Snow Shoeing

We didn't get a lot of snow this year but at least we got a chance to take the kids snow shoeing. They were so excited to get up in the mountains and play in the snow and it was a perfect sunny winter day.

Elle loves to be in the front and is quite the trail blazer. Easton laid in the snow and wanted a break about 1 minute into our hike. He is so funny!

Elle and Easton loved looking for icicles on overhangs and "climbing the mountain" by digging in their snow shoes. They had so much fun!

On our way back to the car, we found some fun hills to slide down. It was hilarious seeing everyone slide down the hill on their bums.

"Ice Fishing is colder than Antarctica"

Easton got to go ice fishing with Daddy and Grandpa and they had the best time! Grandpa Don is a serious fisherman and goes whenever he can so he has all the gear. I was a little nervous that it would be too cold for Easton or that he would be bored after ten minutes but he loved every part of the whole experience--from picking out treats at the grocery store to catching fish to watching Don filet them.

They left really early in the morning but Easton was so excited that he hopped right out of bed. They drove up to Strawberry Reservoir and it was so cold when they got there that Easton said it was "colder than Antarctica." They set up their ice tent, drilled holes to fish, ate their treats, listened to music and caught a lot of fish! At one point, Easton caught a fish and was so excited that he stepped back into a hole behind him. He had great gear on though and Grandpa pulled him out so fast that he didn't even get wet. He thought it was funny! When Easton wasn't fishing, he was playing with the worms and counting them. They had a lot of fun and even got to stop for ice cream on their way home. Easton was fascinated watching Don clean and filet the fish too. He wanted to see inside the fish and what it ate and touch everything. Elle and I were gagging in the corner. It was pretty funny! They had a great time and we got to have a couple of yummy fresh fish dinners too! Thanks Grandpa Don!

Easton and Daddy in the razor

Easton and Grandpa fishing

Easton and Daddy with some of the fish they caught

It's a Girl!

It's almost official! We are having another girl! I had an ultrasound the day after Valentine's Day and the doctor said that there is a 90% chance that it is a girl. The baby was being really shy so they couldn't get the best picture but they are pretty sure.

We all thought it was a boy so Don and I were a little surprised, at first, but we are thrilled! We love our girls and look forward to more pigtails, princess parties and dress ups and we can't wait to meet her!

We came home and told our kids and got a few mixed reactions. Elle started jumping up and down cheering, Jayne just smiled and Easton burst into tears. He and Elle were convinced it was a boy so he had his heart set on it. We kept telling the kids before the ultrasound that it could be a girl but they thought it was a boy. He cried and we told him what an awesome brother he is to Elle and Jayne and how great he will be with this new baby. He said, "But, I want a brother. I want to share bunk beds and teach him boy stuff. Who am I going to play with when Elle and Jayne are doing girl stuff?" He was so sad. It broke my heart. He is such a sweet little boy. We told him that he will always be buddies with Daddy and could do "boy stuff" with him. He still hasn't given up on the idea of a brother though. When people ask what we are having and we say girl, he will say, "It isn't for sure. It could still be a boy." Funny Easton!

One thing I know for sure, boy or girl, this baby will be an amazing addition to our family and we are so excited!

Valentine's Day

Elle and Easton couldn't wait to get out our Valentine mailboxes this year. So, on February 1st, we set them out and had so much fun leaving each other little love notes leading up to Valentine's Day. All three kids got so excited when their flag was up and they had mail. It was so cute to see Elle and Easton, trying to be sneaky, putting little notes in the mailboxes. They wrote the sweetest things to us, to each other and Jayne too. Elle's notes had cute little hearts and pictures on them and Easton's phonetic spelling is adorable.


Some of our "love notes"



Valentine's Day came and we started out with yummy heart pancakes for breakfast. Then the kids each found a little Valentine surprise in their mail box before heading to school.


Elle was excited to get some new nail polish


Easton loves Super Mario Bros so he likes his little Yoshi guy



Jayne's smile says it all. She loves her new little Belle!


