Well, it's almost June, but I feel like I need to at least mention the month of April before we move on to other things! So what
did happen last month? You know, I can't even remember! Hahahaha. So much for keeping a record. I honestly can't think of anything that happened at the beginning of the month so let's just assume it was more of the same old, same old. Kids were probably sick, lots of errands were probably run, plenty of fights were probably broken up, and all in all an attempt was probably made to continue in our ongoing efforts to increase our Love at Home.
At the END of the month, however, was a veritable smorgasbord of picture taking opportunities. I made a very last minute trip out to Utah for Freddie and Laura's graduation from BYU (whoop whoop!) where I joined the rest of my siblings and my mom for a fabulous and adventure-filled weekend. Highlights included: hanging with the fam; eating at Rumbi's; NOT having to actually attend any graduation ceremonies (woo hoo!); hitting up the BYU bookstore -- one of my very favorite places on earth; visiting my FAVE quilting store with my sister Emily; attending a wedding reception for a good family friend and catching up with their family; and being upgraded to FIRST CLASS for my flight home! One lowlight was the fact that I had strep throat earlier in the week before flying out, and it morphed into a lovely hacking cough and lost voice over the course of my trip. :( Other than that, though, I can't complain. Here are some pictures to illustrate the trip (courtesy of my sisters because I didn't even bring my camera):
(check us out -- we all sat down in our birth order without even planning it! L-R me, Emily, Sarah, Freddie, Laura, Amy, Jacob. And cute little Pearcie.)
Another lowlight, of course, was missing Easter morning with my little chickadees. Here is a picture of the little ragamuffins that Scott snapped when they came down the stairs. I am particularly fond of how raggedy Jane's hair looks in all the shots. Not to mention all the "jammies" that the kids are wearing. Hahahahaha.
And now for the last big thing in the month of April -- our 9th Anniversary!!! Crazy to think it's already been that long. To celebrate we hired a couple of babysitters for the day and went off to explore the city sans children. We hit up the Botanical Garden -- which was GORGEOUS (and gave me plenty of opportunities to use the new camera) -- and ate lunch at the cafe there. After rambling around for a couple of hours or so we took off to try and do the Arch. Unfortunately, the perfect weather that followed us all around the gardens fled during the time it took to drive from Point A to Point B. Rather than risk getting rained on while waiting in the mammoth lines to get inside, we decided to do something else. After checking on movies and realizing that none would be starting any time soon we headed over to the mall where I got a pedicure and Scott played at the Apple store. After a lovely dinner where I got the most DELICIOUS "Jungle Colada" EVER, we moseyed over to the movies and caught a flick before heading home. All in all, a practically perfect day! With only one
slight hiccup. Right as the previews were starting for the movie I got a call from the babysitter saying that Grace was refusing to go to bed and was being ridiculous. Hmmmm. Grace being ridiculous? And refusing to go to bed? That doesn't sound like her at all, now does it. Hahahahahaha. The sitter was quite distraught and didn't know what to do -- seeing as to how Grace was threatening to open the window in her bedroom and bust out the screen. I can't say I blame the sitter -- I don't quite know what to do with her sometimes, either. But in the end, I told her to just let her go in the basement and watch a movie and hope for the best. It must have worked fine enough because everyone was still alive and well when we got home a few hours later. Here are SOME of the hundreds of pictures I took that day.
And there you have it folks -- April in a nutshell. Or at least the end of April. Coming soon are some more blog posts with more pictures! Although I can't promise that I'll remember everything that happened in May, either. Hahahaha.
So this doesn't actually capture either of the things I was supposed to be catching, but the shot was too great not to post. This picture says so much about both Sophie AND Jane. Hahaha.
Such a reluctant model.
Although he perked up a little bit when I let him play on the sewing machine (which has been out on our Dining Room table for over 2 months now).
(Supposedly) getting ready for school.
Keep count of how many shots of Jane depict her with the bottle in hand. She is an addict. And I enable her. 
Lunch time with the girlie bugs.
Being cute.
Having fun after school.
Always my most willing (and available) model.
Not always so cooperative...
... but loves to create weird poses.
Which Sophie loves to copy.
I actually really love this one even though her eyes are closed. 
And how can that dimple not get you?
Not quite the whole motley crew.
The girls love to put blankets over their heads and pretend they're Mary. I'm not sure why she's so grumpy here.
I just love this little sugar pop.
