Hair Cut

Admittedly, this is not the most flattering angle (I'm sure if you enlarge the picture you'll see right up my nose) but you get the idea . I LOVE IT. I decided that I am going to be resurrected with short hair. It's totally my personalilty. A special thank you goes to James for being a good sport.

The curl in the back is natural. Many of you don't know that since my sister and I have had children, our hormones have made our hair curly. Okay, Staci's is more extreme but we've both spent a good deal of time straightening our hair. This cut is great because now I don't have it hide it. I can flaunt it.

When my daddy calls me...

James: Ben, I am going to count and you need to be here by the time I reach three.

(silence)

James: One...two...three

(pause)

Ben: Four?

Easter Sunday

Everyone looks pretty on Easter morning!

Grace and Daddy's new glasses.

The Bank of Dad

In light of the first Presidency's recent letter regarding finances, we decided it was time to get our children's finances in order, too. So they all opened an account at the Bank of Dad.

When given money, each child will give it to a parent, and in return they will be given Monopoly money to put in the proper slot (tithing, savings, and spending). Instead of getting an allowance, James will pay them interest on the money they keep in savings. Everything will be recored on an Excel spread sheet, and with fake money, we won't have cash lying around that could get lost or stolen.

They will be required to choose a portion of their money to put in savings, but they are at liberty to spend their spending money any time they wish. While they are so little, we will make those purchases for them. But when they are a little older, they will open real accounts and be responsible for their own purchases. They all know they are saving for college, missions, etc. (I can't believe the number of parents that feel they are responsible to take out a second mortgage on their homes in order to pay for their kid's college.)

Now I know some of you grandmas are concerned about birthday money going towards the college fund, and not the intended birthday gift. The kids will be allowed to spend all their birthday money. We are talking about random dollars in the mail, as well as money they earn from working for Mom and Dad.

Just another cute picture of Grace. Her new favorite meal: pizza!

Here is a little Easter treat the kids and I made yesterday.

Easter at School

Marie's Kindergarten class went on an Easter Egg Hunt.

Looking for eggs in the park.

Tessa and Ben guard the Easter baskets.

Ready to hunt for eggs.

Enjoying a post-hunt snack.

Skipping with her Easter basket.

Marie's Missionary Moment

The following was a conversation I had with Marie while doing her hair for school. I dont' know how recent the experience happened, as she didn't remember most of the details. It involves her best friend, Marley.

Marie: Mom, Marley doesn't believe in Jesus.

Allie: Did you tell her that you did?

Marie: Yeah, but she said that Jesus was only something on TV.

Allie: I am proud of you for sharing your testimony. How did you guys get to talking about Jesus?

Marie: I don't remember. But Mrs. Lynch believes in Jesus.

Allie: How do you know?

Marie: She says she does. And Marley only believes in the Devil. If you are bad you go to the Devil. But we know Jesus loves everyone. (Note: Marley was a devil for Halloween.)

Marie, continued: It was a hard conversation to have because I didn't know what to say.

Allie: When you don't know what to say, you can just tell that person that you know Jesus loves them very much. Then, the Holy Ghost can help that person know that what you are saying is true.

Papa Randy in Tucson for Business

Papa Randy tooks the kids on an outing to get Mom some bread pans. The kids came back with a treat: Animal Cookies. Hasn't every kid wanted one of those boxes?

Ben shows off his good fortune.

The girls got purple purses and gloves.

Hey, Baby.

Hollywood, here I come. (Never mind the crooked glasses.)

Getting Ready for Spring

James takes a break from yard work to do bubbles with Ben.

Ben helped himself to a well-balanced snack. My personal favorite: bran flakes.

Tessa drew this spider on the white board and wanted me to share it with everyone.