We went to the zoo a couple of times before the really hot summer days set in. The day we went when I took these pictures was a perfect zoo day: overcast and cool, not crowded at all. Tommy and I had a great time getting up close and personal with the animals.
We went on a family hike in Estrella Park (again, before it gets too hot). We only hiked for about 15 minutes because it was windy and chilly and Tommy wasn't really in the mood to walk. We ended up carrying Tommy on our shoulders pretty much the whole time, but it was still really fun to get out and see nature.
It actually rained in April! That's not something we see very often in Arizona, so we relish it whenever it comes. The weekend it rained was actually very cold. I think we even turned our heat back on for a night or two. The best part of the rain was the double rainbow that arched all the way across the sky. That kind of thing is so rare it even made it onto the front page of the newspaper here. I am always amazed at how things like rainbows bring people together. We were at Wal Mart when it first appeared. It literally brought people together in the parking lot. Complete strangers started talking and pointing and laughing as we all enjoyed the beautiful sight together. It was pretty spectacular.
Here is a picture of Tommy just hanging out with Wrinkles, eating a sucker, looking cool.
Easter was awesome this year. I think I was more excited than Tommy was about it! We dyed eggs together Saturday night. Tommy had so much fun "painting" eggs that he threw a bit of a tantrum when we ran out of eggs and dumped out the colors. He had a blast the next morning looking for the eggs and the baskets that the Easter Bunny hid. He needed a bit of help, but he caught onto the idea really quickly. Easter morning was so beautiful. We made a huge breakfast, complete with delicious cinnamon rolls, and shared it with some friends. We ate a ton of food and talked a lot about Jesus, so I would count this Easter as a raging success. We even made it to the Easter Pageant at the Mesa Temple which was a great experience for us this year. Tommy even watched a little bit of it!
And last, but not least, here is my favorite video of all time: Tommy and Daddy washing my dirty floor. Here is the story behind this video: We were outside and Ben was using a rake to do some yard work. Tommy wanted to help so badly, but it was getting close to bedtime and I didn't really want him handling a rake, so we all came inside. Tommy was about to throw a royal tantrum when I asked him if it would make him feel better to help Daddy wash the floor. He nodded his head, so Ben and Tommy got down on all fours and washed my floor. Then Tommy kept slipping so I took him upstairs, where he threw another fit until I promised he could help me do more housework. What an amazing little boy! I've got to put him to work more often:)
