April was a busy month full of fun things! First off, some neighbors from our old neighborhood moved into our new(ish) neighborhood which has been fun for Liv to have another girl her age living close by. They have a couple of rabbits and Liv was so excited to hold this bunny (her favorite animal, of course).
Liv loves playing with her cousins (especially when she has them all to herself). They played at the park one day and did sidewalk chalk together:
Hewitt has been playing competitive basketball with the YMCA. He is getting better all the time and is an awesome point guard. He is a great shooter and is gaining confidence and taking more shots. His high for the season was 26 points in one game.
Truman was so cute before this game trying to follow the big kids doing warm ups (I love that Hewitt is smiling, watching Tru in this pic)!
Little Monkey:
The Hepfingers (an awesome couple in our home ward, and Sue's hometeachers) invited us all over for dinner one evening. They have a pretty amazing backyard on the water in Pinelake. It was a lovely evening and we all had a great time.
A couple of cuties in the hammock:
Truman is pretty obsessed with fruit/veggie squeezies by the way:
Checking out their paddle boat:
We couldn't turn down the invitation to take the boat out for a spin (or two, or three):
A new family (the Ellsworths) got called out to the branch in March and had us and other branch family (the Buyacks) over one Monday evening for a game of kickball, and ice cream sundaes/floats. I didn't take any photos (it was dark), but here is Tosh's note to thank them:
Truman loves helping with laundry, vacuuming, and taking the garbage and recycling to the curb:
I found this random note in Liv's room. So sweet to read:
Truman started doing this funny thing where he closes his eyes so you can't see him!
Hanging out at the park for a bit during Tosh's soccer practice (Rob coached) before grabbing dinner together before Hewitt's basketball practice. Some nights are just really busy:
Some neighbors put together a big Easter egg hunt (the weekend before Easter) in our neighborhood with over 1000 eggs (donated from their church). It was a busy morning (Burke at a soccer game, and Hewitt & Rob at a scout activity), but we squeezed it in right before Liv's swimming lessons. Her friend Natalie stayed with us over the weekend (her parents were out of town), and the younger kids had a great time.
The older kids were kind of in a big clump in the middle, and so I took Truman off to the side so he'd be able to get some eggs. He took his sweet time, picking eggs up, dumping them out, and mostly shooting them into his basket as if he were playing basketball. Too cute!
Rob helped the Singing Stars do some recording during practice. It was a fun experience for them.
We paused for a quick photo (Liv was pouting on the couch about something, so that's why she isn't pictured here):
Cute shot of Liv reading. Notice the clip-on earrings (bottom and top of ear):
A friend took photos from Liv's school field trip to the Science Museum and sent them to me. Liv on the bed of nails:
Cute kids:
The San Tan Branch got reserved seats at the Mesa Temple Easter Pageant for the Thursday before Easter. Rob and I have never been (!), mostly because it starts late and we don't love crowds. We got a babysitter for Truman which worked out well. There was a great turn out from our branch. Liv and her friend Gabi were really excited to see/pet some animals before the show started:
On Good Friday the kids didn't have school and we joined Sue (and the Readings and Alveys) at Mesquite Grove Pool. I thought Truman would be running around like crazy and in and out of the water, but he was actually pretty calm and didn't really like being in the water as much as I thought he would (which is funny because he'll stand in the shower with water pouring on his face!). I got there right when it opened and it was great weather and not too crowded at all.
Cute cousin train:
Sue and Tru:
Tosh stayed later with Sue (my other kids were ready to go by lunch time, and Tru needed a nap) and she sent me this cute pic:
Liv and I went out for such a fun date that Friday evening. We started off at the mall (dropped Hewitt off there to meet and visit with some friends at the food court), and I was planning to take Liv out to dinner and do some shopping for her post-baptism dress. She got so excited when she saw Subway at the food court and really wanted to eat her favorite (cheese only) sandwich--ha!
