JacobnCamille Cruzan Family Blog

Crafts with Cousins

2012-01-22T15:28:00.001-05:00

One of our favorite Christmas gifts was 2 boxes full of craft supplies and a game of twister. The kids had so much fun being creative and we had so much fun watching them!!

Christmas

2012-01-22T15:26:00.001-05:00

What a great way to spend Christmas! We had so much fun with all of our family! Thank you Dad & Ebersohl's for coming out!!!

Temple Lights

2012-01-22T15:17:00.001-05:00

Oh, we had so much fun going to see the temple lights. We were so blessed that my dad, sister & her family were able to come out for Christmas. On Christmas Eve we went to the temple to see the Christmas lights. It was wonderful!!

Stockings

2012-01-12T14:04:00.001-05:00

Have you ever wondered what 13 stockings would look like? Here it is! We had a wonderfully full house this Christmas! 8 kids and 5 adults, and 1 cat that hid until everyone fell asleep. :) We are so glad that we had visitors! We had a blast!

Setting up the Christmas Tree

2012-01-12T14:02:00.000-05:00

This year we decided to do something new with how we decorated our Christmas Tree. We printed out pictures of items from the following poem.

Santa whispered, "Teach the Children the true meaning of Christmas"

The Star: A heavenly sign of prophecy fulfilled long ages ago-the shining hope of mankind.

Red: The first color of Christmas symbolizing the Savior's sacrifice for all.

Fir Tree: Evergreen-The second color of Christmas shows everlasting life. The needles point Heavenward.

The Bell: Rings out to guide lost sheep back to the fold-signifying all are precious in the eyes of the Lord.

The Candle: A mirror of starlight reflecting our thanks for the Star of Bethlehem.

Gift Bow: Tied as we should all be tied together in bonds of goodwill forever.

Candy Cane: The shepherd's crook used to bring lambs back into the fold-A reminder

that we are all our brother's keeper.

The Wreath: A symbol of the never ending eternal nature of love, having no beginning

and no end.

We enjoyed the simplicity of the tree this year and the opportunity to focus on more meaningful aspects of Christmas.

Band & Strings Concert

2012-01-12T13:57:00.001-05:00

Jake and Anni worked really hard for their band and strings concert! They performed really well. We were so happy to go and watch them. Jacob even made it back just in time for the concert - we couldn't have asked for better timing!!

Anni's Colonial Night

2011-12-07T07:56:00.001-05:00

Anni's class set up their school as Colonial Maryland. We had a lot of fun walking from station to station; learning new things, playing games, and making crafts. Anni worked very hard on her blue box with her friend Ashliegh. Anni was excited because her teacher gave them battery Christmas lights to hang in their boxes so they would be brighter and easier to see.

Funny

2011-11-30T09:55:00.001-05:00

Abbi - How do you spell bacteria?
My mom - What do you want to spell?
Me - Snickering
Abbi - Bacteria
My mom - What?
Abbi - bac ter i a
My mom - Why do you want to know how to spell bacteria?
Me - Still snickering
Abbi - I want to name my turkey (picture) bacteria
Me - Laughing now
My mom - Is stumped
Me - Do you know what bacteria means?
Abbi - No
My mom - It makes you sick
Me - It's bad germs
Abbi - Oh. How do you spell cutie?

You HAVE to LOVE 4 year olds!!

(Just wanted to have it for my book)

Antietam

2011-11-25T09:57:00.001-05:00

I've decided that I like sight seeing over Thanksgiving weekend. The past 2 years we have and the sights weren't crowded at all! Granted it is pretty chilly and last year was downright cold, but I'll take no crowds!

This year we decided to go to Antietam. We watched the 25 minute video about the battle first. Someone forgot to tell me that there was blood spurting from some of the men. My poor kids! They were in shock, but seem to have recovered. :)

We really enjoyed driving around the tour and reading the signs. Our favorite stop was the bridge and the observation tower. Poor Abbi has a hard time with stairs that go up so high, and an even worse time coming down them. The other 3 ran up them a second time, and still weren't worn out. :) The kids had a great time filling out their paperwork to receive their Junior Ranger badges.

