Easter 2016

We did something new this Easter, we dyed eggs! Scott had to work Saturday, so the boys and I dyed the eggs to pass the time. No surprise that they loved it. 

And in the end, we had a basket full of pretty eggs. We actually had more than pictured, but the boys were eating them faster than I could shake a stick at. 

Saturday evening we had a great lesson on the true meaning of  Easter and watched a clip from the Mormon Channel. It really sunk in and the boys walked away with a deeper appreciation for the Resurrection. 

Sunday morning was super exciting. Tayden and Beckett were all smiles, but Cache had a rough start. It was all a little overwhelming and not going the exact the way he thought it should. He warmed up after things got started and ended up loving Easter Morning. 

He had a rough night, hence him sleeping in our bed, and slept through the whole thing.

I'm getting used to these kind of pictures. We were running late for church, but I insisted on snapping one picture. Which turned into quick individuals pictures, hoping they would turn out a little better.  

Kyle refused an alone picture. So, que mommy.

We ended the day with a wonderful dinner with our close friends and neighbors, the Hansens. It was a great day and our house was evidence. 

As I am learning, the older I get the more I appreciative I am. I am so grateful for the Savior and his sacrifice. I know that because he lives again, so can we. I have never been more grateful for that knowledge. What a blessing it is.

Happy Easter! 

Spring Break Part 1

Spring break this week has been pretty fun. We didn't go anywhere or do anything major, but have enjoyed our days off together. On Monday, the kids were begging to go to Taydens school and play on the playground. It had rained most the morning and I knew the toys would be wet, but I decided to be fun, so off we went. It actually wasn't too wet and the kids had a blast playing.

Since Kyle wouldn't mimic my smile, I decided to mimic him,

This boy is a walking machine. He is still learning the art of walking in shoes. so he was actually holding my hand. This never happens, so I had to document it. 

We even let the dog join us.

Taydens new favorite game, GaGa Ball. 

Idahome.

Kyle loved going down the slide with his biggest brother. 

Poor Beckett needed a partner. Later, Tayden hopped over and I used my foot with Cache. 

Even though I was hesitant to go to the park, it was just what I needed. I had a bout of jealousy this week and a little pity party that my family lacks an extra girl. But as I watched my boys run, laugh, and play together for hours at the playground, my heart was filled with joy and I knew that I have everything I need. These brothers are built in friends and that soothes my heart. 

Later than night we went to Carinos for family night. It was fun to get out and do something different as a family. The boys loved the balloon animals. 

Beckett got a Dragon, which he promptly turned into a hat. 

Cache picked a turtle. 

And Tayden asked for a motorcycle,

We got Ky a straight yellow one that we called a banana. But wouldn't you know it that my camera died before I could snap a picture of him,

The only thing the boys really wanted to do over the break was spend a night at my parents house. And as usual, it did not disappoint. We took them to a fun bouncy house indoor play area, made goo, had waffles for dinner and just enjoyed Grandma and Grandpas company. 

The bounce house was just too much fun. I literally could not get one picture of the boys because they were too busy playing. Every single picture I took ended up blurry. They never slow down.

I actually got a couple of good pictures of Tayden doing the swinging monkey bars. He would stand on the red stool, then jump to the monkey bars. He could make it to the end, turn around and almost get back to the other end. This kid is so self aware of his body and can do some pretty amazing things. I  want to get him into some sort of class to hone his skills. 

 See, blurry. 

I finally made them hold still for a picture and much to my surprise, they were all looking! 

Making goo is always a treat. And my mom is always patient enough to do it with them. I love this picture. All four sat at the table and played. Ky loved being up with his brothers ad having his own little play dough. It was a moment I want to always remember. 

Oh, and one last moment I always want to remember. My youngest two actually enjoying a nice minute together. Cache is a little rough with Ky, so moments like these can be rare.

Its been a good break. I'm hoping for one or two more days of fun, but honestly after the busyness we've had, I'd be happy with some low key days just relaxing. 

Spring break it good! 

Red Head Quirks

All my kids have little quirks, but the red heads have my favorites. At least at the moment.

Kyles latest quirk is how he eats. Besides being a total disaster and eating all of the time, he puts his food on his cup and then tries to either drink it off or picks it off with his hands. Its the funniest thing.

Blueberries and spaghetti! It doesn't get any messier than that. Notice the spaghetti on the cup! 

Becketts quirk might be my favorite. He blames his toots on other people. Every single time. I have sat right next to him and he obviously let one slide and said completely serious, "Tayden farted." You don't have to say it stinks or ask what that was...he toots and immediately blames it on someone else. Even if they are in the other room. He's even blamed it on his monkey. It kills me. The other day I told him to quit it and just take responsibility for it. He took that lesson to heart. We went to target and he had some gas. Every time he tooted, he said, "I farted." Out loud and proud. I told him we don't have to tell everyone when we do, but he replied, "But I'm supposed to say it was me." He got me there! 

