Party, Party, Party

We had Jared's 6th b-day party on Sat. We had some neighborhood friends over. Can you guess the theme he wanted? Pirates! We had the kids go on a treasure hunt throughout our little neighborhood. As they got the clues there was pirate items to pick up along the way, such as the eye patch, bandanna, and of course the dagger. We had a buried treasure...which was a pinata.
Sorry there are lots of pictures for the grandparents.

Bill thought it would be great to get a Keg of Root Beer to go with the Pirate theme.

Rachel reading one of the clues to the treasure hunt. She looks so serious.
Wactch out for these Pirates!Digging up the treasure.
May taking a turn with the pinata. Isn't she adorable.
Ellie taking a swing.
Kylah taking a swing.
Hunter didn't want to wear a blind fold, but had a creative alternative.
Rachel taking a swing.
Jared taking his turn.
Finally, the goodies fall. Bill was actually the one that broke it. He was "supposed" to make a crack in it to make it easier for the kids. But bashed the pinata so hard it exploded everywhere. It even hit our neighbors window and broke Jared's bat. Who's the kid?
Jared's Pirate Cake.The many expressions of Jared as he opens his presents. He was very excited to get more knives, swords, and even a bat mobile.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JARED!

Mother's Day!

I love Mother's Day. All of the hugs and kissies and all the fun cards they've made at school. Bill went all out for dinner. He made chicken cordon bleu, asparagus, mashed potatoes. I'm so lucky!

Homemade Lemonade

I bought the kids a fun cookbook with lots of easy recipes for them to make. One of the recipes was Raspberry Lemonade. The kids did a great job and it was SOOOooo Yummy! Rachel Cut the lemons, Jared squeezed the lemons, and Ellie squished the raspberries.

Fishing!

We went fishing with all the kids, Chelsea & Alysa. Poor Bill spent more time untangling lines than he did fishing. I even have to admit I got my line caught. Oops. It's been so long since I've been fishing. It's not very productive going fishing with all of the kids making all the noise and scaring all the fish. Hmm...maybe we should have used the kids as bait.

Summer is getting closer...

Nothing like chowing down on watermelon and riding your bike. Yum!

We finally broke down and bought the first watermelon of the season. It was still a bit expensive but the kids inhaled it.

The Day we were saved by a cowboy!

It all began on one of a few beautiful days in Rexburg thus far, we couldn't let the day pass without getting outdoors. I had the wonderful idea of attempting to find the ice caves. We asked a couple people how to get there and I even looked up the directions on the internet. The directions went something like this...Go 7 or 8 miles past the sand dunes, go east on a dirt road, go 4 or 5 miles on the dirt road, when the road forks stay to the left. It will dead end into the caves. Sounds easy enough...right?!

Well, let me tell you, there is not just one dirt road that goes east. There are several. We attempted a couple. But they weren't the right ones. We were getting a little discouraged, so we thought we would ask the cow for directions. The cow looked like it knew the area better than we did.

One of the roads dead ended into a ranch. We didn't know where to go. And over the horizon, on horseback came this COWBOY! He was super nice. We were with Alysa's roommates (my brother's fiance) and the COWBOY asked "Are you looking for the ice caves?" Wow, was it that obvious that we didn't belong on a cow ranch. haha
These were his directions. Go back on the main road and when you think you've gone to far...keep going. You will come to a dirt road with a wide entrance with some rocks stacked and one of them is painted yellow. Turn and go until you think you've gone too far and keep going. You'll eventually run into the caves.

The COWBOY saved the day. We made it to the ice caves. It was a lot of fun but the caves were still covered in ice on the cave floor so it made for a slippery time. It was super dark and we only had 3 flashlights for 9 people. I had to carry Ellie the whole time, I was just praying I didn't end up on my back side.

This is right as you get into the caves. Ellie looks happy now, but she did not want to get down.

Rachel, Ellie & Jared. It was also pretty cold in there. Some college students had been in there and the put glow sticks everywhere. They had broken most of them so the liquid inside was coming out. Jared picked one up not knowing it was broken and swung it around. It got all over him. Jared had splotches all over him. It was funny when he glowed in the dark.

This is just a funny picture of Chelsea. It was really dark in the cave and you could barely see with the flashlight.

Our van was covered in mud. I wish I would have gotten a picture...what a day!

Sand Dunes!

This is a place for year round fun. We tried to go to the ice caves but the roads where still closed so instead of calling it a day, we found a new adventure. We went with our neighbors and with my sister and my brothers fiance. We had fun climbing up and jumping off the dunes. We were covered in sand. But it was worth it. Jared & Bill had fun rolling down the dunes. Jared even went down head first on his back. The sand dunes are amazing. I've never really seen anything like them. They just go on and on. I had some video to put on the blog but my computer is being really SLOW right now. So I will skip it.

