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I loved walking into Kyle's room tonight and seeing this...
I don't have to remind him to read his scriptures...he LOVES them! He has such a strong testimony of Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. He knows they love him. He wants so badly to do what is right. He is a strong and determined little guy and I know that is what is needed in today's world to fight against all the bad influences that are out there. I have no doubt Kyle will be a fabulous missionary someday. "I hope they call me on a mission, when I have grown a foot or two. I hope by then I will be ready, to teach, and preach, and work as missionaries do." Love you Kyle! Click here to learn more about missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Colton had fun designing his car for Pinewood Derby this year...
He drew his design onto the side of the block of wood, then I cut it out on my scroll saw for him. Then he sanded it, painted it, and Mark put the wheels on for him. Ready to go!
His car did pretty well! I think he won two races, and lost one race. Colton is a really great sport. He really enjoys telling other kids how great they did, even when he loses. I really admire that about him!
His car is the one on the left in this shot...
and one more race...
Great job Colton!
This kid is so amazing! Bryan is really a lot of fun and I LOVE being his mother! He is growing up so fast, and he is pretty close to perfect as far as I'm concerned. He is a great example and really tries to do what is right all the time. He is completely honest and is always trying to help people. He is kind of a counselor to all his friends. They seek him out when they are down or are having problems, and he helps them feel better and gives great advice. He is a wonderful friend to me, his dad, his siblings, and his friends. I love having him around. He is constantly aware of how those around him are feeling, and he volunteers to help me all the time. Bryan gives the best hugs! He is never embarrassed of me when I am around him and his friends. He will walk over and just give me a great hug. When I pick him up from school, and it's just him and me, we have the best chats and he isn't afraid to open up to me. I love that he feels he can share anything with me. He asks my advice and lets me get a good peek at his world. I always feel special around Bryan.
For his birthday this year he invited a bunch of his friends over to play volleyball at the park, and then to our house for cake and ice cream. They are such a good group of kids, and it was really fun to watch them interact. They are so funny!
This was the birthday cake I made for Bryan.
It's about 10 inches in diameter and about 10 inches high. Doesn't it look just like a hamburger? Bryan LOVES hamburgers, so I thought this would be fun.
He also chose a second cake - Heath Bar cake. That is a favorite at our house. It's so simple so I didn't mind making it even though we had the hamburger cake too. It's just a boxed chocolate cake, but when it comes out of the oven, you immediately poke hole with the handle of a wooden spoon all over the cake. Then you pour on a can of sweetened condensed milk and a jar of caramel. When the cake is cool you frost it with Cool Whip and then sprinkle on around 3 to 4 crumbled Heath or Skor bars, then refrigerate it. It's even better the next day!
When Bryan woke up the morning of his birthday (it was on a Saturday this year), he found this on the kitchen floor when he came downstairs...
Kyle had gotten up early to do it for him. So cute!
Bryan picked out scones for me to make for his breakfast - a family favorite!
Later that night he left for the park near our house to meet up with his friends. They had fun playing volleyball for awhile and then walked back to our house for cake, ice cream, and presents. Here he is opening presents...
Some more cologne he had asked for (I must say Bryan almost always smells good - unless he just finished playing soccer...)
He also received a new series of books called "The Great and the Terrible". I totally recommend them!
Then the gift he was the most excited for - an iHome for his ipod touch. He'd been asking for one for quite some time...
Here he is with all his friends...
(yes, there are quite a few girls)
opening gifts from his friends...
There was an AWESOME card they had all signed for him...
Then Mark lit up his cake...
Bryan has always had the greatest laugh. It makes everyone around him giggle (even when he was little).
THINGS I LOVE ABOUT BRYAN:
1) Bryan gives the best hugs.
2) He loves to help me (even without being asked).
3) He is an AMAZING piano player. I love hearing him play!
4) He is a great example to all around him - especially his younger siblings. They couldn't have a better big brother.
5) He always tries to do what is right and doesn't need any convincing from me.
WE LOVE YOU BRYAN!
Spring Break this year we decided to spend a few days with our kids in Sedona. We've been there several times and always have such a blast! It is so beautiful there and there are so many fun hikes. This time we we went on a hike named West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon. It is an easy hike and is rated one of the best in the whole United States! So beautiful.
Here we are at the start of the hike.
On both sides of us were the tall, red rock walls rising up to the sky.
We came to the remains of an old hotel that once stood here. If you look close you can see Kyle peeking through the round window in the wall.
More remains from the hotel with Colton and Kyle and the walking sticks they found along the way...
The weather was so pleasant, but we found patches of snow in the shade of the mountain, where the sun doesn't get to much, and our kids had so much fun playing in it!
This entire hike is right next to Oak Creek the whole way. The trail crosses the creek every so often and you get to rock hop across, but the water isn't deep and it's so easy to do. It was the perfect hike for families - even with little ones along.
It looked like this on both sides of us the entire way...
We stopped at this spot for about 30 minutes. It was so nice we wanted to sit back and enjoy it for awhile. Colton fell in when Kyle grabbed him to keep himself from falling in. He was so mad. Everyone was laughing, mostly because he was so mad. Eventually he got over it. He was only wet up to his knees, and it was a nice, sunny day. Poor Colton.
The kids worked on building a dam for awhile. I remember having so much fun doing that in creeks when we went camping when I was growing up...
Mark carving his walking stick...
Mark grabbed the camera so I would be in some shots...
Playing chess and checkers at Tlaquepaque.
Morgan bought that animal/hood/scarf thing as a souvenir. She loved it!
Morgan took my picture...
and also had Kyle pose for her...
We had such a fun, relaxing trip. We always love visiting Sedona!
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