Easter

Yes, it's another holiday that Savannah loving refers to as a "candy holiday". We went to church this morning and the speakers were so good. I love those Sundays when you can honestly say you got something more out of church than just nagging your kids to sit still and stay quiet. After Primary, my kids walked out of church with 6 plastic eggs full of candy! Then we spent the rest of the afternoon at Brett's parents' house. The Easter Bunny had to hide eggs and baskets inside the house this year because of snow and rain. Can you believe my kids walked away with 1 gallon sized ziploc and 3 quart sized ziplocs full of candy?! Ugh! And that is not even including all the "packaged" stuff. I'm sick to my stomach just thinking about it.

I am not a freak about candy.... but this much?

seriously?

Easter is in two days and we woke up to a blizzard. Brett has the girls convinced we aren't going to color Easter eggs and we'll just hide the white eggs in the snow to keep them busy all day.

a spring walk

Happy Spring Equinox!

We have been cleaning and sorting furiously trying to get ready for warmer weather. On this day we decided to take a break and enjoy the thawed roads and fresh spring air and go for a little walk. The girls found rocks to kick and chase along the way. It felt so good to get out and not have to worry about icy roads.

Ava walked in every puddle she could find. She was really watching me out of the corner of her eye to see if I would say anything; and before she would walk through another one she would say "Oh no! Not again!", as if she really didn't want to do it. Stinker!

happy birthday to Ava Claire

I've tried to blog this a couple of times and either something went wrong or I was interrupted. Sorry I've been away so long; but here it goes...

Ava Claire turned 3 on February 28th!

We stuck with a snow theme and decorated with snowflakes, streamers, and balloons. Our neighbor made the cutest snowman cake. Ava reminded us all day of her life stories beginning with "remember when I was two?". Yes, we remember...

Ava got some pink "cowgirl" (don't call them cowboy) boots for her birthday and hasn't taken them off since.

It was a busy day for a brand new three year old. Music class in the morning and a party all afternoon. Yippee! You are three!

snow, swimming, and sugar

We still have snow and are trying to enjoy it. It is that time of the year where I start getting tired of it all. It is turning icy rather than fluffy so it makes it harder to deal with. Savannah's school had a get-together at an indoor water park/bowling/games, etc... earlier this week. It was a nice break from the snow and cold. We not only met friends from the school, but as the night went on we ran into several families from our ward. (Yes, it was 1/2 price Monday night and a fun way to get out of the house for FHE!) Because of our stint at the waterpark, Ava has put her lifejacket on every morning this week. Dreaming of warmer weather...
We also had a busy week of making Valentine cards. We had a party for our co-op group and the girls insisted on making all of their own Valentines. We were up to our elbows in glue, glitter, and paint. I'm sure I will be tracking glitter all over the house for the next month. Mom, Sheila, and our neighbor (Dolores) also sent the girls Valentines. It was such a surprise and so much fun for them. I always feel blessed to know that their are people out there that love my kids as much as we do and are able to do special things for them. Now if I can just get them to come down from their sugar high...

get ready to indulge

Thought I would post our favorite nacho recipe. They are soooo good and definitely not lacking in calories.

Layer on cookie sheet:
tortillia chips, black beans, pinto beans, northern beans, red onion (diced), chicken breast (cubed), monterey jack cheese, smoked cheddar cheese

Cook in oven:
on 350, until everything is melted

Top with:
mango (cubed)

Drizzle with:
poppyseed dressing

Eat! Yum!

In other news:
The kids and I were discussing allergies. They really want a cat or dog, but Brett is allergic to both. Ava piped up saying she was allergic to monsters. So silly. Also Meggie and Savannah have passed off the Articles of Faith 1-5 for primary. It's amazing what their little minds retain. Speaking of retaining; while I was putting Ava to bed tonight she said "Mom, I practiced my Articles of Faith" and went on to say the 4th... with the exception of saying ornaments instead of ordinances and getting immersion and remission a little twisted and turned around. Just when you think their not paying attention, huh? This is not new news, but just wanted to make sure everyone knew we still have tons of snow and it's still falling! No, I'm not complaining it's just that I haven't seen this much in the 6 years that we have been here; it's crazy. We are getting a little spoiled too. We've had only the first hour of church for the past two weeks due to all the snow and the hardship it has put on so many people in our ward. Phil saw his shadow, so we are bracing ourselves for six more weeks.

cold noodles

This is not the greatest reflection on my family, but I had to share.

My very sweet Ava the other night at dinner;
whereupon I saw that she was eating everything but her noodles...

Me: Ava, you should eat some of your noodles.

(Ava takes a bite, spits them back out on her plate, and turns to Brett disgusted)

Ava: Dad, my noodles are cold.

Brett: They are huh?

Ava: Yeah, I'm p*@ssed!

We are not perfect parents, but we are still trying to figure out where she heard the word!