Flake Fun

Although we don't have mounds of snow nor blooming flowers and fragrant tree blossoms,  spring has poked her head up and gone back to sleep.  We have semi dormant tulips and daffodils in the front.   

The kids started a 6 week Kinder Prep class at the library and are quite enjoying it.  They have learned about magnets, rhythm and measuring.  They come home each week with a new book and at home tools for what they learned about. (Rulers, mini maracas, magnets, etc.)

The chicks are still alive and growing. 

We went Mesa on Saturday to attend our niece Katelyn's baptism.  It was really nice and the kids enjoyed seeing their cousin.  James was quite distressed that the water part ended so soon!

Hyde Happinesses

 Hello all! Really not much to report this week, but I thought I’d share some cute pictures of Stetson so I don’t spam your phones with them 😅 why didn’t anyone tell me how much fun being a mom would be??!

Needless to say we are very much in love with our Stetson boy. He’s the best and we can’t wait for you to meet him!

Hart Happenings

 It was Spring Break up here this week and since there was no sign of spring, we decided it was Spring's break.  It just took the week off.  Hopefully that means it will be ready to get going this next week!

First day of spring: A realistic clothing choice vs. a wishful thinking wardrobe option. 

My boys felt cheated to not get a Spring Break break from their studies. I told them that when it felt and looked more like spring then maybe we could take a break. But since all their friends were out of school they were able to have some fun play dates with their buddies. 

Alex’s spikeball tournament got canceled so he was home this weekend which was nice. We got caught up on some house cleaning which felt really good. Living can really leave some marks on your living spaces! 

Ian worked a lot this week since a lot of his co-workers were out of town for the break. He caught something and is down and out with a sore throat and the sniffles. 

Jack is Jack. His list of accomplishments would astonish everyone. Suffice it to say, he has lived large and well this week. 

Peter is living his best life planning his birthday, anticipating the expansion of his chicken flock, practicing parkour flips, and playing with cousins and friends. He runs his mama ragged but is the best little buddy a mom could ask for. 

I keep planting seed and sticking them under lights as a show of good faith that the sun will come out eventually and I might look out of the window one of these days and see my garden beds. I reworked our mantle with a spring theme because it made me feel better about everything. 

Green things are where it’s at. 

Hope all is well with you! So fun to see your pictures and hear what’s going on in your lives! 

Flake Fun

Where does time go?  We have had a good month since the last time I posted.  The most exciting thing by far was getting our chicks.  It took several attempts over several weeks but we finally came home with 9 of them.  Robin was especially excited that we found some Easter Eggers.  

Grandpa Flake got a new corgi puppy named Tulsi. She spent several mornings with us and the kids enjoyed playing with her, for the most part.

A surprise visit from Grandma and Grandpa Belliston was very much enjoyed.

6:30AM - good morning chicks!

Trying to be cool like Peter!

Hyde Happinesses

 Hello all! I have been the worst at writing on the blog! But I will try to do better!

Life is good here! It’s starting to warm up so we’ve been going on lots of walks and getting out of the house more which has been awesome. We’re starting our garden this week and are very excited about it!! Neither of us has a green thumb so pray for our poor plants. 

We celebrated Pi Day with banana cream pie, and St Patrick’s Day with corned beef and cabbage, soda bread, and pistachio pudding as well. It was awesome.

Stetson is just the best ever. Last we checked, he weighed about 12.5 pounds so he is growing very well 😂 he sleeps well, chats with us, smiles pretty much all day every day, and really is the chillest baby in the whole world. We love him! For anyone wondering, he is a type 1 😉 

Cam got a promotion at work which has been really great for him. The general manager found a different job, so she quit kind of suddenly, and Cam was by far the best replacement. He’s enjoying being a manager and really likes what he does. You’ll have to come visit so he can give you a good stretch! 

Being parents is so much fun! We’re absolutely in love with this little kid. He already has so much personality and I seriously can’t wait for you guys to meet him. You’ll love him!

This is what our Sundays look like now. Well. It’s kind of what all our days look like actually lol.

Oakley is still getting used to Stetson. She makes sure he’s okay when he’s fussy or when we get him out of his car seat, but other than that, she just pours a lot. But don’t worry. She is plenty spoiled with treats and love from everyone, even though she feels pretty abandoned.

 

Hart Happenings

 Hello Family! It's been a pretty normal week here at the Hart house. 

Alex has been practicing...(can you guess what it is?)...SPIKEBALL! He's getting pretty dang good. We were able to host some of his Spikeball buddies for the weekend which was super fun! Those are some good kids.  He celebrated a big birthday down in Vegas during the huge Spikeball tournament that his company put together and hosted.  It was a massive undertaking and epic success.  

Elise was able to start her seeds!  Woop! Woop!  It feels like an act of faith with the walls of snow still piling up outside.  She also attended lots of community garden meetings. Not as "Woop Woop". Those meeting can drag on FOREVER. Alex and Elise also got to attend the Ryan Hamilton comedy show in Rexburg with Ruth and Garrett which was a blast!  They pretty much laughed for two solid hours.

Ian has been working non stop! But he loves it. It's such a perfect job for him and he gets to hang out with awesome co-workers all day which is a party for him! He has also been singing (non-stop). Ever since we have found him his vocal coach he has been more confident in his vocal abilities and we have all witnessed an amazing change in his voice. We are so proud of all the hard work he has put in to it!  He also celebrated his 17th birthday.  Wait, what?  How?  Blows his mama's mind.  He celebrated with dinner out with some friends and then brought the crew home to play games.  We laughed much and are so grateful he has wonderful friends.

Jack has also been playing lots of Spikeball and has also been playing lots of soccer. Except this week they went sledding for Youth Activities and he crashed pretty hard and has been pretty banged up and sore all week. But he is one tough kid and will not let a little, old sled stop him from playing his favorite sports. He is taking a Constitution class at our homeschool co-op and also trying his hand at stage fighting with swords.  He has many interests.  Another recent obsession is the stock market and he has been working his way through a pile of library books on the subject.

Peter loves SPIKEBALL! He also moved up to a higher rank in his flips class. He sold three Pokemon cards this week. (It's his new favorite thing to do.) He made around $30! We got a little salesman over here. Peter has been researching the types of chickens he wants to get. We're hoping to to get some this upcoming week. He is crossing his fingers that his parents will let him get peacocks as well. (not likely) He planned and hosted a Pokemon trading party this week and executed it perfectly.  All 9 of the kids invited had a wonderful time and the house was still standing after all was said and done so we'll call it a success.

Since we last wrote we have had some very fun adventures, including trips to Vegas, St. George, and New York.  It helped the longest short month (February) go by much faster.  Here are some highlight pics from our travels:

Alex's favorite poutine place.  Pomme Frits.  A literal hole in the wall with excellent food!

Peter in the Egyptian room at the Met.

Ian was in his element in the city and loved every moment of it.

When in New York, ride the subway.

The Lego store!

The Harry Potter store.  A magical place, indeed!

A serendipitous find.  And old bookstore.  We were giddy!

New York brownstones.  Just wandering.

Ian and Daisy at the Met.

More Met.

Wicked on Broadway.  Dream come true!

The early morning flower market on 28th st.

Cronuts.  I don't even have words.

Our favorite ice cream place in the whole world.

Dad and Ian at Six.

Times Square.

Another subway pic.  It was cold in New York too!

The Brooklyn library.

An arch in Brooklyn commemorating the Civil War.

The Pokemon madness.

Birthday treats with Moses.

Birthday dinner.

Catchin' some rays in St. George.