Spring Break Continued...

Friends, cousins, play dates and fun...

You know you live in Washington when your children can't even handle direct sunlight for longer than 2 minutes....

Spring Break/ Sun Break!

We REALLY lucked out this year and actually had FOUR straight days of sunshine for Spring Break! Don was gone most of the week, but luckily, the only thing my kids wanted to do was spend their days outside on bikes and the trampoline. It was still quite chilly outside, but my kids kept asking for popsicles and smoothies, insisting it was "so hot!" Ridiculous.

Class Party

I have been trying to have a party with my Primary class since the end of last year, but with sickness and people out of town, we haven't been able to ALL get together until last week! We had such a fun time. We ate pizza, popcorn, and candy (too much!) and watched the cutest movie in the world...."Enchanted". I think I have watched it about 6 times now and would be happy to watch it again. Pathetic. I have the best Primary class in the world.....all girls and all GOOD girls, too!

The Joys

This is what every tired mother needs to find at the end of a very long day. I love my Gillian!

Easter Dinner

It was our turn to host Easter dinner this year and we really had so much fun putting it all together. Unfortunately, Don was out of town the entire week before, so the day before was a bit stressful trying to get everything ready, but once he got home, it all came together and made for a very enjoyable family easter celebration.


I have to show off the jelly bean bracelets I copied out of the Family Fun magazine. They are made with elastic string and pastel colored jelly beans (which are hard to find). I made one for all 10 girls and boy were they a sticky nightmare! It seemed like it would be an easy task to whip them out, which is why I took on the project, but when the needle got sticky after the first jelly bean, it got a little tricky! The girls loved them, though, and that's all that matters, right?

And, the cupcakes? I can't take credit for those. Don's Mom made those and can you guess what the flowers are made of? Tiny marshmallows that she simply cut in half. Go ahead...double click to enlarge the picture and see for yourself. She insists that it was the easiest thing in the world to create. I thought they were the cutest things ever and they LOOK like they took hours and hours to create, so everyone thinks you slaved over them. And that's all that matters, right?

Easter morning

What is wrong with this picture? Oh yeah, it's Easter morning, my kids are dressed in spring clothes and it's freezing, raining, dark, and depressing outside. Not exactly my idea of a lovely Easter morning. But, it was a beautiful day anyway. The talks in Sacrament meeting were so uplifting and inspiring and it was good to take some time to reflect on the Savior and His atonement and resurrection. That is what Easter is all about.

The Ward Easter Egg Hunt

Saturday, before Easter, we attended our ward's Easter Egg Hunt, and Don was still out of town. It was a great little party, complete with a hunt for eggs, picnic lunch, and games for all the primary children. All five of my children are in primary this year, and I had my nephew, Hank, for the weekend, too, so it made for a great distraction!

Aren't Home Teachers the Best?

Last week the kids and I came home to find our faithful home teacher mowing our lawn! Don has been crazily busy, or gone, and just hasn't been able to get out and mow. The young men were supposed to come and help, but when they didn't show up for a while, the kids pitched in and helped. Thank you, Bro. Ferguson!

"Thanks, Easter Bunny!"

On March 15, eight days before Easter, our family was assigned to clean the church. So, we got up early, worked hard, picked up our traditional donuts, and headed home to find this note on our door...

The kids went ballistic! The hunt was on as they screamed and ran all over the house filling their baskets with eggs and candy.

Wasn't it nice of the Easter Bunny to let Dad be part of the fun?

It's Tradition!

Every year when I leave for Girl's Weekend, Don gathers the kids together and they make their plans for their "special weekend with Dad". They make their menu for the weekend, go shopping and then plan all their activities. This year, Don wanted to do something a little extra, so they booked a cabin at Zion's camp for the night. The kids LOVED it. Before their trip, they caught the elementary school production of "Puss In Boots" and then hiked and canoed and explored and played. My kids really look forward to this weekend all year. And wasn't he cute to take all these pictures?

