Happy Birthday, Mom!

We hope you have a wonderful day!! We are SO lucky to have you as our mom and grandma!! We love you!!

One for the Girls

The girls have had fun lately, too! Ellie went on her last preschool fieldtrip last week to the zoo. She has made some really good friends this year that I know she will miss as she goes off to Kindergarten. It was fun to see them run around and enjoy being together.


























Austen celebrated her birthday with a few friends in our backyard. We had a "luau" complete with BBQ, hot tub, and water slide fun. The weather was not too hot, surprisingly, but NOT raining, thank goodness! (it rained the next 2 days here!) Girls that age are so cute and giggly! It was so fun to have them here.

Boys will be Boys

It sure is fun to have boys around! Aidan is so cute playing with the train set these days. He sets everything up all by himself and will play and play! It's so nice to have him sit in one place for a change!



























Noah just finished up his baseball season this week. He played catcher a ton and got some really good hits this year. It's VERY fun to see the progress from t-ball to games that actually look like the kids have a clue!






















































A few weeks ago, Noah and Corey made their very first pinewood derby car together. We were thrilled that it did so well!! Noah's car took third place! Not bad for his first try. He was VERY excited. The best was how excited everyone else was... the boys in the troop cheered and cheered for everyone!

Happy B-Day Austie!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I honestly can't believe she's eleven. Austen is an incredible person and we absolutely adore her fun personality. She livens up any room she's in. She's also a fantastic helper, and I don't think I could do it without her. We love you Austen and wish you an AWESOME birthday!!

Mother's Day Weekend

Wow, I LOVE Mother's Day... I wish we could have it at least once a month!! Mountain View Ward always schedules the Father/Son campout for this weekend, which is an early present for those of us with sons!! Corey took BOTH boys (I was a little surprised and a little nervous!) and they had a great time. Our house was VERY mellow with just girls here, and we had a fun night together. Saturday morning, the girls went to an all day birthday celebration, (thanks, Gwen!!!), and I was left all to myself. It was pure heaven!! My house REALLY needed some attention, so I turned up the music and started cleaning. Two hours later, I was ASTOUNDED at how much I had accomplished!! I had NO idea how much I must usually get interrupted! I was so excited that I took myself right out to lunch!! AND went shopping!! And it wasn't even Mother's Day yet!!!

Today was wonderful, too... Corey TOTALLY spoils me and I LOVE it! It is a little weird to just sit while he's running around chasing the kids and making dinner, but I did! :) He made a feast for us and my parents, and we're so glad they could join us! Mom brought the best present ever! She always gets me plants for outside because this is DEFINITELY NOT my talent. She refilled 3 pots with flowers and herbs and they look delightful. The kids helped and it was a gorgeous day out. Wow... is it really almost over?? Well, until next year.....

Happy Birthday, Dad!

My mom made a huge "Cuatro de Mayo" birthday feast for my dad tonight. The Callaways and the Meltons joined us to celebrate his day. The food was scrumptious (surprise, surprise) and the cousins ran around giggling (for the most part). We sure do love our dad/papa. You are the best!! We hope you had a wonderful day. (check out dad's tie... it's custom made with pictures of his grandkids!!)

Lost tooth!

My baby girl lost her first tooth!! I am totally unprepared for this... she caught me by surprise!! She's still in preschool!! It's kind of scary how excited about it she is... I told her she has to stop growing up and she just laughed at me. Thanks, Nana, for using the "magic hanky" once again!!

Fun in the Sun and Snow!

I thought these pictures were pretty cool to post together... yesterday after school, we set up the new waterslide. (Thanks, Britt, for the inspiration... you should sell that video you made to Little Tikes to use as a commercial!) We had a little impromptu neighborhood bash... the kids had a blast!

The next day, when the kids got up, I told them to get their snow stuff on, because we were heading to the snow! They were so confused at first... but, one of the cool things about Fresno is that you can swim one day, and ski the next! It was the last day of the season, so we all went up so I could watch Austen, Noah, and Corey snowboard. They are all awesome!! They've picked it up quickly and had a great season. It's such a fantastic thing for them to get to do with their dad (and their grandpa!) One of these years, I hope we can all go together and play.



















































Yes, Austen is happy about the new waterslide, but the REAL reason for this obvious EXCITEMENT is that she had just found out she made it on the VARSITY pep squad next year. She, said, "I was SOOO excited that my head hurt!" CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I am one lucky lady! I was able to attend Time Out for Women last weekend right here in Fresno!! I've traveled to Sacramento twice before to enjoy this day, and was so happy to drive just downtown!! We had an awesome day! My mom and dad helped me out with the kiddos since Corey was out of town (THANKS!!!), and my good friend Gwen's dad gave us the royal treatment! We had curbside service to and from the event, and he even whisked us away at lunchtime for a picnic nearby. I felt like a celebrity! The day was so uplifting, and I came away with many ideas on how to improve my life, and help my family. I think the best part is just taking a break for a day... it's not just a nice thing for moms to have that, it's an absolute necessity. I also was able to see Kathryn, one of my awesome mission companions. She and her mom drove up from S. California and we were able to catch up over dinner. It's crazy how long it has been!

And... the fun has only just begun! Next week, I get to go to Provo for Women's Conference at BYU!! This will be my third year and it is SO incredible! I'm super excited to go with Elisa, Megan and hopefully Molly if we can get her away for a day from her crafting, and to see friends there from California and Utah! I had a dream the other night about it... I was walking up to the BYU bookstore ALL BY MYSELF and was SOOOO happy to be there! I do LOVE my life, but it is such a treat to go and feel the spirit.

THANK YOU Corey for not only facilitating these events, but encouraging me to do them. I appreciate it SO much. I couldn't ask for a better Mother's Day gift.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!

happy birthday, mom! all these sweet grandchildren
are so lucky to have you as their nana! we all love
you very much and hope you have a wonderful day!