Dance!!!

Maya did such a great job in her dance recital this year!! They danced to The Jungle Book "Bare Necessities" and it was so much fun!! She had so much fun, and knew the whole dance!! I had a proud mommy moment, and I'm not gonna lie, I almost cried! We moved her to a new studio this year, and she has really improved. She is turning into quite the little dancer! Her favorite part of recitals is getting flowers and going out for ice cream when it is over!

Rain....

It is pretty rainy here today. As I was getting lunch on the table, I said "Look at the rain". Collin goes "I want to see how fast it is". So he opens up the back door and sticks his hand out for a minute. He comes back in and says "Yeah, that's about 20 miles an hour".

Our house backs a field, and the farmer just moved the cows back into the field. As long as we have lived here, whenever it rains, all of the cows line up in a row...
I LOVE the cows, and I am happy to see them back!!

Happy Happy Birthday to Maya!!!

My sweet girl turned SIX yesterday!! Where did the time go?!? Before I know it she will be sixteen! We had such a fun day yesterday. She woke up at 6:30 BEGGING us to open her presents. We held her off until about 8:30-- she was SO excited about all of her loot!!


Her favorite birthday present was her American Girl doll. Can I just say that it is seriously the CUTEST doll I have ever seen? I would have done anything for a doll like that when I was little!! She kept bugging me to get her one, which is very surprising, because Maya isn't really a doll kinda girl!! So we ordered a Just Like You doll. You can get the same hair color, eye color, freckles, earrings, and so on and so forth!! She has been carrying it around since she opened it yesterday. It makes my heart happy! After breakfast, Dan took Maya and Collin to Bounce and Skate. Jensen was sick the night before, so I had to stay home with him. SAD!! They had a lot of fun and were definitely tired when they got home!!

Here are some of my favorite things about Miss Maya

She is such a sweet little girl. She wants everyone to be happy!

She loves to dance.

She loves to have a clean room, but HATES getting it that way!!

She loves treats and always has to have one when we go to the store.

She loves her brothers.

She loves to clean with Windex.

She gets excited about the same things that Collin does-- I don't know if she is really excited, but she pretends to be!!

We love you Maya!! Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!

Disneyland, Yard Work, and Another Goodbye

These past three weeks have been filled with joy, sorrow, and everything in between!!

First off, Dan and I decided that it was time for us to take a vacation BY OURSELVES!! So, where do two adults with three children decide to go? Disneyland of course!! We took the kids last year, so we decided this year it was our turn. We had such a great time going on all of the rides!! I adore Disneyland. It is a place where you can go and be a kid again!!

Yep, we had fun. Notice the Italian Greyhound in the background. We took that picture for my parents!!

Because of the position Dan is in at work, they require him to take two weeks off in a row. So the week we got back was "working in the yard week"!! We built two garden boxes, a lovely pad for our garbage cans, and pulled a million and one weeds. It looks much better!!

Then on Saturday, as we were heading to WalMart to get some more garden stuff, Dan got the call... His sister had passed away. She was 38. So last week was filled with funeral arrangements and family time.

Can I just say that I am officially done with funerals and people dying? It has been an interesting week to look back and reflect on my own life and see where I am at. Dan and I have had many talks this week about where we go and what happens after this life. His dad passed away three years ago, and he had a baby sister die right after she was born. We are greatful for eternal families, and pray for Shannon's kids that they may find peace in this time of sadness.

Easter Festivities

The kids had so much fun on Easter. I have to say that it is one of my favorite holidays. On Saturday our neighborhood had a little Easter egg hunt at the park. The kids had a blast. Collin and Maya got a bunch of eggs. Jensen found one egg, threw it, and then started playing with a truck he found on the ground! Typical. That kid is in love with cars!! That evening we went to my parent's house to dye eggs.

On Easter morning, the kids woke up and found their Easter baskets.

Jensen was having an off day. Dan even had to bring him home from church because he was being so nasty in nursery!!

After church it was back up to my parent's house for Easter dinner and another Easter egg hunt!! The kids LOVE this tradition. My mom always makes things SO FUN!!

Jensen and Gracie. Seriously, the two sweetest faces I have ever seen!!

CUTE KIDS!! Jensen having a moment!!

Birthday Fun

Jensen started out his 2nd birthday by getting his "big" surprise.

As you can see by the smile on his face, he loved it!! That morning he started singing "Happy to you!!" We went to McDonalds for lunch, and played and played. After dinner the whole family came over to celebrate!

I thought he was so stinkin' cute opening his presents this year. He didn't even get into it at Christmas time, so I loved watching him rip the paper open to see what was inside!

Even Gracie was excited about this huge car set Grandpa and Baba gave him!!

YUM!!

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!! We love you so much!!

Look who's TWO!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY little man!!