Monday, July 25, 2016

March/April 2016

March was a month of campouts for Tyler and the boys!!

First an 11 year old campout in Usury Pass ~ March 4 & 5th


We have a lot of 11 year olds. Ü

Then it was a fishing campout with Daddy and the boys  ~ March 10-11th

They fished in the Salt River...Ben was the lucky one to catch a fish!!

It was straight home from the fishing campout and Daddy and the twins left for the scout camporee!
Hiking on the Mormon Battalion Trail ~ 11 and 12 year olds ~ March 11-12th


Pretty Neat!!

 Then later in the month it was a trip to Sedona and slide rock for Tyler and the priests.
Here is Tyler and Blake posing pretty. Ü ~ March 18-19th

March means SPRING BREAK!!

~ Monday, March 14th...the boys had friends over for a Screen Day!! ~

Entertaining pre-teen boys is so easy!! Ü

Then it was off to Fat Cats for FHE...

...where we played Mini Golf with our Pogo Pass


Glow in the Dark Style




We were hoping to use our Pogo Pass to go bowling too...but the wait for bowling was 2 hours!!  So we played some arcade games instead. Ü








Tuesday, the 15th~ the Kents used their Pogo Passes and took Abby to Skateland with them...

while we used our Pogo Passes and took Meagan with us to the Idea Museum. Ü

The fun started before we even got inside!!



Green Screen Fun



Gettin' Creative




More Glow in the Dark Fun with Alice in Wonderland!



Lets Build!!









A new way to do a puzzle



Nothing like a free cone from Dairy Queen...it was customer appreciation day!!...to end the day Ü

Wednesday, March 16th ~ the library and Filibertos with Grandma...

...and a trip to the Police Station for Ben and his Tiger Den



Thursday, March 17th ~ Happy St. Patrick's Day






Friday, March 18th ~ ending Spring Break with a break for mom Ü


Easter came so early this year!!! 
We have some pretty fun Easter traditions in our family.  First and foremost...our Easter Egg Hunt!!
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 Go Tanner!!  Find those eggs!!


Big kids waiting for their turn Ü












We added a photo booth to the hunt this year. Ü
Cute Easter Kids!!

DeVore Fam



BOYS!!
~ RJ, Alex, Andy, & Cole ~

Sit Still Just for a Second Bekah!! Ü

Maximus getting a Mickey Mouse to match his shirt
Madi & Lilly with their Grandma

Ben and Cole rocking the snake

w/ Rachel Wares Ü


FRIENDS!!
~myself, Natalie, Kathy, Marla, & Lucinda (with baby Sawyer)~


After the Easter Egg Hunt we made Easter treats with Grandma Pam





And dyed eggs!!














One more...a yummy pudding treat!!  Thanks Grandma!! Ü

Easter Sunday ~ 3-27-15








Making Resurrection Rolls




The Tomb is Empty...HE IS RISEN!!

Alex using his new watering can


Happy Easter Chloe!!

Only these 2 kids went to church on Easter Sunday.  The others came down with random fevers over the weekend.  Looking Good You 2!!

I KNOW HE LIVES!!


The Monday after Easter we always have the Hall Family Picnic up in Mesa by Uncle Darwin's house.  Andy still wasn't feeling well so Tyler decided to stay home with him, the 3 big kids missed their group piano lesson, but I was determined that we were not going to miss the picnic!  Before we left Alex said, "There's this really cool ramp at the park and every year when we're there I think how fun it would be to ride my skateboard down the ramp.  Can I take me skateboard please?"  Well, I was just so proud of him for being proactive so I said, "Sure!"  Ben asked if he could bring his scooter and I said, "Why not!"  The drive into Mesa is about 45 minutes long.  We hadn't been there 5 minutes when Alex and Ben set off for the ramp...which was really a concrete slab on the side of a hill backing up against a freeway.  Seeing the ramp they wanted to go down, and that is was a lot bigger than I remembered, made me kind of nervous, but I wanted to see what they would decide and do.  Alex was the first to try.  Down he went, on Ben's scooter, and made it all the way to the bottom...then fell...and didn't get up!!  Ben ran down the ramp to Alex, then started running to me, and that's when I knew it wasn't good.



