The Performer

Jolie performed with a group of kids in a little talent show at the church last night. They did a medley that included "Zippity Do Dah" and "I'm a Mormon". It was very cute. Our neighbor, Lonna, invited Jolie to perform because she's such a good singer in Primary.

Earlier this week I took Tristan and Jolie to see "The Sound of Music" at a local theater. It was a rare thing for us since we knew we'd be out late on a school night. I'm glad we did it because they both enjoyed it. It was a great play for them to see because they both know the story and we all love the music (notice the title to my blog).

This week I've decided that Jolie's talents lie in the area of singing, dancing and performing rather than competitive sports. Last weekend she sat out half of her soccer game (by choice) and when she's on the field she doesn't like to take the ball away from other players because she feels that it's a mean thing to do. On the other hand, she LOVED the musical, LOVES dancing, LOVED performing at the talent show, and she even asked if she could take acting lessons. Maybe that's where we should concentrate our energies...

Spring Break II

One of the highlights of our trip to So Cal was Legoland. It was amazing! We hadn't really planned to go but the concierge at our resort gave us the idea by offering us free tickets if we went on a sales tour. Dan and I were able to get 2-day tickets through AAA which made it worth our time to go to Legoland and NOT go on the tour. Although it's tempting to get free stuff, Dan and I have decided that vacations are too short to spend 2 or 3 hours having our arms twisted while our children are stuck in a hole somewhere watching TV. Yes, we've learned this from experience.

It was hard to decide which photos to post since we took so many. I had to include the one of Jolie holding onto dear life while on the Safari ride. This is basically a little train that wound very slowly through some trees and brush. The safari animals, all built out of legos, were amazing! It was not scary at all but, you see, Jolie is afraid of amusement park rides. She won't go on anything that leaves the ground or has any speed at all. This started two summers ago when we were at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. Grandpa D. and Daddy decided it would be fun to take Tristan and Jolie on a little ride called "The Big Bad Wolf." It turned out to be a terrifying roller coaster that Jolie, at 3 years old, shouldn't have been allowed on in the first place. The result was that Tristan wet his pants (I'm not kidding) and Jolie developed a pathological fear of amusement park rides. Dan and I have tried various treatments for her disorder, including force (picking her up and carrying her onto a ride), logic and reasoning, guilt, threats, etc. but so far none of our treatments have been effective. The two times we've tried the "force" approach, she started kicking and SCREAMING hysterically, convulsing and acting as if her life were about to end. These were kiddie rides, by the way! The other patrons of the park looked at us as if were were child abusers. In the end, she got out of line or off the ride and we determined that this particular approach was not effective. IF THERE IS A PSYCHOTHERAPIST IN THE HOUSE, PLEASE ADVISE!

Spring Break I

Now that we're finally completely unpacked and all the laundry is washed and put away (and washed and almost put away again), I thought I'd post some photos from our trip to San Diego over spring break. For those who haven't heard the story, we left in a bit of a hurry because our timeshare became available at the last minute. We stayed at an awesome resort near Escondido where there was a lot to do. We spent one day at Carlsbad beach. It was a bit cool for swimming but that didn't stop Tristan and Jolie from going in the water. Gavin also put his feet in but he was rather preoccupied with the sand and his trucks.

The Hunt

Just a few more photos from Easter. We had our annual egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa D's house on Sunday. Gavin has been gearing up for this for weeks and weeks. I've been telling him an "Emily and Peter" story about an egg hunt at nap time. At the end of the story we eat a few jelly beans and then he goes to sleep beautifully for me.

Lisa labelled the eggs with the kids' initials so that they'd all have a good result. The photo of Tristan says a lot since he was moving so quickly! Trying to get a photo of him was like photographing a sporting event.

Happy Easter!

Dan and I took the kids across the street after church this morning to take some photos. It's taken a few years but we've learned that the Easter "look" doesn't last long around here. By the time we've gotten around to taking photos in the past, the little buggars have either destroyed their clothes or they're angry and impatient because we're getting ready to have our egg hunt. Hey, I'm a girl who learns from her past mistakes! None of that this year.

Jolie had quite a dilemna this morning. She had three Easter dresses to choose from. Grandma I. as well as Grandma D. ended up giving her dresses. She didn't want either Grandma to feel sad about her not wearing their dress, so it was quite a decision. She even mentioned this in our family prayer last night. Like the fashion diva that she is, she decided to go with the one that went best with her gloves.

We're trying to finish unpacking from spring break while Gavin is napping and the other two are having "quiet time". In an hour we'll head to my mom's for Easter dinner and Aunt Lisa's egg hunt.