Happy Birthday, Lucas!

I can't believe my baby is one! He is such a fun boy, and we just can't imagine life without him! I love that his name means bringer of light, because he has definately brought a light into our home that shines brighter every day.
Since Luke and his cousin Carson's birthday are just two weeks apart, we decided to have a party for them half way in between. We had a big turn out with lots of cousins, and lots of cake!
Luke was sick with his second ear infection in three weeks, and I had to wake him up from a long nap for cake.

mmmmmmm

but it only took a few tastes of the cake to cheer him right up!

Uncle Ryan and Aunt Tara gave him his very first Utes paraphernalia!!! Welcome to Utah, Lucas!

Let's Go Fly a Kite!

Best purchase ever! Two thinkgs I've noticed since we've moved down here: one, there always seems to be a slight breeze, and two, there are a LOT of wide open parks! Knowing this, I had set my heart on getting the boys kites for their Easter baskets. I'm not sure what I was thinking, since all my own memories of kite-flying involve frustration, anger and tears. I did it anyway, and found some kites at Wal-Mart for 99 cents. I laughed to myself, knowing I was getting myself into trouble here, buying cheap kites that I figured would never make it in the air. I WAS WRONG. We went out back one day, and Mark got both kites sky-high, to the very end of their strings. I was in awe! The best thing about them is that they involve no continued work at all! Jack would send his kite up into the sky, and once it reached the very end, he would just run around and play, never letting go. This amazing one dollar kite just sat up there, following him everywhere he went, never crashing, never bombing, just doing exactly what it was supposed to do. It was such a pleasant afternoon laying in the grass and watching the boys run and play!

Easter Morning

I didn't think Mark was going to be with us to celebrate Easter this year. He was still residing in Montana at the time, and wasn't sure if he was going to come down for the weekend or not. I went ahead and "told the Easter Bunny what to bring", even though I was planning on waiting until a weekend when Mark was home to celebrate. I am so glad that I didn't put any of it off, because Mark surprised us on Saturday afternoon and showed up at Casey and Jeannie's house. Hooray! Easter morning was fun, and the boys loved stumbling across their baskets as they searched for the chocolate eggs. We kept Easter really simple this year, not filling the baskets much at all, but everything we got seemed to be so loved and appreciated, that any more stuff would have taken away from it all. It really was a perfect Easter.
Lukie and his chocolate bunny
Jack and his chocolate bunny

and Kale with his chocolate bunny. I will NEVER have an Easter without chocolate bunnies!

Kale found his basket in the coat closet

Jack's was under the table

and Kale found Luke's behind the couch.

Hunting for chocolate eggs.....

Kale counting the eggs

Easter Sunday

I got to host Easter dinner at my house this year!! I was so excited! My mom bought me this pink china when I was in high school, and I have NEVER gotten to use it. With a house full of boys, its hard to find the right occasion to pull out the pink. Janice had this beautiful table cloth and napkin set that I've loved for years, and I was so excited when she gave them to me!!! I just knew they would go perfectly with my dishes.

Jack hunting for eggs My adorable Luke!! (he was sick this weekend, as well as nearly every weekend for the last two months, but he's always smilin!)

Racing for those eggs!

Grandma, Grandpa, and the egg hunters.

And they're off! Casey and Mark managed to hide 60 eggs in our teeny tiny front yard.

Playing in the park across the street.

Dressed in their Easter best.

Easter Tea Party

Every year since Jordan was a baby, Grandma Janice has thrown an Easter tea party. They are incredibly extensive with activites, food, gifts, and this year she even included a little dress-up. This was the first year with the five kids together, and they didnt' all fit at the little table, so Grandma did the party in shifts, with Grandpa entertained the others outside.

Here is a picture of the first group waiting patiently for Grandma to get it all set up.
Grandma brought a hat for each child, and necklaces or bracelets too.

They got to pour their own tea (apple juice), and eat off the beautiful bunny tea set she has had since I was a child.


Grandpa had bubble guns outside, and afterwards they all did a fun craft.

We look forward to Grandma's tea parties every year, and even if we don't get to be there with her, she sends out a tea party in a box! We love you Grandma!! and Grandpa!!!

Grandma and Grandpa come to visit

My dad and step-mom came to visit all of us for Easter weekend. It was so much fun to see them....it had been a month since we'd moved from Montana, and we really missed them! The first day they were here we went out for an amazing brunch, and then played at the children's museum in Ogden for a few hours. It was tons of fun!!!
This is Luke crawling all over a giant map of Utah

Kale dressed up as an engineer.

And Jordan the fire(wo)man

In the midevil section the boys found this castle play set. jack climbed right up on the table to get in the middle of it. I practically had to drag them away.

The babies playing.....the look on Luke's face is priceless

Kale and the giant chess set. We are working on teaching our prodigy the skills of chess, but for now he just knows where all the pieces go.

oh, and I forgot to mention that I met President Obama! He's taller than I expected, but very friendly. Oh, but his jokes are a little 'flat', *snicker*

(I dont' have any other pictures of Jack cuz he kept disappearing on me!!!)

Dying Easter Eggs

I don't know why I do this!!! EVERY year I get all excited about dying easter eggs, and every year I'm the only one who really gets into it. Mark wouldn't even notice if we skipped the whole activity, and the boys stay interested in it for about 3 or 4 eggs, but I of course dye dozens. I think it's more of a girl's activity, and definately mostly just a photo-op :) I'm thinking about skipping it next year, but we'll see. Mark was still living in Montana while we were in Utah, so we had to make sure to do this on one of his visits home. It was fun, but probably more fun for me than anyone else.

This is Kale and his hilarious rubber face! This kid has the BEST expressions