Big Changes, Again!!

I know this is major post overload from me. But I wanted to get updated on our happenings before things get crazy. For those of you who don't know, we're moving again. I know, "What are we thinking?" Well, we're thinking we got a really good opportunity and we're going with it. We have just started managing an apartment complex and we'll be moving into a new apartment next week. It's a great opportunity for us to really save money in hopes of someday having a house. We are working for some great people so it should be a really good experience for us. Although it's not the most convenient time, we think it's a good change for us. We'll make sure we get out all the pertinent info (phone number, address, etc) soon. Wish us luck!!!!
P.S. I should have added this. We are still in the same ward. Major Bonus!!!!

Soccer, Baby!!

Last night was Emily's first soccer game. She is playing in a little summer league before starting the regular fall season. I was a little nervous that she wasn't going to like it but she had a great time. She even got knocked down and run over a couple of time but jumped up and kept going. She played great defense and even saved a couple of goals!! Although she was by far one of the smallest, she played big and had a great time.

I love that with all her gear on she has no leg showing. Life of a short person!!!

McCall, Idaho 2009!!

We had a wonderful family reunion in McCall, ID. I wish I could put on all of our pictures but that would be crazy pictures overload. We had such a great time. The girls absolutely loved being with all of their cousins. Always makes us sad we don't live closer. The weather was amazing and we spent the entire week in the water. It was so great just to play and get caught up with family. The camp we went to was awesome, so great we already booked it for 2 years from now. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!!!!

Lauren spent most of her week digging holes and filling them with water.

Emily had two favorite activities. She loved seeing how long she could balance on this knee board. She turned into an awesome swimmer this week too. She was constantly jumping off the dock and swimming to shore. Here her cousin Kathryn is swimming with her but toward the end of the week she got brave enough to go on her own. She's definately a water girl!!

The camp had these little kayaks and everyone had a great time (and great workout) taking them out!

Here's a view from the dock onto our private beach.
Yes, she is fully clothed. The last night she and Kaitlyn enjoyed an evening in the water in their clothes.

Just one of many beautiful sunsets!!

Special thanks to Diana, Jason, Mike and Jan for all their hard work. And to Rich and Allan for provided the watercrafts that provided hours of fun!!! We love you all and miss everyone already!

Salt Lake City

As we passed through Utah on our way to Idaho we had the wonderful opportunity to visit with some family. We were able to see Jason's aunt and uncle and their two daughters as well as stay with my wonderful cousin. It's always so nice to have a chance to get caught up with those who we don't get to see all that often. Thanks Drapers for letting us just drop in and thanks to the Dowdles for letting us crash with them for a couple days. My cousin was one of my roommates in college and we always have such a great time together. And to make it even better, our kids had a great time too. As we left town to head for Boise, we stopped and let the girls wander around Temple Square in Salt Lake. I love it there. Although there's so much going on around the temple, it's always so peaceful on the grounds. The girls loved it and it was a great way to kick off our vacation!!

A Little Gem

I know I said I was taking a break in June but I just had to share this (mostly so I don't forget it.)
Lauren always wants to sit on my lap at the computer. Super annoying. Today was no different, she wanted up, I was trying to send some emails, I told her no, she threw herself to the ground crying (only lasts about 10 seconds), I told her that was not a good choice.
Emily pipes in "Lauren, the Holy Ghost won't stay with you if you act like that."
I love it.

Still Here, I Swear!

I was noticing it's been a long time since I last posted. Not really sure why. We haven't been terribly busy, just doing our thing I guess. And now that being said the next two weeks are going to be crazy busy. We leave next Friday for the Hall Family Reunion in McCall, Idaho. We are so excited yet have so much to do to get there. I have made a list but it seems that I add 5-6 things a day and only mark off 2-3. The math isn't adding up!! Oh, well, I guess one way or another we'll get there.
Just an update:
*Emily finished her first year of pre-school. She loved it. In fact, she's already asking when she starts again. Could be a long summer!
*Lauren has been awesome without her binkies! She struggled a little at the beginning but she was also teething. I think I will always do the "cold turkey" thing!
*We have had nothing but "June gloom" weather and I LOVE IT! Everyone one complains but I think it's great.
*Jason took a half day last week and we enjoyed our last day at Disneyland for the summer. It was pretty crazy. Not too sad we won't be able to go until September.
*We want to wish our cute friends Rachel, Alyssa and Kayla a very big congrats on graduating this week. We're so proud of you all! They all have big plans post grad and we're excited for them!
*We are super excited for our little vacation and can't wait to see all the Halls. Emily talks about her cousins every day.
You probably won't hear from us until after the reunion. Let's just pretend I'm taking June off!!
Happy Summer to everyone!

