Sundays

Sundays are awesome. We go to church and the rest of the day we just hang out and spend time together as a family. Activities include: naps(my favorite:), puzzles, games, baking and cooking together, playing outside in the backyard, journals, reading scriptures and church magazines, its a day just for us. No outside interferences like tv, computer/video  games, and radio. No friends over to play. No shopping, movies, parties. Just family time. Its great. The kids don't ever ask for anything else- they know what the day is about. They know the day is special. And it might sound like the most boring day ever, but as you can see we have fun with it...enjoy these random Sunday pics over the last couple of months...

The kids love to build forts with their Daddy. On this morning, Cali built her very own and was quite proud. I think she was probably the only one that could really fit inside, but it was a fort nonetheless:)

Ammon loves to play with the dog food(luckily the trying to eat it phase has passed..) He likes to put it inside of toys. He also likes to get pieces of it and have Zac follow him around the house with it. Basically, he likes to tease Zac:) Its so adorable. Zac follows him all around and then eventually Ammon will give it to him. He just loves to get the dog to follow him!

After church one day, these two were hanging out and I had to take a quick pic..they both looked so nice in their Sunday best.

Ammon LOVES LOVES LOVES to be outside. He stands by the backdoor and said, "I, I, I." Which is Ammon-speak for "outside." Well, he got one sound right:) This picture is the cutest.

Ella practicing her Gethsemane song.

This picture cracks me up. So Ella. Legs crossed and doing an "I'm awesome" pose.

A really gorgeous picture Joey took of Cali one Sunday afternoon. She was testing out her new little pinwheel. Doesn't she look so grown up?

Cali likes to play baby with Ammon. He doesn't mind:) He just lets her swaddle him and cuddle.

 All three of my girls love to help in the kitchen. On this Sunday, Cali layered the lasagna with barely any help from me. Thats my girl!

Ammon just looking way too cute. I love his Sunday clothes!! Such a handsome boy.

 Ella's latest thing: reading while swinging. I took this picture from inside the kitchen. Look at her even reading scriptures while she swings. Now, thats dedication! She is trying really hard to read the whole Book of Mormon on her own this year.

These last few are from General Conference weekend. The kids had fun coloring their conference packets and making and eating homemade icecream. They watched all 4 sessions year! I won't say they sat down and watched every minute, but they seriously watched most of it! I was proud of them. I told them they didn't have to, that we'd have it on and it was their choice to sit and listen on Saturday. I told them I expected them to be in the room for the Sunday sessions though...and whaddaya know, they sat and hung out in the room for most of Saturday too. Awesome. Of course the baggies of treats might've helped...Cali said she loved conference(and I know why:)

My homemade icecream helper, Cali. She had fun pouring in the ice and salt. And the icecream turned out perfect!

And thats a wrap. Sundays at our house in a nutshell.

Ella as Harriet Beecher Stowe

Ella participated in the 2nd grade "Living Museum" a couple of weeks ago. Each child chooses a person from a list of historical figures. They research them and write a speech that they deliver continuously for an hour to other classes as they walk through the "museum," aka cafeteria:) They also dress up-its super cute. Ella was very nervous but she memorized her speech quickly and did an amazing job. I heard that speech about a hundred times. She had to make sure it was drilled in her head(she is such a hard worker this girl!) Her person was Harriet Beecher Stowe who we came to learn a lot about over the past couple of weeks. And thanks Melanie for letting us borrow your daughter's trek costume:) Harriet wasn't a pioneer..but maybe she dressed this way sometimes? Hahaha. She lived during the same time period so I figured it would work! We are very proud of you Ella!

 And I had to include this picture. Cali and Ammon were with me that morning to watch. Cali had a blast walking around checking everyones costumes out and listening. I caught this moment of cuddlage...interrupted by a blonde little boy running by:) Oh well. Sometimes photo bombs happen.

I say we pray!

Sorry for the MC Hammer reference in the title but it just came to me....lol. Ammon has been ever so adorably folding his arms during prayers lately and we finally snapped a picture of him doing it. Its pretty darn sweet... 

Easter Morning

I just realized I forgot to post pics of my sleepy faced-pajama clad gang o kids on Easter morning. It was a wonderful morning! We woke up bright and early because we have 9am church(somehow we made it on time! I don't know how...) Kids hunted for their baskets, squealed in delight, and then hunted in the backyard for lots of candy-filled and hardboiled eggs(the ones we had dyed the night before we left out for the Easter Bunny to hide:). And then squealed some more. Then everyone got in their new Easter clothes and we headed to church for a wonderful and uplifting sacrament meeting. Later in the day, we had a big Easter ham dinner and even tried a new recipe for dessert that night, Cadbury Mini Eggs Blondies(wow, those were sweet). I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter with their family!

Oops, almost forgot these pics from Easter Eve...I know, I know, I look ultra stylish and sexy in my apron...

Cali drew the cutest picture of a bunny. We had never seen her draw a detailed picture quite like this so it was a wow moment!  She usually draws something and then scribbles out the rest. She really took her time with this and made one of the cutest little bunnies ever. And yeah, its sorta looking like a unicorn bunny..maybe it has magical powers.

Bubbles!

I don't know whats more fun in the life of a 1 and a 5 year old than about five hundred bubbles to pop....

Cuties in the Texas Bluebonnets

On Sunday, right after church, we headed over to a nearby bluebonnet spot for some pictures. It started to sprinkle, the ground was a little muddy, the kids were complaining, but heck, we did it anyways! I bought the girls new little spring skirts and cardigans and we were getting pictures gosh darnit! As we were leaving another family we know happened to arrive and offered to take a family pic for us(and Joey did the same for them) So we even got a family shot too! I wish I had known I was going to be in the picture.. I would've made myself look a little better with a little retouching of makeup and fixing my hair! :) Oh well, its me. I need to deal with it! Enjoy these cute and hilarious(Ammon is a riot!) pictures of our cute kiddos in the bluebonnets...Happy Spring!!