the pictures, he was looking at the bunny instead of the camera.

 

 

Awww...

Happy Easter!

All About Andrew

Andrew and Jonathan love to put this US States puzzle together. 

 

YMCA basketball! 

Here is Andrew at Chuck E. Cheese's for his friend's birthday

 

Here he is receiving his basketball trophy at the team party at the end of the season.

 

 

Andrew did a great job at his 1st grade program at school.

 

The boys wanted to dress up for the character parade for Read Across America week.

Emily's Birthday

This year, Emily wanted to go bowling for her birthday.  She also wanted to have dinner at Subway.  The little guys had fun, but they were pretty bored after about the sixth frame.  The whole family played one game on two lanes, and then just Emily and Nathaniel played a second game while Michael took the boys to the game room.  She had a blast!  The highlight of the night for her was opening her new Kindle Fire!  She has been asking for one for a *long* time.  She had saved some of her Christmas money, and she intended to pool her birthday money to get one and then once she had enough we would order it online.  I surprised her, though, and had it delivered so that she could open it on her birthday.  She also got a charger and a zebra print case.  She is in heaven!

Happy Birthday, Emily!!!

Valentine's Day

We had a great Valentine's Day.  We just spent time together as a family on Thursday, and Michael and I went out to dinner on Friday night.  But the big excitement was Daniel losing his first tooth!  He was pretty upset at first, and we got it all on video.  By morning, he was over it and he was pretty excited to have money from the Tooth Fairy!

Daddy Daughter Valentine's Dance 2013

Michael took Emily to the Daddy Daughter Valentine's Day Dance again this year.  They had a blast, as usual!  Emily really wanted me to curl her hair, so I spent 20 minutes on it (all so she could go on a date with my man). ;-) 

 

She's a Daddy's girl, for sure!