Puddle Jumping

Mallory called to invite us to go puddle jumping with the kids today. It was cloudy and kind of chilly, but Bryce and Clara were excited to be hanging out with Bauer and Beckett. Unfortunately, our neighborhood was well-planned and sloped, so there weren't too many puddles, but we walked around til we found a good-size puddle down one of the dead-ends. Then the splashing really began!

Funny faces!

Bryce and Clara are best buds

"Mom! Hulk was here!"

Lined up to race! Ready, set... GO!

Aaaaand they're off!

Bryce's favorite activity while we wait for Bauer and Beckett... jumping off their elevated driveway

Clara actually climbed up on the edge this time!

He's our Chunk!

Clara and Bryce are being dinosaurs

"ROOOOOOOOAR!"

The first puddle we found was a little small...

Secret toddler convention under the tree

Ready to race!

Off they go!

Splash, splash, splash!

The bigger the splash, the happier the kids. :)

Clara wanted to test the waters first

Getting wet!

My sweet girl

Perfect timing!

He loved feeling the water slosh in his shoes

Can't leave Beckett out of the fun!

Bryce asked to push Beckett through the puddle so he could have fun, too. :)

Beckett was thrilled. Haha!

Clara wanted a turn to push the little princeling.

If they can climb it, they will try.

Good balancing act!

Pool Day

 Today was Day of the Pool. We were invited over to the Healy's house to play in their new inflatable pool (which was more like an inflatable water park!) and we had a blast! Bryce and Ethan play well (usually, lol) and both the kids love to shower Ethan's baby sister, Cassie, with love and attention. Who can resist those squishy cheeks?! Sharlene and I are basically fandom sisters and we love any excuse to hang out and eat sushi as often as we can. :D After we left the Healy's, Mallory called to invite us over to swim in THEIR pool and Bryce jumped at another playdate opportunity, lol. 

We found a lady bug!

 Everybody was slipping and sliding

 Bryce really enjoyed the slippery slide

 Bryce is belly-sliding while Clara tries to help Cassie play with her toys.

 Clara is a little water baby

 Bryce couldn't resist playing with Cassie either!

 Geronimo!

 Soaking at the Burtons

 Looks like a can of tuna fishes!

 Derek pressed his legs together and wriggled like a fish in shallow water

Beckett is sooooo cute! :D

Father-Son Campout

Mitchell took Derek and Bryce on the Ward Father-Son Campout and Clara and I had Girls' Night with Aunt Liz, Aunt Jenna and the girls. We went to Liz's house to watch Disney's (live action) Cinderella and eat Milano cookies. It was so much fun! Mitchell and the boys had a blast with Uncle Austin, Uncle Jon and their cousins. They roasted hot dogs and smores and had a blast sleeping in tents. Clara and I ate doughnuts for breakfast the next morning as a special treat - we saved a few for the boys, no worries. ;)

 All loaded up and ready for fun!

 Clara is sooo ready to dig into those doughnuts

 Awww, sweet kisses for mommy

She loves biting into nice, chewy doughnuts, haha!

Pool Time with The Burtons

We love going on walks with the Burtons. Bryce and Bauer are especially good friends (and about the same age) while Clara likes to play with Beckett, who is about a year younger. Mallory and I enjoy talking and laughing while the kids go on a "bear hunt," ride scooters and balance bikes or run races. Today, we went for a walk and then Mallory invited us back to their house to play in their new blow-up pool and eat popsicles. Mallory and I took turns blowing up the pool and I showed the boys an earthworm and a rather large snail. Bryce saw a large dog statue in the Burtons home and was mystified. He kept asking why the dog didn't move, haha! The kids have a blast and always look forward to hanging out with the Burtons. :)

Heading out!

Bryce and Bauer - best buddies

Bauer, Bryce and Beckett are going on a bear hunt

"Is it real??"

Yum!!!

Clara didn't like how cold the water was but the boys didn't care!

Making splashes that look like spiderwebs

SO excited!

These boys are too cute!

The boys loved the sit-and-splash technique

The bellyflop was another favorite!

The boys held hands to jump at the same time...

...and were pushed in by Clara! I guess she thought they were taking too long, haha!

Clara finally got it the pool!! She promptly got out again and refused to get back in.

What a sweet little face she has! Bauer is demonstrating the not-so-accidental-fall technique

No pictures, please

Blowing bubbles and floating peacefully together

Randoms from April

04 Apr - Derek loves giving Clara piggy-back rides... on all fours!

06 Apr - I love having short hair!

06 Apr - Silly girl. She loves hats and I guess she made her own out of paper 

14 Apr - Bryce drew a whale with chalk on the back patio. He was so proud of himself!

18 Apr - Apples went on sale, so Bryce and Clara helped me make applesauce and peach apple butter to can.

 18 Apr - YUM!

 19 Apr - Apparently Ace doesn't like lawnmowers. He barked constantly when both neighbors mowed their lawns at the same time, so I brought him in to calm down. He just needed to be close to someone. :)

Houston had a horrible flood over the last few days (17 Apr - 20 Apr), but it made for a beautiful photo of the temple. 

22 Apr - Clara loves new clothes!

22 Apr - She doesn't look like a baby here! :(

26 Apr - Our Blurb books came in! I finally finished 2011, 2012, and 2013. :D

29 Apr - Derek chose a very interesting sleeping position tonight, haha!!