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A Real Update

 It's about time for a real what-have-we-been-up-to update. In spite of intentions to do this monthly, I cheated the last few months with essays and a book post. A lot has happened since February. Pictures are usually better than words. And, in pictures, you can't hear any of the fighting. :)

Brooklyn and Sean finished up their winter basketball seasons. All of us had fun going to the games. Andrew and Ricky, especially, liked jumping on the court to play half-time one-on-one even if they might have made enemies with a staff member who didn't like them on the court as non-paying participants.




We traveled to Washington for Spring Break. Some of the kids and I explored the beaches while Rick, Ricky, and Andrew spent time at Planet Fitness lifting weights. 




We took many trips to the park by Grandma and Grandpa's house. The zip line is always a hit.

The kids also like playing Wii Sports and Mario Brothers on Grandpa's gaming system.
Brooklyn and Gavin had fun with the Easter decorations. They lined up all of the noise-making bunnies and chicks and played them all at once.
Another trip to another beach.



The kids also made pajama pants with Grandma and designed and printed t-shirts and sweatshirts.

The weekend after getting back, Ricky had two back-to-back shifts at the Washington DC temple. I drove him there and enjoyed a day of sunshine, spring blossoms, and my first visit to Capitol Hill.






Only a couple of weeks after this trip, we got on the road again to meet Emily and Logan in Canada for the great 2024 Eclipse. I think that deserves its own post, so I'll end this one with a few of my favorite random pictures from the last few months. Emily was lamenting that I don't share as many funny stories on our blog anymore. Mostly, it's because very little kids say funny things, so they make it easy, but maybe I'm also not finding the day-to-day stresses of older kids as funny. What's funny about Sean not going to school?


But here are a few funny things. No words. Just pictures.



Last, this next picture isn't funny. Rick and I have had a lot of difficult conversations about parenting, life, personal and spiritual development, and on and on. Both of us want to do the best we possibly can for each other and for ourselves, but sometimes we don't agree on what is "the best." These sticky notes on my computer screen help me keep hope and perspective.

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