Miguel's Baptism

This weekend Miguel got baptized by his older brother Caleb. It was a great day shared by all of our family who came out to show their support. We can't believe Miguel is already 8 years old. We are very proud of him and know that he will be a good example to others.

The Temple

"I would hope that we might go to the house of the Lord more frequently...In this noisy, bustling, competitive world, what a privilege it is to have a sacred house where we may experience the sanctifying influence of the Spirit of the Lord."

-Gordon B. Hinckley-

Swim Lessons

Okay, I am ashamed to admit it, but this is the first official swimming lesson Miguel and Mikayla have had. We had taken them swimming in years past but a couple of years ago, about 5 minutes after arriving at our city pool, Mikayla swallowed a mouthful of water and threw up in the pool. We instantly ended everyone's fun for the evening as they closed the pool for cleaning. Since then we hadn't been back much but finally we decided it may be a little awkward enrolling them in Mommy and Me classes at age 13 so we gave it a whirl. We are once again regulars at the pool and the kids are loving every minute of it.

Fresh Raspberry Jam

 

Every year I miss buying raspberries while their in season. Matt's Mom always made raspberry freezer jam and he absolutely loves it. So this year I was on top of things and snagged me a few...it was the easiest thing ever. I couldn't believe from start to finish it took 20 minutes to make...within 30 it was set and ready to eat. It tastes so divine!

Dede's Trip

Most of what made our summer vacation so great this year was being together with all of our fun family, including the Nelson's from Ohio. We hiked, went to a parade, visited This is the Place Heritage Park, held family kickball tournaments, spent the day at Lagoon, had many family cook outs, spent a weekend in Park City and fit in a girls day at the spa...Whew! We love you all very much! Thanks for creating some great memories with us!

Girls Road Trip

My daughter Tayler had a week off of college and work, so she planned a trip to the happiest place on earth and we were the lucky people that got invited to go along with her. My sister Suzy and her daughter Mackenzie joined us for a fun filled week of Disneyland adventure.

The drive went pretty fast, especially with all the fun girl chat going on. I honestly don't think we ever quit talking all the way there and back.

We laughed, ate, people watched, rode every ride imaginable and then ate some more!

It was a lot of fun spending some one on one time with my Tay!

Tayler has so much energy and loves everything about life, especially anything having to do with Disney.

Tayler and her cousin Kenzie.

Donald and Suzy (a.k.a. "Happy Hands").

The girls stayed at the park as late as they could each night.

Thanks for the fun memories girls. I'll never forget our fun trip together!

Truly the Tower of Terror!

Splash Mountain.

Spelling 100%

Miguel is our boy who aced every one of his spelling tests this year. He was sure to bring home his words to study. But without much effort at all he just seems to be a natural when it comes to remembering how to spell things. Whenever he gets into a little trouble he likes to say, "But Mom I really don't have a very good memory." Well here's my proof! He's really a "smartie" in his schoolwork. Good job Miguel.

Balloon Madness

I don't think I have ever written about Miguel's obsession (yes it really is that bad) with balloons. When he was little he would take helium balloons in our living room and watch them rise clear to the top of our vaulted ceilings. He then dangerously proceeded to stack stepstools on top of a swivel barstool and climbed on top to see if he could get the balloons all back down again. A friend once suggested we tie a longer ribbon or string to his balloons so that he could easily pull them back down. Miguel however didn't like this program, he rather liked cutting the strings off of the balloons and set them sailing as high as they could go. Part of the adventure was the recovery of the balloon itself. For years we have all pictured Miguel happily content selling balloons at a circus or better yet making balloon animals and creations of all kinds for delighted children everywhere. When he recently saw the trailer for the new Pixar movie "Up" he was excited to say the least. We realize that we may now have to be much more vigilant about watching Miguel who most likely will make a run for the roof top with a massive quantity of ballooons to tie to our house.

Catch me if you can

We were sitting in the office the other day... me preoccupied on the computer while my son Colton talked to me and Mimi twittered about chasing a pesky fly. Suddenly she comes over to us with an excited giggle saying, "I caught him!" I looked at this little tiny white box she was holding and had literally been trying to snap the fly up with. I thought no way. She's making this up, there is no way she could catch a fly in a box. However I decided to play along with her. As she grasped the box tightly in her little hands she asked, "Do you hear him?" I looked at her knowing smile and with my ear to the box said, "I can't hear him, are you sure he's really in there honey?" "Yeah" she said, "listen when I shake him." So I listened and watched , more interested now as I saw her excitement grow. Finally I begged her to show me the fly. Her smile was a mile wide as she cautiously lifted the lid to reveal none other than that pesky (now disoriented) fly sitting dazed in the bottom of her box! Wow, she's quick!

Mimi's first Soccer Team

Mimi kicked off this spring with her first ever soccer experience. She loved it so much and by the end was really playing her heart out , especially when she knew a trophy was involved. Her good friend Zoe and her sister Talia were on her team which made it even better.

A Visit from Someone Special

A couple of weeks ago, Miguel and Mikayla got to meet their half sister Payton, who is now 8 months old. She is a real doll and as you can see my older kids fell for her instantly.

Love pats for Colton.

She really liked Tayler.

About once a year we get to visit with the kids Aunt Judy and Uncle Mel. Their cousin Amanda and Aunt Theresa came this time too. It really has been a great blessing in our lives to have stayed in touch with part of Miguel and Mikayla's family, it means so much to them.

Amanda and Mimi.

Creature Feature By Mimi Larsen

As I've written before Mimi is fascinated by little creatures in nature. Introducing her latest find, a snail she named "Slimey".

She made him a cozy little home out of a canning jar from our cabinet. It comes fully furnished with a bed made of grass and lettuce leaves.

She couldn't resist sharing him with her best friend Jaden and his little brother Teagan.

Candid Shots from our Easter Egg Hunt

"...my plea is that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight...What I am asking is that we turn from the negativism that so permeates our culture and look for the remarkable good in the land and times in which we live; that we speak of one anothers virtues more than we speak of one anothers faults; that optimism replaces pessimism; that uncertainty and worry be pushed aside by an enduring feeling of hope." (Gordon B. Hinckley; Standing for Something)