SCATTER SUNSHINE

It was Smoochie's first dance recital and she was a little apprehensive at the rehearsal, but by the night of recital, she was ready to go... she danced and danced and danced some more. And surprisingly, for those of you who know her well, there WASN'T any "booty shaking!" As always, Honey danced with beauty and grace! Bobo and Pookie also get a shout-out for sitting quietly for 3 hours of recital.

We usually have a garden every spring, but this year, with encouragement from our Bishop, we stepped it up a knotch. Jayson built 2 more grow boxes and the kids had a blast planting the seeds. We planted tomatoes, zucchini, squash, bell peppers, cilantro, strawberries, lettuce, pumpkins, watermelons, beans, basil and cucumbers. Amazingly enough they all grew. We have had tons of zucchini and squash for weeks and our tomato plants are now covered in red ripe tomatoes. Yummy!

A few months ago, I got the idea I wanted to run a 5k. When I found out about the 1st annual 5k at the Phoenix Zoo, I thought it would be nice to do it with my parents and siblings. They were all sweet enough to let me talk them into it and so we signed up as the team, Cheetahs in Training. Last Saturday was the race and it was a lot of fun. The kids really got into it and Bobo was convinced that he was going to win the race. He ended up getting so winded at 1/2 a mile that Jayson had to stop and make him rest before he could go any further. Jayson was an angel and sacrificed his run to stop and help the kids so that I could meet my goal. I couldn't have done it without you Babe! My goal was... to NOT STOP jogging for the whole 3 miles. And Yeah!!! I did it. I have no idea how long it took me because I forgot to start my timer in the chaos of the beginning, but who cares.... I didn't stop the whole 3 miles! I was so relieved. I think everyone had a nice enough time to commit to...

Bobo's T-ball season has come and gone. He really enjoyed learning about the game of Baseball, practicing hitting, throwing and catching. He especially loved the opportunity to be catcher in one game, because and I quote "that catcher dress-up is awesome!" Who doesn't like wearing full pads and a face mask? His wind-up was always entertaining and with flourish! He had a great team and a wonderful coach. At the end of the season, he enjoyed going to Chase Field with Jayson and running around the D-backs field before a home game. They had a great time watching the game together and came home with Justin Upton BobbleHeads to commemorate it!

Honey has been looking forward to her 8th Birthday for a really long time. She was so excited to get baptized. She was baptized along with 4 other kids from our ward just 3 days after her 8th birthday. She was baptized in the same little shirt and skirt that my sister, cousins and I wore for our own baptisms. She asked Grandpa to give the talk on Baptism. Then, Daddy baptized her and confirmed her a member of the church. She was promised some wonderful things in her blessing. She looked gorgeous in her White Baptism dress sewn by Grandma. She was certainly spoiled with many special keepsakes and with the presence of many friends and family members. What a special day!

Last month Pookie fell off our bed and broke her leg. Yes, I was standing right next to her and no I couldn't catch her before she hit the floor. She cried at first but it wasn't until I noticed that she wasn't pulling herself up on things that I knew something was wrong. I opened the dishwasher to see if she would climb in. When she didn't, we left for urgent care. The doctors thought she was fine because she was cooing and smiling at them. After the x-ray showed a break, they started to believe that something was wrong. She broke her lower leg, above the ankle and growth plate. They wrapped her in a temporary cast for the weekend and by Monday morning she had a bright pink cast with sparkles. By Tuesday morning, she had literally crawled out of it, and in three days, she had been through three casts (including the temporary one). The new cast was quite a bit more bulky and her leg was bent at both the knee and the ankle. It was also quite a bit heavier and really made...