Our April Fools

 For April Fools day I got some ideas from Family Fun. I made a fun dinner for my kids and the Babcocks. We had a blast laughing at the kids. I made mashed potatoes (ice cream) and gravy (caramel syrup) with fish sticks (kit-kat covered in graham cracker crumbs) with ranch (frosting)

 

 Then we had cupcakes (meatloaf with mashed potatoes on top).

 

The drinks were Jello. They just had to see how much they could eat through the straw. It sounded like a group of intoxicated crickets. It was interesting.

 The kids didn't know what to think. Sometimes it is hard to eat something when it looks like something else.

 

Some thought it was fun, but some were NOT amused. Ü In this picture of Ryker, he JUST barely took a bite. He wasn't a fan.

 

 Corden was pretty sure he wouldn't like it either.

 j

 

Trace hardly ate anything! He usually loves all of those things, but couldn't stomach them when they looked like something else. It was a good prank.

Our FIRST Kid-Free Trip!

So we did it. We took our first kid free trip. It was so fun! A big THANK YOU to Bobi for taking care of the crazies for us while we were gone (and still talking to us after we got back Ü). The things that we noticed were: How little luggage we had to bring, how quick we could pack up, that if we wanted to take a nap we could, that we could spend 2 hours in IKEA and still be sane, and that we still missed the little buggers anyway.

 

We stopped at my sister, Hillary's new house the first night. Here is a pic of her and her daughter Clarissa. It was a good visit, their new house was fun and comfortable, plus we got spoiled by her great baking!

 

 Then we went and met Justin's old roommate and his wife for lunch. They hadn't seen each other since Trace was a baby. It was pretty entertaining listening to their stories. They've know each other since the pre-mission days. They REALLY did have some stories.

 

 For Christmas this year I got Justin some tickets to a Jazz vs. Celtics (Justin's fav. basketball team). The game was Monday. We had fun there (although we had VERY far away seats.) 

This is what our view was:

 It kinda makes me a little dizzy. But the atmosphere was great, not the best night for the Celtics, but fun anyway.

Then we had to visit Temple Square before we left. It was kind of a rainy day. It was nice that the sun peeked out for this picture. We TOTALLY got bombarded by sister missionaries (probably because no one else was out because of the rain). They were so cute! It is amazing how many different languages are spoken there!

It was a good trip. Might have to make it a bit more regular though.

Trace is SEVEN!

This year Trace decided to go with a magic themed birthday. Here is his his birthday invite to his friends!

Here is Trace with some gifts from Grandma and Grandpa Mack. Thanks! He LOVES them! (Notice he is wearing 2 hats. One is his crown from school and the other is his magician hat. Funny kid!)

 More presents...

 This is a gift from me to Trace. I always tease him that he is a garbage collector (you should see what he keeps around Ü), so I made him this space ship for his Star Wars guys out of pop bottles, hot glue, and all kinds of trinkets/garbage I've been hanging on to. He LOVED it! I was so happy. I guess like mother like son.

 Here is Mason enjoying a new gift of Trace's. He is practicing to be on American Idol in  a few years.

We had to sit picnic style because we didn't have enough chairs. Good thing 7 year olds don't mind that too much. We gave each kid a magician's hat, magic wand, and a bag of things to perform magic tricks for their family. It was fun trying to teach the kids some tricks. I'm not sure if any of them will remember them, but it was fun.

 Another shot of the crew.

Trace blowing out his candles. Yes, those are tea light candles. In all my planning and everything, I forgot to get some candles. The kids didn't even ask, I guess all they cared about was that they were lit. If you want to see a better picture of Trace's cake click HERE.

It's almost out!

Trace is about to lose his first tooth. He is SO excited and really wants to lose it before his birthday on Friday.  Justin and Trace were trying to pull it out. MacKelle REALLY doesn't like to be around things that might hurt. So while they were doing this:

 

MacKelle was doing this:

 

This is also how she spent most of their visit to the dentist's office while Trace got his cavity filled.