We decided to drive over to Harper's Ferry afterwards. It is a cute little town and we were glad we drove through it.

We hope that you all have a great Thanksgiving weekend! We love and miss you all!

Happy Halloween

2011-11-05T14:37:00.003-04:00

Vocabulary Parade

2011-10-28T14:53:00.001-04:00

The kid's school had a vocabulary parade. Each kid was to pick a new word, or one that they liked - Justice, and make a hat, poster or dress up in a way that shows the meaning of that word. They weren't supposed to wear their Halloween costumes. My kids had a great time deciding which words to pick and decorating their signs, and the girl's loved picking out their outfits. Abbi really wanted to dress up like the big girls. It was a chilly day for a parade, but we had a blast!

Trunk-or-Treat

2011-10-23T18:42:00.002-04:00

Anni as Little Red Riding Hood

(I made the cape)

Abbi as "Tangled" (Rapunzel) with short hair

(didn't make this one)

Jake as Bumble Bee (Transformer)

(nope, didn't make this one either)

Justice as Dorthy

(Yes, I made this one!)

We had a lot of fun at our church's Trunk-or-Treat. There was a chili cook off, the kids made a picture frame, and then the Trunk-or-Treat. We decorated the trunk of our van with bat & jack-o-lantern lights. I love watching the kiddo's walk around! They are so cute & have so much fun!

Pumpkins!

2011-10-23T18:37:00.000-04:00

We had a GREAT time carving our pumpkins! We bought Jake an Iron Man pumpkin kit - it's like potato head pieces for a pumpkin. He still wanted to carve his, so he carved the other side. We bought the girl's a sticker and ribbon kit for theirs. It was a lot of fun watching their creativity! They had a great time, so did mom & I! :)

Pictures of the Kids

2011-10-11T17:39:00.001-04:00

Here are some pictures I took of the kids before school one day. Anni & Justice wanted their hair curled. Those poor girls have strait hair! I curled Justice's hair under and Anni's in ringlets, and used hairspray. Justice's hair was almost straight before school started, and Anni's was barely curled under at the end of school. We had fun trying!

Happy Birthday Jacob!!

2011-10-11T17:35:00.003-04:00

We had a great time celebrating Jacob's birthday! It all started about a month before his birthday when he and I went to a concert with Gavin Degraw, Maroon 5, and Train. We had so much fun! It was one of the first concerts that Jacob has been too. Then, we went to the Statue of Liberty with Roger and Marty (see previous post) where I brought peanut butter cupcakes with chocolate frosting - YUM! Then, the kids and I had a great time celebrating his actual birthday with him. They had fun wrapping his presents, and helping with dinner (salmon and lemon bars). Then, it was off to cub scouts! :)

Jacob, you are awesome! We love you so much! Thank you for all that you do for us. You work so hard to provide for us, and you keep us laughing and enjoying life!

The Statue of Liberty - lots of pictures

2011-10-08T14:57:00.000-04:00

Thank you so much, Marty and Roger for taking us to the Statue of Liberty! We had such a great time! We loved swimming with you at the hotel on Friday and hiking up 364 stairs to the crown of the Statue of Liberty. We were all such troopers! It was tough, hot, and humid! It was supposed to be rainy, so poor Jacob ended up caring our rain coats and umbrellas all over the island. The kids did a really good job climbing up to the top. They were so excited when they reached the to,p that they wanted to just head down without even looking out the crown windows. When they saw the steep spinning stairs headed down, they were nervous. You can't carry any one because of safety. There aren't any nets to catch you. So, poor Abbi fussed the whole time down because it was so scary for her. Jacob was at the front coaxing her down. We were all cheering her on. The kids were in the middle. I was at the end of us, with Roger and Marty just behind me. I heard this jubilant, "YES, I DID IT!!!" Jacob said she thrust her fists in the air. Abbi was so proud of herself when she reached the pedestal and there were no more scary spinning stairs. What a great opportunity. It was awesome! We loved it!!

