Preschool Graduation

Last week Mark "graduated" from preschool. Dax and I attended the ceremony. We are so proud of Mark and how he has grown this year. He is so excited to head to Kindergarten next year. He will be a great student.

Mark waiting for the program to start.

Mark with his teacher.

Proud brother. Dax loved the graduation.

Mark with his best buddies from school.

Scandinavian Festival in Ephraim

Today we headed down to Ephraim for the Scandinavian Festival. The parade was nice, and the kids picked up way too much hard salt-water taffy. We were surprised that parents let their kids stand on the dotted white line on either side of the highway. We were sure someone was going to be hit by a car. It was hard to keep our kids all the way back on the solid white line.

After the parade, it was really windy, and we felt bad for all the vendors holding onto their tarpaulin booths as the gusts knocked over the displays. We did buy a gift for everyone. Randy got a piece of petrified wood because he's teaching about permineralization this year in science. The boys got light sabers because they were only three bucks each. (They also got free fossilized oysters from the fossil booth). And Natalie got a picture of the temple to hang in the basement. Here is a picture of everyone with their booty:

I'm so glad that I had to be in this picture!

For a little more info on the Scandinavian Festival and dates for other city events, check our other blog here.

Eclipse

Last night we drove to Beaver to see the annular solar eclipse. I got Natalie to leave church a five minutes early (better than 15 minutes late, as usual), and we had a lunch all packed and ready. We drove to Beaver, about two and a half hours. The eclipse was just beginning, and we quickly found a park using Natalie's new iPhone (Happy Mother's Day!).

Everything was perfect. We found a picnic table that was half in the shade of a large pine tree and half sunny for the eclipse. There was even a little playground within 20 feet for the kids. The eclipse was to last for nearly 2 hours, so we wouldn't be staring at it the whole time, obviously.

We ate and watched the eclipse progress for the first hour. Then a cheer went up as it reached totality. Because we'd driven south, we were able to see the "ring of fire" which means the moon was in front of the sun with just a sliver of the edge of the sun peeking out. (For more pictures and a fuller explanation see our other blog eclipse entry).

After totality, as the moon moved off the sun, the eclipse seemed pretty anti-climactic. We watched for a few more minutes, but it was almost 8 o'clock, and we still had a long drive ahead. Luckily, our kids are great in the car and other than Mark's mild complaints that dad kept beating him in the name-the-50s-artist game, and a minor break down from Dax as we left the freeway in Lehi just 5 minutes from home, it was a great trip.

Sports

Our family life pretty much revolves around sports. We talk about sports, we watch sports, the boys' room is sports themed, and man, do we play a lot of sports. Right now Randy is playing softball, Mark is playing soccer, and Dax is playing tee ball. We have had lots of games at the same times, but everyone is having fun. I can't even imagine adding another boy to this mix, but he'll be here in 6 weeks. And soon we will switch--Mark will play tee ball and Dax will play soccer, but at least Randy will be done with softball, until August. AAHH! Here are some pictures of the boys. Unfortunately I didn't snap any of Randy at his game last night. I'll take the camera next week.

I love this picture of Dax looking into the sun.

Dax playing 1st base!

Randy is the assistant coach of Mark's soccer team.

If you are wondering what Mark is doing--his coach always tells them to spread out, so Mark puts his arms out to make sure he isn't touching anyone.

Ian Kinsler Isn't Natalie, Either

Hey, this is Randy . . .

Natalie really hates giving the kids a bath. And when she's pregnant she REALLY hates giving the kids a bath. What better way to get out of it than to fake an ankle injury? Why not legitimize it by going to the doctor, getting x-rays, the whole 9 yards?

Okay, I can't prove any of that, but it doesn't stop me from suspecting. . .

Here's what really happened:

Mark was throwing me a few pitches. Like a 5 year-old, he couldn't really toss up a meatball. He was throwing them low, high, outside, and at my head-- anywhere but across the plate. Natalie told him she'd show him how. She tossed a perfect pitch. Though I'd been showing off for Mark, I wasn't about to rip a line drive off my pregnant wife, so I gently popped one up right to her. Well, it was ALMOST right to her; actually it went a little over her head. She took two steps back and twisted off balance, landing in a heap. Worst of all she started to cry. Oh, and she did catch the ball, but dropped it as she hit the ground. I rushed over to see if she was in labor or had landed on her tummy, she finally got out that it was just her ankle.

