Brother Loftus, Hannah, Brother LeFevre
Grandma Paxton and Aunt Olivia
Ben's favorite guest was Bishop Edwards. He is the only one Ben even cared if he was invited to the party. He calls him the guy with the belt buckle cuz he has a really cool belt buckle Ben loves.
Brandon decided to coach a team of Little Hoopsters Ben was one of the kids on his team and he looked forward to Basketball each night more than anything. He loved his dad being there with him. I think they both had fun.
Ben getting ready to shoot!
Ben listening to intruction from the coach before shooting.
In February Asher had socks on and slipped off the bench and conked his head on the corner of the bench and had to go get 3 stitches. He was a trouper and every time we'd encounter someone who didn't know what happened he's whisper to me "Mom, tell them I fell and got stitches" he was too shy to tell anyone but wanted everyone to know.
Emma and Asher play outside any chance they get...I can hardly get them in to eat and sleep. These days Asher wears his jammies day and night...only in the day they are complimented by his pair of cowboy (towboy) boots. Oh well, if he's happy so am I.
Hannah is being goofy on the swing being an airplane I believe and pulling a silly face.
I looked out the french doors and saw Emma just sitting in the snow shovel on the deck just sucking her thumb like she was in her recliner or something.
Ben and his best friend Maka after their end of year first grade program. Ben is always our comedian.
Mrs. Hanks (Ben's teacher) and Ben.
Ben marching out of the gymnasium doing the macarana.
Ben singing!
The purple Iris's are my favorite
This year I actually have some plants growing in the Island...I only had a few bulbs last year...I'm excited for each year and adding new perennials and seeing what got bigger from the year before. I hope by next year to have a huge splash of purple abriesia.
The island looked better last week when all the tulips and daffodils were there. The new neighbor girl picked all them off and put them on my step the other day. Needless to say I was fuming...but I calmed down before I talked to her and explained the flowers were prettier in the yard when they are not dead and please leave them there from now on...KIDS
Here is a picture of the kitchen as we started tearing it apart. It was a crazy few days having dishes strewn around the house and no sink for awhile...but it was an adventure and totally worth it. Brandon is amazing and we had it all done in only a few days.
Our New Maple cabinets are just beautiful and they really pull together the paint job I did last year. I still have all the touch-ups to do later the new counter has a shorter back splash so I need to retexture and paint and glaze the gaps but it sure is nice. And I absolutely love our over the range microwave. It really freed up a lot of space.
Our hope is that in the next year or so to tear out the floor and replace it also. We'll see when we get around to that...1st on my list is remodel the bathroom it needs new walls and floor.
Last Sunday we went to Orem and had a bar-b-que with Sarah and Steve at their new place. I made my first blueberry pie. We had lots of fun...it was hard to get the kids to go home. While we were there Martha called and told us her church in Boston where she now lives burned down during stake conference. Never a dull moment in this family :-)
Emma and Asher were playing with Chubby our Russian Dwarf Hamster in the tub so he couldn't get away from them.
Emma Longstocking. She has the most contagious giggle. She was thrilled at the fact that her piggies could stand on end when they were wet. I can't believe my little Emma is going to be in Kindergarten in a few months.
Asher wanted in on the action...so he played in the water (as usual) and soaked his shirt and had to take it off...in the process I noticed how tanned his neck is getting. He practically lives outside, either riding his Thomas Bike (which he is completely obsessed with) or jumping on the tramp or digging in the sand or finding rollie pollies or swinging.
The strawberry plants are going crazy. They had blossoms covering them and now there are many many berries starting to grow...I'm so excited to have more than 1 or 2 at a time to eat this year...most the kids love the strawberries too.
Brandon's rhubarb is huge again this year and this weekend we are going to a bar-b-que at some friends house and I am going to make a Rhubarb cake...we love it.
This is a new addition to our yard this year. She is a Crimson Queen. I hope she does well here. We have very alkaline soil and she likes it acidic...so I put her in the ground with some vinegar...
The Bamboo is back...Eat your heart out Brandon...He has done everything in his power to kill this beauty...including round-up and gasoline...but it just keeps going and going. I'm glad I absolutely love it...withing a few months it will be towing past the hight of our house. It feels like our personal jungle in that corner of the yard.
YEAH!!!! The Iris's finally started blooming. I'm so glad they bloomed this week...I was afraid I'd miss it while we go to Disneyland next weekend.
A E H and B are such a cute team...And looking at this picture reminds me that I still get to finish glazing my kitchen...I am getting used to the half finished room...I better get on it before I don't notice at all that only half is finished.
I think the Sun was in E's eyes...and there was a smudge on the lens apparently...all the pictures look "ANGELIC"
Sweet little A we should all learn from him and stop to smell the flowers.
B and H also had the sun in their eyes today...but don't they look so grown up?
Purple Fringed Tulip
Brandon's prized Rhubarb has done quite well this year already...it has been, well, how can I put this...most challenging for him the last two years not being able to eat this...So I think I'll surprise him soon with a pie or something from his favorite garden variety.
I just love spring...this spring is very special...it is the first year that we've had any "pretty" (non-weed) flowers and plants. We had a box of Mystery Bulbs that we planted and it was a pleasant surprise. We had many daffodils, some tulips lots of grape hyasynth and a few extraordinary tulips...fringed to be exact...only one is bloomed out but there are several that should be peeking through any day now.
