April Fools Day Family Pranks

I really love April Fool's Day and the kids LOVE it too- they look forward to it every year. 

I have very silly kids:) 

And these pranks were not very time consuming nor did they require a lot of planning. 

We got Mark early in the morning- the kids all helped put clear nail polish on the soap and let it dry. When he went to use it in the shower, it wouldn't lather and was very slippery:)

 I made these funny bookmarks and put one in each kids books. I heard Ari tell Sophia when she woke up and went to read, "Mom gave us a dollar!" . 

 I also put a dab of blue food coloring on their toothbrushes. When they went to put their toothbrush under the water, the water turned very blue:) 

 The best trick, I thought was their lunches, I emptied little Cheeto bags and put spinach leaves in them and then used little dabs of hot glue to reseal them. 

 I also scraped out the inside of Oreos and replaced it with toothpaste- you couldn't tell the difference! The trick is to not put too much toothpaste or it looks runny. 

 Looks like a normal lunch:) 

 And the best trick to date in my trickster history, was this fake IRS tax audit letter which I put in the mail for Mark. I work at an accounting firm, so I got an official envelope and a postage label that looked legit. He was certain we were getting audited and was about to call his sister who is an accountant to see what we needed to do! I was dying laughing. I could have probably kept it going but I just couldn't keep it together! 

It was a fun day and I know someday when the kids are older, it's all gonna come back to me and I will be the recipient of many a practical joke, but until then, I will continue to use my trickery on April Fool's Day! 

Hiking Douglas Counties East/West Trail: Right near Daniel's Park

During Spring Break, we got in a few hikes. This one was only 2 miles and right by our house. It was very windy but we love how you can see for miles once you get to the crest of the hill. 

 Can you see downtown Denver in the pic above? - far right corner

a highlight is looking for the buffalo on the way down the hill. 

This video of Elijah Eating a Lemon is HILARIOUS!

I crack up every time I watch it and I've watched it like 50 times! 

Sophia's Black Eye

 Two weeks ago, Sophie was playing baseball with Dad and the kids. She is looking forward to playing softball in the summer and is starting to practice now since her season starts when Mark is in Africa, and I know nothing about sports and am scared to death of the softball (the fear stemming from high school with a horrible swollen ankle from a softball while running to first base) 

Well, Elijah was up to bat and Mark hadn't quite gotten to the tip about not throwing your bat once you hit the ball. Elijah got a perfect hit and threw the metal bat which connected with the side of the catcher's face, which happened to be Sophia. It was horrible. She cried for a good 2 hours. Mark took her to Jamba Juice to stop the sobbing and it helped. 

Her black eye took well over a week to go away. 

Day One- just a huge knot! 

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Day Six

 Day Seven 

Day Eight- I LOVE this picture!!! Her smile and eyes are just totally her! 

She's all better now and both she and Elijah learned a very important lesson about baseball. 

Poor Elijah felt so bad and was so embarrassed that he hurt her. 

BIRTHDAY FREEBIES

I thought I would compile a list of birthday freebies that I get every year 

that really make a birthday something to look forward too:) 

I know there are many lists out there but these are the ones that I think hold the most value. 

Noodles and Company- sign up for their e-club and get a free bowl on your birthday! You can get anything on the menu with meat too:) up to $9 free!
Starbucks- register one of their gift cards and get a free drink on your birthday! I ordered a Venti Cinnamon Dulce Latte- one of my fav drinks from there:) I was hyped all morning! I never drink that quantity of caffeine in one shot:)
Einsteins- Sign up for their e-club and get a free breakfast sandwich when you purchase a drink. I got the Asparagus, mushroom and swiss egg white bagel sandwich and medium coffee and paid $2.12
Caribou Coffee- Sign up for their e-club and they will email you a certificate for a free medium drink but you have to get it ON your birthday (sort of a pain) Thankfully we were near the only one sorta near un on my birthday so I got a Mint Condition Latte. YUMMO!
Qdoba- Sign up for the e-club and they will send you a coupon for buy one get one free- haven't used mine yet. But it's good for a few weeks.
Anthropology-  One of my favorite retail stores- if you sign up in the store for a anthro card (not a credit card) they will send you a postcard in the mail with a 15% off coupon. It's always cute and I look forward to the snail mail from them:)
Dunkin Donuts- a free medium beverage of your choice- I registered a gift card and am using their app which gives you lots of good deals

I think that's about all the Birthday Deals that I partake in here in Colorado:) If you have any other great deals- make sure to leave a comment so I can be sure to check them out and add to my list:)

I'm in a whole new {age bracket} now.

So you know on most surveys, how you have to fill in that little dot at the end saying what age you are. Well, the standard age divisions are 18-24, 25-34 and now, one that I have come to know 35-44!! Last Wednesday I moved into that third age bracket. Yes, I turned 35!

The kids are on Spring Break. I am still working but took the day off for some birthday celebration!

 (I really like birthdays!) 

We visited Voodoo Doughnuts in Denver. 

There are two other locations in the US and 3 months ago, they came to Denver. Apparently, they are AMAZING! That's the word on the street. So we went around 10am during a work week on a Wednesday morning and there was a line out the door. After 40 minutes, we got to taste first hand the voodoo magic that's supposedly in these doughnuts:) They were VERY yummy and the best doughnut I think I've ever had but I probably won't go back until the hype has died down. (although the cashier was saying that the store in Portland still has lines out the door and they've been open over a year! These stores are open 24 hours,too- the cashier said that they slow down right after the bars close around 2am but then pick right back up around 5am!!!! She said during the day there has always been a line- and they've been open for 3 months in Denver- 24 hours a day! crazy! )

Here is a sampling of our sweet donuts! Can anyone say SUGAR RUSH! 

The kids all wrote me very large posters and hung them on the walls. very sweet:) 

Sophia's message

All the kids signed this 

Arianna's note- I think she has a future as a card writer:) 

Elijah's : "Dear Mom, I love you 200 and billion much" 

Ella drew me a turkey family- not sure the meaning there:) At least us adult turkeys are kissing:)

 We had planned to go hiking up in the mountains but the day before, Mark was playing baseball with the kids and half the neighborhood kids came out to play:) He was chasing Palmer (a fast 5th grade boy) and rolled his ankle very badly. It swelled up and was all bruised. So, needless to say, hiking wasn't on his radar for my birthday.

So, we just chilled at home. I ate leftover homemade Chinese food from the night before's Missional Community Group. They had Oreo ice cream cake for me, too! Awesome group of people and they know how to cook! Chinese has been my main staple this week- Doug and Tina ordered Chinese for me at work to celebrate my birthday and Doug bought me a cherry pie. It was awesome! I feel very loved:)

So, after eating a lot (which I love to do) Mark and I went on a date later that afternoon, thanks to the awesome McClish family, who babysat the kiddos. We went and saw the movie Divergent. I have read the series and was dying to see the movie and it didn't disappoint. I loved it! Then we went to dinner at Breckenridge Brewery off of I-25 and 6th. It was such a fun night and 35 feels great. Although from the picture below I may need botox around my eyes soon! (just kidding)

I have honestly really liked my 30's. It's been my favorite decade of adulthood. The kids are all older and it's been so much easier than when they were all so little. I love that we can have deeper conversations about so much and they are so much more self sufficient. I feel more confident in who I am, especially in the Gospel. I feel like Mark and my relationship has gotten so much better in every way. I truly love this stage of life and look forward to it getting better and better as the years roll on:)