Happy Easter and Spring From Our Home to Yours!

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Easter 2011

This was such a different Easter this year.  Last year, we watched Conference on the Saturday before Easter and Easter Sunday and there was an earthquake but because of conference, we didn’t do much else though we did go to ladies night the night before.

This year, we went to an Egg Hunt on Saturday morning, put on by a ward member and friend Alicia (who is a musical theater major so we have something somewhat in common).  She had the brilliant idea that each parent drop off a dozen filled eggs for each of their child and she hid them at the green belt by her house that morning.  Then we all met for a hunt and breakfast which each family brought something to share.

Christian was really having a grand time looking for eggs but Vivian just wanted to hold one in each hand and wasn’t interested in placing them anywhere else (like a bag, basket or carton).          The whole group of children at Alicia’s Egg Hunt

Later that day, we went to a Birthday party for Jordyn and then I went out with Kalei, Venetia and Torren to hide eggs and we had another egg hunt that evening.

   It’s a little fuzzy but it’s still cute.  The kids all posing in front of pin the tail on Bulls-eye (Christian’s tail is the one by the door knob). Jordyn opening our present to her.  I’m glad she seemed pleased.While I left for a bit, Jared entertained the children.  There is something so magical about being with Jared when you have his attention.  It think it’s his sincere caring for others.  That’s what I noticed that sparkled about him when we first met. Vivian with her stash of eggs in the crook of one arm Christian, looking concerned that he didn’t find enough eggs

The next day, Christian woke up and was very worried that he couldn’t find his basket (he just wasn’t looking hard enough) but once he found it, he was very pleased…Vivian took a ton of coaching to even look for her basket.  I should have talked the bunny into doing a trail of jelly beans or eggs but I was worried about Ginger (our dog) getting into them.  Once she found her basket, she was pretty happy with it.

     Easter Morning, Vivian and Christian enjoying their loot. 

I had spent the majority of my free time the week before sewing a dress for Vivian and though I should have felt relieved once we got to church,  I didn’t because church was insane. I was singing with the choir and also was in a ladies trio with Alicia and another sister in our ward.  I also was asked to play the descant for “Beautiful Savior” on my violin, so it was pretty crazy with all the preparations I had to make and then I was beat after sacrament was over.  Christian gave a talk in primary and did a really good job (even if he did hide his face behind pictures).Vivian and Christian (with Ginger being camera shy behind), after church, very tired but trying to pose.My handsome boy trying to not look because it was so sunny outside.   Vivian, looking at anything but me when I’m trying to take her picture, at least she looks cute in her new dress.  I always have loved those “fluttery” sleeves.

That evening we went to my friend Jenny’s house (she’s really one of the first women to befriend me in my new ward) and had a delicious dinner.  It was so good.  I tried corn pudding for the first time and it was actually pretty good.  I felt really silly because we both had talked earlier about who wanted to bring dessert and we decided that we would both do it for variety.  Guess what! We both made the same thing.  Yep.  We both made cupcakes with green coconut for grass and jelly beans for eggs.  Luckily, hers were chocolate and mine were strawberry so they both did get eaten.

 

Then they had an egg hunt for the kids.  So after three egg hunts, Vivian is not interested in getting any more eggs than she can hold.  I’m relieved that Easter is over this year but I’m really glad that it was so eventful and fun.

Visiting the MIM and good friends

On Thursday this last week I had an awesome fun day!  I dropped Jared off in uptown Phoenix, to work at the other clinic (which he covers for usually once a week, sometimes more) and drove up to meet my friend Claudia and her cute little baby boy Greysen, at the new Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Scottsdale.  It was great to see her and get a chance to talk to her and see her little boy.  No matter how much time we spend together, it seems to go incredibly fast.  We’ve decided that we’ve got to meet up and do something together at least once a month especially now that we’re both Stay-at-home-moms.

