Baby Animal Days

We had spring break the weekend of April 3-5th when Aaron and the kids were off school.  Three days off school isn't much compared to some spring breaks, but we'll take what we can get.   Because of Aaron's recent back surgery, instead of going camping or traveling somewhere, we opted to stay at home and just do some things close by.  

On Wednesday evening, we went out to dinner at Pizza Hut in Brigham City and then swimming at Crystal Hot Springs.  It had just been snowing a few hours earlier so we were reluctant to swim, but the hot springs turned out being perfect.  The kids love swimming in the warm water.  It's like a big bathtub!  

The next day, Thursday, we went to Baby Animal Days at the American West Heritage Center in Wellsville, across the mountain.  They only do it once a year and it is a lot of fun!   They have a big farm with a lot of animals for the kids to pet.  They also have wagon rides, pony rides, horse rides, goat milking, and this year they even added a train ride.  This year they also had some baby bears brought down from the Yellowstone Bear world.    The kids also had fun holding some baby turtles and seeing some birds from the Willow Park zoo in Logan.  

Of course, all the kids wanted to cram into the jail car/caboose of the train

I actually think it's kind-of comical that the kids can ride for hours on Opa and Oma's horses, having them all to themselves, and even get to lead them around wherever they want, and yet they will wait in line to ride around in circles for 3 minutes on a pony going nowhere.  I guess they just can't get enough horse rides!  

The kids with their helmets on, getting ready to ride.  

While the other kids were riding ponies, I got to sit with Jordan and get my
laughs at his funny little faces.  He had a few too many oreos, I guess  :)

Jared loved the little baby chicks and ducklings

While we were waiting in line, Jordan found this path between the ropes and I guess he thought it was a race.  He kept going back to the entrance and saying, "Ready, Go!"  and then running as fast as he could.  It was so fun to watch him!  He's training for his first marathon...

Heidi loved the little baby turtles.  

Of course, the baby bunnies were a big favorite and most everyone wanted to buy one, including mommy.   For some reason, those soft cuddly things are too much for any child to resist.  

Spring Fever

Well, we've definitely caught spring fever at our house, I guess you  just can't help it because of the change in the weather.  After being trapped inside for a seemingly endless winter, with the first hint of warmth, the kids were all outside and loving it!    Notice the absence of pictures over the last few months- for some reason once the weather warms up up, there is so much more to take pictures of because we are out and doing!

Jared sporting his 3-D glasses at the theatre

Over President's Day weekend (And Aaron's birthday) we went down to Salt Lake and stayed over Sunday night with my family.  We had dinner with my siblings and enjoyed Sunday evening.  Then, on Monday was no school due to President's Day.  So, we got to do a few fun things as a family for Aaron's birthday.  

Jared LOVES riding horses!!

It was only February, but even the hint of warmth was enough for us!  On Monday morning, my dad took a few of us on a horseback ride to the gully.  Aaron didn't actually go on the ride.  He stayed back at the house with Jordan, but I think to him that was the better option anyway.   I was in heaven, riding with the kids.  

Erika and Kyle were so proud that they could ride the horse all on their own, with no one leading them.  They took turns walking and riding.   I rode with Heidi on one horse and Jared got to be led on another.  We had a nice ride in the gully with the weather just starting to get warm but still requiring coats.   It was still beautiful down in the gully.   I have always loved it down there.  

At 11:00 that day, we went to Thanksgiving point, where we saw the IMAX movie about Jerusalem.  It was really good!   Aaron loved it!  (And it brought back a lot of memories for me from my days there).  After that movie, Aaron and I loved it so much that we wanted to see another one.  So, while Oma and Opa took all the kids through the dinosaur museum,  we watched another IMAX movie about microscopic creatures and sound/heat waves in our environment.  That was pretty interesting, too.  After that, we went out to lunch at Golden Corral, one of Aaron 's favorite restaurants,  and then we headed home!  

A few pictures of Jordan:  He is growing up so fast and has such a fun, lively personality!  

Riding on the classic spring horse.  He really gets into it!!  

Notice the cars in his hands-  he has to have a couple of die-cast cars in his hands
(at least one in each hand) at all times, it seems.  He takes them to dinner, in the bath, to bed, etc.  

On March 24th, I finally decided to cut Jordan's hair.  Aaron was complaining that he looked too much like a girl and it needed to be done.  I knew it was true, but I was still a little sad.  I would never see those beautiful blonde curls again.  They were so cute!   So, I cut it short and here is the end product:  

I will say that it's amazing what a difference a little hair makes!  He looked a lot older after the haircut and now it really seems like his almost 2!  

