New Dress

I can still see my baby girl in these pictures but I can also see the beautiful young lady she is becoming. Rachel didn't want to change out of her new Easter dress, she is my girly girl!

Easter 2011

What a busy and fun weekend...

We made some treats...

We dyed some eggs...
This is the first time we have tried this technique using some old silk ties. I was quite impressed with the results. I think we will have to start a new tradition.

We also dyed some eggs the old fashioned way...

Waiting for the excitement to begin...

Let the hunt begin...
(I have to laugh because Ellie chose her own pajamas the night before, a flannel top with a knit skirt. haha)
It was such a beautiful Easter Day, we ended up going to the park for another Easter egg hunt.

Happy Easter!

We had Stake Conference at 10:00 in the morning, I ran out of time before church to take pictures of all the kids in there Easter outfits and when we came home, I forgot our home teachers were coming over right after and the kids changed before I could stop them. Dang...they were pretty stinkin' cute. Oh well...

Rachel didn't want to change so I got some of her in her new Easter dress.

Don't text what you wouldn't let your mother read.

I will leave the people involved anonymous. Last night I was texting someone, a male a acquaintance. I gave him the info. he was needing...I get a text back...WHOA!!!!...I don't think that text was intended for me. I showed it to Bill and we both start dying of laughter because we both know it was meant for his wife. About 30 seconds later I get bombarded with texts. Saying. I am SO SORRY! or That was one of the top 10 most embarrassing things I've ever done! or Oh my GOSH! I am still dying of laughter because I can only imagine how mortified and embarrassed this person is.

Weekend Getaway!

Bill had a short break in between semesters. It was a much needed getaway for our family to spend some time together without distractions. The kids Spring break didn't line up with Bill's so it had to be short and inexpensive. So, we couldn't travel very far because gas prices are just ridiculous. Idaho right now isn't cold enough to do Winter activities, the snow is melting and slushy. But it isn't warm enough yet to do any real outdoors stuff. We finally decided on Yellowstone. The park was open for season on the 15th of April. But from the 16th to the 24th is National Park week and is free entrance into the park. We headed up Friday, got a hotel, just spent the day walking around to the different shops (half of them are still closed) We walked into one shop and was talking with the owner and discovered he was LDS, recently baptized 2 days prior. Crazy, huh? We spent the rest of the night swimming at the hotel. The next day we got up early and headed to the Grizzly Wolf Discovery Center. We cheated a little by paying to see some Grizzly bears and wolves, but it was pretty amazing to see them that close.
We headed into the park on Saturday, I really had low expectation because most of the roads were still closed. Many of the trails were still closed because of high bear activity or the fact that they were still covered in snow. But we packed in 2 full days of stuff. Many of the things I hadn't done before because it was a lot of the little stuff you skip when you only have a day to cover the entire park. We saw a lot of the geysers, hot springs, mud pots...We saw more buffalo than we could count, Elk, coyote, a bald eagle, fox and possibly a wolf. (That is still debatable. It was too far away. haha) We also saw a mini avalanche...we were walking around and thought we heard some loud thunder, when we looked up, it was snow breaking off one of the mountain peaks.
I thought that going to Yellowstone when the park was still covered in snow was going to be a bust but it was wonderful. We didn't have to compete for parking spots. Most of the time we were the only ones at the different places within the park. The best part was at the end of the trip we got to see the upper and lower falls in the park. They were so beautiful. We were the only ones there. Can you imagine being at Yellowstone and not having to share the magnificent views with anyone else? I love being in nature, it rejuvenates my soul, it is so peaceful to me. It builds my testimony of our Heavenly Father and His power and hand in all things.
Rachel wanted to share a funny moment we had at the lower falls, we were getting ready to head back to the car when Bill pulled out his cell phone. He said, "No signal"...I jokingly said, "Nope, the only signal you have is to God." I guess that hit a note with Rachel because she has mentioned it several times and insisted I shared it on my blog.
I didn't have very high expectations of our little family getaway but it ended up being one of the best mini vacations we've had in a long time.

How to turn a no good very bad day....better.

