Happy Easter!

While I was enjoying my first trip to General Conference with the youth from our ward, Mike and the kids had an adventuresome day. Their favorite part was chasing the geese around the park.

We enjoyed our Easter trying to teach the kids about the Resurrection and why it's important. But at this age, I don't think it meant very much. Quaid did however want to wear something different to church, Mike's tie. He's always wearing them around the house, but I guess his own wasn't Eastery enough. It actually worked ok.

The active Easter festivities included Mikiya and I coloring eggs, which she loved and could have done the whole carton if I would have let her. I'm a mean Mom I guess. The highlight was probably blowing bubbles and enjoying a day of sunshine and warmth.

The big number 5!

Mikiya's birthday was last monday. The poor girl was sick on her birthday and was worried about missing it. Luckily, she was feeling a bit better as the day went on so she still got to open her presents. The video phone call from Grandma and Grandpa Walton really made her day, along with Grandma Gallup stopping by on her way through and phone calls from other family members.

She did get to have a birthday party with the Beltran cousins on Friday. She was completely excited and helped make her cake. She debated forever on what kind she wanted, but finally saw a picture of a cake with a pony on it, so we did our best to duplicate it. She loved it. Now she is eagerly awaiting kindergarten and asks when school will start.

Home again, home again jiggety jig

We've had a very busy week and are glad to be home. Well, most of us. Mike wouldn't mind becoming a permanent Californian. For Christmas Mike's parents took us on vacation, of course it was last week during spring break.


We spent Mon. at Disney's California Adventure where the kids enjoyed the rides and being out of the car. Mikiya's favorite ride was the jellyfish which goes up and down. The girl like heights. We also found out that roller coasters are a bit frightening, but she loves them. We attended Disneyland, SeaWorld and Legoland throughout the week where she wanted to go on every roller coaster possible.

At SeaWorld we got to see the Shamu show (and yes, we sat in the "Soak Zone"), dolphin show, pet's rule show, see penguins, pet bat rays, hold star fish, and Quaid's favorite part, watch the walrus.



Quaid has been a little sceptical of the rides, but if you ask him if he had fun he says yes. However, he absolutely loved the characters we saw. My favorite part was the hug he gave Mulan and Cinderella. Cinderella told him he must be Prince Charming. As we walked away he blew her kisses, waved, walked a couple steps and repeated the farewell again and again. I wish I hadn't have already put my camera away!



We got to eat at a sea food restaurant over the ocean and then played in Mission Bay. The kids loved the splashing and sand footprints so much that Quaid was not happy with me when it was time to go.



We got to visit my family before the trip for a couple days, and spend Sat. with Chelsea and Steve which added to the fun break. We enjoyed the sunshine, warm weather and beautiful flowers of California. It was a bit of an adjustment on the trip home to getting stuck in a snow storm and parking on a closed freeway for a while. Big thanks to Mom and Dad for taking us and to the Hurdsmans for helping us with tickets. We had a great time!

Kindergarten Registration

Mikiya had kindergarten registration this week. She was afraid at first because she thought she had to go to school from then on and wasn't ready to do that. Now she can't wait and asks every day when will be time to go to school. It was really cool, they had some demonstration tables set up and then gave each family a bag of stuff to help the kids prepare, including magnet alphabet and numbers, scissors, crayons, a pencil grip to teach the correct way to hold a pencil, a laminated paper and overhead marker so she can practice writing her name, and a t-shirt from the school district. She already does everything they said to help her work on, but there is always more room for practice and more to learn. We also got to spend some time in the kindergarten classroom, which both kids loved. Mikiya did not want to leave.

Quaid is hilarious as normal! He thinks he can do anything Mikiya can do, and he puts forth a good effort. However, he's still only twenty months and needs some help. For example, Mike set the blender picture full of smoothie on the table and walked away. Quaid thought he could pour it himself resulting in most of it on the floor. He is also trying to go to school. Anything preschool type I do for Mikiya, I have to do for Quaid also.

For mutual this week we went just over an hour away from here to a state park and sand dunes. We were there to take part in the observatory. They had a huge telescope and we got to see Venus, a nebula thing off Orion, and some other stuff. The people that stayed late also got to see the moon, but we needed to leave. Right before we left they got it set so we could see Saturn. It was so cool! I could see the rings around it! I haven't been able to see the stars so bright for a long time. I always love looking at them even though I don't know much about constellations. It's then that somehow strengthens my testimony of creation and our Heavenly Father. It does boggle my mind a little thinking of all there is that I can't see, but amazing that comforting peace that our Father loves us and we are a part of a plan.

Go Steelheads!

Mike and Quaid attended their first hockey game last night. I thought for sure by the time they got home Quaid would be zonked. Oh how I was wrong!!! He loved the game, or at least spending time with Dad and the adventures the arena was full of. I don't think I've ever seen Quaid as hyper as he was last night, just bouncing, hollering and laughing.I think he went to bed around midnight. Mike: It was lots of fun. I had tickets through work, because we were one of the sponsors for "Green Night". I think it was everything hockey is supposed to be; from the renditions of both US and Canadian national anthems, to a fight 90 seconds into the first period, to a broken hockey stick. It was all quite exciting. The winning goal looked more like the goalie missed a pop fly, but hey it's like slopping the hogs. They don't care if it is pretty, just so long as they get fed. I think Quaid's favorite parts though, were our giant popcorn bag and climbing between rows, walking down rows, and up and down the few stairs by our seats. Busy, busy, busy. Though I have to admit he was pretty mellow during warmups and the first period and a half. He also enjoyed watching all the cars downtown before and afterwards.


While the boys had their outing, Mikiya came with me to mutual. We made cutesy magnet picture frames and Mikiya got to do her own. She was pretty pleased to make it look cute and it matches her room. She even picked out what the lettering says and the design paper. Sad for me, I made one for Quaid but in transporting it the metal slid and now there is glue all over the lettering.

Exploring New Talents

I this week is all about exploring new talents, hence the title. I have this sudden urge to learn to paint. I know I'm not artistic, even my stick figures are horrible, but I just want to paint. Maybe I should do finger paints with the kids. Anyway, last week for mutual we had a small painting lesson. I was right, I'm horrible, but it was fun. Maybe I'll have to keep trying.

Thanks to Chelsea and Kaelie, we have found a design program on the extra features disc of the Cinderella movie. Mikiya spends time almost every day creating castles, dream rooms and ball gowns. She LOVES it. She even talks about what we should do in her room someday when we have our own house. It's pretty cute.

Quaid has really taken artistic talent to new heights this week. It's a first for us to have crayon on the wall in his bedroom and my favorite, the computer screen. He has also dabbled a little in coloring with markers, luckily they have remained on paper or his legs. Water colors are also a new favorite, except when he was so excited to show me his project that he spilled his water. Needless to say, he wants to do everything Mikiya can do.

Mike only has 3 classes left of his IT class. He's very excited about it, I think he's had enough of the new area. Spring Break 3 weeks away!

Rapunzel, Rapunzel cut off all your hair

Last night I had just finished cutting Quaid's hair and put him in the bathtub. I turned around to find Mikiya very excitedly holding a 3 inch long piece of hair. Her mood quickly changed when I informed her that now we would have to cut her hair to even it out. She cried, a lot, and reminded me that she loves her long princess hair and doesn't want to cut it until it gets to her tutti. Once I started taking pictures and telling her I got scared before I cut my hair too, she calmed down and then got excited to play beauty shop. I couldn't have asked for a better place for her to cut than the bottom of her pig tail. It made it very easy to cut and now she is just fine.