General Conference

I love General conference weekend.  I will admit that I like the idea of not having to get dressed up and that I can watch it in my own home.   I also love that I can still read the talks again and again because sometimes you can't listen to it no matter how hard you try (especially if you have kids).   

dying eggs and hunting eggs

I am not sure my kids will ever tire of coloring eggs.  This year we had some nontraditional eggs and they were kind of scary.  

All of the eggs found.

Nuclear power model

While we were playing in Oregon Nathan was supposed to be working on his lathe.  He doesn't get to go on all of our trips since there are or will be other times he needs to take days off.   We always miss him.  However there wasn't much done on his lathe.  Instead he is a great dad and gathered materials and ideas to help Sadie put her nuclear power model together for her science class that was due Wednesday.  They put it all together last night so Sadie could hand it in today at her conference.  Nathan would have liked to see it be a working model but he had to stop somewhere.  This was by far the best looking model at the school.  She had fun showing it to her teacher.  

Abby is home

We went to Boise to see Abby come home from her 18 month mission.  She is a great missionary.  She talked to several people on her way home and while heading out of the airport.  

Sadie, Gracie, Abby and Emmy

David, Ila, Emmy, Elijah, Gracie, Sadie

The highlight of the airport for Elijah was the escalators.  So much fun to play on till the security guy comes to check things out.  

Discovery Center

We went to Boise to see Abby come home from her 18 month mission.  I took the kids earlier so we could spend some time in Boise to help break up the drive.  It was a good choice to go to the Discovery Center because we got in FREE.  We have this pass ($85 for our family) we bought last spring that gets us into museums, zoo's, and science centers kinda free.  It has been worth the money we paid for it.  

A machine that can spell words

Elijah playing with a ball suspended in air

The bubbles were a big hit

Some crazy faces

Elijah was so excited to go shopping in this little store.  Josiah was too.

Stomp rockets

Pendleton and Haines

We took an early spring break and headed to Oregon.  The main reason was to see Abby off the plane from her mission.  The first day we helped my brother lay sod and we were so sore the next day but it was fun.  I didn't get pictures of us doing the work so you will just have to believe me that we did it.   The boys...Josiah, Jarom, Elijah, Matt, and Wyatt took a walk in the wheat fields near the house.   Chris took the first couple of pictures of the kids.  

My kids love to play with their cousins and it is so fun to have so many who are close to their ages.

The trampoline is one of the highlights of being at my dad's place. 

Josiah's turtle

Then we headed to Nathan's side of the family.  The pond is a highlight at Adam and Ori's place.  The kids were a muddy mess but obviously had a great time.  It took quite some time to get my four kids cleaned up.  

It was kind of lonely out in the berry patch pruning this year.  Everyone had spring break the previous week so we didn't get to see too many cousins during the days but once school let out we had some fun.  

After working hard at pruning and raking I took the kids to the Interpretive Center.  

Do they know how to load a wagon or what?

What is that on your head Jarom?

Josiah has been saving money for a Lego set but when he came across the feather pen set the legos went by the wayside.  He loves this pen and has been writing with it continuously since we have been home. 

More cousin time.  Jarom, Caleb, David, Wes, Josiah, and Gideon. 

It got a little cold, wet, and windy so they took a break to watch a few Garfield videos on Sadie's nook.  Can you tell we were lacking in the girl cousin department.  Sadie had fun with the boys anyway.