May Randoms

George and I were exhausted and laying on the couches as the kids scooped themselves ice cream.
Austin:  "Ummmm... we could really use a PARENT over here!"
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We were sitting around the table about ready to eat dinner when April called to wish Elise a "Happy Birthday".  George talked to her for a minute, then said, "Elise, it's April on the phone."  The kids erupted in cheers "Yay!!! It's April!!!"  And then over it all we heard Austin yell, "Yay!!! It's April!!!  Elise's birth mom!!!  She's been resurrected!"
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I was asked to substitute for nursery music time.  On the way to church, I put in a kids song CD trying to find this cute "Tap your Sticks" song.
Immediately, I get these reactions that I think show a bit of their personalities...
Lucy:  (screams) AHHhhh!  It's Sunday!!! These are NOT Sunday songs!!!
Elise:  YES!!! (with a little fist pump, I think)
Austin: "Hey!  Dad is breaking the rules!  Dad, why are you breaking the Sunday rules?" (always on my side :)
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 Me:  What are you doing?
Austin:  We're digging holes to find treasure for the family.
(This was a few days after watching the movie "Holes.")  We had holes all over the back yard.  Some with bridges.  I guess there are advantages to not having grass.  Right now the dirt is really soft and the world is green and beautiful.  The girls were also very involved in the hole digging activity (along with our neighbor Cindy) and it filled a lot of after-school hours in May.  I was really crossing my fingers that the treasure would be found, but no such luck...

 Elise and Gracie taking their babies on a walk outside.  Probably doing a copy-cat.  I always wear purple heels when I walk my baby.  And pose like that too. :)

Austin getting his bear checked out at the
Safety Fair.  George sat at Tanner Clinic's booth

After a date to the Bountiful Temple
We're still surprised at how BIG it is.  We've been around small
temples for years.

Elise got a special nail painting kit from
grandma Liz.  Here is her memorial day creation.
Not bad, eh? (I mean after a little smurf cleanup)

Robin and Batman make regular appearances around here

throwing rocks in the pond down the street from our house

The big thing for the home improvement was having a big rock retaining wall/natural playscape built.  The kids loved to watch Mike from the deck.  great fun!

Bring on summer!

Memorial Day weekend

Grandma and Grandpa Tripp's grave

 This year, our Memorial celebrations centered around putting flowers on graves of loved ones.  We didn't get to the Harden grandparents :( but were able to visit many others.  It has been a long time since we've done this and it was a good thing.

Geo's brother Jeff's grave

grandma Marjie's grave - lots of pink!  :)

grandma Barbara's grave

near great grandma & grandpa Peterson's grave.
by then we were all tired!

 Of course, we had to add a little food to the day's activities. We had bagels at Einstein's with the Tripp's (after a loooooong wait at a restaurant with no luck getting in).  And a BBQ with the Cole extended fam for lunch.  It was a great day to remember those who have gone before and celebrate the family we are blessed to have around.

Cole is 3!

1. What is your favorite color? yellow
2. What is your favorite toy? ay-plane
3. What is your favorite tv show/movie?  Frosty the Snowman
4. What do you like to do with your family? kiss my mommy.  and throw grass at people
5. What is your favorite outfit?  play clothes.  dinosaur shirt and snowman shirt
6. What is your favorite game? the Elmo game (Chutes and Ladders?)
7. What is your favorite snack or fruit? appa-sauce
8. What is your favorite animal? sheep
9. What is your favorite song? that Frosty song, Wise Man song
10. What is your favorite book? Frosty and Elmo books (???), Goin' on a bear hunt (he can pretty much recite it)
11. Who is your best friend?  Jax
12. What makes you happy? a toy ay-plane
13. What makes you sad? dat book (???)
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? swing on my swing
15. What is your favorite drink? milk 
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Elmo and Mickey
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? ce-yal (cereal).  the one that we eat
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? jam
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? I telling Aust-ey I bigga than him.  I gonna wear my tall boots.

