All Aboard!

In our town the railroad and Operation Lifesaver occasionally give out tickets to ride the train to promote safety and to teach about rail road crossings. I thought the Parker would love to ride the train and I was excited to get him tickets to ride. In fact a days before they announced the ride we were stuck at a railroad crossing and Parker said to me "mom I haven't ever ridden a train before" I told him that one day maybe he would be able to. I think it was meant to be!! They gave out tickets last Thursday and they were free to the public, but on a first come first served basis. They were supposed to start handing them out at 10 am so I drug my kids to get in line and when I got there at 9:20 the line was already probably 150 people long. At that point I knew my chances of getting tickets was slim. They started handing them out sooner than 10 and I was moving up towards the front of the line. About 30 people from the front the man handing out the tickets announced they were all out! WHAT!! I stood in line on a cold windy morning with both my kids for 30 minutes and the tickets were already gone. I was a little disappointed and so was Parker. But nothing compared to some of the kids behind us. There were kids crying and wailing that they didn't get tickets. It was sad! There were probably 150-200 people behind be so there were a lot of disappointed people!!

Parker kept telling everyone he saw for the next few days that we didn't get train tickets. He was pretty sad about the whole situation. Then Matt's Aunt let me know that she had gotten enough tickets for all her kids and 4 of them weren't able to go so she wondered if I wanted the tickets. YAY!!! We were so excited! So today was the train ride and as soon as Parker woke up this morning he announced "mom today I get to ride the train!" I could tell he was so excited. So we got ourselves ready and went to the expo to board the train. We only had to wait for a few minutes before boarding and they didn't even take out tickets. I had a friend and her two kids that really wanted to come, but since I had just 1 extra ticket they decided that since they all couldn't ride, no one would. Well after we boarded I asked the lady in charge if they would let people on that didn't have tickets if there was room. She said yes! So I called my friend and she was there in a flash and her and the kids were able to ride along with us. It was fun to be on the train and to have the experience with the kids. It isn't very often that we get to ride the train even though we see them every day. I think Parker had a great time and it will be a memory he will remember for a long time!

Paige's Clothing

Today I walked to the back of the house to change the laundry and looked into Paige's room and this is what I spotted. She loves to change her clothes frequently throughout the day and apparently couldn't find the particular pink striped outfit she was looking for so she decided to pull out all her clothes. At least they were in a pile! Sometimes I wonder why I even fold her clothes and put them away when this happens often. Although this is the first time she has pulled everything out of the drawers. Usually it is just one drawer so this was a surprise. I looked on the bright side and decided it was a good time to organize and see what she has and what she might need for summer. I know it won't stay this was long...at least until her next outfit change!

Fun Filled Weekend

So today I am playing blog catch up. I had one of my best friends, Anne, come and visit the last few days and she went home this afternoon (boo hoo!) so I have a few minutes to play catch up on the happenings in our family. We are sure keeping busy this summer, although it doesn't feel like summer yet because of the nasty weather we have been having. I can't wait for it to get warmer. I can't believe I am saying that. In a few months when it is warmer I will be wishing it was cooler! hahaha.

Like I said Anne and her girls came for a visit the last few days and we had a great time. We always do! It was so much fun spending time with her and seeing our kids play together. They all got along really well this time for the most part. We even managed to make a baby blanket for Anne who is expecting her 3rd girl? in August. We hope it turns out to be a girl since the blanket we made is pink and brown. We can't wait for her to arrive and for the next time we will be able to get together and visit. There is nothing better than good friends. Friends you can laugh with, cry with, confide in, and be yourself around. I am lucky enough to have several good friends like that and Anne is sure one of them!! Love ya Anne, thanks for the visit!

Uh-Oh

This is what happens when a little girl gets a hold of markers and mommy doesn't realize it until it is too late! She thought it was great! She just painted her face like it was makeup. At least they were washable makers and most of it came off that night in the tub. Kids....keep life interesting!

Flowers/Garden

Well I finally got my flower beds planted and our garden as well. The weather here has been so awful that I have been putting off planting either for fear of giant hail storms or freezing weather. Well I decided this past week that it was now or never. If I didn't get the garden in soon, we wouldn't have anything to harvest before it got too cold. So Matt got the ground all tilled and ready on Tuesday and I planted on Wednesday. We decided not to plant too much in the garden since we have been doing Bountiful Baskets and can get so much produce from there at a great deal. And also last year the squirrels ate so much of our garden that I didn't want to invest money for feeding them. So I planted things this year that they didn't seem to enjoy last year. We planted some cabbage, green peppers, jalapenos, tomatoes, and zucchini. I hope it gets warm so the plants can grow and produce a good crop!!

Along with the garden I got most of our flower beds planted as well. We had a two layered flower bed in front and the top layer was so over run with quack grass and weeds that I am going to just have to spray it and plant something next year. So there is nothing on top but between the front and back I planted almost 250 plants!! Isn't that crazy. Yeah, my back hurt the next day, but it sure looks pretty and it will be even prettier once they fill in and grow. I really enjoy having a nice looking and well maintained and cared for lawn. It makes me feel good. And I think if some one's yard is cared for than most likely their house is cared for as well. So having our yard look nice makes our house more inviting. (my opinion only) Now the only chore will be keeping it weeded!!

Uncle Matt

Matt had the opportunity last weekend to baptize his nephew Austin. I think Matt was a little overwhelmed but honored to have been asked. He had to work the day of the baptism and managed to make arrangements to do the baptism. He did a great job and I know that Austin was so excited to become a member of the church. I was glad that Matt was able to perform the ordinance and that our family was able to go and support them. Matt got in a little practice before he will get to baptize Parker! I love a man in white!!

Preschool Graduation

Parker graduated from his first year of Preschool this year. Smartie Pants Preschool had their graduation on May 20th. (yes I am a little behind!) They practiced very hard learning their parts and songs for the program. The teachers were amazing and worked so hard on the program to make it enjoyable for the kids as well as the parents. The cultural hall was decorated so cute and there were a ton of balloons all over. The kids started out with a song and as the song said their name they stood up holding a sign with their name on it. Then a few kids came to the front and introdced themselves and said what they liked about preschool. Then they sang a song as a class. When it was Parker's turn he came to the microphone and said, "Hi I'm Parker and I like preschool cuz I get to play the fishing game." I was a little nervous because we had been practicing he part but we hadn't been practicing an introduction of who he was. So when all the other kids were saying their names I hoped he would be able to say his name clearly for all the people to understand. He did a great job! I was so proud of him. He has loved going to preschool and all the friends he has made. I am still having a hard time trying to tell him that he has one more year of Preschool before Kindergarten. I think he will miss going to school this summer and looks forward to seeing Miss Joni and Miss Allyson next year!!