I feel like this has been a month of celebrations one right after another and all for me!  I have had a wonderful birthday and Mother's Day and am so thankful for my many many blessings and all the work and love and sacrifice that have been put forth in my behalf these past two weeks. 

This was a homemade lemon pound cake that was divine!  These beautiful children are truly the best gifts ever. 

I received many wonderful gifts for my birthday and mothers day.  Capriel, our budding artist created this beautiful paper scene.  Breck made a touching slide show of our family that made me bawl and bawl.  Craig gave me an ipad (wow) that will be awesome in so many ways-teaching lessons in YW, organizing, blogging, videoing kids, etc...Breck also put together a collage frame in my room.  Craig also got some mulch for the new beds that I'm working on.  I'm so excited to see how it will set off the plants. 

This picture also shows our new carpet!  It was quite the run-around, but we are so excited to have something soft and clean in the family room now! 

Breck created this one sunny day and it is the perfect description of our most recent weather.  Today was 85 and felt like around 110!  The kids have been sleeping out on the trampoline, we are eating outside, and finding every possible excuse to do outside jobs instead of inside jobs.  I love the image of Capriel with her little side twist and skort covering her body builder legs in the background.  Capriel belongs outside with the sun.  Her body is stained all over from the pine trees which she is constantly scaling. 

Capriel has been a scoring maniac and really beginning to connect with the ball more regularly.  She had an awesome team this year filled wtih kids who actually wanted to play. 

We were thrilled to get in a quick visit to Getti and her kids last night after the girls violin recital.  All the kids were excited when we realized that no one was sick and all were able to hold baby Coleman.  He is a doll and we decided he looked a lot like Landen as a baby.  Speaking of Landen he was invited to the honors breakfast at his school for his academic performance.  We are proud of his efforts.  He earned a new ping pong paddle and lovingly moistens and wipes it down after each play session (it is supposed to stay tackier that way).  I often have to call down to the two of them that it is past both of their bedtimes.  They will surface, sweaty and winded (how does that happen in ping pong) and sometimes a little riled up.  Landen has taught me a few things and I'm working on my back spin and sometimes my pencil hold! 

My gourmet Mother's Day Lunch.  Croissant French toast with berries and cream and buttermilk syrup.  Craig has been quite the cook these last two weeks and we have certainly been enjoying his labors!  Please notice the gorgeous corsage that Capriel made and the necklace from Lan as well as the bouquet of flowers that Lan picked (from the neighbors yard:))

This is my breakfast casserole that Breck made for me. 

I was lucky enough (on my birthday even) to go with Tal to a Mother's Tea with her activity days lunch.  We were supposed to dress up fancy tea party-like, but Tal and I decided to dress up our jeans and be different.  We certainly were unique, but I had a wonderful time with her laughing, eating fancy treats, making the above bow and  playing games.  Tal has an awesome sense of humor and finds humor all around her. 

Rhyse has finally become an outdoors girl.  During the cold months I had to beg her to go outside, but now that the sun is here she spends hours, digging in her sandbox, playing with the chickens,, swinging, etc...

Craig helped me one Saturday to put up the final boards for my little board and batton project.  It's going to look so great.  And I have to proudly announce that I think I've overcome my irrational fear of air compressors.  On my birthday I finally decided I was a big enough girl to hook up the nail gun and air compressor that we are borrowing without Craig's help.  It really was a hard thing for me, but I am thrilled with how things are turning out. 

 
 Breck has been creating her own healthy treats recipes lately.  Super low sugar cookies, black bean muffins, etc...Some are super tasty-some not so much! 


 She has also increased her crafty resume to include jewelry.  THis week the big event was the arrival of her 6-week post piercing date.  Which means that she can remove her studs and wear something else!  This is super exciting and she has been having fun trying new looks! 
 
 Here is another of Breck's many birthday gifts.  She drew it based on a picture of herself around 1 1/2-2.  I can't believe how much her depth perception has improved.  Breck and I were able to go to our wards youth conference together ( I just got put in as an advisor)  I loved watching her during the day and seeing how much she has matured in confidence recently.  She is such a beautiful girl with an incredible spirit and sense of goodness and beauty.  She is also full of life and fun and humor  ( she can just make her dad roll with laughter)  and she is beginning to learn how to share that with her peers.  I was so proud of her efforts to reach out, and be friendly and just be herself and have fun. 

The girls had a recital this week in SLC.  They did wonderfully and played with confidence and poise.  We were even lucky enough to have Nicki and her two girls come one day just to visit and chat.  Friends are so wonderful and essential to a have well-rounded life.  Craig and I have spent one too many late nights up talking and discussing life.  I feel so thankful to have someone who is willing to listen to me and is such a good friend.  I'm loving this beautiful weather and have been having fun adding some plants to my three new beds.  I even learned how to add a sprinkler line (from my friend Amy) and have done a little splicing, pvc cutting and gluing, and funny pipe installing.  We are 90% done with sprinklers-something that is a gigantic relief.  Happy May!