Cousin Fun!

My niece, Naomi, is visiting for a week and we are loving the cousin time!
Here are a few things we have been up to:

Swimming at Woodland Pool. What could be funner than a Pirate ship?

Water balloon fight!

The girls figured out how to fill up the balloons by themselves, but I don't know what or who got most of the water...the balloons or the girls:)

Abbie, Amanda, and I enjoyed a free "Tangled" concert from the kids! Ashton even played the drums:)

This is what we have been up to lately

Grace's first limo ride. It was for a birthday party!

Attended Women's Conference at BYU in Utah with my wonderful sister-in-law, Kristi. It was a great get away from kids. Chiye we missed you! See you next year for sure!!!

Saw my grandparents during my Women Conference stay. Sure loved visiting with them. I never know when it will be my last as they are in their mid-eigthies and have health problems.

Flew out to California and went through the temple with my sister-in-law, as it was her first time. What an amazing spiritual experience!

Celebrated Easter with a few baskets, eggs, and a very early morning.

Amanda started walking. Hurrah!

Ashton lost his first tooth.

Ashton's first soccer team.

Graduation from preschool. Now he is on to Kindergarten. Wow, I never thought this day would come to be a mother of two school aged children.

Memorial day weekend with cousins! Loved it!!!!


Put together a baby shower for a dear friend.

Second time making a diaper cake...soooo fun!
Now I don't have a picture of this major event, but it was going on during this busy month of March and April. I completed my second graduate class and received an "A". This was accomplished with much sweat and even tears!
We are excited to see what June will hold! Thank goodness for summer vacation!

Two Birthday Girls

Amanda and Abbie both celebrated a birthday! They are just one week shy of being two years apart and so we celebrated the big "1" for Amanda and the big "3" for Abbie. It is amazing how quickly they grow-up. Here a few pics of their parties and as you can see Abbie's was a Princess party. Each princess made a crown and was given gloves, sunglasses, and a gumball necklace. I made the gum necklaces and cake:)It was so fun to try something new. Thanks Melanie for the idea of gumball necklaces. Abbie had a great time and I loved planning it!

What We Have Been Up To

Happy Valentines Day! The kids enjoyed a fun breakfast with a scavanger hunt.

Ashton at our playgroup Valentine Party
Grace learned to ride her bike without training wheels.

Thanksgiving in South Carolina

We had a fantastic time with family in South Carolina! The kids had a blast playing with their cousins and we, as parents, enjoyed some adult time.

Also, enjoyed an oven baked turkey and a fried turkey:) Yummy!!


Ashton was in a hurry to get going on all the fun activities. Uncle Mike was helping him tie his shoes while he brushed his teeth:)


These two girls couldn't get enough of each other. Best friends and so sweet!

Thank you, Katie!

My sister-in-law Katie was so kind this year to take our family pictures. We went out to Keeneland to take them. It was fun! Here are just a few. She did an amazing job, especially for having such a sunny day and lots of wind. Thanks, Katie! We love the photos!

Sisterhood

Now I don't have sisters, only four brothers. I do have a wonderful mom who is one of my best friends and now eight wonderful sister-in-laws, but I have been jealous at times of those sister moments people talk about having while growing-up. Well, now that I have three girls of my own I have been able to witness those cute, sweet moments that only sisters can share. Here is one of those moments.
Power to the sisterhood!

Amanda was having a rough day and both sisters jumped in to help:) Grace with the food and Abbie with the toy to make her laugh. Isn't that what sisterhood is all about:)

Two Fun Things This Week

For our Monday family night (Family Home Evening)we talked about service and how we can show love for Christ through serving others. Alan came up with a great idea for our activity. He suggested that we go and serve the elderly lady at the end of our street by raking the leaves in her yard. It was a great learning moment for our children and I can't express my joy when they commented about it later that week.
There is so much joy to be found in service!

Our stake, combined with another stake put on "A Night On Broadway" A Tapestry of Musical Theater for our community. I was able to perform in a group that sang a medley of songs from the Music Man and also sang a solo, "Good Night My Someone". I had forgotten how fun performing on stage can be. It was extremely nostalgic for me!

Our Little Bouncer

Amanda has found a new love....bouncing! She loves to be in her bouncer that hangs in the kitchen doorway and I love it because I can keep an eye on her when I'm cooking. Now that she can crawl she picks up everything that is on the floor (that includes a variety of sizes ranging from large to very tiny) and puts it in her mouth. I'd like to use her as our new vacuum, since she can pick up the tiniest pieces off the floor, but unfortunately they can also be a big choking hazard. So, needless to say vacuuming and sweeping the floor has risen to a new level of importance in our home.