Madelyn- Age 5

This is a little questionaire that I plan on doing with my kids every year on their birthday starting when they turn 3.
1. What is your favorite color? Gold
2. What is your favorite toy? My stable
3. What is your favorite fruit? Watermelon
4. What is your favorite TV show? Rescue Bots or Horseland
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Chicken nuggets
6. What is your favorite outift? My skirt and my pony shirt
7. What is your favorite game? Go Fish
8. What is your favorite snack? Cheese balls
9. What is your favorite animal? Horses
10. What is your favorite song? "Who Would Imagine a King?"
11. What is your favorite book? Princesses
12. Who is your best friend? Whitney
13. What is your favorite cereal? Chex
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride my bike or jump on the trampoline
15. What is your favorite drink? Lemonade
16. What is your favorite holiday? Valentine's Day
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night?  The panda bear
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Bagel
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Pizza
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A cowgirl
21. What is your favorite movie? Fievel Goes West
22. Favorite movie character? Sarah
23. What is your favorite scripture story? Daniel and the Lion's Den
24. What is your favorite primary song? "Give Said the Little Stream"
25. Where is your favorite place to go? "Old McDonald's"

Easter Weekend

We were able to start off the weekend with a quick stop at the Rexburg temple on our way to my parents'.  It was windy and cold but oh so beautiful.

Our Easter egg hunt.  Briggs was so concerned about making sure Anderson found things that he forgot to keep getting anything for himself.  It was so sweet.

Playing our new cards games during the Priesthood session.  Old Maid was intense.

How we do conference.  They don't hear everything, but it encourages a little extra listening.

Briggs and Grandpa.  Briggs had to switch chairs and go sit by him, we thought it was so sweet.  Then he started eating Grandpa's chips.  He is smart.

Madelyn and I on the 4-wheeler.

Anderson thinks he can just drive, especially if we are going to slow.  He enjoyed some cheetos at our cookout right before this.

Haha it was a little windy.  His hair was awesome.

Sitting on Kelsi's lap, listening to Jordan tell him the 3 Little Pigs on the phone.  Made his day.

Maddie almost fell asleep cuddling with Michael before we left.

The car was all packed up to go and Molly took a nap while she waited.

My mountains.

On our way home we stopped at Jared's parents' house for a few minutes for the Easter egg hunt they set up for our kids.  Then we went home and crashed.  We were all exhausted from having such a fun weekend!

Excited

We are so excited to finally announce that a new baby will be joining our family this fall. We told the kids last night by having a baby dinner where we all used baby plates, spoons, bottles and bibs. It was fun.

It took the kids a while to figure it out. They thought we had to get the baby stuff out because my friend Angel just had a baby. We hinted that it was for someone who lives closer. Then they thought it was for our friend Jill, who is pregnant and lives a couple houses away. They kept guessing until they got to our next door neighbors. They then gave up. Until it clicked for Emma. They were all SO excited. Emma immediately began lecturing me about not eating too much candy and getting lots of fresh air and all the other things I needed to be careful about. It was sweet.

We spent today letting family and friends know. Now to plan. My ultrasound is in a couple of weeks but we are planning on the gender being a surprise again. Jared says girl. And he really has never been wrong with any of the kids. We even agree on a name! Can't wait!

Hope this baby is ready for the fun and craziness at our house! ;)

Horse love

We are OBSESSED at our house.  We have had back to back horseland, my little pony, etc. birthday cakes/parties for a couple of years.  They find horse pictures in all the books we own, they ride every horse they can find.  This one is at Wal-Mart, and the kids are always disappointed that it doesn't have reins so "it can't be a real horse."

The kids get to ride grandpa's horses at least once a week.  Anderson cries every time he has to get off.

On Friday, we went to visit Kelsi and Michael and Michael's family.  They were so good to us and got out a horse for everyone to ride(I think they have 30+ there in the corrals).  The kids had almost as much fun leading the horses around and brushing them as they did riding.  By the end of the day, Emma, Maddie and Briggs were able to ride on their own, with no one leading the horses they were on.  Anderson never had to share a saddle the whole day and he thought he was pretty big.  I feel bad I didn't get a picture of Emma before my phone died.  She was on the horse that Maddie was leading in the picture below.  After the kids were done and their horses were put away, Michael's mom watched the kids while we went on a long, adult ride.  It was fun.  I had such a big, beautiful horse, and Jared rode her brother, who was even bigger and more impressive looking.  It was a gorgeous day and we're so glad we could go!

