more easter~

I have so much I want to get on here! I need to get caught up so I can document all of the things I want to! I have so many pictures to go through, especially since we just returned from our trip to the "Happiest Place on Earth!" So I'm back to the Easter posts I never finished.

Here is our Easter Saturday.

A little family pic:
That morning we had a litte hunt at our house.







Mylie got some Princess CDs. She was in heaven dancing along!
Mylie drew this picture to give to my Grandma at the Easter Hunt she holds every year:
So we headed over to my Grandparents for the best Easter Hunt of the year! It is always fun to see everyone and the kids love the hunt, and everyone loves the pinatas!
Waiting in line to get out there and hunt:




Coy was a little terror that day. He didn't want anyone to help him, touch him, hold his hand, or hold him. He finally had to be confined to his stroller so as not to inflict injuries upon himself. He was happier when he got a little ice cream in him.
These are all of my parents' grandchildren...except for Blake. We wish he could have been there! Quite the group! (Yes mom, I will get you a copy of all of these group pictures if you want!)
Showing their true colors!




And Bennett brought home a little pinata souvenir, worn as a hat. He really wanted a picture of it.


There you have it! Our Easter Saturday in a nutshell!

easter festivities~

After we returned home from our little getaway, that Friday night we started our Easter festivities at Russ's parents. Russell's mom did the cutest egg treasure hunt with each of the kids. Each egg had a clever little clue inside (with a little treat) to take the kids to their next egg. Each hunt was individualized for each of the kids. At the end of the hunt, they found their "treasure." Bennett got his next set of Magic Treehouse books (he was thrilled) and Mylie got The Napping House (such a cute book) and Coy got The Going to Bed Book. The kids then got to color Easter eggs. I love their garbage sack shirts. They worked great! Coy mostly spent the evening playing with a musical Easter Bunny.

Bennett was right to reading his new books the next morning. Even before we started our little hunt at home.

Spring Break 2012

I'm going to try and play catch up on here. Back over Spring Break, we took a little trip not too far from our home. We just decided to stay at a hotel, go swimming, watch movies, and go out to eat. It's amazing how just a simple trip like this can mean so much and be such a big deal to the kiddos. It's just fun to stay overnight somewhere else besides home! Here is a little collage of our trip:

Take a look at these cuties HERE

Perfect time of year for pictures~

New preview up on my photo blog!

I Am a Superstar!

Mylie has joined little girl heaven! I was hesitant to sign her up for dance because of all of the "bad" that is out there, but she really has a lot of natural ability for it. So Russell was actually the one that pursued it and found a teacher that we both really like and feel good about! Not only does her teacher have great values and standards (which is really important to us), but she (along with her daughter) is an amazing teacher! (Almost all of her dancers won first place in their categories, and if not first they won second!) So if you are looking for a great dance teacher, let me know and I can refer you!

Mylie danced in two competitions (I know, kind of crazy to have them "compete" at this age), but her little group did really good! They got 2nd place in their category at the first one, and then 1st place at the one last weekend! Their dance was to a little song called "Superstar". Their little outfits are so darling. It's been fun to get her all dressed up--even with makeup! (Mascara, lipstick, and "flush", as Mylie called it). Like I said, little girl heaven!

Back in the saddle again~

Okay, so that was a dorky Post Title.
Anyways, here's my first full family session of the season. See all of it HERE.

Thirty!!!

Well, I made it to Thirty!

I celebrated my big 3-0 last month. It was a great weekend,with fabulous weather and company! On my birthday, Russ took me out to eat at a Japanese Tepanyaki Restaurant (Kobe) that was so incredibly delicious! We did a little shopping then we went to see the Hunger Games—very great movie, by the way. The next day, we got to enjoy seeing Mylie dance at her first little Dance Competition. Then because the weather was so great, we invited some of my family over for a little barbeque. The kids had a great time playing together.


So I thought I would tell a little more about myself.

