Priceless...

Good friends Anna & Cameron. I just might have to keep my eye on these two ;)

Cameron's Field Trip

Cameron completed his first year of preschool last month and he did really well. He just loves learning and grew quite a bit socially too. When he first started school he was shy and refused to have his picture taken. Being social was just sometimes out of his comfort zone. In the last couple of months of school he really came out of his shell and has grown up quite a lot. I am impressed by how well he has done in preschool. Cameron's class took a field trip to a children's museum and I made sure I could attend. It's nice to do special things one on one with each child and so this field trip was our special trip.

My Mom

This year for Mother's Day I was able to meet up with my Mom and have a nice dinner with her. After dinner we went to the cemetary where my Grandma is buried and placed flowers in her vase. It was neat to be able to do that together. One thing I really appreciate about my Mom is knowing that I can call her up at anytime for anything and she will always take the time to listen to me. I love my Mom!

Pitching Machine

For the past few months Austin has been playing baseball, which has kept us pretty busy. For some reason this season has felt really long and I am anxious to get it over with. Last year Austin graduated from tee ball and moved his way up to the pitching machine. He enjoys playing baseball and takes it seriously. I get a kick out of watching Austin play sports. He is usually the youngest on the team, due to having a summer birthday, but he is so focused and really puts forth a lot of enthusiasm. Even when he is asked to play catcher, which a lot of kids are afraid to do, he shows no fear and goes for it.

Where do I begin??

For the past few months I haven't been a steady blogger. Realizing this bums me out because I have so many memories and events that I want to remember. So the next several posts will be me back-tracking and journaling about things I never got around to.

Settling Back Down

So I am no longer feeling like a stranger around here. My work schedule has calmed down a ton, I have had some much needed fun with the boys, quality time with Spencer, and I am looking forward to a road trip in the near future.

This past weekend the weather was gorgeous and I was able to enjoy both days, work free. On Friday afternoon, Spencer took all 3 of our boys on the Father/Son overnight camp out. I really appreciate the fact that Spencer takes all of our boys no matter how young they are. He always has and he is a real trooper in my eyes! I very much enjoyed having a night alone. I grabbed myself a very large bowl of ice cream, watched Pride & Prejudice, and slept in till 10:00 a.m. I loved every minute of it! I even suggested to the Stake President that they extend the Father/Son camp out next year another day. We shall see...

Also this weekend Spencer and I tried something new. We planted a garden. The garden isn't actually located at our house though and here's why. Spencer has a friend from work who lives on a few acres near by. They have always had very large gardens, but now that all of their kids are gone, they just don't garden like they used to. They offered 3/4 of their garden to us. So in essence, we are now part of a co-op garden. Here's how it works; They tilled the ground and got it ready; we came in and planted all the vegetables that we wanted (corn, beans, carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, zucchini, and lots and lots of tomatoes); They will water and fertilize; and when it's time to harvest we all get to enjoy. What's ours is theirs, and what's theirs is ours. They also have a ton of berry bushes we can have full run of like blueberry and raspberry. I'm excited to see how well the garden grows.

In other news, we still don't quite know what exactly happened to Grandpa this last week. Did he have a heart attack, a stroke, pneumonia??? Who knows? I don't think the doctors are quite sure either. The man is 90 years old and wants to leave this earth so bad. Unfortunately, for him though, he's been healthy as a horse. But now it's pretty apparent that his body is starting to shut down. I hope that he can try to find joy while his journey is still here with us.

Feeling Like a Stranger

For the past few days I have been trying hard to re-introduce myself to my husband and children. I had one heck of a schedule last week. On a normal week I work an average of 23 hours at the grocery store. In addition to working at the store, I accepted an invitation to fill in at the DA's Office for two days. I knew I was going to be putting in a lot of hours, but my schedule still seemed manageable. What I didn't plan on happening was the sudden termination of a fellow co-worker at the grocery store. Because of their immediate termination lots of shifts were needed to fill for the remainder of the work week. I felt bad leaving them empty handed and so I went ahead and took them. The funny part was working side by side County Employees during the day and checking their groceries out at night. They were a little confused. The total amount of hours I worked last week was 53, and even though it will be a good paycheck, I hope to never repeat it again! I am still trying to recover physically. I am so tired and I stress out thinking about how badly my house needs to be cleaned. Spencer is great at playing Mr. Mom. He really picks up slack around the home and I appreciate him.

Celebrating 9 Years

"A happy marriage has in it all the pleasures of friendships, all the enjoyment of sense and reason - and indeed all the sweets of life. - Joseph Addison

Spencer, thank you for giving me the life that I have. Thank you for always helping me reach my dreams. Thank you for showing me how to live and how to love. I love you more than anything! Happy Anniversary!