Girl's Weekend 2008

a.k.a. Girl's Gab Fest, as my brothers like to call it. We had another fabulous girl's getaway, our 7th annual! Yes, we started this tradition 7 years ago, and we love it. We leave our poor husbands and children at home (or kick them out if it's our turn to host) and enjoy a weekend of talking, laughing, crying, walking, shopping, eating, staying up WAY past bed time, actually getting to sleep in, and bonding together as women. It really is such a wonderful weekend to regroup and reconnect and refocus and remember what our role as women and wives and mothers is. I love my sisters and mom so much and feel so blessed to have them as my best friends!


Oh, and one added bonus. It's usually in California, so I got to soak up some much needed sun! It was a beautiful, warm, sunny weekend. And, yes, I took a picture of the sun. In fact, I think I might just put it up as my desktop picture.

Don's Creation

This is what happens when your husband has too much time on his hands stuck in a hotel somewhere far away...

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12 years and counting...

Okay, so it wasn't the most romantic day of our life, but we will be making it up another day! Sunday was our anniversary and we spent a good portion of our day cleaning up throw-up, monitoring temperatures, and administering cough and cold and fever medicine to several of our children. We did, however, get to drive TOGETHER and sit TOGETHER at church since it was Stake Conference, which was a total treat for me! And since most of our children were home sick, we only brought one child who ended up sitting with her cousin during the meeting anyway. Don and I got to just soak up the inspired messages and wonderful spirit of the meeting without any distractions. (Quite the opposite of a normal 2 hour Stake Conference meeting with 5 children, or a normal sacrament meeting with me as a single mother.) Don surprised me with tickets to Phantom of the Opera, which I haven't seen in 15 years! Anyway, I think I'll spare you all the mushy details, and just say, I love my husband more than I ever thought was possible. I am one lucky girl.

A Sunshiny President's Day!

We REALLY lucked out this year and actually got to enjoy a holiday while the sun was shining. It was a beautiful day. Still cold, but nevertheless, beautiful. We had a picnic with some friends and just enjoyed being outside. And if you can believe it, it has actually been sunny for over a week now. Talk about Spring Fever!

Day of Love

For Valentine's Day this year, Don and I decided to have a special family celebration and postpone our "romantic dinner out" to the weekend. We enjoyed our night, complete with heart-shaped pizza and chocolate fondue dipping. Gillian even decorated a special cake for us at Activity Days.






Don surprised me with THREE tulip vases to enjoy indoors. I love to watch them bloom, especially when it's so dark and dreary outside! The one on the left has white tulips that are just starting to bloom. And the best part... they last for weeks! They make me so happy.

To the love of my life...

Happy Valentines Day, to my one and only Valentine! You know, my older sister used to tell me that married life was the best, and boy was she right! ...especially being married to Don. He is seriously the ideal husband. He showers me with affection and love and appreciation and always treats me with respect. He is so darn good looking and makes me laugh everyday. He is wise and inspired and in tune and is sensitive to my needs in every way. He is a busy guy these days, but somehow he still manages to make me feel like I am the most important thing in the world. Some days, I just still can't believe I got him, that he is mine forever! I love you, Donny.

Winter Park Day

Today was supposed to be another rainy/snowy, dark and dreary, terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, but when I picked up the kids from school, the sun was shining and crazy things happen to me when the sun comes out. So, we went to the Marina Park and froze to death! We only lasted about 20 minutes, but it was exhilarating to be outside, letting the kids run wild and enjoying the sun on the water. It was beautiful. Can you tell I am done with this neverending winter and ready for summer? Who needs spring? I'm ready for summer.

Family Get-together OR Organized Chaos?

Every month or two our extended family gets together to celebrate all the family birthdays for that month and we all take turns hosting. There are 12 adults and 19 kids so it definitely gets a little crazy, but we love it!

Here you go...

Many have asked for a front shot of Gilli's new 'do, so here it is. It's been so fun to style and play with and she really loves it. The only thing that makes me sad is that all of her blonde shiny hair is gone! Hopefully it will lighten up again this summer.

The New Gilli!

BEFORE....

DURING....

AFTER....