Midwest Keech

Last week, I received a call inviting Bryan & Adam on an 11yr old boy scout campout . They decided that it would be a fun activity, so they disappeared last weekend. The girls got very excited & asked, "What should we do for Girls' Night?" Well, we definitely made the MOST out of our "Girls' Night Out". First, we took off for dinner @ IHOP . I got one free kids meal, though. I guess for April, you get a free kids meal for every adult meal you buy. Cool. Lovin ' it up...You're hugging me too hard! Then, where else do girls go that boys complain about? The mall, of course! And of course, there are gumball machines @ EVERY entrance, so the girls convinced me to give them each a quarter. I know...I'm a sucker. Hey, it's "Girls' Night". We went to Old Navy for sandals. We had to do our best poses with the mannequins . Cute, huh? We did get some new clothes from Kohls ... And what trip to the mall would be complete without a...

We belong to a local health club that provides (among many other classes) swim lessons. Don't get me started on how hard it is to register them...That's a story for another day. Anyway, I got all 4 kids into swim classes this session. Our Monday, FHE nights are spent @ the gym in or around the pool...at least for the next 5-6 weeks. I don't know why I didn't get pictures of the other kids, but I'll have to one of these days. But, here are some pictures of Allison. She's really doing very well for being in her 1st session and ALONE. When they sit on the side, they're supposed to hold a noodle in their lap. Kick & splash! She actually got Allison to lay back & (kind of) float. She freaks out & flails about when I try. I was having fun watching & snapping pictures...Isn't she cute? I laugh to see that the crying kid next to her doesn't even phase her. Oops! I've been spotted! What a crazy girl...

Well, soccer season has started again. Thankfully, it is now warm enough to actually spend the time outside @ practice & games. I REALLY hate watching soccer games while shivering in my blanket on the sidelines. This is Adam's last soccer season, so I think we're enjoying it as much as we can. We've spent several evenings @ the park while Adam's team practiced. We've even attempted some Kite-Flying...Well, maybe Kite Running? I think when we bring the kites, there's too little wind or too much. The perfect kite wind inevitably occurs when we don't have them. Oh well. Mia flying a kite. Don't run by the trees! Mia is Kite-Running. Cutie-Pie I told the girls to race to that tree. I think Mia got there 1st, but Adelaide beat her on the way back. Yeah...I'm the papparazi...I'm taking your picture anyway. Daddy throwing Adelaide. Can't you just hear her giggle? Spinning...around...and around.... ...and falling down dizzy. I to...

Adelaide is SO funny sometimes. She is very observant & thoughtful. I think she's a little sponge absorbing everything she hears & sees. Church is one place she absorbs LOTS of info. She really is very thoughtful. She seems to hear/see things and ponder them for a time, before asking questions or sharing the things that she has learned. Easter was on General Conference weekend & this last Sunday was our Stake conference, so it's actually been more than 2 weeks since she had her Primary lesson on Easter. Today, we had a couple of very cute conversations that went something like this: A: "Mom, when I die...Will they put me in a tube?" Me: "What?" (Trying to figure out if I heard her right) A: "The people put Jesus in a tube, and then he got resurrected. Will I get in a tube?" Me: "Jesus was put in a tomb, but when you or I die, we'll get buried." A: "And then we'll get resurrected?" About that time, she ...

Here are some pictures we took this weekend of the kids...This was quite a bit more difficult than I anticipated. We did get a few good shots & plenty of "close...but NO" pictures. It was quite windy, which made it a little more difficult. Not to mention that EVERY one of them complained about the sun. Go figure. Here are some misc. silly & sweet photos too. Allison & Adelaide watching TV. Sweet. Adam posing for me to pop a photo. Silly. Um, Silly. Sweet? Even with the boogers? Psycho-Smile? Silly. Allison...Silly.

We are very proud of Adam. Last week @ our Pack Meeting, he was awarded his Arrow of Light. It was a great ending to his Cub Scout career. (He's now 11, so he moved up to Boy Scouts.) Here he is tying a chip with his name on it to the pack staff. The Pack gave Adam (and the 4 other boys who also got their A of L) this cool plaque. A cool thing that our boys get to do, is to shoot a flaming arrow. They have all worked really hard to have this privilege . The pictures aren't good at all, but you get the idea.

I'm not a big fan of coloring Easter eggs, but this year I decided to give it a whirl. Adam didn't want to, but the girls had a blast! Big sister = Big Helper? Fun for all...And another mess for mom to clean up. Yay !??! Allison had a bit of a meltdown, but otherwise it was fun. Easter morning, we found baskets with a few treats in them. Later in the day (when it warmed back up), we had an egg hunt. Smart Allison...she found some eggs & tore into them at the first chance.