Sprinkler FUN!

The girls decided it was warm enough to try out our new wiggly sprinkler. They invited our neighbory, Lea, to join us.


Aleya had a great time playing with the big girls and getting soaked! More! More!

Bear den photography outing at the park.

Orrin's awesome cub scout leader for the Bear den, Laura Hansen, took six boys over to the nearby park to practice taking nature photos. She was also 9 months pregnant, which makes it all the more admirable.

Of course they couldn't get away without getting a photo taken of themselves!

This is the roller coaster photo.

Ward Father/Son Campout

Christian finally had a chance to take Joseph and Orrin on the ward Father/Son Campout. I think they camped on Palomar Mountain. It was just overnight, but I think they had a nice time hanging out with all the boys.

Goodbye Snow Bird Neighbors!

Our neighbors, the Rhodabacks, had a nice ice cream and cookie party to say goodbye to the neighbors as they retire to Oregon again for the summer season.

Our family always loves to visit and chat with these wonderful neighbors. We were afraid this would be the last goodbye, since we are moving to North Carolina.

Aleya loved the ice cream and wore it with pride!

EYB Pony League--End of Regular Season

Joseph's team, the Red Sox, finished off the Season with only one loss . . . which really was a tie game that reverted back to a previous inning (strange rules). Joseph had some fantastic coaches that really taught the boys skills. They practiced 1 1/2 hours before each game . . . particularly in the batting cage in the coach's backyard. The Red Sox took 1st place in the regular season. Now on to the tournament!


Joseph even had a chance to pitch in one of the games. He also played left and right field, as well as 2nd base. The outfield gets a lot more action in this division and Joseph caught a lot of fly balls out there. Usually you would see a few home runs a game on his team. Joseph had some great hits that came near the fence, but not over . . . maybe next year!

He had a nice outfield hit at this at-bat, but the outfielder caught it.

Joseph also was a great base runner and often was the substitute for injured players. Here he's on 3rd, trying to steal home.

Orrin also was a great base runner for his team. He stole home several times.

Orrin's team did all right but ended up in 8th place, overall. Hopefully they'll do better in the upcoming tournament and hopefully Orrin will get over his "ball fear" after getting hit by the ball a few times this season by the pitcher.

Legoland and SeaLife Aquarium

We decided to go to Legoland as a family in celebration of Aleya's birthday. We started at the new SeaLife Aquarium.

The kids had a whole new inside-out view of the aquariums.

We touched some interesting creatures in the tide pool area, including a slimy sea cucumber. Eeeeeew!

The aquariums had lego creations inside them, adding to the ambiance.

Look at all the Nemos. WOW!

Aleya found Nemo, Marlin, Scar, Dori, and Bubbles from Disney's Nemo movie.

Amara was swarmed by a school of fish. It only took us about an hour to go through the whole thing.

Next we headed to the Legoland main park.

The roller coasters are small here, but still lots of fun, especially for young kids.

Aleya was finally tall enough to ride the helicopters!

Amara is six now and got a chance to drive the big Lego cars around, paying attention to the stop lights and stop signs. She only crashed once!

The Pirate blasters is always a wet and fun ride. I decided to stay dry and watch.

The pirate waterpark is another family favorite for having fun and getting soaked. Thankfully, we always bring the kids' swimsuits.


Our kids love the medival forts, slides, and nets area . . . especially for playing tag.

This ride mimicks a knight's arm as he engages in a swordfight with a mighty Dragon.

Orrin was finally tall enough to try a level 5. Mom and Amara enjoyed a level one. We had a fantastic day at Legoland and will miss it when we move.

Aleya's 3rd Birthday

I can't believe Aleya is 3 years old already. She's not a baby anymore. :0( We didn't have a "friend" party for her, just a family party, so we showered her with many gifts.

She loved the princess kitty card from grandma.

Her favorite present was the Princess Aurora dress with the princess crown and wand..

Orrin opted to be her handsome prince.

Hooray for presents!

Mom attempted to make a Barbie princess cake, but didn't remember to freeze the cake first, so it became a sitting princess cake as it collapsed a little when she inserted the Barbie. She sure tasted good, though!

Joseph's First Scout Awards

This is a momentous occasion for two reasons. First off, this will mark the first time I am actually blogging in real time (and not playing catch-up). Second, Joseph earned his first awards for Scouting. Joseph earned his Tenderfoot and 2nd Class ranks tonight in Troop 668, as well as five merit badges: swimming, leatherwork, art, engineering, and woodwork.

WAY TO GO, JOSEPH!

Last Chance Easter Egg Hunt

So, this may be our last chance for an Easter egg hunt, for a while. It always seem to end in disaster and contention. We tried to lay out the ground rules, but they were disregarded.

Now, I don't mean to point any fingers, but notice the size of Joseph's Easter egg collecting basket . . . er . . .bucket. He made out with twice as many eggs as everyone else, by not following the rules (everything UP HIGH and HIDDEN for 11 year olds).

Aleya had the most fun of all the kids, with no complaints.

Competition sparks a lot of heated feelings.

Where's the candy? All the eggs were empty this year (to be traded in for a bag of candy) because some eggs from last year were not emptied and were stored in the garage to the delight of the rats. They chewed through the plastic eggs to get the candy. YUCK! So, no candy in the eggs this year.

They look happy only because I told them they wouldn't get their candy if they didn't smile! It was actually a lot of tears and angry voices following this hunt. Why can't they just be happy and have fun? NO FIGHTING!

After time-outs and apologies we did a family "do-over" and the kids earned their Easter Baskets. This joy was more sincere. The kids received some fun Easter toys, books, computer games, and crafts.