On March 29th, it was time for another horseback ride, I guess.  The kids love it and can't get enough of it.  (And Opa loves to take them).  My dad actually brought the horses up to our house in the horse trailer.  He took Erika and Kyle on a ride in the mountains for a few hours, and they had a blast!   Then, he walked the horses around in our backyard for a little while, giving the kids rides, along with a bunch of other kids from the neighborhood!  

Kyle riding bareback- he thought that was pretty cool.  

Erika and her friend Lillie

Erika's Recent Events

Erika has had a busy last few months and we are proud of her for all of the things she has accomplished recently.  In December we found out that Erika had made it on to the district level for her Reflections entry at the school.  She wrote a poem about Helen Keller.  Here is the poem:

Helen Keller

  

Helen Keller, deaf and blind,

Had a dream, she’d made up her mind.

She was going to college,  she didn’t care-

when others said she wouldn’t make it there.

She worked hard, she made it through.

Helen’s teacher helped her, too. 

Now people today are inspired

By Helen’s acts and desires.

In herself she did believe

And her dreams she did achieve. 

By Erika Parkinson

There were 12 kids from her whole school who were chosen to go on to district.  We attended the District Awards Ceremony in Brigham City on January 21st and were excited to find that she would again advance to the STATE level!!  Wow!  We have not heard anything further about if she will advance at all since then, but we were so excited that night that she placed again.  When at first they didn't call her name as they were reading out the Awards of Achievement, she seemed really worried, like they forgot her or something.  Aaron and I just smiled because we knew what that meant.  They called her name with the second group of kids,  for the Award of Excellence.  She was so surprised!  Yea!!  The group of kids she is sitting with in the top right picture are all the winners from every elementary school in Box Elder County.  She was the only one from her school who went on.  We are so proud of her!!  

Another exciting thing for Erika was the opportunity to perform in a shakespeare play at her school on March 19th.  She was chosen to be "The Queen".  How fun!   She really didn't have a whole lot more speaking parts than a lot of the other kids that had lines, but her role required that she acted the part, and she DID!   I had a fun time dressing her up like a queen and doing her hair and makeup.   She loves acting and puts her heart into it!   The play was quite short with a 10 min clip from four Shakespeare plays- Macbeth, Merry Wives of Windsor, Much Ado about Nothing, and Romeo and Juliet.   She was part of the "King and Queens' court", which gave commentary before and after each play.  

It was quite comical at times, but I think the kids and teachers did a really good job putting it together!  This was a good opportunity to learn a little about Shakespeare and to be exposed to a different kind of language.  The kids also had the opportunity to be visited by some actors from the actual Shakesperean festival in Cedar City who did an acting workshop.  They also came up on April 13th and performed one play for the older grades- "The Taming of the Shrew."

Just 2 days after the play was over, Erika participated in the Garland Elementary school spelling bee.  She had been studying off and on for weeks before the event, but having after school play practices the month before made it hard to cover it as well as she could've.   Nonetheless,  Erika ended up getting 2ND PLACE in the spelling bee, and it was so fun for Aaron and I to watch!  She did so much better than we had expected!  At the end of the spelling bee,  she and the first place winner went back and forth at least 8 times until finally she missed a word.  I was on the edge of my seat!!   What an exciting week for her!



She ended up going on to the District spelling Bee a couple weeks later, and only made it through a couple rounds.  This included the top 3 spellers from each elementary school.  I could tell Erika was really nervous that night and I think that her nerves just got the better of her.   The word she missed was one that she knew, she just rushed too quickly through it.  We heard later that the spelling bee went over 13 rounds and 2 1/2 hours long, so I guess it was a mixed blessing she didn't win, huh?  It would've been a long night.  We were just proud of her for how far she went with that and for giving it her best!!

Erika getting ready for the district spelling bee

Kyle's Basketball

On February 8th, Aaron and Kyle had the opportunity of going to the Jazz game with Aaron's brother Dave.  Dave is so blessed to get tickets with his job at Hoopes vision. Thanks Uncle Dave!!!

The Cheerleaders all wanted Kyle's name and number! :)

Yeah that's Lebron....During the game we could have reached out and given him a fist bump. So cool!

Once in a lifetime opportunity...Row 1 Seat 1!!!!!!!!! Can you say dream come true!!

Kyle also had the opportunity of playing some basketball with Garland City in January and February.  He still has a lot to learn, but has improved a lot and we're just glad he's having fun doing it!!

Future Lebron in the making. :)