Easter 2011

One of the reasons I just love Easter weekend is that it starts off our summer season of camping, which isn't a lot sometimes but it mean warm weather. Jeff's family on the Hawkins side has the tradition of going to the Whitney Pockets in the desert by Mesquite. The Whitney side of the family has a ranch there and some cool stories to go with the landscape. It was so fun to be with family! We played catch in the warm weather, a little golf, hiking, eating junk and just talking. The easter egg hunt is always fun for the kids and Jax decided this year he was one of the big kids and proved himself worthy with a sack full of eggs and treats. Jake did great and was determined to find every last bit of candy hidden in those rocks!

 The Burgess family compliments our camping trip nicely with a soak in the pool, don't worry we do shower at the hotel in St. George before invading Mark and Kathy's! So lucky to have such wonderful family to be with.

 We made our traditional resurrection rolls and dyed easter eggs as well. One tradition we started this year was a week of easter. We had a basket full of 12 numbered eggs and inside each one was a something that represented a different part of the week before the resurrection and I tried to get a picture and scripture for each one. It really made Easter what it should be. 

What cute kids!

NYC still...

We got on our favorite red bus on Friday for our last day and took the uptown tour of the city. We stopped at the Lincoln center because we had the worst tour guide ever. She seriously was insane and kept yelling at people for everything! We had to leave and just happened to find a store called lululemon that we love! Then we saw the Lincoln Center and are just waiting to cross the street and BAM there it is! The Temple is just right there with apartments on one side and a cafe on the bottom. Awesome, I wish we would have had time to go in! They are only open certain days at certain times.

 I think I decided that cathedrals creep me out, especially contrasting it from the temple. Super dark, names of dead people everywhere, just creepy. But the windows and who knows how they built it with all that detail so long ago. Another fun thing we happened to find was the restaurant that you always see on Seinfeld. 

 We drove past the museums hoping to be able to go in them on another trip if possible, but you could have stayed in them all day long! So we headed to Central Park, I wish I could have seen it in the spring or fall. We had our hotdog from the stand and I love the candied almonds they sell! Then we headed to Trump Towers and 5th Ave. 

 We were walking past Trump's bldg. and I saw this guy with a TMZ hat on and I thought ghetto and sure enough up pulls the escalade with Wynonna Judd. Nasty is all I have to say! Orange hair, orange face and caked on makeup. Someone even called her Naomi, so funny! 5th Avenue had just about every kind of shopping you could imagine. I was chicken though and didn't go into Tiffany's.

 If your in NYC and need a place to park for the day this is how they do it! They must rotate them around or something when you want your car down. I wish we could have seen it in action!

 We went to the Broadway play Wicked and I sneaked a pic. Amazing was all I could utter, just amazing. Gotta see it no matter what!

 We ate at all different kinds of restaurants: pizza by the slice in corner cafes, italian, a really good thai restaurant, and two different Brazilian restaurants. But our favorite was Crave! We had breakfast there, and dessert and just looking at the pizza made you drool! This was our night of indulgence; a black and white cookie, reeses cupcake, caramel brownie and pizza!

NYC continued...

This was the first cathedral we went and the gravestones were so so old. One from the war of 1812! That's crazy. This day was are 10 mile walking day. We walked to NYSE, Jeff watches this every morning, super high security!!! We went down to see the subway but never did end up taking a ride on it, maybe another time. I didn't want to get lost and end up spending all our precious time underground. 

We hoped back on the red bus and our guide was awesome to say the least, so good we could somewhat  stop thinking about freezing to death. He even took us a back way so we could get a closer look at the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges.

We walked to Canal Street and it wasn't as awesome as described, I think I would have liked Soho better. We walked to the Rockefeller Center and saw the skating rink and got our first view of Manhattan! Wow!

That night we decided to go to the Empire State Building and if there is one thing you have to do is go up top at night! We did this cheesy ride thing to save us waiting in line, I called Jeff a sucker for those guys on the street but after we left we found out how much time we really did save. Sometimes it pays to be a sucker I guess.

I love NYC

Wow, it was all I ever thought it would be in New York. We left Tuesday night and stayed in Vegas, we had just enough time to go see the Bodies exhibit. I have always wanted to see it and it was fascinating and I have a greater appreciation for my body. The part with the babies though and the size of the fetus was creepy but so interesting to actually see how big the baby is! We got up at 4am for the airport and it went by so fast. As soon as we got there we unpacked, ate, and headed to see Spiderman on Broadway. The special effects were awesome, but other than that for me it was cheesy and they actors didn't have the best voices. There was one song called "Rise Above" that I liked. Its a comic book story so I guess cheesy is what it was originally though. Still fun to see. Spiderman was flying through the air and Jeff was mostly asleep beside me when he landed right behind us and just about on top of Jeff. Lets just say it was the best wake up call he's ever had! One thing I was amazed by as we drove from the airport was the cemeteries! Millions of gravestones just inches apart.