The Museum was chalk-full of instruments and I had a fabulous time looking (and taking pictures w/o my flash).  It was pretty fun with kids because they do have an “experience room” for the kids to try some of the more basic instruments though next time I go, I’d love to spend an entire day looking at everything sans kids. Here’s a pic of her darling little boy.  Isn’t he yummy?  He has such a beautiful complexion.

Claudia and I

The museum was vey fun and I loved looking at all of the (somewhat odd) variations on violins the best…who would guess?!  Here’s one that they added a bell on it to help in amplification purposes, I don’t really think this one was much of a hit.    I’ve never actually gotten to see one of these in person, it’s a Contra-contra bass so it’s an octave lower than a bass and two octaves below a cello—very cool though very cumbersome and ridiculous to transport!  I had Christian pose in front of it to try to show the large proportion.  Someone has to stand on the stool to play and there are frets and a mechanism on the top to play it using the frets since the strings are really too thick to play easily (and I thought the regular bass was a joke). This one is only decorative…can you guess why? Resonating problems…this is one of those things that what you see is what you get, it’s beauty is really only skin deep.Here’s another picture with Christian showing how  little this little model/prototype of a violin is before a craftsman will make the full-scale model.  I can just hear a voice in the back of my mind saying “I love teeny things!”   I never knew there was a mechanical violin before….it works kind of like a player piano…I’m not sure there’s any vibrato or things like that available though.

I believe this is a “keyed violin” who knew?

These next photos are from the experience gallery.  Christian really thought the gong was neat. Vivian wanted to try her hand at the harp—she was very cute sitting there—until she wouldn’t let go.Can’t you just imagine her as a harpist someday?

The museum is divided into continents and then countries. It was very cool to see the similarities and differences just in countries that really are not that far away from each other and some that are an ocean apart…as well as noting which continents have their own version of bagpipes, as well as lutes or other types of  string or keyed instruments not to mention drums and the particular sounds made because of materials used in various regions.       I had to put this photo in for my dad.  This is a real live Goofus! It’s a Keyed mouth organ…so in other words a version of a harmonica!

After spending the majority of the day at the museum, I had arranged to meet Christina’s newest addition while I waited for Jared to get off of work.  It was so great to see her and her cute baby girl Maren (Christina doesn’t even look like she was ever pregnant).  We spent the couple of hours I was there relaxing and watching the kids play.  She was insightful and set up the pool for the kids to wade in (and I didn’t think to take one photo of it and Vivian was being so funny, darn it!) and then we went inside and watched the kids parallel play while we gabbed the time away. Christina looking super cute with her 6 week-old baby.   Little Maren.  So intelligent looking!Sweet big brother James…

It’s hard to realize he’s only 6 months older than Vivian…she’s not going to be a baby much longer :(. 

This one of the boys playing by each other just cracks me up...what an example of parallel play!  Vivian was very happy to find that James had an awesome cell-phone toy…she really wishes I’d forfeit mine to her :).

I honestly was a little sad when it was time to pick up Jared from work, it was so fun to spend a day just visiting friends after being in my house for days and days.  Hopefully, very soon we will leave the ranks of one-car house-holds and I’ll be able to do things like this more often.  Thank you to Claudia and Christina for a fabulous day!

Saying good-bye to a love-hate relationship…

On Fast Sunday this month, Vivian went with Jared to young men’s while I went to Relief Society to play the piano.  In the middle of the lesson as Jared was sitting there with Vivian, she pulled her binky out of her mouth—without the tip.  Jared was a little freaked out and starting finger-sweeping her mouth—until he spotted the tip laying on the floor.  She had completely bitten through the whole thing—the little alligator!  It was a new binky as well.  She really was a biter that week and bit a cable clean through much to my dismay as well as my collar bone where she broke the skin.  After my scream of terror from the collar bone incident she’s been much better (thankfully) but she really has some sharp little teeth.

I was pretty happy to say good-bye to the binky though I have to admit that the next week or so was pretty difficult for both her and I.  I was really tempted a couple of times to go out and find a much stronger one but I’m glad I broke my addiction to her being soothed by a piece of rubber.

