March Madness...or not!

I finished Ethan's quilt! I've been working on this for about a year now. My mom was the one that found the fabric line in Utah, I looked online and I was sold! I had previously found a free quilt pattern online and that was the final product.

 It was a lot of work (all those circles are hand-appliqued) and a lot of money (i.e. next time John will not question if I decide to buy an entire bedroom set for $300 dollars). BUT, it turned out just as I wanted it to. Next time, I will not listen to my mother when she suggests that I make a KING size quilt! Sorry Pammie!

 Other random picture from this month include Ethan.

 Who is slowly discovering his sense of humor. Such a delight!

 St. Patrick's Day happened this month as well! Look how cute my little Irish lads are! And FYI, I didn't even plan on them matching this day. I simply went to each of their drawers and pulled out the first green items I saw. Turns out I have the same taste from boy to boy, eh?

 My little brother got to come for a visit this month! Wahoo! So glad he has a sister office just a short ride away from us! We made him make us crepes. Although, I don't think he had any complaints.

 We also got to go on Ethan's first bowling trip. 

 They gave us this huge ramp for kids to help them center their ball. Maybe they didn't want Ethan shotputting the ball down the lane? This little guy is so strong!

We had our Relief Society Birthday celebration dinner for our ward this month as well. I think it turned out to be a fantastic event, celebrating the history of Relief Society. My friend Tammy and I had a brilliant idea to make giant birthday cup-cakes for each table at the event and covered them all in marshmallow fondant. This was my first time working with fondant, and I think they all turned out pretty cute! Good thing we have a fridge in our garage, right?

I also made little cupcake toppers for each of the cakes with a different past Relief Society president on them. And no, that cake isn't leaning to the right. It's just your eyes. We made 12 cakes! They can't all be perfect!

I took the boys for a walk this month, with promises that we would get some frozen yogurt. Sadly enough, this was their state by the time we got there. I had to eat the yogurt all by myself!

Lincoln turns 1!

This little man got so many presents! He is so well-loved!

 We had a small family gathering -- my second oldest brother, Nate and one of his best friends, Eric, came over for the celebration too!

 Jane and the Mitchells from Oakland also made their presence known.

 I made knock-off Betty's sandies. Oh, I love me some fried chicken and cabbage slaw.

 At first, Lincoln needed a little coaxing to open the presents.

But he had some fabulous helpers.

 Ethan had the next present ready for Lincoln, as soon as he was finished exploring the current one.

 But Lincoln caught on quickly and seemed to enjoy himself just fine.

 Of course, sometimes I wonder why we buy presents, when these kids would be perfectly fine with a box and some peanuts.

 I made Lincoln a cute shirt with some leftover quilt pieces, couldn't let those got to waste!

 This part, Lincoln needed absolutely no coaxing, and no instruction. We put his cupcake in front of him, and he went to town.

 I love me some cream cheese frosting too, Buddy.

 This little guy is such a joy in our family. So easy going, and SUCH a good sleeper. He is always happy and ready to explore everything around him. Happy Boy little man!

Justin goes to Discovery Kingdom

While Justin was here visiting, we took our first trip of the year to good ol' Discovery Kingdom. I think it was drizzling when we left to go there, leaving the park practically empty! By, the time we arrived, it was sunny and awesome!

 We took some time hanging out with the penguins.

 And giving Shouka some hugs.

 All the boys studying the general life habits of the dolphins ever-so-intently.

 The dolphins even came over for some socialization.

 Can you tell me, why on why do they make garbage cans look like dolphins? How many thousands of kids put their hands and faces on this disgusting trash can because it looks cute?! People, trash cans should look like trash cans. You're not hiding anything. You're just making it harder on parents, and making me want to dry heave.

 Justin and Ethan stopped for a quick break.

 Then the big boys got a chance to do some rides. I think they rode at least 5 times in a row because the lines were so short!

 Did you think you would get away with a trip to Discovery Kingdom without the Looney Tunes zone? Nope. Not ever. Ethan is enjoying the airplanes as much as ever!

 Look at this handsome little conductor. I think the entire train was empty this ride!

 The brave guy even rode on the teacups. I think I got sick just watching him.