The van

This is quite the sight to see our big van on a tow trailer.  I was driving a group of youth from our stake down to youth conference in Utah County when the brakes started to smoke and stink up the inside.  I wasn't sure what happened or if it would continue, so I stopped and unloaded my group of kids into another couple vehicles that were on their way and called a tow truck.  Turns out the emergency brake was stuck on.  I didn't have it on, but it had gotten stuck and not come loose when I used it earlier in the day and that was the cause of the smoking.  Luckily an easy fix but still scary!

Lemonade Stand

These boys killed it with their lemonade stand today!  And although they drank more than they sold, they were happy to have a few bucks in their pocket!

Amazing Race 2019

We LOVE the Amazing Race that we do with our neighborhood! It is so fun to get the group together and win or lose, we have a blast!

Rease end of school year

Rease has officially graduated from Elementary School!!  She is so happy to have this year behind her but has loved it at the same time.  She loved having Mrs. Keller as her teacher and she really excelled this year.  One of the most exciting things that happened is she tested into the 8th grade honors math class for next year!  She worked really hard to be able to do that and there were only 3 other kids in her grade that were admitted into the 8th grade class with her.  This summer she will take a prep class that will basically teach her all the 7th grade concepts that she will be skipping so she feels prepared for the 8th grade class.  She is so excited about that!  So proud of this girl who has turned into a young women this year.  

Rhen end of school year

Rhen loved Mrs. Dall as her 4th grade teacher and had a great learning year this year.  She was a great teacher for Rhen and kept her class in line and learning so much!  Rhen loved doing her science project and writing a book called "Super Flash" that she worked really hard on.  It has been a great and successful 4th grade year for Rhen!

Liev end of school year

Liev had a great 2nd grade year with Mrs. Ashby as his teacher.  He really worked hard and made lots of progress with his reading and writing.  He loves math and has passed off his multiplication facts and is still working hard on division.  Liev has the best handwriting and is very proud of that.  He really takes his time and wants to make his papers look very neat.  I'm so proud of him and the great year that he has had!

Keen end of school year

Keen has loved every second of being in Mrs. Hoffer's class for 1st grade this year.  Lots of good things happen in 1st grade and the most important of all is eating lunch in the cafeteria.  Keen was faithful at checking the lunch menu every morning before school and deciding if it would be a "home lunch" day or a "school lunch" day.  Most days he loves the choices at school and eats the cafeteria food.  Leave it to Keen to make lunch the most important part of the school day!  

Keen made big strides this year with his reading and writing and has improved so much!  Mrs. Hoffer said that Keen is the most kind kid in her class and always thinks ahead to what comes next and helps her stay on task.  I love him for his efforts in school!

Beck end of school year

Beck had a great year at Kinder Cottage with Miss Melanie!  He is a smart cookie and learned all his letters and sounds and even started bringing home reading books by the end of the year.  Miss Melanie said he was a joy to have in her class and was always helpful and kind.  So proud of Beck for his hard work this year!

Tall Man

Desh thinks he's on top of the world as he sits on these stacked chairs!

Memorial Day

It's our tradition to go down to Sarah's grave on Memorial Day and visit for just a little while.  The kids always ask me to tell them about her and we talk through the small details that I know.  The one thing I do know though is that one day this special girl is going to be a part of our family again.  And that will be a good day.  

Rainbow

We could hardly believe how beautiful the rainbow was outside our window today!  Look at that full rainbow against the gray sky!  So gorgeous.

Happy Birthday Desh!

Happy Birthday Mr. Desh!  All Desh has been talking about for weeks is having a Spider-Man birthday party and cake.  I was happy to do it for this sweet 3 year old of ours.  We had family over for cake and ice cream and we celebrated our little hearts out and ate lots of cake and ice cream.  He was so excited that it was actually his birthday we were celebrating and not someone else's.  Birthdays are a big deal for the young ones so we made it a big day for him!

My favorite things about Desh at 3 years old:

1) Desh is such a good boy.  He wants to do what's right and hates being scolded.  He tells me, "I love you mom" about 10 times a day and I say just keep it comin!  I can't hear that enough!  He loves to help out and play with his brothers and sisters.  He and Rease have an especially strong bond and get along really well.  His favorite thing to do is play "horsie" with her - of course she's the horse and he gets to boss her and ride her around wherever he wants to go.  I tell him all the time "you're such a nice boy" and it's true.  This boy is a gem.

2) Desh is a boy to the core and loves all things involving dirt, cars, rocks, guns, swords, or anything he can jump, climb or fall from.  He keeps us busy with his busy-ness and I wouldn't have it any other way!

3) Desh is our caboose so with that comes lots of moments that I just want to take in one last time and never forget.  I love seeing him grow up, but don't want him to get bigger.  I love cuddling with him and kissing his chubby cheeks over and over.  I think everything that he says in his "just learning how to say things" language is the cutest thing on the planet.  Some of my favorites? Neg-nog, squirty poops (diarrhea), Kin-wee (Kinley) and "suck it up butter-cup!" 