I love this picture of Jared.

That is my sister a little further out on the dunes.

Jared sliding down.

Chelsea & Ellie sitting after climbing up over and over and over...

Temple Square

On our way back from Park City we stopped by Temple Square to go through the visitors center and to see the Salt Lake Temple. The grounds were gorgeous. The flowers were in bloom. It was such a beautiful day. The kids have never been to Temple Square so it was really fun showing them everything.

The kids standing by the Christus

The kids inside the Tabernacle. They have fun with the acoustics.

The bunch listening to a demonstration on how well the acoustics work inside the tabernacle.

Park City

We had the chance to go to Park City the weekend before Bill and I started a new semester of school. My dad had a business conference in Salt Lake City so we all meet in Park City. My parents, Kyle, Chelsea, & Alysa were all there. We had a wonderful time. It was too short as always. We all did the Alpine Coaster which takes you all the way to the top of the mountain and you get to fly down on these little bobsled things. We went swimming in the outdoor heated pools. It was REALLY nice while you where in the pool or spa, but trust me you didn't want to get out.

Gravity Wins!

Today Ellie and I walked down to the bus stop to pick up the kids. On our way back Rachel and Jared were busy telling me about their day and next thing I know, Ellie is flat on her face. She didn't even have time to get her arms in front of her to catch her fall. Her whole side of her face was scratched and she got her lip so it was bleeding every where. She only cried for a little bit. I kept asking her how her face was, she told me, "My face is happy" and she hasn't complained since.

Easter.

This Easter was mostly a blur. My kids were sick most of the week and then I got sick two days before Easter. We still managed to enjoy ourselves. I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter.

Jared is such a good big brother.

The girls and their new Easter dresses. Thank you Grandma Mayfield.

I'm such a lucky mom.

All the Easter goodies.

Looks like Ellie made out okay.

Rachel definitely has an advantage being the tallest.

Don't Sleep with your eyes closed...you never know what you'll wake up to!

The other day I took a nap. It was great to get some extra sleep. When I woke up I walked out of my room and that's when I saw the destruction area. I don't think you could see the floor anywhere in the upstairs. My kids had gotten into almost every single toy they owned. All three of my kids looked at me with blank stares. Afraid of what was going to happen next.
I stared back at them and said, "It looks like a tornado went through here!"
Jared said with a completely straight face and matter of fact, "Yes, that's what happened."

I wish I had a picture!

Our kids have a lot of kids to play with in our little neighborhood. Yesterday they spent all day playing outside with each other. I made a little picnic for them for lunch. One of the little girls started throwing grapes and the boys told on her. She got in trouble and had to go inside. Well, the boys didn't like the fact she got in trouble so they started talking to her through the her living room window. That got her in even more trouble.
The boys came up with another plan...they knocked on the door. When the little girls dad opened the door, this is what he saw... a knight, spiderman, Jared carrying his swords and guns, and Ellie was dressed up in a little senorita dress. They yelled "We have come to rescue the princess"
The mom and dad of the little girl thought it was so funny and cute, they released the princess.
And they lived Happily Ever After...So far.

Rachel's Fairytale Ball.

Rachel's 2nd Grade Fairytale Ball.

Rachel's class has been reading fairytales all year. The past couple of weeks they having learning some dances like the Waltz and the Teton Stomp. They created a fairytale ball for all the 2nd graders. They were supposed to come dressed as their favorite fairytale character. It was fun to see how they wrapped up the year with this fun event.Rachel dancing the Waltz with Alec. This was Rachel's first friend when she moved here. He used to wait for Rachel to come off the bus. I'm glad she found such a good friend.

This is where the parents go to dance with the kids. Bill was a bit under dressed. :)

Rachel waving to Ellie as she passes by.

Ellie and Bill enjoying the Ball.

Ellie standing by some of the decorations. They did such a cute job. Lots of talented people.

It's hard to see Rachel at first...keep watching.

Ellie's 3rd B-day!

I can't believe it has already been 3 years since Ellie joined our family. I can't imagine what it was like without her. She is so full of joy and life. Happy Birthday Ellie!

Ellie only two days old.

Ellie 3 years old.
I can't believe how time flies. It is amazing the changes she has gone through. I've enjoyed every minute of it! (Okay, maybe not every minute but I wouldn't change a thing.) Every smile she has brought to my face or sigh in frustration. She has made me grow as a mom and an individual. It's amazing the love a mom has for her children. I love you Ellie!

Ellie had a b-day party at my parents house. Spoiled little thing.

Ellie loved everyone singing Happy Birthday to her. She conducted and everything. It was fun to see her excitement.

We had our friends over to help celebrate Ellie's party. Everyone is helping Ellie open presents.