Our Trip to New York

Spencer and I just got back from a 6 day whirlwind trip to New York City and the surrounding areas. We had such a blast! I highly recommend everyone to visit the city at least once in their lifetime. It was so much fun. In all of the big cities that I have ever been to, never have I seen anything in comparison to NYC. I loved seeing all the colonial style architecture mixed in with modern day structures. Add in all the other beautiful sites such as the bridges, Lady Liberty and the Hudson River and the place is truly majestic! I also found the city to be clean, safe and family friendly. The subway was fun and quite a treat from walking all day.

Here is a breakdown of what we did each day while on our trip:

Day 1: Thursday

• Arrived at Newark Airport (New Jersey) at 5:15 p.m.
• Took shuttle to Hotel, checked in, and was on our way to Timesquare by 7:00 p.m..
• Met my brother and Dean in Timesquare, went to Daves Famous BBQ for dinner.
• Walked around Timesquare, which was amazing!
• Walked to the Manhatten LDS Temple.
• Crossed over through Central Park to 5th Avenue and saw Trump Tower, the Park Plaza Hotel and the major 'outrageously priced' shopping district. Something I imagine you'd see on Rodeo Drive.
• Walked through Rockefeller Center, then left the city at 12:30 a.m.

Day 2: Friday

• Went to Rockefeller Center and watched them film The Today Show, anyone see me? Spencer's Uncle Mike, who lives in NJ, joined us for the day and showed us around.
• Picked up something for the kids at FAO Schwartz
• Walked through Central Park. (I loved, loved Central Park! Even though you are right in the heart of a major city it's so peaceful and secluded.)
• Rode the subway to Little Italy (true Soprano territory) and had a delicious lunch.
• Did some shopping in China Town (one of the funniest moments during our trip).
• Rode the subway down to Battery Park where we saw the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
• Walked past Ground Zero. Was disappointed because you can't see a thing. They have started rebuilding and have fences up all around it.
• Back to Timesquare for dinner.
• Left the city and drove to my brother's house.

Day 3: Saturday

• Drove to Boston, MA
• Saw some famous historical sites such as; The Boston Commons, Faneuil Hall, and the site of the Boston Massacre.
• Enjoyed a breadbowl of Clam Chowda' from a local restaurant.
• Listened to Spencer and Cory say "Wicked Good" all day long...
• Saw the Boston LDS Temple.
• Walked through the Harvard University Campus.
• Did some shopping at the Pro Bass Store, which was right next to the New England Patriots Stadium.
• Left Boston and headed back to my brother's house

Day 4: Easter Sunday

• Drove to Palmyra, NY
• Luckily, the church Visitor Centers are open on Easter.
• Stopped first at the Hill Cumorah site and Visitors Center
• Stopped by the Palmyra LDS Temple
• Took a tour of the Joseph Smith Farm and House
• Walked through the Sacred Grove
• Took a tour of the Book of Mormon publication site and visitors center
• Walked to the Erie Canal
• Finished the day with a fabulous Easter meal at an Indian Casino. Go figure ;)

Day 5: Monday

• Drove back to the City to spend our final day there.
• Took the subway to Brooklyn for pictures of the skyline (the park in Brooklyn across from the city was awesome!).
• Back to China town for more shopping.
• Said goodbye to my brother Cory and headed to the taping of the Dave Letterman Show. Guests included; Zac Efron, ESPN's Mike & Mike and a Canadian band, A.C. Newman with Nicole Atkins. It was so much fun. We sat in the 2nd row and had perfect seats.
• After the show we went to the Empire State Building.
• Then we headed back to our hotel.

Day 6: Tuesday

• Arrived home at 12:50 p.m. after 8 hours of flying.
• It was so good to see the kids and to hear all of the fun stuff they had been doing too. Lots of hugs and kisses.
• Back to the daily grind.

It was a fantastic trip!

Happy Birthday to Cameron!

Cameron is our April Fools baby and he is now officially 4 years old. For his birthday we took him to Chuck-e-Cheese, his favorite place, and let him go wild. Belle and Nalani, a couple of his friends, came along to join in the fun too. Cameron is very much an Arts & Crafts little kid. Not only does he love to color and paint, but he is very good at it too. He loves to use his imagination in pretend play and is great at putting together puzzles. I am constantly amazed at how much he knows and how fast he learns. He has a thirst for knowledge and is one smart little kid! He brings a lot of fun and excitement into our family and definitely some roughness as well. We love him so very much. I am so proud of you Cameron!