We love this birthday boy more than he'll ever know!  I hope it was the happiest day of the year!

3 year old stats from Dr. Erickson:

Height: 3'4" - 93%

Weight: 37 lbs. 1 oz. - 90%

San Diego

I joined Josh on a business trip he had in San Diego this year.  It happened to be over my birthday so it was a perfect quick trip to sneak in.  The weather was gorgeous and we loved walking along the pier, eating delicious food and just hanging out together (when he wasn't at the conference of course.)  I'm so grateful for this man and how hard he works for our family.  Thanks for inviting me along!  What other business trips are planned this year...?!?!

Big job at the cabin

This winter the water line running from the road into the cabin froze and cracked.  Now that the ground is starting the thaw and warm up, the pipe is leaking and was in need of a major repair.  Josh hired a plumber and together with the boys they got to work digging out the old pipe and replacing it with a new one.  And this time they dug the trench deeper so that the same thing wouldn't happen again in the near future.  We're so excited to use the cabin soon and so glad to have this project done!

Uncle Greg

Uncle Greg came to visit from Seattle this weekend and we always love when he's around.  He reads the kids their bedtime story, plays any game that they request, takes us to movies and just hangs out and we catch up on life.  It is always great and we are lucky to have him in our life!

Vacuum King

Desh just recently learned how to vacuum and has become a pro in a short time!  Anytime there is a job to be done, that's the one he volunteers for.  And he doesn't make quick work of it either.  He'll vacuum for 10, 15 minutes just going over and over the carpet in the front room until finally I tell him that it's time to be done.  He's very thorough when he has a job to do.  

Beck's art

Beck has been on a roll drawing amazing rainbows and learning how to write words.  Luckily for us, his favorite words to write are mom, dad and I love you!  So we get lots of notes addressed to us with his cute pictures on them.

Yard Work

Yard work season has arrived and the kids have all started to take turns mowing the lawn.  This week Keen did the back yard while Beck and Desh helped me fill the garden box.  We are so excited to have summer just around the corner!

Mother's Day cards

The thing that makes my heart full more than anything else is homemade cards or notes from my kids.  I am full on this Mother's Day as I read and see these beautiful things from my kids.  I love them to the max and hope they know I love being their mom!

Twisters

The girls have had their weeding business, Twisters Weed Pros, for a couple of summers now.  Liev decided this year that he wanted to join the ranks and start bringing in some cash as well.  As their first job, they approached Papa Losee to do some landscaping work at his commercial building.  The area needed some work done and he had gotten a bid from another landscaping company already.  Coached along by their dad, the Twisters employees got together and drew up their own bid to see if they could beat out the competition.  They practiced their speech and printed out the document and went to Papa for a special meeting.  I don't think he knew what was coming, but he had an open ear and listened to all the benefits of going with Twisters vs. the other guys.  Aside from being his cute grandchildren, he saw that the benefits of working with Twisters largely surpassed the other bid that he received and right then and there he signed his name to hire them.  And just like that, Twisters had their first big job of the season!  They worked hard digging out old trees and bushes, burying drip lines, raking and mowing, and planted new bushes in place of the old ones.  It took them one whole day to get the work done.  And after, they totaled out their pay minus the cost of supplies and new shrubs and..voila!  They were rich!  I love the hard work and business minds that these kids are learning.  I see a bright future for these Twisters!

Naked Prayer

Oh how I love this boy and his sweet prayers that he says - never mind that he is completely naked.  It's what he is saying that counts.

School Play

Rease and Rhen both participated in the school play this year.  They have been going to early morning practices for months and finally got to perform it for the school and the parents.  Rease got the part as Grumpy in the play "Once Upon a Time."  She was awesome at her part and looked super cute trying to be grumpy!

 Rhen was part of the stage crew.  She loved helping make the sets and moving things around backstage to get the performers ready.  They got a well deserved applause after the play was over!

This year has been so fun for both these girls being some of the oldest kids in the school.  They are best of friends and love having things like this to do together!

Pinewood Derby

Oh this boy has loved Cub Scouts so far and has been so excited for the Pinewood Derby to arrive!  He and Josh worked hard on his car and he got the paint job perfect in my opinion.  He loved being about to race against his friends and even though he didn't win first place, he did win a couple of the races he was in!  I love this boy and his contagious smile and love for fun!

Dirty Hands

This boy keeps me on my toes - and mostly because he's always into something.  I'm not even sure what this is all over him, but with that face I couldn't be too mad.  Doesn't he look so happy to be dirty?!

BYU Women's Conference

For the first time ever I attended BYU Women's Conference with some friends and we had the best time!  I loved being there with so many wonderful and inspiring women and learning from some of the best teachers and leaders in the community.  It was a weekend full of the spirit and friendship and we couldn't get enough.  I'm so grateful for these great friends that I love to spend time with and learn from!