Book of Mormon

Alexander finished reading the Book of Mormon!  He has been our most eager reader yet.  He'd read on his own, he always knew what was going on in the narrative, and he would read a whole page sometimes before letting mom or dad have a turn.  He loved it and was so proud to finish!

Random April

Some of the random April happenings in the Crane household...


Rich bought a small pop-up tent for the boys to use on campouts.  We wanted to make sure that William would be able to fold it back up so we got it out.  Lydia was obsessed with it and everyone had a fun time playing inside.  The boys even had a living room campout one night.

Rich took William to his first General Priesthood Session.  Afterwards they ate dinner at In-n-Out.

We found out through Henry's kindergarten teacher that Koo Koo Kangaroo would be at a fundraiser for another elementary school here in Vegas.  We have been listening to their music since before Henry was born so we jumped on the chance to watch them live.  It was really so much fun!

James had a field trip to the Smith Center so he got all dressed up.  I love that our school makes the effort to have culturally enhancing fieldtrips.

Lydia decided it was a really fun thing to suck on her toes when she didn't have her pacifier.  So gross!

I was able to go with William (and the rest of the youth from the ward) on a temple trip.  Including the leaders we had over 80 people in attendance!  It is incredible!!

I took the boys to see the new Beauty and the Beast movie.  They all thought it was great!  It's been a while since they've seen the animated version so we borrowed it and were able to watch that as well.

James has an amazing primary teacher (who happens to be our neighbor).  She has been making an effort to do service projects with them throughout the year.  In April they "egg-ed" the bishop's house (with notes and candy-filled eggs) and then rode their bikes to the gas station for a treat.

And I finally hung pictures in the loft!  I've been waiting until I painted it and I'm pretty happy with it.  I think I have a few more pictures I'd like to add though.

Easter Fun

We had a great Easter.  Lydia found a bunny costume in our costume basket and insisted on wearing it all over the place.  She was the cutest little Easter Bunny.

She really wanted to wear it to the ward Easter Egg Hunt.  She is seriously adorable!

During Spring Break Alex taught us how to dye eggs with cool whip.  The boys thought it was fun and yummy.

Easter morning I found Lydia hiding in the guest room closet.  I actually noticed the markers with no lids scattered around the room before I saw her curled in a ball.  When I finally saw her and her face she whispered so softly, "Sorry, Mommy.  Sorry Mommy."  Luckily it all came off.

I'm so glad that we could celebrate the resurrection of Christ and the hope it gives to all of us.  I hope I conveyed that message to my children and the significance of this holiday.

Spring Break

We had a wonderful and much needed spring break!  Alex loves to play the most complicated games that we own which means we don't always have the time to set them up and play them.  First thing Monday morning he asked if we could play Risk.  It was the perfect way to start off our Spring Break because we had all the time in the world!

We found out that the aquarium was doing special early hours for members only.  It was so nice to get there an hour before anyone else!  We saw everything we wanted to see before all the crowds got there!  It was perfect! (I sure hope they do this a few times during the summer.)

Since the last time we went they've opened a little playground outside as well.  We explored and played until the bird cages were ready to open.

One day we headed to the Springs Preserve and went to the new area again.  It's such a fun new exhibit.

Alex loves to go to the nature exchange.  This time he traded in some of his points for a sand dollar.

We even did a science experiment with eggs.  We let the eggs sit in vinegar for a few days and it was cool to see how the shell was dissolved!

Lydia just loved having her brothers home every day.  Throughout the day she would look and me and exclaim, "The guys are home!"  She misses them when they are gone.

She really loved playing with all her babies too.

The Easter Bunny stopped by our house on Saturday.

We played at the park and our neighbors were there too.  Lydia just loves their dog, Cuddles.  She even shared her water with him.

James climbed the tree at the park.

It really was a nice, mellow Spring Break and has me really excited for the summer!

Nevada Citizenship Awards

James worked hard to earn the Nevada Citizenship Award this year.  They held a special assembly to honor those who had put in the effort to earn this award.

Because James was the first from his class to finish the requirements he was asked to be part of the play the students put on to show off their knowledge.  It was really fun to watch him!  (I'm really sad that my videos turned out fuzzy... I'll have to ask around to see if anyone else got better video)

March Miscellany

March brought more blossoms.  Our apple tree was gorgeous with its pink flowers.

James finished his project on the Pony Express.  He dressed up and made a mochila like the ones that the pony express riders used.  He even learned about his very own ancestor who rode!  Grandma Fisher and Lydia came to see all the 4th grade displays.

Since Grandma stayed an extra few days we were able to take her to the aquarium.  We went in the lorikeet cage and one of them got stuck in my hair!

One night as we were getting ready for Family Night there was a knock at the door.  When we went to answer we found a box of donuts left by the "FHE Donut Delivery".  It was the best surprise ever!

It was such a beautiful day before school that Alex couldn't help but climb the tree in the front yard.  I'm so glad that we have a house with trees!

Amy Fitzgibbons came over on pi day (3/14) and motivated me to make a pie.  She made some chocolate cream and I made lemon cream.  It was SO good!

I love these little yellow flowers that take over the southwest corner of the backyard in the spring!

And I love Lydia's little "cheese" face.

On St. Patrick's Day I bought some Froot Loops for breakfast.  Alex created a sweet note for me to find.

After school the boys discovered that a leprechaun had left some clues for them to discover.

After attending Grandpa Allred's funeral, Alex decided he needed to drink some pickle juice.

The pigeon that I always hear must have laid some eggs on our roof because a few different days the boys came in saying that someone threw an egg!  Each time we discovered a tiny little egg that was smashed on the patio.

One Sunday as we pulled into the garage I looked back to find 3 shirtless boys!  I guess they couldn't wait to get home into some more comfy clothes!

Lydia insisted that she snuggle with Henry one night.  It was pretty sweet.

All month long I saw these adorable Easter hats in the dollar spot.  I really wanted to buy one for Lydia but I just knew she'd never actually wear it.  The only way I got her to put it on was to tell her that we were taking a picture for daddy.  Isn't she adorable??