Recorder Concert

I've been wanting my children to be musically inclined for a long time - I just haven't enrolled them in any music lessons yet! (Always an excuse...) The 3rd graders have the opportunity to learn how to play the recorder. Now THAT is one job that doesn't get paid enough, let me tell you. I listened to about 150 children play that instrument for 30 minutes and my head was ringing. I have a new appreciation for music teachers and an even greater appreciation for my own job - which, by the way, DOESN'T include instruments. Or 3rd graders.


Anyway, Jake joined the class half way through the school year. He was apparently supposed to practice, but the parent-child communication isn't stellar at the moment. In fact, I didn't know he even played the recorder until a couple of weeks before the concert when he gave us all a personal preview to what musical elation lie ahead.

I arrived early to the annual 3rd grade recorder concert (I wrote the wrong time down) and secured front row seats. Might be the first time ever!

He did a marvelous job. Cute boy too, although I did noticed half way through the concert that he was FAKING IT!!!! Check out his hands here:
He is using the wrong hands! HA HA! I can't blame him for not knowing the in's and out's of the recorder- he arrived half way through the year AND he never practiced (yeah, mother is not to blame here...). Don't get me wrong - he still knew the basics like "Hot Cross Buns" but I am pretty sure that "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" isn't in his repertoire. I'm still proud - he's my boy and I sure love him.
And because she is so stinkin cute, I had to add her and her sister...

Mother's Day...A Day of "Rest" HA!

Mother's Day...not exactly my favorite holiday. Sure - I love honoring my mother, taking a nap and getting "homemade" cards. I love getting the "treatment" - but here's the problem. I don't feel the "I don't deserve this" crap - nope, not me. If anything, I get irritated that there isn't MORE specialty treatment! (HA!) I didn't get breakfast in bed (kind of my fault - I got sick of waiting) and I had to get everyone ready for church because hubby didn't finish his talk BEFORE Mother's Day (yeah, we were asked to speak that day. Nice..)

Needless to say, I work all the time so I think I deserve a day of rest. The rest of the family does their best, but still requires my assistance in everything. Day started out the evening before with a proclamation by me: "I will be sleeping in tomorrow. Don't wake me up." Worked fine until Jeff couldn't find the instant waffle mix! (I know! The tragedy!) That would be because I don't use a mix - I home make it. Therefore, waffles were out. Eggs ok? Sure whatever. Just let me sleep. Hubby pulled through and made homemade waffles. He gets a point.

Then I spent the morning cleaning up and bathing children while he worked on his talk. I kept getting more bitter, I mean, WHY have this day if I am still doing everything? That's exactly my point - Mother's Day is too anti-climatic.

We headed off to church. I was late (and still had to speak) because baby was hungry RIGHT before we left.) I made it to church before the sacrament and realized - I forgot my talk! AHH! So I rushed home to grab it. Talk about stress! My sweet friend Susan came to help me watch the children while we spoke. She came prepared with treats, toys and coloring books - she's pretty much awesome. Anyway, we made it through that. I headed home with a crying baby and took a much needed nap.

My dad and brother's showed up to fix Karalee and I dinner (Mimi was in Texas with her own mother): delicious BBQ Chicken. Anything is better when you don't have to cook!

Things got better from that point on (Papa did the dishes). Then the gifts came: (the best part!) Jeff presented me with my very own wheat grinder. And I was giddy! (Now I know I am getting old!) Even the children love it! (Guess the best way to get over being cranky is give me gifts!)


And I think I have found that "perfect" whole-wheat bread recipe. Boy, it is delicious. There is something so grounding (is that a word?) about making your own bread. It makes the hustle of life feel a little slower when there is homemade bread in the oven.


And the very best part of Mother's Day is the homemade gifts. Sweet Ya Ya made this for me. I can't bring myself to use it - so I display it. So sweet.



And this little one makes life so enjoyable.

You know, Mother's Day is what I make of it! If I don't work, someone else will! Ah-ha! I finally figured it out. Rather than mope around because I am working, I'm just going to sit there and enjoy my day with my sweet little family. From now on, that's the way it goes around here. At least on Mother's Day.

Tulip Festival

We look forward to Thanksgiving Point's Tulip Festival each year - although this year it was about a week late! I love walking through the paths and seeing all the color combinations: red and yellow or pink and white. Just a friendly reminder that we will escape the monotony of winter in just a few short days (weeks or months, if you live here in Utah! Crazy weather we've been having!) I'd love to have even an eighth of a garden that they do!

We spent the afternoon with Papa using our renewed pass. He got one too since he works right there. We went for a "lunch" but stayed much, much longer. It was a GORGEOUS day, so we picnic-ed by the waterfall, then went for a stroll.

It was baby's first time - she loves flowers like her mama does!
See - aren't they stunning? Rows and rows and rows of these babies...

One thing I absolutely love about my Addy - she always takes time to stop and smell the flowers. Whenever we walk anywhere, she stops, sniffs and begs me to join her. Most of the time I do - these precious days won't last forever!

