Jeremy gave me a great gift for my birthday this year.  I got to go to Colorado to visit with my new nephew and my brother's family for a weekend.  True love involved him running kids to a piano competition, a 5th grade opera performance, gymnastics, an outing to the movies, cleaning the office as the sole parent while trying to put on an open studio event and attend an LDS create seminar.  True love and multi-talented that is how Jeremy roles.

I loved every minute of my weekend family fix.  My niece Claire decorated my room with drawings of flowers, Mimi provided a delicious brownie cheesecake to fatten me all weekend and I got to hold my nephew, visit with my brother Daniel and have Sammy bring me Barbies to dance with.  We enjoyed a morning at the zoo before a big snow storm hit wondering around.  Mimi graciously stayed in the car with kids so Daniel and I could be fellow book nerds and check out a cool bookstore.  We tried to prolong with day with sandwiches at the park but the cold front could not be ignored anymore.  So we retreated home to spend the weekend cooking and playing.  I got to see the girls swim and go tour a candy factory with Mimi and Claire.  It was just a wonderful weekend of catching up and holding a baby.  Can't be beat.

Allison's grade had each class put on an opera.  I got to go to the school assembly version to cheer her on as she sang little solos pretending to be a strict teacher. 

Now that that play is over she is concentrating on Little Mermaid with practices daily and all day on Saturday.  It is going to be awesome.  She keeps telling me this production is a whole different world than anything she has ever done before.  Makes for a tired but happy little girl.

Spencer spent the last two weeks finishing up his homework for the BYU pow-wow.  He got three merit badges this time: radio, oceanography and forestry.  So his homework became for a large part our homework.  We visited with a ranger, drove through the canyon looking for plant samples and toured the aquarium.  It was quite fun and busy and now I am really glad he is done. 
 Last night after Allison's all day rehearsal Spencer, Allison and I went shoe shopping.  Buying Spencer's shoes are painful but when he can wiggle his toes at you from his shoes I figure it is time.  And for some reason Allison now likes to accompany me when I buy her things.  Its rather fun...unless we disagree.

Spencer's latest joke last week when we had tons of snow and rain versus this week of sunshine and warmth still makes me smile.  I was commenting that April showers bring May flowers and he said what do May flowers bring?  Pilgrims.

Robyn got invited to a fun spring party while I was gone.  They had a tea party, made flower hats, planted pansies and did all things little girly, ignoring the snow outside.  Robyn told me it was wonderful except for the little girl who threw up everywhere. 

She has discovered the American Girl Doll books lately and has been slowly reading through them.  She has to work to read them but is greatly motivated.  It even means she runs to get in bed so she can have time to read at night.

Jeremy has been gone this weekend to the Festival of Colors in Spanish Fork working a photography event.  He came home late last night sunburned, raspy, sore and tired/happy.  But I think he must be enjoying it as after sacrament he went back down again to set up their camp.  I am sure he will have some amazing photos to post.  He has been trying to sell our trailer as we are trying out a partnership in an RV for the summer.  The kids are very excited at the thought of driving around seat belted to a couch.

Taylor had his first massage last week.  A masseuse came out to evaluate him to see if massage therapy would help with his constipation and muscle movement etc.  Taylor quite enjoyed the process - who wouldn't?!  We're hoping insurance approves and he can start on a weekly basis in a month.  This past week we finally finished tiling Taylor's bathroom.  We have been talking about needing to do it for a year or two.  We have been looking at tiles for a month or two.  And now it is all done, tiled, sealed, floorboards and caulked/painted.  Yay!  Giving Taylor a bath upstairs and walking up and down those stairs with Taylor reminded me of how much I love his shower on the main floor. 

Easter Sunday kids are all smart in their new Easter clothes.  We had to rush the morning a little bit with 9 am church and Spencer having to leave at 7:45 to set up chairs and prepare the sacrament.  That meant I made a big parenting mistake when Spencer didn't get up.  I let the girls search for their dozen died eggs while he was getting ready.  Realized on a day when we celebrate the idea that families can be forever I forgot that sometimes to show how important that is we have wait for what seems to be forever to do a family activity together.  But some tears and apologies and we are good again.  Good lesson and reminder to me.  And of course we had egg salad sandwiches for breakfast and kids repeated them again for lunch.

Cousins have come over for the afternoon.  Played with new frisbees in the sunshine, made bunny rolls with me, organized the playhouse, took a dip in the hot tub and are now ready to try out dinner and a new dessert. 
To be followed by a massive egg hunt outside put together by Jason and Kelly.  They are definitely in a happy sugar place.