Big News, Easter, and Lately

Most of the few remaining readers of my blog are probably also my Facebook friends or family and already know the news. We are expecting baby number 4 on August 16. We are having a boy which will nicely even out the numbers around here. This baby has spurred us to finish the basement, although he may be the only one sleeping down there. Max is determined to name this baby "Bo" and Klein really wants "Boston" (after her favorite boy at preschool). I have no ideas at this point so maybe Max will get his way (Klein will not because of the anti- Boston Red Sox vibe around this house). I am feeling quite anxious about having four kids but also very excited. I tease Jason that this boy will be turning 8 when Max is 16 so Jason will be able to start fresh with Super League at that time.

Here are a few Easter pictures. We had a great weekend and a wonderful spring break. It was really hard to go back to school.

Max participated in his first Pinewood Derby last week. He took second place overall. He and Jason and Uncle Jeff worked really hard on his "General Lee." It was a fun night. Max has been so busy with baseball and scouts and school. It is hard to get everything done in a night. The Orangemen played in a tournament at Bear River and took first. Max had some monster hits. He also participated in a "spring training" camp at Mountain Crest. They officially start Super League this Saturday. Max practices twice a week with the Orangemen and will start practicing for city league this week. We have lots of baseball on the schedule!.

I love the nice spring weather but we spend nearly every minute after school playing outside. It is hard to get the kids inside to go to bed or even eat dinner. The kids roam between the trampoline, the sandbox, and the driveway on their bikes. Preslee fell of the tramp the other day which is why she looks so rough. She landed on the cement. Not good... but it didn't scare her enough to keep her off. She is so full of energy but at an age where I can't let her just play outside on her own which means I also get to spend hours outside after school. Not much housework is getting done and very little cooking has been happening around here. Oh well...

March...

So much for staying caught up but here is the past few weeks in a nutshell...

I took Klein to see Disney on Ice with her cousins and grandma. She loved it and spent two hours waving to the characters with a huge smile. There were expensive cheap toys everywhere and some very amateur skating (the Saturday morning show featured some skaters who may have been hung over or they just didn't really know how to ice skate). But it was fun to get out with just Klein for a day and do something that she loved.

We headed to the March Madness baseball tournament in St. George last week. The weather was gorgeous. We explored Snow Canyon before Max's first game and the kids were fascinated with the red rocks and fine sand.

I didn't get too many baseball pictures because my big camera is broken which was very frustrating. When I got home I figured out that storing Max's large magnets right next to it in the cupboard was not a good thing but at least I just need a new CF card and that should fix things.

On the first day Max played at 4:00 and 8:00 but the games were behind so the second game didn't start until around 9:30 and finished near midnight. Late night for a kid that goes to bed at 8:30. I was lucky that DeeAnne was willing to keep Klein and Pres at the condo. Preslee was actually fighting some kind of virus and was miserable off and on throughout the whole trip. The kids were out of school on Monday and just the teachers had meetings; on Tuesday I left early to take Preslee to the doctor because of a high fever, and we left on Wednesday so I basically had a week off which made it even harder to come back the following Monday (the snowy weather that welcomed us back didn't help either).

Max's team went 1-3 but it was a good start to the season. The teams they played have probably been playing outside since January so they had a bit of an advantage. The Orangemen will be playing in a tournament this weekend and then start Super League in April. Max is also going to be playing minor league with Providence city.

We rented a condo with Jason's parents and Jeff and Steph. Jake was playing with Logan High the same weekend and it worked out perfectly. The kids always love having cousins to play with. Klein spent Friday with Klaire and loved every minute of it. Steph bought them matching outfits and spoiled Klein. The kids were able to swim. Max and Klaire even swam during the crazy wind storm on Saturday night.

We went to Las Vegas on Saturday to go to the outlets. The wind was terrible all the way there and back and there wasn't much to find at the stores. Preslee stayed with grandma and grandpa. Max and Klein were anxious to get back to play. On Sunday morning we woke up to extra chilly weather in St. George and came back to snow. Preslee did not sleep the entire ride home, until we go to Wellsville, of course.

We are definitely loving the sunny weather. The kids just want to be outside every minute. I doubt I am going to get much done from here on out...

These pictures were part of Max's science project. He was trying to figure out which pitching method is better... the windup or the stretch. Pretty good form...

Cute and growing Preslee. I took her for her 18 month well check. She has grown five inches in six months and finally joined here sister in the 99% for height. She started going to nursery and is getting so big. She is such a sweet girl and a handful. I have an amazing babysitter who always does my girls' hair and makes us cookies- thank you Melanie!

Here is Max proudly displaying his science project. He diligently worked on the "experiment" part of the project but as "project manager" I got to do most of the detail work :) I love that he was excited to learn something new.

