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...