Blackberries

Our local soccer fields have a few Blackberry Patches surrounding it. So this morning some friends and I went picking. I only got a few cups but I'm betting if I go for FHE on Monday, there will be WAY more. All sorts of red and white ones that just need a few more days. YUM!!
Keep in mind when you go berry picking that you really should wear pants, and a long sleeve shirt if you can. OUCH!!

No Swimming

When we first moved to Texas I took my dog for a rather long walk and got lost. Eventually we came across a river and headed down for a drink. Charlie, or course, lost his footing and fell in. It was actually kind of funny and I think he felt rather refreshed. Luckily this was not in the water with him.
We found this "little" guy (8-10 ft long) about a mile from our house. Phoenix and Sicily were enthralled that we found an Alligator NOT at the alligator park. Like they don't actually live in the wild or something.

This turtle (probably 16 inches across) was just around the corner from our friendly alligator. I wasn't positive if it was a turtle until I got this picture home. It was a super sunny day so I couldn't see too good in the camera. But it sure looks like a turtle to me.

Bugz Play

All of our First Grade recently performed the cutest little play ever. Aspen got to be a Flower (as you can see) and did so good with all the songs and her little speaking part. We are so proud of her. She's just the bravest kid ever.
There are so many 1st Graders they actually split the play in half. One group performed Tuesday night and our Group performed Thursday night.

A copy of the program for posterity. I think Aspen will have these songs memorized for the rest of her life.

2 of our little Bug friends. Ladybug Reagan, Flower Aspen and Bumblebee Meagan. Aren't they the cutest!

Aspen did so good with her line. She was one of the few kids you could actually understand, mostly because she didn't have her lips right on the microphone.

A group of Bugz. Ladybug, Flower (Aspen), Bumblebee, Fire Ant, Army ant, Fire Ant, Army Ant.

What is she doing?

Don't worry, I actually told her to climb up the window.
When we bought our home this upper window had a crack in it, so the previous owners replaced the window before we moved in. But they neglected to seal it correctly so we had some water damage after the first few major rain storms. Jared finally got around to fixing it and had taped some newspaper on the window so we could do some touch up paint. We then put away the ladder but never pulled down the newspaper.

So with some help from our "Little Monkey" we were finally able to pull down all the newspaper and ever piece of tape. Thank goodness this girl can climb.

Poor Kid

I'd love to tell some grand story that Phoenix got in a fight and won. But this is not actually a Black Eye, it's allergies. The pollen count is off the charts and my whole family is feeling the effects. Poor Phoenix was only outside playing for about 30 mins and came in looking like this. Usually my boys eyes only puff up if they're around cats too much, so this is definitely a first.

Snuggles

Sicily just adores her big brother and he is so patient with her. They've been sharing a room for a little while but things had to change. Sicily would climb into Phoenix's bed every night. He didn't really mind, but that boy was NOT getting enough sleep. But it sure makes for a cute picture.
We now have a "Boys Room" again. London is not the happiest about having to share again, but so far things are going ok.

Look I'm Tall

I'm not totally positive what Phoenix was learning about in school today. But he came home with a book they'd made with his Finger Prints on one page, lists of his favorite things and this string taped inside to show us how tall he is. He had to pull it out and show me, because he was just so proud. Pre-school is just the best. Look at that smile

1st Grade Field Trip

I got the chance to go with Aspen on her 1st Grade Field Trip to the Houston Children's Museum. It was so much fun. There were about a million kids. I got assigned to Aspen and another little girl, so it was no big deal.

We started out the day at the park for a quick play and some lunch. This is our teacher Mrs. Hobbs, Aspen and Reagan her cute little friend.
Once we got to the Museum they took our class straight out to the water play area. So much to do and I was Shocked that Aspen didn't just jump right in, because that's what she usually does.

They had little toy boats they were sending down these locks. I tried to explain to the kids what they were but they were just too busy playing.

Inside was just as fun. They've recently redone the Museum and added a TON of stuff. Nothing we did today had I actually seen before. This was a cute little math area. Aspen was rather proud of herself for peddling the bike up to 100 all on her own.

And of course, the rock wall. There is nothing better for Aspen than one of these.

This was the funnest game of Dodge Ball I've ever seen. And no one gets hurt!

This was the path we took to get to our next area. Most of the Moms went up the stairs right behind, but me, Mrs. Hobbs and 2 other Moms climbed up this. It was tough, there were some pretty tight squeezes. So fun, Aspen just laughed at my hair when I finally made it out. :)

Easter Sunday

I know she's looking good! But hey, what can I say, we'd just gotten up, had an awesome Easter Egg Hunt and dug straight into the candy. What a morning!

As Sicily counts all the eggs Phoenix is in the background sporting an obvious liking for chocolate. He said he had a mustache like Dad. :)

They had way too much candy before breakfast. It was a good thing we had Conference this Sunday, Sacrament meeting would not have gone too well with all that chocolate in them.

We've recently discovered many things Sicily has in common with her Daddy. One of which is an apparent Dislike for Cadberry Easter Eggs. :)

Lift...Lift!!! The Ham weighs 10 lbs by the way, that's 1/3 her weight. One tough little cookie if you ask me.

Aspen was rather proud of her set up for our Easter Dinner. She thought the table just looked divine. I think she did a rather nice job of it.

I acquired a really cute Easter muffin tin last year. This year it made or dinner rolls. Aren't they adorable?

Easter Egging

All dressed and ready for dyeing. We had such fun dyeing our Easter Eggs this year. And they all turned out so cute. The best part was coloring them with the crayon and then the dye not sticking to that part. But the kids really love the plastic sleeves that stick onto the egg once you put them in boiling water.
I was just glad I had them all in aprons. I had to scrub my counter tops with Comet when we were done, they were PINK!! And Sicily kept taste testing the dyes, "Sour!" she'd say. Yuck!

End of Spring Break

I am now up to date on all our Spring Break adventures. Thanks for the read, I hope you all enjoy the pictures.

Now, on with the show.