Family update- April 2015

Hello there friends. So I know this update is a tad late but life is, well, life and these things, although quite important to me just has to be done late. 

So onto the stories from last month....

The first weekend of April was Easter and also General Conference weekend. We managed to get some Easter traditions done and Mason was so cute on his first Easter egg hunt. He didn't do any hunting and I had to force him to hold a plastic egg for the pictures but he once he realized there were candies in them, it became one of his favorite things to hold.

One of our family traditions around this time is to have coordinating church outfits. Since Easter weekend fell on a Sunday where we didn't have regular church services, we dressed up the following week. In the years past we would buy outfits but because of budget constraints this year we opted for finding thing in our closets that work well together without making new purchases. We started with Maddie's dress and found blues and pink hues in our stash. So glad when these things works out. The Lord definitely is in the details of our lives. 

We also started our garden last month. We first planted our seeds in a seed starting kit but unfortunately most of them haven't sprouted yet. I have been a big summer gardener but in the last three years, things haven't really been working right and I'm starting to loose interest in it. Plus we have a lot of rabbits roaming around our area and I'm afraid that they will beat me to my harvest. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Marcus has been getting himself ready for fall hunting season. We got him some gear and Mitch went with him through a weekend class to get his hunting license. He was able to pass the test with a 90% grade. He has also been walking on the treadmill to increase his endurance and went on a hike with his dad a few Saturdays ago. 

On another news, his IEP was renewed for another year (another blessing that I'm very grateful for) but one thing that the teacher did tell us is that he has gotten behind on reading (again) Because of this they have suggested that he reads out loud so one of his task is to read to Mason. It hasn't been consistent as he has a lot of projects to finish up for school but when he does, it's a sight that makes this mama oh so happy. 

One of Maddie's extra curricular activity this year was choir. They did a recital in the fall at school but when the spring choir started, we found out that they would be performing at the Pikes Peak Center along with other schools in the area. It was a big commitment for her as she had to wake up early twice a week and go to school an hour earlier for choir practice. This past month, they had their recital and I was able to watch her perform. She had a great experience that she would like to do it again next year. I'm so happy that she's slowly coming out of her comfort zone and trying out some of her talents. 

Another talent she has is the love for art. A couple of months ago we got a letter from her art teacher saying that one of her pieces were chosen to be displayed at the district office as part of the Air Academy art scholarship program. Last month she got to take her artwork, certificate and ribbon home. Above is a photo of her showing her beautiful work.

Maddie also went to her first daddy-daughter dance this past month. It was hosted by our stake primary and according to Mitch, all she wanted to do was eat the desserts. He did manage to take her to the dance floor a couple of times. Ha!

Mitch worked hard at making us a can rotating shelf this month. He spent all of his days off as well as some Saturdays to get it accomplished. Finally at the end of the month, we were able to spend one of his day off outdoors. We took an impromptu stroll through a part of the  Santa Fe trail. Above are some of the pictures I took with my phone. 

And lastly some updates on our growing little dude...

He turned 8 months in the month of April and now he:

-likes to crawl and stand holding up onto something. 

-prefers table food than his baby food. Every time he sees us eat something, he's always looking into getting some of it too. 

-Smiles and loves to babble, especially when someone is either singing or talking. 

-Has a hard time sleeping because of teething. Sometimes he will sleep for 4 hours straight but there are times when he wakes up every two hours. 

Thank you for stopping by and keeping up with our family.

Till next time,

Grace