I love this picture of Beckett. He is totally handsome. 

Love my redheads! 

Sleep Tight

There has never been a better bigger brother. 

Cache was having a hard time sleeping the other night. 

So Tayden called him in and let him lay with him. 

They were holding hands too. 

So sweet.

Tayden is the best big brother. 

Week of 3/5-3/12

Something worth mentioning, Scott is back in school!  Its so exciting and he is doing great. He will eventually get his degree in Industrial Engineering. And because of that, he has been a little bit of a computer hog at times. Which, obviously, is the most important thing. But even if he didn't hog the computer this week, I probably wouldn't have blogged because not much happened. So, enjoy our week in pictures!

 Scott bought the boys a four wheeler. They are loving it and can't wait to get the second one....yes second one, lucky boys! 

My dad bought the boys a tent...its been in my living room for almost a week. They can't get enough of it. A cute story about Cache: This morning in the car I was singing a primary song and Cache asked how I knew that song. I told him I was in Primary. He laughed and told me I wasn't. I assured him I was. He replied, "No you not. You in the car, silly Mom!!" Oh, this boy.

Scott is insulating the boys room. We're making some serious progress!

My bedroom is getting closer and closer to being finished. 

Tanner had a rough few days last week and we thought he was a goner for sure, but he made it out alive and has been back to his normal crazy self. 

Ky loves to be outside and has started walking this week. Small steps, but steps none the less. 

We experienced our first black eye. Cache and Beckett bonked heads the other day and B walked away with a little shiner.

And that wraps up our week. Not much, but great none the less. 

Provo City Center

Scott and I had been wanting to take the kids to the Provo City Center Temple Open House for a while. Problem was finding a good time that we could get away to go. With the weekends booked and busy, we were struggling to get away. We finally decided to take a day off and go in the middle of the week. Tayden has early release from school on Wednesdays, so we figured that would be a perfect time to go. 

Tuesday afternoon, I was feeling particularly giddy and anxious to get on the road, so I suggested we head out after Scott got home from work and use our free night we had at Holiday Inn. Much to my surprise, Scott agreed and even offered to come home early. The minute I booked the hotel, I regretted it. All of a sudden, I had a million and one things to do and get ready before we left in a few short hours. Getting my family ready for one night is harder than you would think. Making sure everyone had swimming stuff, church clothes, regular clothes, socks, underwear, diapers,etc was quite the chore. But it all worked out and we were on our way.

Luckily, Scotts parents watched Tanner for us and took off that stress. 

The car ride down was great. Despite it being late, the kids did great staying awake. Even Kyle, who stayed awake without crying for about two hours and fell asleep minutes from the hotel. Getting the kids to bed was difficult. They were excited and all sleeping in the same bed, which was a small disaster. Then, Beckett and Cache woke up at 6:00 and got everyone else up with them. I was tired from being up with Kyle every few hours and quite cranky that the kids were already awake. But I told everyone, "We have two choices. We can either let last night and this morning ruin our day and have cranky attitudes. Or we can make the choice to be happy and get along and have a great day," We decided as a family to give it our best. And you know what, it turned out great.

The breakfast area was full, so we grabbed some food and took it back to the room and ate in bed while we watched cartoons. Then, we went swimming for a little bit before it was time to check out.

After swimming we got ready for the temple and hit the road to Provo. The kids all fell asleep for about an hour on the way down and Scott and I enjoyed a few quiet minutes to ourselves. Once we got to the temple, we went right in without much of a wait and started the tour. The two oldest boys were great, but Cache was a total disaster. Completely awful. I couldn't figure out what was going on with him, until it dawned on me we hadn't taken him potty in quite some time. I asked if he had to go, which he responded he did. Of course, this was half way through the tour with no bathroom in sight. He held it the remainder of the tour and I took him the minute we saw the restroom. I kid you not, the boy peed for 40 seconds. He had to go so bad. As soon as he used the bathroom, a new Cache arose and he was pleasant the whole rest of the day. I was frustrated with myself for not realizing it earlier. But at least we enjoyed the last few hours of the trip.

We asked a nice stranger to take a picture of us with the temple in the background. I specifially picked this spot so you could see the temple. I laughed when we got it back. Not only did she not get the temple, but she forgot half of Scotts head.

So we asked another lady on the other side. At least she got the whole family.

After the temple, we stopped and picked up some donuts and lunch and hit the road back home. Again, the boys were awesome. They are such good little road trippers. They each had one sticker sheet and two small toys from the dollar store and they were happy as clams. I am grateful that they can sit through a road trip without any electronics so we can enjoy each others company,

Can you believe this sweet face was such a pill?

It was such a great day and I enjoy spending time with my family immensely. They mean the world to me and I was grateful to show the boys that sometimes spending time together is more important than anything else. More important than work, school or any other responsibility. Obviously, those are super important and we can't just skip them all the time, but once and a while is okay. 

I hope the look back on this day with as much fondness as I do.