Summer Sum Up

Our summer was packed full of fun and we wouldn't want it any other way. We started it off by buzzing all the boys hair off just like last year. We went to the carnival and paid for overpriced fun. All for those kiddos, it was all worth it! We visited the cabin with family and friends as often as possible. Enjoying the cool mountain air, summer rainstorms, mud and stuck trucks, four wheelers, slides, shooting arrows and BB guns. We just can't get enough of the cabin in the summer. We went to St. George and tried out the wake park. Hudson grew so fast we couldn't keep up. He started eating everything, got his first tooth and started crawling too.

We visited Ogden and had all sorts of fun. We camped out under the stars with Grandpa Squires, went on walks, saw the dinosaur park as well. Our beloved Grandma Hawkins passed away and we learned again the importance of the plan of salvation and are so thankful for her in our lives and happy that she is back with Grandpa Hawkins again.

 We went to Lake Powell twice and had our first annual CrossFit Games challenge. The kids did the ski and kneeboard. We ate good meals, played cards, read books and swam all day.

 We played with friends all day long and had our own Sandlot in the backyard. The sprinklers were on constantly as we changed in and out of our swimming trunks. We ate popsicles by the dozen and rode bikes all over the neighborhood. We learned to longboard as well. We had the Squires side up to the cabin and at the lake for 5 days and loved every second and all the adventures Grandpa and Grandma had planned like plaster of paris, GPS scavenger hunts.

We are sad to see the summer end and I am counting the days when it will come again. Excited for our future school year; it brings our first day of kindergarten and our first day being gone to school all day. Time for one on one with the youngest two and time for play. Until May 25th....

Machine Pitch

Machine Pitch has been so much fun this year. We haven't had all our kids show up for a full team so Jake has substituted and it has been great! The boys were all decked out for their first game and looked so cute. The first game Jaxon had his first out and Jake got his first hit. Since then they both have had great hits. Baseball is definitely going to be in our future.

Oceanside Half Ironman

Jeff did another half ironman and did awesome! We went to California and got to play at the beach while he worked his guts out. The kids were awesome, I can't even describe how nervous I was for the drive and then being alone for 7-8 hours trying to chase him down to cheer him on. We got there on Thursday so we had time for Jeff to relax a bit before Saturday and ended up at the beach all day Friday at a cute little town called Encinitas. We played all day and it was perfect weather. Saturday morning we woke up early to watch the swim and it was rainy and a little chilly. The kids walked 1 mile to even get there with no whining at all. They loved it. We were surprised to see Jeff right before he got in the water. We watched and waited and even saw some seals that were swimming in the mass of bodies. It was so funny to see people pop their head out of the water, hoping whatever it was wasn't going to eat them. After the swim we let the kids play at the beach and then we made to hike back 1 mile uphill. Again, no complaining at all! We found a perfect spot to watch and bike and run and set up camp. 

Jeff did awesome on the whole thing, we were so proud. On Sunday we drove towards Anaheim and stopped at Newport beach to relax in the sun and watch the waves and windsurfers. We went to Disneyland on Monday and it was so much fun. Packed with people, but still fun.  

I was so thankful to have Jeff's cousins there and their kids to entertain the kids and play together. Hudson was wonderful till we got to St. George and I can't complain about that. We will never forget the end of this trip however. Two kids got sick and let it rip in the car. So twice we unloaded everyone and everything to clean it all up. Thank goodness we had lots of wipes and bottles of water. That poor car may never smell the same again.

Jump rope

We had some great jump rope lessons before summer even began. It was so much fun and my parents are wonderful at playing with the kiddos. My mom even remembered some of the songs. It was so fun to hear those and think back on all my childhood memories of jumping rope and singing songs. The kids all got really into it. Jake caught on really quickly and was really into it and then the other kids started getting excited about it and caught on. This is just the beginning of our summer fun!

