BALLET

 With Alex's hip hop dance class we got a couple of free tickets to the ballet to see Swan Lake.  Our friend Nicole's daughter, Cielo, was also in the class.  We went together to the ballet.  It was fun to have a girl's night out with Alex and our friends.

MONKEY MCKENZIE

 McKenzie called me over to see that she can climb up the back side of the stair railing.  She is getting more coordinated in her climbing abilities.

KENZIE TURNS 2

 Our cute little Kenzie turned 2.  She still doesn't quite understand what birthdays are but she knew that it was a day for her.  We made crepes for breakfast and some of her favorite foods for dinner.  She likes carrots so I made her a carrot cake.  We are so lucky to have Kenzie in our family.

TINY TURTLE

 Shane and Alex found a small (unfortunately smashed) turtle in a parking lot.  It was very random since wild turtles are not common here in Ohio.

HANGING OUT WITH DAD

 Maybe I should say "sitting on Dad" instead of "hanging out with Dad."  McKenzie is very much a mama's girl, so I made sure to get a picture of her with Mike to prove she did sit with (or on) him, too.

MAGGIE'S SWIMMING LESSONS

 We signed the kids up for swimming lessons.  I only got a picture of Maggie at her lessons.  They all enjoyed the classes.  It makes me sad that we don't live in Arizona where they would be swimming as toddlers.  I love swimming and wish that we had more exposure.

7 MONTHS

 Seven months down, two to go.  I can't wait to be done and to meet our little girl.

KEVIN IN CLEVELAND

 Our good friend Kevin Shiflett contacted us and told us he was going to be in Cleveland.  He has a special talent of being able to balance things on his chin.  Professional basketball teams hire him for halftime shows.  He was going to do the halftime show for the Cleveland Cavaliers.  We went to a market for lunch and then to a pier on Lake Erie.  We only saw him for a few hours but it was worth the drive up.

PEEP S'MORES

 On Friday of spring break we made s'mores with leftover peeps.  We wondered if they would be good for s'mores.  None of us liked the peeps roasted on the fire or in a s'more, but it was a fun experiment.  Unfortunately, I only got a picture of Maggie and McKenzie.

SPRING BREAK AT COSI

 On Wednesday of spring break we went to COSI.  The kids knew what they really wanted to do so we spent more time on what they wanted instead of trying to see as much as possible.  The Skousens skipped school and came with us.

SPRING BREAK AT THE ZOO

 I decided to do several fun things during the kids' spring break since I would have a newborn over the summer and didn't know how much we would be able to do.  On Monday we went to the zoo.  Since it was the day after Easter, there were still some Easter decorations up.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG

 I love spring and all the colors and smells of the new flowers.  I love the warmer weather, the rain, and the sunnier days.  I love being able to be outside working in the yard and planting a garden.  Last fall I planted 100 tulips and crocuses along the back fence.  I am now reaping the beautiful benefits of what I sewed.

The soil really is black in Ohio

Peach blossoms

CONFERENCE WEEKEND

 I always love general conference weekend when we can gather as a family and listen to our leaders.  It is hard to listen to a lot of the talks with little kids, but I can still feel the spirit.  I try to make it a fun weekend with cinnamon rolls, fun conference foods, and activity pages so that the kids look forward to it.