The Progression

After we finished the Discovery Zone, we took a walk through the Gateway Mall and stopped at an outdoor fountain. It was a COLD spring, and I was surprised when the girls jumped in and started playing in the water. They seemed to be really happy and having a great time!
They played, they danced, they laughed, they splashed!
It was fabulous fun!
But then reality hit with a bang. They were wet. And cold. And really, really sad. Luckily Garry's Stepmom had bought them new shirts. We were able to get them at least partially dry pretty fast. Well, it was fun while it lasted!

Discovery!

While Garry's Dad and Step-Mom were in town with us, we took the kids to the Discovery Zone down in the Gateway area of Salt Lake City. Okay, it was no Rochester International Museum of Play which was AMAZING, but it was still really cute and nice.

One of the attractions was a newsdesk and a screen where you could talk about the weather. It is similar to the one the Newseum used to have when it was in Rosslyn.

I love, love this picture. My little news anchors.

Thanks to the Coach!

Garry's second season of being a soccer coach is at a close. His first team was unstoppable and they won each and every game by a landslide.

This team was a little more. . .well, they gave the competition more of a chance. Lots of chances. And sometimes they even let the competition win. By a lot.

They were the green lizards, and they got better during the year! They ended the season with a win -- hooray!

Garry's next soccer season will be more of a challenge. He's coaching Emma's all girl team, taking Emma twice a week to Soccer Academy, and coaching Macey's team as well. Since Macey will be playing with kids her own age next season, we have great hopes!

Did I Ever?

Did I ever blog about Mother's Day? Ah, well, here it is. Lots and lots of homemade pictures (lovely), Macey's hand flowers that she made at school (fabulous) a box of chocolates (probably the best part of the day) breakfast (yummy) and a chocolate fountain (still have not used it).

Being the Mom to four little, little ones is a challenge. But I am so blessed. Emma really cares about what is right and what is wrong, and she tries to do the right thing 95% of the time.

Braden is the best baby, and I fear he gets ignored a lot because he is so low maintenance. Oh, he is fabulous.

Macey is smart and beautiful. If only she would always use her power for good ;)

Molly is smart and independent and willful and loud and she does what she wants, when she wants. This one we'll just have to watch and hope for the best!

Dinosaurs! At The Zoo?!?!

While Grammy was here we renewed our membership at the Hogle Zoo. Every year they have a different special exhibit and this year it was. . .wait for it. . .wait for it. . .dinosaurs!

They have a couple of moving displays throughout the zoo. This is the T-Rex. Very cool. Emma and Molly stopped and looked and we took a picture. Macey is not in the picture. I may or may not have said something about how the dinosaur looked hungry to Macey. I know, I know, call Child Protective Services already.

Meeting Grammy

This spring (with the weather, I just cannot call it summer) we were blessed with a lot of visitors. Grammy, Garry's Mom, was one of the first to come. Emma was so excited to see her that she made her a crown several days before she even came.

The girls love, love their Grammy! They met her at the airport with a big sign, and we had a gift card and coupons left over from Easter and so we headed off to Build A Bear right away since no visit would be complete without a stop there! Actually, I thought it best to get it out of the way since I knew the girls would ask, and ask, and ask. That and my coupons were going to expire.

The girls showed Grammy their new trampoline and their new baby brother. Not sure what they are most excited about.....

Macey Graduates!

Hooray for Macey! She finished her little Pre-K school and had a graduation ceremony at the Play Place (an inflatable jumping place).

She received a blanket from her teachers, Miss Brittany and Miss Anno, as well as her journal for the year where she practiced her writing.

All the kids also got a 'yearbook' where the teachers copied all of the self portraits that the kids drew and put them together in individual books.

Macey's picture was. . .interesting. She drew pockets on her shirt. Big pockets. So, needless to say, I could not tell if she was drawing a picture of herself or of her teacher, Miss Anno.

Glad that there are 13 copies of that picture floating out there somewhere in Salt Lake County!

Just In Case You Were Wondering. . .

Just in case you were wondering, this is what handsome looks like.I love this onesie. So funny. I still need to get him the one from Target that says "I Still Live With My Parents".

There's Something About Braden. . .

There's something you should know about Braden. . .he is a Momma's boy of epic proportions. It is rather odd because he's such a laid back kid. He hardly ever cries, and he is just really mellow.

But after a certain time at night, he just wants to be held by Mom. And our little mellow guy will erupt into cries.

I have been told, however, that all good athletes are momma's boys. So I look at this stage as the first step of his fabulous football career.

Braden's Big Day

We blessed Braden on Sunday, June 5th. We were very blessed to have over 45 family members come and participate in his big day. A special THANK YOU to my amazing friend Tara for making his little outfit.

Macey's Dance Show. . .Continued

I recorded Macey's Dance Show on my little camcorder but the file was too big for blogger to handle. But, I was able to upload it onto Facebook so check out my page to watch her ballet dance. She was fabulous!

Macey's Dance Show

I love this picture. She just looks so happy. And so darn cute!

=

Run Girl Run!

Emma's school had a fundraiser called a Fun Run this year. All of the sudents were supposed to collect donations and then run a course around the school yard and community. It was about 1/4 mile.

I sent Emma to school with her donation and permission slip and since Garry had the day off and his Mom was here visiting, I suggested that they go and watch her run, especially since the school had asked for volunteers to cheer the kids on and make sure they stayed on course.

Now, Garry has always expressed concern over his soccer kids saying that they complain that they are tired and will sometimes ask to be out of the game. Thy lack endurance and stamina. Sometimes even Emma and Macey are happy to sit it out on the sidelines. So I was not sure how Emma would do with an actual race and called Garry to see how it went.

"Did she do okay?" I asked.

"Define Okay," he answered.

"Did it look like she was having fun?" I asked.

"Because if you define okay as having won the race, she did okay."

That's right! Emma won her first race and even beat those yucky boys. Go girl!

All Together Now. . .

Garry's Mom came to see the kids over Memorial Day and so I thought it would be fun to dress the kids up in color-coordinated outfits before we went to the airport. Because I apparently have way too much time on my hands. . .Anyway, I snapped a picture before we left. It's really hard to get good smiles from four kids all at once. Bring out the Photoshop!!

Practice Makes Perfect?

For Macey's Pre-K graduation, they had a 2.2 second program. Her teachers told the class to practice, and Macey took it to heart. I'd hear her practice in the bathroom and finally convinced her to let me hear her little song in person. Love this kid. The song is called "Kindergarten Here We Come!" Practice makes perfect? Nah, she's already perfect.