Busy Family Life

 Most weeks it seems that we have something every weeknight, and that is even after limiting the kids to one extra activity.  In addition to his sport, currently soccer, Tal is in Cub Scouts.  He is working toward his Bear and absolutely LOVES going to den and pack meetings.  In March our troop held their annual Pinewood Derby.  Tal and Kris decided to go with their winning design from last year but modeled it as the "T Rocket" for this year.  Without the Harry Potter is was a little light in weight though and they ended up super gluing quarters to the bottom right before the race.  The Rocket still raced well and Tal came in 1st in his Den and 6th overall. 

In addition to ballet, Abi is in Activity Days through our ward.  I have the blessing of being her leader, Best Calling in the church.  For our Daddy Daughter Date this year, the girls elected to have a Hoe Down.  We had so much fun making the dinner including chili, cornbread, salad, pie and homemade ice cream and painting this mural for our backdrop.  Kris and Abi dressed in their country finest for a night down on the farm.  They enjoyed a fun filled evening of dining, dancing the Virginia Reel, and playing games like Wheel-Barrow Race, Three Legged Race and Egg Toss. 

Adventures in Eating at 10 months

When I uploaded my photos last night to blog about Eva I realized that ALL of her 10 month photos captured her in various stages of messiness as she ate.  This last month truly has been an adventure in eating for Eva.  She is very cognizant of what we are eating and will "Uh, Uh" at us until she gets a taste as well.   In this one she is enjoying a brownie along with her yogurt melts.

Another favorite was the night we had spaghetti.  This wasn't even the worst of it.  By the end of dinner, Eva had spaghetti from head to toe.  She had a bath right after dinner. :) I have taken to placing an old vinyl tablecloth under her chair which serves as a splat mat.  Then after meals we can shake it into the garbage.

This evening we had smoothies for a snack.  Eva begged for a taste from Abi who obliged her.  Little did Abi know that Eva would steal her glass and then proceed to dump it  down her front as she drank.  Eva LOVED smoothies.  In fact Eva loves most food but she does have favorites including strawberries, bananas, mandarin oranges, apples, noodles of any kind, peas and yogurt. 

And so this morning I had to snap a quick picture of my little Eva when she was clean.  Her hair is curling up so cute in the back, especially when I put a little gel in it.  Eva has 6 teeth now, 3 on top and 3 on bottom.  With the teething we have had several rough nights and are back to middle of the night wakings and then sleeping with mom until morning.  Thankfully we have naps back under control and mom guards those fiercely.  Eva has learned several words this month and now says Momma, Dadda, Abi, EeeAh ( Leah), Buddy (for Talmage), baby and Hi.  While sometimes she pairs the right word with the right person she often just babbles along in the sweetest little voice.  Eva has also learned to wave and to pat loved ones on the back when she gives them hugs.  Eva continues to grow quickly.  This month I had to start pulling out some of the 18 month clothing and packing away some of the 12 month clothing that is too small.  Eva is beginning to cruise along the furniture when she pulls up to a stand but still prefers to get around with her little scoot.  Our family loves music and Eva is no exception.  When we put music on the radio or computer she will smile and bounce along with the beat.  She also loves to be sung to at naps and bedtime as I nurse her.  Whenever she hears " I Am a Child of God" she will snuggle right in.  With the warm weather of spring arriving Eva loves to be outside.  We went to the park and she giggled and grinned and she swung on the swing with Kris and went down the slides with Talmage.  She also loves to just be out in the grass or on the trampoline with the other kids.  Her nickname is Eva MaGoo and she continues to be a sweet and happy baby.

Hoppy Easter

The little Meeks were certainly eggcited for Easter this year. I bought the D"egg"orating party kit this year and we had a blast dying, painting, glittering and beading our eggs. As they were drying Leah gathered them all into a little pile on the towel and spread her ever present tutus over them announcing, "This is my nest. I am keeping them warm." On Saturday morning we headed up to Lewisville for the annual Easter egg hunt. One of the joys of Idaho is the fickle spring weather. But the kiddos braved patches of snow to fill their baskets with goodies. We also stopped the Easter Bunny for a quick pic. Unfortunately, this is the good picture.

Talmage was so excited for the Easter Bunny to come that he left out a plate of carrots and a glass of water. It must have paid off because Sunday morning they found Easter baskets, hidden eggs and a new Liken movie, "Jonah and the Big Fish."
Even Eva got into the spirit of finding a few eggs though what she really wanted was the other kids jelly beans. We all breakfasted on Easter Eggs and the fun cereals that the Easter Bunny had left and then got dressed in our new Easter clothes.

Yet more proof that I have the cutest little bunch of Meek children.

Sunday dawned sunny and warm, a perfect day to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. Today I am especially thankful that His atoning sacrifice makes it possible for our family to be together forever.