Our New Dental Plan

Hope they grow back in time to enjoy corn on the cob this summer!

Another One Down

Yea! We made it through another tax season! We celebrated by going to dinner at Dos Machos. I had found a great coupon deal there so we all had dinner and dessert and tip for under $25. It is kind of a joke because every year E.B. gives their employees (who have busted their butts for the last 2 1/2 months) $25 on April 15th. I think it is supposed to cover their drinks at the party they have that afternoon, but Jared never goes (he says he's seen enough of his co-workers lately) and even if he did...lemonade isn't that expensive! So anyway, we try to go to dinner as a family for under $25. In the past we've done places like IHOP or Perkins (Pancakes are cheaper than steaks ya know!).

Friday we pulled Pason out of school a little early and met Jared's parents at Fairmont Hot Springs. We went swimming, golfed, swam some more, went to the Griz scrimmage, and did some more swimming. The boys did great in the water. I think we have finally broken the fear barrier and they are ready for swimming lessons in June! It was nice to get away. It it would have been nicer if Eli had slept at night. At least we got a little break thanks to Grandma.

Sunday we went to church in Butte and then headed home, probably even more exhausted then at the beginning of the weekend but at least it was exhuastion due to fun and not work.

Monday we decided we still had at least a tiny bit of energy left to burn, so Jared stayed home and we started on the list of all the things that need done at home. We cleaned out flower beds, stained half the fence, fixed the door, cleaned a few things out of the garage, took a load to the dump, set up patio furniture, went to the bank to start savings accounts for the boys (a 1% interest rate is still better than an envelope in your sock drawer, and safer too!), got a few things at Walmart, and cooked burgers on the grill. I think we made a tiny dent in our list!

So now life is back to normal... This week we start soccer for Carter, coach pitch for Pason, Jared has to go to Missoula on Thursday, and I have to make sure everything is ready for the ward activity in a week and a half. Gotta love it!

Easter Weekend Part 2

So, Sunday morning Pason and Carter were up looking for their Easter baskets before the rest of us were out of bed. We had sticky buns (that didn't rise very well) and scrambled eggs for breakfast and then Jared and I hid the 96 plastic eggs the Easter Bunny had left for us in the backyard. We had to brave the chilly morning for our Easter Egg Hunt because I wanted to use the Easter candy for the boys while we watched general conference. About a year or so ago I tried an idea from The Friend to help the boys during conference. At the beginning of the session we pick about 4 words for them to listen for. Each time they hear that word they get to pick a candy out of the bowl. It works great, but you have to be careful about the words you choose or they might be getting a treat every 10 seconds! Pason also decided that he was going to take notes. He wrote down words/topics he heard from, I think, every speaker Sunday morning. I must admit I wasn't as focused on conference as I should have been, but I had a good excuse. I had strep throat. I had starteed feeling like I was getting a cold Friday. Felt pretty yucky Saturday, and by Sunday I was ready to go to the doctor. Unfortunately because it was Easter Sunday, even the same-day care was closed, so I had to wait until Monday to go in. I wish I had felt better while my parents were here, but I am sooo grateful they were here to help take care of things. They had to leave Monday afternoon, but I was already starting to feel better by then. The really bad part is that Jared came down with the same thing Wednesday and had to miss a day of work Thursday. Not good at this time of year! Anyway, despite being sick, we had a really good Easter weekend. Now just a few more days and we can celebrate surving yet another tax season!

Easter Weekend Part 1

My parents came to visit for Easter weekend. In fact they were already at our house waiting for us when we got home from the dinosaur show. We were so excited for a change of pace. Usually we take road trip or two while Jared is busy, but with Pason in school now that hasn't happened. So anyway, Thursday night we rented The Princess and the Frog. Thumbs up to Disney for getting back to the muscial/animated style. I loved it. The boys liked it too, even if it was kind of a princess movie. Friday afternoon my mom and I went shopping for Spring/Easter clothes for the boys. Then my Dad and the boys came in and we all went to dinner. Jared even got to come. Afterward we went home and dyed Easter eggs. Wouldn't you know it, our carton of eggs had a wierd bumpy egg that made for the perfect dinosaur egg! Saturday we watched conference and threw in a quick game of bowling in between sessions. It is funny to watch little kids bowl. Pason tried all kinds of techniques, granny, side toss, dropping it! Carter just chucked it but didn't have much umph! in it. Once the ball stopped before it reached the pins and started rolling back towards us. Oh well, they had fun. That evening Jared and my Dad went to Preisthood and then we all had rootbeer floats afterward.

Walking with Dinosaurs

This April Fool's Day was great! Pason, Carter, and I traveled back in time and got to see real dinosaurs! Okay, it was just pretend, but it sure seemed real. We went to the Walking With Dinosaurs Arena Spectacular. It was so cool! When I picked Pason up from school to go to the show he told me he was even more excited than when we went to Disneyland. Both boys were just giggling with excitement. When we got there of course our seats were right above the stand where they sell the ridiculously priced souveniers. The boys really, really wanted dinosaur claws (Aaagh! $20 a set!) So when I couldn't talk them into buying a ridiculously priced t-shirt (at least they'd get some practical use out of that!) I told them they could get them if they used their own money. I guess this is one of those things that kids "save" their money for. Anyway, the show was awesome! The mechanical/puppet dinosaurs were so life-like. The head of the brachiosaurus barely cleared the lights and catwalks in the arena. The T-Rex was definately the highlight, although I can't say which one we liked better, the mama T-Rex or the baby. It was a blast to get to relax and have fun with my boys (sorry Eli, you can come next time when you're bigger!). If this show ever comes to your town I would definately recommend it, especially if you have little boys that love dinosaurs!