Summer is Near! (& Popsicles :))

We have missed the drive-in for a couple summers now, so we hit it the 2nd weekend of opening for the summer. We saw RIO and HOP. They were cute. Although, Greg, Sofia, and I couldn't stay awake for most of HOP. Can't wait to go again!

The kids love that weather has been warmer some days, which are pretty few and far between. I caught Gabe playing sweetly with his littlest sister and Orvis. Then, it was off to do tricks on the bars! Sofia cracks us up. She's just trying to be like big brother.

I found frozen Jamba juices in a bag at the store, so we made popsicles. This one was mango. Yummy!! Oh, I LOVE summer.

Also, I thought it might be good to record a few things about the kids. I can't seem to make it to my journals! It's hard to keep up on all 4!!

GABE: Loves to play LEGOS. Loves trucks, cars, tractors, the like. He loves riding his dirt bike with his friends down the road, and riding his bike. He loves to read and learn, whether it's his favorite comic book, the paper, or a science book about tornadoes and earthquakes. Loves playing with play-doh, and anything else he and Ava imagine. He is only 3 months away from being baptized. I can hardly believe it. It seems like yesterday we were in our little basement apartment in Chubbuck, Idaho with our roly-poly baby Gabe. Oh, he was SO fun. Sofia reminds me of him- his smile, silly antics, and high energy. He is smart, too. Gabe is in the 3rd grade reading level. He is also playing the piano now. HE is taking lessons from Patsy Heinneman, who is the sister of a girl I took ballet with when I was 12 & 13! Crazy. Anyway, he's doing well. I think he's excited to get to the point where he knows which notes are where so he can start playing easier. I'm so proud of him. 

 AVA: Loves to ride bikes, play Barbies, babies, kitchen, Polly-Pockets, dress-up, ponies, and the list goes on. Loves to paint (and have them painted) her nails. Loves to get all dolled up, especially on Sunday mornings in her fluffy dresses. Loves to be a little mommy to Sofia Jo. Loves to play with Orvis. And loves to race Gabe to kiss & hug Greg first when he walks through the door from work. Ava is a social butterfly. She loves to play with friends, have friends over, always asking to do something with somebody. She loves to draw and write. She's getting better at writing each letter. She's a smart girl, and very ready for Kindergarten, which is coming too fast. I am not ready for her to be gone during the day;). Ava is a really hard worker. She'll work and work and won't complain. She has discovered the bars on the playground and how to do flips. She finished gymnastics a months ago, and is expressing interest in dance again. She's naturally good at both, so we will try dance, and maybe do every other month or something for gym. She's such a talented girl. 

SOFIA JO: Oh, Sofia. My baby. Her hair is really curly. It reaches her shoulders when I pull it down straight, but is curled in ringlets close to her head dry. She is just growing so fast. She is going to look so big when this baby #4 comes! Sofia LOVES: pears, apples, grapes, strawberries, lettuce/salad & dressing, baked potatoes, black beans, corn, pastas, and milk. She was given a binky from my utensil drawer (my little Nepali activity day girl, Anisha Darjee) when she was screaming a couple weeks ago, and now thinks they're funny toys. Oh, dear. At least she doesn't request them! Sofia loves to play babies, barbies, kitchen, and anything her big brother and sister are doing, which drives them all bonkers sometimes. She likes to pretend 'cut' her fruit and veggies on this cute little toy wood food set. She's pretty good! She may be a chef when she's older... Sofia loves to be outside riding her little bike, swinging on the swingset, or playing with Orvis. He loves her too. Sofia can say: "MOO" (cow), "MOM", "BA"/ "DA" (Dad), "BEE" (Gabe), "UH-OH", "MY" (mine), "POOP" (when she's poopy), "JOO" (juice), "MEH" (milk), "OWEE", "GOG" (dog), "MEW-MEW" (cat), "NI-NI" (night-night). I'm sure there's more... and yes, we are teaching sign language. I think she'll learn pretty quick now that her tubes are in her ears, I think she can hear more clearly! And no ear infections since her surgery. It's great. She's my happy girl again. Sofia runs everywhere. And her facial expressions are HILARIOUS. She's quite entertaining wherever we go, for everyone!  

