Red Balloons and Blue Bugs!

Monday night was Aiden's Let's Play Music recital.

He got to showcase all the mad skills he's learned this past year as a red balloon and blue bug. This program is pure genius! I don't know how much is sinking in with Aiden, but I've learned A LOT (the moms attended classes every other week)! It's a three year program and it is awesome. If you want your kid to play the piano, I think this is a great way to start.The action shots are very blurry because we were pretty far back and I've already told you about my zoom. Apparently the tapping the button doesn't focus the camera like it did on my old camera.

All of the kids looked so cute up there in their best dressed. Aiden did an awesome job. He pulled off some of the solfeg hand signs...and sometimes he didn't. But he still looked good doing it! He even hit a high note with his Do-mi-sol-DOOOOO!...it wasn't exactly the right note, but oh well. I wish I'd gotten that on the video. The plan was to video all the songs with my camera and then post the one I liked best but my battery was dying after the first video, so you only get "Goodbye Old Paint".

Grandma Chloe was able to make it to the show!

And so were Grandma and Grandpa Yellow!

At the end of the recital, we took some flowers to his teacher, Miss Julie, and posed for a quick pic.

Now bring on the keyboard!

Tree Huggers and Temple Goers

I don't know what they're teaching my child over at Meridian Elementary, but I fully expect him to be wearing burkenstocks and hemp clothing and saving whales within the next five years.

We attended Aiden's First Grade Spring Music Concert on Thursday. Here was the "Program" line-up (although I'd much prefer to refer to it as an agenda) :

"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah"- okay, no problems with this one...what with plenty of sunshine and all.

"The Earth Is My Mother"- What?! All this time, I thought I was his mother.

"Continent Rap"- ??? It was interesting...we'll leave it at that.

"Plant Four Seeds" - You know, "when you make a row. One to rot and one to grow. One for the pigeon and one for the crow".

"I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing"- Because happiness and harmony is what it's all about.

Aiden has been bringing home such interesting facts like, "They have to kill 17 trees for one sheet of paper", and "the penguins are dying". Now, I'm all for teaching the kids to be more conservative and thoughtful about the earth, but come on folks! Use less water, turn out the lights, just don't waste the resources HEAVENLY FATHER has given us (okay, I know they can't teach that, but mother earth????). In short, my child shouldn't be stressed about the earth imploding.

Anywho, other than my issues with the theme of the show, it was cute. They had their little hand actions and green, blue, and brown shirts. I didn't take video because Aiden looked like an ant or incredibly blurry on my best zoom. We have it on VHS and that's good enough. But here are some pics.

This was Bret's try with the zoom during the show. I think he needed to tap the button to focus it, but I was running the cam-corder and couldn't share that little tidbit.

Thise close-up I took before the show.

On a completely separate note, we headed to the Gila Valley on Saturday for the temple open house. We went with our friends, the Shirleys. We ate at El Charro. I had never eaten there in all the times I'd been to Safford. It was yummy! We met up with some of my family at the temple and took a tour. We couldn't take cameras inside, but the decorating was gorgeous! I have a pamphlet with pictures, though. The color palette was much better than the Mesa temple...what a difference over 80 years makes. I couldn't get over how gorgeous the chandelier was in the Celestial room. And I loved the fabric on the chairs in the session rooms. Just a beautiful temple. Aiden needed a picture by his lonesome.Gray tried to crowd that action, so Aiden schooched over so he could be alone again. But that didn't deter Gray...

My family all bailed, so I didn't get pictures of any of them. And we never got one with the Shirleys either...poor planning. But a good time!

Pat's Run and ASU football

Yesterday was the 2010 Pat's Run and for the first time I was a part of it! If there was ever a run to support, this is the one I wanted to do. Pat Tillman was an amazing and inspiring man. Thanks to my friend, Julie, for getting me to do it (there was no way I would have ever done it on my own) and thanks to Kayleen for jogging 3 days a week with me to help me get ready (I'm sorry you weren't able to join us, but there's always next year!).

This is me before the race. Ready to go!

Here are my biggest fans! Do you feel the excitement?!!Here's Bret's sister and brother-in-law. And the thousands of others who came before me...but I'm not discouraged, just look at these people!! Skinny little rails with nothing to haul but their bones!

And look who came trotting along behind (that's me by red shirt guy and you can see Jules behind yellow shirt woman).

Anyhow, this was the first time I had ever participated in any type of run, so I'm pretty prideful. I ran it in 52:55, so I'm not breaking any records, but it really felt good! Contrary to what I continued to repeat to Julie before the race, I think I will be doing it again next year and now I have something to improve on! It's amazing how quickly it went, nothing like running all those other mornings...I guess there's something to be said for running in a pack of 20,000 people! After the first two miles, I fell into my stride and was kinda on auto pilot...at the end, I felt like I could have run another 4.2 miles, but only if I had a herd running with me.

Here's Jules and I after the race. Still alive!! Who'd-a-thunk-it? Pay no attention to my "loaf of breast" as my sister Kristin calls it. Sports bras neither lift nor separate.