Yesterday was one of those days. The kind that you feel like a horrible mom and a horrible wife. Your patience is gone, your tired, little problems feel like big problems. I had a list of things that needed to get done but I felt nothing was getting accomplished. One of those days you look in the mirror and hate what you see. It was even humorous at times for those looking on. For instance, I was sitting on the couch eating a bowl of oatmeal, talking to my husband when it slipped out of my hands and dumped all over me and the couch. Yep, that's pretty much how my day was going.




Later that day....



I was able to go to the temple


"I love to see the temple, I'm going there someday.
To feel the Holy Spirit.
To listen and to pray.
For the temple is a House of God,
A place of love and beauty..."

Going to the temple changed my whole day. It changed my entire attitude. I love the peace I feel inside the temple. There is no where else I can feel so close to our Heavenly Father. I am so grateful to have the temple so close to us. What a blessing to be able to look out our window and see the Rexburg Temple sitting on the hill.

So, the day that started off not so great ended on a high note.

(Bill took this picture of the Rexburg Temple right after it rained)

Craters of the Moon

After being cooped up in the house for 2 days. (Mother Nature decided that Winter was not over yet.) We just had to get out and do something. I've been wanting to go to Craters of the Moon since we moved to Idaho. I checked the website and it said they had cleared the snow off the main loop. We drove a couple of hours, it was probably the ugliest part of Idaho I've seen, flat, brown, dry, and nothing but tumble weeds. There wasn't any sign of snow until we hit Craters of the Moon. It was a bad sign. The visitors center was open and we talked to the rangers. NOTHING was open. The loop you drive around was still closed, all the trails were closed, the caves were still blocked with snow drifts. I told the rangers I had read on the internet that it said the roads were being cleared. I was informed that they go through and break up the snow so it can melt...I was a very unhappy person. They said you could walk about 1 mile up the road (the road that you are supposed to be able to drive on) We decided to make the best of it and actually ended up having some fun.

hYou can see how high the snow still is in some parts.

Rachel off in the distance.

We're Moving...again.

We've been looking for a bigger place for almost 6 months. We've been living in our townhouse for almost 2 years. It's not that I mind the size of our place, that I can manage. It's the sharing of walls, having no yard, and no storage. Plus, most of the families have younger kids and Rachel has no friends in the neighborhood. Ellie's best friend just moved and misses her like crazy. My visiting teacher has been keeping her ears & eyes open for us. Yesterday, she called and said a rental had opened over by her. Long story short...in less than 24 hours we had the house. Crazy! I didn't think it would ever happen. It's a 5 bedroom house with a finished basement. We are going to live in the top and my brother and his wife are going to live in the bottom. By splitting the rent we are going to save ourselves lots of $$$ which is wonderful because trying to go to school with a family is VERY stressful financially. Plus, we get a yard, a garage, lots of storage! It will be especially nice when Bill goes out on his internship for almost 3 months in August. I will have help with the kids as I try to finish up my last (hopefully) semester of school in Fall. It's happening SO fast, I guess I better start packing as I start back to school on the 19th with 15 credits. Yikes! I need to take a deep breath...breath in...breath out...I wanted this, right?

Which one is it?

I drive by these signs everyday if not several times a day for the past 2 years and this is the first time I have noticed that Valinda Ln on the street sign has 2 L's. Everything else I have ever seen has only 1 L. Now I am questioning myself as to which one is correct. Have I been misspelling it this entire time or was there an error made on the sign????

First Visit of the Year

The snow has finally melted and we decided to visit Ryleigh's grave site for FHE. We haven't been able to go since October. I found some metal flowers at a thrift store that needed a little TLC, so we sanded them & painted them. I thought they would be perfect to put by her head stone and be able to withstand the weather. The kids had fun decorating.Visiting Ryleigh's grave site brings peace to my heart. I reflect on the atonement of our Savior, His life and Sacrifice, and the Resurrection. I especially feel the love he has for each of us. It reminds me to align my life and focus on the things that are important. It makes me grateful that we can be an eternal family.

Gotch'er back!

