GREAT WOLF LODGE!

We went on a weekend getaway to the Great Wolf Lodge, a few hours from our home and our friends, the Fosters and Farrows joined us. Our kids had so much fun playing together!  Finn and Fox still beg to take another trip there. They loved staying in the "wolf den" bunks, splashing around, playing arcade games, and going to the kids show. 

 L-R: Eleanor, Finn, Fox, Nova, Henry & Louis. 

Missing from the picture: Sweden, Avalon and Evelyn.

Fiesta!

 

Over the past few years we have really grown to love San Antonio and have embraced the culture, the people and the fun that we have found here. Fiesta! comes once a year in April/May; it is a time where San Antonio celebrates it's culture and heritage, and honors those who fought in the Alamo. The celebration goes on for about a week with various parties, parades and carnivals around town. One of the traditions we love is collection Fiesta medals. Practically every company, charity, group etc. in San Antonio creates a medal each year as a keepsake. People collect and trade those medals and display them on sashes that they wear to the events around town. We fell in love with this fun tradition and knew our kids would too, so this year we made sashes for the boys to wear and display their medals.

This year's Fiesta celebration was extra special because San Antonio is celebrating it's 300th year!

 

  

 

 

 

 

  

  

Sweden at Eleven Months

 April 15, 2018

11 months old
 

Milestones

recording all the firsts

• Sweden can crawl up AND down the steps in our home. She is crawling in and out of her walker, up onto her brothers beds and figuring out more and more things she can climb on. This means mama is on edge and keeping a real good eye on her!
• Sweden celebrated her first Easter! Her basket was filled with her favorite snacks (veggie straws and yogurt melts), along with books, a toothbrush, toy doggie and a camp chair. 
• She went on her first Easter egg hunt... found one orange egg and proceeded to gnaw on it happily. :) 
• She visited Houston, Texas for the first time and saw the Houston Astros play in their opening day game.
• Sweden still has no teeth! Finn's first tooth didn't arrive until he was 18 months (jaw drop)! Fox's first tooth arrived at 9 months. Looks like Sweden is on the same tooth schedule as Finn. 
• Swedie gives big wet kisses and the sweetest, warmest hugs She'll grab on to you and rest her head on your shoulder (sigh).

some of Sweden's

Favorite Things

• Bath time or Shower time. She usually takes a bath or shower with her brothers or mama.
• Her brothers pet baby turtles... every time we let them loose, she speedily crawls after them and we have to stop her before she grabs them.
• Water bottles and eating big people food.
• Playing in the sandbox and swinging on our swing.
• Being outside... she'll squeal when we come in because she wants to stay outside. Speaking of... she has learning how to squeal to get her way. No words, just squeal!  

Stories
about Sweden

I left Sweden and the boys with their dad to run to the grocery store to pick up our groceries curb-side. When I left Ben was talking to a salesman outside the door. I told him the kids were inside and hoped he'd wrap it up real quick. 20 minutes later when I pulled into the driveway he was still there and talking to the salesman! I freaked out that he had left the boys and Sweden in the house the entire time without watching them. When I found the kids, Sweden had chocolate all over her face and body! The boys had found the chocolate their Nana sent them for Easter and fed her the big chocolate truck. How nice of them... hah! It was her first time eating chocolate, and she clearly enjoyed it. 
Fast forward a week later. I leave the kids with daddy again while I go to Redland Oaks Elementary School for kinder round-up. I was gone for about 40 minutes and on my way out of the school I tell my friend about the chocolate incident and joke that I need to rush home because who knows if Ben is watching the kids?! Well, I came home to find Sweden, again with something all over her face, it was brown but not chocolate and definitely not cute... it was poop! Our potty trained (or so we thought)Fox pooped his pants, took it out of his underwear and placed it on the ground. Sweden then played in it and had poop all over her face, and in between her fingers and toes. I was horrified! I didn't capture a picture because in the moment all I could think about was getting her in the bathtub. Poor girl! I was pretty upset with Ben in the moment, but later we laughed it off and I'm pretty sure he feels bad about his #dadfail!

 

 
 

 

Sweden loves daddy's hats and always wants to play with them and try putting them on her own head.

 

Poor baby is crying because we woke her up for the picture! We paid good money for our Astros opening day game tickets and waited 20 minutes in line to take a picture with the replica trophy, she was going to be in the picture, even if it meant she wasn't smiling! Unfortunately she wouldn't go back to sleep... exactly why in normal circumstances you don't wake a sleeping baby! ;)

 

 

Easter 2018

 

  

Easter is my favorite Holiday because of Spring weather, flowers appearing and acknowledging that our Savior LIVES and that because of Him we will live again and can be a family forever.

I also love all the decor that goes along with Easter... flowers, bunnies, chicks, pastels, oh my!

Finn really enjoyed helping me cut branches from a flowering tree behind our house and hanging the eggs on it.

 We made cupcakes with bunny ears and sold them in front of our house.

 

 Finn saw that I purchased this gnome Easter egg kit and wanted to use it right away. I did my best pushing it off but finally gave in, even thought it was mega early. Oh well! They turned out super cute... go big or go gnome!

 

The boys scored oodles of goodies at the Easter egg hunt this year. They always stock the grass with plenty (I mean plenty) of eggs and come home with overflowing baskets. (shh... but the Easter bunny reuses the candy in their Easter baskets). Sweden found one egg and gnawed on it happily.

   

 

  

After the Easter egg hunt we had our friends, the Johansons over for a yummy brunch.

 

This year the Easter bunny filled their baskets with lots of treats, books and gave each of them a camp chair and kites. Looking forward to a windy day so we can go kite flying!

 

 

  

 

  

Easter Sunday this year fell on General Conference. Of course, we watched General Conference but we decided we wanted to get out of our pajamas and make it a special day. So, we got all dressed up, and to the Pearl for brunch at the restaurant, Supper (at Hotel Emma). We had to make reservations weeks in advance since they are famous for their Sunday brunch. We normally don't do this sort of thing on Sunday, but made an excuse this year. Our friends, the Fosters, joined us!