Though Natalie is a great whiffle ball player, she is not much of a crutch user. She half hopped, half leant on me as we got her in the house. Neither of us really thought it was broken, but we thought it was worth the co-pay to find out. The doctor, who happened to know me from Ephraim, took a few x-rays and confirmed what we thought-- no break. He gave her a brace, and she's been sailing along ever since.

She's quite a trooper.

Natalie is not Ian Kinsler

Well, I am more like Dustin Pedroia, but if you don't follow baseball you are already lost. Today was quite the eventful day at our house. The last few days we have been playing wiffle ball in the yard because the boys love to practice hitting. Randy and I love to play too since we both grew up playing baseball/softball. Unfortunately, as I made an amazing leaping catch today, I forgot I was 32 weeks pregnant and landed funny on my ankle, dropping the ball as I hit the ground. I really wish I had held onto the ball because then the story would be better.

After laying on the couch in pain for awhile, we finally decided I better have it checked out. Who knows what happens to your bones when you have 40 extra pounds you are carrying around? I have never broken a bone before, and was pretty worried this would be my first. Luckily, I can still brag that all my bones are intact. The x-rays showed no breaks, and after being fitted with an air cast I was sent home with a bad sprain. I have sprained my ankle many times before playing volleyball, but this one is the worst. At least it seems that way. Maybe because I am old, maybe because I haven't sprained my ankle in 15 years, maybe because I am pregnant. Regardless, it is no fun trying to hobble around the house with a huge pregnant belly. Randy has been very kind and gets me anything I need, but I still have to go to the bathroom, and far too frequently!

I hope after a good night's sleep it will be better and I can walk a bit more without cringing-- at least enough to enjoy my Mother's Day breakfast and dinner that I have been promised.

Come back tomorrow for Randy's version of the story.

Signs of Summer

Summer is almost here! We are ready at our house for warm weather and a new baby. Here are a few signs at our house that summer is almost here.

Little green strawberries growing in our garden! 

Three boys mowing the lawn.

Lots and lots of bike rides.

Countless baseball games outside and inside.

Randy spending time in the trees--hopefully no injuries this year.

Spring cleaning or Nesting, whatever you want to call it.
See previous post for Randy's opinion.

Nesting

Hey, this is Randy . . .

So what's up with pregnant women? Specifically, I have two questions. The first one is "Why do they nest?" Natalie has about 6 weeks left before her due date and she's been nesting like crazy-- trips to DI, pulling things in and out of our crawl space, dejunking every room in the house. Don't get me wrong, I really love it. When we finish having kids, we might have to simulate pregnancy just to get things ship-shape! Sometimes I get caught up in the nesting projects, which can be slightly inconvenient, but usually what she's doing really needs done, so I don't mind.

The second question, and I've noticed this with many pregnant women, is why is it a crime to call it "nesting" when it's afoot? Yesterday, I got a few emails about all the cleaning and dejunking while I was at work. Later, I asked, "How's the nesting going?" Big mistake. I was informed that she wasn't nesting. She was just getting rid of stuff so there'd be a place to PUT our newborn. And wouldn't it be nice to have everything clean when he comes?!

Not nesting, just cleaning and dejunking-- got it!

Dax turns 3!

The Birthday Boy!

Today was Dax's birthday. I asked Dax the night before what he wanted for breakfast, and he asked for bacon and toast. So that is what we had (and a few eggs). I bought some balloons because Dax is a huge fan of balloons, so there were balloons tied on his chair for breakfast. He was so excited.

We had a great day. Playing, opening a few presents here and there--his big present was a new bike! He has been telling me for almost 6 months that he wants a basketball hoop cake. Last year was a basketball cake, so this year we moved up to basketball hoop. Here is the final product.

Since it is Dax's birthday, I thought I would tell you some of the things that I love about him.  I love that Dax is generally kind. He will give someone a toy or share something with them to help them feel better. I think being a second child he had to learn that quality. I love that he says the silliest things. Dax is always saying something to crack us up. His favorite song right now is Hang on Snoopy! (You know, Hang on Sloopy, the old 50s song?) I love that he wants to help me clean. When Mark is at preschool, he will follow me around dusting, wiping walls, pushing the vacuum (with some help), and unloading the dishwasher. He is so smart. Dax loves to read and tell stories. I'm excited for him to head to preschool in the fall. I know he will love it! Happy Birthday Dax.