Jesse Jones Park

On Saturday morning we went to Jesse Jones park. It was the first time we'd been there since Hurricane Harvey, so I was curious to see what had changed.

The parking area seemed fine, with the same swinging benches.

The trails seemed to be in order as we went to the cypress boardwalk area.

Although we did encounter a copperhead snake on the way in, and a ribbon snake on the way out.

But it really got interesting when we got close to Spring Creek, and we started to see the devastation the water had caused.

There was a huge area completely flattened and covered in sand.

With trees bent over.

Or buried upside down in the sand.

It was a really fun place to explore. The kids dug in the sand and found sticks.

Threw rocks and clumps of sand into the water, and found camouflaged bugs.

The water had gouged a pretty significant cliff where we could look out over the creek.

But we found a path around the bend that took us to the waterfront.

We played there for a while, climbing on driftwood.

And throwing a ball Damon brought.

When the kids had had enough, we headed back onto the trail.

And back to the playground, where we had snacks and the kids played.

Bookshelves

Last year, Amber decided she wanted built-in bookshelves for our piano room, so when we redid the floor, she had them leave a gap where the bookshelves would go. She was committed now.

So earlier this year she started designing, buying wood, measuring, cutting, routing, assembling, and installing...

...painting, sanding, caulking...

...and even installing a new light. And now our piano room looks like this.

Other than help her fix the circular saw cord she cut through and haul some wood, I didn't do anything except watch, she did the rest on her own, and did a phenomenal job. She's planning on adding cabinet doors to the bottom shelves, and we're in the market for a couch, now that we got rid of the old bookcases.

Bookcase fever is almost over. She's almost finished with the bookcase for the girls' room to match the one she already made for the boys room (not to mention the shelves added to the coat closet). Soon we'll be able to park both cars in the garage again!

Damon's musical

Damon's school musical this year was Pajama Party.

It's all about going to bed, and Damon got to introduce his class's song by talking about what the monster under his bed might look like. He was very cute and got a big laugh.

They sang about peeking from under the covers to see the monsters.

Leading up the part he warned me about ("It's going to be loud!"), where they all scream.

He knew all the actions and songs and did a great job.

Easter

General Conference fell on Easter this year, so we didn't have to go anywhere. Olivia has been wanting to learn how to cook and bake lately, so she decided to make cinnamon rolls for Easter breakfast.

The Easter Bunny came between the morning and afternoon sessions. The baskets were very well hidden this year, but they were all eventually found.

And lots of bubble fun was had.

We dyed eggs while we watched the afternoon session.

Olivia was very proud of her My Little Poneggs.

But there was some good competition out there.