April Highlights!

As I was looking back over my pictures, I realized that we did a lot of things in the month of April that I don't want to miss recording. So here are the highlights of some of the fun activities we got to participate in during the last month.

Bayley had a field trip to the McWane Center this last month and all of her yearly testing at school. It is hard to believe that she is finishing up 4th grade and will be a big 5th grader next year. She still loves reading and has to be reminded often that there are other things she could be doing as well...it is a good problem to have. Dance and piano are her 2 big extracurriculars that keep her busy and she seems to still enjoy both.. She is a big help with Adison when I need an extra pair of hands and can be a good help elsewhere if she wants to. She is looking forward to spending lots of time at the lake this summer and enjoyed our one day trip there last weekend.

Kendal has been very busy with softball and dance. She is ready to be done with dance and concentrate solely on athletic activities. She is pretty fast and very competitive. She is becoming a better reader and has a great model in her older sister. She tries to tackle harder longer books so that she can be like Bayley.
Our Trey is growing up to. He is playing his first season of T-ball and we have determined he throws better left handed. He is doing pretty good for his first go around and seems to be enjoying having his daddy as one of the coaches. He loves to draw and write and is very close to reading. Every night he asks how many more months until his birthday because he is ready to turn 5.
Adison can be summed up in one word...busy! She is an active 19 month old. She cracks us up with her funny mannerisms. She has been sick a couple of times the last month, once with strep and the other with a double ear infection. While she is sick we comfort her with her binkie and blankie, which is usually only allowed in her crib. The last week we have spent a lot of tear-filled moments retraining her that her binkie and blankie are only allowed in her crib. By today she was doing much better!

I love when I can catch all my kids smiling in the same picture!

Bayley hanging upside down on the jumpy thing. She waited over an hour for an opportunity to jump and twirl! Yesterday while Jeff was in Tuscaloosa, I took the kids to Hoover Days, our cities annual celebration. They had all kinds of free stuff and kids rides. My kids were in "free" heaven.

Kendal and Trey riding on the train. Notice their cool colored hair. Trey chose green, Kendal orange glitter, and Bayley blue.

After a full day at home without power and unable to go outside, I let the kids watch one video on my laptop until the battery ran out.

Kendal had her "Fish" musical at school this month. It was a cute little program. I know you can't see her in this picture, but she is one of the yellow fish!

Adison found this shower cap in my bathroom and wanted me to put it on her. She then walked around most of the morning with it on her head....totally Adison!

This is my newest nephew, Maddox. We got to see him while we were in Georgia. He is such a sweet baby and it was fun for me to hold a newborn again. I can't believe how tiny they are and how quickly they grow!

Kendal of course wanted an opportunity to hold Maddox as well!

While in Georgia, we visited Spencer and Leigh's beautiful new home. The kids ate lunch, decorated eggs, and decorated cupcakes. It was a fun afternoon spent with cousins and grandparents.

One of the main reasons we went to Atlanta was to go to the Atlanta Temple open house. It was so special to get to walk through the temple with our kids and grandma and grandpa "G". They enjoyed the experience and hopefully learned more about these sacred buildings. While there Jeff and I also celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary. My parents were kind enough to watch the kids while we enjoyed a nice dinner and conversation. It was fun reflecting on the past 11 years of our journey together. I love ya, Jeff!

The whole family in front of the Atlanta Temple.

The kids had their annual Spring Fair at their school. This is a picture of Bayley enjoying the "throw-up" ride. I don't know how she could even think about riding it...you walk up and there is throw up all over the ground where kids have hurled. Nasty!

Trey and Kendal stuck with a little safer ride in the swings. Kendal, however, I think was ready to get off sooner rather than later. She had a tendency to get motion sickness.


It definitely was a fun month, however over the last couple of days Jeff and I have had the opportunity to reflect on how blessed we are as a family. We spent last Wednesday hunkered down in our basement as the tornadoes hit Alabama. Fortunately we were not hit and did not have any damage. However there were areas close by that were destroyed. Jeff has had the opportunity to help in the clean-up process, especially in Tuscaloosa. The kids and I have looked for opportunities to donate. At times you feel like you are doing so little, but I know that every little bit helps as many try to put back together their lives. We are thankful for the gospel in our lives and that comfort that it gives us. We thankful for the great support system of family and friends. We love our kids and are so glad they keep us busy and focused on what really matters. May should be another busy and fun month. We can't wait!