Happy Birthday Anni!

2011-10-08T14:17:00.002-04:00

Anni, you a such a cutie! You were so happy with your Littlest Pet Shop Cake, that was store bought. The power had been out the whole week before. Actually, it came back on the day before your birthday. You said that was the best birthday present. Dad was at Uncle Ben's wedding on your birthday, so you graciously let us wait to celebrate it the next day. Thanks for being such a trooper!!

Anni's Favorites:

Food - Mom's homemade marshmallow fudge

Color - Blue

Book - Big Nate

Activity - Crafts

Subject - Art

Video Game - Just Dance 2

School

2011-10-08T14:06:00.001-04:00

Ok, so I completely missed taking pictures the first day of school. You know, when they had their cute new outfits on that they picked out at the store themselves. But, here is the second day of school and they picked out these clothes all by themselves from their closet. :)

Hurricane Irene

2011-09-29T19:15:00.000-04:00

This is what Hurricane Irene did to our backyard. It was a big mess. Our basement also flooded. We are truly grateful that the tree fell away from our house, because it would have taken Camille, Anni, and Justice out of this world as they were sleeping. Thank you to Jacob for his prayers as the tree was falling over. His watchful prayer and the angles pushing the tree away from the house are why it fell that way. He stayed up until it fell over and then woke me up. Then he passed out and I couldn't sleep.

We are grateful to our neighbors for helping us to get the water out of the basement by lending us a shop vac that has a hose attached to it so it pumped the water into the yard, running an extension cord to out house so we could plug in our sump pumps, bringing over an extra sump pump to help with the flooding, sweeping the water into the sump pumps. They also let us plug in our fridge and freezer so we didn't loose our food. One took our kids and fed them waffles while we tried to clean up the basement.

Our power was out for 1 week. We didn't realize that we had a gas water heater until day 4. :) Wonderful and friends and members of our church fed us dinner, let us wash our clothes, charge our cell phones, check our email, washed the dirty dishes that were in our dishwasher, and let us shower (that was when she told us her funny story of finding out that they had a gas water heater, and I said I needed to go home and check, low and behold, we have one). They called several times a day to check in on us. One let us use his generator after his power came back on. Another lent us their huge fan that dried out our basement so quickly. We were so blessed!

After the power company cut the tree off of the power lines, 3 of our friends came all Saturday and helped us chop the tree into smaller pieces. The kids and I knocked the dirt off of the roots. Another ward member lent us his chainsaw, while another lent us tools to split the wood (sadly, it was too wet to split). They hauled the trunk to the dump and it weighed more than 1 ton. We were shocked! Jacob's brothers helped stack the tree along the fence when they were here to run the AF Marathon.

This has truly been a wonderful experience. Sure, it was scary, sad, overwhelming, and tiring, BUT to see the tender mercies of the Lord along with His miracles, throughout all of this has been amazing. We are so grateful to Heavenly Father for blessing us with wonderful people in our life. We are grateful for all the prayers that were offered in our behalf. We are grateful for the charity, meaning the pure love of Christ, that was pored out on us in this difficult time, and for the vast amount of service pored out on us. In this world that can seem so self-centered, this was a time of caring, sharing, and sustaining. I am in awe.

Thank you for all that you did for us! We love you!

Camping

2011-09-29T18:50:00.001-04:00

This summer was crazy busy! We were only able to go camping once this summer. We went with our friends the Wade's and we also ran into our friends the Harris's. What a fun weekend we had!

When we got there on Friday we had just enough time to set up the tent, gather firewood and cover it with a tarp before it down pored. We waited it out in the van, and then started roasting brats for dinner. It was still a little rainy, but we had fun.

