Wheeler farm in March

The weather has seriously been such a blessing!! Maybe not to the water table, but definitely to moms! I have SO enjoyed having such a mild winter and spring so we can spend so much time outside.

 Ivan is at the age where he has no fears. He is mister friendly, and is totally comfortable chatting and blowing kisses to the gangster in line at the grocery store. This also transfers into his dealing with animals. He thinks all animals are nice so isn't the least bit scared sticking his fingers into the animal cages or walking up to the mean geese roaming the farmyard.

Hanging out

Mid March was full of excitement. Mostly because Jeremiah convinced Eric to go into a certain canyon while snowmobiling :) It ended in both of their sleds getting stuck in the heavy wet snow, them hiking up a mountainside and along a trail for approximately 8 miles until their rescuers (Micah and Dallas) picked them up on different snowmobiles and took them the remaining 13 miles to their vehicle. 

Then.....they had to wait a week or two for the snow to melt a little and then for it to become cold again so that they'd be able to get their sleds out. So while Eric, Jeremiah, Dallas, and one other friend were slowly winching the sleds out of their stuck positions, me and the kids relaxed at my parents. My kids LOVE their cousins!!! And their papa and grandma!

These two are moving to Alaska for the Summer! So exciting for them! I get a kick out of hanging out with them. They are filled with young love and high hopes! SO refreshing!!

Volcanoes and Bikes

We learned about volcanoes the other day. After watching some youtube videos on them we built one out of salt dough. We walked around the neighborhood and gathered "greenery" and such to make it more fun. Reese quite liked the baking soda/ vinegar reaction.

I look at this face and think, "how do I ever get upset with her?" 

She learned last month to pedal! The motion clicked and now she LOVES riding her bike all over. Thankfully the weather has been nice so we can spend a good portion of the day outside riding bikes. Ivan gets jealous of Reese's big bike, so she is nice and lets him have turns while she races around on his little tikes bike.

And yes, she dresses herself most days. I don't know that I'd put these 2 patterns together myself, but it actually turned out kind of cute. If this skirt is clean she picks it without fail. Good thing it is size 6 - 9 months :)

We bought her a princess helmet this week because she is getting pretty quick on her bike now, and thankfully she loves wearing it.

Feeling Blessed

This last week was filled with a new adventure for our family. Eric started a new job!

Last August Eric finished up the coursework for his Masters in Public Administration at the U of U. We have job searched all over the U.S. and Canada ever since, and even after multiple interviews, nothing ever came to fruition. Although we were grateful for the employment Eric had during the interim, we were hoping and praying for something that would put his newly acquired degree to use and allow him to start in the career path he had chosen.

At times when I'd get frustrated with the job hunt, I would feel that Eric was simply being saved for something our Heavenly Father had in store for him. The past few months have been really trying. Although the job hunt was stressful, that was only a portion of the trials we have been facing. Thankfully arm in arm, and with the help of our Savior, we have trudged through the messes. I feel that we have endured well for the most part, and that we have been blessed for that. At the end of February, things with the job hunt finally came together. The timing and perfect lining up of the events that led to the job were more than coincidence, and we know the Lord's hand guided us to this very unique job opportunity.

Eric is now the Special Advisor to the Lieutenant Governor of Utah. It is and will continue to provide Eric with experience far superior to any he would have gained in any of the other jobs we applied to. Although there are still messes that need our consideration, it is nice to have the financial side of our trials laid to rest and invigorating to have Eric so excited about this new career.

Discovery Gateway

For our ward playgroup a month or two ago, we went to the Discovery Gateway Museum. It was so cool! If I had prepared better, I think my kids would have spent the entire day there, totally entertained. But I was SO hungry after 4 hours.

 Reese was in heaven going grocery shopping, taking the groceries to the little house, putting the groceries away, and then mothering the babies.

 Ivan wanted to try everything. He especially loved all the bikes, cars, trucks, and the garden area where you can pick the veggies.