I was kind of expecting a head split open and blood everywhere so when it was JUST his wrist I calmed down pretty quick. Ü  Poor Alex though...he was in a lot of pain.  My Uncle Darwin was a fireman and my Uncle Paul is a dentist so with their medical background they took one look at Alex and said, "Yep, its broken."  Tender mercy...we were just down the street from an urgent care!!  I left Abby, Ben, and Tanner with Grandma, and loaded Alex back up in the van for urgent care.


He Broke Both Bones in His Right Wrist!! :(  Poor guy...but such a champ!!


Of course he's right handed and of course it was AZ Merit Testing week...the big state test they prepare for ALL year!!  Of course!  Oh, and he had just started a football skills camp...so that was no more.  But look what he was up doing the next morning!!  Such a good kid!




Here's a funny that Tyler posted on facebook...and all the sympathy Alex got ...
So, here is the timeline of events. On Monday, Andy was sick and stayed home from school. Alex joked around with their friends in class that Andy wasn't there because he broke his arm (jk, lol...). After school, Carrie took the kids who weren't sick to a family picnic in Mesa. Shortly after they got there, Alex was riding down a cement culvert in a scooter, wiped out, and broke his arm... Tuesday, Andy is feeling better, so he goes to school, but Alex stays home. Andy tells their friends that Alex isn't there because he broke his arm...and nobody believes him.

Julie Howard Now, that is ironic




Laurie Due Courtemanche Poor Alex ! Hope it's a quick heal.



         Dick Payne What u ask for sometimes that is what u get!! Get better!



  Lucinda Wagenman Fish Yep, Cole didn't believe Andy when he told him on Tuesday! Hope Alex heals quickly!



  Angie Allen Gomez That's a funny story, but ouch!! I hope it heals quickly!




  Pennie Major Maholland Oh man, that's a funny story but I'm sorry Alex broke his arm.






  Erin Davis Morrissey Lol poor guy



  Judy Ostler Searle I was once acquainted with identical twins, who each went out with different friends one night. One was in a car accident and the other got in a fight. Result? Identical scars on their foreheads!


  Shauna Gruwell Oh, no!! Is he right or left handed?



Tyler Wallace Allen He is right handed, and they are having their state testing all this week, with makeup tests next week. He needs to have a scribe help him.


Shauna Gruwell That will be difficult!! 😟


Arlea Gibson Oh my goodness!!

  Aldine Allen Oh, no! I guess the moral of the story is never wish ill for your twin!

Kathy Jones- Kent Poor guy...ouch!!!!!








Brandon Ashlee Farrington Oh my hope he is ok



Karen E. Sailor Hoping healing goes well


Melanie Smith Searle Thats ironic! This is one funny story that im sure will be told for years! Hope he feels better!





And the craziness continued...when we got into see the orthopedic dr. 3 days after the fall happened he told us that the bones needed to be reset due to a shift that had taken place that was pushing into the growth plate.  If we didn't reset the bones it would cause continuing pain in his wrist.  So on April Fools Day Alex had his 1st semi surgery...No Joke!! Ü





No time was wasted in signing his new orange cast.  Andy was the 1st.


Grandpa Dave even signed it!!


Andy was a good sport at helping Alex with his homework when needed.  We made it through testing week by having staff help Alex with his test on testing make up days.  I don't think we'll be bringing our skateboards and scooters with us to the family picnic again next year. Ü

One last Easter tradition...our Easter egg hunt at Grandma's and Grandpa's.






Other Goings On...

I ran a book fair!  My 2nd one of the year.



These girls came and helped me on the one night the book fair was opened into the evening. 
Thanks ladies!!


Principal's List for these 3!!

Ben went on a field trip to the Herpetological Society.  Did you know that was a word?  I sure didn't!!
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"Yes, mom.  We promise we won't go out into the mud.  We will stay right on the patio."
Yeah Right!!