Easter Day!

We took a few minutes after church to take our annual Easter photos. I just love the girls dresses! Pink is such a springy color - and we definitely need spring to come here in Utah!

I kind of dropped the ball on Jake this year - no tie. Whoops. Glad he didn't notice (or if he did, he certianly didn't say anything!)
She's such a poser, isn't she?
We kind of have to work with this one! This one's good...
This one, not so much!! HA! What is that face??
Don't you just want to eat those cheeks up?? I totally do.


The Easter Bunny came to our house! Although, I had two very scared little girls. They wouldn't go to sleep (even though it was past 11!) and they cried because they didn't want him to be hopping through their bedrooms. Makes sense - it IS kind of creepy! So I did what every responsible parent does: call the Easter Bunny Hotline. I arranged with the customer service rep to have the Easter Bunny drop the goods at the front door then text Jeff when they have arrived. Once we received the goods, we would personally hide the baskets for the bunny this year. Problem solved! I'm sure the Bunny was relieved - one less house to worry about!

Jake left this basket for the Bunny to fill. I'm not sure what he expected to find in it, but he was disappointed that the basket wasn't filled to the rim with candy. I'm not though! Made it tough to find a good hiding place! Look at the size of that thing!

It is our tradition that the Easter Bunny comes to my parents house for the adults. That Easter Bunny! He's a wise guy! He is getting trickier and trickier. Jeff ALWAYS finds his basket without help. And his is ALWAYS in the hardest places too!

Well, this year tops it off! After hours of searching, the Easter Bunny hid it in this location...
(It's the crawl space above the garage!) Notice anything? Nor did Jeff until he moved the orange tent that was propping this piece of wood up!
And viola! There it is! That crazy bunny! I'm pretty sure he spends all year thinking of good hiding spots. Then he sits there laughing as we spend the day searching the house! (I LOVE this tradition!!!)
(The Easter Bunny knows not to hide mine too hard. I get mad easily when I can't find things!)

And it was Daren's Birthday too - Happy Birthday Brother!! Love this guy!
Daren's girlfriend Katie and I got new slippers in our baskets! Plus we get to go for a pedicure! Love that Easter Bunny!!

Easter Weekend

What a fun weekend!! We started the weekend off the annual Wright family Easter Egg Hunt, a very fun tradition hosted by Lyn. The party started while Jake was at baseball practice. The kids dyed eggs. Once Jake arrived it was time for the hunt! She does three different hunts: one for the little kids, the bigger kids and the adults (the biggest kids!)
Instead of just candy in the eggs, she hides real money and "Bunny Money" - paper money they can hand in for treats and toys. Jake came away with $5 dollars! He claimed it was "well worth his time!" HA!



After the kids counted up their money, exchanged it for the fun things they wanted, we ate some lunch together. It was a nice, relaxing afternoon with the family.

Grandpa even rented a bounce house for the kids - it got a little crazy, but they had a blast!

Then we headed off to another hunt with the Craguns and other friends in our old ward. SO. MUCH. FUN! I always forget how fun our friends are until we are together! There were tons of kids, tons of candy and tons of hidden eggs! We are supposed to bring a dozen eggs and 1/2 a bag of candy for each child - they obviously come away with more than they need!

We had two different hunts - one for those that prefer light and another for the hunters that want to hunt in the dark! Jen Cragun even found some glow in the dark eggs! The older kids had an absolute blast!! And all three came away with more candy than they needed! (I'll cover the overage, thank you!)


Addy counting up her loot!
This was only a portion of the crowd - most people had gone home by this point or were still visiting.
We stayed way too late, but had such a fun time!!

Grandparents Day!

I've heard of other schools hosting a Grandparents Day, but we were never lucky to attend a school that did until this year. Juliana and Jake were thrilled to have their grandparents visit!

When I asked Juliana what Grandparents Day was all about, she responded, "it's when your grandparents come to visit your school and I show them all my cute stuff." Yep, pretty much sums that up!

The day started off a little rocky with a phone call from my Dad:

Dad: Jen! Where's Ya Ya?

Me: What do you mean, she is in class. I dropped her off.

Dad: She's not here. Her (substitute) teacher can't find her! (He's sounding panicked here!)

Me: Well, she's wearing a blue shirt, brown pants and her hair is in a braided bun

Dad: (annoyed voice) I KNOW what she looks like!!! (In my defense, I was trying to tell what she was wearing so the teacher could remember her!)

So my father starts walking to school to find her, checking in all the assemblies only to go back to class and find here where she was THE ENTIRE TIME!!! Phew. Close call - that would have been the first ever lost Kindergarten-er in her own classroom!

But once he found her, he was ecstatic and the fun began!



They got to color projects together and see the classroom



Then they moved onto Jake's classroom and the art show:They all had a blast! We are so blessed to have such awesome grandparents!