Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Old House...New House!

In March we officially closed on our Saint Louis home!


Here is a tour of our new home...

Entry Way

Formal Living Room/Study

"His and Her" Office (was intended to be a formal dining room)

Kitchen
Dining and Living Room

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Balcony from Master Bedroom

Andrew and Zachary's Room/Play Room

"Princess" Elizabeth's Room

Baby Alexander's Room

Kids' Bathroom
Thank you for taking the virtual tour...please feel free to visit when you pass by our little town!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Talent Show!

Our ward had a talent show in April:

Zachary and Alexander danced on stage to "Dance to the Music" while shaking instruments (I took this photo later at home)...
...Elizabeth read a silly poem, "For My Brother on His Birthday" by Kenn Nesbitt, and tossed magic cards all over the stage...

...Andrew drew a large crowd of kids as he performed several magic tricks. The 3-fingered banjo player in our ward says Andrew stole the show.

View of Rock Springs

We went for a hike last weekend on the mountains just West of our home. This trail is really steep!
"We made it!" (See our suburban down below.)
You'll need to enlarge this photo to really see it. Our home is on the far left and the kids' new school (opens in the fall) is on the far right.

Talented cameraman Andrew took this photo.

Drug-Free Week:

Each day during the week was a different theme to get the kids in the spirit.

Career Day! The kids were encouraged to dress in their future career clothes. Elizabeth wants to be a baker, so she can make her favorite dessert - donuts. Plus, she loves ice cream and wouldn't mind having a donut-ice cream shop. Andrew wants to be an astronaut. He was surprised when his teacher told him how long it would take to travel to Mars.

Crazy Hair Day! Andrew wore a wig...
...Elizabeth had lots of braids.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Pinewood Derby

Andrew did a lot of work on the design and building of his Darth Vader Lego car. We're so proud of him! He really enjoyed racing. Earning 3rd place, plus Best in Show, was just the icing on his cake!

Andrew, after racing his car at the District Derby...
...He didn't finish last, but there were faster cars. I felt very fortunate that he qualified to race, since Steven had to work, and I was drilling away at his car minutes before the race started, trying to make it the correct weight. Then, the wheels wouldn't align correctly, which disqualifies a car, so I asked a fellow ward member to fix it. He got the wheels adjusted, but accidentally broke off a crucial part of the car, and then got it glued together just in time. I was really sweating it!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Easter Vacation

For Spring Break, we decided to head South for a bit of warmth. We stayed at my in-law's vacation home in St. George to play at the Sand Dunes, swim, hike, etc. Then we spent 2 days in Las Vegas. We toured the Ethel Chocolate Factory and Cactus Gardens, saw M&M's World, the MGM Grand indoor Lion Habitat, Mandalay Bay Shark Reef, Bellagio Fountains, Caesar's Palace Fountain shows, and ate dinner while Kings battled it out at Excalibur. After a week of sun and entertainment, we headed back North for the Annual Croft Easter Egg Hunt and Steven's parents' house. Here's a selection of photos to share some of our adventures:


We stopped in Lehi at Cabella's so the kids could play at the shooting gallery.

A real dinosaur egg at the Johnson Farm in St. George, which boasts some of the oldest and best-preserved dinosaur tracks in the world.

A giant cactus garden next to the Ethel Chocolate Factory tour.

Inside Caesar's Palace to watch the water fountains come to life.
Andrew and Ellie gave this man a tip after watching in disbelief as he moved around like a robot. A woman asked him "Are you for real?" And he nodded robotically. (Is that a real word?)
Are we in Las Vegas or New York City?!

M&M's World

Excalibur, where we ate dinner and watched the Tournament of Kings.



The Annual Croft Easter Egg Hunt - Zach and Xander's first time!

Andrew and Ellie searching for eggs