Highlight Reel

So this week was a whole bunch of cool events all in a row. Rather than go through the details of them all I'll just give you the highlights in pictures. That's one of my favorite things about Sportscenter and why it captivates men everywhere. You can get a full days worth of games in about 30 minutes. It's efficient and to the point. And you still know enough about what happened to sound like you spent the whole day watching football instead of going to the musical CATS.

Event # 1
Camille bought bath robes for Linsey and Hunter. They used to have their own towels but she found these cool (notice I'm saying cool here and not cute, real men don't say cute) robes for cheap so she bought them. Only problem is that she didn't get one for Emma. Now you know if you have more than 2 kids, you can't leave one of them out without serious problems. We've been dealing with the aftermath of this decision for a few weeks now. In a moment of weakness and with "not a clue in the world about house rules" Dad in charge one night, Emma got to wear Linsey's robe after her bath. Now we are back to square one explaining that she doesn't have a robe of her own and that the green one is Linsey's but hey, we got some good pictures, right? I feel like I say that a lot.


Event #2
Easter Egg Hunt

This is a regular occurrence this time of year. In years past we have had to work with the kids to get them fired up about swinging elbows with the other hooligans and doing whatever it takes to get as many of those candy filled plastic eggs as possible. I claim ten percent as "Father tithing", you got to get them used to it sometime. So I'm concerned with the overall take of the family as I have a serious Snickers quota to fill. There's nothing quite like a frozen bite size Snickers or two while watching Sportcenter. However, this year we didn't really have to convince anyone to get their game face on. Just check out the concentration on Hunter's face.


And here's my ten percent.


For some reason little kids seem to be blessed with short sightedness. During the 1-3 year old hunt I saw this demonstrated multiple times. The half pints would find one egg, open it and want to eat all the contents before heading out to find more bounty. You could see the panic in the eyes of the parents when they realized their kid wasn't getting it. Like less eggs means they won't get into BYU. I must admit that Emma did this on the first egg but once I calmly showed her that there were other eggs to pick up, she promptly screamed at the nearest kid until he ran away in fear and she picked up the egg he was going for. That's right Emma, you tell em what's up. Back at our house we had a private Easter Egg hunt for all the relations. Brody is Emma's cousin and he fell victim to the little kid syndrome. But, there was no pressure so we all watched as he ate M&Ms, jelly beans and grass.

Event #3
Easter Sunday dinner
Ham, Canadian rolls, cheesy potatoes, pineapple desert, carrots that taste so good they must not really be carrots, green beans with those cool crunchy things on top and, best of all, a great family to share it with.
Here is my brother Zack and Carrie holding Linsey and Hunter. Almost makes you wonder whose kids they really are.


Zack and Carrie have a cool dog named Annie. Hunter is deathly afraid of dogs. At one point I heard him talking gently to someone around the corner. I peeked and caught him flirting with danger.

Event #4

2 is better than 4.

I must admit that this is one of those proud moments in life that just makes you want to sit up straight and smile when you think about it. Linsey finally gave up the training wheels and learned to ride her bike with 2 wheels! She came to me on Saturday afternoon and asked me if I would help her learn to ride without them. I had actually taken them off last fall but she didn’t get it back then and has been riding a scooter as her primary mode of transportation since then. I had taken a broomstick and taped it to her bike so that I wouldn’t have to lean down and break my back holding the seat of her bike while running up and down the street. We had been going back and forth for awhile when my neighbor, Jon Hatch, suggested that we speed up a little. As soon as we did that, she got it. A couple more times up and down the street and she figured out turning, stopping and starting too. She was really excited and rode the rest of the day. It really brought a slight tear to my eye to see her looking so grown up, off by her own power. I remember the freedom I felt when I learned to ride a bike. I felt like the world was mine to explore and conquer.

Hunter decided he wanted to taste the freedom too so I moved the pole and worked with him for a couple of hours. I think I put in about 12 miles by dinner time.


All in all it was a great week. We had non stop fun all weekend. Also enjoyed a night out with friends on Friday where we played a mean game of Settlers. I didn't win but I know who to put the robber on next time!

It's pictures like this that remind me of the happiness that kids bring into our lives. Having them doesn't make sense on paper. The joy they bring is pretty hard to describe in words. I'm just glad I have them and I'm glad that Heavenly Father trusts me with such precious things. I don't know how he gave up his only Son but it's seems like having these special spirits in my life is giving me a glimpse of what it was like for him. It would be hard but I know he did it because he loves us all. And now he lives again.
Happy Easter

The Best Birthday Gift!

Well, my birthday was Sunday, but with the busy conference weekend Jared suggested we go out for breakfast Friday morning to celebrate. I got Linsey off to school and Jared had arranged for a friend to watch Hunter and Emma so I dropped them off and met him at Sunbreak Café! Yum! About halfway through breakfast Jared told me he had a little surprise…… He actually had taken the whole day off and planned to drive my car home, pick up the kids, and takeover the household duties so I could have a free day to do whatever I wanted! Jared had gone to the gym for his morning workout before we met for breakfast so we each had our own car making it easy to go our separate ways. He informed me that I was not allowed to come home unless it was an emergency and that I should meet him and the kids at my favorite restaurant for dinner at 6:00. Wow! I was so shocked at the reality of a whole day to myself that I wasn’t sure what to do. I’ve been reading a great book and my first thought was that I wish I had that with me. Part of what made this birthday gift so special is all the thought that Jared put into it. He had a cooler full of cold drinks, my book (yes, he thought to grab that for me), a letter which gave me some ideas of things I could do with my free time, and some cash to “get me started” as he put it. Jared wished me a happy birthday in the parking lot and then drove to pick up the kids. I drove out of the parking lot and then realized that I had no idea where I wanted to go first so I pulled over and thought about it for a few minutes. Jared had given me some great ideas in his letter, but I couldn’t decide where to start. I decided that I would head to South center to do some shopping and maybe after that I’d get a pedicure or see a movie. I’m not sure if I was still in shock with the possibilities or if I’ve ever driven to South center without children, but I drove the entire way in the carpool lane. Oops. I went to Nordstrom’s and tried on designer jeans just for fun, I went to the MAC counter and let them put makeup on me, consulting me on colors etc. (something I see other women doing all the time but I quickly shuffle past the counter with all of my children reaching out to see if there’s anyway they can touch anything as we pass). I shopped till my feet got tired from all the walking and then I found a place to get my hair done, that’s always a fun thing. By the time I finished there my feet were rested so I went to Target and got the Easter basket shopping done, it was nice to for once not have to hide what was in the cart from the kids so I could pretend it was from the Easter Bunny. By then, I was hungry and a little tired so I treated myself to a snickers bar and some licorice for lunch and then I settled in at the library with my book. I spent the rest of the day reading. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to “stay away” for the whole day, but it was a lot easier than I had thought! I loved it and had a great time, but I was anxious to see Jared and the kids that night at the Olive Garden. We had a delicious dinner and the rest of the weekend continued to be wonderful. I feel so lucky to have such a sweet husband, wonderful kids, and great friends. Thanks everyone for a great birthday!

The BIG 30

Camille officially turns the big 30 today, April 1st. That's right thirty years ago today the world was blessed with the presence of the cutest little girl in all of Idaho.
For her birthday I took the day off work and let her have a free day to do whatever she wanted without any kids! She said it was the best birthday present ever. I'll let her post what she did with all those hours of free time. She works so hard taking care of little tykes, big tykes and our house that she deserves time off to relax.
Camille is the best Mother and wife I could ever ask for. I can't wait to be around for the next thirty years!

If you want to, leave a comment telling Camille Happy Birthday!