A little side note: Julie is on a walking/running kick and I did this to support her (who knew that I would get so much out of it myself?). She will be participating in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and is trying to raise $2300. If you're feeling generous and want to support a good cause (and not have to walk 60 miles to do it, like me!),

help a sistah out right here!

Later in the afternoon, ASU had a football scrimmage that Bret took the boys to. I didn't go (I preferred a nap), but it looks like they had a lot of fun.

They rode the light rail,

Played in a bounce house,

Kicked it Sparky style

And met some of the players

Looks like I missed out! Bret you will always have Jennifer Love Hewitt, and I will always have #17, whoever he is.

Can I get a GO DEVILS?! Yeah, I really don't care...but GO ME!

Hiking the Superstitions

For one of our April activites, April and I took the girls on a hike. It was just a short jaunt in the Superstition Mountains, but it was fun. That's right, I went on a hike and I ENJOYED it. We only had three of our girls show (plus one mystery guest), but it was nice. April had the idea to put together a cute little trail mix with jelly candies that looked like rocks.

The desert is beautiful right now (words I never thought I'd type) after all that rain we had in February and March. The flowers were in bloom and my allergies are going nuts (more words I never thought I'd type... I've NEVER had allergies until I turned thirty then all hell broke loose and I am oh so very boogery. The 30's, I don't recommend them. And don't even talk to me when I turn 40!).

But like I said, it was an enjoyable 2.4 miles (Treasure Loop trail, in case you're interested) and it was gorgeous. We opened the hike up to the girls' families as well. We had a dad and brother from one girl's family take us up on it. Aiden came along. I thought he would be a bear the entire time, but he surprised me. He didn't complain even once on the way in. We got about a quarter of the way out and he was running to catch up with April's son when he biffed it and caught his chin on a rock. It was a small cut, but it was still bleeding a lot. I welcomed him to scarred chins club (are you a member? Turns out, Bro. Fuller is) and we continued on. And Aiden told me how he hated rocks and how he shouldn't have come on the hike (despite all the fun he had had previously). But all in all, a good hike.

Now, I'm off to blow my nose and wipe off Mabel's boogery eyes (she's suffering the allergies as well...poor thing).

EASTER 2010

Our Easter weekend began on Thursday night with a visit to the Easter Pageant. We invited our neighbors and made a night of it since the kids didn't have school the next day. We had a great time! It's a different feeling when you take non-LDS folks with you. I'm kind of just now warming up to this missionary stuff, I'm not as afraid to share what I know and what I've experienced with others now. I guess we just get so casual with the Gospel that we don't realize how blessed we are to have it in our lives until we "see" it through someone else's eyes. And I truly can see something there for Rene' and Faith. They're interested and they have questions and it has been an amazing experience to witness them realizing what I have known all my live. Who knows what will come of it, but I have really enjoyed it.

Anyhow, here we are settling into our seats and getting ready to watch the show.

One of the Roman soldiers came by our little group beforehand and we got a picture with Aiden and Gray. He put his helmet on Grayson, it was cute.

Afterwards, one of the angels took the time to talk with some of the kids. Gray and Riley were the only two who stayed interested. He was pointing out different spots on the stage and telling them about Jesus. Those little ones have inquiring minds!

Fast forward to Easter morning. Aiden and Gray woke up at 6:30am and got Bret and I up to see if the bunny had come. He had, so we searched for their Easter baskets. They enjoyed their loot for all of 2 minutes then they wanted to do the egg hunt. We got Mae up and let her get her basket and enjoy it for a bit.

Then we bundled the hunters up and headed out (I just noticed Oscar in this picture. He did NOT get a basket and looks none too happy about it!)This is the first year the bunny hid the eggs outside. I don't know why, he always hid them outside when I was a tot.

Mabel found one egg and it seemed she was done. Aiden had to help her find a few more...what a nice big brother!

Here's a pic of Mae enjoying her strawberry lemonade lollipop. I thought it was cute. She would lick it then smack her lips a few times, then lick again, so on and so foth. But Bret was not a happy camper when she kept touching him with her sticky fingers.

And by the way, don't call it a sucker in front of Gray...he never fails to correct you. I told him he couldn't have his sucker right now and he said, "But this is a lollipop!" Semantics!

After the Sunday morning conference session we headed to Coolidge for lunch with the Rowley family and then a second helping of conference. The kids continued work on the big hole they've been digging for the past few years in Granpa Yellow's back yard. We joked that one day we could just put a pool there. I wish I had thought to take a picture, it's gotten pretty dang big! And that's with Grandpa filling it in for the first year or so. He's now given up, I think. They were all little pigs by the time we left.

Then it was off to Uncle John's for dinner, a few dog fights, and more egg hunting!

Oh! And some puking. Bret wasn't feeling so hot by the time dinner was ready. He yeched a time or two or three.

Thank you to everyone who made our Easter day special! Easter day, 2010, done and done!