Last weekend we decided to take our little family fishing. We gave Drew some fishing supplies for his birthday and he was anxious to use his new box and gear. We headed up to the Rexburg ponds and had no idea the success and fun we were in for!! Each of us caught 3+ fish...well excluding Jed who didn't even get a chance to cast because he was so busy loading hooks and unhooking fish!!
Hannah had a blast and loved watching the wildlife. There were ducks, and of course fish, and an osprey that kept diving into the water to catch fish--that was neat.
Madelyn was pretty funny, since there was so much action she enjoyed the fishing. That is, until she got it onto the sand. She would drop her pole and run away screaming and saying that the fish was "wild and crazy" because it would flop around so much. One of the times I had to go rescue her pole because a fish was flopping back into the water and taking the pole with it!
Drew absolutely loved fishing. Loved it. We had packed a picnic dinner and he would not even think about dropping the fishing for a bite to eat. We ended up eating dinner in the dark off the tailgate of the truck at about 9:30.
My mom tried her hand at fishing too and caught two fish! She hadn't been fishing since she was 8 years old....she had a good time. There is us with our stringer full of fish, notice Drew would not put down his fishing pole for the picture...
This day was also my dad's birthday. I think he had a good time seeing the kids catch so many fish and experience pure delight!
On Sunday we enjoyed the regional conference and the open day it left us afterward. Jed suggested we go hike the Menan Butte. We had a great time. The kids were amazing and kept trudging up the mountain with no complaining!! We learned a lot of good lessons from our hike from the simple "stink bugs like volcanoes" to more complex ideas like the blessings of family and the support they offer and holding to the iron rod, and feeling the accomplishment of doing hard things.
The best part of it all was that a man on top of the butte thought I only looked 5 months pregnant. :0 My look of shock! He was extremely nice, and it must have been a long time since his wife had been pregnant because I am plainly past that!!!!
Me and my tough kids on top of the world!! I guess there was a little complaining--Hannah was upset that I wouldn't let her just run off the side of the mountain...sometimes moms are just no fun.
Jed and I celebrated our anniversary this Monday. It's been a great 7 years and we've had so many adventures together. I'm so grateful to have him, he's my best friend ever! 
I had to put this picture in of Drew's artwork. I was amazed at the detail in his butterfly picture. He definitely is a perfectionist. It is perfectly symmetrical and he is so careful about his coloring. I had to document it before it got attacked by his little sister!
On Wednesday I was able to take the girls and go to Drew's kindergarten graduation. They had a program and sang lots of songs, then they were presented with their "diplomas." The graduation caps were really clever and cute. We, I should say "he," made it through kindergarten! I just can't believe we made it through this year of school. He did really well, even with a move in the school year. I'm just excited to have him home. I am really not looking forward to him being gone all day next year. I just like having my kids with me....most of the time! :)
Things are just moving along around here. I'm down to just 2 weeks left in this pregnancy and I am starting to get ancy. I'm ready to stop worrying about what having 4 kids will be like, and I'm just ready to get in the groove and get used to our new family dynamics. But there will be more worries when she is here, that is just how it goes for me....worry worry worry. :)
We have had a lot of fun flying the kite he got in our yard. I don't think I ever got a kite to fly when I was young, so it has been fun for all of us!
Since we recently have polished our skills as kite flyers, we decided to go to the local Kite Festival after the Earth Day party. We went there with our plastic Bakugan kite ready to show everyone up....or else thats what our kids thought. :) We saw some amazing kites--this one was like 150 ft long.
We went out for pizza afterwards, and the kids called that day "the best day ever!!" So glad they had a good time, even though we didn't get any reusable grocery bags......
Hannah's hair is starting to get longer, so I can actually style it and leave it down--I think it makes her look so grown up! And yes she still loves to climb as you can see.
Drew and Madelyn have been excelling in their reading. Madelyn made it through the first level of her "school" and is reading really well. Drew wanted to be part of the party so in one day he read 12 pages in his workbook, plus read 2 more pretty good sized chapter books. In a couple days he was able to finish his level. We treat them to a party when they finish a level, so off to Blast Off we went!
It was great fun! No one else was there at first so I even went in the tunnels....at 9 mos pregnant it wasn't a pretty sight I'm sure!! I have since decided that when I end up being overdue, we should go to Blast Off and I will start crawling through those tunnels.... Later on, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Casey and cousin Macie were able to join in the fun with us. It was great!
This last weekend we headed out to the regional scout jamboree and had a lot of fun. Drew is getting really excited to be in Scouts. There was tons of fun things to see and do.
We waited a long time in line for this attraction, but it was worth it. I was really glad that Madelyn made it up there by herself. I was nervous a large pregnant mother would have to go and rescue her...and possibly pop the toy.
