Ocean Fun

As promised we headed out to the ocean on Monday morning. We had lots of fun building sand castles and playing in the surf. Dad got buried in the sand, and then Erin and Katelyn wanted their turn also. There was so much fun that it was hard to drag the kids back for lunch. We went back for more sand fun on Wednesday and Friday too.

On Wednesday's fun ocean adventures Jeff took Ethan out in the water for some body surfing on a board Megan and Andy brought. Jeff got in on some wave action too and lost his glasses in the ocean. We brought no spares and so he spent the rest of the vacation like a blind man. I didn't appreciate getting to drive everywhere we went, and he didn't like not being able to see anything that wasn't six inches from his nose. We did make several attempts to get things remedied there, but Jeff had to wait until we got home to have the gift of sight restored to him. Next time we'll bring a backup (or two) for sure.

Where is the Sand?

After getting settled in the house, our Katelyn had a question. "Mom, if this is the beach, then where is the sand?" Our house was a lot behind the sand dune and you could see and hear the ocean, but it was not out the back door. So after dinner we trekked over the dune and went to see the sand. What a sight! We made promises to return on Monday for a long day of playing with all the finest sand toys that Megan and Grandma had brought.

Getting there is NOT half the fun

In order to get some cheaper airline tickets we had to compromise a bit on our departure time. So at 11:00pm Thursday night we loaded the car to drive to the airport to catch our 12:50am flight to NC. After two planes and a quick layover in Altlanta we made it to Raleigh, NC just before 9am on Friday morning. That left of plenty of time to get a rental car and go eat breakfast before we could check into our hotel. No one slept very much on the planes and we were pretty much all wasted. They let us check into the hotel at 11am- bless them! Jeff and I took a nap while the kids were entertained by some TV. Erin fell asleep for a little while too. After I felt like I could move, we got up and got moving again. I headed out to Costco for some major beach groceries with my sis Megan. Meanwhile Jeff and Andy took the kids swimming at the hotel pool.

And it was Ethan's birthday- so later we went to dinner at Chili's (and Ethan got his request of KFC chicken legs and mac & cheese via take out to the restauraunt). K hadn't napped all day and fell asleep right before we were leaving. So of course being an awesome mom I woke her up and took her with us anyway. She slept all through dinner on my lap and I put her to bed when we returned to the hotel. She slept all night and until 9:30am the next day! We also had some ice cream cake to celebrate Ethan's 10th birthday before going to bed for the night.

The next morning we left the hotel around 11am and made the four hour drive from Raleigh to the Outer Banks. All of our kids did extremely well in the car. They were in love with the "new van" that we had rented- a Dodge Caravan- and couldn't believe that it had automatic sliding doors and roll down windows in the back. Our van at home is now really old and they comment about how we really need a new one, "like at the beach."

After a long drive it was great to see the bridge that connects to the banks.
Yours truly driving the coolest red minivan ever.

The kids wondering "Are we there yet?"


But it was all worth it when we pulled onto Farrow Drive and saw this:

Castaway Too, Our new home for the next seven days! Heaven!

Ethan's 10!

The Double-Digit Birthday Boy! Ethan's 10!!

Part 1- Thursday, The day before...
Ethan got to open his presents after school, since we were leaving for our beach vacation the next day. He got an RC dune buggy, a Lego skateboard guy, and a Lego helicopter set from us. And best of all it was his last day of fourth grade.

Part 2- Friday, The real, actual birthday.
Most of the day was spent in travel on airplanes. When we finally got to Raleigh we were pretty tired and most of us took a nap. Then Ethan went swimming with his dad, sisters, uncle and cousin at the hotel. For dinner he requested KFC. We kindly obliged, picked it up, and took it to Chili's where the rest of the family had dinner to celebrate his birthday. Later that evening we picked up the birthday cake from Baskin Robbins. A yummy ice cream cake (white cake, oreo ice cream) decorated in green. He loved it!

Part 3- Saturday, The day after...

We arrived at the Beach on Saturday. After unpacking and getting settled Ethan got his presents from his Grandma and Grandma. A Lego fest.....

A Lego Beach House and...

A huge Lego Indiana Jones mine race set.

He couldn't wait to get started on all the building. And of course he convinced Uncle Cam to get in on the action too.

We love you so much Buggy and couldn't imagine our lives without you. You are a great big brother to your sisters and we know that your new brother on the way will look up to you very much. I love your creativity, laughter, imagination, and the spark that you add to our family. Happy Birthday!!

Pink or Blue?

The verdict is in, and...

Blue, definitely blue. It's a boy!!!

Ethan is very excited to have a brother and says that he "knew it!" Erin was correct on her prediction also (a little swayed by Ethan perhaps). And my Katelyn was in tears. She had her heart set on a baby sister. Hopefully time will soften the blow. Jeff and I are excited! We were ready for a healthy, growing baby and we got our wish!

Dance Finale

At the end of May Erin performed in the Sharing Showcase. It was the final dance concert of the year. The special part was that a parent was asked to perform with their daughter. So Erin and I were able to perform together. The song that Erin's group danced to was, "When You Taught me How to Dance." The girls did most of the dancing and the parents just came in at the end for the last part.

