Odds and Ends!!

What else have the Peterson's been up to???? Softball, Baseball, Soccer, Piano, Art oh my!!!!!

Jordan played her last game of the school season last Friday night. She started on the Varsity team for the last two games and did a great job! Her batting was especially great!! No strikeouts!! WAHOOOOOO!!! Way to get up there and be confident Jord! She had a great time playing with the girls and has formed some great friendships. She is looking forward to playing again next year!

Paige is finishing up yet another masterpiece and is getting ready for her annual art show in a couple of weeks.

Chase is busy with baseball...he has enjoyed trying some pitching this year, but I think the biggest surprise is how great he is doing at catching! This is his first time ever trying it and he is doing awesome! We played last night and he almost threw out some kiddos at second and third, and had hustled on a pass ball to be part of a great play at home plate. I'm so excited to see him get better and be more aggressive with this position....looks like we may have a catcher in our future :)

Cody loves soccer and makes it a goal of his to score atleast 2 times every game :)

The kids school also had their carnival a couple of weekends ago. They do such a great job! The kids loved it! They loved playing the games, getting tickets, spending their tickets, eating, and just running around. Their favorite games were the litter toss. This is where you toss a ring and try to get it around a 2 liter of soda....I think we came home with 4 or 5 2 liters of soda. The other game they loved was the cake walk....each of them won something, so we had our arms full of sweets on the way home! It was fun for everyone! Here is Chase will all his winnings!We also had the chance to go to a rough riders baseball game! I had gotten tickets for the whole family, but it seems Jordan has quite the busy "social" schedule, SO Cody was excited when we told him he could bring a friend. That night they were giving out baseball hats, so naturally, the kids were thrilled to get some rough rider gear! They also had a fun "play area" we spent some time at. And what would be a baseball game without dip n dots?????? Yes, the game was fun, but sorry to say- that was the highlight!Lucky for Rick and I, Paige was the only one who actually finished all her dip n dots, so we got to finish off the boys!! It was a beautiful spring night....the best time to watch a baseball game! I'm glad their field is so close and gives us something we all love to do as a family!

Start Your Engines!!!!!!

Vrroooom, Vrrooom.....off they go!!! Last week was our Pinewood Derby!!! We handed out the supplies to the boys (and dads) in February to give them plenty of time to work on the cars. For us it always seems we start the beginning of April and spend every weekend until the Pinewood Derby getting things ready! For us (or should I say Chase and Rick) they have the sanding, polishing, and weight under control. Our issue (at least for the past two years), always seems to be the paint job! I got Chase some really cool stickers to go on his car, so he decided he wanted it to be orange to match the stickers. This year primer was not put on the car because of the disaster last year. The car was looking fabulous....painted perfectly and super shiny! Rick got out the steel wool, to buff it up. When we got home from church - the car had "stuff" all over it! Pieces of the wool had stuck to it. Crazy! How does this happen???? It WAS completely dry! After looking at it, it actually looked kind of cool. It looked like it had a little texture on it....so, we decided to leave it. Then Chase decided he wanted a few black speckles....a few turned into A LOT. So they put a little blue spray paint on it...and when all was said and done, the car wasn't really orange anymore! It looked cool, but since it wasn't orange, Chase didn't want to put the stickers on it. He just wanted it to be plain. With MUCH persuading, I still lost out, and the car went to the derby plain! We definitely weren't going to win for best looking car, so that meant we had to focus on the fastest car. :)Earlier that day, my scout ladies went and decorated. They did a fabulous job!!! Rick and I went early with a friend to set up the track and make sure it was ready to go. I got the cars all weighed in....it was fun to watch the boys (and their dads) rush to add more weights, and in some cases take weight out. Before they did the final weigh in, Rick and Chase lubed up the car real good, did any last minute adjustments and turned it in at a perfect 5 ounces exactly! Thanks to a good friend, I had a computer program set up where each car had a number and it organized the races, so everyone would race in each lane and against different cars. Before the races started we had a little buffet of food in the back, so people could just eat as they watched the races. IT WAS GREAT! Everyone pitched in and brought something. I thought it turned out perfect! I had a lot of help getting things ready to start. We wrote each car number on the board, then when their car raced, their time was put on the board. Once they ran 3 races we took the top 6 fastest cars and raced those the same way.We had 20 cars total, and after they all raced 3 times, we narrowed it down to the top 6. Then the top 3. (Can you tell which number keeps moving on????)And once we got the top three cars, they raced three more times until we had a winner!!!AND THE WINNER IS........YEAH CHASE!!!!! He won the Pinewood Derby!!!! He was so excited! I must admit, his car was pretty fast!!! He got third place last year, so his goal was to get second or first this year. The boys he beat were brothers. He actually just wanted to beat the boy on the left, because that is one of the boys who beat him last year. (we are not competitive at all :)Congratulations to all the boys! I love seeing all the cars! Everyone gets very creative with their designs. This year we had a banana, a rip stick, and a pickle (just to name a few). All the boys did fabulous and I hope they enjoyed the race. I think their favorite part was at the end when they got to "free race" whoever they wanted!

