Today was picture day for Ashton's baseball team.  It was freezing.  They only got their jerseys right before it was time to get the pictures taken.  He is a "blueclaw" this year.  I know what is that, right?  Well it is a crab or at least that is the picture on his shirt.  His first game is Monday night, can't wait.  And it is supposed to be WARM!

Lexie had to participate in the invention convention at school.  I said had to because when she brought the papers home from school, I was thinking what in the world are we ever going to do and why, why why?  This was not a school project that I wanted to help her with at all.  But finally, we came up with an idea and made it happen.  A lunch bag that zipped out to become a placemat to eat on.  Good job Lexie on never giving up and making it happen.

Tonight is book club.  I love going so much, I wish I had started going years ago!  I realize that this is really the first time that I really feel comfortable going given our situations, but I still wish.  This month the book was President Monson's Biography "To the Rescue".  I LOVED this book (I LOVE this man!)  It wasn't a very easy read, but it was wonderful.  I'm not a book buyer (why should you buy a book, when you can borrow it from the library? has always been my motto!)  But this book is a buyer, I bought it AFTER I read it from the library!  See how good it was.  Prefect Sunday afternoon reading in my opinion.

We bought Lexie a nook color for her birthday and I am so jealous. I was jealous before, when it was just a reader, but now Barnes and Noble sent out their latest update and basically turned her reader into a table PC and I am really jealous, green green green with envy.  It can even play Angry Birds, my kids all time favorite new gadget game. We have been contemplating buying an Ipad, but now there is no need this is basically the same thing for HALF the price!  Ya for Lexie!

I have been wondering what Abbie's hair would like if it wasn't so curly so today after I got her out of the bathtub I used my straight iron on her hair to make it as straight as possible.  She was really good and cooperated with me and let me do it, even though it was hot on her head.  I was a little worried that it wouldn't go back curly after I used my straight iron on it, but did it anyway.  Her hair was so long, but I really didn't like the straight hair so we won't be doing that again any time soon, but it was fun to see.

Today we dyed our easter eggs.  It was really fun.  We just bought a standard pack but somehow it had a few extra color packets so we had lots of choices for colors.  Abbie was especially cute because this was the first time that she really "got" dyeing easter eggs and loved choosing which color to try next.

Happy Birthday Lexie!!  My sweet girl turned 11 today.  We had a fun morning, we went to see Disney's new movie that the only put out on Earth Day (which is today if you didn't know) African Cats.  It was a cute show, although a little long for little kids. My mom and nephew joined us for the show and then it was time to take the birthday girl shopping.  I already knew what we were going to get her, but I don't think she knew until we pulled into the parking lot of Barnes and Noble.  My mom went in on her present with us and we got her a nook color.  We had a pretty low key afternoon, then went to dinner at the Myan, Lexie's choice.  After dinner we had ice cream cake from Marble Slab.  We invited Tash, RJ and their kids down to help us celebrate and eat the cake.  I think she had a fun day.

 We keep getting a glimpse of warmer weather and then it's gone again.  Since it has been rainy and pretty much disagreeable lately (kinda like me) I decided to try and bring a little sunshine and spring into the house since we can't go outside and get any.  I love my daffodils because they come up every year and remind me that spring is indeed on it's way.  And the come with an added bonus, the deer won't eat them like they will tulips and other spring flowers.

Monday's are always a little crazy around here.  First I take Ashton to preschool after getting Lexie on the bus, then I try and get as many errands done as I can before I have to go pick Ashton and Josh up from preschool.  Then I take Josh to my mom's house for her to babysit and end up staying for a while so that the kids can play with their cousins (not like they don't see each other all the time). Well then I have to run home and get try and get more stuff done while waiting for Lexie to get home from school so we can run back to my mom's house's so she can go to piano lessons which are just down the street from grandma's.  Sometimes I try and do dinner in the crock pot or something easy for Monday's dinner, but it never seems to work out.  Well tonight we tried something new and it was really fun. I found a recipe in a soup cookbook that my mom just got.  It was mushroom barley soup.  Everyone wanted to try it (and I had all the ingredients at my house) so I decided I would cook the soup at her house and make enough for who ever wanted to eat.  When I went home to get Lexie, I got everything ready and then while she was at piano I made dinner at my parents house.  The soup was really yummy and it was fun to cook for my parents at their own house.  We are going to try it again next week.  Too bad that picture doesn't do much for showing how yummy the soup really was.  Guess I need to get better at taking food pictures.

After church today my kids wanted to make a fort like they saw on Sid the Science Kid. They had so much fun playing in it.  I love it when they really use their imagination.  