School Carnival = half dead carnival fish
Ben's 1st one!!  He got it after being at the carnival for 5 minutes and we stayed the WHOLE time since Tyler and I were helping with the food.  So poor little fishy hung out in his bag in the rocks next to the school for several hours.  We weren't sure if he was going to make it or not but once we got him home and in his bowl he did seem to perk up a little.

We weren't quite sure where to put the fish bowl.  We didn't want Chloe to find our new pet!  I suggested we put the fish bowl on top of the entertainment center reassuring Ben that I had never seen Chloe up there and figured she wouldn't even notice the fish up that high. 

WRONG!!


But Chloe was a good kitty...she didn't kill the fish.  However, it was dead by the time I came down stairs the next morning.  Tanner told me the whole story!!  See, since Tyler and I were going to busy the whole carnival we left Tanner home with Abby since we wouldn't be able to keep a good eye on him.  So by the time we got home with the fish Tanner was in bed.  When he woke up in the morning he noticed our new friend and climbed up to say hello!  He kept telling me excitedly "I caught the fish!  I caught the fish!  And he bit me!  Bad fish!!"  Poor little fish.  He had a traumatic little life. Ü

When your 11 years olds say they want to do family history...you say OK!! 
Andy even got out his Bible to double check genealogies when we got way far back.

They were so excited to find a line that went all the way back to Adam. Ü

One evening we tried making bread in a bag to go with dinner.
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It was pretty sticky...

...but our rolls sure tasted yummy. Ü

Another fun Tiger Cub field trip...this time to the Fire station



They also talked about bike safety

While there, they practiced for their upcoming flag ceremony at pack night the following week.  The Tiger leaders wanted to make sure Ben was definitely going to be at Pack Night...because he was one of the only ones big and strong enough to carry the flag!! Ü



We made it to Pack Night the next week and videoed Ben in the flag ceremony.  He did great!!


For the last several years our stake has had a missionary activity where the Primary kids are "called" on different missions and then people from the stake who have actually gone to those mission teach the kids about the different places.

Tanner was called to Spain and got to be taught by Brother Morris from our ward.
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By the map Ü
Andy learned about Germany and both Ben and Alex learned about Russia


HE HAS A JOB!!

6 months to the day from getting laid off at University of Phoenix Tyler signed a contract to be a senior marketing consultant for Intermountain Video and Marketing...a small business owned by a newer member of our ward.  It's nothing like he was thinking and it is only commission base...but he's excited to try!!
We're so thankful for this opportunity and know it will lead to good things one way or another.



Another campout...Father's & Sons at Canyon Creek!!
April 28th-30th




That same weekend Ben's Scout Pack had a campout...but we just took Ben up for the evening after they got back from Father's & Sons.

Beautiful Superstition Mountain at sunset

Ben had fun playing with his Scout friends


And now for this Crazy Cutey!!


Dr. Seuss week at preschool


One evening I told Ben to go up and get in the bath.  I kept hearing Ben and Tanner talking and thought Ben hadn't gotten in the tub yet.  Turns out Tanner had just climbed in with him!!

Look what we found in the box of next size up clothes!!



Super Hero Heaven!!


Tanner and his friend Gabe had fun going to a special story time together at the library.  They had a stuffed animal parade. 3-23-16

Tanner always has to stop and measure himself on the super hero wall. Ü

Reading Piggy and Gerald books...Tanner's faves!

We love story time with Miss Lizzy!  We go every Wednesday!!

Tanner got to help with one of the stories!!

Time for the parade!!


1st splash pad trip of the year...April 6th!!
Tanner & Gabe

Harry Potter came to visit! Ü

He's just too much fun...and getting TOO BIG!!


Sometimes you just gotta hug a tree.  Happy Spring!! Ü

Too much fun around here!!

Andy made this cool snake at Just 4 Kidz

Mother/Daughter trip to the temple for baptisms

I love my new temple picture we got from the YW auction



Gee...A lot can happen in 2 months!!

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What a fun post!! ~ Aldine

Lorrie Mills Awe....great picture of great kids

Amy Kin I miss you Ben "The Labelmaker" Allen!!!!!  Third grade is going to be AWESOME!!!