Where has the time gone??

I don't know what has kept me so busy the past 6 months, but I have found myself focusing on things other than my blog during that time. I hope to go back & catch up on the many memories we've had, while at the same time stay up to date on our current happenings. I'll see how good I am at doing both. =)

Jake's new calling

At the end of August, our church had Stake Conference. We got a new stake president. Our bishop was called to be the stake president so we knew that a new bishop would be called for our ward. So many emotions & thoughts went through our minds over the next 3 weeks. We couldn't tell what was personal revelation & what was just our own thoughts. We received a phone call on Thursday (17th) that the new bishopric would be put in on Sunday. Jake & I decided that our thoughts must have not meant anything because we were sure everyone had been called since the announcement was being made. On Friday night at 9 pm we got a phone call for Jake & I to meet with the Stake President the next afternoon. We knew right then that he would be in the bishopric. What an anxious 19 hours we went through until our appointment. We called both our parents (Jake's in S. Cal & mine in Utah for the BYU game). We would have loved for them to be with us on Sunday, but just didn't know if it would work out on such short notice. We attended the temple Saturday morning & afterward felt calm, but still nervous. We went to the interview & it was very special for us. Jake was asked to serve as the 2nd counselor in the bishopric. As soon as we got back in our car we called Jake's parents. They were sitting at the airport waiting for our call. The last flight to get to Boise was in 45 minutes so they would not have had enough time to get our call & drive to the airport. They decided to go to the airport & if the interview was not what we had anticipated then they'd just cancel their flight & go home. They are awesome. They put everything aside they had planned for the weekend & packed up to come be with us. I then texted my mom--she was at the stadium waiting for the game to start. She sent a quick text back & that was all we heard from them. To our surprise, after the game, they checked out of the hotel & drove back to Boise, getting home at 3:30 AM. We have 9 AM church so they got very little sleep. I was really hoping they'd come home, but knew that was a lot for them to drive so late at night & hope they'd stay awake the whole drive. What a blessing it was for us to have both our parents make such sacrifices so they could show their support & love for us. I love them all so much & am grateful for what they did.
Jake knows he has a lot to learn, but is excited, willing & ready to go. We all know we have a lot of adjustment to go through, but as long as we have the right perspective we know it will be a great experience for our family & we look forward to what's in store.

Temple Tulip Bulbs

My sister, Martha, & sister-in-law, Lucy & I went to the Boise Temple early this morning to dig up tulip bulbs to take home to our own yards. Martha heard about it on a blog so we thought we'd give it a try. We got to the temple around 6:30AM & there were already lots of people there digging up beautiful tulips. I couldn't believe how quickly the tulips were disappearing. We had heard there were tens of thousands of tulips, but it was hard to find a spot to go to since people were going so fast. We quickly found a spot & did our work. Within an hour the temple grounds were cleared out & the colors were gone. I had my bags full & an armload of beautiful tulips to take home & enjoy for a while. I am excited to plant these bulbs this fall & will keep my fingers crossed that they grow & bloom next spring.

April Birthdays

April is a busy month for us. Nicole, Brittany & Jake all have their birthdays--within 10 days of each other. Plus, our anniversary is thrown in there, too. I try really hard to focus on each one of them & make sure they have a special day, but it can get hard. I really need to plan better. One of these days I'll figure out how to do it all.

Nicole turned 7 this year. She requested breakfast in bed & loved that!! She headed off to school & then I showed up at lunch time to eat with her. We ate Subway sandwiches together. I hung out with her during recess & then headed home. That evening, we had a little party for her. She was very excited about her presents. I hope she liked what she got.
I decided that I wanted to start a new tradition. I wanted the girls to have a little one on one time with one of their parents, so they get to choose what we do & just spend some fun time together. Nicole chose for her & I to go see "Monsters vs. Aliens". It was fun to sit with her in the theater & have her cuddle up next to me & just enjoy watching the movie & being together. She seemed to really enjoy it, too.
Nicole, you are such a special girl with a tender heart. I hope you know how much we love you & know you have so much to look forward to in your life. Happy Birthday sweetie!!


Brittany turned 10 this year. She is excited cause she gets to start training to be a babysitter. She wants to earn money!! =) Brittany, too, had breakfast in bed. I think this will be an automatic for everyone--oh boy! I went to school to have lunch with her, too, & watched as she played tetherball & hang out with her friends during recess. It's fun to see how my kids interact with others at school. Such a learning experience for me. We had our family party & then she enjoyed her cheesecake at the end. Brittany's choice for her one on one time was to go fishing with her Dad. I thought it was an interesting choice, but it's so Brittany. She loves the outdoors & loves being with her Dad.
Brittany, you have grown up so much & are turning into such a beautiful young girl. I love how you have learned to handle your emotions better & how sweet you can be to others. I love you more than you know & hope you had an amazing 10th birthday!!

Fish release

Brittany's 4th grade class had a great science/nature experiment this year. They had a fish tank in their classroom & were able to watch trout grow. They watched them hatch & then once they got big enough they released them in the Boise River. The kids then had a chance to go fishing. They all had a good time, but it was not the best time of day to fish--no bites. I love it when teachers do great projects that are so hands-on. My kids have been so lucky to have wonderful teachers & to be at such an a amazing school.

Easter Egg Hunt

Every year, we go to my parents' home to have an Easter egg hunt. Each family brings a dozen plastic eggs for each of their kids & hide the eggs in the backyard. Once everything is hid, the kids are split into groups by age & then the hunt begins. The youngest get to go first & the squeals begin. It's so fun to watch the kids run through the gate & try to find their eggs as fast as they can. For some reason, every year there are always some who can't find all their eggs & it takes a while to figure out where they were hid. I guess we, as adults, do a pretty good job of hiding those eggs. This year, there was a special surprise in some of the eggs. My brother & sister-in-law, Jon & Kami, announced they were expecting another baby. We are very happy for them & hope all goes well.

The thrill of bathroom chairs

Brooklyn has a favorite public bathroom--Walmart. She is not potty-trained, but when I take Allie into the stall, Brooklyn learned one day in a Walmart bathroom that they had little chairs she could sit in while she waited for Allie. She thought it was the greatest thing. Every time we go into a public bathroom Brooklyn looks for her special chair. There aren't many bathrooms with these chairs so when we do find one, Brooklyn is as happy as can be.