the coloring of easter eggs

It really doesn't take much to convince the Crack Monkeys to color eggs for Easter. All I have to do is announce, "We're coloring eggs this Saturday!" and they answer with, "Okay!" Well, Ryan not so much; he is a teenager, after all, with a busy social life, so coloring eggs with the family isn't actually a high priority for him.

For a hot minute it looked like he would join us this year, but his friends came up with an activity so off he went. But, it turned out okay; it made the other three realize they had even more eggs to color.

You know it's serious business when Jeff is sitting on the counter

There was a lot of double-dunking going on; apparently building up the
colorsmade for some pretty awesome dinosaur-looking eggs

Finished eggs

 Ethan cracked us up when he accidentally shrink-wrapped the egg dipper to one of his eggs. He wanted to use one of the egg wrappers that came in the coloring kit, but had the metal egg dipper under the wrapper when he dunked it in the hot water. He was all giggles trying to get it free.

Vanessa also made another of her golden eggs. Apparently, she made a deal with her brothers: whoever finds her golden egg gets $1. The dollar is from her own allowance, so it's really sweet of her. Last year, I think Ethan was the one who found it; this year, it'll most likely be Jeff, but that's kind of a given considering both Ryan and Ethan have decided to help hide the eggs instead of finding them.

They're growing up too fast.

But, at least I get all of them together for Easter day. We usually sit around watching Easter videos on The Mormon Channel app on the Roku and talk about the meaning of the holiday. Just some family bonding time before church. I have to enjoy it now because it won't be long before the concept will get old for them.

Hopefully not.

Why can't kids stop growing for just a bit? You know, so my heart can adjust to their changing personalities and inevitable towering heights. Is that asking too much?

It is?

Well, a mom can hope. :-)

cub scouts

Like some kids, mine are often hesitant to try new things. They don't like the unknown, which is common for anyone.

Before turning 8, Jeff was adamant that he didn't want to join the Cub Scouts pack at our church. We thought it was a bit weird considering he knew a lot of the boys in the pack and even had the same Primary class on Sundays. Plus, he was already going to the Cub Scouts activities in Copperton with one of his best friends, so it wasn't like he didn't know what the program was about.

One of the leaders here in our neighborhood happens to be the mother of  Ryan's best friend, so Jeff knows her; she always made it a point to invite Jeff to the activities, as well as tell him he was missed when he didn't come. Eventually, he got curious and started going to the activities back in September; so far, he hasn't missed one yet! I think a lot of it has to do with the great leaders that he has. Jeff has gone from being quiet and shy around this group, to his normal outgoing self. He's also made a lot of new friends and gotten to know better the boys he already knew.

Last night was their Blue & Gold Banquet, where they celebrate the boys' achievements. It was a luau theme, so we dressed in our "aloha wear" and enjoyed dinner catered by my parents. It was fun seeing what some of the boys considered "aloha wear" as well as what they did with the plastic leis they were given on arrival.

I knew Jeff would be receiving one award, but it turned out to be two. He was more than happy to pose for me, showing off his awards.

I love that he's so excited about Cub Scouts; I never have to remind him about it because he knows Wednesday's are "the day." Wednesday mornings are usually spent trying to explain to him that Cub Scouts aren't until that night; I don't think he was paying attention when I taught them how to tell time, ha.

Anyway, I'm very grateful for encouraging leaders and the Cub Scouts program. The only other thing I've ever seen Jeff get excited about is soccer, which will be starting in a couple of weeks. But, this is right up there with sports and I hope Jeff will continue to always be excited for it.

um, okay

The first day of spring is next week and this is what we woke up to...

Ahh, Utah weather. Gotta love it! ;-)

chores & housecleaning

I still struggle with housekeeping. My house is never spotless or organized, but I like to call our chaos an organized mess. It might not look like it, but there is a method to our madness, as they say. We seem to like piles and stacks in this house; that's just how we roll, I guess.

But, that doesn't mean I haven't tried to bring order to our home; it's an ongoing process that's been derailed more times than I care to count. I do have a foundation for my attempts, though.

In our kitchen, we have a wall dedicated to an informal "command center." All it consists of is a weekly dry-erase calendar, chore lists, and any other schedules that the kids need to be reminded of (like our laundry schedule; everyone is responsible for their own laundry, and has an assigned day).

To make things a bit easier, I printed off a to-do list for the areas that the kids are assigned weekly. The lists are pretty specific on what they need to do (both daily and weekly tasks are listed), which cuts down on all of the "How do I do this?" or "What do I do now?" questions that usually accompany chore day.

We struggle with consistency; some weeks will be really good and the house will look amazing. On most weeks, it's like chores were never invented and we're tripping over stuff, looking for wayward items and clean dishes. But, I can honestly say my kids know how to do the basics.

It's just a matter of getting them to actually do them that's the problem.

But, it's a family effort, so I really can't complain (except when I do. Which is often. And mostly from my bed because I seem to be sick with something or other every other day. I don't think Scott ever thought he'd be married to someone with depression, anxiety, migraines, shoulder & back pains, and restless leg syndrome to name a few. I never thought I'd have so many health problems, but here I am...uh, okay. End of rant).

I will eventually get this homemaking thing down. It'll probably be by the time grandkids will start arriving, but that's okay; at least they won't have memories of me ranting about unfinished chores. ;-)

lax is life

And, here we are again at the beginning of yet another spring season of lacrosse! First game of the season and it was exciting, not only because it was the first game, but because it was played on turf and under the lights; it makes Ryan feel like the college boys he watches on ESPN.

Some of his best friends are also on the team
with him. Here they are, watching the varsity
team, anxiously waiting their turn

This year, Ryan was chosen to be one of the 4 team captains. The
other 3 are boys that he's played with since youth league

Ryan tends to get right into the action the moment the ball
is let loose; I guess that's the excitement of being a midfielder

This was a second before Ryan got into position to try for a goal.
It hit one of the goal poles and went flying. So close!

This is Ryan's second year playing on JV (he was also made 1 of the 4 team captains) and although there are a bunch of new players, the majority of his teammates are familiar faces;  they've been playing together since youth league. It's safe to say that they play well together because they've been teammates for awhile. However, during tonight's game, you could tell there were some things that they needed to practice more on, but could be easily mastered. I guess that's what happens when Fall Ball ends and winter forces all the lacrosse players inside, ha.

In the past, Ryan made more attempts to score during games, which was encouraged by his coaches because he's a very good shooter. However tonight's game showed me a different, more prominent side of my son that I guess I really never acknowledged: he's got excellent skills as a passer/feeder. He gained 3 assists in tonight's game, which made for some impressive goals by his teammates. He easily reads the play and puts himself where he needs to be, and everything just seems to flawlessly play itself out.

It's quite exciting to see in action.

And, it's even more fun when we see Ryan and his teammates congratulating each other after such exciting action, and their coaches cheering them on for great teamwork.

I know I say this every season, but Ryan is fast becoming an excellent, well-rounded lacrosse player, and I'm very proud of him. It's just so awesome to see him play a sport that he loves so much, so well.

Let's go, Grizzlies!