April 2018

We started out April with Easter right on April 1. We called it "Easter Fools" since it shared with Aprils Fool's Day. Our Easter Bunny may or may not have dyed some milk pink and rehid the kids' Easter baskets when they weren't looking.

My favorite part of the morning was watching Clara and Lily do a "Lollipop Dance" while eating bunny-shaped lollipops. We also listened to General Conference and ate our sugary Resurrection Rolls. It was a great day at home with LOTS of candy.
Tommy got glasses! He looks like one handsome dude. Apparently his sight in one eye is pretty bad, but we didn't know because he never complained.

The first time he put on his glasses was pretty magical. He kind of jumped back and said something like, "Wow, I can see!" Now he wears them full time without any complaint because the difference with and without glasses is so stark.

The big kids have been going to Trackers every Thursday. They basically take a bus to the woods and run around like wild monkeys all day. They love it and say it's their favorite day of the week.

This leaves Clara and I one day every week that we get to spend just the two of us. It's really precious time with her. We call Thursdays our Mama Baby Dates and do fun things together like go to McDonald's and play at the park. The picture below is on a Ladybug Walk we did with Portland Parks and Rec. All the kids get a bunch of little tools in a ladybug backpack and we wander around the park together observing nature. She loved the Ladybug Walk and I loved giving her my undivided attention.

The picture below is from another Mama Baby Date when we went to a free day of Tinkergarten. It was raining hard all day, but Clara was prepared in her rain suit and sparkly rain boots. We gathered leaves, fir cones, and rocks from around the park, sang some songs, ate a snack, and marched in some puddles.

Clara absolutely adores puddles.

I think we went to the Waffle Window after this park date and warmed up with some over-the-top waffles.

Sometimes the kids come home from Trackers covered in mud and charcoal. They absolutely love it. In the picture below Tommy is holding a broom he made from a bush called Scotch Broom that apparently grows rampant everywhere.

One of our homeschool group activities in April was visiting a craft fair. After being there onece, I definitely wouldn't take my two-year-old again. There was too much fine pottery and glass that she nearly broke. But learning how to weave and spin yarn and playing with the wet clay was pretty fun and not stressful. So I guess that's a win.

The kids had their annual Interest Fair with our homeschool group. It's like a science fair, but not just for science. This year Lily chose to present her cupcake game that she has been obsessed with since Christmas. She has made up several different games with these little cupcakes and it was fun to watch her teach other kids and parents about the games she invented.

The picture below is just a cute one of the kids in their Easter clothes from Grammy. They are pretty cute, if I do say so myself.

During the school year we spend A TON of time at the science museum. The kids have classes there and we always stay after for a few hours to play. We know every inch of that museum and somehow it still doesn't get old. They build some pretty cool stuff there.

While Ben and Tommy were at a baseball game, I took the girls to the 82nd Avenue Carnival. They had an all-out mini fair with rides and snacks and all the carnival games. Clara was pretty scared of the rides, but Lily enjoyed them. And they both enjoyed the cotton candy, so it was worth the effort to be there.

For one of Tommy's Cub Scout requirements we had to visit a sacred place. We decided to branch out a little and visit The Grotto, a Catholic sanctuary. It was absolutely breathtaking. It's build right up on the side of a cliff so some of the statues are in little caves. We took the elevator up to the top of the cliff that was adorned with gorgeous flowers and so many beautiful statues. It was peaceful and beautiful. I can definitely see myself spending a lot more time there when I have a few minutes to be alone.

Our lives are governed by baseball. Tommy is rocking it and loving every minute he has out on the field. It's a big time commitment, but I love watching him and spending so much time outside. Go Titans!

Phew, last thing! Once a month our homeschool group meets up to play in the gymnasium of an old church. They run around and have fun and are really super loud. Tommy is always a great sport to play with Clara and push her around. They have a very sweet bond.