We finished up another year at Beaver Mountain. The weather was warm and gorgeous, just the way I like it. Max was tearing it up all day and I couldn't even keep up. His final run of the year was the South Face which Jason documented with the video camera. Klein came up for the day too and while she claims to love skiing, her favorite part is when Jason puts her on his shoulders. I love Beaver Mountain and I love that Jason is part of the ski patrol there but I am always glad when the season comes to an end and our Saturdays become free again (until baseball starts that is...)

Life is good!

Valentine's Day

I have not posted forever and have a few things I need to catch up on...

Here is a glimpse of Valentine's Day and my three cuties. Getting the three of them to pose together is impossible and lately getting Max to smile is tough too. One day I will really embarrass him with all of his best poses...

Max had baseball practice outside on Valentine's Day... a tribute to the very mild winter we have had.

Preslee is in the stage where everything is better out of its place. She loves the fridge and making messes.

Max's Very Big Day

Saturday, February 4 was a very big day for Max. He was baptized at 10 am at the Providence South Stake Center. He was surrounded by family and friends. There were three other kids who were baptized but he was the only one from our ward (of 25 getting baptized this year). My best friend's daughter was also baptized. Jae and Max are only about a week apart- so it was fun to be there with them. It was a pretty big crowd and I was able to give the Holy Ghost talk. I was really sick on Friday night and woke up feeling pretty miserable on Saturday. My eyes were really red and I sounded hoarse. Jason was also not feeling great and had pretty much lost his voice too. The baptism was very nice and Max had a great big smile afterwards. He was confirmed in the High Council room. We had lots of family and friends, the bishop and primary leaders and his primary teacher in attendance. It was a very special day. I am proud of Max. He is growing up so much and really just an amazing kid.

After the baptism we had lunch at Nibley Elementary. We just got pizza and chips and pop and had every one bring desserts. I always love getting together with family. Max loves to socialize as well and had his favorite cousins all together. Notice everyone is eating but him...

Later that afternoon, we headed to the MC pool for his much awaited birthday party. We had to push it back a week because of a scheduling conflict but it worked out just fine. There were 13 boys to keep track of and I don't know how many times I counted them all. Max watched some older boys doing flips off the diving board and told me that he was going to try it. I was skeptical but sure enough, he went flipping right off the board. Max surprises me sometimes with his fearlessness, especially because some things (like the blood pressure cuff at the doctor's office) terrify him. It was a fun party and he got lots of fun things to play with. His friends definitely know what he likes.

Max also attended his first scout activity that week. It was the Blue and Gold banquet and he loved every minute of it. I think being with his buddies is the best part. He is such a social kid!

It was a very busy weekend and I was glad it all turned out perfect. After that, I got really sick and had to stay home from school for two days which never happens. Everyone has been sick around here and we are all finally recovering. It was worth it to celebrate Max's special day.

A Look Back...

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Happy Birthday Max!

Wow! Eight years...

Max is such an amazing kid and we are very proud of him. His birthday always falls near parent/teacher conferences and we got glowing reports about Max. He is a hard worker and is doing well in school. He loves math and does well in spelling. He tends to socialize a bit too much but his teacher said that he is always kind and willing to volunteer.

Max loves Legos still and now loves the Denver Broncos and Tim Tebow. He loves playing with friends and cousins. He loves to ski and had a great session in lessons. His teacher's comment was "I like the way you find adventure." He is in lessons with his cousin Klaire and the two of them are pretty adventurous on skis. Max has been playing basketball at the Sports Academy twice a week and has really liked being able to still play. He also had baseball practice on Friday nights. He loves his Orangemen team and the boys that play on it.

Max will be starting Scouts and hopefully we can keep up with all his activities. He will be baptized next Saturday and is really looking forward to that. He got a new suit for the occasion and when he puts it on it makes me want to cry thinking about how he is growing up. The other day he was telling me the places that he hopes to go on his mission. I don't even want to think about that...

We love you Max!

Ski Day

I have been to Beaver Mountain twice in two weeks which might be a record for me. Max is in lessons and we took Klein up yesterday for her maiden voyage. It was somewhat successful. We put her directly into a private lesson with Tonya and she is strong and has the basics but is still just three and had a few moments of tears. She has also outgrown her new ski outfit that I bought in November. She might be wearing her cute pink helmet with Max's hand- me -downs next time.

Max is pretty much tearing up the mountain. I can honestly not keep up with him. He thinks that lessons are boring but we are going to keep him in lessons for as long as possible. He looks for every little jump or tree path to take no matter where we are. His new favorite run is a "secret" trail at the top of the Face and then across the top of the Face and down the Ridge. He can ski top to bottom without a break. I am just glad he is in green so I don't lose him.

Most people are complaining about Beaver not having enough snow. It really is sparse but honestly, it isn't that bad. And it has been pretty warm on both days I was there so it was nice. I am definitely a fair weather skier. This warm January weather is nice but I am afraid for what might be coming...