Easter.

I just wanted to post a few pictures from our Easter weekend.  It was nice to have Chris home from work and to be able to enjoy time as a family.  Saturday and Sunday were nice days, so we spent some time outside.  Today is a different story, as it has been snowing all day long. :(

Spring Break!

Every year we try to do something fun while the kids are on their spring break.  In recent years, we have gone camping, even though the temperatures are usually cold.  This year we decided to do something different, so we took a little trip over to Jackson, WY and stayed a couple of nights in a fun hotel with an indoor pool complex.  The ski hills all closed up on April 4, making this past week a prime time to find a hotel room for dirt cheap.

We stayed in a "condo" style place with a full kitchen, 1 1/2 baths (with a washer/dryer), 2 queen beds in a bedroom, and a living room area with a queen size sleeper-sofa and a fireplace - all for $79 a night!  We didn't even have to eat in any restaurants because with the kitchen stocked with all the necessities, all I did was pick up some groceries at the local Albertson's and made all our meals for the time we were there. 

In Jackson there aren't a ton of hotels with pools, being that it's a mountain resort area and the warm months are very short, but this place http://www.jacksonholelodge.com/ had an indoor pool complex with a large heated pool, a smaller kid's pool, two hot tubs, a sauna and a game room.  Needless to say, the kids were in heaven!  We all swam and relaxed while we watched the snow coming down outside!

Chris and I also got to do our favorite thing while we were there: wildlife viewing.  We went for a few drives up around the Tetons and through parts of Grand Teton National Park, at least the part that was open for driving.  There is still a lot of snow on the ground, but it was beautiful and we were lucky enough to spot lots of moose, elk, bighorn sheep, deer and even a lone wolf.  I just love that we live so close to such an a gorgeous place.  It was a great time.

A little catch up...

I thought that since I hadn't blogged in a while, I'd post a few pictures from the past couple of weeks.  We've seen traces of Spring appearing, with a few nice days in between the snowy ones!  :)



In March we also participated in the Pinewood Derby.  With the help of their dad, Noah and Sam both made their own derby cars.  At the end of the night, it all came down to these two brothers "battling it out" for first place...Noah won, by a small margin, but Sam was a good sport about it and they both had a lot of fun.

Noah earned his Webelos badge, east compass and 6 pins.  Sam earned his Bear and a gold arrow.  They both enjoy Scouts and being a den mother, it's been fun for me to get to work with them and all the other boys.

 At the end of March we were able to go to Preston and see one of our nieces get baptized.  Afterward, we spent some time at their home and the cousins all got to play together.



Happy birthday, dear Noah...

Today is Noah's birthday.  I still can't believe we have an 11 year old child.  He is such a funny kid, with a very distinctively Noah personality.  I think he enjoyed his day, getting to have his favorite "hot lunch" at school, treats with his classmates, his favorite home-made stuffed-crust pizza for dinner, cake and ice cream, and of course his present - Pokemon White Version for DS.  He seemed to be a very content boy today.

For me, the day with mixed with an overtone of somberness.  I've felt distracted and concerned since I learned yesterday that some dear friends of ours had taken their 4 year old son to Salt Lake for tests on a tumor on his hip.  Today I found out that it is most likely Sarcoma and that the treatment will start with chemo because the tumor is too large to remove.  Sad day.  My heart aches for those parents.  I can't even imagine having to face something like that.  It makes me sad to know that these friends are now changed forever; regardless of the long term outcome, they will never be the same.  We will be praying for them.

Trying hard for Spring...

Chris had the day off on Saturday, so after I came home from my long run in the morning, we packed up a picnic lunch and the fishing poles and headed out in search of someplace to spend some time as a family.  Initially we had hoped to do a some fishing on a reservoir a little further up in the mountains, but as we got closer to our destination, we started to realize that there was way too much snow on the ground and the probability was high that the reservoir would be frozen.  So we turned around and headed to a different reservoir, with hopes that since it was not as high in elevation that it would be thawed.  No such luck, but the sun was shining and although it was a bit windy and cool, we decided to go ahead and eat our lunch at some picnic tables near a little campground.  After lunch, we continued our drive in search of a fishing spot, and eventually ended up at the sportsman's access of the Portneuf River, about 10 miles from our house.  We fished for a little while, and even though no one caught anything, the kids had a lot of fun.  When we came back home, Chris gathered up what he could find of some dry wood and built a fire in the fire pit.  We had a hot dog roast for dinner, made s'mores and made a raspberry cobbler in the dutch oven.  Once we were all tired of being outside, we came in and watched a movie as a family.  On Sunday morning, after losing an hour to daylight savings, it was a bit tough getting the kids up and ready for 9am church, but we did it and enjoyed our first Sunday in the newly built Inkom ward building.

My world in pictures...



At the Blue and Gold Banquet...

Three of the men in my life...

Chris getting ready for work...

How I spend most mornings...

Where I run sometimes (part of the Pocatello Marathon route)...

My favorite 5 year old...

The funny girl...



Cheer day - Go Eagles!

 Today Sophia had the opportunity to attend her first ever mini-cheerleader camp.  She got to spend all day with the Marsh Valley High School Varsity cheerleaders learning a couple of cheers, a dance, cheer basics, painting signs, and just having a fun, girly kind of a day!  Then this evening we were able to see her and the other little girls do a short half-time performance during the varsity basketball game.  She was one happy little girl.  She's never done any dance or gymnastics classes, so this was all new to her and she loved it.  She is such a little sweetheart.  On the way to the game she was saying how nervous she was, so I reached over and touched her cute, little rosy cheek.  She said: "Well, that basically made me A LOT less nervous!"  :)  She did a great job and she said she can't wait to go to the next mini-cheer camp.

(In the video below, Sophie is the one in the upper right corner with a white shirt.)