Pinewood Derby

Tonight was the annual Pinewood Derby and Rhett with the help of J were able to make his car. It's nice that they provided each Scout with a kit...a rectangular block of wood, wheels, axles, stickers, and instructions.
They first started off by cutting, chipping, and sanding the wood to make the design they wanted. We didn't have quite the most effective tools, so it took them a couple hours, but the hard work paid off. I think Rhett just liked being able to use the power tools.

After they got it just right, J was able to take it to work and spray paint it green. Rhett wanted to design his car to look like a crocodile.

We were able to get some sinkers and paint to help make Rhett's vision come to life. He was so proud of the final outcome. He even named it Crocodile Speed-Go Car.

We went to the church early to get the car weighed and they actually had to add a few more weights. Then it finally passed inspection. Rhett was so excited for the race to begin. There were 16 cars entered and each boy was able to race each lane twice. It was interesting to see the different styles each boy came up with. And crazy the amounts of money we heard people had spent just on a derby car.

I enjoyed watching the races...and how excited, frantic, crazy, nuts! even the parents got. I never realized the Pinewood Derby was such a big thing. Rhett loved being able to set his car and watch it race. He got two 1st places, one 3rd place, and the rest were 2nd places. After the official races, the boys were able to challenge anyone they wanted. Rhett won 1st place in his challenge, so he was stoked about that.


After they averaged all the times, Rhett placed 7th! And he was excited for that. All the boys even got a Best In Show award with a Kit Kat bar. Rhett's was Best In Show for Most Spikes! It was a great night and I was just happy to see Rhett love it so much!

Love Lives

Alot of times I get down, emotional, hormonal, and sad...I attribute most of it to being preggers. One day J sent me this pic and I couldn't help but feel uplifted. He really is the best hubby anyone could ask for. He puts up with alot from me with a smile. Especially with my nesting lately, I am on a cleaning spree. But there's only so much I can physically do, which leaves J doing most the work. Does he ever complain...no! He just does it because he loves me!
He has a great job; he gets paid, has benefits, good bosses, good employees and friends. Yet, sometimes it can be draining to be salary paid and still work up to 80 hours a week. Alot of weeks we still need some extra cash, so he takes 2 afternoons a week to donate plasma. It can take a toll, but he does it anyways to help provide. He'll still come home and have plenty of love for me and the kids. When they hear him coming through the door, they bombard him. And why...because he's a great Dad.
For the last few months, him and his good friend Ryan love to jam. It's such a good release for them to play and make music and it's something they are both very passionate about. They even made themselves a band called The Lettuce Cutters. They are silly boys with fun songs, but I couldn't be prouder of them especially J for going after something he loves. Just yesterday they sold their first song on Google Play...so now I am officially married to a published musician.
I know I couldn't do much without him by my side. He upholds his priesthood in our home which makes us feel safe and sound. He's a wonderful example of how to treat a lady which Rhett will mimic towards me. He is the kindest soul around. He always has patience for any situation. He always has a kind word to say. When I look back at our lives together through all these years, I know that I married my best friend and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. So thank you to my soul mate who supports me and makes me feel alive everyday. And knowing we are unified together as a couple, I know we can make it through anything.

As I read one of my sister's post, she had posted a paragraph from the Family Proclamation which I wanted to copy into my post. Thank you sis for the idea!

"By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners." -The Family: A Proclamation to the World

1, 2, 3...Cheese

I wanted to be able to get some pics of the kids before Kodee arrived. I figured it would be quicker and cheaper doing them on my own. And I know being in a studio, their attention span wouldn't allow for too much time to do each one by themselves. I am no professional, but I thought they turned out pretty good. And they were troopers to let me do this!

Rhett


Rylee (she was the easiest cause she is a total girly girl and loves to pose)


Kenna



A couple weeks ago, I also took the kids to Union Station to do pictures there.



Me and the kiddos

Imagination

These last couple weeks have been fun watching the girls and their minds at work. Kenna has started liking to play and make believe which Ry loves because she now has a partner. Everyday they have some new adventure they embark on...along with their babies and animals:

Camping and roasting marshmallows


Tea Parties

Picnics

Making sure everyone is safe in the car...even Lacey

Going on a Hippo ride...Ry even "tied" him up so he wouldn't run away

Even their toys get a time out

There's many more I could post, but these are a few of my faves. I just love looking at these to bring a smile to my face.