There was a lake at the campground and we spent most of Saturday there. Justice had a blast building 39 castles, and even more fun smashing them!

Anni found a stick bug and Justice found some bug that looked like a leaf. They had a great time!

Happy Birthday Jake!!

2011-09-15T17:10:00.001-04:00

Jake wanted a Captain America birthday party with friends this year. We had a great time planning out the party. What we didn't plan on was rain. :) The boys decided to have a military training so they can be prepared for a battle with Red Skull. We had to move the obstacle course inside the house. Jacob dressed up as their drill instructor. It was a lot of fun. First, they had to earl their shields (a Frisbee with a sticker) by throwing the Frisbee and knocking down milk jugs. Then, they had to crawl up the stairs to Jake's room and find their Nerf guns that were buried in a balloon and ball pit. They practiced shooting a picture of Red Skull with their Nerf guns. They also had to shot the balloons across the other teams line. Then they had a bomb bust (pop the balloons). Which scared many of them so they used pencils. They had an obstacle course around the first floor with hula hoops, a ladder, balance beam, and floor crawl. It was a hit! Jake absolutely loved his cake which was patterned after Captain America's shield. While they were eating cake they received an urgent letter from their commander saying he found the secret location to Red Skull. They followed the instructions, which led them to the back yard, where they had their epic water balloon battle in which they successfully defeated Red Skull (Jacob). It was awesome!!

Happy Birthday Jake!

We love you!

Jake's Favorites:

Colors - black, red, & gold

Shapes - circle

Video Game - Sonic Unleashed

Food - Pepporoni and Black Olive Pizza, Green Olives

Books - Heros of Olympus, Harry Potter Series

Subject in School - Science

Thing to Do After School - Video Games, Read books, Take things apart

Little Red Riding Hood

2011-09-15T16:27:00.000-04:00

We had some friends over and the kids decided that they wanted to perform the play Little Red Riding Hood. They had a great time and really enjoyed working together.

The Cast:

Narrator - Anni

Red - Justice

Grandma - Abbi

Wolf - Jake

Woodsman - Michael
Audience - April

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-08-19T11:54:00.000-04:00

So, two things that the kids kept saying to me on my birthday this year are:

"It's the best day EVER!!!"

"Mommy, don't forget it's your birthday."

Oh how funny! I love my kids! Jacob is the best! To celebrate my birthday I was able to sleep in until 8:30 - I know SO late, eat cinnamon rolls (my favorite) for breakfast, received some wonderful gifts, and went to the Science Center where they were celebrating Bubble Days!!

I love bubbles! He made helium bubbles which floated up so quickly they turned into ovals instead of circles, "smoke" bubbles which he made with sugar water, he even made fire bubbles. It was all pretty cool! I love the science center because there are so many hands on activities! The kids stayed busy for hours. We also watched a show in the planetarium about some constellations. Our friends Allison, Brand, and Arwen were able to come with us. Jacob also made me my favorite Chocolate Gnash Cake with Strawberries! YUM!!

Happy Pioneer Day!

2011-08-19T11:52:00.001-04:00

July 24th is a day that we remember all those who made the long trek across the country to settle new territories. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints, this is a special day for us. The early members of our church were evicted from several states, and headed to what would be Salt Lake, UT. It was a difficult trek where many died, but they did it because of their faith in God. They trusted that He would lead them to a place where they could worship Him as they should.

For Anni's Activity Days meeting the 8-11 year old girl's met with some of their moms, the Activity Days leader, and the Primary President. We shared stories about our Pioneer Heritage.

Our family has pioneers that made the trek across the US and some even had to cross the Atlantic ocean and then the land to get there. We also have some living members of our family who are the first members of The Church in their family.