Oh How I Love my Cody!!

Do you ever have that moment of just really being grateful for your kids? This week I was really grateful for Cody. We finally got over the stomach issue, but then Cody started complaining about his throat. So Monday I took him to the doctor and yeap....he had strep throat. Which meant we would get to spend the next day together because he wouldn't be going to school! I was looking through some pictures of my little guy and I was reminded what a fun kid he is. He is my cuddler...he doesn't ever leave the house or the car without giving me a minimum of 2 hugs and telling me he loves me! He is getting so great at reading! He is reading everything he can....it is so fun to see him doing so well in an area we have struggled with all year long. The other day I came home and saw him just laying on the bench doing his reading.I grabbed my camera! Couldn't pass up this moment!!Last week Cody had his first grade program at school. They did the program "BUGZ". Cody was picked to be a firefly. I was told he needed black wings. The only wings I had were the girls old dress up fairy wings. When I pulled them out Cody immediately said, "I am not wearing those pink wings. Maybe purple, but not pink." I assured him I would make it so there wasn't any pink showing. I cut off the pink elastic and he helped me spray paint the rest. When we were all done he said, "what about the jewels?" I told him those had to stay, but nobody would notice them. He was such a good sport. I managed to make up a neat way to attatch the wings to him, we tied his antennas on a headband, and for the finishing touch added some nice big "eyeballs." He was so cute and did a great job in his program.The cutest firefly of the bunch!!
Cody is my little helper. Always eager and ready to help with house cleaning and especially yard work. While he was home with me the other day he helped me plant all our flowers. It was so fun to spend time with him outside. He is such a hard worker. I had a few good laughs at some of the things he said, but most of all it was really fun spending the day with him. I love my little Cody and I am so glad he is part of our family!

The Joys of Being a Mommy!

As I sat up last night waiting for a phone call from my sister, I noticed Chase had come down and gone into the bathroom. I heard a noise like someone had filled up a bucket and dumped it into the toilet....I heard it a second time. "Chase, are you okay?" I got up walked into the bathroom and the poor guy was huddled over the toilet. I managed to clean up that mess and get him upstairs. I pulled out some sheets and a blanket and made him a bed on the big couch. I wanted to make sure he was okay, so I laid down on the other couch. (the smaller one :) about 10 minutes went by and we were in the bathroom again. I went downstairs, cleaned out his bowl, cleaned the toilet with lysol and tucked him back into bed. About 10 minutes later - we repeated the whole process....I got him laid back down and things were looking up. I had just started to dose off when I heard someone in the bathroom and heard the bucket sound again! I looked at the couch and Chase was sleeping, so I got up and...poor Paige was huddled over the toilet! I had her jump in the shower, cleaned the toilet again, got her some clean clothes, grabbed her a bowl and tucked her into bed. Got myself cumfy on the couch and 10 minutes later Chase was up again. We rushed into the bathroom, but we weren't quick enough. He got in the shower, I grabbed him some clean clothes, rinsed out what made it into his bowl, cleaned the toilet, and got him back into bed. Let's just say for the next 4 hours my routine was....get laid down, 10 minutes later one kid would throw up. Just get laid down, the other one would throw up. WOW!!!!! I was SO tired of throw up!!!! And physically exhausted!

What did I learn??? I LOVE MY KIDS A LOT! I HATE TO SEE THEM SICK! I NEED TWO BIG COUCHES UPSTAIRS! FOR THE MOST PART, MY KIDS HAVE GREAT AIM! (they made the bucket almost everytime :) I LOVE BEING A MOM...THROW UP AND ALL!

Transfers Are IN!!!!