West Jefferson Junior Miss

Last night was our West Jefferson's Junior Miss program. For those in Montana, it is a pageant/scholarship program. MacKelle and I decided to make it a girls night. We found a seat next to Bobi and enjoyed a GREAT evening! I CAN'T believe the work that goes into those programs!

MacKelle was in little girl heaven! She LOVED all the beautiful dresses and performances! I just had to give you all a few MacKelle quotes from last night:

"Look, Everyone is wearing high heels!"

"She looks like Cinderella, except she plays the piano."
I asked her if that makes her cooler than Cinderella.
"Yes!"

"Hey they are getting out of order!" (spoken Loud enough that a lady 2 rows ahead of us turns around to see who's talking)

"I'm going for the one in the light pink dress, who are you going for?" (I think she liked the dress especially Ü)

"I miss my pillow and my bed" (About 8:30 pm)

"Dang it, ours isn't winning" (when MacKelle noticed the one she picked getting less certificates than some others).

She did tire out kinda quick, but we had a good time. She was so excited she was singing "Girls just wanna have fun" on the way there. It was fun to get to spend a little time just the two of us. It isn't often that I can just sit and hang out with her for 3 hours and hold her on my lap. Mason usually demands someone pay attention to him after about 5 min.

Trace and Justin were still up when we got home. Justin said when it was time for Trace to go to bed, he protested, "but then MacKelle gets to stay up later than ME!" so they stayed up and watched some "Star Wars". That was nice of Justin since he's not a fan. It was a good night, but we had some GRUMPY kiddos today. Ü

Becky and kids!

This last weekend my sister and her kids came to visit. I forgot my camera most of the time, so maybe I'll get some pics from her later (Becky, they didn't show up on my email).

This is Ally, Becky's oldest. She is funny and fun and full of energy.


This is Enrique, the baby (even though he weighs more than MacKelle-Becky grows BIG boys!) He is kinda quiet and definitely a momma's boy. Super cute! Love his eyelashes!


This picture is Enrique with MacKelle. Ally was there too, but DIDN'T want to take pictures so she was looking a little miserable. So I took advantage of Enrique being close enough and snapped one with him and MacKelle.


Here is Trace and Diego. They had a blast together! Diego is the middle kid. He is so cute and LOVES to be strong and fast! He even did push-ups for us! He drank out of the superman cup the whole time he was at our house. I'm not sure what to say about Trace's face. I'm not sure if he is trying to be funny or tough...


And here is my baby sister! Isn't she cute! She is a "Friends" fanatic like me! We had a blast hanging out and playing "Friends" trivia on the PS2. We took the kids to Leo's place, and to the gym to let them run around. We also made cakes. She made her very first fondant cake. I think it turned out super cute, see? Thanks for making the trip Beck! Love ya!

RJump

This place is SO fun! We had to make another trip back. The kids LOVED it (Again!).







We met up with some friends there. It was a great day to go because the kids didn't have school. I bribed them. They had to help me clean the house with me (without complaining-which they did) and as a "thanks" I would take them to RJump and McDonalds. The best part was that when we got back the house was still nice and clean.Ü

Double Dipper

Who doesn't like a little ranch with their broccoli? I just thought it was cute. This is Mason's first attempt at dipping.

A Visit From the Macks

Tuesday and Wednesday my brother took "The Bar" exam, so his wife and kids came from Kansas to Idaho to visit for a couple of weeks while he prepared. Tiffany (Adam's wife) grew up in Idaho Falls and has been staying with her family. She made the trek out to visit us. My kids were SO, SO, SO excited to see their cousins that live so far away. We also got to meet Ella, their newest addition. She is ADORABLE, and just a perfect little princess. I LOVE THE CHEEKS! I still can't get over them, SO CUTE!

Trace and Jordan were best buds! We were surprised at how good they got along, especially with the almost 4 year age difference, but they just played and played all day!

I got to spend time with my sis-in-law and had a blast! I hardly ever get to see her, let alone get some one on one time with her. We even squeezed in a craft! She is a wonderful mom, it is fun to see their cute little family. Adam, we're proud of you! Hope that the bar went well, and thanks for sharing your family with us!

RaNdOm

Just a couple fun pics.