april in one gigantic post

April is always a busy month for our little family.

both of my boys have birthdays which makes for a lot of fun and a lot of busy.

throw Easter and General Conference in the mix and April is quite the celebratory month for us.

this year i also have a million friends having babies and had a baby shower to attend every saturday but one. that is a lot of babies but think about all the good food and friend time I got to enjoy this month?

this was all done with significantly better weather (cue eye roll! talking about weather....again.) than last April.  

last year was bad.

april 2012 was good to us.

so here is a gigantic post with way too many pictures about April 2012.

lots of park days/ zoo days/ dinners in the park/ keeping up the kids way too late because we need to soak it in!
the kids current favorite things to do at the park are: merry-go-rounds (death wish!), swings for Nellie, and climbing up slides for Spence.

Nellie's first birthday party for sweet Jane.
she was so excited to be doing such a big girl thing.

happy birthday to Katie at Gravy!  Katie was my only friend when i first moved to Portland.  we are both crazy busy but we seem to be able to pick up right where we left off when we get together.  i will miss living so close! but it will be great to have a phone friend who i can call any time!  i hope the bad service/food that day won't keep you from going back.

Nellie has been really cute lately.  she gets life.  she gets what's going on and even tells/plays little jokes.  her babies come everywhere with her these days and she is so sweet to them.  she is a good eater and will try most everything.  whenever we sit down to dinner Nellie immediately asks " how's yours mom?  how's yours dad? how's yours brubber?"  when we say " i don't know, i haven't taken a bite yet," she'll say  "you TRY some!"  she is independent and fiesty and gives the best kisses.

we got to spend time with cousins in April!  my kids have the best cousins.  the older cousins are so kind to Spencer and Nellie and aren't annoyed by their constant shadows.  and Spencer loves his "best friends" and cousins that are around his age.

this is the only picture of my kids on Easter.  sad I know. but i was asked to speak in church that day (which consumed the two weeks leading up to Easter) and i was teaching sharing time so i was not really on top of things that day.  i didn't even watch the kids get their baskets, oh well.  we usually do our baskets on Saturday so that we get the "bunny part" over with so that Sunday can be all about Easter.  the real Easter.

here's some pic's i took the following Sunday to make up for it.  notice Nellie holding her "Book of Mormon" (my old hymn book)

do you feel this way after church on Sundays too?

i went running in April!  and it was fun!  i should do it again sometime, truly.  my friend Tara was doing a couch to 5K and i said i would run with her!  running with a friend is always better.  we ran a few nights leading up to the 5K.  once we ran along the waterfront and across the Steel and Hawthorn bridges.  we happened to be crossing the Hawthorne as it was being raised to let a boat pass.  it was pretty exciting i tell you!

bonus of the 5K is that a won a sweet gym bag!  i'm not one of those people (andrea and sean or jon and mal) who win everything so this was exciting.

we still work at the J, although i just put in my two weeks notice.  i don't know if i have talked about the J much on this blog. i'll have to write some kind of special post after my last day.  3 1/2 years and a lot of time spent in that room.

we did some eating out this month due to all the birthdays and nice weather and such.  i love evenings out with my little family.

stevenson has awesome ideas.  one was FHE at the church to practice reverence and then flying paper airplanes in the parking lot after.  it's all fun and games until somebody pokes their eye out though right?  yea, one of those airplanes took a major course change due to a sudden wind and ended up right in my eye.  no long term damage was done and not even a poked eye could ruin the fun!

last night as a 3 year old:

birthday morning with "dough pancakes" as Spencer calls them which just means homemade and not from a mix. they are his favorite, and mine too!

last minute roller skating with friends.  we're glad some of you could make it!  Spencer had never been before and loved it.  of course there was plenty of falling (mostly on purpose) but i was super impressed by Spencer's "got get 'em" attitude that day. he is not one to try a lot of new things easily but he totally jumped onto this one.

even Nellie skated!

following the kids skate at Oaks Park there were cookies and milk and a chance to meet "Chipper the Squirrel." wish i had gotten pictures of his hands that are taped together with tan band aides where the fabric has worn thin.  i know Oaks Park is old, but come on Chipper, those hands are creepy!

all Spencer requested for food was 5 guys which Stevenson and i jumped on. Nellie apparently liked it too.  this is how she asked for bites of our burgers:

Spencer's cake was lame but he didn't mind.  all he cared about were his awesome candles! (repeat from last year.  all he wanted.)

but his cupcakes for school were awesome!  when he woke up and saw them he said "wow mom! these are really great!" proud mommy moment. so worth the late night.

loved the bike, especially the bell.  didn't love riding it so much, but i am happy to report that he now does!

frosting lipstick

first hair cut not done by a family member!

tulip festival (this post is so long and i am getting bored typing it. you too huh?)

beautiful, but cold and muddy.

and we had some random Asains slip in behind our kids while we were taking pictures and snapped several of their own.  i was too surprised to say anything.

Stevenson's birthday.  somehow (meaning we drove to TWO other restaurants that were either closed or super long waits) we ended up at VooDoo donut for breakfast.  their maple bacon bar is heavenly, but everything else is pretty gross.  our kids loved it of course.

the food front kinds failed on his birthday aesthetically but did taste delicious! (mostly).

Spencer has also had a cooking class this month at the community center that he has mostly liked, and he and i have spent a lot of time playing games during naps.  Go Fish! and Hi Ho Cherry O! being favorites.
i can't believe i have a kid old enough to actually play games with.  it is fun!

overall it was a pretty great month. i can't believe we only have two left until we move . . .we are going to miss this place and our friends.  school has been hard and apartment living has been hard.  but Portland has truly been good to us.  we are hanging on to every last day.

whew! if you actually read that whole thing you should go reward yourself with some chocolate! i am choosing a Trader Joes dark chocolate peanut butter cup!