We are grateful for our Pioneer Heritage. We are grateful for all of the sacrifices made so we can be members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

If you would like to learn more about Pioneers please visit the link below:

https://lds.org/study/prophets-speak-today/unto-all-the-world/we-all-share-pioneer-legacy?lang=eng&cid=email-shared

Jake & Anni's Stake Primary Activity

2011-08-17T10:52:00.012-04:00

Jake and Anni had a great time! They split the kids up by age groups and had so many activities. There was:

~Journal Making/Decorating

~Archery
~BB Guns
~Article of Faith Find/Scavenger Hunt
~Fencing with foam noodles
~Fill the jug up with water relay race
~Balance and walk a foam noodle with your partner on a foam noodle
~Making beaded necklaces and bracelets

Hooray! Jacob is Home!

2011-08-17T10:51:00.000-04:00

So, if you remember, I posted on Father's Day that we were going to celebrate when Jacob got back. This is how it went -

Jacob is scheduled to come home on July 1st sometime in the morning. I am busy that morning and can't call or be called to know what time he actually is leaving. By 1pm I am nervous because I haven't heard from him, but I tell myself that it's ok because he was going to call some family and chat on the way home and that he is still talking to them because we have a lot of family. OK, I can't take it, so I call him. Do you know what the first thing he said was, "Wow! I can't believe you took so long to call!" :) Please! So, I'm trying to ask when he'll be home and he's avoiding the question. I then ask what time he left. He dodges that one too. Finally I say, "I have a surprise for you and I HAVE to know when you will be home so it can be ready." Both of us are trying to surprise each other, and I WIN!! :) He caves and tells me he will be home at 4pm. SHOCK! I thought he'd get home after bed and that the surprise would be first thing in the morning. Good thing I had it mostly ready.

It was a surprise scavenger hunt:

Father’s Day Present Hunt:

1. Bedroom (we painted burnt clay)

2. Bathroom – curtains & towel hook

3. Juniper Bushes (are ripped out)

4. Backyard (cleared the area for a fire pit, cleared out the flower beds)

5. Downstairs Door Knob (replaced, the last one he didn't get to finish before he left)

6. The Main Floor Bathroom Faucet (was leaky and is now replaced)

7. Garage ( a new tool chest)

8. Living Room (painted "natural")

9. Dining Room (painted below chair rail to match back of hutch)

1. Welcome Home! We are so glad that you are back!! We want to celebrate Father’s Day with you. We have missed you, especially on Father’s Day. So we decided to put together a Present Hunt for you. We worked hard to do some of your chores for you while you were off learning to be a better leader and Dad. Walk upstairs and put your bags away. We put together this comfy & cozy bedroom for you. Do you notice all of the details? Your next gift can be found in the bathroom.

2. This gift didn’t take too long, but it is nice to have curtains and a holder for the towel! Next you are off to the front yard.

3. The Juniper Bushes were a lot of hard work, but we got most of it done! We had so much fun working together to get this done for you. All we have left to do is pull out the roots, get some top soil & plant some bulbs near the house! :) Off you go around the house.

4. This gift, the girls especially liked. They loved digging up the bulbs & putting them in a bucket. I transplanted a lot of the plants to the side flower bed, near Denis’ & Bonnies’. We all worked really hard so that you can have a place for a fire bowl. All you have to do is pick out your favorite bowl and a couple of plastic $10 chairs from Lowes. Now, head back in through the downstairs.

5. Yes, we changed out this doorknob! It was tricky. The new knob was broken. So, we had to take it back, and get them to rekey a new one. Do you need to wash your hands? Off you go to the main floor bathroom.

6. Yes, Denis has changed out the faucet! He is such a great neighbor! All right, head out to the garage.

7. Yes, we took care of the garbage for you, & we got you a tool chest! All of your tools, at least the ones we could find, are in here. You can rearrange them as you like later. Ok, I bet you are tired. You should head to the living room to take a rest.