Since then, Vivian’s actually been a lot more fun and interactive with the rest of us and trying harder to talk.  I’m so glad we had this farewell even though I really was having withdrawals ;).

Catching up…At home…March to April

I have been horrible about blog this past month…It has something to do with Vivian being into everything plus being busy just trying to get on top of housekeeping while doing projects on the side.  This post is kind of long and catchy upy so feel free to skip if it’s too lengthy.

March was very exciting because we finally finished painting Christian’s room.  The kids had been sharing a room in Vivian’s lovely PINK room (one babysitter we had commented that it seemed a little weird that both the kids were in a pink room).

Picture of the kids in Vivian’s room with Christian’s very boyish bed in there.

Really, it was actually a positive experience because Vivian learned to not be so fussy when she was put in bed and I think it was more from watching Christian’s example than anything.  After he moved out she has been very happy to go to sleep and waves bye-bye to me and laughs when I put her in bed.  Which is so so so  much better than it used to be (you know, when she used to scream for about one minute and throw up because she was Christian’s room is finished because now he actually wants to spend time playing in his room.  He’s even been waking up early just so that he can play by himself with his blocks without a certain little person around.

Here’s a cute photo of Vivian “helping” while I was painting the trim in Christian’s room

If Christian’s room is ever clean enough I’ll have to post some pictures.

It’s been getting pretty warm here but we’ve enjoyed some time at the parks around here (there are a few in my neighborhood which is a dream).  Here are some photos of one of the days I took the kids to the park for a picnic.

    

If you notice what’s to the left behind Christian you’ll understand the draw to living out on the outskirts of the city appeals to me….MOUNTAINS!!!  One other thing that’s lovely about living out in more the country is that it actually is cool in the mornings!  I LOVE it.  So before it gets up to the 90’s I can let the kids play out in the backyard before it’s too hot.

Here’s Vivian in my weedy backyard (Jared has since weeded ;) ).  One thing that has been cracking me up lately is that Vivian has figured out that Christian can give her rides on his tricycle and so she will scream “Meh” at him (which is what she calls him…don’t know why) and he will come and give her a ride.  It is so cute to see how slow and careful he is with her trying to be a good big brother.    Vivian has turned into quite a little ham herself lately and really loves to be silly and laugh.  Christian is now even more dramatic and has become quite emotional.  He has a real interest in everything being fair which isn’t always possible and it frustrates him when things don’t seem fair.

I love this picture of Christian with Ginger and how she just patiently sits with him while he plays around her.

I had a personally eye-opening experience when I tended the next-door neighbor’s twins for a couple of days this past month.  I had been feeling overwhelmed by all the “regular” things I had been trying to accomplish each day with my own children underfoot and after watching two others I realized that in comparison my life’s a dream and I really have been able to put my responsibilities into perspective (and come to the conclusion that really I do not want twins  one at a time is good enough for me).  The twins weren’t bad or anything, in fact they are fun and great and we all had a pretty good time it’s just a lot of attention to spread out all the time….and quite exhausting! Here’s a cute pic of Sophia and Moses loving Ginger one of the days we watched her.

The next photos are from an evening (I think a Sunday?)while we were all hanging out together and watching Veggie Tales and Christian and Vivian were just playing so cute that I thought should pull out my camera and capture their cuteness.

 Here they are playing with a baby together…   Absorbed in a movie  (don’t you just love that Vivian has her church shoes on top of her footed pjs? :/ She has a real thing about wearing shoes)

I love how sweetly Vivian plays mommy with the baby dolls!

A Cute photo for Jared holding both of our funny children!  I don’t know how much longer he can do this—Christian is getting so heavy!

Christian and Vivian are both getting big and fun.  I am in shock that Vivian is getting so close to going to nursery, the time has gone so fast with her these last couple of months…it’s because she’s getting to be so much fun ;)!  I will try to post some pics of the house and what I’ve done.