Monday, June 15, 2009

Camp Pendleton MudRun

BEFORE & AFTERYear Three! It was great though every single person who signed up with us ended up flaking out. It was just Alan and I this year and I was less prepared than before but we made it and had a great time doing it. Whose in for next year?

Summer Nights





This is what they are all about: staying up past our 7 pm bedtime, getting dirty, spending time with our friends, swimming, eating popsicles, going home exhausted and sleeping IN!

Girls Camp '09

I haven't been since I was 16....and let's just say that the girls here in AZ ROUGH-IT compared to camp in Connecticut, but it was a blast and I came away a better person. Loved it! (above picture: Jennie Oxspring, Cari Mickelson, Karin Burton, Shannon Rosenhan, Melinda Brower, Jennifer Whidden, Me, Liane Carmichael: the amazing women that I get to work with in Young Women's!)

The Boy Turns Six!







(These pictures are all backwards but I can't figure out how to fix it.) Alex's birthday was great! We started out the day at Krispy Kreme, Alex's favorite. He ate 4 donuts in a matter of minutes and without stopping to chat. He and I had a great little lunch date too, where he enlightened me on all things Backugan and Pokemon. We spend the rest of that day and the next at a local resort with a huge waterpark where we spent the night and did cake and presents etc. with some of our good friends, the Bates. We did this instead of a big birthday party- which I thought was perfect: more family time and less chaos! Alex is wise beyond his years....such a joy to have around, we love that kid. I can't believe it's already been six years!

SUMMER IS HERE!!

We started a new tradition this year: the Summer Basket. First day of summer boys woke up to the their favorite, whole wheat pancakes, and a basket filled with stuff for summer. New water bottles, crafts, swim suits, movie passes....I'm so happy to have them home with me!

Kindergarten Graduation


Ms. Warren, Alex and Mrs. Niel at Alex's Graduation. We're moving on up!
ps- There is NOTHING that makes me more happy than watching this child flare his nostrils- he does it when he eats, when he is thinking hard, and when we take his picture. It cracks me up!

Will's Graduation

Ms. Sheri, The Teacher
Nana came to show her support!
Not sure why he graduated since he has another year, but we participated anyway. How cute are these little caps and gowns? We are proud of our boy-- he has learned a lot and continues to keep us on our toes...I'm pretty sure he keeps his teacher on her toes, too! Life would be boring with our Will-Guy. We took a trip to Dunkin's post graduation to celebrate. This is Will's version of a smile lately- ridiculous!

Shirtless

Ever since we spent a the week taking care of the Brenchley kids Alex has gone "shirtless" to bed each night. This is a direct form of idolizing the older cousin Sam (age 8). Alan and I think it is hilarious. He's 6!

Cousins Everywhere


Can you believe this enormous group of cousins that live so close to us and that my kids are lucky enough be growing up with? I'm still surprised by it sometimes.

Memorial Day

Nana threw a great Memorial Day BBQ. The flags were a HUGE hit!

Hockey



Yes, that is little Alex-aka ice man. This kid loves to skate, so we tried a real hockey clinic in May. Our boy is growing up. (Also, FYI, he is by far the least aggressive child out there- love my sweet little boy.)

Woman's Conference

I had the chance to go to Woman's Conference this year at BYU for the first time. Alan said to me just last week "You still haven't told me what you learned at women's conference." And that's probably because at this point I can't remember. I really should track down the meticulous notes I took...I'm sure they are around here someowhere in one of the piles. It was a totally last minute trip, as in, planned the week before- and I was able to rope a few girlfriends into joining me. Cari came from Missouri, Stacey from Minnesota and Alexis from North Carolina. Seriously spontaneous friends: I love it!
I did have 2 memorable experiences- first, I ran into an old, dear friend, Tracie Hohl, from New Canaan. I haven't seen her in years. It was great to reconnect and catch up on each other's lives. We were in a class about embracing being a homemaker and finding joy in it day in and day out. At the end of the class Tracie turned to me with tears in her eyes and asked me to tell my mother that she was the best example of being a homemaker that she has ever had. Truely, my mom is a great woman!
Next, I was sitting in a class about organization minding my own business, when suddenly my father is being quoted by the lecturer! She pulled a nice quote out of his conference talk from a few years ago. It was very funny, especially since I was sitting with a group of girls that I had grown up with who know and love my dad. Thanks girlies for meeting me!!

Easter a little late

How did I not include this picture in an Easter post? It's quite a job to get a decent shot of this group of children....you should see the out-takes. This was the best we could do.

Monday, June 01, 2009

Six years ago today...

....this little man arrived and changed our lives forever. We love you Alex.