We had another cold spring break this year but we still managed to do a few fun activities. We went to the zoo with some friends and Tess and Mary had their first carousel ride:
We had a lot of lounge time. It's no wonder the girls like their daddy best:
And we went to the annual Easter egg hunt and my dad's work. The girls LOVE the Easter Bunny, as does Stockton:
We had another successful Moab trip! Arches is one of my favorite places and it is becoming even more special because it is probably Stockton's favorite place. He really is in his element when he's hiking and he seems like a very "normal" kid. I'm so glad there is a place where he can have such fun and be happy.
The girls were angels! They love being outside. The only thing that would have been better for them is if they had more places they could run around. 
On the Delicate Arch trail:
It's hard to see, but Clark and Stockton are standing under the arch:
The Fiery Furnace:
Around Sandune Arch. We were so excited to give the girls an opportunity to run and play but it was freezing when we were there. Too bad. 
After our big day of hiking:
The girls didn't even stir when we moved them into the car:
Both girls got little sunburns! I thoroughly sunscreened them (or so I thought), but apparently I missed a few spots. I still wonder how I could have missed such a large spot under Mary's eye:
Our little Tess has quite the personality. When she was first born she was all spice--sassy, spunky, feisty. Now, she is a better combination of sugar and spice. There are times when she is so determined to do things her way but then moments later she acts so submissive. In any case, whatever mood she's in she has her parents wrapped around her little fingers.
She was so determined not to take her nap this day. After she screamed for an hour I went in to check on her and found her like this. I guess I won the battle:
Tess definitely went through a phase where she disliked me. She never wanted me to hold her and only wanted Clark. Luckily, we've turned a corner now and she loves to cuddle:
But she's still a daddy's girl:
I should put a plug in for Mary (we love her every bit as much). The problem is that Mary is sweet all the time so we don't always stop to take a picture. We were so shocked by Tess' sweetness we felt we needed to document it. :) Stockton is really into filming himself on the iphone. Usually, he just acts really silly--we try to discourage this activity--but occasionally, he does something pretty naughty, which, unfortunately for him, gets caught on camera:
I didn’t always live in East Millcreek. Before now I lived in Murray for ten months, and before that I lived in Provo, which is always an exhilarating experience. Before Provo, though, it was East Millcreek. I suppose East Millcreek is the only place I’ve lived with some permanence.
I thought looking for a home right now would be like Christmas shopping. Fun. Exciting. With endless homes to choose from. We’d get a good bargain too. We’d find the perfect home at the perfect price in the perfect neighborhood. It is a buyer’s market after all. But house hunting, so far, hasn’t been like that kind of Christmas shopping. Instead, it’s like when a six year-old child tells her parents on Christmas Eve that the only thing she wants for Christmas is a dollhouse. But that’s the first time the parents are aware of that. Dad gets in the car the night of Christmas Eve trying to find an open store and if he is lucky enough to happen across one, can he find the perfect dollhouse? That is what house hunting is like. Stressful. With very few prospects.
We almost bought a house in Murray. A two-story. Updated inside. The exterior was quite ugly and a few rooms were odd. But a nice house overall. We pulled out after the inspection. Too much needed to be fixed for the price we were paying. I was scared about the school, anyway. No, East Millcreek is a better place for us. But we’ve looked. Homes in East Millcreek are expensive. Small. Old. We’re not handy either. We can’t buy a fixer-upper. Sure, I’m great with a spackle and some mud. Give me a dented wall and it will look beautiful in a few days. But an entire house? No, a newer house is better for us.
Draper has newer homes. Large homes. Inexpensive homes. Beautiful homes. But, it’s Draper. Yes, I sound like an east-side snob. Perhaps I am. But I can’t help but feel when people ask me where we’re looking and I tell them Draper, shock crosses their face.
You’d move from East Millcreek to Draper? They ask.
I don’t know. Maybe.
I just want a house. One that I can feel excited about. One that has some living space. One that has enough closets. And, as a bonus, one that has a deep bathtub. A jetted tub? Sure. But just a deep bathtub will do. House. Where are you?
I had a great vision last summer to compose a crawling/walking video of Mary and Tess. The problem was that Mary decided to take her sweet time in doing these milestones. Tess began crawling at 9 months and walking by 13. Mary didn't crawl until she was 12 months and was 16 months before she took her first steps (even then, she didn't really take off until 17 months). So, this video begins in August of 2010 and ends in March of 2011. :)