I promise...

This is totally for me, but I am making this committment on my blog, so hopefully I feel some pressure to keep my promise.  I will be better at my blog!!  I will take more pictures.  Two years ago, my first blog was hijacked.  Our email was hacked and since blogger is connected to gmail, I lost access to my blog.  While I can still view it online, I have no access to it.  I am glad I can still see it but it breaks my heart that since I can't access it, I will never be able to make a blog book out of it.  Today, I went back to that old blog and I loved looking through all those events, some of which I had even already forgotten about.  I am so glad I have that blog and this one, but it made me want to do better.  I don't journal and I'm lousy at scrapbooking, which means this blog is my journal.  I want my kids to be able to have these memories.  I will be better at posting but most of all I am going to get all these great posts off of the internet and into a hard copy, before I lose my chance!! 
P.S.  I am also going to be better about making scrapbooks online too!!!

A Special Visit!!

At the beginning of June, we had super special visitors.  The Scotts came to town!!  We've been friends since we were both first married, lived close to each other in Cali and while we only live 8 hours away now the last year & a half has been busy for both our families.  There's been moves, new jobs to start, new babies to raise & new cities to explore.  Thus, sadly, it had been 18 months since we had seen them.  The drought is over and can I say how so great it was to be with great, old friends!!  Lucky for us, after we moved to Boise, the Scotts moved to Salem, OR and on their way to Utah they came to play!! It was so so fun, just like old times. Ok, maybe not like old times, since we now have 6 kids between us but it's amazing none the less. 

While they were here we ventured down to our local Cabelas and lucky for us they were have a kids day!! It was super fun.  While I don't have the pictures to prove it the kids fished (but caught nothing), shot bow & arrows, learned to fly fish & got to see all the animals Cabelas has on show.  We followed it up with some Cafe Rio (for old times sake), put the crazies to bed and played games late into the night!!  So fabulous!

The next day Jen & Tyson continued their trip onto Lake Powell...

But not to be dissapointed, Jen & the kids came back to us on their way back home (we missed you Tyson!!!)  We had 2 more days of crazy kids & fun! 

Our fun group!!  Aren't they cute!

Thanks for coming Scotts!  We will return the favor, promise!

This is the Life!

Eating large muffins for breakfast...

wearing big sisters clothes...

throwing back some root beer on Father's Day..in just a diaper no less...

beatin' the heat with a Creamy!

It's a good life...

(Just for the record, she refuses to wear a bib & destroys her clothes, thus the lack of clothing!)

Got Milk?

Each year, Meridian has a Dairy Days Celebration.  We've heard a lot of great things about the parade so we decided to partake of the festivities this year!!  The parade was so fun!  It goes right through the center of downtown Meridian and had tons of fun stuff for the kids.  They went away with tons of chocolate milk, string cheese, candy & t-shirts!  After being in Los Angeles, which is so so big, it was fun to experience a smaller community activity!  We sat and visited with total strangers and the girls saw many of their friends in the parade,which they thought was amazing.

We loved it.  Yeah for new traditions!!

Tennis Anyone?

Emily got a chance to expand her athletic horizons and take tennis lessons for a couple of weeks.  I was pretty excited...I played tennis and I think it's so fun and would love for my girls to play!  She had a blast...of course it helped that she had 4 cousins in her class.  For her first time, I think she did quite well!

Emily & her cute cousin!!

Babies & Backpacks

Besides her beloved binkie & blankies, Abby has a few other loves in this world.  First, she absolutely loves babies.  She almost always has a baby with her & loves to push them in the stroller.  She is always trying to put real diapers on them, feed them and as pictured here, add a little diaper rash ointment.  Baby was one of her first words & she's gotten a lot of mileage out of that one.  But her love of babies doesn't stop at dolls.  She is obsessed with real babies.  Fortunately, she has a couple of baby cousins she gets to see often to get her baby fill!

Taking in a little Mickey Mouse Clubhouse(her only T.V. love) with the girls!

Next to babies, bags & backpacks are her other love!  She loves to carry a little purse and has most recently taken a liking to the Strawberry Shortcake backpack!  It's pretty darn cute.



Last Days!

The end of May brought the end of the school year to our house!  It's been a great year and both of the girls have adored their teachers!  I am so grateful to people who choose to teach.  I know it can not be easy but I am so glad there are people of there willing to give their time to my children. We are now looking forward to fall! 

Emily on the last day!

Lauren cute class!

It Should be a Glorious Day.....

For most Mormon parents, your child reaching the great age of 18 months is a glorious occasion!!  On that special day, your sweet child can enter the wonderful world of nursery and you are free to join with the other adults in church for spiritual nourishment!!  Not us, not our kid....

Abby turned 18 months back in May. Despite Jason's efforts of taking her into nursery for a few weeks prior to warm her up, she's not having it.  Oh, she'll go....as long as Jason stays with her.  The second he steps out the door, she loses her little mind.  I am in primary and not able to help with this process, so Jason takes the brunt of the Sunday time with her!!  A few weeks ago, he took her in, she seemed to be doing ok and we needed help in primary so he snuck out of nursery to come help with Sunbeams.  Not a mere minute later, I am sitting at the piano and I hear a child SCREAMING...not crying..SCREAMING...I went down the hallway and stood outside the closed nursery door.  Sure enough it was Abby....at least she looks sweet!

Dance Show

I think I posted earlier about Lauren taking dance classes, well in May was the big show!!  Here she is in her cute costume!

Lauren & her cousin during the performance.  After a bit of stagefright before the recital, Lauren went out there and did great!! She was so cute and seriously can't wait for classes to start again in the fall!

Post-Performance!

May Birthdays

As most of you, Emily & Jason share a birthday so May 13th is always a very exciting day at our house. Added bonus, it was also Mother's Day on the 13th this year!  It was a great day! At this point I have to say, I am so sad....in preparation to get caught up on the blog I uploaded all of my pictures from the last couple of months from my camera.  I checked to make sure all the pictures were there and then deleted them off of the card.  When I came back to my picture file, somehow all of the pictures got uploaded except for all of the birthday pictures!!  I am so sad!  How does that happen? 

Anyway, this year was a Lego year for Emily.  Lego has just come out with the CUTEST girl Legos and we couldn't resist!  Along with gifts of Legos from Grandparents, Emily now has a great little collection of Legos!  In case you're wondering, they are so fun & cute and we rebuild them all the time! 

Jason always says he gets a little overshadowed by Emily's birthday but we always try to make a big deal out of his day too!!  He got breakfast in bed, a Sunday afternoon nap and great gifts!  Jason has been asking me for about 6 years to make him a denim quilt.  Well, this so happened to be his lucky year!  Super top secret like, I was able to get his quilt done without him even knowing.  It was an awesome surprise.  Just to lament my lost pictures a bit more, this is the picture I am most sad about.  I got a picture of him right as he opened the quilt and realized what it was....it was the best expression on his face!!!  Oh, I am so sad I could cry!!  If only that picture was on good old roll film, sometimes technology is a blessing & a curse!!

We topped off the evening with this bad boy!!  I know it doesn't look super pretty but this is now our new favoite cake!  Thanks Pinterest!