Family Home Evening Lesson

Rease was in charge of the lesson for FHE this week.  She wanted to do it on families.  So she set to work writing it all down and getting prepared.  She did a great job.  I love that she has questions there to ask us as part of the lesson.  So cute!  Love your sweet testimony Rease!

Sleeping out

We just bought a fire pit and Josh has really been wanting to use it.  So we bought some hot dogs and marshmallows and decided to cook out for dinner.  We had such a fun time and the weather was perfect to be outside.  

 Josh and the kids planned to sleep on the trampoline.  They got all snuggled in and I went and snuggled into my bed inside.  

 At 3:00 am this is what I found in the front room.  They got rained out.  So everything came inside and landed on the living room floor for the rest of the night.  

I'm sure there will be plenty more nights to sleep out on the trampoline.  Such a fun summertime thing to do!

Liev's surgery

Liev has had tubes in his ears for the past 2 years.  We have been taking him in every 3-4 months to have them checked and make sure everything is all ok.  Finally Dr. Katz said it's time to get them taken out since they didn't fall out on their own.  He said if we left them in too much longer then there's a possibility that the holes wouldn't close on their own.  So we got the surgery scheduled and early that morning Mr. Liev and I headed to the hospital.  He was pretty nervous but still in good spirits as we got him all prepped.  They told him to bring a favorite toy so he brought his green motorcycle with him to keep him company.  He loved his little gown and the red socks they gave him to wear.  When the anesthesiologist came to take him away, he got pretty scared and cried but his nurse was so sweet and helped calm him down as they were wheeling him away.  The surgery itself was only 15 or 20 minutes and Dr. Katz said things went great.  Liev was pretty groggy and cranky after he woke up but on the way home we stopped at McDonalds and had pancakes together and that seemed to cheer him up a little bit.  He was a trooper and we're so glad those tubes are out!  Swimming pool here we come!

Rhen graduates

Rhen officially graduated from preschool!  They had a little program and gave out their "diplomas" this week.  Unfortunately Rhen woke up the morning of and was throwing up so we did not make it to the program.  She felt bad she wasn't there but was so sick that she just wanted to go back to bed.  Anyway, we have loved her preschool experience at the Kinder Cottage this year.  Miss Melanie is so patient and kind and taught them so much.  One week during the year they had a music week and had different people come in all week to show them different instruments and the music they each make.  They had a violin, cello, bass, drums, piano and a few others.  It was really great.  Another week was animal week and they learned all about different animals and then took a field trip to a horse farm.  Rhen had so much fun!  Overall is has been such a great year for her and I'm so glad we were able to find this awesome preschool.  She is ready for Kindergarten!

Putting shelves together

I bought some shelves from KSL one day and Rhen and Liev helped me put them together.  We weren't sure how many shelves we would end up with because the lady selling them just had a big pile of supplies and hardware and didn't know anything else about the shelves.  We did know that they came from IKEA so once I got the stuff home I looked online and found out which type of shelves they were and what they would become.  So the kids and I set to work.  In the end, we ended up with 7 book shelves!  I paid $50 for everything and ended up with many more shelves than I expected!  But we are happy to have them and have a lot of ideas on how and where to use them.  Thanks kids for your help!

Taping the diaper on

We have been having some real issues with Keen keeping his diaper on at night.  After we put the boys to bed, we lock their door so they don't get out a million times.  They usually end up playing a little bit before they go to sleep - which is fine.  What is not fine is that lately Keen has been taking off his pjs and diaper and peeing on the floor.  It is so annoying!  We were putting on multiple diapers a night when Josh finally came up with the idea of just taping the diaper on.  It may look weird but so far it has done the trick.  Little monster!

Thanksgiving Point

We have been spending a lot of time at Thanksgiving Point lately.  We bought a season pass which has been really fun because there is so much to do.  With the weather turning so nice we have loved spending the time outdoors.  

We went to the tulip festival for the first time ever.  I've always wanted to, but until this year haven't made it down there.  We had a great time strolling around, letting the kids run and play and seeing the beautiful tulips.  Seriously such a beautiful spot!