Motherhood

Now that it has been four months and I'm feeling relatively normal in our daily chaotic lives I find that this week before mother's day I have been contemplating more and more on the wonderful examples of mothers in my life. I have so many examples of charity and nurturing and unconditional love to pattern my mothering after and I am deeply thankful for each of them. I never dreamed when I was a little girl of becoming a mother or having babies. I didn't even dream of what I wanted my wedding to be like till I was in the midst of it. I didn't like to hold babies of any sort or age. I actually dreaded it and avoided it like the plague at all costs. If I did happen to get handed a baby and look for the first person to hand it off to. Its been almost seven years since I held my own first baby and looking back on these years I find it amazing to think of how the Lord has blessed me and changed me. Molding me still into the mother I want to do desperately become. When I was pregnant with Jaxon and after both him and Jake I literally poured myself into every parenting, pregnancy, nursing, discipline book there was and was constantly criticizing myself and the way I handled every situation that was put in front of me. Until one day Jeff was once again listening so patiently to me debate and complain and criticize everything and he took the book I was trying to get him to look at away and told me I couldn't read those things anymore. I was appalled, after all I was only trying to improve myself and my family. It took days of thoughtful recollection for me to realize he was right to some degree. I couldn't read those books without expecting myself to do it EXACTLY like the authors did and have my children respond exactly as their children did. Jeff proceeded to tell me that theses precious little ones were sent to us because we are the best ones to raise them. I finally realized I am the best mother to the ones that were sent just to me. And it made me want to be the best for them. I still read books about mothering and such, but with a different perspective. I take those ideas I like and ponder them then I try to adjust them, if fitting, into our family the way it works best for my kids. I am learning so much more now about myself and what I want to become. A holy mother is what I am striving for. One that loves to still pretend McQueen is winning the race across the couch but also mother who is striving to raise children who are caring to others, have strong testimonies, work hard in all they want to accomplish and who love unconditionally. I am going to be the best mother I can because that is what my Father in Heaven wants from me. He sees all of my weaknesses and he doesn't focus on them, he sees the potential I have to improve those weaknesses and gives me challenges that will test my strength. I am thankful for the opportunity to be a mother though it wasn't something I dreamed about it is now something I love and strive to be better at. Thankful for the examples of righteous mothers around me lifting me up and showing me the way.

Spring Hiking

We have done quite a bit of hiking this spring and it has been a blast. Mostly it has been in St. George where it is actually warm and not blowing constantly. We went out by Tonaquint and watched some people bouldering. It reminded me of my college days and rock climbing with friends. Still wishing I could do stuff like that. The boys were all over the rocks.

 Jeff went with the scouts to Newcastle and ran up the mountain for his Saturday workout. What a hike! 

 We showed the boys Lion's Mouth out by Pinto and saw the petroglyphs. They boys are getting to be great hikers and I love to see them exploring things and having fun together. Even Hudson is getting used to being hauled around in the Bjorn. Hopefully they will develop a love for the mountains like Jeff and I have. 

Jake is Five!!

 Jake turned five this year!!! There is something about five that seems so big, they become so independent from this age on. Its one of those milestone ages. We had a great party with all our family and celebrated the week before with the Squires side since they were in town for Hudson's blessing. We had our traditional pick your favorite breakfast which was French toast for Jake. We hung balloons all over. The boys can't resist that many balloons. We had a party later that night and he got just what he wanted a Black Pearl lego ship. Its so fun to have all the cousins over. We had our third knight party and made a sword cake. He just loves being the hero and anything sharp. At first Jeff was a good sport and had all 10 kids helping put together the ship. Luckily no pieces were lost and we worked till after midnight getting it put together. Jeff put it on our front entrance table as a shrine and we both crossed all our fingers and toes it wouldn't get broken into a million pieces. We did take some advice and super glue some main pieces together. Happy 5 Jake!!

Five Reasons we LOVE our Jake the Snake...

1. Jake, you are the peacemaker in our home and have such a carefree attitude. You are always happy to help anytime. And you do it with such a happy attitude.

2. Your eyes are always sparkling at us and so loving.

3. You are a great friend, very caring and trying to make everyone feel comfortable. You are loyal to your friends and willing to help them no matter what and defend them.

4. We love that you are sneaky. Whether its sneaking a snack in the pantry and sneaking into our room at 5am.

5. You are genuine in all that you do.

We can't wait for the next five years!

Easter

Easter came quickly and went quickly at our house. The week before we were lucky enough to go on a family trip to Oceanside, CA for Jeff's half ironman and then on to Disneyland for some kiddo time. The kids were more than wonderful and we had a great time. Easter came so fast I didn't even have time to help the kids dye easter eggs, I know they were super disappointed, so was I though. Its one of my favorite parts. We did remember to focus on the real meaning of the resurrection of our Savior and have some family time. The Easter bunny did make his appearance despite the lack of dyed eggs to hide. I'm pretty sure all candy was devoured in less than 2 days. We love chocolate around here!

  Jax is growing up so fast! I love how handsome our boys look in their Sunday best!

 The Easter bunny brought golf balls, which were a hit along with the kites. There is always plenty of wind in Cedar for kites.

 Kite flying comes with its ups and downs. Jeff was usually up somewhere trying to untangle someone's kite or trying to get it up into the air.