Happy Easter

I am looking forward to a wonderful Easter Sabbath with my family! I hope you have one, too!

Easter Egg coloring

If you read the previous post, you'll see how busy I was yesterday with the kids.  In addition to taking them to Golf Land for goofy golfing, eating and minature golf, we spent a good part of the late afternoon coloring  eggs.
The kids had a blast dipping and turning and spilling (you know that something was gonna spill when lots of kids are involved). We colored egg shells - I plan on stuffing them with confetti.  Sam's friend, Annabelle, was over; she colored eggs with us.

Good Friday was good for the Lee Family

The kids don't have school today.  I am actually very happy about it: don't have to get up and go,  no homework to turn in, no lunches to pack and no kids to pick up. I got to sleep in a bit (notes of sarcasm) and I made breakfast after 8!  Talk about a slow morning (higher pitches of sarcasm).

With that said, I had plans to take the kids to a resort to hang out pool-side and chill for the day.  Instead, due to a massive middle-of-the-night stomach ache and *other stuff*, I changed plans and took them all to Golf Land/Sun Splash for a day full of fun. It's much closer to home, partly inside and,  I KNOW where the restrooms are! Anyways, the activities started off with the twins joining other 3-5 year-olds in an Easter egg hunt.  There were so many kids there I was worried about loosing one of mine, specifically Joe (come back next week to read about the kid's Spring Sing). I have to say that this place had the event well planned, well contained and well stocked (this is important for moms of little kids)!  Even with all the kids there,  they were allowed to collect 10 eggs each (not bad). 

  

 

 

We had some time in between the younger kids and older kid's hunt so we spent the next hour or so goofy golfing.  It was so fun to see the kids hit the golf ball a zillion times with the mini putters and claim it only took a few hits to get the ball in the hole. Ha!  I let Sarah, Joe and Mary skip around the course - it's so much easier that way.  Sam HAD to golf in order and putt at each hole.  It dragged on a bit and the younger kids were getting tired.  I took them inside to redeem my food coupons, a slice of pizza and a drink.  They ate and enjoyed every bite! When they were done, Sam came in looking for us and he was ready to eat.  He was hungry, too. He ate every bite.

Here, Mary is not happy that I am taking photos. 

The time finally came for Sam and Sarah to hunt for eggs.  They had a good time, as well.

Very tired and a bit sun burned, we came home.  But, we didn't stop there.  We colored 3 dozen eggs.  What a mess we made.  Pictures tomorrow.

Happy baby boy

This little boy is happy, most of the time.  He cries when he's hungry, tired, or wants his butt to be cleaned.  Other than that, he is the best Lee baby thus far.  We sure love him!  And, this is his equally happy dad. we sure love him, too!

Thank goodness for big brothers

I asked Sam to help me out with the baby while I finished up last minute morning to-dos.  He was able to quiet David down and keep him entertained for me.  Love it.

General Conference weekend

We had a wonderful weekend watching General Conference.  Well, it wasn't a calm and quiet as we thought it would be. I don't really remember it being as loud as it was this time around.  Oh well, I guess that is the life we have now, with 5 children ages 9 years and under.  Even though it was absolute chaos, I wouldn't have it any other way.
I enjoyed each talk, that I could hear, and learned a lot about being thankful, patient, forgiving, happy, mindful, etc.  I will have to take time to go back and read or watch, via the computer, each talk in order to really appreciate the words and counsel given.
On Saturday, the twins were invited to a birthday party in between sessions. The party was held at the neighborhood park for a little boy in Joe's primary class.  I was worried that they would run off or misbehave but I took that chance and dropped them off. When I came back, the were happy and told me that they a blast!
That evening, Mike headed of to Priesthood session and I took the boys to a baby shower (just where they wanted to go, I'm sure).  Even though I had to take kids with me, it was fun. Who doesn't like going to a baby shower?  Other than the great gifts and food, it was neat seeing family that I hadn't seen in some time!
We watched Sunday morning session at home.  During the break, we headed over to Mike's parent's house and ate fajitas and talked about this and that. The kids played and had fun with their cousins.  We attempted to watch the afternoon session with the in-laws but it didn't work out that way. We came home and finished out the afternoon session in the comfort of our own home.
The rest of the night was quiet and peaceful.

Oh, and it was really neat to hear one of the speakers, Elder Pratt, mention my great-grandparents, John and Ida Whetten! He talked about how they were faithful at paying their tithing.  That's where I get it from!

