Jump-A-Thon

This year the elementary school held a Jump-A-Thon instead of their usual Panda Fun Run for their big fundraiser. I missed Dallin's (they had theirs first, and I didn't realize it until it was too late), but my friends took these pictures for me. 

He said it was tricky because the jump ropes were too short.

I made it to Brennan's, and it was very entertaining. They had the fourth graders come help them count their jumps, and Dallin helped Brennan.

Most of the kids pretty much stayed in one place, but Brennan was running while jumping all over the blacktop. It's a good thing he was along the edge, because he needed a lot of room! Dallin was running after him, trying to count his jumps. I definitely prefer fundraisers where exercise is involved and 100% of the money raised goes to the school. The middle school had a jog-a-thon this year. I'd rather donate to those than buy something I don't need.

My Birthday Blog

April is the best month to have a birthday. Tyler turned 12 on the 6th. We gave him his presents early in the day so he could play with them right away. He let Chloe help.

 Any idea what that white foam shape is? It's actually something he's wanted for months.

It's a puppet! He's wanted to make a real Muppet ever since we saw an old video of Jim Henson, demonstrating how to make them. I bought a cheap foam mattress pad, cut out a couple heads freehand (based on the video) and glued them together. That helped him get started, but we have enough foam to make lots more. Plus we gave him tons of material and crafts to finish them.

Tyler requested homemade doughnuts for breakfast. I made them a little while ago, and we thought we'd all died and gone to heaven. They are so good!!

I fried them, and Tyler dipped them in glaze. Then we all ate until we felt mildly ill. Yum!

It was General Conference (when we watch the leaders of our church broadcast on T.V. and online), and we loved relaxing, listening, eating, and feeling inspired the whole weekend. I didn't want it to end!

Spencer's gift: he put money inside these balloons for Tyler to cut down. There was a total of $13. Fun!

This is Tyler's creation! We made it in just one day (figuring things out as we went along), and he named him Jimmy. Later we added arms and clothes. It was really fun to watch him come to life. He looks just like a real Muppet! 

Tyler requested a funfetti cake with marshmallow frosting. I cut two 9" round cakes in half to make 4 layers. He also loves strawberry shortcake, so I thought it would be fun to add sliced strawberries between the layers. 

 It was so good! 

I didn't know if the strawberries would get too mushy or wet, but they were perfect. The cake was still moist and delicious 2 days later. It just might be my new favorite cake.

My dad spent most of Tyler's birthday with us. My mom was in Arizona with my brother's family as they prepared for a new baby, and Kristen's family was in Utah dropping Jonathan off at the MTC (Missionary Training Center). So we had everyone over the following Sunday for a combined birthday party for Tyler and me. I made Tyler this fun mustache cake. He loves mustaches.

 Dave made me another strawberry cake. Mmmm....

 I could only find 29 candles for my cake, but I was okay with that!

 Remind me not to grow a mustache.

 Jimmy helped blow out the candles.

 It took me about 3 breaths to blow out all the candles. Pitiful!

Outside

We've spent a lot of time enjoying our backyard recently. Not only has the weather been perfect, but all the roses are in bloom. I love it!

This is Chloe's favorite way to enjoy the swings.

She doesn't need anyone to push her like this. Levi recently learned how to pump, and he likes to go REALLY high. Then he jumps off. Yikes!

We won't be able to wash our car much longer - water restrictions begin May 1st. Well maybe we can, but there are rules about it.

Cool dudes! 

We planted our garden and spruced up the herbs a few weeks ago. 

The kids were all very eager to help. And then we had a huge rainstorm. I hope all the seeds survived!

Our back fence has yellow roses (top picture), both our side fences are covered with these white ones, and the red rose tree (the one Dave's work gave us when his brother Kevin died) is also in bloom. What a lovely view out our dining room and kitchen windows!

In case I ever wonder why my hair is turning grey - that's Dallin up there, making the whole tree sway from side to side. Sometimes I can't look!

Pinewood Derby

Dallin had fun making his car for the Pinewood Derby last month. 

He and Dave started working on it nice and early, so it was all done a whole week early. Nice. 

This is always a major production. I love how it's so organized and fun! They got to do lots of races (four times in each lane for a total of 16 races each), and Dallin came in first or second every time.

 He came in fourth place overall (out of about 20 cub scouts) and got the award for Most Aerodynamic.

He had a great time!!