Spoiled? So!!

Could you say "NO" to this face?

Well, I couldn't. We were in the store yesterday when Trenton showed a few outfits to Annie. She grabbed onto this one with all the strength in her tiny arms & wouldn't let go. So, this time I gave in. At least she chose something cute!

Do you wear a helmet?

Do you wear a bike helmet when riding? I don't even own one right now, but I suppose it's ok for now since my bike also is not in working order. I am guilty of not cracking down on the kids every time they go out without one. Hopefully this will encourage others as it did us to be more proactive.

Mike's cousin's husband was recently training for a bike race when he was struck by a car. He has bleeding and swelling of the brain, a broken shoulder, a broken wrist, and lots of scrapes and bruises. Thankfully he was wearing his helmet or they're quite certain he would have lost his life. He is making improvements, but it is a long road ahead to recovery. Please click the link below to see the impact these helmets take in an effort to save lives!

http://craigcampbellcrashrecovery.blogspot.com/2010/05/always-wear-helmet.html

Tyler's Kindergarten Graduation

He was dressed as a veterinarian for the program. Unfortunately he forgot to bring a belt & had to hold his pants up the entire time...that kid never fails to make us laugh!

It's all about family

We went to California last week to attend the funeral for Grandma Loya, Mike's Step-mother's mother. She was always such a sweet lady & we are blessed to have known her. It's an unfortunate reason for a get-together, but it was great to see all the support and love for the family. It is times like these that are the hardest to be so far from our families...when we want so badly to be there during the tough times. My sister-in-law, Meike, was such an inspiration throughout Grandma Loya's sickness in her last weeks. She was by her side in the hospital nearly 24/7. Rosemary (Mike's Step-mom) told me that was her mother's wish....to not be alone. And thanks to her wonderful family, she was not alone. After all the tears were shed, the luncheon/wake after the funeral ended in the most fitting way I could imagine for Grandma Loya....breaking the silence with mariachis!!! That's exactly how she loved to party!! You couldn't help but laugh & cry all at the same time!

We were also able to see Mike's grandmother, mother, & one sister while we were there. Those are the pictures I have so far. I'll try to post most pictures on here soon, but this is what I have for now as my camera battery died.

April Adventures

Almost caught up...April 2010
Soccer Games:
Our little kickers & the little cheerleader

Dale & Darlene (Mike's mom) joined us for Easter this year & met the new granddaughter. The dress Annie is wearing is one Dale & Darlene got for her on their recent trip to Mexico. Cute, huh! Tyler has a hard time staying clean doing anything, but he did have fun!

Trenton's choir performance at Tuacahn...he waited all year for this & did a fabulous job!

Trenton's Golden Ticket

March 2010

Trenton was the proud winner of a golden ticket after winning the Pinewood Derby for his age group in scouts. We were proud parents because he had made nearly the entire truck himself. Most kids make Pinewood Derby cars....of course, not Trenton! If it would have all gone his way, it probably would have been a duly truck with extra wheels! He even did his own advertisements on the side of the truck. The wheels ended up covering most of it, but he wrote: Flatbeds.com. Hmmm....children in the age of computers!!

Annie's Special Day

I didn't realize how far behind I was on this blog. So, looks like I'll be catching up from the past few months. First, back to March 7th. The family drove to Brigham for Annie's blessing in my parent's ward. We chose to do the blessing up there so more family & friends could attend rather than everyone driving so far to get to us. The weekend was wonderful. We were able to see many friends & family members & felt so lucky to share her special day with them. Yes, I am rather biased, but my little angel was absolutely beautiful in her little white dress. One of my favorite songs kept going through my head. It's called What Heaven Sees In You. I tried to include the MP3 on this blog post, but couldn't figure out how. I am frequently teary when I hear that song. It seems to have extra special meaning to me. We have known Annie would be coming to our family even before our boys came. If you ever want to know the story, just let me know. Long story short, she is named after my great grandma for her first name, & my parents for her middle name, so this day was incredibly special for us. We were even lucky enough to be able to see my grandma twice on this trip. The first time Annie saw her, the look in Annie's eyes was incredible! It was as if she had been looking for her & seemed to say, "Oh, there you are!" She couldn't take her eyes off her. It was sooo touching! Even with all of her health problems, she was able to make it to the blessing. Annie was blessed on March 7th by her Dad. I am so grateful that he is able to do such a special thing for her.

Mini Staycation

I have been giving myself such a hard time lately. I feel like we are a rather "duddy" family. We really never do much beyond the chaos of work, sports, & school activities for the kids. In the 10-1/2 years that Mike and I have been married, the only nights away from the children were when I was at the hospital to have another one, or if one of us was on a business trip. We have never taken a vacation that wasn't to visit family (don't get me wrong....we love our families dearly, but someday we have a dream to take an actual vacation just for the fun of it!) Sometimes this along with the other stresses of day to day life just get the best of me. This past weekend it happened yet again & I had to get out. Thankfully my friend Kellie somehow knew this & invited me & the kids to go to the splash pad in town with her family for a picnic & fun. To us, it was like a mini staycation. We had a GREAT time! I couldn't help thinking, "We're actually out of the house & doing something!!" Here are a few pics of our fun day.