Enjoy your week!
Julia  

Park day and out to dinner on a Thursday night

We spent the good part of the middle of the day at the park.  I am sad to say that the weather is not as nice as it used to be.  Summer is forcing her way into my life and I am not happy about it.  The hot weather brings out my worst traits.  Why is this so?
A man who watched Mike's trial over the past two weeks wants to take us out to dinner.  It's a very nice gesture and we accepted.  This man spends his winters in AZ (a snowbird) and summers in Utah.  He is a retired defense attorney and enjoys watching criminal trial while here on vacation.  Go figure.  Anyway, he happened upon Mike's trial and became fascinated with it.  He thinks Mike did a bang-up job (of course he did).  Sadly, or maybe not sadly, the jury's verdict was:  Hung Jury. In a few months, Mike will have to retry the case.  I sure hope he is able to win the 2nd time around.  Second time is a charm, right?

EDIT:  So, I was totally wrong on who this guy was that sat in on Mike's trial that week.  He turned out to be a really awesome man.  He is an attorney but I am not sure what kind of law he practices or practiced.  We ate at Pinnacle Peak Patio with other members of his family. It was a great night of good food and good converstation.  The funnest part about dinner:  everyone we met that night knew a member of my family or a friend or a co-worker. It was fun making all the connections and associations to other great people.

Monday, Tuesday

What a weekend!
I spent Friday and Saturday morning with my sister-in-law selling our old/no longer needed goods at a garage sale. We were able to get rid of a good amount of stuff that just cluttered our homes. As far as making some money, we did alright.
Sarah and Mary were invited to separate parties and spent the afternoon having fun celebrating their friend's birthday. For the first time, Mary was invited to an all-girl party and went, sans Joe. I was worried she was going to miss him and act up and be naughty. When I picked her up she was happy to see me and show me her Build-a-Bear dog she made at the mall.
Later that afternoon (5:00pm - is that late afternoon or is it considered evening?). Anyways... Later that afternoon, the entire family went to Costco to eat pizza and do some last minute necessary shopping for Sunday dinner.
We had a quiet Sunday morning, followed by a typical Sunday meeting(meaning the kids were a bit roudy at church) and topped the day off with Sunday dinner with Mike's family. Yum!

Another week is over

Now that the school week is over, I can rest. Rest from getting up early, making lunches, bathing kids (yeah, I know), driving kids to school, picking them up and making sure homework gets done! I am so excited!
I decided to do a spontaineous (sp) BBQ. I ran to the store and purchased charcoal, hotdogs, buns, chips, and soda. I rushed back to the house and grabbed mustard, apples, catsup, plates, cups, ice, a lighter, napkins, two kites and tongs. Mike helped me pack the van and off we went to the park! It was a wonderful evening. The weather was sooooo nice. Of course I forgot lighter fluid so, while Mike ran to the store to pick that up, I flew a kite. Why is flying a kite so relaxing?
Mike got back quick and soon the dogs were ready to eat. Yum, yum.
I am sad that I didn't get my camera out. The kids played well with other kids at the park and Sam's friend, Annabelle, was with us.
Joe and Sam played with the fire, sort of. These kids have the pyro gene on both sides of their family.
Okay, it's late. I must rush off to bed.

Pinewood Derby...

Tuesday night was a blast! Why? Pinewood Derby!

This was Sam's second year participating in the derby and second car designed with his Uncle Jake in mind. This year's car theme was "Don't Tread On Me." Mike found a picture of the flag on the internet so, he printed it out in color and cut around the edges and inside the snake's coils. Then, after making the car by cuting off excess wood and sanding it down smooth, he painted it the flag's colors: black and yellow. Oh, Sam did help sand the car.
After the paint was dry, Mike installed the tires and it was ready for the detailing. I simply mod-podged the lettering and symbol on the car and let it dry. By 6:00pm on Tuesday, it was ready for weigh in. The car happen to be lighter than standard weight so a few weights were added to the bottom of the car. By 6:30pm the car was ready to race. Grandma Whetten was right there with us in the first row cheering Sam on. It was so cute to see his siblings cheer him on, especially Sarah! She is his biggest fan.

There were 13 cars racing in a total of 78 (?) heats. Sam was (almost) consistantly in 2nd place the entire night. He didn't win, place or show in the finale, but he didn't care. The night was AWESOME.

Oh - the little kids had a blast, too, because one smart mama (not me) brought a mini race track and cars - just perfect for Hot Wheels!

Spring break is gone....

