Easter Break

Well Easter break (winter break) has come and gone, it was nice and low key. The thought of playing in the snow for spring break wasn't really too appealing to me, but the kids loved it and I stayed inside, nice and cozy.

Cooper

Cooper and his good buddy Paul (they are only 4 months apart), they have a great time together.

Bode starting to build his snowman

Little Pei with her hat that is sized to fit a 12 month old, a little too small. :)

On Friday the Easter festivities started!

First it was a Easter Egg Hunt party at grandma Bubba's (my mom).

Every year she plans a little Easter egg hunt where they look for eggs and some eggs have "bunny money" in them when they are done they can take the money to the "bunny store" and buy toys with it. It is a big hit with all the kids.

She starts off the party with the kids making birds nests...yummy, it seems like I always eat ALL the birds nest, I think I did it again this year.

My mom, the cute hostess.

Most of the grandkids before the Easter egg hunt, actually I think we are missing about 5 or so...

The little kids hunt was inside, Peiton wasn't too sure on what was going on. She just kind of took her time and slowly tried to find eggs...

Once Bode understood the purpose of the hunt, he was all over it!

As usual, Coop was loving it...even in the snow!

Peiton bought a little lamb with her "bunny money."

Bode couldn't decide.

Saturday was a relaxing day, staying home and watching conference and not doing a whole lot. Nice.

Sunday morning we checked to see if the Easter Bunny made it..he did!

We also dyed Easter Eggs Sunday morning, I should do this everyday, it kept Bode and Peiton pretty busy, messy, but busy.

Concentrates so hard.

That night we went to my sister Stacy's for dinner (didn't bring the camera) I ate more than I should have and had to roll myself home. Dang Easter candy and food!

It was a fabulous Easter.

Coop

I love going to parent teacher conferences, I just love to hear what a cute boy I have and what a good student he is...I know that won't be for all of my kids, but I am going to enjoy it while I can! A couple of weeks ago we had parent teacher conferences, Cooper's teacher sends home some work that they have been doing at school for the last couple months. I was reading it and couldn't help but laugh, so cute! Here are a few of the things he wrote:

New Year's Resolutions

1. This year, I will be more patient with gedding food (getting food).

2. This year, I will study on spelling harder.

3. This year, I will keep my room more tidy by clening up (cleaning up). Not really happening. :)

4. I will try harder to get along with my brother. Already does an outstanding job at that!

5. I will try to eat healthy foods, even on Easter. What??

6. I will help keep my home clean by moping the floor. Hasn't happened.

7. I will save some of my money to pay my tithing.

8. I will choose what I watch on TV more carefully, only watch 10 minutes every week. Uhm..

9. I will exercise more often, especially by running faster.

When I am a 100 years old I would wach (watch) t.v. and play checers (checkers) with my frind (friend) and wanch (watch) football. Go Saints!! and I would sleeeep!! and I would make cookies for my naberse (neighbors).

So love it!

Fire fighters

I do not want to be a fierfiter (firefighter) because it yocs (looks, he still says yocs for looks) scary and I won't see my family for a wily (really) long time. And I don't want to go in the fire because it yocs (looks) like its dagoys (dangerous) and hot and you could get hert (hurt) cause you cod (could) get heat by the fier (fire).

I love this kid!

Blog Award!

Here are the rules for the award:
1. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
2. Name the person who gave the award to you and link to their blog (or hyperlink).
3. List 10 things that make you happy.
4. Pass the award on to other bloggers and visit their blogs to let them know.

Thanks Tausha for this awesome blog award!

I met Tausha almost two years ago when her sister-in-law Debbie, who is a friend of mine told me that she just had a little guy born with Down's Syndrome. My heart went out to her, because I knew what she was going through. She has been awesome and she had done such a great job with cute little Sam...my heck, she has already started potty training him, what?? I am a failure when it comes to the potty training part. She is a great mom who endures her trials well and comes out on top! Thanks again Tausha!

So here it goes, 10 things that make me happy (not in order)!

1. The SUN, I love the sun! The warm sun makes me SO happy (really needing it right now).

2. Cinnamon bears, tootsie rolls and cookie dough milk shakes make me really happy...not so happy after I indulge them, but for the time being they make me happy.

