Memorial Day

In memory of my sweet Grandpa Ralph & Grandma Dorothy

In memory of my inspirational Grandpa Bob

We were able to go visit my Grandpa's grave today with my Grandma, Mom & the kids. We haven't been for awhile & it was the first time Sam & Mack really understood what we were doing there. It's always fun to tell the kids all about my awesome Grandparents. We wish we could go to Idaho Falls & visit my other grandparents graves too. We hardly ever make it there, but we talk about them & think about them often. We know they are all surrounding us & continue to guide us through this life.

We miss you, Grandpa Bob, Grandpa Ralph & Grandma Dorothy. Hope you have fun looking down on what you created- crazy as we may be!

Cute faces

I think Mack took this picture, and I love it because it's down at his level & captures Bella's blue eyes, cute little mouth & crazy hair!

This is Noah's happy face when he got his new "snap" scriptures after his baptism. He wasn't expecting them, because when we went shopping I decided they were too expensive & told him "no." Grandma & Grandpa said they'd half them with us, because they knew how much he wanted those exact ones & we surprised him!

Happy purple popsicle mustaches!

Check out the drip catchers I found in the dollar aisle at Target. No more sticky hands or stained carpet...well, maybe that's wishful thinking!

Cute Sam sporting his new orange glasses & their "sleeping bag!"

He hated all of the wire rimmed glasses that you usually see on kids. He had to have thick frames that weren't round. Sam was very specific about what he wanted, and the dr & optician both said it's important to let him choose, so he'll wear them. He did settle for orange, since they didn't have green frames, but other than that- they are all Sam!

Noah's baptism

This past Saturday, Noah was baptised & the first thing he said when he stepped into the dressing room afterward was "FINALLY"! He has been waiting for 2 months because he talked Len into performing the baptism & Len needed a little time to prepare. Len & Noah have a very special bond & it didn't surprise me that Noah would be the one to help Len take that leap of faith & let down his walls.

It was a very special day for all of us, especially Noah!

We set up a table of his favorite things: books, pokemon, soccer & school.

This is 3 of his cousins, Sarah, Bronson & Jackson with his Aunt, Nancy, practicing their song. Nancy was just filling in for Noah's other cousin, Emily, who was busy interviewing for the Miss Sandy pageant (& she won, by the way. Yeah Em!) The 4 cousins sang "Beautiful Saviour" for the closing song & it was beautiful. We were so lucky to have tons of family & friends there to join us.

My cousin, Kelcee & her little boy, Ethan came with my Aunt Gayle Sue all the way from Idaho Falls to share in this special day.

Noah was so happy to have his Daddy baptize him :) Len was very happy about everything that day too, except me choosing a jumper for him that was toooooooo small! Oops!

I'm so excited & I just can't hide it!

Whoo hoo! Bella can't wait for her first little kids book club party :)

This little cutie is growing up faster than any of the boys. She watches their every move & can't wait to read books, play in a soccer game, use the computer & go to school! It's like torture to her that her little body won't allow her to do all these things. Her out of control monkey moves got her into trouble today at the Carter's outlet. She kept climbing on top of the lego table they have for kids to play with, & chucking the lego blocks. I kept putting her back into the chair & she kept climbing back up. Finally, I told her no more table & brought her over by me in line, where there were rows of stuffed animals to play with. She'd grab each elephant, monkey & bear by their foot and throw her arm back, tossing the animals through the air! I couldn't grab them as fast as she could throw them. All I could think was, "How could I have forgotten to put the dang stroller back in the car?!" After finally putting the display back while performing a wrestling hold on little Bella, I plopped her on the counter & told her to HOLD STILL! Whatever. While I still had 1 hand on her leg, she twisted around & placed both hands on an upside down mouse pad & faster than lightning slid on her stomach over the back side of the counter head first. I screamed, which got the attention of every single person in the store, except the cashier who was in reaching distance of Bella. Her reaction was just to look at me like, "what's your problem, lady?" She obviously wasn't a mom. Luckily, as I was trying to grab Bella I was practically over the counter & saw that her head landed in a pile of lay-away bags full of clothes. It was super scary, but all turned out OK. Bella's now sound asleep in her little cage we call a crib, right where she belongs. Safe & sound. If I ever forget the stroller again, I'm turning around & heading back home! It's not worth it- my heart is barely starting to resemble a normal heart rate again.

Summer co-op kid's book club!

June's book selection

(This one's coming out as a movie soon too!)

My kids are always whining to go to Book Club with me, so I am starting a kid's book club for the summer to keep up their skills. They are so excited! I've had the idea for years, but decided to put it into action after meeting with Noah's teacher this week. She emphasized how important it is to not let up on studying during the summer months. This should be a fun way to maintain good study skills & implement some personal responsibility too!

We are inviting any of our friends that have interest in participating to join us!

Here's how it works...

You can decide what your child needs to do to earn the reward of going to book club every Friday. We decided on an age appropriate amount of reading, math, writing & hiking or exploring time each day. We also made charts, but you can do whatever works for you. There's no keeping track or requirements by the book club!

All ages are welcome!

Book Club will be more of a weekly playgroup at the park for young kids, under 5, who read or are read to everyday. The day we meet will be decided later.

Kids over 5, who meet their goals, will be able to meet Friday night at 5:00 for a yummy kids dinner at one of the members homes. Then, at 6:00 they will gather somewhere fun (like a tent with flashlights or the backyard) with lots of yummy treats & listen to the member's Mom or Dad read the selected chapter book until 10:00! What a fun late night together with friends & just think how much reading time the kids will get over the summer! :)

The parents, when not hosting, can enjoy a date night free of babysitting charges while their kids are at book club every Friday night! Bonus :)




We would love to have our friends join us,

and your kids are welcome even if you can't host.




Email me or comment if you are interested!