Wow! What a week! The kids and I enjoyed spring break, most of the time.
We tried to do a lot so the kids wouldn't feel cheated out of 'fun times'. We were able to squeeze in a park day, visiting with cousins, and random other outings to keep us all busy.
The kids favorite day was Friday. Aside from Sam having to do a fasting blood test, it was all-good. We spent the morning at the park with cousins and a friend of mine who has triplets (this is when I am really glad I only have twins). After the park, we met Mike downtown for lunch. We decided to eat at a yummy sandwich that was both fast (the kids were very hungry) and loud (party of 7, we tend to be loud). We had to walk more than a few blocks to get there so, thank goodness the kids enjoyed walking and looking at all the tall buildings that downtown has to offer.
After lunch we walked Mike back to his office and the kids and I set out for our last adventure de spring break: Smeeks. Smeeks is a little candy shop in Phoenix. It's known for vintage flare and candy. When we got there, I was a bit nervous that the kids would go wild or that something was gonna get broken. Seriously, this candy store is small with candy from wall to wall. I described my first impressions of me with my kids in the store as bulls in a china shop. But, I can proudly say, these were tame bulls in the candy store. The kids did very well picking out their own candies, each child had a $2 limit, and not one thing got broken.
We are all back to our usual routine and I couldn't be happier!
I have some wonderful pictures (taken with my cell phone) that I will post as soon as I figure out how to download them from my phone.

Oh, I fogot that on the way back to Mike's work, we stopped at the Wells Fargo Musuem. We saw vintage and previously used bank boxes, stagecoaches, telegraphs, coins and even replicas of gold bars. It was AWESOME!

Spring break is here, random photos to enjoy

We are having a blast (notes of sarcasim and stress) this week while the kids are out of school. We spent Monday morning at the park and then ate at Cici's Pizza 'till our bellies were full. We spent the rest of the afternoon at home. I was too tired to do anything else.
On Tuesday, Sam and Sarah had a well-check visit and, well, everything checked out well (so says the doctor). Later that day I took the kids to the dollar movies to see Tangled but we didn't get in. Sadly, the movie was sold-out! We opted for Megamind as an alternative with hopes that we'd like it. The movie was cute and funny but did not hold the attention of Joe and Mary (thank heavens the baby slept through the entire movie). Again, we spent the rest of the afternoon at home. I was too tired to do anything else. Sam, on the otherhand, helped run a lemonade stand with his friend, Annabelle, on the sidewalk in front of her house. Sarah joined in later and I followed with the younger 3 and we enjoyed the late afternoon outside. We came home exhausted and ready for dinner and a quiet wind-down.
It's now Wednesday. What's in store for us today? Who knows? I am up for anything as long as I get some quiet time this afternoon.

The weekend has gone bye, bye. Hoorah!

It was a long and tough weekend. On Friday, I knew what Saturday was going to be like. At least, I had an idea of how I would feel and behave. I would feel like my entire world crumbled in on top of me, just like it had a year ago on the 12th and I would behave like a stressed-out, distressed, depressed, inconsolable mom and wife. Wanting to prevent this from happening, for the sake of my husband and children, I had a thought (more like a wish) Friday afternoon. I thought that if I held my breath long enough, Saturday would just disappear - not to be seen until next weekend. Although, I knew that the next weekend was going to be (almost) just as hard. What I really wanted to do was to go away for the weekend. Ignore the date, ignore the anniversary, ignore everything that happened last year in March.
Our family has a favorite place in Tucson where we like to go to and relax. I looked up the place, checked dates and almost made reservations. I felt guilty about spending the money, using a tank or two of gas to get there and back, and making my husband, Mike, drive 2 more hours after an already 1 hour commute. Wresting kids, trying to decide what to drive-thru for dinner, and then trying to tame the kid's excitemnent of staying in a hotel (my kids really dig that), had me thinking twice about packing up to leave. While pondering this decision, I remembered that Mike had something very special planned for me on Saturday. He, along with the help of my brother, planned on installing a flag pole in front of our house as a tribute to my brother and as kind act for me. I knew that Mike took a great amount of time thinking about what he could do to show me how much he cares about me and my feelings and to make my day a little brighter. I decided not to make reservations and to stay home and let Mike carry out his kind deed.
While he and my brother fetched supplies, I took the kids to eat lunch with the in-laws. By the time we got back, this greeted me at the door:

Later on that day, under the encouragement of the kids and before the cement was dry/set, Mike installed the remaining posts and the flag. Just look at it wave in all its glory! Ain't she beautiful!

We ended the day with a trip to Jump and Shout and dinner at a Greek eatery. I survived the day, barely.
Sunday was better. A little better. Next weekend? I may wish it gone before it comes.....

Track and Field Day at Franklin

Sam and Sarah participated in their school's Track and Field Day. It was awesome. They had a great time. Here are some pitures to prove it.
Sadly, my camera's batteries ran out after only a few pictures of Sarah.