Currently I'm home all by myself while you two and mom are in South Dakota staying with Aunt Robin and her family. A few months ago your mother and her sisters thought it'd be fun to have a week where they could get together and do whatever it is that sisters do. Aunt Suz & Grandma Julie flew out for the occasion as well. Hopefully everybody is having fun and that you and your cousins are harvesting good memories.

This past month has been a gigantic blur of dirt and mud and a sore back (mine). We're in the process of landscaping our yard so you kids can enjoy life just a little bit more. It's been quite a process that started when we first moved in four and one-half years ago. Since the yard contained all kinds of old growth that had been neglected for a long time we decided to strip it down to nothing and start from scratch.

Along the way we discovered that our porch was beginning to fall away from our house and so we had to take drastic action. And by drastic action I mean that we spent all kinds of money and sought out all kinds of advice on just what to do. Eventually we had three push piers dropped in front of the porch that should remedy the problem. We weren't able to make the cracks completely go away but we have hopefully stopped them from opening up any more.

Anyway, things are going well and we're hoping to have everything wrapped up by my 40th birthday later this summer. We have to finish the sprinkling system, plant sod, lay a couple of brick pathways, re-do the gutters, add a planter box in front of the porch and then build our deck out back. Hopefully this is doable. With some help, I think it is.

My bishop life has been very consuming lately. Most days it's the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about before I go to bed. The high's and low's are extreme and I find myself getting frustrated with people at times, but honestly I am grateful that I have been trusted with so much. I imagine that this might be the greatest learning experience of my life.

Your mom has caught the brunt of my busy schedule. Marriage is such a team effort and I am constantly amazed at your mother's grace and beauty as she takes on your emerging personalities. I am a blessed man to have her by my side.

RUBY-
Well, little miss thing. You certainly are something else. Every day it seems as though you have a new passion. One week it's picnics, the next it's swimming and the next it's building bridges in the back yard. You're still quite the bossy little one and you demand much out of your mother and I (mostly your mother).

You have taken to big sister-dom and just love your brother Henry. Often you speak for him and seem to have little trouble commanding him where to go and what to do. Lately he's beginning to push back and judging on his growth lately you might have something to worry about in about a year or so.

HENRY-
I feel really bad that I haven't had the time to document your progress like I did with your sister. By no means do I love you less, it's just that my life has changed so much since you were born.

Anyway, it's fun to hear your grunts and sounds start to make a little more sense. You love to sing just about all the time. Sometimes you add motions and then we can actually dissect what song it is you are singing.

Your words are also beginning to make sense and you are able to communicate with us better and better. At times you get frustrated and then revert back to your baby self where you cry and carry on. You hear your mom and I often say "Use your words Henry." To which you sometimes do.

One of the best parts of fatherhood is watching you two become friends. Your mother and I talk about you all the time. You are our greatest joy and I love you more than you can possibly imagine.

Alright then, you little monsters...I miss you madly and can't wait to walk through our door to be greeted with your unique brand of cacophony. The kind of cacophony that only you two are able to make.

Love,
Dad

West

And in reality they're perfectly happy with a pile of dirt and an endless supply of water. I really don't know how Becca does it.

Yeah...totally late once again. It was a fun month. The weather got warmer. We headed down to St. George for our annual Easter get-away. Henry's vocabulary is expanding. Ruby is anxious to be an adult. More of the same, really. Not much "news" to report.

So, on with the show.

Henry charmed the pants off his momma (nothing new there).

Cousin Tennyson was in town where he and Henry picked up where they left off with their cousinly Feats of Strength competition. In dramatic fashion Henry took this one...the Tall Hair challenge.

Henry got his uni-sock domestic on.

Then got scared of something in the back yard. Possibly the dead grass, tall weeds and partially installed sprinkling system.

More Tenny. This time in B&W.

Then we headed south for Uncle Dave's annual Easter Dutch Oven feast in St. George.

There was an egg hunt where cousin kids got to know each other.

Cousin Angie's daughter Alli.

Cousin Kim's daughter Ava.

Ruby finally makes an appearance.

Cousin Chloe lookin' all "whatever".

Henry helped Grandpa Ross with the piano duties.

Spoils of the hunt.

Henry watches cousins play Guitar Hero while downing a green iced cookie.

Our first family portrait of the year. Yeah, daddy needs to hit the gym and lay off the junk (again).

Ruby borrows cousin Lyndon's pirate hat.

Henry adds "basketball" to his vocabulary.

Oh, those eyes.

Ruby looks cute. Still can't believe that she's 1/2 me.

Henry adds "baseball" to his vocabulary.

Ruby and Henry played nice for a couple of minutes.

With the warm weather comes the porch photo ops.

Grandma Julie bought Ruby some new shoes.

Well, that just about does it. I really really need to get back on my schedule. The schedule where I write in the early part of the month so I can actually remember what happened. Wish me luck.

Love,
Dad

As if getting our foundation repaired wasn't enough, the main water pipe that feeds our street burst yesterday. There were all kinds of trucks and backhoe's and fire engines crawling the neighborhood. Henry had a field day pointing to this and that babbling play by play commentary that only he understood. It was awesome.