Family Pictures

Have you ever tried to get 6 small children to sit still and smile for a family photo? This is the best that we ended up with thanks to super-short attention spans of the Richardson Clan...(minus Elder David Richardson in Philly)

Two Teeth!!!

After much pain and sorrow, Hyrum finally cut his first tooth on March 28th and his next tooth on April 5th. He has just had a difficult time teething. He has been, by far, my worst teether. He kept getting a fever and chewing on everything he could get in his mouth. We have had many sleep deprived nights and tough days. I am so glad – 2 down and many more to come. Hopefully we will have a small break before the next one comes. Here is my boy eating his favorite snack…graham crackers.

Kyla's Visit

My sister and her family have come and gone. It was a whirlwind of activities for the three weeks she was here, and probably the most fun I have had with my sister since my last night at College 8 years ago. (Don’t ask – just know that we had a REALLY good time painting the town red…) Since our kids are now old enough to play together it was so much fun to watch their interactions. They all had a blast at Grandma and Grandpa’s house but I have to wonder, what kid wouldn’t? We had activities, games, and parties almost every day. On top of that Grandma was always dishing out ice cream cones and Grandpa was making popcorn every time we turned around.

I think everyone misses Owen’s exclamation of, “Oh Man!” Jenna now says it all of the time. Jadyn thinks that she is a ‘Guitar Hero’ (although I am sure that Matthew was the one that was really playing) and she likes to tell me, “Mommy, I ROCK!” I have to thank Matthew for introducing Jadyn to the world of games: X-box and Leapster used to be foreign words in our house and now Jadyn thinks that she wants all of those games for her birthday. Hyrum loved lying on the floor and watching the 5 bigger kids run around and play. Life must seem a lot less interesting from his vantage point.

Mostly I have to thank my parents for giving the kids so many wonderful memories. We had a zoo trip, several swimming expeditions, birthday celebrations, a piñata, an Easter egg hunt and lots of candy, park visits, Chuck-E-Cheese, movie nights, rock throwing, water fights, sleepovers, all of the good food a kid could want, games, stories, and the list can go on and on. We rarely get to see our Ohio Cousins, so this was a special treat. Every single day was an adventure. I must have taken over 1000 pictures while they were visiting.

Long Delay in Posting

For those that have faithfully continued to check my blog and seen the same posts from last month, I apologize. I have had serious issues with my email and log-ins since Jared moved his office to Mesa. (Hooray for the new office!!!) Thankfully he left me a computer. Unfortunately I have been unable to access my blog or my email for the last few weeks. Now I am back and ready to post a month worth of blog entries! Yes! Thanks for waiting, and checking, and waiting some more.

Easter Dresses!

For the last few years, Nana has made Easter Sunday special by purchasing beautiful Easter dresses for her precious little girls. This year was no exception. All of them were decked out in poka-dots and white hats. Melanie and I got crafty and made the hats match the little dresses. Here are some of the adorable photos that we took of the 3 oldest girls. Addison and Hyrum didn't make it outside for the photo shoot, but Razzie, Jadyn and Jenna looked absolutely adorable! Here are some shots of the girls on the porch swing. I love Easter Dresses!

Over on the rock the Poka-Dot Princesses laughed at Jared's funny faces.

What is could be cuter than this? Thank you so much, Nana!

Glorious Day for an Easter Egg Hunt!

We arrived at Grandma and Grandpa's house Saturday morning to discover that the Easter Bunny had already been there and left some wonderful things.

Jadyn told me very matter-of-factly that: "Peter Cottontail is a nice Easter Bunny that leaves good eggs for good kids and stinky, rotten eggs for bad kids. He likes me so this year we will have lots of good eggs for everyone." She even made up an entire song about the the good, white Easter Bunny named Peter Cottontail that hop, hop, hops to give good eggs to good kids. I wish I had that on video, but she did the entire explanation and song while we were driving. Still, it made me laugh. Where does she get these ideas???

He (Jadyn's friend Peter Cottontail) left dozens of brightly colored eggs hidden all over the yard, in the trees, and even in the playhouse. He also left a big basket of goodies for each child. The kids were so anxious about finding eggs that they barely even glanced at the baskets before running onto the yard. Matthew and Jadyn found the most eggs, but even Owen and Hyrum (with help) were able to grab a few before all of the older siblings found them. After Jenna had about 5 eggs, she stopped looking so that she could sit down and eat some chocolate. I have never seen a kid that likes chocolate so much! The hunt was a blast and Jared and I made sure to get plenty of pictures and video despite the terribly bright sunlight. Kyla and Matt were at a wedding in California on Saturday so we had to made sure we had lots of stuff to show them even though they missed all of the excitement. I was really happy that we did the Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday morning so that we could focus more on the real reason for Easter on Sunday. I think this will become a tradition for us in the future.

After all of the eggs were located, the kids finally turned their attention to the Easter Baskets. Jadyn was excited about the little toys and the coloring book. She was so happy that Peter Cottontail knew that she would LOVE her new princess toys! Now he really is one of her best friends. Jenna went straight for the chocolate and the bubbles. Hyrum didn't know what to think, but he spent the rest of the day chewing on his new teether and stuffed bunny. The cotton candy in his basket disappeared faster than anything else. I just have to thank Grandma and Grandpa for putting on a wonderful Easter Egg Hunt. It was a fabulous day to celebrate Easter with our cousins!