Ta-ta for now!

Memorial Day Weekend Getaway

We escaped to the cabin for a few days- Thursday thru Monday- for the holiday. It is always INCREDIBLY nice to catch a breath from real life. School is out June 1st. It will be nice to have the kids home and do less running around. And maybe get some rest.

I can't believe bishops do this for years & years. It's tough. He's so busy, gone all the time, stressed with managing the office, etc. I get lonely, and then immediately feel bad because I have so much to be happy about and grateful for. Is that weird? Anyway, we make it a point to go on dates and do little family getaways so that we can deal with it all-maybe not well, but better. And we don't lose lose our minds as much.

When we arrived at the cabin, we discovered a little friend on top of our toboggan! I love the blue of  robin eggs, so when she flew off, I drug out a kitchen stool to get a peek at her soon-to-be babies! Kinda fun.

Ava & her cousin Grace. They are inseparable. 

Gracie, Ava, Gabe, & Luke. Next time we will bring Gabe a buddy to play with. He wasn't to thrilled about being surrounded by a bunch of toddlers and grown-ups! He's such a good sport.  

 Roastin' marshmallows. Yum. It was chilly out, so a fire was just right.

 Sofia loves Grace's new sister, baby Lauren, but doesn't quite know what to do with her. She wants to hold & carry her so badly! Sofia kept covering Lauren's face with a blanket when she was in her bouncy chair. We'd pull it off, and explain, "Lauren can't see!" And Lauren would be cross-eyed! :)  

Gabe is going to be my go-to baby holder. It will be awesome. He's so great.

Ava too.:)

This lasted about 2 seconds. She's hilarious. I thought maybe she'd at least let Greg take her in a circle. Nope.

We visited Mesa Falls after church. Very pretty. I love waterfalls. There is SO much water. It's crazy. 

The fam. 

And the Schroeder Grandma & Grandpa with 5 of 12 grandkids.

Gabe has been to this park so many times lately, he wasn't too excited about going inside the little museum. So we told him not to pout or smile.

I love vacation. YAY!

It's the end of the season...

The Braves actually finished their last game the 23rd of May, a rainy, COLD, gray, Idaho day (the picture above is from one of the only warm days of baseball;)I just had to post her cute grin).  But that didn't stop us from cheering on our cute little team!! They always have a period of 'warming up' the first inning, even though there were short practices or warm-ups before games. We wish they could have practiced on the fields they played on to get used to it. But they hit hard, ran fast, and cheered each other on.

Gabe's last bat.

And below: the last hurrah & high fives for the Angels, who we beat. They had a couple little girls with good arms! On to the Championship (against the Pirates- yikes!)!!  The boys were almost as happy as the coaches! Ha ha!

Cute baseball cookies a mom brought for their last game.

 Another cold, wet day for the championship. I couldn't keep Sofia out of the mud puddles and under my umbrella. Little stinker. The rain finally did stop during the last inning so I could get some pictures of the team. They played a good game. I think the final score was like 11-7 or something. 2nd place!! They did awesome. Coach Greg handed out little trophies to each boy.  

The team & coaches' silly photo:).

 Gabe & Dad. He really liked having Greg coach. He looked forward to it- each practice, each game. Greg definitely wants to do this again next year. 

 And all of us! Ha. I look strange. But I was COLD! Remember we just sat through intermittent sprinklings and downpours...and I had given Ava my sweatshirt because we had just come from gymnastics, and she forgot to wear a shirt over her leo, I mean, I forgot to make sure we were prepared. Oops. Sofia is so tired. Greg is relieved and happy, Gabe is so proud. I love it.