Carter's Dog

All of the decorative dog pictures used in the Sage Elementary Choir production of Arf were given away to members of the choir. Carter was selected to take this cute little dog picture home. It's probably the closest he's ever going to get to brining a dog home, so we took a picture.

Rock On!

Every. Single. Day. Caleb runs to this rock after schools and asks me to take his picture on the rock. It's getting pretty annoying and I'm usually in a hurry to get somewhere else, but I oblige, because I assume that someday these crazy rock posing days will be just a memory and I may be glad I have hundreds of pictures of Caleb balancing on rocks.

Arf!

Carter's choir teacher always does a great job selecting the music for the choir concerts. This final concert was all about dogs. Carter loved learning the catchy tunes and, like always, I struggle getting any good pictures in the Sage Elementary gym.  

It's Boring

I spent a significant amount of time and sanity on writing a Department of Labor grant. We received the directive to write the grant with only 6 weeks until the grant deadline. I'll spare the  details of the grant and the writing, and suffice it to say it was a cluster of coordinating efforts and creative writing. When I asked Carter to give the final 30 page manuscript a once over, he proclaimed, "It's Boring!" He was right. It was.

Hairdoing

Cali is getting really good at doing her own hair. I think we might even be in the clear when it comes to morning hair tirades (fingers crossed). It's an added bonus that she likes to practice her "fat braid" skills on me too!

Multi-tasking

Caleb only had two jobs to do, and he chose to do them at the same time. Although quality suffers when you try to balance on a chair while vacuuming, not to mention not even looking at the blinds, efforts were still better than nothing.

How Do You Measure, Measure a Year?

Cali did a great job in her final choir concert of the year. She and a couple friends tried out for a solo part and she was selected to sing in a trio. They sang some fun songs, but the one that really got my goat was Seasons of Love from the musical, Rent. I hadn't planned to cry or get emotional. In fact I rushed from work to even get to the recital. But, once I was settled and they began singing, the tears flowed. Cali was looking at me like I was an idiot, and I tried to bow my head and let the tears drip into my lap.

Next year she is off to the junior high, and I've had a lot of time to think about how a year is measured.

Representing

Christian is really loving his new job at OCI, Carter is loving all the new swag!

A Funny Sight

My coworker friend, Beth, and I were walking down the main hall of the college when I looked up into the library windows. Standing inside the widow reading nook was Caleb. His preschool class was on their weekly trip to the library, and I just happen to catch him looking down into the hall from his library perch.

The old Caleb would have cried and tried to run away from his class to find me. However, the new Caleb just waved and laughed then held up his book while I took a picture.

Cali's Piano Recital

Cali had a great piano recital at Western Wyoming Community College Green River Campus. She played her piece really well without being too nervous. Her teacher is really nice and always gives Cali a lot of encouragement and praise. She's come a long way this past year and is getting better and better at the piano.

I'm Not Kidding... This is Pathetic

We tried to make a delicious birthday cake for Christian's birthday. This is how it turned out.

It was actually really delicious, it just looked really bad.

I think Christian may have been ashamed to take his picture with it, so Caleb volunteered.

 

Happy Birthday, Christian? Luckily we'll get another chance next year to make up for this disaster.

Coloring Easter Eggs

We didn't get around to coloring Easter eggs before Easter, so we took a few minutes during the General Conference break to color a dozen eggs. Caleb was ready to go with his full-body apron.

Carter also required a full-body apron, you know, just in case he spilled dye everywhere...

 

Cali jumped in on the apron bandwagon, and used her apron to dry her eggs.

The kids had a lot of fun, and came up with some pretty creative color combinations.

 

Hair Do, Cali Style

While we were sitting around enjoying the Saturday session of General Conference, Cali tried out her braiding skills on my hair. She was pretty proud of her self and declared it a masterpiece!

All the Way to the Top

Before the first Saturday session of General Conference, Neal, Gwen, and I hiked to the top of White Mountain. It's pretty steep and it was pretty cold, but we had a great time talking and laughing and stopping for breaks. At some point my mom decided that she wasn't going to go to the top, but I talked her into it. I gave her a rousing pep talk that she would regret not making it all the way, and she did! She did it by using the serpentine method and making zig zags all the way up the hill, and back down.

Parenthood is Never Lonely

Spring Break Trip to Rock Creek

Spring break in Wyoming is always a little cold, and by cold, I mean freezing. Neal and Gwen came to Wyoming to enjoy the cold weather and some fun adventures.

 

We headed out of town to do some exploring and drove right through the town of Eden, WY. Of course Neal had to stop for a photo to send to his sister, Eden.

 

After driving for a couple of hours we arrived at Rock Creek Hollow. This is a very special place where the Mormon Pioneers stopped as they crossed the plains. Several people died here on their journey.

 

It was so cold. The wind was blowing and there was frozen ice and snow all over the ground. It really harrowing to think about how it would feel to be on the plains in similar weather, but without the modern conveniences we enjoy, like getting back in the car and warm coats.

 

Bethany had a kite in her car, so she and the kids did a little kiting in the Wyoming wind.