Height:  38 in (63%)
Weight:  35.6 lbs (84%)
BMI 84%

trying to switch from 2 to 3

loving the paper airplane from Lucy!

 Cole's big present this year was a swing!  Geo hooked it underneath the garage.  He LOVES it!

 Cole's birthday was on a Sunday this year.  After church, we invited two families in the neighborhood (the Martinson's and Norman's) to share cake and ice cream with us.

We sure love our Cole-Cole!  He is a snuggly kid.  He likes to feel skin - elbows especially.  Almost every day he rubs his hand down my leg and says, "Ooooh.  Pokey!"  He loves to tag along with the big kids.  Cole has been a struggle to potty train.  When he goes, he dances around and cheers and says, "Ev-y body SO SO happy!  Mom is happy.  Dad is happy.  Cole is happy."  We're sure he's sharp enough to pick it up, but loves his diap-ey too much.  Now he not only pulls on the tags, but pulls the waistband part apart.  We have little diaper band flecks everywhere.  On the positive side, he now knows the days of the week.  He'll say, "I go a potty on a Wed-day." Or "Sata-day." Or whatever is about three days from the current day.  *sigh*  He likes to sing the ABC song too and really enjoys coloring with Elise.  He takes extra special care with his coloring strokes.  Not a quick scribble scrabble like his brother.  Cole also continues to suck on his bottom lip like a bunny rabbit and has a hilarious little shuffle.  He loves to throw balls.  He's a cutie and we adore him!  Happy Birthday!

Elise is 6!

1. What is your favorite color? Light blue
2. What is your favorite toy? Toy horsies 
3. What is your favorite tv show/movie?  Frozen
4. What do you like to do with your family? Play games like Life and watch movies at night - which is Frozen
5. What is your favorite outfit?  My birthday girl shirt
6. What is your favorite game? Goblet Gobblers
7. What is your favorite snack or fruit?  Gram crackers and milk
8. What is your favorite animal? horses
9. What is your favorite song?  Let it go.
10. What is your favorite book? Frozen chapter book.  I know there is one of those.  I saw it in a book order.  Me:  Think of a book me have.  Elise:  Fairy Tale book
11. Who is your best friend?  Gracie
12. What makes you happy? Painting nails
13. What makes you sad? When someone is mean to me.
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? swing on the swing
15. What is your favorite drink?  Punch
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Pink blanket
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Cereal
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Cake
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A storekeeper - so I'm rich.
21 . What do you think you will be doing 10 years from now?   Have a phone.  A real phone.  And play games on it.  And I'll cook breakfast.  And dinner.  And tend Erik.

Elise had two birthday wishes:  1.  Ride a horse.  2.  Pet the neighborhood dog Elliot.  I couldn't figure out how to pull the horse thing off.  And then I got a flyer that the bishop's family was running a petting zoo on May 17 so we decided to take all the girlies from her Kindergarten class to that and have a cowgirl party!  Perfect.  As the girls arrived, we made some cowgirl necklaces and colored wooden snakes.  And then off to the Mc Millan petting zoo...

Lauren, Cienna, Makaila, Gracie, Elise, Miley, Olivia
Austin, Elle, Cole and Lucy

digging for gold

Elise at 6:
Height:  108 cm (42.5 in) - 4%
Weight:  38.4 lbs - 12%
BMI:  52%


Elise's actual birthday was the day after the last day of school.  Lucy made a yellow "brick" road to lead Elise to her gifts in the morning.

loving the clip-on earrings from Aunty Natalie!

Store owner

And look who came over for a surprise visit... Elliot!!!

Bye Elliot!

 The whole Elliot obsession has been kinda funny.  Elise is REALLY scared of dogs, especially big ones.  But she and Elliot became friends at a neighborhood family kick-ball game and she's been begging to see him every day since.

The rest of the day was a lazy one.  It was wonderful.  Elise and I had a tea party.  We painted nails.  All great fun!  We sure love this spunky little cutie!  Happy Birthday!