3. Running!!! I love to run and I am so glad that my injury is no longer bothering me (for now, keep my fingers crossed).

4. My kids. I know I complain a lot about them, but they really DO make me happy. I really don't know what I would do without them.

5. Collin makes me happy. It makes me happy that he will do anything to make me happy. Love him.

6. My sisters make me happy. I love to be with my sisters, it seems like my worries go away and I can just have fun with them, laugh and goof around or they can listen to me cry...:)

7. Laughing makes me happy. Nothing better than a good ole gut wrenching laugh session. Love it!

8. I have GREAT friends that make me so happy. We have a good time together and I know I can count on them for anything.

9. The movies make me happy! I love to go to a movie, a good movie.

10. My mom makes me happy. Again, she will do anything to make sure I am happy, she worries, prays and does MANY things to make sure I am okay. Love her.

Now here are the blogs that I would love to give the award too!

1. My sister Hollie she does a great job with her blog, it makes me laugh a ton! I love reading all the stories she posts about her cute little munch kin kids...Drew is not so much a munch kin, but Kate is.

2. The next one goes to Heather. I met Heather at Utah Down Syndrome Foundation Lagoon Day last summer. She has a darling daughter Morgan, that has Down Syndrome. We then got reacquainted at the Buddy Walk. She is awesome! She is so on top of it with Morgan, it really makes me feel like a slacker, but pushes me too. She is always so kind and always so willing to give helpful information. She is awesome!

3. This blog just makes me happy. It is called the Cheaping Girls! They are so much fun! They are great friends with my in-laws and I have gotten to know them better too. I love to read their blog! They post, great finds, products they love, etc, etc...It is a mother and two of her daughters that publish on the blog and they crack me up. If I need a happy dose, I go there. Fashion and things that make you feel good, just make me happy. Thanks ladies!

Alias

Last Friday, I was able to participate in a Alias party. For those that have no clue what I am talking about...Alias was a big drama, suspense, t.v show that was air about 8 to 10 years ago. It starred Jenifer Gardner and was actually pretty good. I only caught a few episodes, probably because I was too busy watching Dawson's Creek or the teenage love shows that I do love.

My sister Hollie invited us to participate in this, and I am so glad she did! We had a blast!

We were put together with two other girls, Jen and Marcy, funny thing, I went to high school with Jen and I don't think I have really seen her since. So it was so fun to hang out and just get to know her a little better.

It was basically like a road rally, but we had certain challenges we had to do....to name a few:

-Get a sample of gelato.

-Do a Chinese fire drill on State Street.

-Break into another team's players home and steal a family picture.

-Make a coke bomb in a public place

-Find a rendezvous location.

-Get a hostage

-Shooting range

-Get a picture of a bride at her reception.

These were most of them, and they were pretty fun to do.

The shooting range, was pretty fun! I haven't shot a gun for quite sometime and I forgot how powerful they really are.

There were probably about 45 girls dressed up in some kind of "Alias" costume roaming around from Draper to Murray, it was pretty awesome! After we were done we came back and had some grub and took a look at all the pictures. A lot of work was put into this and it payed off, we had a great time!

Love and Hate

These two girls crack me up, they either love each other or hate each other. It is very rare that you get them together and for the whole playing date, they love each other. The other night was an exception.

They played great! My sister Hollie and I are always doing babysitting trade offs, it makes life a lot more easier when you know you can call someone and they will be more than happy to tend, it goes both ways for us. So, Kate and Peiton get some good, quality time together and I love it when they have a good time because that means I have a good time and I don't have to break up any fights.

(Ignore Peiton's dirty face, it seems like my kids are getting messier by the day, I swore I would ALWAYS have clean kids...not happening)

They are so much a like that is is kind of crazy. When Kate was a baby, Hollie would tell me the things that she was doing (the crazy things) and I just thought to myself that is just like Peiton and good luck. As Kate gets older, I still think she does things that Peiton did. They are both just sass and cuteness mixed together. Love them both.

Future basketball star!

Need I say more.

Bedtime!

Bedtime is not a fun time at the Richards home! Isn't bedtime suppose to be nice, relaxing, quiet, etc...not here, it is quite opposite of that. It is mean, stressful, loud, screaming (by mom and kids) and I have really about had it. Cooper goes to bed great, but Cooper simply is great and obedient, not anything like the other two. Bode and Peiton will put up a fight, literally a fight, until mom is at her wits ends and ready to walk out the door!

Well for the last 3 or 4 months, our darling Peiton has NOT wanted to go to bed. She use to beg to go to bed, get in her crib and ta-da, she was a sleep. So nice. Not so nice now. There were a few nights that she would scream for over 2 hours before she would stop and she stops because Collin would go in and get her. Well we thought we would put her on the floor, worked wonders, for two nights, then it was back to crying and screaming and mommy or daddy having to lay by her until she is asleep. I don't know about you, but I am not one of those moms that can lay by there kid until they fall asleep, I want bedtime to be quick so I can get on with all the fun things I am going to do when they are asleep, okay not really fun things, but things that need to be done. It wasn't happening. About 2 weeks ago I thought I would just leave the door open and see if that helped a little bit, it did, but nothing to be ecstatic over, but she did fall asleep on her own, on her own floor. Progress.

Well last week my good friend Allison mentioned that she had a spare twin size bed that we could use to get her off the floor, we took her up on that offer! We thought that this is going to work, she just needs a bed! Well it has been better, she kind of whimpers a little bit, but then after 10 minutes she usually will fall asleep. Some nights are better than others, last night was not a good night, but I see progress. The bad thing is she comes into our room EVERY night about 1:00 and falls asleep on our floor. You know, I am fine with that, but she is not getting in my bed, it is my bed and plus there is no room, Bode is already in there, which is a whole new challenge. I love bed time!

So here is a happy little Peiton in her big girl bed that we are just praying she will soon LOVE and just want to crawl up and put herself to bed. I know, not going to happen, but I can dream right?

Sweet Email

Okay this post is a little random, but clear back in November or December, I got the sweetest email from somebody (I don't even remember her name...sorry) but it was really nice and she said some very great and encouraging things to me and mentioned another ladies blog that she follows who also has a child with Down Syndrome. Well, I got the email and was starting to reply, then got interrupted by kids...crazy I know, but by the time I got back to it, I had deleted it somehow or lost it when my computer crashed just after that. I have been meaning to make this post to see if she still reads my blog and if she could shoot me another email to bode1110@msn.com, I would love to reply to her and continue to look at the blog of the mother going through similar things that I am.

So, if you are out there and didn't determine that I was a very rude person because I never responded to you, please email me back! I would love to chat with you!

Thank you!!

Green?

Talk about slacker! It has been almost a month since I have posted last! That tells you how exciting the Richards life has been..nothing more than potty training, no sleeping, stuck in the house because of the yucky weather (besides the last couple days), pretty boring!

Well we did have a holiday yesterday, which means I must make a post! I hope everyone had a great St. Patty's Day, we sure had a green one around her (I am sure Collin wished it was a little greener...ha, ha, catch my drift, I pulled a funny!) Anyway, this is what our day entailed....

Waking up to a box of Lucky Charms for breakfast!

Peiton was in heaven. This girl loves Lucky Charms, not the cereal part, but the marshmallows. Cooper thought they were pretty yummy too and Bode stayed clear (not surprised).

I usually make green pancakes but nobody really touches them, Bode won't eat anything he is not familiar with and the other two could really care less to have them.

Cooper went off to school and enjoyed a great day of fun festivities, the same with Bode and Peiton and I hung out at home, I even forgot to dress Peiton in green. How lame am I?

When Cooper got home there were some footprints left by the clever little Leprechaun leading to a pot of gold!

Dinner wasn't too fancy, usually I put a little more effort into it, but my kids are pretty picky, so why? Well, they didn't really eat what I made anyway, so why do I cook? We had chicken and broccoli stir fry, green Jello (no one ate), green apples, and green lemonade... scrumptious!

I hope everyone had a super green St. Patty's day!