So here is my list of…

Thirty Random Things about Me at Thirty:

1. I am the fourth of six children and I love having a big family!
2. I have always been “short” and am 5’ 2”, although at a recent physical I actually just found out that I am really 5’ 2.5”. Half inch taller than I have always thought!
3. My favorite colors right now are yellow and coral. I have a hard time resisting things in those colors when I am shopping!
4. I am a Mormon (or more specifically, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) and I am so glad I am!
5. I don’t really like to bake. I wish I did!
6. My favorite candy is Peanut M&Ms.
7. I got my degree in Elementary Education. I taught 6th grade for one full year. But luckily I got pregnant and had a great excuse to quit :)
8. I love online shopping ---probably too much!
9. When it comes to things my kids get, I really hate suckers and things that have glitter.
10. In most instances, I would prefer a bath to a shower. Nothing like a nice, long, hot bath! Feels so good on my achy back and hips!
11. I drive a minivan, and I am not ashamed!
12. I have run one marathon (4:29) and one half marathon (1:47), but if you asked me if I am a runner, my answer would probably be “no.” But I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of doing a marathon again someday.
13. I really love to sing.
14. For the most part, I never text. And my cell phone is mostly just for backup. I know. I’m so weird!
15. I also don’t have a Facebook account.
16. I love, love, love my kiddos! And I love babies. I would really like to have 5 kids, but I haven’t completely ruled out having 6. Also I figure the more kids I have, the better chance I have of getting lots of grandkids someday!
17. I really like my house clean and organized. Three kids has forced me to let up a little, but I might be what you would consider a “clean freak.”
18. I love throwing things out! Filling up a bag for the DI (thrift store) brings me such satisfaction. In fact I just filled one today.
19. I am very health conscious. I always read food labels. I will almost always pay extra for the healthier version of something (i.e. whole grain, less fat). Even Bennett has started reading food labels lately. Wonder where he picked that up? I have let up a lot though, and even buy my kids Happy Meals sometimes.
20. I think kissing my kids is my favorite thing to do. I probably kiss them a million times a day. Something about those soft, squishy cheeks, especially when they’re babies. Luckily Bennett will still kiss me every day at the bus stop, even in front of all the other kids. It doesn’t even faze him. Hopefully that will last forever :)
21. I have a terrible habit of pushing snooze when the alarm goes off. I even set my clock 10 minutes earlier just so I can snooze.
22. I love lipstick! Always have, probably always will. Although it can get in the way when I want to kiss the kiddos…
23. I play the piano. I actually even was my two younger brothers piano teacher for a while when I was in high school.
24. On the weekends, I love movies and popcorn on the couch with my hubby.
25. I worked in the Software Engineering Field for 10 years. When I had Bennett I started only working 8 hours a week. Once Coy was born, I started staying home full time. I still miss that job, though.
26. I manage our finances, bills, and budget 100% and I prefer it that way. I think Russ prefers it, too, so it works out good.
27. I’ve led my Ward Choir for almost six years now. I also am the Primary Chorister, and have had that calling for almost 10 months. Doing both is a lot of work!
28. I won’t let my kids go anywhere without their hair combed.
29. I love soup. I think my favorite thing to cook is soup. I get major cravings for it when I am pregnant, which can be a problem when it is summertime.
30. And now that I am thirty, I have officially started using an anti-wrinkle cream every day. I started using it a couple months ago. I hope it works wonders :)

So there you have it. Thirty wonderful things about me. I am sure there is a lot more, but that is just what I came up with for now.

Bennett asked me the other day what age I wish I could be. I honestly could tell him 30 because there is no use wishing for things that won’t happen! I’ve had an amazing 30 years and I am excited to see what the next 30 bring!

And just in case you've made it this far, here is my birthday in pictures!

Getting ready to go out

Just a note about my big purple necklace. Mylie picked it out all by herself to give me for my present. She was so excited and gave it to me three times on my birthday. Once in the sack it came in from the store, then in a gift bag, and then wrapped properly in wrapping paper once Dad got home to help her wrap it. And she sure made sure I wore it all that next day! Luckily I snuck out to church the next day without it. She did notice and made me put it on when we got home.



Sure am grateful for my sisters (and sisters-in-law).








Russ did put 30 candles on a cake for me. Look at all that smoke! Good thing we were outside.

from six months ago...

Here are our family pictures from six months ago. I realized I never posted them. Time just flies by too fast!








I love this shot of "my boys."








Here are Bennett's official "six year old" pictures. I took them really quick the same night.







And here is a random one of Mylie that I had made up for my picture wall. It was in the same folder on my computer, so I added it on here as well. I still need to post her 4 year old photos! Maybe that will be my next post.