We Love Grandma

Mikayla, Nathanael, and Alana with Grandma on her birthday. We bought her a nice frame for pictures of the grandkids, and then realized that she didn't have any recent ones. We're working on that.

The Y

Here we are at the Y trying out the climbing walls. We had just come from the pool. Alana made it about three feet off the ground, but at least she gave it a try. Mikayla went up and down as if she was a pro. Nathanael listened to quite a bit of coaching from the guide, got stuck at the top for a few minutes, and then did great the rest of the time.

In answer to several questions....We are attempting to fulfill our P.E. requirements for homeschooling. Membership at the Y is too expensive for our budget, plus the fact that we have to travel 35 miles to get there. BUT... I found out that if you ask there are scholarships available. SO... I asked. We filled out paper work and then got in to try out the facilities free for the day. AND NOW...the kids are going to take swimming lessons this spring.

Easter Sunday

This was by far the coldest Easter that I can remember, and the earliest. I bought the girls the sweetest outfits for Easter and then had to go shopping for dressy sweaters for them to wear because it was just so cold.

Here's an interesting tidbit. Did you know that Easter 2008 will have been a once in a lifetime experience? Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox( which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify passover, which is why it moves around on the calendar.

Here's the interesting info. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early( 95 years old or above). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier! Here's the facts:

1. The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!).

2. The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So noone alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

What a relief! I hate cold Easters. Makes me yearn for spring all the more.

So, anywhooo... here's the kids on Easter. I made the girls bags to carry to church with them, and filled them with their Easter goodies instead of using baskets. They can fit their Bibles and SS. papers in them. I got really tired of having baskets around. I mean, there are only so many uses for pastel Easter baskets. I filled a little collapsible bin for Nathanael, and he put his legos in it.

Getting them to stand still and smile without being foolish was a challenge. After several tries, I finally said sternly, "Will you kids please just smile and stand still for one millisecond!" That's the picture where their all laughing. Mama is so funny when she's frustrated!

Easter Fun

We had a fun time this afternoon preparing for Kids 4 Truth on Friday. The kids and I made birds nests filled with jelly beans as a treat to give out at club. Attached is a poem with a color that represents something about the Savior. Alana and Nathanael basically smeared chocolate from pillar to post. (of course, they still had fun.) Mikayla took over and finished the project. All that's in it is Chow Mein noodles and chocolate frosting. You mix it together to coat the noodles. Then, mold it into a muffin tin to form a nest shape. After that you freeze them, and fill them with jelly beans.