8. Yes, we did. We put together this nice area for entertaining our guests. The couch is scheduled to come July 13^th! Then the room will be completely finished. Oh, and did you see the flag in the entry way (if not, go see). Alright, head into the dining room. Do you like the green?

9. HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!

We love you so much! Thank you for all you do! You are the BEST!!

Railroad Museum

2011-07-29T12:53:00.002-04:00

We had a great time going to the Railroad Museum. They had a small inside, air-conditioned area where we learned about the evolution of trains, the telegraph to cell phones, and how the railroad synchronized time and helped to set up time zones. We were able to practice Morse Code. It was all very interesting and nice and cool from the air-conditioner. Then we headed out to the train yard. They had so many train cars set up from different time periods. It was really neat, and super HOT! It was 100+ with the heat index that day. They had a fun play area set up for the kids. They were able to play with all sorts of kid trains, dress up, and color. There was also a place where the kids could pick out 5 things to take with them when they started working on the trains. It was interesting to see what they picked. We had a great time!

The Zoo

2011-07-27T15:57:00.000-04:00

Before Grandma Judy left, we headed off to the zoo. We had a blast! Thank you Mom for coming and all that you did to help! You are wonderful!!

Cemetery Stop

2011-07-27T15:50:00.000-04:00

On the way back to our home, we decided to stop in Massachusetts, to take some pictures of our ancestors. We took many more pictures of different headstones, but we are still trying to figure out exactly how they fit in.

Marty's Baptism

2011-07-27T15:46:00.000-04:00

We were so happy to be able to go to Marty's baptism. She was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was a beautiful ceremony and the Holy Ghost was there to witness what she was doing was right. Jake and Anni were able to give the prayers, and Camille was able to give a talk on baptism. Jacob was sad that he couldn't be there because of his training. Marty was baptized on Saturday and then received the Gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday at church. We are grateful for the missionaries teaching her, and for the wonderful examples of members who have touched her life.

Playing at the Park in New Hampshire

2011-07-27T15:24:00.000-04:00

After we went bowling, the kids were getting antsy, so we found a park for them to get some of their energy out. It was a fun park with lots to do. What do you think the kids spent most of their time on? The Rock! It was great to watch them. They all wanted to get on top. In the pictures you can see how they had to work together to reach their goal - with a little help from Grandma Marty. :)

Justice was able to make it on top by holding on the end of Anni's stick and Anni pulled her up. Then, Anni lifted up Abbi. Next Justice tried to pull up Anni while Jake pushed, but that didn't work so well, and Justice ended up falling off. So, Justice grabbed the stick and pulled Jake up because "He is the strongest." and could therefore help pull the girls up. Once Jake was up he tried several ways to get Anni up and ended up falling off himself, leaving only Abbi at the top. Jake manages to get back up with the stick and Anni & Justice pulling him from the other side of the rock. Then comes Grandma to the rescue! She helps get Anni and Justice up. They have a small celebration and then decide there is more of the park to discover. Everyone dismounts, except for Abbi because she isn't sure about how to get down. Justice tries her hardest to help, but doesn't have any luck. Grandma to the rescue AGAIN!! Grandma Marty has such a soft heart! She can't bare to see them struggle when she can help - Abbi is so grateful!!

Neon Candle Pin Bowling in New Hampshire

2011-07-22T13:08:00.000-04:00

We were able to go to New Hampshire for Marty's baptism. Jacob was disappointed because he was still away and the AF wouldn't let him come. My mom was able to help me make the drive up there. Traffic is never easy going there, but it was well worth the trip!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-07-22T12:56:00.000-04:00

This Father's Day Jacob was tdy. So, we sent this picture in a text and planned on celebrating as soon as he got back. We sure did miss him while he was away. My mom was able to come and that was a big help. She kept us all busy fixing up the house for when Jacob came back. Thanks Mom for all your help! We had a great surprise planned when he came back!

