Joseph's Birthday

Joseph turned 31 last Thursday. He took the afternoon off from work which he deserved. After Rebecah woke up from her nap Joseph opened his presents. He was excited about the kite that he received and we immediately took off to go try it out. The weather was perfect for kite flying...I think it was the only windy day of the week. We all had fun trying our hand at the kite. I hadn't ever flown a kite before and it was fun. We had Joseph's usual birthday dinner...chicken enchiladas. For dessert we continued with a Mexican theme and I made a tres leche cake. In the evening Joseph had a church meeting.

New pants for the temple.

Kimball flying the kite.

Rebecah's turn.

Cake Time!

Father and Son Campout

Last weekend Joseph and Kimball went to the Father and Son camp out that our church sponsored commemorating the restoration of the Priesthood. Joseph had work last Friday in Little Rock so I met him halfway to drop off Kimball. Kimball was SO excited to be going camping it was all he and Joseph talked about in the days leading up to the camping trip. Kimball and Joseph had a great time. They went hiking...

...and took a ride on a paddle boat. Kimball's feet didn't reach the pedals so Joseph did all of the work!

The weather was a little cool and rainy, but not so much that they were miserable. Rebecah was rather sad that she couldn't go on the camp out, but they are all looking forward to camping this coming weekend when I'm gone.

Mother's Day

I had a great Mother's Day. I felt very loved and special all day long and that is really what makes Mother's Day great. For breakfast I made red velvet scones and they were really tasty. It might become a tradition to make them every year for Mother's Day. After breakfast I got my present. Joseph and Kimball were both so excited about it that they didn't want me to wait. Joseph decided that for my present he would convert our computer room into a crafting room for me. We rarely use the computer in this room since we have wireless internet. Joseph put away all of the computer accessories and cleaned out the cabinet and turned the room over to me so I can have space for my craft and quilt projects. I really don't need an entire room and I tried to explain it to Joseph, but he wanted to "give" me this room. He put in air fresheners, a wedding picture and a family picture and on the table were chocolates! I told Joseph he can still study his scriptures in this room, but he said he would find somewhere else to do that so the room is mine. Now I need to make sure I have enough craft projects so the room doesn't go unused. Joseph was able to sit with us at Church, which is a huge treat! The Primary children, unfortunately, didn't sing, but both kids had a little craft for me that they made at church. For dinner, Joseph and I made chicken quesadillas and they were really yummy. For dessert I made a chocolate peanut butter mousse cheesecake and it was really good too. We are now eagerly looking forward to Joseph's birthday next week and then Father's Day. I don't have a room to give Joseph, but I have a few craft ideas up my sleeve for him!

Big Girl Bed

This week we transitioned Rebecah from the crib to a twin bed. She has done great the last two days. She had been climbing out of the crib more and more each week so we decided that instead of risking a fall we would just move her. She made this move much sooner than Kimball did. He was a month shy of 3 before we moved him! Rebecah LOVES her new bed. She and Kimball both were so excited the evening Joseph and I made the switch. Rebecah has done really well staying in her bed. She actually can't climb in and out of her bed by herself so that may have something to do with the easy time we are having. Her bed is intended to be the top bunk in a set of bunk beds so the top bunk came with a side rail. We will use it until she is accustomed to a big bed. She's growing up fast! On the Kimball front, he was the beneficiary of a good deed yesterday. We walked by the American Red Cross office in town and Kimball paused to peek in the window and see what was going on. On our way back to the van we had to pass the door again. Just as I was getting ready to leave a woman came out of the Red Cross and she asked if she could give a soccer ball to Kimball. The ladies inside had seen him peeking in their door and they wanted to give him a little present. It made Kimball's day and mine. It was a nice simple reminder that there are still generous, kind people in the world.

Hike to Glory Falls

Yesterday we went on a family hike to Glory Falls. The trail was supposed to be 2 miles round trip, but to my best guess it was close to 2 miles in each direction. The hike took about 45 minutes each way and that was carrying Rebecah for a good portion of that time. You can just see my blue shirt in the distance. This was on the way back and I was hot and tired from carrying Rebecah so I was glad I didn't have to worry about smiling!

Rebecah and me at the beginning of the hike.

We have had a dry Spring so the Falls weren't as exciting as they could be but it was still neat to see. Here is a view from the top of the falls. Usually it isn't safe to stand so close to the top of the falls to get pictures because the rocks are usually wet and people have been seriously hurt when they have accidentally fallen through the hole. The rocks were dry where we were so Joseph took a picture while I held on to the children!

The underside of the hole.

As you can see, the falls weren't much to speak of, but it was still a nice family outing. The kids and Joseph enjoyed touching the waterfall with their hands and getting splashed.

Not My Children!

Today we went to Party in the Park that our town puts on every April. The kids had a great time seeing fire trucks, ambulances and police cars. There were musical instruments to try out. Joseph enjoyed some cello envy and played on the cello for a bit before doing a few notes on the violin. The kids enjoyed the percussion instruments. There were other games and jumping toys that we didn't have time to try out because the event was closing.

Now, here is the part where we had the "those aren't my children" moment. In addition to some ponies to ride there were snakes and tarantulas for holding. The kids held the snakes with some assistance and Kimball liked those better than the spiders. They also held the tarantulas. Now, most of you should know I have a strong dislike for spiders...I have posted about it before. Anyway, Kimball was a little hesitant to hold the spider but he did and he handled it rather well until the spider crawled up his arm to his sleeve and then he got nervous that the spider would bite him. Rebecah on the other hand OWNED that spider. When it was her turn she ran to the man startling him and the spider! She grabbed the spider and it quickly tried to get away. And where was I during all of this? I was about 5 feet away from the action and Joseph was snapping a few pictures. This picture doesn't show Rebecah holding it, but she did. That spider just moved too fast.

Finished Project

About 7 months ago we bought new sheets for our bed. It didn't take Joseph too long to talk me into making a new quilt for our bed to match our new sheets. The quilt took me about 6 months to complete but it is always nice to have a project to work on. Now that it's finished I feel a little lost and I'm not quite sure what to do with my time even though I still have a few smaller quilt projects to work on and other crafts waiting me in my craft box.

The quilt pattern is called "mine shaft". I think it is fairly self explanatory when you see the pictures. I think the quilt turned out nicely. Kimball was very sweet and he told me it was "the most beautiful quilt ever". He also wanted to sleep with it, but I told him it was mine and it was too big for his bed anyway. I'll make him a big quilt if he wants when he gets married.




Now we need to paint our bedroom so the carpet, quilt and walls all match.