Duck, duck, oops!

It started out like many other outings, with Mom stopping to take pictures of flowers along the way. The real object of the journey, however, was something far cuter: ducklings!

We went to the BYU Botany Pond to feed the ducks, and the boys were happy to see turtles there, too.

They'd put in a boardwalk around the pond since the last time Mom was there ages ago. The Muffins had fun watching from the walk . . .

. . . but of course it was very tempting to lean over just a little further to see just a little more . . .

. . . and so our visit ended abruptly after someone fell overboard (but not into the pond, thank goodness). Duck, duck, oops!

Spring Break at the Aquarium

Right after Easter came Amanda's spring break. The break got of to an exciting start with a visit to the Living Planet Aquarium. We met Grandma and Grandpa there and looked at lots of fish (along with some amphibians, arthropods, reptiles, penguins, and otters).

There were a couple of "hands on" sections where people could touch sea critters. There was a large pool with rays, which were somewhat hard to touch not only because they swam away quickly, but also because they had a habit surfacing just enough to splash people unexpectedly. The smaller tanks shown with Jared and Curtis below were much more manageable. People were instructed to stroke the critters with two fingers to ensure gentleness. So, Jared now pets Lydia's head with two fingers when she's sad. Guess he was paying attention.

We eventually found a tank on Lydia's level, which was nice, since she spent most of the visit riding.

Rest assured, though, that Lydia got plenty of time to run around and play later. One the way up to the aquarium, the "check engine" light came on. There was a service place across the street from the aquarium, so after our visit there, Grandma and Grandpa kindly stuck around and helped watch the Muffins as they played outside while the van was examined. Ultimately, the van was okay (free fix on small quirks), and we finished our outing with a pizza lunch.

April 2012 odds and ends

The camera got more use this April than it had in a long time. Mom took it along to the park, for instance, the time that pretty much everyone played in the volleyball sand rather than on the actual playground.

Amanda did get a little playground time in, but she eventually made her way to the dirt, too.

Mom also got out the camera in our own neck of the woods. Here's Curtis, just because he's cute and he still loves having his picture taken.

Here we have brothers checking out the bushes together.

And here we have sisters out for a stroll.

We took a family outing to a park with a duck pond.

The swings there were pretty popular. Curtis especially liked having Dad around to help him swing high.

There was also a big tulip garden. Here are some close up.

And here's Lydia with the garden in the background.

Curtis turned 3 in April! Here he is with the monkey pj's he got as a present, much to his delight.

And here he is at Grandma and Grandpa's house with his cake and his new cars. We frosted the cake with Nutella, just to try it out, and it went over pretty well.

We tried to have a family picture taken. Emphasis on "tried".

Mom and the kids went on a grand excursion to Beaver. (We were just in Beaver. Had to throw that word play in.) The boys even had matching shirts for the occasion.

We met Grandmother and Grandfather there just days before their big move. The kids were happy to be able to visit them again, but they were even more excited about the ice cream Grandfather got them at the cheese factory. Lydia let Grandmother hold her ice cream cup, but she insisted on spooning the ice cream herself.

Amanda ran her second one mile race in April, this time at her school for a fund raiser.

If you look carefully, you can see her here in purple pants, near the end of the race.

One of our old faithful trikes bit the dust. Jared was especially sad about it because it was the one he usually rode. So, we took a Saturday morning and went yard sale shopping. In addition to a tent, a small trampoline, and lots of pants for Jared, we found this great bike for him.

In order to get all the stuff home, we had to fold down the back seat of the minivan. That exposed a bunch of clutter and crumbs, and after Mom got it all cleaned out, she celebrated by taking the Muffins on a drive around Utah Lake. On the far side of the lake, we found a tiny town called Elberta, the main feature of which seemed to be this post office, which Amanda declared to be adorable.

So yes, the camera got some exercise in April (and this post only features a fraction of the total pictures taken!).

Eastery Stuff 2012

This year was a little more involved than usual for Easter, at least for Amanda and Jared. It all started when we found out about three separate Easter events within reasonable distance of each other with staggered starting times. First stop, the grocery store. We were given doughnut holes when we walked in, to sustain us until the big candy grab. Both Jared and Amanda got quite enough in their bags to keep everyone well sugared for a long time. Then there was a place to decorate cookies, as you can see here. And yes, Amanda got a hair cut in early April. With a third girl on the way, Mom decided it was time to get the female hair situation under control, and Amanda decided the chop was better than the pain of detangling.

The next event was at a martial arts studio. Here's Amanda holding "front position" while receiving egg hunt instruction. Jared wasn't quite sure what to think about it at first.

However, he was VERY excited to have a "master" helping him find eggs.

After the egg hunt, there were more surprises inside, like these special guests of Kung Fu Panda fame:

There was also a coloring contest. Here's Amanda's picture partially done. She ended up winning second place for her age group, with the prize being two free weeks of karate lessons. She approved, to say the least, especially since she has wanted to study martial arts for some time now.

The last stop was the official city egg hunt. There were a variety of activities going to keep people busy until the actual hunt, such as a little petting zoo of baby animals. There were chicks and ducks:

We also found an enthusiastic baby goat, who stood to greet Amanda.

Jared was excited to try out an obstacle course bouncy house. Here he is waiting for his turn to go through.

 

Here are the kids nearing the end of the course.

The bouncy course was fun, but not fun enough to wait in line for again. So, we wandered around the crowded park, checking out fire engines, climbing decorative rocks, and generally waiting for the hunt. About five minutes before, the eggs were scattered. After that, at the appointed time, each child was allowed to grab five eggs. For Jared, it was easy. For Amanda, not so much; lots of grabby kids in her age division apparently. However, it all worked out in the end, considering how much candy they'd already gotten that morning.

And all of that was just on Easter Saturday! Easter morning we enjoyed our traditional egg coloring session. And, of course, we munched on all that candy Jared and Amanda collected the day before. We didn't get pictures, but Dad and Amanda also did some sculpting with salt water taffy, one of the main components of the previous day's haul.

We have yet to do official Easter outfits (although Mom is seriously starting to scheme, what with a third girl coming and all), but we did try to get Lydia and Amanda nicely prettied for the day with what we had on hand. Here's Lydia:

And here's Amanda:

It always snows here in April

As March (and even February) began boasting a few warm spring-like days, someone asked Mom if she thought it was finally spring. Mom, remembering the weather from her previous time in the area, said, "No, it always snows in April here." And yes, Mom felt very sure of herself saying it, so much so that she spent most of February and March informing the Muffins that snow was definitely coming in April. As March ended, though, Mom began to worry a little. What if it didn't snow in April after all? What would happen to Mom's reputation with the Muffins (and to her non existent meteorological career)? But, the weather came through. One day, it was a nice day to be at the park.

The next day, it looked like this:

Hard to believe that only a week or so ago that same tree was white with "popcorn" blossoms (as befits an apricot tree). So thank you, weather. Mom has been vindicated.