Jackson Turns 8

On May 15th Jackson turned 8 years old! He was very excited to be 8 because he was able to be baptized. He has looked forward to this birthday for about 3 years or ever since his big brother turned 8!

He had a party at our favorite place to bowl, Brunswick Zone!!!! They bowled, played video games, ate pizza & Speed Racer cake!!! All of his best friends were able to come and celebrate his special day.

End of School Year Activities....

Mitchell performed a duet with his piano teacher to "Music Box Dancer" for his year end recital. He used no music and we were so happy for him. Mitchell reallly loves the piano and has inspired Jackson to begin playing this next year.

Jackson had to research a famous dead person for a month and then write, memorize & perform his research paper dressed as his famous person. He did just beautifully! He chose to learn about one of his distant ancestors whom he was named after....Andrew Jackson. Unfortunately, it was nap time for Emy and she didn't let me record his speech, but I was able to take a quick picture behind his frame. Way to go, Andrew Jackson...oh! I mean Jackson!





Maddie was also busy with projects and recitals in choir & band at the end of her 7th grade year. One project she did great on was for Health. She had to present a creative board of what she learned all year. She put together a bunch of pictures of things to stay away from (cigarettes, bad friends, alcohol, sex) and things to surround herself with (good friends, healthy habits, education).



She made a road with a fork in the middle with a cute shot of her thinking about which way to go...
She got an A+ which helped her complete her last semester with a 3.85 GPA. Great job Maddie!!

Mitchell Receives His Arrow of Light

We are so proud of Mitchell for working so hard in his Cub Pack. He was awarded the highest honor in cubs...the Arrow of Light. Lots of hours and study went into this award and his hard work paid off. It was exciting to be a part of this night as his leaders. Good job Mitchell! We know you will excel in Boy Scouts in the years to come.

Colorado "Spring Rain"

I'm just telling myself how BEAUTIFUL my yard will be when all this snow is gone!!! That seems to help me live with these CO Spring storms. Emy and Lilly, on the other hand, can't wait for the next snow!

Here is Emy in PJ's, snow boots & some hat of Jackson's......

Lilly just eats the snow and jumps around trying to pull off Emy's gloves!

Happy Birthday, Kevin!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KEVIN!

He was so embarrassed that I video taped his little Japanese song, but I was hoping he would break out in a dance or something....maybe next year.

WE LOVE YOU, KEVIN, AND WISH YOU MANY MORE HAPPY DAYS TO CELEBRATE WITH YOU!!!

Spring Break 2008

For Spring Break this year Kevin & I decided to take the family on a week long RV trek to the Grand Canyon. We have rented RV's in the past, but this time we decided to do it up right! We lived in a 36' A Class "bus", as Emy referred to it all week, and had plently of room to spare. Eventhough there were 3 tvs, playstation & xm we spent the majority of our time playing cards, apples to apples, looking at the scenery, telling funny stories & laughing at one another. We made such fun memories that I will cherish always.

We discovered that Jackson is amazing at crossword puzzles....who would've thought?


The crew PLUS Meme....she came out at the last minute to join us on our venture. We were so happy that she spent this time with us & got to know Emy better.









My favorite picture!


















After a few days in New Mexico & Williams, AZ we thought we would "treat" ourselves to a few days at a Scottsdale resort. Kevin used his "connections" and hooked us up with a "casita" that not only looked like a house but had a dining room table with 24 chairs. This is only one small portion of the enourmous table....we enjoyed some room service, the pool & a few virgin pina coladas.....CHEERS!!





In Pheonix we stayed at an RV resort that had a BUNCH of citrus trees!! The kids had a blast picking oranges & grapefruit. They even sold some fruit to our fellow rv-ers to make some extra cash (Mitchell's idea, of course).



Our new puppy, Lilly, went on our trip with us. She was an amazing little traveler!! It was fun to bond with her as well. What a good girl she is & we are grateful that she is SMART!!! (An answer to prayers.)



On our way back to CO, we stopped at the Petrified Forest. Unfortunately we arrived just 5 minutes before the park was to close, so we stopped and took a picture with the petrified piece of wood that was there. Not the same, but we tried!

Thanks, Kevin, for such a wonderful time with our family. You are an awesome dad!! Let's start planning the next excursion....

"Brace Face" no more

GUESS WHO GOT HIS BRACES OFF TODAY?????

ISN'T HE HANDSOME??

Monkey Toes

I never really believed we originated from primates until I watched my own little girl eat from her toes....I may have to re-think this whole evolution theory.

MJ voted MVP

Mitchell's basketball team began their season tournament on saturday. They won their first 2 games and played like maniacs!! MJ was on fire and had the highest scoring, most rebounds & most assists for both games. His coach gave him the MVP award for all his hard work. It was so fun to see Mitchell in "the zone" and loving basketball so much. Up until now his confidence hasn't been the greatest, but this year it's all come together and he can't get enough of the game. Jackson & he play day and night. The only bad thing is that I'm finding dirty b-balls all over the house now. Small price to pay, I suppose.

Saturday night the guys were glued to the Duke-Carolina game. It was so fun watching them get so into it and understanding what was going on and yelling what they "should have" done better. I sense this is only the beginning....and I'm looking forward to every minute!

The semi-finals are this tuesday night and Mitchell is pumped! Wish him luck!!! More info to come...

We're new parents once again!!

Last week Emy, Jack & I visited a new puppy store down the street. It was so fun because they had this great play area for kids to play with the dogs. Since birth, I think, Emy has loved any kind of animal.....especially dogs. So, it was nice to see her in a room full of sweet puppies. Little did I know that I, yes, I, was going to "fall in love" with a puppy. I took one look at her and had to pick her up and love on her. When I did, she instantly snuggled in the crease of my neck and didn't move until I set her down. Her little spirit touched mine and I was hooked!!


Two days later, I took Kevin down to see my little "soul mate" and he couldn't resist her either. Within 30 mintues we were new parents of a little girl Lhasa Apso, which the kids named "Lilly".

If any of you remember when I was pregnant with Emy, Kevin & I debated the name "Lilly". I always wanted a Lilly, but when Emy was born she was not a Lilly. So when the kids came up with that name on their own it made me smile because now I have my "Lilly".