Little Tyke

With little Kodee on her way, there has been a lot to catch up on before she arrives. One of those was taking Ry in for her 5 yr check-up/Kindergarten check. She was more than happy to go, especially when she realized she was all caught up on her immunizations...so no shots!
We got to the Dr. and only waited about 5 min. before being called back. The nurse took her weight, her height, blood pressure, and then an eye exam. Her stats:

Height: 42.5 inches (41%)
Weight: 35.8 pounds (17%)
Blood Pressure: 90/56
BMI: 12 %
Eyes: 20/30

So Ry finally had a growth spurt...well height at least. She's finally almost average. But no matter how much she eats, she is still just super petite. It's just a shame she is blessed with J's genes, LOL!
We got back to our room and waited for Dr. Owen to come in. He looked over her stats and didn't seem too concerned about her size. As long as she's active, loves to play, sleeps well, takes vitamins, and eats good, there's not much else to worry about. He asked her questions to see if she's on track for a 5-yr-old and she is. Her eyes are a little less than average, but he doesn't recommend glasses until they are 20/40 or worse.
All in all, it was a short and productive appointment. I just have peace of mind knowing that she is on track and healthy. When Dr. Owen said she was healthy enough for Kindergarten, she said, "Yay, I passed!"
Other things about Ry lately:
*She is super petite, but packed full of drama!
*She loves being a Mommy...to anyone who'll listen. Which is mostly her baby dolls!
*She loves to help me cook and clean.
*She loves to pretend cook in her kitchen, have tea parties, and picnics.
*She loves to dress up in whatever she can find to make her look like a princess: bracelets, rings, scarves, dresses, skirts, shoes, nail polish, and her most favorite thing lately...chapstick and lip gloss.
*She loves playing with Kenna. I love to hear the 2 of them when they play and the giggles that come from their rooms.
*She loves being my little sneaker. And I guess when you don't gain much weight, I'd probably eat as much sugar as I could get my hands on too!
*She loves to play with friends.
*She loves to be outside, especially riding her scooter.
*With me being preggers, she's always commenting about getting married in the temple so she can have a baby in her tummy too.
*She loves talking to Kodee every night. I know she'll be even funner being able to help play, rock, feed, and change her too.
*She is obsessed with singing her church songs. Everytime we get in the car, she wants to sing along with her cd. And she is a great example because as soon as she starts singing, Kenna always joins in.
*Even through her drama, she is so attached to Heavenly Father and Jesus. She talks about Them all the time. She loves to pray to Them. She loves drawing pictures of Them. She loves singing about Them. She loves learning about Them.
I am truly blessed with each of my kiddos, but I love being able to single them out and post some fun things about them personally.

Easter

This post will be super long, but this past weekend was Easter and we had a whole weekned of fun. As uncomfortable I was, I did my best to do all the fun festivities for the kiddos. J had to work most the weekend, but he was able to be with us during the Easter activiites.
We started on Friday by making 50 jello eggs for the party today. Luckily they didn't take too long, and the kids loved helping by stirring the jello and water. Then we boiled our eggs to dye on Satruday.
On Saturday, I made my homemade chicken enchililadas which the kiddos loved. Right after dinner it was time to dye our eggs. We laid out the newspaper and let the kiddos go for it. Their favorite part was writing on the eggs with the wax crayon and seeing how it turned out. It was so much fun to see them enjoy something so simple.






After we dyed the eggs, it was time for the kiddos to head to bed before the Easter Bunny came. They all too quickly ran to bed knowing he wouldn't come if they were up!
Sunday morning we woke up and got ready. Thanks to my Mom and her fantastic talents for making the girls' Easter dresses. They looked absolutely amazing.

After church I asked the kids what they had learned in class. Ry started crying and said, "They killed Jesus." Man, tug my heart strings. She then went on to tell me how they put nails in his hands and made him bleed. She was very sad they would do such a thing. Then Rhett had to add about the thorns they smashed into his head. I was in awe they actually listened and learned about what Jesus had gone through. I added a little more about the ressurrection and how His body met up with His spirit 3 days later. Rhett was totally focused into learning about that and asked if that will happen to us. I told him yes, and he said that was cool. Man I have smart kids. I love being able to help teach them.
After our discussion, the kiddos went to look for their baskets. They were all smiles when they finally found them filled with goodies from the Easter Bunny!
Kenna


Rylee


Rhett


As soon as J got home, we got everything ready for our BBQ and "egg-hunt" at Dawn and Jason's. Sadly, their grill broke. But luckily, Steven and Valerie came and brought theirs. While we prepared the "egg-hunt" the kids had to wait inside. Our "hunt" is mostly just spreading everything around on the grass and letting the kids find it all. We let the littlest kids go first. The older kids were so sad to have to wait, but when it was their turn, they got more than enough.
Preparing the "hunt"...

...while the kids sadly waited. I think Ry was even crying!

The littlest kids...Wyatt, Oaklee, Kenna, Tanner, Breklyn, and Jano.




Then everyone else joined in!


Picking prizes and getting some more photos

Me, J, and Kenna

Valerie and Sophia

After the "hunt", it was finally time to eat and watch the Jazz game. We all sat around and talked and enjoyed the relaxation.
These bunny ears made it thru a lot of the kiddos...


...and came home with Ry. The girls had too much Easter and fell asleep as soon as we started driving.


I love Spring and Easter, but I am also glad to have this weekend over. We ended up being able to do so many fun things and I am so happy the kiddos had so much fun!