Manis and Pedis

Lydia was so lucky and got to go with Aunt Kim, Kayla and Kenzie, and Haley to go get their nails done. I purposely didn't tell her that she was going because I knew that was all I would hear about every waking moment. I told the kids that I needed to run an errand and asked Lydia to come with me. She didn't want to come, but after some convincing she came. Then when we pulled in the parking lot, I told her where she was going. She was so thrilled!

Biking Campout

Ben had a mountain biking campout this weekend. Normally Grant is not much of a camper. But when he heard about this one, he decided it would be a great time to invest in a bike and go with Ben. They had so much fun! I think biking is going to become a big part of our family.

Lucy's Blessing

Lucy was blessed today. We had a few family members there, and it was simple. She wore the same dress that Gretchen and I both wore when we were Christened, and it is the same dress that Karmin, Lydia, and Piper wore too. I can't wait to see Lucy's personality shine. She is so sweet, and we all love her.

8 is Perfect

I feel complete.

Birthday Shenanigans

Trevor had a pretty cool Birthday party this year. He invited over his friends to play capture the flag and roast smores. From a parent's perspective it was awesome. The mess was outside. The noise was outside. It was better than Chuck E. Cheese's because we didn't even have to travel. They all seemed to have a lot of fun. A few years ago Trevor was the only boy his age in our ward at church. But he soon became good friends with some boys younger than him, and then eventually a few other boys moved into our ward. They have turned out to be a great group on kids, and they don't just stick to their own age group--they are all friends. It will be fun to watch them grow and do different activities together.

Just pictures...

Dance to the Music

Let this go down in history as the day Ben changed his mind about going to dances.

He never wanted to go to a dance in his life. Then the fateful day came when they had a combined activity where the kids learn to dance. Since he was just called as the Deacon's Quorum President, he couldn't find an excuse to get out of it. And he was blessed for it! He loved it and is so excited to go to stake dances now. He sure has some good dance moves!

Picnic in the Park

Today I got smart and packed a picnic to take with us as we waited for Ben. It is so much fun to hang out with these girls. We love the trails---and we get a lot of exercise too. Ben loves riding here, and we love hiking here.

2 Months

It doesn't seem fair that 2 months has already gone by. It has been the fastest 2 months. Our sweet Lucy has found her place in our family so easily. We all adore her, and the adjustment period was a breeze. She started smiling at 5 weeks, but doesn't pass the smiles out to just anyone. She has the cutest coos I have ever heard. They are the most precious softest sounds.
Her tummy is getting better, but she still spits up a lot. She can get overwhelmed by other people. I find it odd since she has so many siblings, but if she is around a lot of people she gets pretty fussy. Often she just needs her down time as well. If she has been held too much, then we just have to put her in her bed and let her be on her own for a bit. She is starting to 6-7 hours at night which is amazing. She is perfect.

Date Afternoon

Grant and I got to go on a date yesterday without any kids. It was fun and refreshing. I love this guy!

Gardening Gals

The girls love to work out in the garden. The dirtier they get the better! We were out prepping the garden, and the girls were great helpers--as always. This year was the first time that Karmin got to use the rototiller since Ben was busy mowing the yard.

Tennis Time

We were able to go out and play tennis for the first time tonight. We are looking forward to a summer filled with these type of evenings!

My Little Helper

Lydia loves to bake right now. She is at my side anytime I am in the kitchen. And I love it. Today we were making cinnamon rolls and orange rolls for conference weekend.

Easter Egg Hunt

This year we had a quick Easter Egg Hunt. We had conference today, so the egg hunt was in between two sessions of conference. With that taking place and Spring Break, there weren't many people there. So the kids had TONS of eggs to hunt. Grant and I went with Lydia and Piper and they were doing everything they could to pack away more eggs. We found an extra container that Piper utilized. They were using pockets and trying to harness the usability of their shirts, and they were able to show us their mad stacking skills.

Love my kids!

Scholars

Every night (well--most nights), our bed time routine is as follows: the kids go to the bathroom and brush their teeth. Then they read their own scriptures either to themselves or to us. Then we read family scriptures. After that, each child says their own individual prayer, and then we have family prayer. Then it is "Kisses and Hugs, Loves and Bugs." Dad then gives piggy back rides to each of the girls to their beds (or sometimes they shake it up a bit and have him carry them like babies). Tonight, as the kids were reading their scriptures, I looked up and noticed this:

Most everybody all in a row reading. It was pretty cute.

Birthday Dinner

Nana and Papa wanted to take us out for dinner for Trevor's birthday. Trev chose Grant's and my favorite restaurant. (The waitress there even got to know us while I was pregnant because we would go every week for our date.) It was fun. They have the best milkshakes there. And can I just say, it is so much easier to go to restaurants with older kids.

Happy Birthday To You!

Mr. Trevor is 11!

This kiddo had a busy day. He started off by having crepes for breakfast. Then he headed off to Northside. When he got home from that he went to TKD where he got to break a board since it was his Birthday. He hung out with Dad for a bit, and then went to 11-year-old Scouts for the first time. They had a party there, so that was perfect timing.

We love our MR. Trevor. He is a fun passionate kid. He still loves to read. He has learned several pieces on the piano this year and even tried his hand at the violin. His favorite is to play by ear. He is taking drama again at school and really enjoys it. He loves buttons and machines and would be in heaven if he someday built some huge machine that changed our lives as we know it. His goal is to become a black belt, and he is on his way in accomplishing that. He enjoys fishing with Grant, and he loves spending time with his cousins. He is sweet and is a great big brother. He is my hero when it comes to handling pain and all that he goes through. We are so glad that it is his Birthday and that he is a part of our family!

TKD

After to many months of waiting, Trev was finally able to test for his green belt. He loves it, and has recently started to take the sparring class too. He was nervous about it at first, but fell in love with it right away. We are proud of him for his hard work and determination to get a black belt. Good job, Trev!

Rain or Shine

Today we had the craziest weather. We had tons of pouring rain--like the amounts you see in movies, and sleet, snow, thunder and lightening...probably everything but sun. However, that didn't discourage this kid from going to his biking practice:

All that white stuff outside the car window is not the reflection of light--it is snow. But he did it while we stayed nice and warm in the car waiting for practice to be done.

Perfect

She is perfect: