The only really exciting thing in April was Easter. We went to the city Easter egg hunt on Saturday, the day before Easter, and the kids scrambled in the rain to grab a few plastic eggs filled with candy and coupons for tire rotations. Maycie, however, managed to luck out and scored an egg with a coupon for a little girl's Barbie trike, which if you've read my previous post on her obsession with Barbie Princesses, you'll understand just how excited she was. We also had our traditional Evans family egg hunt down on the farm, where the kids find eggs that are well hidden and loaded with candy and money. This year, my kids pocketed about $10-$20 apiece. On Sunday the kids found baskets left by that magical rabbit we call the Easter bunny, and we all attended church in matching Spring outfits. Then we had our traditional boiled egg roll, where we race colored eggs in twos down a ramp that my Dad built. The eggs slam into each other, and one cracks and one doesn't. We repeat this process till one champion egg remains. The winning egg holder gets the pride of knowing that they lucked out and chose the sturdiest egg that year (though a little cheating is not uncommon). Afterwards, we all throw the broken boiled eggs out into the church parking lot. No worries about littering people, because within a few minutes the seagulls are swarming and every piece of egg and shell is gobbled up. Kind of like the treats in my kids' Easter baskets. I'd have to say that Easter is one of my family's favorite holidays.
May is always the month of Alivia stuff. It's the month of the annual Utah State Jr. Livestock Show, where Alivia showed the pig she had been raising on our farm. Though she did a great job, her pig didn't win- I guess it's fat just wasn't up to par. Of course, only a few lucky pigs out of hundreds actually win the coveted prize of being the most choice pork on the market, so her pig didn't feel too bad. It actually did get a nice ribbon and sold for over $400 at the auction. Not too shabby for a home grown hog! Next up was the Freedom Festival Hope of America program that the school participates in, which is actually pretty cool. Hundreds of kids from a lot of different schools sing together and they wear colored shirts which form the American flag. It's quite an inspiring patriotic sight. The next week, Alivia competed in the school district's Hershey track meet, and she ran the 200m, the 400m, a relay, and also competed in the long jump. She did a great job and had a lot of fun (mostly because the kids all get to miss school that day). Alivia's birthday- number 11 this year- was the same day as the track meet. We had a family party that night, and she scored an awesome new mountain bike. She also got money, clothes, a cute blanket and scentsy burner for her room, and more. That weekend Alivia got to have a swimming party with her friends, though the girls liked the hamburgers, frosties, and fries from Wendy's better than the actual swimming. Who doesn't? Last but not least, Alivia got a kitten for her birthday, though she has to share him with the whole family. We named him Charlie, and the kids love playing with him... or at least they did for the first week or so. Now his new kitty charm has worn off, and they grumble over having to clean the litter box. At least Charlie will have a friend for life with little Maycie, though he'd probably prefer not. After one too many loving choke holds, he runs and hides when he sees her coming. If he can't escape in time, he'll end up being stuffed in the seat of Maycie's trike while she takes him for a ride, or she'll use him as a pillow while she watches Dora or Sponge Bob. Poor kitty.
One last mention for May- Jack graduated from preschool, and his class put on a program to showcase some of what they learned this year. After hearing the monkey song, the elephant song, and the birdie-chicken song, as well as the colors, numbers, letters, and patriotic songs, all I can say is I'm super proud of Jack. That's a load to remember for a little kid! I still can't quite figure out those impossible moves from that birdie-chicken dance. What skills the kids learned! I'm sure my little Einstein will be at the top of his Kindergarten class when school starts- maybe he could even skip right to the first grade!
June has already been overloaded with blog-worthy stuff and we're only half way through the month. But since I haven't uploaded those pics yet, you'll have to check back later for the details. I'll leave you with a little teaser, though. How does a birth, a birthday, a funeral, baseball, and 10 foot high waves crashing over a little boat in 30 mile an hour winds sound? Stay tuned!