Today was Lexie's first soccer game.  She hasn't played since she was 5 so I was little nervous for her, but she had a great time and was happy after the game (even though her team lost.)  She said after the game "I forgot how much I like playing soccer!"  I'm glad that I went ahead and let her sign up, even though it makes us super busy.  

Last weekend at the store Ashton found this strawberry huller (I'm not even sure it that is a word or not but that is what this cute thing does).  He really wanted to try it and I figured it wouldn't hurt to give it a try.  Well it works beautifully and I can let Ashton get the tops off his own strawberries now, which is great for me when I am busy trying to get something else ready and he "just can't wait!"  You open up the end, by pressing in the button on the back.  Then stick the pointy things down into the berry, turn and pull it out.  Off comes the stem and the hull and the berry is ready to eat.  Wonderful!

Good morning!  Breakfast with love... I tried to show my kids a little extra love this morning and made "heart toast"  to go with their scrambled eggs.

Today at Costco the kids found this wooden playhouse and had to get inside and play.  Wish we had something like this at our house...

Sometimes I am amazed by my kiddos and the things that they think of to do.  Today Ashton asked me if he could use some boxes to make a golf course in the backyard,  I really didn't know how that would work out, but I said that was fine as long as he didn't make a mess.  Well this is what he came up with all by himself.  Pretty darn cute if you ask me.

And the best part was that he cleaned up all the little pieces of box all by himself without having to be  reminded by me!!  Now the boxes have become garages for his matchbox cars....  It is true (at least in my house) that the box becomes a better toy than what was actually inside it a lot.

Last night we had the monthly Presser/Christiansen family birthday party for all the people with birthdays in April.  That includes Lexie.  We had a fun time, we ate good food and had lots of laughs.  All of my nieces and nephews are getting too big too fast.  I didn't take any pictures while we were there (cause once again I forgot my camera) but here is one I took a while ago at a different family party of Abbie and her cousin Taylor.  Abbie thinks it is so cool because Taylor can walk now and she says a few words.  She told me, "Taylor is still a baby but she can walk."

I looked out the window and what did I see...

Popcorn popping on the apricot tree!  Even with all of the snow and cold weather we have been having, spring is still trying to break through.  I noticed out the window today that our tree had blossoms, apricot blossoms.  Why is the rest of the tree bare you ask?  Because it is a "fruit salad tree" and each branch is a different fruit: apricot, peach, nectarine, and plum.  We just planted it this fall so I doubt that we will have any fruit this year but I can't wait to make fruit salad!

For our anniversary/my birthday Jake sent me flowers.  It was a wonderful surprise, well it really wasn't a surprise, but I still felt very loved.  Some of that giving flowers to people that you love must have rubbed off onto Ashton because when we were at the store today he picked up a this bouquet of flowers and brought them to me saying "mommy I love you!"  it was so cute I HAD to buy the flowers and bring them home to enjoy.  I think that he was as tickled as me, because he had a smile on his face all day!  What a sweet boy I have.

Happy Feet!  Jake found me a great online deal on reef flip flops (my favorite flip flop).  They are so super comfortable, I ordered two pairs and they came TODAY!  I was so excited when the UPS man brought the package to our door. I wore each pairs for a little while today, even though it was snowing.  Too bad I am going to have to wait a little to be able to wear them on a regular basis, stupid snow :(  Warmer weather you can come anytime and stay around.

Happy Birthday Trisha!  We celebrated in her honor at her favorite restaurant, Sizzler.  Which I think is becoming Ashton's favorite place to eat also.  He loves their shrimp and can devour as many as I can.  

Tonight Ashton asked me if I would put up his "stars", it seems like more and more my answer is usually 

no with a big sigh attached saying that I have too much else to do and it will take too long... blah, blah, blah.  While that may be true, I also know that it will only take a few minutes to do whatever it happens to be that one of the kids is asking for.  So tonight I said yes even though I really wanted to say no, and it really only rook a few minutes to put it up, and it made two kids really happy.  It was worth it!!  (Even his sheets match, which just happened to be a coincidence.)

Abbie the gymnast...  She is always trying to impress me with her latest feat.  This time it was a handstand on the couch.  Too cute, hope she doesn't hurt herself one of these times.

Spring in Utah. I think that is an oxymoron.  We have had a couple of nice warm days lately and then this morning we woke up to this...

I am torn though, because it was really beautiful this morning.  I just wish that it wasn't April 3rd.  At least it will melt off quickly.

No April fools day pictures here...

Ashton caught me doing my favorite past time(obsession)... reading.  I could read all day and all night, if I just had the time.  I know that my family gets upset with me sometimes because I just can't put a book down.  I've stayed up until the wee hours of the morning because I just had to finish a good read, I always regret it the next day when I do.... but that never stops me at the time.