March/April 2015

 

James and Avery took horse-back riding lessons.

We got to keep Teddy for the weekend. The kids fought over where he slept at night. 

 

James started playing lacrosse and we discovered that he has a natural git for it! Ben was the assistant coach and it was fun bonding thing for them. The girls and I braved a few rainy games. 

We (meaning Ben) started the daunting process of painting our cabinets. What was supposed to be a week project turned into 4 and a half months. We emptied all the cabinets and put all the drawers in the dining room. It was super annoying to go back and forth but totally worth it in the end. Painting them made the hugest difference! 

I took the kids up to Washington to see Sean compete in his first Pinewood Derby. Of course we hit Poulsbo as well! 

I got to spend 10 days in Austin! Arianne happened to be there at the same time so we planned a day together. We drove down to San Antonio and went to the temple, then saw the Alamo and did the Riverwalk. I seriously love Ben's sisters. They dropped me off at the fairgrounds at the end of the day so I could go to a rodeo with Bethany and Mackayla.

Bethany and I spent another day in Fredericksburg. It's one of my favorite little shopping towns. I made Bethany get spaetzle and schnitzel at the restaurant since it was authentic to the whole German feel. She was not impressed.

 We wanted to find a field of bluebonnets to take pictures in. We had passed this field on the way into Fredericksburg and wanted to come back to it. We couldn't quite remember where it was until we just about passed it. Bethany did some quick manuevering that made some things fall in the back, but we made it! 

I am serisously addicted to the show Fixer Upper. Once I found out that the city it is filmed at is only an hour and a half from Bethany, I knew we had to go. My mom had joined us at this point. I made sure they both watched the show before we went so they would enjoy themselves at well. We didn't have a ton of time there but it was totally worth it. 

 

One of the other reasons I was in Texas this time of year was to go to Round Top again. It's this huge flea market/yard sale that takes over an entire town and stretches for miles. We rented out this little cottage so we could have more shopping time! 

 

There's a tradition at Round Top called Prom Night. It's a giant party where there are different bands and just about everyone comes dressed up in 50's prom dresses. It was crowded, loud and fun! 

 

We had a goal to find a field of bluebonnets and longhorns and had struck out all week. On the way to the airport, we found it! 

 

I always miss my sister. It never feels like enough time with her, but I'm grateful for it, all the same. 

While I was gone Ben took on April Fool's Day. I had seen something on Pinterest where they put googly eyes on the food in the fridge. I had told Ben to do that, but he took it a step further. While the kids were in school he put googly eyes all over the house. The kids were laughing so hard when they called me. We were finding googly eyes even a month later.

He also took them to our town's Easter Egg Hunt for Hope. 

On my flight home, I had a long layover in Salt Lake. Shauna came and got me from the airport so we could hang out. We Skyped the kids and it was bittersweet. I love her relationship with my kids and wish she lived close by again.

 I got home just in time to make the bunny cake for Easter! And I think my kids missed me.