Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

Matt made a snow fort for the kids while he was shoveling our driveway after 9" of snow fell! Later another 9" fell! It was a record snow for our area and boy did we have fun!
The kids played till they were frozen, then inside for hot cocoa to warm up again. Then dry gloves and outside again.

We also bought tubes from a tire store and Matt and I got a workout pulling the kids up the hill we live on to a nearby hilly park. The first time we went we all froze our buns off and went home early. We dug out the snow box and surprized ourselves by finding a snow suit for everyone! An unexpected blessing! Matt says our neighbor had given him a bunch of snow suits last summer, that her kids outgrew. Kudos to Matt for putting them in the snow box!

So we bundled the kids in the snowsuits and spent hours tubing in our park. They have some good steep hills and we joined a crowd of neighborhood families sledding. Kids everywhere were bargaining to trade a sled ride for a tube ride and our kids made a lot of friends that day!

(Fall) Family Picture Time... Yikes!

Alex took the camera, after our pictures were done and started shooting pics of Matt and I. We were just happy the family picture circus was over!

Matt has a special bond with the kids! When Matt started putting in extra hours at work last year, we started having him do the kid's bedtime routine, so he'd be able to spend some time with them each day. Since then, it's been amazing how close the kids have all become to their Dad.

We were all trying to keep our spunky little Lucy in the picture at this moment! She kept trying to escape! All the kids were busy trying to help me, instead of looking at the camera... oh, well. At least they're good siblings!

Primary Temple Trip

We just had a trip to the temple for our Primary activity. The kids were so cute, they were looking forward to it for weeks! It was a wonderful activity. The kids all seemed to have their testimonies grow and it felt wonderful to me to see it happen.

love bugs and tree climbers

We've been taking daily walks after picking Lili up from the bus. David's newest thing is to pick "wishing wells" which are dandy lion seed wands and making wishes. He often offers them to me to make my own wishes too. Lili has been learning to climb the trees around the neighborhood with a vigor. She and her friend "trevor jones" ( I haven't figured out why she says his whole name each time, but it's cute), love to climb together. David has been afraid up until today. He climbed his first tree and even tried his best to smile about it!

Alex's Baptism

"I can't wait until I'm eight... for then I'll be baptized, you see!" Alex's baptism was wonderful. He grinned the whole time in the font. It was so great so see him so happy. Both of his grandparents were able to make it, Since his baptism he's been trying to hard to CTR. He has even been reading his scriptures every night before bed wether or not we remember to remind him. I suggested in the beginning that he read at least 1 verse a day to get the habit formed. He decided to try to read a page a day and has stuck to it for a week now! What a man! I can't tell you what a wonderful thing it is to have a son that is growing into a true elder of Zion. What a feeling!

like mother, like daughter

Lili has taken up photography on her own initiative. She borrows my camera, while I pray for it's safety, and takes pictures of her siblings and surroundings. She really enjoys it! She has become quite creative and takes very interesting photos! Here are some of her favorites!

Easter

Easter was a lot of fun this year. We went to our neighborhood's annual Easter egg hunt on Saturday. The kids collected eggs full of candy, money and tattoos. The Easter bunny came early for us and the kids found their newly emptied baskets full of more Easter treats! Their favorite thing was their "Webkins" which are apparently all the rage at their schools. It's all the kids talk about now. They are stuffed animals that you can register online in "Webkin world". In this virtual world the kids can feed, cloth, bathe, and play with their webkin pet. Alex got a tree frog(he named it "froggy"), Lili got a golden retriever (named it "bow" like a hair bow), and David got a panda (named "Goli" sounds like the beginning of Goliath... no I don't know why). If you want to get them talking, just ask about their Webkins pet!

On Sunday, we dyed hard boiled eggs at Grandma and Grandpa Syphers house, had an egg hunt thanks to Grandpa and one million plastic eggs and penny's, and I made the silliest looking lamb cake ever! Of course we also talked about the true meaning of Easter. Grandma gave us a wonderful FHE with symbolic things and scriptures, inside 12 Easter eggs. The kids loved it, despite David having a hard time keeping reverent (what's new?). HAPPY EASTER!