Dueck's Roost

And to finish off March ... Grandma Loo, Gracie, Mae, and I enjoy a BYU folk dance group performance. Porter and James participate in another season of school basketball. Joe gets an award at school--that's a good day right there!;) Mae keeps everyone busy on Sunday morning with another one of her fun ideas--wind tunnels with fans and bed sheets. The younger boys get to hang out with Dad at one of his favorite places in the world: Menchies!!:-) Porter and James come to my rescue by stepping in to run our Scout group's Winter Court of Honor!! Mae chops off a good portion of her luscious locks.  And has fun taking silly selfies on the way home. That's it folks;)!!

Spring is coming and it's Easter time again!! Admittedly, Easter this year took place in late March and felt almost nothing like Spring, which seemed a bit wrong. That's okay, though, we still had a great time gathering as a family and celebrating this special day that honors Jesus Chris and his beautiful resurrection. It is such a blessing to me to have faith and hope in a Savior who lived, died, and rose again; as well as in a God (a father in heaven) who cares about and loves all of us. With all the chaos in the world, it is not always an easy thing to have faith in, but I'm grateful for my choice to follow this path. It brings peace and joy that experience has taught me cannot be found elsewhere. Mae geared up early for the holiday, preparing these adorable baby chick cupcakes--this girl never ceases to amaze me! Easter morning--lots of sleepy but excited faces:). Time to enjoy some baskets full of candy! You don't have to tell this dad twice!;) ...

Why anyone would want to do this, I have no idea! Okay, well I do kind of get it. Building an igloo does sound like a bit of fun. Especially if there's a warm lodge with hot chocolate nearby--which in this case there of course was not . But sleeping inside an igloo after working in the cold snow all day long? No, thank you:-). That said, I know that my boys love this kind of stuff, and I'm definitely grateful for their super cool dad and scout leaders who are willing to make this happen. Here they are shortly after arriving at the Paradise section of Mt. Rainier, making sure they have their gear prepped and ready to go.  Group shot with Kevin!  James is seriously committed to keeping that face warm!! (second from the left) And after a short 1/4 mile hike, it's time to get to work!  Serious work!! Hence the pile of coats in the background. Yep, that's definitely James.  Very cool igloo kits certainly help to make the job a little eas...

And to finish out February ... Kevin takes the boys (and friend) to a local robotics competition.  I accompany Joseph to the Museum of Flight ( http://www.museumofflight.org ) for a fun school field trip! Love this little guy of mine!! Mae volunteers to decorate/set up for a church Valentine-themed potluck--she brought along hers and Brooks' very creative school Valentines boxes (that she had made previously). Kevin and I have a great date night in Seattle at The 5th Avenue Theatre's showing of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. The theater/cast did an amazing job of making the show funny, entertaining, and actually quite flawless. I would say it was one of the best productions I've been to. And these two studs pay a visit to Five Guys along with their amazing dad!!

And finally the last exciting event for February! Of course, this one is probably only exciting to myself and Kevin;). In February we officially joined with The Chopped Leaf family (under the Innovative Food Brands umbrella) as soon-to-be franchise owners, and then ventured out to Phoenix for a company gathering/conference/vacation. This is a great chain out of Canada with a fresh, modern, and wholesome but tasty vibe ( http://www.choppedleaf.ca ). When we stumbled across it, we knew that it fit perfectly with our desire to assist ourselves and others in living a more healthy and active lifestyle. After much research and deliberation we jumped on board. Our long weekend in AZ was full of beautiful weather, helpful content, and networking with lots of really great Canadians;). Excited for our  new adventure. With Blair Stevens--founder and current brand president, and overall great guy:). All the current franchisees, as well as some of the awesome corporate guru...

Next was a really cool experience that the kids (but Joseph in particular) was looking forward to for quite some time: Marvel Universe Live! ( https://www.marveluniverselive.com ) at the Tacoma Dome. I was really just along for the family experience, but it was actually a pretty great show for everyone. The technical aspect of the production was pretty amazing--there were carefully choreographed motorcycle scenes, areal contraptions descending and ascending from the ceiling, all kinds of lights/smoke/fire/etc., and of course all the Marvel super heroes your heart could desire.  We didn't get any great shots of the family, but here's a couple--mostly of Mae messing around:-).  And then a few pics of the actual action! I think everyone in the Dome was pretty ramped up when the Hulk arrived!! Good shot of some of the "stage" lighting. Lots of flying or swinging super heroes.  Spider Man was pretty cool to watch with all of his acrobat...