Excited & Overwhelmed

Today I was put in as the Young Women President in our ward. I have to admit that I am both very excited for this new calling and somewhat overwhelmed. For the last year I have been a primary teacher. I love primary and being with the children each week. I will miss being part of the primary, but I am looking forward to working with the amazing young ladies in our ward.

I am also very fortunate to be working with some outstanding women as my counselors and secretary. I have so much to learn for all of them!

CTR Truck



Today while eatting lunch at the table Hazel saw a big brown UPS truck drive past. This is what she said, "Hey Mom, I just saw the CTR truck." I wonder what kind of deliveries a CTR truck would make?

Hauling Manure

We started our garden a couple of weeks ago. We got about half of it planted, and then Andrew dumped some manure on the second half of the garden that still needed to be rototilled. Kimball quickly used his wheelbarrow to gather up some of the manure for his own little corner of garden. He loves to help in the garden. In fact, he helped me weed the whole thing yesterday, and the flower beds just this morning. He is a regular little "green thumb".

Clowning Around

Summersaults

Today while I was sitting on the trampoline with the kids I giggled over this conversation.

Hazel: I can do a somersault.

Kimball: Do you know why they are called somersaults?

Hazel: No

Kimball: They are called summersaults because people do them in the summer.

Cheap Decorating

Last summer I found this amazing IKEA dresser at a yard sale for $10. I had been looking all over for a dresser for Hazel's room, but didn't want to spend a ton of $$$. So this was a perfect find, except it was blue. I've had intentions to get it decorated so that it would match the rest of her room, and yesterday I finally decided to get it finished. Here is the end result. What do you think?

I must add that I love decorating for cheap. I would love to have an interior designer come and help me decorate everything, but I just can't afford their help. So here are the cheap finds that I have made due in Hazel's bedroom.

1. Canvas for the "windows" and the shutters from the DI. I just painted them both.

2. The flower box under the windows. From Walmart. . . it was actually just one, but I used a knife and sawed it in half to make two.

3. The flowers in the planter box and floral foam to hold them in place. Walmart- very cheap.

The flowers on her dresser and the wall, you will never guess. . . . . .Walpaper stickers from the dollar store. I purchased stamps to paint to do it all myself, but when I saw how well the wallpaper stickers worked I had to take the easier route.

Next on the agenda: I have to finish the curtains, lamp shade, pillows, and bedspread. After almost a year in this house I am still not finished.

Grumpy

Mom: Hazel you are grumpy today.
Hazel: (Yelling) I'm not gwumpy, I'm HAZEL!

Hogle Zoo

I decided to buy a year pass to Hogle Zoo so that we would have something fun to do during this summer. I am bound and determined to get my moneys worth out of this pass, so you may see quite a few pictures of the kids at the zoo in the future.

So yesterday we made our second visit of the season to the zoo.

Hazel, The Alligator Hunter

Spiderman Kimball

Scrambled kids for breakfast anyone?

Hazel, Neil, Josh, Kimball

Ironically, Kimball's and Hazel's favorite part of the zoo has nothing to do with the animals. They would rather play in the water at the gigantic globe fountain, maybe I should have just got a pass to a water park instead.

Oh Crap!

Hazel has been watching Jack a little too closely I'm afraid. Yesterday on a couple of occasions I found her outside with her pants around ankles. When I asked her what she was doing she would tell me "I pottied in the grass."

I was in the kitchen looking out the window when I noticed that Hazel was pulling her pants down again. I yelled to Andrew as he was working on the computer in the office to grab her. Well she was a little too fast, so instead Andrew grabbed the camera and got a few good shots. The two of us where in the office looking out the sliding glass door. We were both laughing so hard we had tears running down our face.


So here are some pictures of Hazel popping a squat to "potty in the grass."
Interestingly she did a little bit more than "potty in the grass." As she finished she stood up and said, "Mom I pooped." All I could think to say was "Oh, Crap!"

The worst part about this was when I went out to clean her up and pick up the “treasure” she left on the grass I couldn't find it. Well Jack quickly came over to investigate what was going on and I had to pry the "treasure" out of his mouth. I can't write what was going through my head at that point.

Signs of Spring

These are blossoms from our gorgeous flowering plum tree in the back yard.

These are the blossoms from our gigantic cherry tree. The kids kept picking them and bringing me flowers. We had blossoms were all over the floor.

Don't look too close at the messy faces, we had just eaten lunch, and Hazel needed her nose wiped too.