Abbi's Preschool Graduation

2011-07-22T12:52:00.000-04:00

Abbi and I were in a Preschool Co-op this year. We absolutely loved it. We would rotate each week who's house class was held at and they would teach. It was a great group. Here are some pictures from her graduation party. They had a talent show where some just did a show and tell. There were also awards and diplomas. It was a lot of fun!

Air Show

2011-07-21T11:09:00.000-04:00

We went with our friends the Wades to the Air Show. It was awesome! We were grateful that the Wade's had extra ear plugs, because we didn't think to bring any - and it was loud!

One of our friends, Jason, who we knew in England, is working with the Thunder Birds. We were able to meet up with him for dinner earlier in the week. It was nice to catch up.

It was a great day that started off chilly, and warmed up nicely. There weren't too many people there. There was yummy food, good company, and great planes. What more could we have asked for? Oh, the kids slept wonderfully that night.

Jake & Anni's Band & String's Concert

2011-07-21T11:01:00.000-04:00

The kids did a great job learning their music for the Spring Concert. Especially considering that we moved a month before the concert and they only knew 1 song from their other school. It was really difficult to take their pictures. Have fun searching for them!

Happy Birthday Justice!

2011-07-21T10:58:00.000-04:00

Happy 7th Birthday Justice!

We are so happy that you are in our family! You are so happy, full of life, affectionate, kind, and helpful! This year she wanted a Barbie birthday party, with Olive Garden Noodles (Chicken Alfredo) and a Barbie cake bought from the store.

Justice's Favorites:

Lavender

Purple

Headbands

The Monster Mash is her favorite Song

Spaghetti & Meatballs with just butter, no red sauce

Hello Kitty Little Red Riding Hood

Strawberry Shortcake is her favorite movie

Jump Roping

Cucumber & Mandarin Oranges

Father - Son Camp Out

2011-07-21T10:44:00.000-04:00

Jake and Jacob went on their Father - Son Camp Out and were rained out. They had a great time on Friday, but Saturday, just as they got their tents put away, it started raining. They went on their hike and were drenched by the time they were done. So, they called it good and headed home. Jake said it was the best camp out ever!

Swimming with Roger & Marty

2011-07-21T10:41:00.000-04:00

Roger and Marty invited us to go swimming at their hotel. Roger had a class after Easter, and we were able to spend some more time with them. We had a blast! After the kids wore out the grown-ups swimming, we headed off to pizza for dinner. Thank you Marty and Roger for coming to visit and spending so much time with us. We had a great time!!

Off to the Aquarium with Marty & Roger

2011-07-18T15:07:00.000-04:00

We were able to take Marty & Roger to one of our favorite spots - the aquarium! The kids absolutely LOVE the dolphin show. This time they were able to be the helpers. They helped the dolphin blow bubbles under water by holding up 2 fingers and they were able to wave different countries flags at the end of the show. Poor little Abbi was soaked by the end. They all had a blast. Roger, Marty, & I loved watching the kids!

Family Easter Pictures

2011-07-18T14:37:00.000-04:00

Wow, my little family is growing so big!

Ward Breakfast Easter Egg Hunt and Hop the Movie

2011-07-18T14:35:00.000-04:00

The young men and women at our church hid Easter eggs in plastic baggies (because it was rainy) all over the church's parking lot. Abbi and Justice had a great time searching for their allotted number of eggs. Jake and Anni went on a puzzle piece hunt. They had to look up scriptures and figure out which room the scripture was talking about to find the next puzzle piece. Anni received a yellow flower hair barrett and Jake received a CTR tie tack. Marty and Jake both won a flower pot.

Then we were off to see the movie Hop. It was pretty cute. We had a great Saturday before Easter.

Dyeing Easter Eggs

2011-07-18T14:27:00.000-04:00

The kids had so much fun coloring Easter Eggs this year!

