Sweet Memories

Benjamin and Ephraim used to share a room together. In the mornings when Ephraim would wake up, Ben would play with him quietly for a while before they would wake up the rest of the house. Ephers would smile and giggle all morning with Ben because Ben loves to make people happy. Last night when we were putting the kids to bed, this is what I found...

I don't know how Ben can actually sleep there. Dewey found 6 books, 4 Transformer toys, a flashlight, and 5 stuffed animals UNDER his pillow.

But doesn't Ephers look like he belongs there with Ben?? It is so fun to see how our children react with each other. Because they shared a room, Ben and Ephers have a special bond. We only separated them because Ephers was having a hard time at night with ear infections, and he would wake Ben up constantly. It wouldn't be too bad if I could keep Ben home from school to take a nap, but he needs a lot of rest for school... It is so different having a child in SCHOOL!!! No weekday sleepovers or taking off to go explore anytime... We are adjusting, but it is harder!

Just playing together I can tell how much Ephraim loves Ben!!

A Little Outdoor Fun

Yesterday was Dewey's day off and we had a lot of fun. I think we found 5 geocaches, went on a two mile hike up Mink Creek, and went to our neighborhood's Ice Cream Social that ended in us playing softball with our ward for two hours!!! We had a blast! Here are some pics:

This is Will looking for the geocache.

This one was tricky. It was inside the rock, but we found it and signed our names... Sharkboy and Lavagirl!!!
This is Will and Kelton Erickson (our neighbor who lives across the street) eating some yummy icecream. Unfortunately, the invites they passed around to the neighborhood said May 23rd, so not as many people came.... I guess we will have to do another next month too!
Here is Ashton Erickson, Ben, and Braden Erickson enjoying a bowl of ice cream with chocolate syrup and m&m sprinkles!
After sitting to eat ice cream it was off to the swings to eat some more!

This is the fire pit at our Stake Park. It was 65º so we didn't need a fire.

JoE was waiting very patiently for some ice cream. In fact, I believe she had three bowls (she kept sneaking back to get more when Dewey and I weren't looking)!

Willard really likes this park because it is completely fenced in so we let them roam all over the grass without making them stay by us. They LOVED playing here while Dewey and I played softball. Ben actually played outfield as the grownups were hitting and fielded quite a few balls.
And of course we had some down time too at home!
I don't know what it is about WATCHING Dewey play the playstation, but the kids LOVE it! I think he was playing a Race Car game, and they sat there and watched him for at least 10 minutes without moving!
Ephraim LOVES to play the computer. As soon as you get up from the chair he climbs up and pounds on the key board. He also loves to look at the pictures you take on the digital camera. After the flash goes off he says "Mine, Mine" which means turn it around and show me the pictures!
Eph found this goggles in the swimming bag. He loves to put them on, and as soon as they come off, he comes back over to you and wants them back on.
Can you say CHEESE??

One of the BEST TOYS still lives....

Grannie and Pop gave this toy to Ben when he was 1 for Christmas one year (the other grand kids got the same toys too!) I am surprised to see it still operable and in good condition. The kids have all played with it, but now over 5 years later, it is one of Ephers favorite toys to play with.

I love it when we pull it out because Ben will still say... yeah, he can play with my toy! Everyone has to take turns, and Ephers favorite part is chasing the balls when they fly out and away from it. Although, sometimes he doesn't want to give them back and put them in. It is fun to watch the older kids teach him how to turn it on or put the balls in the right hole. At times like that, it is very rewarding to have children!

Willard found that his sock would fly through it if he made it long enough. He thought it was so funny to put it in one side and watch it go through and fly out the other side. His giggle makes playing these games so worth it!

Just wanted to say THANK YOU to Grannie and Pop for one of the BEST TOYS EVER!

Can You Say SUGAR HIGH??

Today I had taken my sugar containers down to the storage room to refill them. I accidentally spilled a little bit of sugar, and of course, forgot to bring down my broom right away to clean up the spill. Later in the day, as I was doing laundry, Ephraim followed me and went right into the storage room. I had COMPLETELY forgotten about the sugar and switched my loads over and turned around to find this....Needless to say, he was so sticky I didn't want to pick him up. He just thought it was the funniest thing. I couldn't coax him away from it. I finally just stripped him down right there and he got his second bath for the day. He was also very giddy for a while. I have heard that he will also CRASH... I just waiting for that!! And now I will try to be more responsible and clean up my messes... maybe.

Little Adventure to American Falls

We got in the car with an ice cream and drove twenty minutes to American Falls. The kids all fell asleep in the car (thankfully AFTER finishing their ice cream) and so Dewey and I drove around the reservoir taking pics. Here are a few of the dam!

Easter was a blast!!!

We dyed the eggs earlier... We didn't have many accidents, and the kids didn't like WAITING for the eggs to get dyed, but all in all we had some fun!

We had a wonderful Easter!! The night before we talked about the Crucifixion with the children and asked them "Why would Jesus pray for us." They knew the answer - "Because He loves us and wants us to go back to Heaven some day!"

Of course, Easter Morning started a little early for us... 6 am! Dewey went down and brought Ben up to our room so the Easter Bunny could hide our dyed eggs downstairs. And then the rest of the kids woke up and we read from the Bible, the story of the Resurrection of our Lord. At that early in the morning, the kids were really good listeners, and Ben even read a few verses!

Then, we let them go find their baskets which were camo hats for our summer adventures! The went hunting for eggs and found them all! YEAH.. no smelly left overs!

We also went out to the Eliason house to visit for dinner. Grandma & Grandpa Eliason hid 74 eggs filled with candy and money all around their yard! It was a HUGE success! I believe they found the all there too!

We love spending time with our family and remembering our Lord, Jesus Christ, and are so thankful for His life and resurrection. We truly have much to be thankful for.