Big Steps!

This weekend Lauren traded these......
for this!

We talked about it all week and on Friday she went to Toys R Us and traded her binkies for a new shopping cart. She actually gave her binkies to the lady at the cash register, it was so cute. She loves anything she can push around and collect all her stuff, so the shopping cart was the perfect toy. So far she's done pretty well without her binkies, we're keeping our fingers crossed. The only sad thing is that now with no binkies it really feels like she's growing up so fast. Such a big girl!

All About the Ladybugs!

Emily's birthday party this year was a ladybug themed party. Lately she'd been really into finding ladybugs so we decided it would be fun! We had a great time. We started with a little game of Bean Bug Toss, moved to a game of Pin the Dot on the Ladybug and finished with the Ladybug Crawl race. For their efforts in the games, each of Emily's friends got a terrarium, tweezers and a net for our final event. Jason released real ladybugs and let the kids catch them. It was so cute, the kids were so excited. We ended the party with some "dirt" cake (freaked out a few kids, never really thought of that!) Thanks to all our wonderful friends who helped make Emily's day so super special!

Bean Bug Toss

Results of the Pin the Dot

Lauren with her great Ladybug form

Emily and friend geared up for the releasing of the ladybugs

Our cute birthday girl!

Happy Birthday Daddy & Emily!

4 years ago Wednesday, Jason's birthday changed forever. Never again would he be the only special person on May 13th. In fact, for the most part I think he gets a little overshadowed (allow I really do try to make it special for him.) But for what it's worth, he'll take it. He and Emily will always have a special little bond that nobody else can claim. Wednesday we celebrated them and how special they are in our family. We spent the day at Disneyland, where they were wished Happy Birthday constantly. I think Emily told every employee in the park that is was her special day. She is pretty proud to be 4. We followed Disneyland with a fun dinner, ice cream and presents. Although it's crazy to have two birthdays on one day, I also think it's pretty special. (Forgive Lauren in this shot, she had just woken up!)

What can I say about Jason? Except he's pretty amazing. Pretty amazing at just about everything he does. He's an amazing father and husband. I truly feel blessed to have him in my life every day. The girls ADORE him. They attack him each and every day when he walks through the door from work and hardly let him rest but he's a great sport and devotes all the time he can to them. He's patient, loving, constant, humorous, super fun, amazingly spiritual and a wonderful provider for our home. We love him.

And then there's this girl. What a fun kid! She has the biggest personality and an even bigger heart. She is a wonderful friend, sister and little girl. Although she's only 4, she is a mother in the making. In fact, I'm sure sometimes Jason feels like he has 3 mothers. She loves taking care of people, being in charge and making the rules. Fortunately for the most part, Lauren complys with those rules. She is the best big sister. She is so good to Lauren, is a great example and very protective. We couldn't ask for a better oldest child. Just like her mom, Emily has a tender heart and is brought to tears easily in an emotional situation. On more than one occasion she has been brought to tears during a touching scene of a movie, generally anything that involves a lonely child ( Fox & the Hound, Stuart Little, American Tail & the list goes on.) It is super sweet. Most of all, I love how much Emily loves life. EVERYTHING is exciting and wonderful to her. The seemingly most mundance activities or events put the biggest smile on her face. I hope she never loses that excitement for life. We Love our Big 4 Year old!

Mother's Day at PreSchool!

Today at Emily's preschool, all of the moms were invited for a special Mother's Day brunch. The kids had practiced a little program of songs and made several gifts for the moms. It was too cute. I mostly just loved home excited Emily was to be able to finally show me everything she had been working on. Emily has the cutest preschool teachers, they always do the most fun projects with the kids. They had a cute little brunch and had the room all decorated. It's crazy to think that this is just the beginning of all of the school projects and programs, but I'm excited too see Emily growing up so much.

Emily and some of her friends. She's apparently real excited!