 Melissa and I took the kids to the petting zoo one day while they were off track.  We packed a lunch and spent most of the afternoon there.  It was fun seeing the little baby animals and the kids loved riding the horses.  We usually stop for ice cream at the deli on our way home (kids ice cream cones are 50 cents - can't beat that!)

 And the new children's museum just opened.  Since we are season pass holders we got to go to a sneak peak night.  I'm glad we did because I'm sure in the weeks to come it will be super crowded.  But we really enjoyed our time there and didn't feel like it was overly crowded the night we went.  There is so much to do there and we could have spent many more hours exploring all the different things.  We will for sure be going back to this fun place!  

Rhen's preschool ducks

Rhen's preschool class has been incubating duck eggs for the past little while.  Miss Melanie was hoping they would all hatch before the kids finish school on the 21st.  I happened to be in the class volunteering the day that the first little duckling hatched.  The kids were so excited and interested in watching this little creature emerge from the egg.  It was really neat!

Mother's Day

I had a great Mother's Day and got so many nice notes and pictures from my kids.  I always love the homemade things because they come straight from their hearts - and their messy hands =)

I love these kids and my sweet husband so much!

Liev and Keen made these cute handprint pictures in nursery.  

Rhen made these in primary and some in her preschool class.

And Rease made these in her 1st grade class for me.

Thanks for letting me be your mom!

Liev and Keen

These 2 boys of mine are the best.  They couldn't be more different from each other.  Liev is tall and skinny and Keen is just a tank.  Plus with Keen's blonde, curly hair they barely look like brothers.  But they LOVE playing together and are best little buds.  We can't wait for our next little brother to join the pack!

Rease's Testimony

Rease is such a special girl and a good example to all of us.  She has a few friends at school that are not members of the church and she is constantly talking about things she can do to teach them about the church.  One night she was working on something for a couple of hours.  I asked what she was writing down and she said she wanted to write down what she could say to her friends to tell them about the church - basically her sweet testimony.  I was so proud of her and the willingness she has to share the gospel at such a young age.  Her testimony is so sweet and strong.  

Keep it up Rease.  That testimony will be so important to you as you continue to grow!

Rhen's School Pictures

Rhen is in the best preschool.  It's called Kinder Cottage and she has learned so much and had such a fun year!  Miss Melanie, her teacher, had someone come in and take pictures of the kids and we got a copy of all the photos.  I love seeing all the pictures - good and bad.  It totally shows Rhen's personality!

 Her preschool class and all the cute kids in it!

Messy Faces

We have lots of messy faces around here at lunch time.  Especially when we have the drink yogurts that my kids LOVE.  These boys are the best!

Easter 2014

Easter is always fun at Grammie and Papa's house!  There is nothing like an Easter Egg Hunt with money and candy inside the eggs.  The kids had a blast and there were plenty of eggs to go around!  I forgot to bring clothes other than church clothes for my kids, so the boys borrowed some pjs from Canyon - they were a tiny bit too small for Liev, but he made it work.  All these kids have such a fun time together! 

And don't think that egg hunts are just for kids.  After the kids were done with theirs, we had an adult egg hunt just for mommies and daddies.  It was super fun.  Although I will say that I definitely overdid it as a pregnant mommy.  I got a major contraction while I was climbing on the jungle gym in search of eggs.  It took me a good 2-3 minutes to be able to get back to the hunt.  Hayley and Caleb were the big winners this year - I swear they won last year too.  But we all had a fun time and came home with some good cash.  Caleb came home with ripped britches so I guess all the money they found will go to buying him some new pants.

Easter Sunday the kids woke up to find their easter baskets.  The Easter Bunny always leaves their baskets hidden and they have to go on a little hunt to find them.  Here they are, excited to have found their baskets filled with goodies.  They each got a pair of goggles for swimming this summer and the kids didn't want to take them off.  Even Keen got in on the goggle action.

Days later, Liev still has his on!

Most of all, we are so grateful to be able to celebrate our Savior this Easter and his atonement and resurrection.  We love knowing that we will be able to live as a family for eternity because of Him.  Easter is a great day to remember all of our blessings!