Then it was off to school for more fun and class parties.


I got to help with Easton's class party for a few minutes before I had to go get Jayne. They made animals out of hearts, tried to pick up conversation hearts with chop sticks, had treats and passed out Valentines to each other. It was a cute party. I love Easton's dog made of hearts!




Then I hurried to pick up Jayne from preschool. They had a fun party too! They sang songs and did a craft and passed out Valentines. How cute is Jayne with her Valentine box she decorated and her teacher? Jayne couldn't wait to open it up and show me all the candy she got!


That afternoon, I was in charge of Elle's class party. It turned out to be a lot of fun. We played games, had a lot of treats and passed out Valentines.


Making Valentine cards



Playing Valentine Bingo



The Valentine Mad Libs were a hit! The kids had to fill in the blanks and loved hearing what it said when it was all finished. They turned out pretty funny! Jayne and Easton loved being part of the party too!



Don and I celebrated the weekend before and had a fun night out, just the two of us. We went to Franks, a french restaurant, and the food was amazing! I love my cute husband!

Animal Safety Club

Elle is full of big ideas and she is "go-getter." When she gets her mind set on something, she follows through. For the past couple of months, she has been really interested in animals and how to help them. (I think it all started when she saw the movie "Dolphin Tale.") So, she decided to start a club called the "Animal Safety Club" and she got Easton interested too. They have spent hours outside making beds of leaves for animals, gathering "food" (bark, pinecones, leaves), making animal safety club "tool belts" and picked up litter to keep the animals safe. At first Don and I thought it was all sort of pretend fun but then found out that they were planning on taking in real stray dogs, cats and birds. She was really disappointed when I told her that wasn't an option because of safety and that diseases animals might carry. We looked into volunteering at the animal shelter but they are both too young. So, they decided that they could at least teach people about animals and how to keep them safe. They made invitations for people and put together an incredible presentation, all on their own. They used cardboard for display boards with pictures of animals and had speeches all written out. The presentation was awesome! Easton introduced himself and then sat back down. He was being shy but it was cute. Elle did most of the talking, introducing the club, talking about animals and gave ideas of how to help them--not littering, give food when they are hungry, be kind to them, etc. They passed around pictures of all these animals they colored and then even had a club song with bells they sang. It was really cute! (Elle told me she was worried that people wouldn't be interested in the presentation and might say they had to go to the bathroom just so they didn't have to listen. She is so funny! I told her they would love it! She was relieved when no one had to "go to the bathroom" in the middle.) I am so proud of them both for trying to do something good! They are such sweet kids!


Before the presentation






Animals Safety Club song with bells

January Fun

Silly Dress up fun

Elle and Jayne putting on make-up

Easton and Jayne playing cowboys

Playing in the snow

One cute little snowman

Playing train

Easton didn't have school one day for CBM testing so we decided to have a little "Mommy-Easton" date since Elle and Jayne still had school. We had so much fun! I let him choose somewhere to go for breakfast and he chose Kneaders, which was surprising because McDonalds was one of the choices. We got french toast and a breakfast sandwich and sat at a little table, just me and Easton. We talked about school, his friends, bugs, BYU, Star Wars and all his favorite things. I told him how much I love him and how proud I am of him. I loved being able to talk with him without any distractions of home. After, I let him choose something to do before we had to pick up Jayne from preschool, and he said he wanted to go to the library. We go there a lot but usually I am following Jayne around putting books back on the shelf and he wanted me to help him pick out some books. We drove to the library but it wasn't open yet so I let Easton sit in the front sit while we waited in the parking lot. He loved the heater in the seat and how warm it got. He kept saying his bum was on fire. It was funny! We looked through his books he was returning one more time, he made little jokes and we laughed. He is so cute and silly. The library opened and we picked out some books together. We sat down and read a couple and then it was time to go get Jayne. It was short but I absolutely loved my special time with Easton. We read books and play games at home but it was really nice to go do something, out of the ordinary, just he and I. It is a memory that I will always love!

