"SIGNS" of Spring in our own FRONT yard!

All the Iris's I spent last spring planting...have been springing up these last couple of weeks.

I am LOVING THE COLOR it is adding to our spring!

AND YES--a For SALE BY OWNER sign had SPRUNG up as well!
Sterling drew this picture (above) the other day--
He was looking at our sale flyers and said " I want to buy this house"..."Mom I don't want to sell our house!"
To which I felt the same bitter sweet inner turmoil as well-we have put allot of blood, sweat and tears into this place..
BUT we have felt prompted that now is the time to try--
...so IF YOU KNOW anyone who wants the GREENEST house they can get in Arizona
that was loved as our FIRST HOME
Tell them to come our way!
For now...we will enjoy its beauty!

HAPPY SPRING!!!!!!!!

THEIR GROWING UP!!!!

Colton and Sterling will FOREVER be ingrained in my mind at this age (1 AND a 6 months old) THEN they bring home class pictures LIKE THIS!!!!...and I think to myself--WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?!

I still refuse to believe it is them.

I still think I can grab both of them and hold them in my arms

COLTON RAY- age 7
On a BRAGGING momma note:
Colton brought home this check to order anything he wants out of the school warehouse because HE WON THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WIDE COLORING CONTEST!!!!
His artwork will appear in the school districts calendar for next year. (I NEVER even saw the picture he drew--they did it all at school).
We are pretty proud of him!!!
STERLING DANIEL- age 6
~
AAAAHHHH! Please slow down...

I DID IT!!!!

I RAN THE 2 MILE RACE!!!or I should say ran a majority of it....(yes, I had to start and stop a few times)

Granted is was a fun/run walk

AND my time has MUCH to be desired

I still am super happy that I did it

(BUT for those of you who know me...even in my serious PRIME running has never been my forte)

~

This was my first time in the racing atmosphere...and it is contagious--

you get all pumped, and your adrenaline is flowing

It makes you want to become a homeopathic health nut and keep running until it gets easy and you look as good as the marathoners (which some of my closest friends WON) in their running skirts do!

I ran part of the way with a 10 yr. old...I would LOVE for this to become a family affair. After Dan saw the time of a fellow physical therapist who won the 2 miles--he says he can do it that quickly too...so I may have snagged him into it as well--(however he was still in bed when I got done with my race!)
~

I placed 35th respectively (there was a couple 100 entered, granted most of them were walking) and I did it under a half an hour (which was my average)-- AND that is after passing the mile mark and going to the next water station, because I was not sure if I turned around at the mile marker (or the next water station). They had these cool microchips on our shoes (that times us, paced, us, etc.) and I did NOT want to register as NOT completing the race--so I ran a little bit extra just to be sure... as well as had a quick hugging chat with Colton's school teacher that I ran into as well!

I actually saw allot of friends and Young Women there--it was a happy, healthy get together!

So not bad considering I had not gotten below that time on all my solo runs! I took a picture of the results to prove to myself that I had done it!

WAHOO!!!

Now I just need to find some more races around here that are NOT more than 2 miles (I am afraid I will NEVER be at the caliber of marathons AND I am OK with that)

We {HEART} MORMON PROM!!!

Last Friday 4/17 our stake was invited to do a "mormon" prom with Flagstaff stake.

So as stake leaders we headed up to the mountains--to see how it all went 'down'!
It was PHENOMENAL-they had the best decorations I have EVER seen for a prom!
The dinner was delicious and they would not let us help--they were fully staffed and everyone had their assignments.
That stake has enough depth that someone has the calling for the year to prepare for mormon prom--(she even went and borrowed a wheel from a ship, from a local opera).
Obviously it was a cruise line theme.
Our stake YW presidency did the professional pictures (or I should say my friend Janae--the 0ne on the ladder ALL night) we spent most of the evening taking and posing the kids for pictures!
Don't we have good-lookin' group?
It was FUN way to spend a Friday evening (with the youth and the other leaders)--we did not get home until after 1am (and then I had to wake up early to run the next morning...LOVE IT!)

I am an advocate of prom. It was so much nicer than my proms/formal dances, it was FREE!!!, You did not have to worry about everyone arriving drunk, and you did not have to worry about the music or the dancing...I say these kids get the "hook-up"..I hope it is around when my kids get older!

The Closing Chapter of Utah

So After getting all our things collected and packed from a whirlwind weekend, and got the kids dressed -we left my brother Chad's NEW house in SLC and headed South to Provo. We wanted to get closer to the direction we had to drive the next day AND we wanted to visit and see so many things

AS WITH MOST who travel with BIG families... we ran out of time to do EVERYTHING we wanted to do! and unfortunately we were unable to make visits to family members we wanted too--I am telling you, I really could visit Utah for weeks and play with cousins, visit Grandparents, have game nights with Aunts and Uncles every day and night--For now, I am content with the time I do see them!

HOWEVER...we were able to lay Dacie down for a MUCH needed long nap at my brothers house while Dan and I took the boys to our Alma Mater and visited BYU CAMPUS!

