Our Sunday Hike and a Secret

 The weather had been so nice lately and I wanted to take advantage of it while Derek was home.  So we ventured out on a hike at Lake Tahoe, one that our friends recommended to us.  We were enjoying the nature and decided to take a detour to see if we could get closer to the water.  The sign said Secret Cove Beach....

..we soon found out why. It was a NUDE BEACH!!!!  Derek caught it first before we went too far but unfortunatley we were exposed to one man in the distance.  Our poor girls are a bit traumatized but hopefully it will pass.  Next time we're going to take our friends with us so they can show us the right trail!

We were surrounded by  around God's beautiful creations on Earth Day.

Ten

Bryanna 3 mo. 2002

It's hard to believe that our little Bryanna is now 10 yrs. old. She was such a happy baby and is still a happy girl. Bryanna is very excited to finally be double digits and is especially happy about getting a new mountain bike for her birthday.

I'm starting a new tradition: decorating their door for birthdays. She was surprised when she came home from school. Ten things about our Bryanna:

*You love life

*Soccer is your favorite sport and you love going to practice

*You are happy

*You love school and do your best all the time

*Choosing the right comes easily for you and even if you make a mistake you are quick to apologize and make it right..I love that about you:)

*You are kind to everyone, even those that are different than you

*You will try almost anything...you like a challenge

*Piano has become a talent for you and I love that you are willing to share it

*Your stories and poems are fantastic and creative

*You always show love to your family and are so open with your feelings

We love you Bryanna! Happy 10th Birthday to you~

Spring Break: Episode 2

So glad we made time to stop by the Portland LDS Temple Visitor's Center. It is small but still has the same spirit there. Derek and I were sealed for time and all eternity in the Portland Temple so it is very special to us. It was nice to stop there on Easter Sunday on our way home.

Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma and Grandpa's. Didn't get any pictures with cousins but they were there too!

cute crochet hats made with love for the girls by Laura Farmer:)

Coloring Easter eggs with cousins

Swimming, lunch, movies and the park with the Farmer's. They are like family to us and we are so happy they make time to be with us every time we come to town. The girls LOVE each other and Laura and I have a great time catching up!

We had a nice time on our break and visiting family and old friends is so special for us. Unfortunatley Gracie had bronchitis most of the trip and we are still recovering from that. No matter what though, we love being in the NW even if it was raining 4 of the 5 days...that's why it's so green there:)

Spring Break 2012: episode 1

FYI:Pictures are out of order.

VooDoo Donut. Yummy! I've heard so much about this place and so I thought it to be an important stop on our break in Portland/Vancouver. This donut shop is a Portland phenomenon now and has been featured on the Food Network channel. We ordered our donuts by looking at them not neccesarily their names which I found out that mine was a little innapropriate:( However it was really yummy!!

Of course it was raining in the NW while we were there, but the girls were happy to use our pretty umbrellas with their cousins.

We got to spend the day at the Portland Children's Museum with our cousins. Thank you Pitcher's for that experience.

We stopped in Woodburn to see the tulip fields. They have been here my whole life but I never made it to see them. I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to take my girls this time, especially since we were driving right past them. Fun side note, The Wooden Shoe Tulip fields are owned by our good friend Nephi's extended family. The tulips weren't all in bloom since they haven't had very much sun (haha) but there were enough to see and enjoy. The views of Mt. Hood were also beautiful.

We got some tuilips for Grandma Pam and ate some yummy ice cream and the girls got to play for awhile. Who cares that we were the only ones in our jammies?? Oh well, we had been driving for almost 10 hours.

Piano Girls

This was Abby's first recital, Gracie's 2nd and Bryanna's 4th time. They all practiced hard and memorized their songs. Abby played "Countdown Races" and "Sur le Pont d'Avignon". Gracie was sick so she didn't want to play but she worked really hard on "Under the Sea". Bryanna played "Sonatina in C Major" and "Song without Words". I love hearing my girls play piano! They have a wonderful teacher, Sister Jongsma from our ward and we appreciate all her time with them. We hope they will all continue to enjoy piano and to grow in their talents.

Block E Award

Bryanna received a BLOCK E award along with a select group of 4th, 5th and 6th graders. To earn the BLOCK E award you have to go above and beyond in your school work and co curricular activities. Bryanna particpated in essay contests, attended activities after school and contributed to fundraisers( Toys for Tots, Canned food drive, etc.). She ran a total of 25 miles and is working on 100. She has gotten straight A's both semesters and has been on the Honor Roll. Bryanna's teacher wrote a little about Bryanna for the special assembly last Friday and I have to say I was a proud, emotional mommy that day:) I am so grateful to be a mom and to have 3 fantastic girls who work hard and do their best at school. We are all happy for Bryanna and can't wait for Gracie and Abby to have the same opportunity.

SOCK HOP

This is our 4th Sock Hop at JVES. It is my least favorite activity at school, it is the loudest and busiest of all the fundraisers we do. That being said it is the girls' FAVORITE!!! This year I decided to be a good mommy and make poodle skirts for them. They are not perfect but they did the job! The girls even got a prize as some of the best dressed 50's style!

After lots of dancing, disgusting nachos and a stinky feet jump house the girls and I were done and we headed home. I'm so glad I don't have to do that again for atleast 12 months.

The girls did have a great time though:)