Camping with our family

Teach them young...they still have to do dishes!

Camping, camping, camping.  We love to camp! It's fun and relaxing and a way to get out of town.  This year we didn't get a ton of camping in but we were able to go with our little family.  How can these kids get so dirty within 5 minutes of getting out of the car? 

July 2012 Beaners!

Do you know what I love about the Beans? We can go anywhere and do nothing and still have fun.  We gain atleast 10 lbs a trip but it is worth it! I miss my Ash, Duey and Mae Mae!

 Gotta love this face.  If you know this boy, you k now him to be a little emotional...he's 5.  Enough said.

My babe and me! I Love this guy!

All our kiddos!

My beautiful friend and beautiful daughter!

Jon is not Jon without his soda.

My girl and me!

Forgotten Girl's Trip

First Cafe Rio! It was AWESOME!

Since it has been almost a year since I should have posted this, I figured I would give it a shout out and a few pictures.  It also doesn't hurt that the big event of "Breaking Dawn" is coming in a few weeks so I need to post it just to prove that yes I am still a teenager at heart.  My friend Candace and I met in SLC for a Girl's Weekend full of vampires, vampire parties and Breaking Dawn.  Now, don't laugh too hard, it's true.  We went to a premiere party that included an array of all things Breaking Dawn.  Contests, clues, samplers of the wedding cake, of course LOTS to buy, and just all things Corny.  WE LOVED IT!  We got massages, manicures, went shopping, ATE WAY TOOOO Much food and then before we knew it, it was time to go home.  Enjoy!

Girls Camp 2012

Another year down! This year's Girls Camp theme was "On the Road to Virtue".  We were to pick a car and come up with a theme to match. We were the Paradise "Heals" on Wheels and drove an ambulance.(We belong to the Paradise Hills ward).   I really didn't think we could have as much fun as last year BUT I WAS WRONG!! I was also very tired.  Note the pics that I took the day I got there and the days after, everybody who came to visit just told me how tired I looked.  And I was...but boy did we have fun.  We went rapelling, hiking, we climbed a rock wall, sang songs, danced, danced and danced and had a great time. I seriously do have the best girls and seriously the best ward a camp leader can ask for.

 Yes, this is me!

 Can I tell you how much I love this lady? This is my fearless Asst. Camp Director and I LOVE LOVE LOVE HER! I could not do this without her!

Lots of Games!

Family Pictures March 2012

 We finally got around to taking family pictures.  Poor Ella is finally included in our family!

New Year's Resolution in August

I really want to do better at blogging.  Since we have moved back to New Mexico the importance of blogging has been pushed on the back burner. I don't need to immediately update the blog with new pictures and outtings because my family wants to see the kids, even with my parents on a mission we skype with them every week so they rarely if never get on the blog anymore.  With all this said, I really want to have a little keepsake of our lives.  The kids can look back and one day say, "Look, mom and dad really did do things with us." I also still enjoy reading my friends' blogs because we don't live near each other anymore. 

Jon and I were talking the other day and reminsicing about the good ole days of med school and residency and it made me homesick.  Homesick for Iowa and Michigan, which of course hold such a dear place in my heart.  I know it is easier to remember the good times rather than the hard ones, basically the whole first year of residency where I just had baby number 3 and cried the entire year because Jake cried and Jon was never home. But, I still look back with fond memories.  I miss the friends we made, the friends we haven't kept in contact with, and the friends we still get to see and hang out with, even if it is only a few times a year.  It was just the time in our life that we can't repeat and it's a little sad.  Of course, I LOVE living here. I LOVE being back in New Mexico and being near family and my friends here are amazing.  It's just a little sad that we can't relive some of the good times either, which I know sounds silly and of course ridiculous but sometimes I miss it.

Just a quick update before I try to update this entire blog with new entries of what's been going on.  We are doing well here.  Hannah started 5th grade and loves her new teacher.  I can't believe she is almost in mid school! She has become such a responsible young lady this year, and tries to be mom to her younger siblings.  She is so excited to start babysitting.  Zach started 3rd grade this year.  He still is enthralled with all things Titanic and Warthogs and F-16's.  He really wants to either be an astronaut or he wants to be a pilot.  He is constantly wanting to learn things and LOVES documentaries..(not my kid I tell you). Jake started Kindergarten and is still so sweet. His new teacher seems really nice, a big ole' Grandpa. Jake follows Zach around wanting to do everything and anything that his big brother does. They are little buddies.  Ella will start preschool only a few times a week, she turns 3 in a week.  My baby is 3!!! Where did the time go. She is a fireball with the most beautiful eyes and sweetest smile, just be careful if you get too close and your not mom and dad.  You will get her evil eye and probably some sort of spit or a scream saying, "Not the mama".  We love her so much and is missing her big siblings when they are in school. 
Jon is doing really well at work.  He's pretty  busy, but still finds plenty of time for us.  He is busy at callings at church and being a dad while I am off galavanting at times.  As for me, I am doing great.  Church, home, kids, life keeps me really busy! I am working with the Young Women's program and of course loving it! I was also the camp director this year, which was amazing.  I LOVE working with the youth, maybe because it brings out my young side (like I have a problem with this).  Well, here's to updating this blog and getting it up to date!

More Vegas?

It seems like I am forever updating this blog. The posts keep getting shorter and shorter as I try to speed race my way through our life. Oh well, atleast I am trying to keep up! Life has been crazy and exciting and we have been having fun and being busy. In February, we met up with the Beans and went to Vegas. Yes, Vegas...again! We were actually trying to go to Phoenix but it didn't work out. We couldn't find a reasonably priced house to rent, or one big enough to fit all of us, so Vegas here we come. We actually had A BLAST! Okay I can share this because, 1. Candace is my best friend and I love her to death and 2. Let's be honest sometimes we fight like sisters. I always say she is the sister I never had. We left on a Thursday and drove half way there and stayed the night in Flagstaff. Friday morning we got to Vegas, met up with the Beans at a park, got Candace out of her bad mood (that's right I'm talking to you Candace!), and let the kids play. We went to the Treasure Island Buffet and spent the next few hours eating, being stared at, and of course eating. I do feel a little bad about people having to sit next to us because we are not quiet, but then again neither is Vegas. The next day we went to the Mirage to the Dolphin Exhibit and Lion and Tiger Exhibit. The kids had a ball and were so mesmerized by the dolphins. We had so much fun here and I thought it was WAY better than the zoo. It seems everytime we go to the zoo, we never see any animals. We walk and walk and walk and hours later we have seen maybe three animals. The Tigers were so upclose and it was so awesome! We then of course went to....another buffet. Let the kids go wild with the food, we went a little wild and then headed home. I am so glad that our kids get along so well and they each have a little playmate. My boys love her girls...which is good for now. We are not looking forward to the time when they get old enough that they can't share a room and we have to start worrying about crushes. It's only a matter of time though because Candace's girls are beautiful! We also took the kids to the movies and hot tubbed and watched lots of Operation Repo!

Here is a pic of Candace at the Kim Kardashian store! hahaha Gotta love this!

Well another trip down and a success. It was a bit short but we packed a lot into the time we had. Here's to the next one!