Erin and I at the last rehearsal. She got to wear a Ginny gown* for her costume. Very special!

Most of her dance class.

Erin and Hannah ready for the final performance.

*Post edit-- What's the big deal about a "Ginny gown"? The story as I remember it...
A woman named Virginia was involved in the beginnings of the BYU dance program. She even taught Erin's teacher, Miss Mary Linda, who is now a grandma. Virginia created this dress pattern for the dance program and it has been copyrighted for them. Miss Mary Linda even got to dance in one when she was 7! Since Miss Mary Linda and Virginia were friends, she got permission to make and use the gowns when she taught her own dance classes. Now Miss Mary Linda is teaching for BYU again. They provide all the costumes for each performance which is a very huge deal. So, Erin was lucky enough to dance in a Ginny gown. The end.

Hope of America

Ethan had the chance to be a part of the Hope of America celebration here as part of the Freedom Festival. His school choir was a part of the over 8,000 elementary students to be a part of this production.

I wasn't aware that this production was as big of a deal as it was. It was a great show and Ethan sang all his songs. We were a bit far away, but here's as much of a close up as I could get:

Great Job Ethan!

One Year Older

And maybe wiser too, Happy Birthday to You!

Jeff opens his presents. Some stuff that he picked out from the Apple store while on a business trip in San Francisco. At least he got what he wanted, right?
The 36 year old dad with his kids. His sticker button from a birthday card (from his in-laws) reads: It's my birthday, and I'm an incredibly smart, exciting, good-looking person.

Blowing out the candles on his Oreo cheesecake. Yummy!



I love Jeff for so many reasons. He is a great provider and priesthood holder in our home. He is a great dad, a wonderful husband, and the perfect eternal companion for me. Happy Birthday!!

Erin's 7th Birthday

Erin's birthday was a month ago, but I am finally getting around to blogging it.

Erin's Birthday in 3 parts:

Part 1--
Erin got to celebrate her birthday at school on Friday. We did a family presentation in her class that day. We watched a slide show DVD put together by her dad, then read her favorite book, It's Not Easy Being a Bunny, and played a game. Then she passed out a Rice Krispie treat to everyone. It was fun to celebrate her in her class and she got a crown from her teacher that she wore the rest of the weekend.

Part 2--

The Hannah Montana Pajama-Rama!

Erin had 6 friends over for a movie late night party. We played pass the microphone to some Hannah Montana tunes and watched Hannah Montana: The Movie. There was also movie treats, a doughnut cake, and plenty of dancing.

Part 3--

Her real birthday was on Sunday. After church she got to open her presents. This included clothes, pajamas, and a shopping spree from Grandma (complete with her own Visa card)!
A new swimsuit cover up and...
A basket for her bike.

And a real birthday cake- blue shirt cake upon request.

I love Erin so much and am grateful that she is a part of our family. She is very helpful and sharing. Usually the peacemaker in our home and cheerful. Erin likes school, friends, coloring, and singing.

Spring Break Fun

Since Jeff had to work all of Spring Break I tried to get the kids out of the house to have some fun. The weather was very cold and sometimes snowy so we were mostly stuck to indoor places. We met the Wards at the BYU Museum of Paleontology for some dinosaur explorations one day. Most of the kids loved being eaten by dinosaur skeletons, but all K wanted to do was hang on me and have me carry her around.

Another day we trekked up to Ogden to visit with my grandparents. We also went to the Treehouse Museum while we were there. Lastly, my brother and his family came for a quick visit from California for a few days.

Easter Morning

We woke up Easter morning to this snowy surprise!

Ethan and Erin having a bubble wand battle.
Ethan loves his candy! He also got the book Zoobreak.

Erin got a stash of candy as well as a new shirt and some flip flops. Thank you Easter Bunny!

Katelyn woke up a little later than the other kids, but she still got her candy and a new Dora Color Wonder book.

After the excitement of the candy and Bunny visit we watched General Conference in our pajamas. We had a traditional ham dinner with cheesy potatoes, rolls, and green beans. Jeff's parents, Suzy and Richard came to share dinner with us. It was a nice relaxing Sunday, and a good time to reflect on the life and Resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Grandma's Egg Hunt

Ethan could hardly contain his excitement to go to Grandma's for the annual Easter Egg Hunt! (All the kids took some leftover egg carton bottoms and made some fun replacement eyeballs. Ethan was the mastermind behind the project, and sadly I only got a picture of his. The girls' were pretty amusing too!)

After we colored all the eggs, we headed over to Grandma's house for the annual egg hunt. The kids had fun finding eggs, eating candy, making crafts, and playing with cousins. Jack was all about the chocolate and was not going to share his with anyone! Later that night all the men headed off to the priesthood session of General Conference. And as tradition dictates those left behind made homemade doughnuts! Thanks grandma~ we had a lot of fun!!

The Dyeing of the Eggs

We dyed our Easter eggs the day before Easter this year. All the kids enjoyed it. Katelyn's favorite part was wrapping tape around the eggs and coloring them multiple times. There were plenty of hard boiled eggs around for Jeff to eat since no one else really likes them. The kids did at least try them this year though. It's all about the coloring anyway...