Liv stopped for a photo in front of Claire's (before buying a flower headband there):
After the mall we went to Nordstom Rack and found a dress that was just Liv's style at a great price . Liv loves shopping, it's pretty hilarious (I am not much of a shopper). I wasn't planning on getting her shoes, but she was like, "Well I need some shoes to just TRY with the dress..." and then when she saw these, she said, "Oh. Mom. These Steve Maddens are perfect!" Ha! And they really were. Happy Easter, Liv (they appeared in her Easter basket). Cute Liv in the dressing room mirror:
The next day, Liv really wanted to stay after her swimming lessons to see August and Kiefer (their lessons started soon after Liv's ended), and she really wanted to show Sue her outfit (lol). She ended up staying with them to watch their lesson, and went with them to August's soccer game. Sue sent me this cute photo of Kiefer and Liv playing cards in the shade during the game:
Then, they dyed Easter eggs together!
I saw this cute dessert online somewhere and decided to make it for Easter (brownies with crushed Oreos and chocolate-covered strawberries):
Looking sharp on Easter morning:
Truman gathering some eggs before church... He was pretty excited about this new soccer ball that was in Tosh's basket. He pointed to it and said, "Blue!" (first time identifying a color).
Liv and I sang a duet of "Beautiful Savior" during sacrament meeting. Liv has such a sweet and good little voice. It makes me so happy to hear her sing. After we practiced it (either the night before or morning of) she said something so funny like, "I don't like the face Dad gets when I sing...it's SO EMBARRASSING!" Ha! Rob and I both like to hear her sing. I guess we can't help but look happy/proud too.
Truman blowing bubbles for the first time:
Rob moved our ping pong table to our back porch for a work dinner he hosted. We haven't really used this table since we moved (with the exception of a tournament during a family reunion), and so it's been great to see the kids playing again. Burke will even let me win sometimes, just to keep me playing ("Best three out of five, Mom.")
The night of Rob's work dinner, Liv, Tru and I hung out during the boys' piano practice and took a selfie to help entertain Tru (Truman does not look amused). When the boys were done, I dropped the kids off at Sue's, ran to the house to meet Rob's team, and visited with everyone for a little bit, before heading back to Sue's.
It kind of felt like a lot of work getting the house ready for the work dinner. We hung lights outside, made sure the yard and house were really clean, I bought some hanging plants (flowers) for the backyard, and put together this floral arrangement for my kitchen table. Rob had Buca de Beppo cater the dinner (yummy!). They ate outside and roasted s'mores afterward. Rob's boss gave us two $50 gift card to California Pizza Kitchen as a thank you for hosting, which was really nice.
Rob found this cute tricycle on Craig's list (Grandma's birthday money helped buy it) and Truman cruises on it!
He's just seeming so much older all the time! (sniff, sniff)
This is a super random photo, but I noticed that Liv is front and center on the facebook page of her old dance company.
Sue sent me this photo of a flyer she received (again with cute Liv):
Truman is acting and LOOKING older too. So handsome all dressed up for church here:
One of his very favorite places to play is in my bathtub (we never use it to bathe). Truman brings cars in there all the time and lines them up. It's great and keeps him very occupied while I'm getting ready.
"Counting" the cars:
Hewitt's preschool teacher (Miss Janet in Riverton) is ending her preschool, and one of the moms asked for all parents of (former) students to write a letter and send in a photo of their child from preschool so she could put a nice book together as a gift. I absolutely LOVE Janet and really feel that she helped Hewitt in many ways, and created such a loving and safe environment for him to really succeed. I love this photo I found of little Hewie-doo from a preschool field trip. Man, he's so cute!
Truman is getting more attached to his monkey. It's rarely out of his crib, but he thinks it's the funniest thing to play catch with, or put sunglasses on as pictured here:
I gave blood for the very first time for an Eagle Scout project. I was a little nervous, but made sure to eat salty foods the day before as recommended. I felt fine and it was really no problem at all. Interestingly, I found out later that my blood was rejected and I don't think I'll ever be able to donate again, so I guess it's good I documented the one-time event.
The school year is wrapping up quickly! I taught my last Art Masterpiece lesson and then helped hang the displays for the Art Walk. Here is a photo (taken by one of my art partners) of the display for Tosh's class from one of my favorite lessons. I don't think I'll be able to teach next year since Truman will most likely stop napping (I teach in the afternoons while Truman is napping and Rob works from home). Maybe in another year it will be easier to do it. I really enjoy it.
And that's a wrap for April!
