I guess it runs in the family

Sara will periodically sit down and play a piano piece backwards.  Asia climbed onto the piano bench one day, turned around, and placed her hand son the piano.  It was so cute!

She's a cutie!  

Miles wanted a turn, too.

Show me the money

For a while now we've been wanting to implement a money system in our home so our kids can learn some financial responsibility.  I was not too keen on the idea of paying our kids for their chores because there are some things you do just as your share as part of a family.  But those things are many and there's not much left over to actually be paid for.  Because of this we just never started anything.  I decided it was time to just get started.  I bought a binder and zipper pencil pouches and made up a "check" register for each one of them where they can keep track of their deposits, withdrawals, and savings.  We are still trying to figure out a good system, but atleast we've started. Eventually we want to get them to pay for a lot of their own clothes, some of the food, buy the presents for the birthday parties they're invited to, and have more financial responsibility around the house so they can gain a little knowledge of expenses and really how much things cost so I don't have to hear, "But Mom, it's only three dollars."  There's a big difference between my three dollars and their three dollars.  I think they will soon see that three dollars here and there very soon adds up.  

I'm actually quite excited!!

This is the first time we paid them and recorded the transaction in their registers and filled out their tithing slips.  They were all really excited.

Special Needs dinner service night

My family provided the dinner for the special needs girls camp tonight.  Misti headed it up and we all pitched in and helped.  My little family used this as our family service project we had planned for when we finished Mosiah.  It was sure a lot of work - especially for Misti - but it was fun.  Ben was going to stay home with Miles and Asia because we all know it's so much easier to do things without little kids, but I'm really glad we were all there.  Yes, it might have been a little easier to do without the little ones, but there's just something cook about doing something like this with all of us, not just a few of us.  The kids had a really good time.  As we were driving home afterward Sara said she wanted to help out at Special Needs Mutual when she gets older.

All the kids listening to their instructions

this is her go to face whenever she sees a camera

The girls let the younger kids sword fight with them

Sneaking some cookies under the counters

Mom, Sandy wanted to make you a little jealous :)

Learning is fun...

Miles has been getting really good at spelling his name.  It looks a little sca - wompy (love that word) but you can definitely tell it's his name.  The other day I found this site that lets you type in a list of words and it makes a worksheet out of them so the kids can practice tracing and writing those words.  I decided to put in his first, middle, and last name.  (I did this for Kamri too since I realized she didn't know how to spell her middle name.)  I then laminated them so we can use them over and over againf or practice.  He was pretty excited to see his name written out and loved it.  He did get really frustrated that he couldn't do it perfectly and that his lines were crooked.  What is it with my kids and their perfectionistic attitude?  I don't know where they get that from ;).

Look how hard he's concentrating.  So cute!!

While he was doing that I had Kamri working on her list of sight words she was working on passing off.  By the end of the school year they're supposed to have passed off atleast up to list 8.  She's on list 18 right now out of 25.  Her goal is to get all 25 passed off before she finishes kindergarten.  I'm sure she already knows all of them but it's up to me to remember to work on them at home and then remember to send a note to her teacher letting her know Kamri's ready to be tested and move on to the next list.  She's always so proud of herself when she gets a new list.  She gets so excited it's fun to watch.  She's such a good reader.  I'm amazed sometimes at some of the big words she knows or can sound out.  When we read scriptures she can usually read the whole verse by herself - even the big words.  And I love that I can just ask her to sit and read to Miles and Asia if I need her to.

Easter festivities

Filling Easter eggs for our egg hunt

playing with Uncle Pace

eating some yummy food

listening to and watching a message about our Savior, Jesus Christ

getting some love

Me trying to keep the kids inside until the Easter egg hunt was ready - or atleast until the moms were ready with the cameras

GO!!!!

gotta love that candy (gross - I hate Easter candy)

my two cute pregnant little sisters

eating our traditional bunny cake

At our house we have Easter Sunday where we celebrate the ressurrection and atonement of Jesus Christ.

Then we have Bunny Monday where we get to find our bunny baskets. We told the kids this year that we were the "Easter bunny".  But they didn't seem to care.  It was still as fun as it always is.  (Maybe when we tell them later this year the big reveal about Santa Claus it will all seem just as magical as always.)

Bunny Monday happened to fall on April Fools Day.  They thougth they're big present was a box of those Easter baskets cakes.  Hee, hee.  

But they were SUPER excited when they looked inside and found "17 MIracles".  They were yelling and pumping fists they were so excited. They love that movie and have been wanting it forever.

(And yay for our disposable Easter basket tradition.)