Jayne's 1st day of Preschool

Jayne started preschool right after the New Year and she was SO excited! It always makes her a little sad when Elle and Easton leave for school with Daddy and we say goodbye. So, she was really excited when she got to have her own backpack and go to school with them. We all went together on her first day. We dropped off Elle and Easton first and then drove to Jayne's school, about 10 minutes away. She kept "talking" about her backpack and had to hold it in her lap the whole time. We pulled up to the school and told her where we were and she started cheering. It was so cute! Don and I both took her by the hand and walked up to the building along with all the other parents walking their kids up. She was so excited that she was giggling! She smiled for a picture and looked so cute with her backpack on that is almost as big as she is. All the aides and her teacher were waiting outside for all the kids to get dropped off. Her teacher came up and said hi to her and then one of the aides came up and said, "Oh, I can tell I am going to be in love. She is so cute!" It immediately set my mind at ease to see how sweet all the teachers are and how endeared they already feel to Jayne. They all seem so warm and kind which is just what Jayne needs and deserves.



As soon as the doors opened and we walked inside though, it all changed. She saw all the other kids holding on to the rings on the rope and the parents saying goodbye and she turned around and tried to walk back out the door. We tried to steer her back toward the other kids and she flopped on the floor on her tummy and then she started to cry. Her cute teacher said she would take her but Don and I decided that we would walk her to her classroom on her first day. I was having a little bit of a hard time just dropping my baby off too so I was happy to walk her down to her class. She was a little nervous until we got to the classroom and then she saw all the toys and activities and walked right in. She didn't even bother to say goodbye. She was busy exploring her new classroom.


(She's in the back, by the block center)

Pick-up time couldn't have come fast enough that first day. I was so excited to see her and hear how her first day went. I wish I could have just watched from the window, but that would've been a little weird.


She came walking out with the other kids and then ran to me and said, "Mama!" There's nothing better than that! She gave me the biggest hug and then ran off to the play ground while I talked with her teacher.

Her teacher said that she had a great first day! They read the "Three Little Kittens" book and painted a mitten. They did music and movement for their large group activity and Jayne played at the kitchen center during her play time. She said that Jayne is still getting used to the routine but that she will get it and that she definitely has a mind of her own. I agreed and said she is strong willed. All the teachers love her though!

Since then, it has just gotten better and better. Jayne is always excited for school. Her teacher and aides love her and are so cute with her. Jayne happily goes in with them. She is learning to follow the routine and is interacting with the other kids during play time. I get a paper every day that tells everything they do and where Jayne plays so I always know what she is learning. They read cute books, play math games, do shape activities and I love that there is a speech therapist that is in the classroom a lot. She brings home the cutest painting and art projects and is happy when I pick her up. She LOVES school and is having such a great experience!

New Years Eve

New Year's Eve was low key but still a lot of fun. We had some family over to play games and have treats. We played UNO, a lot of Rook, watched the countdown on TV and we even let Elle and Easton stay up to see the ball drop this year. They were so excited that they could stay up and were bouncing off the walls all night but as soon as midnight came, Easton looked over at me and said, "Mom, can I go to bed now?" (As if I was making him stay awake. Funny Easton!) I got him to bed and went to go get Elle and found her already in bed almost fast asleep. I guess they both just wanted to make it to midnight and then crashed.


Jayne celebrated New Year's a little early before going to bed. She loved her party blower! (Notice how her pajamas are on backwards? She has a funny habit of taking off her pajamas and messy diaper in the morning in her crib. After a lot of messy surprises, we got some footy pajamas, cut the feet off and now we put them on her backwards so she can't take them off without help. Problem solved! Thanks for the tip Paul and Emily!)



Celebrating New Year's with a little sparkling apple cider



Glenn, Tami and Tyler (Cousin Riley came too but somehow I didn't get a picture of him)


Don and Diane

Happy New Year!