Easter Baskets - Saturday Morning

2011-07-18T13:57:00.001-04:00

Grandpa Roger and Grandma Marty were able to come and visit for Easter this year. We had a great time showing them our new house! (We moved from a tiny 3 bedroom townhome to a spacious 4 bedroom house that we love) Thank you Roger and Marty for coming! We had such a great time visiting with you!!

Spring Soccer

2011-07-18T13:50:00.001-04:00

Jacob loves playing soccer! This spring he again played soccer for the Knight Stalkers! They warm up playing ultimate Frisbee and then have a great game.

Christmas!

2011-05-23T20:36:00.000-04:00

Merry Christmas! We were so glad that Grandpa Dale could come and visit! We had such a great time playing games and visiting with him! Christmas is such a great time of year when we can remember the wonderful blessing of our Savior and His birth. We are grateful for Him and for the gospel that we have to bring us peace and joy.

2011-05-23T20:32:00.000-04:00

Jake and Anni worked so hard practicing for their concert. Jake had a great time playing the trumpet and Anni loved plucking the violin.

Setting up the Christmas Tree and Lights

2011-05-23T20:28:00.000-04:00

Abbi getting warm.

This is harder than it looks.

Taking off the netting. Jake felt so big!

Hanging the ornaments is so much fun! It was so hard to wait and take turns, but the kids did such a great job!

Cutting down our Christmas Tree

2011-01-27T21:37:00.000-05:00

This year we decided to cut down our Christmas tree. So we went for a little drive, the kids watched a Christmas movie until we arrived at the tree farm. We had a great time walking around trying to find "the perfect tree." We had to find one that was short enough to hold a star on top, yet full enough to not be a Charlie Brown tree. It was so much fun. The kids really liked pulling the sled around behind them.

Jacob Makes TSgt

2011-01-27T21:28:00.000-05:00

Congratulations Jacob!

We are so proud of you!

It was such a nice day. Roger, Marty, and Ben were able to come in for his promotion ceremony. It was the first one that the kids and I went to as well. It was a nice ceremony. We had donuts there. Then we went to a Chinese buffet for lunch. After that we went and watched Tangled the Disney version of Rapunzel. We had a great day spending time together!

Thanksgiving in New Hampshire - Benson's Wild Animal Farm

2011-01-25T12:44:00.003-05:00

This used to be a circus/zoo. The park has a lot of history and was a lot of fun to walk around. It is now a town park and they are working on fixing it up. You can go to Wikipeda to get a better history.

Let's throw rocks to break the ice! Let the fun begin:

"Hey Jake, what's that sign say?"

I love my monkeys!

Thanksgiving in New Hampshire - The BB Gun

2011-01-25T10:09:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving in New Hampshire - Candlepin Bowling

2011-01-25T09:48:00.000-05:00

Roger and Marty took us Candlepin Bowling. We had a great time. The balls are about the same size as a bocce ball or skee-ball. The pins are completely straight, so they bounce differently than we were used to. Ben looked up on his phone to see how we were supposed to throw the ball. Even with that info, Anni kicked our tails! She is good. We all had a good time playing.

Yes, that is Anni getting a spare! Go Anni!

Everyone had a fun time helping Abbi.

Thanksgiving in New Hampshire - Turkey Trot

2011-01-25T08:54:00.000-05:00

Let the race begin!

There were a lot of people there!

Roger, Marty, Ben, Jacob, Jake, Anni, Abbi, and I all participated in the 5k. Some of us ran as fast as we could, some jogged, some walked and some took a short cut. :) We all had a good time. It was super cold, so that made it a little tough. We all finished under an hour.

Anni, Jake, and Marty finish. Roger, Justice, and Jacob finished just before them.

Jacob came back to find me and Abbi. So did Ben, but he had already crossed the finish line before the picture was taken.

They had soup, casseroles and snacks for us.

Dancing with Dad

2010-12-08T21:36:00.002-05:00

Abbi was helping Jacob cook dinner and she asked him to dance. Enjoy!