She Did It!

We weren't sure if she would be able to complete the rigorous requirements, but we are proud to say that...Sophie graduated from preschool. We're kind of thinking Ivy League...or BYU (which in my opinion is Ivy League)! Sophie attended Grandma Janet's preschool for the last two years and loved it. She enjoyed each day and came home with many beautiful art projects. She also loved her carpool buddies, Spencer and Bridger.

San Diego to Calm the Nerves!

My good friend, Julia, and I were in desperate (a very slight exaggeration!) need of some sunny weather during our way too cold and long Boise spring, so we planned ourselves a little trip to sunny San Diego. Somehow the hubbies managed to work their way into our plans (!), and so the four of us had a crazy fun and relaxing weekend. We visited Sea World, where Julia and David got drenched on the water ride, and Steve and I managed to stay mostly dry. Julia says the after shot makes her look like Ozzy Ozbourne's daughter! We ate delicious food. Julia and I took super long walks along the beach every morning while the guys waited semi-patiently! We visited the History of Man museum...hence the Bigfoot picture. Steve and I were also able to spend an evening with one of my favorite cousins, Laurie, and her husband Michael. I always love spending time with her, and Michael just adds spice to everything!

Modest Bath Buddies!

Sophie had a playdate at Aubrie Johnson's house, which turned into a late-over (just shy of a sleepover) and these pictures are proof that they had WAY too much fun! Aubrie's mom wasn't sure how I would feel about the girls bathing together, so she decided to play it safe and have them wear swimsuits. Little does she know that we haven't yet discovered modesty in our home! But I'm glad the girls are clothed because otherwise I would not be posting them on our blog!

Spring Break Stay-cation

Could someone please remind me next year to plan a warm weather vacation during Spring Break? Seriously, whoever reminds me of that will get a prize, and it won't be one of those home crafted prizes that many blogs give out, because you wouldn't want that from me. Maybe if you're lucky it will be a disposable toothbrush! The weather in Meridian, Idaho in mid-March is not worthy of a break from school! With my complaints being noted, we still managed to have some local fun. We took advantage of many Boise attractions, including the Discovery Center, the movie theater, and our favorite pizza shop and candy store. Here we are with some of Maxwell and Sophie's very best buds, Aubrie and Kaleb Johnson at Flatbread Community Oven. Capri has become Miss Independent and wants/needs her own EVERYTHING...including drink with straw!

Sharing a Rainbow

Rainbows are like a colorful little smile from heaven. To me there isn't a more cheerful and lovely creation. I love sighting a rainbow with my kids, and who better to share it with than Caleb and Aubrie! Take note of the burns on Caleb's forehead after an unfortunate bacon grease incident at Fathers and Sons campout!

Rollerdrome...We Own You!

The Johnsons, Terrys, Paynes and Weavers hit the only existing rollerskating rink in the entire Treasure Valley, which happens to be in my old hometown of Nampa and is right around the corner from the Arctic Circle I used to work at in high school. Can you say "glory days"? We really had so much fun and pretty much owned the rink that night. Jenni Terry and I were cracking each other up because we got our groove back really quick, doing the crossover on turns and keeping beat with the music! I know as a 35 year old mother of 3 I should feel at least a little bit out of place at a 5th grade hangout spot, but I actually felt super cool. That's one good thing about myself...I can feel cool pretty easily! Several of us made it to the final rounds of the limbo competition, and my graceful exit was even captured for posterity! My personal favorite part of the night was watching my husband and his buddy Jared wear their matching black and shimmering gold almost Ed Hardy shirts with pride. We finished off the night adult style and ate at a really good restaurant that 5th graders can't afford!

Our Second Home

Gilbert, Arizona was our home for four years and when we moved away we thought we would be back to visit once a year or more, however, life seems to get in the way and it took us nearly three years to get back to our second home...and home it still was. We decided not to tell anyone we were coming, except Mike Romney, which was kept totally confidential because he was in Haiti prior to our arrival! The evening we flew in we decided to drive through the old hood and just start knocking on doors. As we were entering The Gardens Steve said, "I think we'll see Matt Porter playing at the park with his daughters" and sure enough Matt was our first sighting! We then crashed the Jelinek pad, tried a couple others but there was no answer, and called it a night at the Nielson's. I highly recommend this kind of arrival - it was crazy fun! Even on short notice our friends were able to hang with us a bit. Our bishop and his wife even fit it into their schedule to join us for dinner. We ate lots of good food, laughed hard, and were reminded over and over why these people make Gilbert our second home.