Bric-a-brac

What a month.  My good intentions to keep blogging regularly were assassinated by the end of the school year, stomach flu, and a funeral.  (More on the last one later.)  Better late than never, I guess.  The positive side to all that is that we've had lots of chances to visit with family, particularly my cute little nephew.  Dader-tot sure loves him, as you can see him force feeding his cuz Cheerios.

Spring is finally truly here and has been glorious.  We've gone from just the crocus poking up to the daffodils, tulips, weeping cherries, lilacs, and now the late spring blooms like the irises.  The air is just fragrant outside, and smells better than a department store.

I love having fresh cuttings, and can't wait for the roses we transplanted to bloom.  Amongst all the different kinds of roses we have, there is a tea rose bush.  I am waiting to find out which one it is to give it a place of honor out front.  It smells divine.

Over the past couple of months, this little man has all but dropped his naps.  Every now and then he nods off in the car, or on the couch, but for the most part, he's not a baby anymore.  He's growing up in so many ways--it's time to potty-train him (every parent's least favorite).  About time since he'll be four in September...  Will I truly have no children in diapers one day?

Spring means lots of hikes.  Being close to Rock Canyon means it's our go-to hike for those spontaneous mornings when everyone has energy and it's nice out.  Sol is getting older and able to go further now.  No more naps in our arms when we walk back like happened when we first got him.  He can run almost as fast as Derek can for a sprint, and really likes to get out.  He definitely keeps Derek & I from getting too lazy...

Ready to hike, Dad!  So much cuteness in this picture.  This two are real troopers and can go a long ways for little legs.  I'm not sure if it's the hiking they love, or the treats we pack for "energy"...

More doggy loving.  Sol's sister, Zoe, is still his favorite person to play with.  They are getting better about playing together and then pausing for breaks before they get too wild.

As you can see, this boy loves them both (Zoe above, Sol below).  He's so addicted to his "furry brother".  For Sol's part, he merely tolerates Dade, though I suspect they will be close as Dade gets older and a little more gentle.

We had to teach Dade how to lift Sol because he kept picking him up by the booty or neck or some other uncomfortable pose.  Poor long-suffering dog...

Speaking of long-suffering, he's our new entertainment.  Doesn't he look a little like a Wookie?

Sol's favorite part of the day is when I load the dishes.  He's pretty good at pre-washing if I do say so myself.

Easter has come and gone without too much fanfare.  Our favorite decoration is the flying pig from Christmas all dressed up for spring.

We made bunny ears over spring break.  I won't tell you how many times Sol ended up wearing someone else's ears...

Our school had it's annual Extravaganza fund-raiser: essential a fair that you buy tickets to.  It's pretty fun.  I got to do face-painting this year.  I wasn't great, but for my first time, I did get better.

They used acrylic craft paint, which I wasn't expecting.  I thought it would be the grease paints, or the professional water-based ones.  Acrylic doesn't blend like I'd hoped, but it was still fun to work with.

I'm not great at free-handing it (all the art genes went to other members of my family), but at least you can tell it's a yin yang (right?...)

The kids enjoyed some rides and bounce houses and the school earned a lot of money from us alone...

As part of the end of the concert choir that Sedona attends early in the morning twice a week, they went on a tour of the BYU carillon (bell tower).  It was SUPER cool and we enjoyed hearing Harry Potter, Beauty & the Beast, and other popular songs.  The carilloneur was really talented--to play you have to hit the pegs with your fists.  You also have the foot pedals similar to an organ that you coordinate with your fisting.  It looked complicated to me.  But sounded divine.

This is random, but so funny-looking that I had to include it.  Isn't he a crack up?

 Domba joined the race of the four-eyes.  She looks just darling in her new glasses.  Everyone loves the sparkles on them.  She's getting used to them, and loving being able to see well finally.

My brother and his daughter came out for the aforementioned funeral.  She is possibly the cutest little thing alive.  She was just sitting them playing with the heater pad and blankets and then pretending to sleep.  It was so good to see her again, though the circumstances were sad.

 Derek, the lucky dog, got to go to Paris.  He was busy at his conference most of the time, and it was a quick trip, but he managed to get some site-seeing in.

 The architecture is simply stunning.  I'm not a fan of big cities, but I admit that I'd probably like to go see some of the major cities of Europe just to see the buildings.

Derek said it felt so different to walk in places that had been around for hundreds and hundreds of years.

Meanwhile, back at the farm, we were enjoying the llama hairstyles.  Tell me this doesn't look like Tina with a teddy-bear cut?!?

Brynn's class did an opera: Angry Birds at the Opera.  Her teacher helps the students create one each year.  We feel pretty fortunate to have had Brynn in her class this past year.  She's been sensitive to the needs of the gifted kids, and incorporated music into every aspect of the classroom.  Since Brynn loves to sing and music in general, this has been a perfect fit.

 I put this picture in so you can see Dade's snowman jammers.  He's addicted to these things and wears them at least 2 days/week.  I'm not sure what he's going to do when they are too hot to wear during the day as summer approaches...

Trying to picnic at Squaw Peak look-out on a freezing Spring day.  The only one warm was the one in the fur coat...

 And we had the first of our spring/summer bdays!  We had strawberry Pavlova at my parent's house, and brownies for her friend party.  (Check out the my red t-shirt I got for Mother's Day.)

 Another one of our newest acquisitions: a trampoline!  The kids played on it for the birthday party, and in fact everyone plays on it non-stop all day long when they are home.  I'm waiting for the first broken bone...

 I love her smile of anticipation as they sing Happy Birthday.  The two girls are two of her best friends right now.

Last but not least, Adia & Sedona ran a race on Saturday, coming first and third in their age/gender division, and 4th & 6th in their age overall.  They had some pretty sweet times.  We're looking forward to Adia starting X-country in high school this summer.