Wild Thing

 Daisy invited me to go with her on her field trip to the zoo this year.  Dad had to take the day off work, but we made it happen.  I was so excited to spend the day with my girl!  We don't get to do that very often!  This big tiger was the first thing we saw as we walked in the gate.

 Watching these elephants was so much fun!  The baby would mimic the mom.  Watching them use their trunks to eat and cool themselves off made us giggle.

 These spider monkeys reminded Daisy and I of the little 3-year-old monkey we have at home.

 We were so excited to ride the zoo train!  We had heard there were parts of the zoo you couldn't see unless you took the train ride.  Needless to say we were highly disappointed that the $1.50 train ride only lasted 1 minute and fifty seconds.

 The gorillas, however, did not disappoint.  They were very active and fun to watch.

 Daisy has been working really hard on an animal report about zebras, so we were really looking forward to seeing them at the zoo.  But a big part of the zoo is under construction for a new exhibit, so there were no zebras.  When we got down there, we were happy to see the giraffes instead.

 It was a BEAUTIFUL day.  The weather was perfect and I was so glad we were outside in it. Yum!

 The last thing we did before it was time to board the buses to come home was catch the bird show.  These kids were happy to sit and rest for a minute before it started.  It was fun for Daisy to be able to hang out with some of the kids in second grade who aren't in her class this year.

 We loved the bird show.  It was the perfect way to end the day.

We took the long way back to the bus so we could see the gorillas one more time, and catch the camels too.  All in all a great day at the zoo.

Preschool Pals

 Five years ago when Daisy was 3, I joined a preschool co-op group.  I had such a good experience with her that I knew I wanted to do the same with Levi when it was time for him to be in preschool.  I was so lucky to find such a great group of ladies to join forces with.  We called our little group Preschool Pals.  Levi was the only boy, which was fine for the most part since he's such a ladies man.  We held a little graduation ceremony last week.

 I am a huge fan of preschool co-ops for a lot of reasons.  Children learn from a variety of teachers, so they experience a variety of teaching methods and material.  They are in smaller groups than traditional preschools so they not only get more one-on-one attention, but they get to do projects and field trips that larger numbers would prohibit.  When mothers are crafting the curriculum, the individuals needs of each student are taken into consideration more than in a traditional preschool. 

 I am a HUGE believer that preschool aged children should do preschool aged things...like art projects and science experiments and musical instruments and exploring and playing.  It makes me so sad that so many "preschools" have really turned into kindergarten prep academies where 3 and 4-yera-olds are made to do things they will be mastering until they are 7.  They are getting short-changed!

 Needless to say, Levi was quite pleased with himself.  He is going to love kindergarten.

Dancin' Machine

One of the highlights of Levi's week is his "Guys on the Go" class.  We call it dance class or sports class, but to him, it's 45 minutes that he gets to hang out with his friends and be made to feel important and confident.  And he craves the stage.

Our session of the annual dance review fell on a Friday, which means that Grandpa and Grandma Jones were able to come and watch.  Grandpa and Grandma JoAnn were there too (Grandpa even sat through two sessions) and Jamie came with baby Jade.  We had quite the cheering section for our dancers.

Daisy has taken dance since she was two.  It's so strange for me to watch her now starting to do some technical dance moves and change formations on stage instead of stand in a straight line like when she was three in a little white tutu.

Levi's "Fishin in the Dark" routine was a big hit, especially with the "surprise" black lights and the fact that he got to bring his fishing pole home with him.

Lisa has this amazing gift of making each student in her class feel like they are the most important.  She knows my kids (and ever other student) by name, is interested in their lives, and makes them feel capable and special.  Even in the midst of huge personal trial, she pulled off a fantastic show and the kids had a blast.  And Levi's shirt says, "Girls Dig Guys Who Dance."  Amen, brother.

Big Boy!

 I'm not sure how long Isaac was counting down the days to his birthday, but when the big day finally arrived, he couldn't be happier.  The cool thing is that Isaac shares his birthday with his uncle and his cousin, so we celebrate big!