Madison School District is trying to implement this campaign to help kids and families with mental health issues and provide support and fight stigmas. On Friday, I got an email from the school saying they would be discussing each kids strengths and they would bring home a worksheet they had worked on in class. Usually, I really don't think anything of these activities. Jared came home and showed me his paper. I have to say this one made me smile. They were supposed to check the strengths that they bring to family, friends, and school. Let's just say, I don't think Jared has self esteem issues. haha I teased him about his clean and neat strengths and he told me, "But mom, I shower and brush my teeth." I really do think Jared is all of these things and more. I am glad he knows how special he is! I sure love that kid!

Blue Bloods

Blue Bloods is my new favorite show on TV. I only started watching it a few episodes ago but I'm hooked. It's a show about a multi-generational family in law enforcement. I know there are a lot of cop shows on TV but the thing I like about this is show is the dynamics within the family. I love that the show is built on family. They get together for Sunday dinners and one of the characters has a strong marriage with a couple of kids, not a marriage on the brink of failing. Very refreshing. (I hope they don't destroy it for ratings) Plus, it has all the elements of a good drama series. Oh, Donny Wahlberg & Tom Selleck (and his famous mustache) are on Blue Bloods too. Did I mention it's on Friday night? Perfect for those nights my husband is working and the kids are in bed.

Opening Day

The San Fransisco Giants had a fairytale year last season. They became the 2010 World Series Champions. It was an intense and exciting season. My dad raised me to be a SF Giants fan, from the time I can remember he took me to games, taught me the game of baseball, we would even stay after the games and meet the players. I have tried to carry on the legacy with my kids. I've tried to take them to at least one game every season. It was exciting to take my kids at the end of last season as the Giants were over taking the 1st place Padres. We continued to cheer the Giants on as they took it all the way. It's something I hadn't witnessed, my father, and grandfather hadn't witnessed.

Today is opening day of the new season. I can't wait! Let's GO GIANTS!!!This is our family cheering on the Giants during the world series game. We are paying tribute to Brain Wilson, the Giants closer.

Trying out new skates

This is for Grandma and Grandpa Mayfield. This was her first attempt. She's gotten a lot more brave since then. She loves them. Thanks for the great birthday present!

Fairy Tale Ball

All of the 2nd graders put on a Fairy Tale Ball. They worked on learning the waltz and the teton stomp. They danced 7 dances with different partners. It was really cute to see all the different costumes and the different dances. It was pretty dang cute. Jared was such a gentleman, he even spun the girls at the end. The parents got to dance one of the dances with our kids. I have never learned any formal dance, Jared laughed at me because I was fumbling all over the place. haha. Ellie rescued me and took over. =)

What a cute kid!

The Teton Stomp...

One of Jared's dance partners. It was one of the only pictures I could get because it was hard to get a clear view of him with all the other kids dancing.

Ellie dancing with her brother. (yes, this is when she saved me!)

The teachers did such a great job. What a cute event. The gym was decorated and everything. All the kids worked so hard and looked like they had a lot of fun.

Me and my knight in shining armor.

Ellie turns 5!

I can't believe Ellie turned 5. She got to celebrate her entire birthday weekend. Saturday I let her invite a couple of friends to go see Tangled. It was fun having little girls get excited over the movie while eating popcorn. On Sunday her actual birthday, Bill was working at the fire station, so we got to celebrate her birthday there with everyone else that had a birthday in March. We decided to wait for her to open her main presents until the family party. People kept asking her how old she was and she kept saying she was 4. I kept telling her she turned 5. I was really confused about why she didn't want to turn 5. Finally, she said, "I'm not 5 until I have my party." Monday, we finally had our family party and according to Ellie, she could officially say she was 5. Phew...Party, Party, Party! Happy Birthday Ellie!

Ellie's friends at the fire station got her a couple of presents for her birthday. So fun!

Making a wish.

An adorable hat her Aunt Sonja crocheted her.

G&G Mayfield sent her a Wii game and some roller skates.

Ellie is such a beautiful girl. She loves to sing and dance. Ellie loves clothes and shoes and changes several times a day. She likes singing along with the radio. She has become my little helper, we get to spend a lot of time together especially when her older brother & sister are at school. Her favorite color is purple. Ellie is stubborn and strong willed. Ellie hates bedtime and the cold. She loves to draw and play with Thomas the Train. (I found a pink train set for her birthday) She likes watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. This is just a glimpse into Ellie. Ellie is such a joy to have in our family. We love you Ellie!