Happy Birthday Jake!

I can't believe my little boy is 5!! He really is a good kid and I'm not just saying that. He rarely gets into trouble and all he wants to do is please his Mom and his Dad. He loves his sister and has never hit her or tried to be mean to her. The other night Jake was a little noisy getting into bed and accidentally woke up Ellie. Jer was a little frustrated with him for waking her up and told him sternly that he needed to be more quiet. We left the room while Ellie was still crying hoping that she would fall back to sleep. A few minutes later we heard Jake in there singing "I am a Child of God" trying to help Ellie fall asleep. It was so sweet. Any frustration we had disappeared and we had to go back in and give them both a big hug. Jake's friends and cousins adore him too. He's easy to play with and gets along with everyone. I'm so grateful that Jake is a part of our family!



Jake had a birthday party on Saturday with some friends and family. It was dinosaur themed and we did a few little fun games.

Here they are "growing" dinosaurs...


Waiting to have their turn to hit the baseball.


Taking a swing...


Cute faces at the party (we did face painting)...












Pin the horn on the triceratops.




Dinosaur dig...




Opening presents.


Surprise! Brand new bike!!




Ellie liked the cake.




Happy Birthday Jake! We love you!

Always catching up...

Why do I always feel like I'm behind?! There's never enough time in the day to do all the things that I would like to do, but I suppose that's a good thing. The last couple of weeks have been full of family fun...

My sister Paige held a fantastic St. Patrick's day party!

We went to the Gateway Discover Museum and it was awesome! The kids had a great time! I was impressed with all there was to do.

Ellie looks just a little guilty here. Maybe it's because she's not allowed in the fridge at home.

Ellie is such a snuggler. It's the best thing in the world!

Ellie loves to brush her teeth, usually with any one's toothbrush but her own. She's figured out that she can reach the water if she tip-toes. Pretty cute.

Easter festivities! I love when Easter falls on Conference Weekend. This year was especially meaningful and good. I'm so thankful for the Savior, the Resurrection, and wonderfully inspired leaders. It was a great weekend! (Other than my kids both getting sick and then infecting all of their cousins- Sorry!)

Ellie dove right in. She wanted to devour the entire contents of the egg before searching for the next.

Jake has discovered that he can climb into Ellie's bed. It's actually kind of nice. They entertain each other at the break of dawn when most other reasonable people should be sleeping.

Jake and Ellie reading the scriptures together. They've become such good little buddies. I love it!

We took a St. George trip at the beginning of April with my Mom. It was her 30th wedding anniversary and we thought it would be nice for her to get away for the weekend. We had a nice time. On the day of my Mom's anniversary she said that today was a happy day because it's the day that her family became eternal. She's so amazing! I love her strength and positive attitude.

We went out to dinner one night and came across "Jakes Old House". He thought it was pretty cool.

We went to my sister's in-laws house to swim. It was very nice, especially because they heat their pool to about 86 degrees. Perfect!

We made a stop at the St. George Temple. It was beautiful and very, very white. I had a hard time keeping my eyes open.

Hiking on the bluff...