Soccer Season

Riley and his good soccer buddy, Titan.

During the last game...hard to get a smile out of him, he was so tired!

Free Powerade for everyone!

Smithfield Tigers

Riley's team and coaches....Reese Thatcher and JD Hammons

The three oldest all played soccer this Spring. Although they all played well and had fun, it seemed Riley was really enjoying it the most. He had great coaches too that helped them to really understand the game. Riley improved a lot. His team was undefeated, so the coaches felt it would be rewarding for them to play in the Kohls Cup. So on May 30th, Delon and I headed down to Hyrum for the tournament. They lost their first game, but won the three after that....(yes, it was a LONG day). They all had so much fun and it was great to see how they competed against other teams in the valley. Great Job Riley!! (Notice Riley is sporting his mohawk).

Riley made some great friends this year in soccer. I love this time of year when the kids start to do more outdoors. There are some good memories made!

Bad to the Bone

The boys all needed haircuts and I told them we were shaving their heads. (Much easier than actually having to do their hair, especially during the summer). Riley protested right away and said he wanted a mohawk. Right....well, since Riley was having his soccer tournament the next day, I told them they could keep their mohawk Sat. only,  then we would shave their heads before church. Being as Jake feels the need to do everything the boys do, I styled (not cut) his hair into a Mohawk. He thought he was pretty tough. Amazing what a new haircut can do for your attitude!

Haydn's B-day

New shoes...he may like shoes as much as I do!

Cheese balls from Grandma

Watching Haydn open his presents

Honestly, out of everything Haydn received, I believe this was one of his favorite. A mini whoopee cushion!

Jake loved the basketball pillow...too bad it's not for him.

Nine years old!!

Waiting for cake

Blowing out "the" candle. I'm all for fire safety. :)

Haydn turned 9 on May 19th. It's always hard for me to believe that my kids are the ages they are sometimes. Often it feels like it was just yesterday they were born. I'm trying to hold onto some of these moments because I know all too soon they will be gone. 

Haydn is my silent but deadly one...of course by that I mean he may not seem very outgoing, but he loves to learn and is very smart. He's always reading, asking questions, creating and does things every day that surprise me. We love you Haydn!!

(As you can tell, these were obviously taken before the haircut...with the shadow behind his head looks huge!)

I Am Full

Me, Mindy Baldwin, Angie Truman, Jenni Miller, Lisa Watt, Marcy Albertson, Joy Anderson and Alice Anderson

April 30th and May 1st have turned out to be two of the most fulfilling and memorable days of my life. I headed to Women's Conference with friends, new and old, from Idaho. Little did I know how much I needed to hear what was being said. Not only was I inspired by the speakers and music, but also by those who I spent my time with. It really is true that we are here for each other, to step in where others may lack, to lift up when the going gets tough. We are Daughters of God who can do anything in the Strength of the Lord. I am grateful to be a mother, a daughter, and a friend. I love the gospel with all my heart and know that my Savior knows me personally and wants me to be happy. I felt his arms around me during so much of those two days. How wonderful it is to be a part of something so amazing. To have friends when we need them most and guidance from those who talk with God. I hope I can only be worthy of all the blessings that I have received. I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior and hope to one day be like them. 

In our Savior, we have a "perfect" friend....

And through my trials and trials of others, I have learned that when God is lifting us up, we may feel he is letting us down. All we need to do is Follow Him.....

Timid Lion

A shy lion, maybe. But definitely not cowardly.

Riley had his Opera at school on the 28th of April. I remember the day he came home to tell me about the song and his part, he was so excited. He even sang me his lines! But, lo and behold, performance night comes, and he hardly spoke a word. He looked pretty cute in his Lion costume though. Oh well, at least he was smiling...

It's Been Awhile....

The Crew during Grandpa's lesson.

Pa, my brother-in-law, rescuing all the sticky reptiles that came in the Easter eggs.  All of the kids were throwing them against the house.

Mom, me, Wendy, Janica (back)

Brooke, Diana and Natalie (front)

The boys...my Dad and brother are standing.

Hanging out...

Family photo op in Grandma's back yard.

Emilee

Gracie

Ema was sharing an egg with Jake, he didn't quite get to them fast enough. :)

Ready for hunting!!!  (Jake, Gracie, Ema and Lily)

It's been about 5 or 6 months since my entire family has been together....and at least 3 or 4 years since we've had Easter somewhere other than home. What a great time it was to spend the day with my family. I miss hanging out with my sisters and it's always good to give the in-laws a little crap. :) And my brother, well, I hardly ever see him and his family, so it was a treat!

My mom, of course, prepared some wonderful food. Can't forget dessert...mmm. Thanks Mom. And the Easter egg hunt for the kids...there were about 100 eggs to find so that kept them busy for awhile, along with searching for everything inside the eggs. 

My Dad then reigned us all in for the real reason we celebrate and remember this day. Thanks Dad for being such a good example. 

And to the rest of my family, there are so many reasons that I love each of you...but the best reason, it's always a good time!!  My family is HILARIOUS!

Metal Mouth, Train Tracks, Tin Grin.....

Call it what you want...Emilee is now partial to those terms! She's actually glad to finally have her braces on, even though the first night has been a rough one. It's funny, she almost looks older to me with them on.  I caught a picture of her right after her appt. You can see by her choice of elastic colors, she was not going for the subtle approach. :)