First Lake Trip of the Year

On Saturday we headed up to Saguaro Lake for a few hours to try out the jet skis and make sure they were running ok after sitting all winter.  We knew that the lake water was going to be cold, so we just planned on hanging out on the beach; but the kids had different plans...

No matter how cold the water would have been, Carter was going to swim...and that he did.  He stayed in there the whole time we were there and had to be forced out when the sun went down.

Leah and her cousins were just enjoying collecting the shells that were on the beach.

And Mila and Aunt Stacey were just content sitting and eating snacks and candy the WHOLE time...

Even though the weather couldn't be better, I can't wait for the water to warm up, so we can actually enjoy playing ON the lake.

Daily Bike Rides

Our kids beg every night after dinner if we can go for a bike ride.

Mila begs Jason as soon as he walks in the door from work..."Trailer...Ride"

There was a big orange grove by our house where all the trees had died, so the state finally cleared them out because it was a major fire hazard.  With all the trees gone, lots of people are taking advantage of the dirt roads that ran through the orange groves because it's a nice place to ride bikes away from traffic.  Leah always asks if we can go ride in "Orange Valley".  (Orange Grove/ San Tan Valley)

Jason takes them up and down the hills in the greenbelt as fast as he can and both of the girls just LAUGH and LAUGH.  As soon as Jason stops for a break Mila says, "Again, Again..."

Carter has taken his share of wipe-outs lately.  He tries to do ramps and jumps that are just a little much for him.  Jason has also been trying to teach him how to throw a brody on his bike...so that's been even more scrapes and scratches.

One night Carter asked if he could try the hills in the trailer, and Jason gave in...

I can't even imagine doing those hills without pulling ANY kids, but Carter...100 pounds???  He's crazy!

Carter LOVED it!!

Then we tried Mila's car on the hills. 

She wasn't very willing to share...

We want to get a summer sled if anyone knows where to find one... Until then, Mila's car will have to do.

Kids at Play

These are just some random pictures of the kiddos...

Our kids try to spend every minute possible OUTSIDE lately. 

Carter goes out to play BEFORE school, and they even beg to eat their meals OUTSIDE.

The weather has been so NICE!

I AM LOVING IT!! 

This is totally Carter...

It makes me laugh every time I see it...

If only this GREAT weather would last...

Movin' on up

Yesterday Mila discovered how to climb in and out of her crib...with the help of Leah.  It didn't look very safe, so last night I asked Jason if he would set up the toddler bed for her to try.  I didn't know he was completely taking the crib down, but he said that she would probably transition better if she knew that her crib was gone. 

She really didn't have a clue what we were doing to her bed...

Jail...

If it was up to Carter we would have left it this way so they could play.

I'm actually surprised at how long she stayed in her crib, 'cause our other kids hated it! Carter has been in a queen size bed since he was nine months old and Leah since she was about 18 months.

Mila LOVES her new bed so far. 

I didn't realize how much she is constantly moving in her sleep until last night though.  Every time I would go in to check on her she would be facing a different way and then when I was downstairs I heard a big thunk on the floor.  I didn't hear anyone, so I ran upstairs to see what it was and she had fallen off the bed and was still asleep...on the floor.

Today every time she would go in her room she would touch her bed and say "Comfy".  She's really proud of it and even took two naps today, which is NOT normal for her.

Hopefully this will help her with a REAL big girl bed when we move.

Now if we could only get rid of the passy's, ba ba's, and diapers...

A visit to the Rainforest

Well maybe not a REAL rainforest...

We had a gift card for Rainforest Cafe, so we decided to take the kids there this past weekend.  I really had no desire to go there, but since the meal was almost free, it was worth it.  About every ten minutes they have thunder and lightening go off and all of the animals start to swing in the trees and the elephants yell and sound like their running.  It was pretty funny to watch the girls' faces.  Leah would close her eyes and cover her ears and Mila's eyes would get huge...trying to figure out what was going on.  She thought we should all be scared, but since we weren't she seemed fine.  Their food wasn't really worth what you pay, but the atmosphere was worth it.

The kids should love Disneyland in a few weeks if they thought that was fun...

Afterwards we walked around the mall.  Each of the kids got to pick out a pair of sunglasses.

Mila chooses to wear hers on her head more than on her face.

And of course Leah's had to be pink...

Carter was excited when he found some that he thought looked like cop glasses.

This picture cracks me up!! 

(The toothpick was Jason's idea...)

As soon as we got home, he had to get his Sheriff's hat and ask if he could go and ride his electric scooter out front. 

I can't imagine what our neighbors think of this STRANGE kid...

Is it summer??

Our kids seem to think so...

They got a pool and swimsuits for Easter and beg everyday if they can go swimming.  Finally I got tired of listening to them, so I gave in.  I kept telling them it was going to be cold, but that didn't seem to stop 'em...

The water coming out of the hose was actually pretty warm, but once it cooled off in the pool, it was FREEZING!!  They kept filling up the pool and then draining it out again, so they could stay warm.

I turned the sprinklers on for them to run through and one was broken, so they ended up having their own splash pad too.

Can you tell she's freezing and doesn't want to admit it???

It must not have been too bad, because they're still begging to swim...

Easter

For Easter we spent the day at the park with all of the Welker's.  (My battery died on my camera shortly after we got there so I didn't get very many pictures...)  We spent the day hunting Easter eggs, playing baseball and kickball, all of the kids riding their bikes and scooters, golf cart rides, and just sitting around enjoying everyone's company.

Here's Mila's before and after pictures... 

This is what you look like when you drink rootbeer and then go and eat sand...

Grandma Welker with all 16 of the grandkids.

Trip to the Zoo

During Spring Break we took a trip to the Phoenix Zoo with some of our friends and neighbors.  We got there right when the zoo opened and we picked a perfect day...there weren't any crowds, the weather was great, and all of the animals were out eating their breakfast. 

The kids really had a fun day.