It was so FUN to be back at the BEAUTIFUL campus and show the boys around.

The boys were actually VERY interested in it--and wanted to see and do everything there.

After a few hours of it they were done, but I think Dan and I could have walked around a few more hours and looked at how much had changed BUT also visit ALL the places we were absolutely consumed by for our young adult life!

I think we may have converted the boys as Sterling was telling me how we needed to move tto Utah when he was bigger so he could go to school there. I told him that we actually drive him there and then drop him off--how cool is that? School with NO PARENTS!!!

The boys were fascinated with the underground library.
While there we found the world globe...and of course, they wanted to see where we lived on it!

I will forever be fond of these mountains, and the views I walked around and saw most days

The boys even got a bell tower concert on our way back to the car!

I have forgotten how much culture is available for free or cheap there, as well. The boys LOVED the art museum (below) and wanted to keep looking..but we knew we would never make it through campus if we did not encourage them to hurry. Again, I would love to spend more time in Utah where we could let them play as long as they like!

OF COURSE, we had to buy some BYU Creamery Ice Cream--we were NOT disappointed

Then it was off to the BYU bookstore to let the kids pick one BYU present each!

The boys even caught a Frisbee at the WILK from the campus life, advertising the spring fling...as it was the last day of classes AND the last day of NICE WEATHER!

After the boys grew tired--we started to head back to my brother Kelby's apartment (he is a student at BYU)

BUT NOT without visiting one more person, my BEST FRIEND from High School--Alin Bauchiero

Her husband has gone back to school and opened some pizza franchises in Provo.

We RARELY get together anymore (due to growing families and distance), which was UNLIKE high school where we were in-separable at times.

She just had a her fourth AND fifth baby (a set of unexpected twins; girl and boy).

I had to swing by and hold and kiss them... I was too close to pass them by! They were beautiful!

I am so glad I did. It is always treat when we can re-connect and talk about things just like we use too, BUT now they are 'mommy' things! (Like raising girls and boys, serving in our stake young Women presidencies, diapers, nursing, labor...etc.)--Its GREAT!

I will always consider her a dear friend, because we do just pick up where we leave off!

Kelby and Amber-Rose watched Dacie for hours and let her get qulaity time with Mikkelle (her only girl cousin the Hutchings side--that we have only seen one other time) and treated us to a warm meal. The kids enjoyed learning baby sign language with Aunt Amber Rose right before bed (above)!

Then it was off to the kids last night of sleeping bags and air mattresses (you think Sterling is getting too big for his?-ha ha) . REALLY, that is a treat for them. They passed up offers of beds--because they wanted to sleep on the floors!!

Even with a large family we are grateful there are some brave souls that still want us (or accept us) staying at their homes--to keep our cost to a minimum!!!

~

The next morning BAD weather arrived again, and we packed up and drove away from it, back to sunny Arizona (where the weather has been pretty much perfect)

~

It was a BUSY couple of days-BUT we never felt stressed, or rushed, sometimes tired, we enjoyed the moment... AND we just want more!!!

Sorry for those we were unable to see, or missed out on quality time with--OUR doors are ALWAYS open here in Arizona!

We are hoping to make it back this summer....until then
~

Bouncing baby Bunny Boys..and Break the EGG!

In keeping with the sabbath day activities (note the obvious ommitance of keeping it holy)--

We had a Cousin Fest on the trampoline and I snapped away!
BOUNCING BUNNY BOYS!

COOL COLTON

SLICK STERLING

KICKIN' KAYDEN

BOUNCIN' BOSTON

ROCKIN' RYLAND

DARING DACIE!

AND the ADULTS did not want to be left out...so we started a mad game of "crack the egg" ...and it ended with someone landing on their NECK!

HOPE your EASTER was JUMPIN"!!!!

Easter Time!

EASTER MORN..dawned E-A-R-L-Y after all the festivities the night before...

HOWEVER the Easter Bunny was in perfect form--

(even though I HATE his NEW surround sound system AND his favorite Batman Movie at 2 am)!

~

We looked through baskets, held off on the hunts, and attended church services--

where we were able to remember the real reason for this Holiday.

It was kind of nice to break the "normal" activities up with church.

I think it helped the kids remember...a little (A LOT for the adults)

I don't think you could find a kids mouth that was NOT covered in chocolate at all that day!

Easter Egg hunting with Cousins is so MUCH MORE FUN!!!!

The Bunny even "hooked" us up with plastic eggs filled with change!

After the Hunt...There was a little Rest and Relaxation (compliments of Uncle Jason's belly!)

ALSO some smooching!

AND our family's favorite past-time of matching outfit family picture taking!

AND for all that "hard work"--we had a yummy EASTER DINNER (combined efforts of many)

AND SUNDAY AFTERNOON NAPS!!!

EVERYONE fell asleep! Can you believe it?

(That is...until, baby McCoy decided to take a "trip" through the air duct from upstairs and sent the metal cover flying onto our heads down below--and then he proceeded to try and join it himself-yep, lots of YELLING!)

AAAH The GOOD TIMES!!!!