Alvord Daily News...

Headline: Spring IS here...

Over the past few days I have been carefully watching my beautiful crocus awake (for the very first time) from their long winter slumber deep beneath the earth.

Last fall, as I tucked them into bed, I blew them kisses of assurance that I would be there in the Spring when they awoke.

Their presence is a sign that Spring is coming (and that my first attempt at planting bulbs was a success.) Their arrival is a modern day miracle, making me reflect on the circle of life.

Fortunately I took this picture of them in all their amazing glory because later that day...

EMILEE
(who wanted to be sure I knew they were growing in our yard)
gently PICKED every single flower
and PROUDLY brought them to me in the kitchen.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! (very long & patient sigh)

Headline Correction: Spring WAS here...

(hurry up tulips... grow, grow, grow)

Stranger in the backyard...

ONCE there was a snowman

Built by Ryan & Emilee in our BACKYARD

COMPLETE with a carrot NOSE, licorce rope MOUTH,

and oreo cookie EYES

Emilee gave it lots of HUGS

And even kissed it GOOD night


LATER that evening

As the sun DIPPED behind the western mountains

Rosco STOOD on the back deck

barking for HOURS in the dark

at the stranger INVADING our backyard



The NEXT morning

we found the MYSTERIOUS stranger

SADLY decapitated

with his edible FACE devoured


Special THANKS to our brave guard dog,

just doing his JOB

PROTECTING our backyard

from SNOWY strangers


ps (GUARD dog now for rent - CHEAP!)

Pancakes?

3rd grade assignment: memorize a poem (40+ words)

and recite it in class (props optional)

Who wants a pancake,

Sweet and piping hot?
Good little Grace looks up and says,
"I'll take the one on top."

Who else wants a pancake
Fresh off the griddle?
Terrible Theresa smiles and says,
"I'll take the one in the middle."

The Battle is OVER...

and I am VICTORIOUS!!!!

After spending oodles of time stalking and blogging

I committed myself to completely finish

an extremely long "To Do List"

of projects that needed my attention

(attention that was previously spent blahging)


With tremendous feelings of accomplishment

I have spent the past few weeks

checking projects off my ever growing list

Until there was only one project left

that remained at the bottom of the diminishing list

AND had finally made it to the top

which meant the day had FINALLY arrived...



...it was time to CLEAN the shower

Thanks in part to our NEWEST team member - ZEP


(Check)


Soooooo, let the BLOGGING begin!!!!!

Did you KNOW...

the BEST way,

ACCORDING to Emilee,

to get ALL the grapes

OFF the "sticks"...

..."just TICKLE them"

An Atkinson Family Tradition...

Whenever the cousins from Parker, Colorado come to Utah for a visit, we gather the local cousins, pile into various vehicles and spend the afternoon together at...

CHUCK E CHEESE's

"where a kid can be a kid"

Grandma started the tradition (many grandchildren ago) of planning the family outing and providing ALL the tokens. It has been 6 LONG months since she has left the country and, coincidentally, since our last visit to this MEMORABLE place. Therefore, with INCREDIBLE token coupons (100 tokens for $10 - that's 10 cents a token) and FREE pizza vouchers in hand, we entered the PLAYGROUND of The Gray Mouse (who scares poor Carter to death).

PIzzA TiME

AUSTIN & RYAN, the teenagers (also the oldest cousins)

BROCK & the SUNSHINE sisters, KATE & ABBY

TANNER & EMILEE, new best friends

ROBBY, CARTER & TANNER

LUKE, JESSIE & PAUL (the biggest kid of all)



GaME TiME

TiCKeTS




EMILEE proudly shows a collection of tickets, ALMOST as tall as herself. All together the kids WON hundreds and hundreds of tickets.

Because we had such great coupons, we bought 500 tokens (for 15 kids) and spent every single one. After giving everyone their allotted amount, we still had tons left over. So when their pockets were empty, the kids would come back for more. After a few hours, I started having fun with them, seeing what they would be willing to do to EARN another token. Here are a few of the results...

JUMPING JACKS by Austin & Ryan




"I'm A Little Teapot" by Sydnee & Abby
(complete with actions earning them extra tokens)



BALLET by Ryan & Brock

(is there anything Ryan WON'T do in Public?)

KISSES by "I am just too shy" Luke

(and besides I've got a really sticky face)

BALLET on Video by Ryan, Brock & Robby

(entitled "Future Blackmailing Material" )

MoRe ToKeN eaRNiNG aCTiViTieS:

• Giving creative suggestions for earning more tokens (great way to keep your dignity, Austin.)
  
• Happily skipping around the party room loudly singing "La, la, la, la, la, la."
  
• Refilling your Mom's drink (which worked really well until Ryan started a little extortion of his own by demanding payment up front & then refusing to return the drink until another payment was made - very smart, Ryan)
  
  
  
  

THe PRiZeS

(by unanimous decision)

Rainbow Sucker Sticks

EMILEE, TANNER, CARTER

(who will all go to Kindergarten in August)

& LUKE (who has another year)

Robby, Brock, Carter & Emilee

Luke, Sydnee, Thomas, Robby & Brock

There are two ways to properly eat

a RaiNBow SuCKeR STiCK!

• The Obvious Way - sucking on the end like Emilee
• Corn Cob Style - like Luke (who has already eaten the end)

The GRaNdSoNS
(we missed you, Quinton)

The GRaNDDauGHTeRS
(we missed you, Libby)

And so until next time (which should hopefully be at least another 6 months - if only we could be so lucky) when we meet you all at Chuck E Cheese, for another fun COUSINfest,

GOODBYE!!!

Answer to ONE of Life's Mysteries...

Have you ever wondered what your kids do

INSIDE the playplace at a fast-food restaurant?

In a quest to answer this question, one that every parent

has pondered, Kelsie has taken a camera into the field

and documented for you, a behind the scenes look,

"Into the Playplace."

ENJOY!!