Nate is 3!!

Isn't it funny how each child is so different from the others? Well, Nate is so fun and so different from our other 3. What a funny little boy he is!!





I just had to record that he still used a binky at night when he was 3. :)

Hannah is 10!!!

I can't believe she's 10 already!!
Chris and Pat have been at every birthday cake cutting for 3 years!! Oh, how we'll miss them!!
She loves her new bike. She has enjoyed riding it around the neighborhood!!

I have to admit, I'm a little afraid that if I blink, she'll turn into this:

Trip to Utah

One day, Jarin and I picked up the kids from school and drove to the airport. Jarin pulled up to the curb and kissed me goodbye and I asked Elle to come with me while Jarin got our suitcases out of the back of the van. She was so surprised she was scared. We played a little guessing game and I thinks she guessed every place BUT Utah. So, I finally told her. Then the fun began.

When we arrived it was snowing!! So awesome for these Florida girls!! She promptly made a snowman with her cousins when the sun came up the next morning.


Just in case you're wondering, this is where I grew up. Sometimes I forget how amazing the mountains are, but each time I return I am reminded how truly majestic they are! I heart the rocky mountains.
We haven't lived really close to any temples, so I really wanted Elle to see the temples while we were in Utah. Here she is with her cute cousins at the Salt Lake Temple.
We loved our time visiting with family. Josh and Whitney just had Beautiful Rose. This was our first time meeting 3 of their children -and it was so much fun!!!

Bil and KT just welcomed sweet Eli into the world. They are some of the most attentive parents I've ever seen!! Congrats Bil and KT!!

Group photo after the 2 baby blessings
Elle was so excited to spend some time with Eli!!


...2 more temples. I think we visited 5 total. This is the Oquirrh Mountain temple.

... and the Timpanogos Temple.

Battle of the Books

Hannah is an awesome reader!! I often have to take books away from her at night so she can go to sleep. So, it didn't come as a huge surprise that she was selected as captain of her class's Battle team. They placed 2nd out of 8 classes. As her mom, I have to say they could've placed first, but that darn buzzer proved to be a challenge. That said, we are SOOO proud of Hannah!!


...maybe too proud.

Fishing

We went fishing with the Popes. I don't know where the rest of the pics are, but I just had to include this one of Jesse. We were only catching little tiny greenbacks. They look like sardines, so we borrowed this mackerel from another fisherman who was thrilled to show it off. Hopefully, I'll find more pics of this fun day with our friends....

I tried a Tri

I truly believe in living life to the fullest, so when my good friend suggested we team up and do a triathlon, it didn't take much convincing. We were sponsored by Tri Veda. We trained for about 3 months, then got up well before dawn and made our way to Ft. Desoto with families in tow.


I swam, Cecilia biked, and Lorena ran.


It was awesome to have our friends and family cheering us on. I kept hearing Jarin's famous whistle while I was swimming and I knew he was cheering for me.:)

Sadly, my family lost me in the crowd and thought I was the very last swimmer, so they were surprised when I emerged from the water well before that poor last lady. (We all look the same at a distance in the water) Jesse was watching and wanted to accompany me to the transition area until he realized I had to run through the murky water to get there.


All in all, it was such a great experience. The swim was super cold and way too salty, but I loved the fun atmosphere and all the happy triathletes. They made it so awesome!! Thanks Ceci and Lorena!! And Thanks Tri Veda!!

(by the way, most of these pictures were taken by Tina at Tri Veda)

Lovin' Florida in the Spring time

By Florida standards, we had a cold winter this year. It required things like jackets, gloves, and long pants. Ugh.

I am happy to report that the winter is over and the heat of the summer has not yet arrived. So, we've been soaking up the Florida sunshine and truly enjoying this wonderful place. We've enjoyed Busch Gardens a few times, went to the air show, and basked in the sun at the beach a handful of times.

Jesse turns 5

I can't believe this boy is 5 already! It seems like it was yesterday we were looking at this adorable (but very large) bald baby boy trying to decide what we should name him. Jesse is an awesome kid. He's always eager to help with whatever we are doing and he sings me "love songs" that he makes up himself. I love this awesome kid and am honored to be his mother.

My little hikers

Every couple of weeks, I've taken the big kids for a hike while Nate naps. Its been so much fun "exploring the jungle" together.

Jesse's Valentine Box

Jesse had so much fun making his Valentine Box. He made it Valentiney and "boyish", which is something that is very important to him.

The light at the end of the tunnel...

For almost ten years, I've had tiny children in tow, complete with diaper bags and sippy cups. Whenever we go anywhere, there are always things that we can't do because we have such little ones and the littlest one always tuckers out before the rest of us. Public temper tantrums have just been part of my life. I'm not complaining. These are just facts. I love my little ones with their slobbery kisses and funny phrases and their public temper tantrums.

In February, I took the kids to the State Fair and we had so much fun. Nobody tuckered out. The big kids helped with the little kids. There were rides that all the kids could ride and I caught a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel. We still had a diaper bag and a stroller, but its getting easier and more fun!! I have a feeling its just going to fly by and some day I will look back and long for my diaper bag and sippy cups. But for now, I will enjoy this glimpse and smile as my little ones are getting bigger.