Alan is now a featured artist at the Columbus Museum for his drawing of....The Columbus Museum. He said he only had one day to draw it, and he would've colored it if he'd been given more time. He thinks he might've won 1st place if he'd colored it. He won 2nd place in the "ARTiculate" contest. He competed with children from schools around the city. He's very excited, especially because he won a $15 gift card with it. 
So last week we saw that our pool was a bit unlevel. Knowing that it could fall over if we left it, we had to drain it and level the ground underneath it. For two days the kids and I worked in the heat and humidity digging up the grass and moving it.They're smiling here, but it was really hard work.
We finally got all the grass up, so then it was time to time to level it. Tom leaves for work too early in the morning to do it, and by the time he's home in the afternoon it's close to 100 degrees. So, knowing that we were anxious to have our pool back, he asked the missionaries to come and help. 
They did a really good job, but they were so tired and hot from all the work, they needed a little break. They hung out and played with the kids on the trampoline, then had lunch on the deck with them, and read them stories. 
And now we have a nice level ground for our pool. Yay! Just in time because it's reeeaaally hot these days.
I like to save old cracker boxes, oatmeal canisters, capri sun boxes, juice cartons, etc. because they're great imagination tools. This morning we decided to make the city of Roseville. We took the old boxes and covered them with Butcher paper that I get at Sam's club just for coloring. Then I took an old sheet that doesn't fit any of our beds anymore and we colored a city on it with crayons.
Don't mind diaper boy. He got himself all wet playing outside in the water filled sandbox earlier this morning, hence no clothing.
Here's Sarah collecting some blossoms from a dogwood tree. (We got home and looked up all the things we collected and found out what they were)
Along the fitness trail were different "fitness" activities to do. Here they are doing chin ups at a stop along the trail.
We also took a break along the trail and played on some swings.
We also had fun looking at the ducks. Or rather, chasing them down in William's case.
Big Lots had pools on sale, so we bought one the Friday before Memorial Day. We're so excited. Now we have something to cool off in every day! 
William is too little go in the pool without a grown up, so he helped me in the kitchen. We had barbecued ribs, potato salad, watermelon, corn on the cob, chips, etc. William helped with most of if. He loved helping me wash the corn. 
My brother Johnny and his wife Jenette just had their second baby boy last week. We're so happy for them!
We had Leis and grass skirts for the girls, and straw hats for the boys. Here's our sofa table decorated with some extra grass skirts and an inflatable palm tree.Here are the coconut glasses and palmtree straws we used for the drinks. The gathering activity we had was for the kids to decorate their own hula hoops with ribbon and stickers. I got the hula hoops from the dollar store.
Then the kids got to make Candy Kabobs.
We played alot of games, a hula hoop contest, the limbo, pass the hot coconut, but Tom and I were so busy orchestrating the games, that we didn't get any pictures of them.
Here's Kaitlyn looking cute in the Luau stuff:
After the party, the kids went out side to play. 
And I accidentally deleted the video of the birthday cake :( She wanted an icecream cake in the shape of a beach ball. It didn't look so great, but it was yummy. I baked the cake in a bowl, cut it in half, put ice cream inbetween the layers, and then frosted it. I put cinnamon and sugar around the outside of the cake which made it look just like a beach ball in the sand!
Sarah had a great time, and she was very happy. Her favorite gifts are an MP3 player from mom and Dad and a pottery wheel.
She decided to write about how she is great at art. She called it, "I am a great artist". Instead of just a poster, she made a giant painter's pallette with a paint brush. She put her essay on the end of the paint brush, and she drew pictures on the pallette. She also needed to include photos of herself doing art. We put those on the pallette too. She's very excited to present it because she's thinking that everyone else will just have a big poster, while she has her unique shape. She's usually is very scared to talk in front of people, but because of her excitement about the project, she can't wait! She took it to school today, and I'm sure she'll do well presenting it.
Here's William's bedroom after he takes a nap:
In case you can't see all of the conquests, here they are in detail:
The bookshelf is knocked over. The diapers are pulled out of the drawer we're they're kept:
The mattress is completeley flipped upside down:
And when I flip the mattress over, this is what I find:
Marker on the rug...
Marker on the back of the door..
And somehow, Sarah's chapstick was in his room, so he had fun with that too:
Last year we started the tradition of making a Mother's Day video for my mom. They call her "Grammie", hence the title. And no, Alan is not playing the piano, but he wants you to think he is. I prerecorded the song on the piano so that I could record them.
Kaitlyn has learned how to fly!
Alan and Sarah defend themselves from William.
These pictures were taken on April Fools Day, but I'm not fooling. It was hot enough for the kids to play in the water on April 1st. I didn't post them because that was Easter week and I was doing the Easter week posts. But this week they've been playing in the water too, and it's been in the 90's! Yuck.
They were sealed in the Sacramento temple. That was really special and it was a beautiful perfect day. Her colors were blue and yellow. Very nice. 
He loved dropping them through his fingers. 
