EASTER

The kids had a fun Easter. We sat around watching General Conferance and eating ham and hard boiled eggs for breakfast and easter candy. I always enjoy listening to conferance. It lifts my spirit and fills our home and hearts with peace. Mark is being goofy as usaully. He has been begging me to get him something to save stuff on the computer for geneolgy and his church stuff. So I bought him a flash drive for easter. Collin was jealous he has been wanting one as well! Do you know how hard it is to get this boy Collin to smile for pictures! Parker loved his scout shirt he got for his birthday. He wore it all easter until I told him to take it off. Now sariah she loves to pose and smile for the camera.

Each of the girls got a bug kit for easter. They love to catch bugs!

THE BIRTHDAY BOY PARKER AGE 11. TODAY APRIL 6TH.

Parker had an Easter Egg Hunt Birthday Party . His birthday was two days away from Easter this year so we decided to combine the egg hunt that grandma Grange used to do for the grand kids for Easter and do it for his birthday . The kids were so sad that Grandma Grange moved out of state. She always hosted a traditional Easter egg hunt for the kids for Easter so I decided to have one.

I made Parker Easter basket cupcakes for his birthday. This is a picture of Parker with cousin Desiree ,who turned 5 the same week, and Uncle Scott Gibby. We combined Parker and Desiree's party together for family that was coming from out of town.

These are pics of the Easter egg hunt! Meg:

Sariah Aunt Chelsea and Elle Grange and Joseph Gibby,

Collin, Meg and Spencer Gibby

Collin tried out for the University of Utah and Brigerland Honor Band. He made it this year .(Last year he didn't.) He had a grueling practice schedule last Thursday evening in Logan at USU, Friday all day, and early Sat. morning. Then in the late afternoon he performed for parents and family. It was amazing the talent these kids had it almost sounded like the Utah Symphony.

We had a very busy week the week of our 17th Anniversary. We had the mystery dinner we were in. We practiced twice that week. Then we had the day of the performanceon our Anniversary. Thursday our free night mark had to refree the young mens basketball. We just couldn't find the time to have a romantic outing. Mark came home from work on the day of our anniversary with these flowers for me. Mind you mark does not give me flowers very often. I can can count on one hand the times he has given them to. I think he wants them to be extra special when he does, plus he has a hard time spending that much money on them, as do I being thrifty . He told me: The white ones are for eternity.The red rose is for love. The carnations are your favorite.(They remind me of my late mother.)They are green for two reasons mostly to represent the St.Patricks day parade that we could see through the temple gates on our wedding day, and because it is your favorite color. I am married to a hopeless romantic> I am so lucky!

Today was Parker last Pinewood derby! He turns eleven in a few weeks. He made a chinese fire dragon. His car looked great, but he didn't win. He did get a cool twinkie car to eat afterwards!

Us together as Mr. and Mrs. Sugarbaker:

Yesterday the 12th Mark and I Were in the cast for the ward adult Murder Mystery Dinner. Mark played Big Daddy sugarbaker, who was murdered at the beginning of the play for his money. Mark also played Ashely Sugarbaker Big Daddy's youngest son. I played Ashley's wife Melanie Sugarbaker. We, the cast, had to interact with the audience in character and answer there questions to help them figure out "who done it". It was a lot of fun! We didn't have to memorize the play line for line we just had to make sure the audience new key facts. We played off the audience using their comments and actions. This is mark as Ashley Sugarbaker. Mark as Big Daddy: Beckee as Melanie Sugarbaker

Sariah Had A wax museum at school the other day. All the kids in the 2nd grade got to choose their hero,dress up like it and pretend to be it. We the parents and other grades walked down the hall and pushed their fake button and they talked about their hero. I saw Amelia Earheart, Benjamin Franklin, and many more. Sariah choose to be Sally Ride the first Female astronaut. Sariah is wearing her sally ride astronaut costume.

Picture of friend Brady Haviland. Sariah has found the love of taking pictures. When I told her no she anyway snuck my camera outside with her friend best friend Brady Haviland and took tons of silly pictures. I had to delelte over 50 pictures. I think I need to get her a kid one for her Christmas so she will stop taking mine.

This is one she took of Molly.

And this one of Parker. I kept the few that she really did a good job on and posted them for your viewing pleasure.

Mark was having fun with the girls the other night just before bed. When they were younger they hated being up side down, but they were just giggling and loving it. Last night when mark was putting the girls to bed after story time they got talking. Sairah said something about but dad your a boy you can't only girls can go. So how are we different? What makes you a girl and me a boy ? She thought and thought after a long pause she said well dad girls have fairy books and boys don't. We just laughed and laughed. He was trying to well you know open up a conversation. Apparently she was not ready yet! Collin said mom you must not be a girls cause you never had fairy books!

We finally got the car of our dreams, a Toyota Sequoia. We saved up and finally went looking hoping to pay cash and not have a loan. Believe it or not while we were looking around for a car I had this dream about this white 2005. When mark said well I like this one, but we will a car payment with it. I said remember my dream this is the one I saw. (I guess we better go with divine intervention.)We looked for two weeks and finally decided on this one the one I saw in my dream pretty "Snow White". Yes we are silly but we do name our cars and I thought snow white fit her just perfectly. Sariah tells everyone about her name. The kids were so excited when we pulled into the drive with her last night. They knew we were looking, but we did not tell them we found one. We surprised them last night. They all jumped in the car and we had to go around the block for ride. Some of you might be concerned with the recent recalls, it does not affect our cars year. It actually came to our advantage the prices went way down for toyotas.