The next day we hoped on the double decker red bus at 9am to see the Statue of Liberty. I don't know what we were thinking but we did not pack for 40 degree weather at all. Light spring jackets and you couldn't even give Jeff's black pullover that! We stood in line to get on the ferry for about 3 1/2 hours! I was freezing to death, only a small $3 bag of roasted almonds made me happy. I was seriously contemplating just leaving! We finally made it on the ferry and got to the statue, we only had passes to go on the island not inside the statue so in our hypothermic state we decided to stay on the ferry. I was amazed at how small it was. Only 150 ft. tall when it was built by the French and then we added the base. I was thinking Empire State Bldg. tall. Still cool. This day we saw just about everything! We had the best and the worst two tour guides that day too. We saw Wall St., U. N., Ground Zero and the new Freedom Tower, Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, Empire State Bldg., Rockefeller Center, and some cool old churches, Canal Street I even did my first bargaining but was too chicken to ask for more the $5 off the price. Our guide told us purses are usually only worth $25. I am pretty sure we walked 10 miles. Everything is just right there.

Happy 4th Jake

Happy 4th Birthday Jake! We made Jake's favorite breakfast, french toast, that morning and he blew out his first four candles. He had his mom and dad all to himself that morning because his brothers were still sleeping.

 If there is one thing Jake really likes next to swords its action figures of any kind. We had a How to Train Your Dragon party and he was thrilled. It was the first cake I have bought in 5 years, but this was also the first time my mom hasn't been there to help me out. I love making the cake with her! Lins did great however.

 This picture is right before the party I checked the mail and Grandpa and Grandma Squires bday package had arrived perfectly in time. He was so excited we couldn't wait. They were so funny to wrap it like 6 times over he kept saying, I get another present like he had just received 6 different gifts. What a crack up! Then the party began.

 Every year the packages seem to get opened faster than before now that the kids are bigger they know that there is more than just one. Before they would open one and would get confused because we would take that one away and hand them another wrapped up box just as they got to the good stuff from the one before! He got all he wanted and more and everyone was so generous! Thank you!

 Even polite enough to open the cards up!

 He did not let go of the action figures once they were all unhooked from their package. This is the transfer that took 10 min. so he could blow out his bday candles.

 Once those candles were out, no cake or ice cream for him. He had some good setting up and pretending to do with those army guys.

Four reasons of the many reasons we love you Jake:

1. No one can snuggle quite like you. Your mom just can't wait to get that kiss goodnight and snuggle during some of those few quiet afternoons.

2. The great pretender. You can conjure up the most elaborate productions with those action figures of yours. You are so easy to let others play and share the action with you as well. Your motto could be the more the merrier.

3. The way those big eyes shine at us when you are excited to tell us what happened at school that day and what you made. Or a funny story you are about to tell. They just sparkle!

4. Your giggles when you are ticklish. You love to be tickled and ask mom to tickle you all the time and I do because I can't resist that giggle.

Our spring update...

We had our first warm day at the first of January but it didn't last too long. We had to take advantage of our new snowball makers. I can't wait for the future snowball wars, these puppies will give us the edge! The boys had a great time as did I, which isn't surprising when it comes to me and the snow. 

I just couldn't resist taking a picture of these handsome little gentlemen one Sunday morning when everything was actually going smoothly. I just love Jake's funny face it kills me.

 The boys have watched Sandlot with Jeff and I and I cringe to think that I actually let that happen so early in their lives but it is one of mine and Jeff's favorite shows. Mute is usually on hand when I am there and some nice fast forwarding DVR. But the boys love the idea and what better place to set one up than in our dirt backyard. It's perfect for them and they love it, I just have to get rid of those pesky weeds one of these days. Jeff and the boys will play for hours!

 We finally had great snow to make a snowman and use our Christmas stocking gift complete with a pipe for Frosty! That is the third snowman Jax and Con made that day! They seriously rolled some big snowballs, I could hardly lift them!

 This is a regular sight at our house especially since it warmed up so much. I just love to sit on the deck on watch them all play. There is nothing more that warms my heart than to see all these cousins who love each other so much and just want to play together all the time. They each have their own little space and the freedom to go wherever in or out. This day I even let them bring some toys outside which I don't normally do and they were so good to play and even clean them up and bring them in after they were all done. I can't wait for summertime. 

 Sometimes Jake and Jadyn can get in their own little pretend world together and you can't stop their little imaginations!

 These two you can generally find in the dirt consistently especially if Jax has first reign on the shovel. My favorite part of watching Lauren is that she is usually humming something random as well as talking to herself.

 You can count on Cooper to be the best dressed for all occasions and I love it. He has all sorts to tell you and has a lot of energy. 

 This is where I found Hunter one day after 20 minutes of him whining because I wouldn't let him help me cook the bacon. So funny and he knew he was funny too. He posed for each picture!