 Ever since the day he was born on her birthday, Isaac and Ashlyn have shared a special bond.

 Isaac is a verifiable Angry Birds addict, so when his aunt saw these Angry Birds fruit snacks, she knew they were a must.

 After he was done opening his own presents, Isaac helped Uncle Jason open his.

 We planned on eating Isaac's Angry Birds birthday cake with Grandma and Grandpa the night they came to celebrate his birthday, but by the time we got home from seeing the Avengers (yes, we took our just-turned-three-year-old to a violent PG13 movie for his birthday...go ahead and judge) it was too late.  So we had birthday cake for breakfast instead. 

 Grandma JoAnn takes each of the grandkids to lunch and shopping for their birthdays.  Isaac was SOOO excited for his date with Grandma.  For him, it was just more evidence that he was a BIG boy.

 What is better than getting a big box in the mail with your name on it?  Opening it and finding the coolest birthday toy ever!  Grandma Jones sent two big sets of these great wooden trucks.  Isaac was in LOVE.

 For birthday breakfast, Isaac chose happy face pancakes.  And then he wanted them for the next three days in a row.

 Grandma JoAnn had balloons delivered, and Isaac didn't want ANYONE else to play with "my boons."

Celebrating with this man was fun for all of us because he has more enthusiasm wrapped up in his tiny three-year-old self than most people experience in a lifetime.  I like to say that Isaac lives life externally.  This means that all of us that surround him get to experience all the ins and outs, ups and downs, goods and bads that our little Mr has.  And I don't think we'd change that even if we could.

Spring Sensations

 Our spring has been exploding with all sorts of normal, every day adventures.  Which is what it's really all about, right?  Some things that have kept us smiling...
 

 new 3D books about bugs.  What could be better?

 Dad jumping on the trampoline...and catching some serious air.

 The sprinkler under the trampoline.  Some unusually warm weather called for bathing suits and summer-like sun.

 These three are best friends.  They played and played for hours and hours.

 Helpers in the kitchen.  Isaac has become quite the little assistant.

 One last wrestling match for a fundraiser in Cedar City. 

 One more chance on the mat after he thought it was all over definitely brought smiles to this boy's face.

 And springtime usually means EASTER CAMPING!  This year was no exception.  We colored eggs while dad took a nap.

 We shelled the eggs before we colored them and then made some  BRIGHT stellar deviled eggs for Easter dinner.

 The Easter bunny found our camping spot and brought JUST what we needed....Juab gear for all.

 There were Easter eggs hidden all over our campsite.

 We went on a few family horse rides.  Spring rides always bring out the nerves in mama and the smiles in daddy.  It was the first time we have gone riding where we were all on our own horse.  It was so nice to be able to saddle up and head out with our whole family, and not worry about all the everyday details for a while.

 Levi spent a good portion of his time working his way through a hefty supply of bbs.  He's a pretty good shot, but the best part is his imagination.  In his mind it's not a bb gun, but a high power rifle.  It's not a can, but a massive aggressive bear.  It's not a peaceful relaxing campsite, but an outpost under attack.  And him?  He's here to save the day.

 Springtime sensation?  Bubbles.  Always a hit.

 And what is springtime and Easter camping without catching a lizard or two?

 Isaac rode shotgun with Grandpa Jones on one of our mid-morning adventures.

 The cousins came out and joined us for a weenie roast one night, and were the boys ever glad to have some buddies to recruit into their adventures.  We wished we lived closer (the request from the kids was "next door") so we could share these adventures more often!

 The night we got to camp, Grandma busted out her Angry Bird egg painting skills.  No PAAS dye for this arteest!  Our Angry Birds addict (Isaac) was enthralled.

 Turns out painting eggs is not quite as easy as it looks!

Can you tell which eggs belong to which artist?

Between camping, calves, and trampoline tricky's, our Spring has been all we could have hoped for.  Looking forward to more adventures sure to come our way.