Meg, Molly our puppy and Daddy Mark hanging out ! Look how big Molly has gotten since I posted her last when we got her last April. Molly is pretty much house trained now. She has grow to be a part of our family. She loves to cuddle and play fetch with her "bears". I have even taught her a few tricks , she can sit, stay, shake, and sometimes lie down . I am trying to teach her roll over . We Will see if she can figure out that one.

MEG'S 5TH BITHDAY

Meg had a fun birthday! She wanted a cake that had balloons on it. Then we found these horses and so thus a horses in a corral cake with campers and her balloons. The girls had fun helping me make the fence and put the horses on.

Meg had a make your own pizza party for a few friends and some cousins. The kids had fun making their own pizza and then eating it. It was fun to see all the different kinds of pizza we had.

Here is a video of her opening some of her gifts. I think at the end of opening her gifts she was in awe of all the good loot she got.

So I have officially been a blogger for a year now! One of my first post was for Meg turning 4. Here I go again My baby meg is turning 5 January 30th! I wish she wasn't my baby but I guess having another one was not part of the heavenly plan. I knew there was four for sure but unsure if we were to have more. So...We have tried the unfun fertility round twice now thinking there was one more . Do not get me wrong I like the idea of being done having kids. I am done potty training, done with the sleepness nights, almost done with car seats( if they would just stop upping the age limit!) But ..... having another one would be so bad either. I have learned one thing . I AM SO LUCKY TO HAVE THE KIDS I DO ! The lord blessed me with four when really I should have none. Kids in my view are a blessing.

Collin and Parker got a lot of books for Christmas. Collin is reading "Inkdeath" and Parker "Fablehaven #4". Last Sunday I took this picture of them together sharing the couch and chilling out reading . Last week we had parent teacher conferences. Parker's teacher says in a funny almost laughing tone the only problem I have with Parker is I keep catching him hiding his book under his desk reading when it is time to have a lesson. She kind of laughed and said I hate to tell him to put his book away! After all some kids I can't get them to read at all and Parker can not get enough of it!

Sariah figured out how to use my camera the other day she had so much fun she used up all the memory in the memory card. Hers as a few of her best and funniest!

After:

Before:

For my birthday and Christmas present (since they are so close), Mark built me a built in entertainment center and desk. We both worked like crazy to get it done in the week we had of the new year since he took this week of work off . I have never painted anything as hard as this before. Wow I think it took me almost 24hrs of work to get it painted. I was even the one who painted our family room addition a few years ago. This beat it by far! I think it was all the nooks and crannies, it took a long time. The fire place has 5 coats in some places. I had to get a special primer paint for the fire place because of all the different types of wood was on it some was real other parts were laminate. It was not cheap primer but it will not scratch or peel of over time. i think mark and with some design help from marks brother scott and puddying help from mark's dad. I am so happy with it I even cried when mark hung up the doors over the desk it was what I had wanted and he did such a good job. I am glad to have a husband who is so handy! Thanks for making our home so homey and functional I love you!

We have many christmas family traditions. We go see the christmas lights either at temple square or around town. This year we went to see them at willard bay they have a really fun stay in your car light display that you drive around and see. After the tree is decorated we save a few of the ornaments for a family home evening and talk about the symbols of christmas and how they relate to the birth of jesus. For example the candy cane makes "J" for Jesus and it is also a shepards staff. Also I wrap 12 gifts for the 12 days of christmas and place them on the paino> each gift has a scripture on them either about Jesus's life his miracles or gifts he has given us. The kids take turns picking one each night we read the scripture and talk about jesus ect. Then the kids get to open it. Some year it is christmas books or this year it was treats for the kids. I think of all of our tradition's this one is there favorite. We also make christmas trains every year out of candy bars and then watch a christmas movie. This one reminds me of my grandparents before my grandma died we did this with her and my aunt. This is a tradition I carry on from my childhood.

Caution! Caution ! Frisbee Golf can be dangerous to your health !

We have decided that the boys are accident prone like their dad. Last week mark and the boys decided to do one more round of Frisbee golf before the winter set in. Meg and I were playing a game of memory when my cell phone rang. Collin said mom you need to come quick bring the medical supplies dad is bleeding all over. When I get to the park mark is really bleeding on the bridge of his nose between his eyes. Apparently mark bent down to get his Frisbee, and as soon as mark stood up and turned around Parker's Frisbee hit him between the eyes point blank. Mark should have had stitches but we have learned a thing or two form visiting the ER. Super glue works great ! We glued shut his gaping wound. It took a long time for the bleeding to stop! The next day mark had two yellow purple eyes! He had so much fun telling everyone his son hit him!(not Really)

Frankenstein and his Bride !

What a cute couple. Alive and well from the undead. Mark's family has an adult family Halloween party every year! This year we decided to dress up as traditional Halloween spooks! We were very surprised to win the costume contest!