Monday we said goodbye to one of our favorite missionaries! It has only been a short time that we have known Elder Wood, but what an impact he has made. The kids were attatched to him immediately! They look forward each week to seeing the missionaries. Elder Wood and Elder Moli would bring a great mixture of fun and sprituality to our home. Luckily we still have Elder Moli! We are looking forward to meeting his new companion and "breaking him in." :) Many tears were shed as we said goodbye to Elder Wood, but as I laid in bed with the kids, we talked about how we have made a friend for life. We also talked about how lucky we were to have met Elder Wood and how there are other families out there that need him.

Jordan and Elder Wood Paige and Elder WoodChase and Elder WoodThe two Monkeys!!We have loved having missionaries in our home, but I have to be honest - my kids get way too attatched....I'm not sure I can go through this every transfer :)

To My Second Family

Thank you for everything you have done for me these past couple months. They have truly been the best months of my life! When I think back to my mission days I will always think of you! The friendship we have formed will last forever. I can't wait to come visit y'all after my mission and hope I have the privilege of coming back and serving in your ward again. I know that this church is true and I am so very grateful for the opportunity I have to serve my Savior, Jesus Christ. I hope that he approves of the service that I am giving to him. The things that are worth the most in life are those things that last the longest. Families are forever! I love you all very much and consider you my second family. I hope we will stay in touch throughout the remainder of my mission. Take care!

With Much Love,
Elder Eric Wood

Varsity Softball

Last Tuesday (April 6th) was Jordan's first official game as a Varsity player. She has been fortunate to work with Varsity in the past as they needed her, but now it is official. She will remain with varsity until the end of the season. Jordan has worked so hard and we are so proud of her. It is a little bitter sweet for her, as she really enjoyed playing with her friends on the JV team and had a great relationship with her coaches. Jordan was a starter at second base and put in as the clean up batter when she played with JV. She is so excited to play on Varsity because she loves the girls and is excited to learn a lot from the coach. Jordan definately needs more "game" experience, so she is hoping to get some playing time on the Varsity team. Until then, she is ready to soak up all the instruction she can to get better. Jordan's first game was a great one. While she didn't get to play much, the team did a great job. They did some team bonding with the pink bandanas and pink paint under the eyes....Here is the team ready to take the field.Here is Jordan and some pre-game warm up. On Varsity, Jordan will be playing outfield. It is so fun to watch the warm up drills they do! Coach really get's them moving!Jordan was able to run some bases....she does a great job! When I played, this was always my favorite part of the game.We are so proud of you Jordan! Work hard, play hard, and always do your best! We are excited to see your progression over the next few years!

Easter!!

Easter seemed to sneak up on us this year...why is it that this year seems to be flying by??? The kids always love to color easter eggs....each year they try and get more creative than the previous year. They love drawing on their eggs with white crayon and seeing what messages or pictures will appear. Jordan stuck with the easy "melt on" decoration for her egg. This year we were able to have the missionaries over to enjoy some egg coloring with us. It is funny....the kids get excited about coloring the eggs, but then nobody eats them!
This year Easter fell on General Conference. That was awesome!!!! The kids woke up and while Rick and I made a yummy breakfast, they started immediately searching for their hidden Easter baskets...they always look in the usual places....inside the dryer, under the trash bag, in the dishwasher, etc. The Easter Bunny hid them pretty good this year...it took everyone awhile to find their baskets. The Easter Bunny left them a little note, to let them know there were also eggs hidden outside for them. Paige was first to find her basket. She found it under the bathroom sink hidden in all her hairbows. Chase found his hidden in Paige's cradle full of webkins. Cody found his inside his cubby in a backpack. And Jordan found hers on top of the armoir behind a picture, covered in greenery! Once they all found their baskets, (and helped the missionaries find their baskets) they dumped everything out to survey the goodies!!! Everyone got giant bubble sticks in their baskets, so while waiting for breakfast to be finished up, they decided to give them a try outside. Jordan and Cody got a little crazy with the wheelbarrow! After breakfast we all settled in for the first session of Conference. I had printed off a fun "Conference Packet" for the kids to fill out and work on during conference. Just a little something to help them follow along and help them understand things a little better. It had crosswords, matching games, coloring....and all kinds of fun stuff even the "older" kids liked to do! In between sessions Rick and I were busy in the kitchen getting ready for dinner. Mom, Dad, Davey, Kristi, Felipe, and Vanessa were joining us for Easter dinner and the second session of conference. I must admit, I was a little worried about so many people...not sure if everyone would fit. BUT...I'm so glad we had everyone here. That is what holidays and family events are all about. Everyone contributed to dinner and brought DELICIOUS food!!!! No pictures of the food, but here was the table! A table full of family and friends...that is what life is all about! This was the "kid" table. I think Jordan and Chase ate and took off before I could get a picture! And hey...I managed to pass the camera off for a photo of Rick and I. (I always seem to be the one behind the camera :)Conference was awesome! What I took away from conference was the emphasis that was put on family, temples, and the important role of mothers and fathers. I'm so excited for the next Ensign to come out, so I can read through the talks again.
The week leading up to Easter was great - we talked a lot with the kids about Christs last week before he was crucified and also talked about the great sacrifice he made for us. I love this time of year, because it helps me remember how much our Savior loves us!

