Easter 2017!

Our little egg hunters all in a row!

I might die from the cuteness!  Look at those beautiful babies.

Egg hunting at Grammy's with Catherine.

Cousin babies--almost 1 year old!

Easter outfits from Mima!

The sun was a bit too bright for pictures, but they were good sports to squint for me anyway.

Easter is always a joy for us.  It seems to only get better and better each year with the kids.  As fun as egg hunts and sugar cookies are, I think the real joy comes from teaching them, in greater depth, about the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  As they begin to understand it,  the seeds of their testimonies are planted and it strengthens our growing testimonies as well.  We have been truly blessed beyond measure.  From both being born into homes with the restored gospel, to living in such a wonderful place, to having a good job, and of course being blessed with four amazing children.  We don't know why we've received so much good when others seem to have to endure so much bad.  What we do know is that through the Atonement we can all be cleansed, reconciled, lifted up, and blessed.  Looking at these beautiful kids I take great comfort in knowing of God's eternal plan for our family.  The Atonement makes it all possible, and that is what brings so much joy at Easter.  

Goofy Girl

So bashful!  She knows she's wrapping us all around her little finger. 

She started doing this squishy face when I started feeding her solids that she didn't like.  But, then it grew into one of her tricks.  If we make that face and ask her to do squishy face, she does it almost every time.  We're all a little obsessed with it!

Spring Break!

I couldn't resist a picture of those gorgeous eyes locked in on her siblings, soft kissable cheeks, and little button nose all topped off with a beautiful bow for a beautiful girl!

Since we were having a "staycation" we took advantage of one of Daddy's days off and played at the Classic Fun Center.  All three kids had already been there for their friend's birthday parties, but we hadn't so it was fun to go with them this time.  

After Classic Fun Center we used our coupon book from school to try out Johnny Rockets.  It was kind of a long wait, but the food was yummy and exceeded our expectations so we were all smiles. 

After Johnny Rockets we were already at Station Park so we let the kids run around and play for a while.  They loved it!  Carson actually saw a girl from his class, Ainsley Austin, and played tag with her and her older brother.  Ruby and Dixie explored the statues, the fountain and found a real fireplace to warm up with.  Then Imagine Dragons started playing and the fountains did a show to the song.  The kids were mesmerized and can't wait to go back again this summer!


Our main Spring Break event was going to Lauren Jenson's parent's new vacation home in Midway.  (sorry for the run on sentence)  It is GORGEOUS!  We got to go with the Jensons and Shepherds.  The kids had a blast playing in the house, riding bikes and wiggle cars outside, launching water balloons at Benji, playing on the playground, and sleeping all in one room on bunk beds!  The grown ups had fun playing with the kids, watching Benji get hit with balloons, and just getting to talk& talk.

  Here Lily is excited to play with Kate!

We went on a hike up Memorial Hill, which was stunning and fun.  All we heard the whole way was Dixie complaining about how hard it was to walk and how exhausted she was.  

Of course, once we got to the top she loved it and then when it was time to leave all we heard was that she didn't want to go!  Silly girl. 

One on the front, one on the back in all my mama glory.

(This pic is a bit out of order)  Isn't this kitchen just beautiful?!?!

Here we are on the way up.  You can tell from the beautiful grump on the far left of the pic. :)

After the hike, the moms put the babies down for naps and the dads took the older kids to Dairy Keen for a yummy treat!

Have You Heard of Carson the Beauty Expert? He's Simply Fabulous!

I came into the kitchen to find this beauty shop going on.  Carson was the beautician. :)  I love seeing him be so sweet with his little sisters.  He is such a sweet, sensitive boy.  He can be rough and tumble, too, but in these sweet moments I imagine how lucky his future wife and kids will be to have such a sweet husband and daddy--just like we are with Benji.

After he painted their nails and applied their makeup, he whispered something to them.  He quietly took them upstairs and got them dressed in their new dress-ups to come and present them to me.  He was soooooo proud and happy that he helped them.  And by the expression on their faces, I can tell that they were on cloud nine and knew they had the best big brother in the world.

Then they wanted to have a royal tea party, but the sun was a little too bright. :)

March Randoms

Ruby gave her first talk in Primary!  I would have bet that she'd be too shy to give it, but Dixie went up with her and whispered it in her ear and she said it loud and clear into the microphone!  

I performed in church that same day so I wanted to get a picture of us together after church and it turned out so so cute!

Carson was dying to build a fort and sleep in it.  He utilized the recliners on the couch and felt quite snugly in there.

This Years Sibling Pic

We've taken a sibling picture around this time of year for the past several years to see how the kids grow and how it changes over time.  These are pictures we treasure each year.
We usually try to take them in November each year, but because of events and weather we had to put it off.  Finally, we got our chance...in March.  We spent our 9th wedding Anniversary by playing with our little ones and taking their pictures.  It was great to think on what the past 9 years have brought us.  We've gone from a family of two to six.  We've grown in many ways.  Faced a few struggles and enjoyed many blessings.  By far, the crown jewels of those years are Carson, Dixie, Ruby and Lily.  We imagined them and prayed to have them and sometimes still can't believe they are all our kids!  But, each one of them fits perfectly into our family and into our hearts.  They each bring so much to our family that is unique to each one.  Amazingly enough, when we got married and looked ahead we probably envisioned having four kids and being settled into our own home in 9 years time.  But, we could never have envisioned just how happy we would be and what amazing kids we would have.  Yep, it's been a great 9 years.  Can't wait for many more!