Kelsi and Michael even spoiled all the kids with they very own wild rag so they are now official cowboys and cowgirls.  They have played with them every day since.

Like new!

We spent the fall and a fairly warm winter missing our trampoline, that ripped and was ruined in the fall.

I ordered a new mat, hoping it would be here in time to enjoy over spring break, but it was going to be a full week into the break before we were going to get it.  FedEx was kind enough to deliver the new mat even earlier than expected so Anderson and I put it together and he tested it. He bounced twice and then turned and tried to run straight off! Luckily his feet got tangled in the springs so I was able to get to him before he fell all the way. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt and gave him another chance. He bounced a little longer and then ran and did the same thing. I realized that he has only jumped on two of our neighbor's trampolines, both of which are enclosed with nets that he throws himself into. He has since figured the trampoline out and is much more cautious. When the other kids are on, he sits down in the middle and lets them bounce him.

I told the kids they had to have their chores done and the basement clean before they could jump on it, and they worked so hard and fast I wish I could motivate them like that every day.  It was so windy and cold outside but they just took blankets outside and jumped anyway.

In just less than a week, the kids have easily logged over 8 hours playing on it. And that's not counting all their games under or around it.

Needless to say, that trampoline is one of the best gifts we have ever been given!

The boys didn't bother to change clothes after church on Sunday, they just ran straight to it!

Emma is 6!?!

We went to a fundraiser dinner at Jared's old high school.  The kids thought it was so fun, especially exploring the halls afterward.  

We even found Jared's picture on "Highland's Hall of Fame".  He is #49.

The kids started swimming lessons this week.  They were so excited on the first day, but their excitement has only grown each time.  It doesn't get old listening to them gush about their lessons and all the things they are learning and thank us for signing them up.  Very sweet.

Emma wanted another My Little Pony birthday, but ended up deciding that an Eye of the Tiger party would be fun so we embraced it.  It ended up being really cute.  One of her favorite gifts was her beanie baby tiger that she named Rajah.

We gave her a scooter for her birthday, and she was thrilled.  It is hard for her to try new things because she gets nervous, but she embraced this quickly.  Also, she got a sticker at school that said it was her birthday and she changed it from her school clothes to play clothes to pajamas.  The next morning, the first thing she did when she woke up was pull it off her pajamas and say, "Well, I guess it's not my birthday anymore!"

She doesn't like cake so the big decision for her was what other kind of birthday dessert she wanted.  She went for chocolate pudding pie.  Easiest birthday "cake" ever.

Anderson is OBSESSED with books.  When he disappears, I find him with a book(s).  He has looked through so many of them now that he knows which ones have horses in them, and he opens them up to them and will only let me read those pages to him.  Too funny.

We picked up some DI roller blades.  Emma is much happier teaching Maddie and Briggs to use them than wearing them herself.

Sometimes the boys get so tired of being in the car dropping off and picking up the girls, so when we have a minute, we play in dirt.  Their smiles say it all.  Boys and dirt- I can't explain this relationship- I just know it is very real.

Emma is loving her goggles and how much of a better swimmer she thinks they make her.  I can never see her in the pool because she is underwater so much.  

Maddie just likes to wear them in various ways.  She doesn't use them much.

One of the wrestling matches that takes place at our house nightly.  My favorite part of the day.

Anderson loves to put his dishes in the sink after meals.  He was in the process of doing that(I thought) when I turned around and found him licking his plate.  

At the birthday celebration with Jared's family on Sunday.  The Frozen purse she has been dying to have, that she thought was gone.

Jared's brother and his family gave her a giant jar of pickles because they "love her more than pickles".  She says that to me all the time.  That is a big deal because she really really loves pickles.

Anderson saw a photo shoot going down and had to jump in.

It is time for spring sports registration.  I asked Briggs if he wanted to play baseball or soccer.  He said, "Basketball!!"  He is such a good dribbler and shot.  I think he is just excited about it because Jared is coaching a team and our nephews are playing on teams so we've been to lots of games lately.  It has motivated all the kids to practice a lot.

Anderson has to get in on the action, too.

The reason for Anderson's love of horses.  Max.  If the weather is even halfway decent, the kids go on weekly rides.  That is our nephew, Logan, he is such a sweetheart and a horse lover, too.

Emma and Maddie helped make these delicious little ladybug snacks.