April Fools Joke!!!!

Yesterday Jordan woke up and was certain I was going to play a trick on her. She said she carefully walked down the stairs, turned on all the lights and looked around every corner. Little did she know, I was sound asleep in my bed!! On our way to seminary, she mentioned she was surprised I didn't pull an April Fools joke on her....this got me thiking! I didn't want to disappoint, so I thought and thought!!! Then it came to me!!!!! The kids LOVE cakeballs!!! They have been good and I figured they deserved a yummy dessert. They would be so excited to have cakeballs after dinner! I am their mom afterall and want only for them to be happy!! I love to see their smiling faces. So cakeballs it was.....OR WAS IT????? Here is how I made them:
First, make sure I had my main ingredientNext I needed to make sure they were in balls.Finally, dip them into chocolate and put some yummy sprinkles on them! All ready!!!The kids came home from school, saw the "cakeballs" and could hardly wait to eat them.
I got some great footage....Jordan was the first to pop one in her mouth. Chase had one in his mouth, but before he could take a bite, he heard Jordan scream...."what is this????" He popped his out of his mouth so fast! Paige and Cody had theirs up to their lips and once they saw Jordan spit hers out, they tossed theirs back onto the plate. IT WAS GREAT!!! I could hardly stop laughing! They totally fell for it!! ha, ha, ha!!! I did feel a little bad about spoiling their dreams of cakeballs, so I had some chocolate dipped strawberries for them and their favorite... cookie dough ice cream to make up for it! Now let's see.....what can I come up with for next year????

Happy Birthday to MOM!

Last Sunday was moms 61st birthday!!! To look at her you would never know it!! Not a gray hair in sight! :) Her birthday was on Sunday, so we all went over to celebrate. One thing she has been wanting to do with the kids is have them watch the Ten Commandments with her. We decided that since it was her birthday the kids would have to do whatever she wanted, so that would be the perfect day to watch it! (They will do anything to make grandma happy!)
Mom of course made it super fun for them. When we arrived, she had a scavenger hunt ready for them. There were different clues made referring to each one of the ten commandments. For example: the clue might say something like, Honor your father and mother....look for your clue, but first give your mom lots of hugs. The clue just happened to be on me! :) Her clues were awesome and even stumped me a couple of times, but the kids were so good at figuring them out! And super fast too! I think there was probably only one of them they had to actually think really hard on. (they know their grandma so well :) There was a little prize for them at the very end! My mom is SO CREATIVE!!! The kids had a great time, and this got them excited and ready for the movie. (I'm not sure they knew it was 4 hours long :)
After the scavenger hunt we had dad's awesome Sunday Dinner, and had some birthday cake. Mom requested SKOR CAKE! I didn't have my usual recipe, so I found a different one, and it was soooooo good!
Dad bought mom an AWESOME birthday balloon...perfect for pictures :) :) :) Mom was getting ready to make her wish and dad was sitting next to her. I couldn't help but take some pictures of them....could they be any cuter!!!I'm not sure if mom wished for a birthday kiss, or just figured she better steal one!!Last year mom was in London for her birthday. I know she had a great trip and probably wishes she was there for every birthday to come. BUT - I'm so glad I was able to spend this birthday with her! Dinner, cake, family, and the Ten Commandments.....could it get any better? :) The kids actually quite enjoyed the movie. I figured within the first 10 minutes they would all be sacked out on the floor taking their Sunday naps, but nope....everyone one of them was wide awake when the lights went on at intermission. We all took another round of cake, a bit of ice cream, and whatever other snacks we needed and settled down for the second half. The kids were actually pretty involved in the movie. They would never admit it, but I know they liked it! It's one of those movies that's good to watch once a year at this time.
Thanks mom for having a birthday and spending it with us! I'm so glad this year you were home to celebrate! I love you!