They are growing up! literally & everyday glimpes from our lives lately

Last April I made a growth chart, (Ok Cort made most of it, love him and his willingness to help me with my "projects") that I could use to track the kids growth over the years. Didn't seem like to me that they had changed all that much in the past 9 months, but a few days ago I decided to measure them again and lo and behold, to my surprise, they have each grown about 4 inches. Talan and Easton the most at almost 6 inches each.

Chase decided to take his own measurements without me knowing a couple months ago. That's why there are like 4 markings for him with the date April 2011 on it. Grrrrr At first the perfectionist in me was so mad that he did that, but now I actually think it's cute and think I'll leave it like that instead of painting over it.

Taylor and Chase are taking drawing class again this month. I was so impressed with what had both done yesterday. I am so glad we signed them up for this class.

Taylor's

Chase's

Today was Spirit Day at Taylor and Chase's school. Which meant they got to wear jerseys to school. Chase wore his football one from last fall and Taylor wore Chase's soccer one.

And then a couple weeks ago was crazy tie day at their school. This is as crazy as they got. Very cute kids, if I do say so myself!

Every day, once we drop Taylor and Chase off at school at the crack of dawn! (They start school at 7:30! Way too early for me.) Me, Tal and East try to head out for a walk and on our way home we stop at the elephant park in our neighborhood. It's good quality time together. I know I'll look back on these times of life and smile. Especially when I look at pictures like the one below. They truly are such happy times. I love being a mom. :)

Taylor has been reading the Harry Potter series recently. She is on book 4 and because Taylor is obsessed with Harry Potter these days, so are all the boys. Even Easton. Found them all "reading" together the other day. Monkey see, monkey do!

These boys have gotten quite close the past few months, with Taylor and Chase at school all day they are spending a lot more time together. Walking in on moments like these just melts a mom's heart.

100 days of school celebration for Chase was a couple weeks ago. Chase decided to do a 100 piece puzzle for the celebration. Right up his alley. He also did a lot of other 100 day activities in his class that day. I can't get over how much he has changed since starting kindergarten. He is growing up way too fast for my liking.

Easton HATES when Talan goes to school. The other day he packed himself a back pack and had high hopes that he could go with him. He was so disappointed when he couldn't. But this week he started his own little "school" with some friends in the neighborhood. The first time was at our house. We made and played with play dough. He loved having his friends over and so did Talan!

Talan and Easton had their well child check-ups last month. (Only a few months late, no biggie) Talan got his 5 year old shots at the appointment. We weren't planning on doing it, but the doctor said why not, so we did. Talan was a champ! I told him you are going to get shots today and he said "ok." He asked does it hurt? I said a little, like a pinch. But he still hopped up there and let the nurse do her stuff. Sooo different from my sweet Chasers who was hiding under my chair and who I had to hold down in order for him to get them (kinda like I did when I was 5, I remember my mom saying how embarassed she was) Gotta love the differences between these kids.

Last night Talan gave the lesson in FHE. He used his Plan of Salvation Wheel that he made at preschool. He did such a good job. It went something like this, "Once upon a time, we were babies, then we came to earth, then we get dead, then our spirits get together, then we are judged, (he had some help with the resurrection), then we go to live with Jesus on the sun, or we go to live on the moon or the stars." I think my favorite part was when he said "we get dead!" I wish I could bottle him up and keep him as a 4 year old for a couple more years.

Portland

This past weekend I headed up to Portland, Oregon with two of my dearest friends. We have been through a lot together. I first meet them both when all of our girls where about one year old. Since then we have had babies together, gone through trials together, raised our kids together, and had lots and lots of good times together. We will be friends through the eternities I have no doubt about that!

We had to go to Portland because Audrey just moved there a few months ago and we wanted to go check out her life there. Talk about beautiful! What a great place to live. It was cold and rained a lot, but it was a nice change for me. We don't get a lot of rain down here in the desert.
On the Street Car taking us to some downtown shopping. We spent the first night walking around downtown with our umbrellas in hand, checking out some very cool and unique shops.

We spent at least 40 minutes in the store Moonstruck, sampling all sorts of yummy chocolate. Some of the YUMMIEST chocolate I've ever had! It would be so dangerous for me if I lived that close to one.

In our hotel room in Portland. We stayed up talking til around 2am I believe that first night. We never run out of things to talk about.

Out side of our hotel. Headed to get some breakfast and more shopping! We had the most amazing breakfast Quesdillas at a place called Mothers that day. Oh sooo good!

Later that night, we headed about 20 minutes out of Portland to Lake Oswego where Audrey actually lives and spent sometime at the Temple and enjoyed seeing Audrey's neighborhood, house and her new life up there. She drove us around the Lake on Sunday while we jammed out to Blind Pilot. Oh the memories. Those houses around that Lake are amazing!
Lake Oswego

It was time well spend. And although I missed Cort and the kids like CRAZY, so glad we did it. I always leave these girls with a renewed desire to be a better mom, wife, person, and friend. Sooo grateful for good friends and influences in my life. Can't wait to do it all again! Love you girls!!

funny girl

When I opened the microwave today, this is what I found. What a crack up!

(FYI: Blokus is a tetris-like game that we played when we were in Mexico. It is seriously one of the most fun games I've ever played. I totally went and bought it the day after we got home. We are all totally addicted to it!)

Puerto Lobos

Some good friends invited us down to their beach house in Mexico over New Years weekend, along with some other good friends from our ward. We had such an amazing time. Taylor told me yesterday, "I miss Mexico, I wish we could go back!" We had 30+ people total with us and it was a non-stop, fun good time!

Puerto Lobos is a small fishing town about three hours drive into Mexico once you get across the border. It's a pretty remote little town, but the people who do live there don't have much. I wish I would have gotten a picture of some of their houses. Not anything like ours. I was grateful that my kids were able to see how blessed we are and to teach them because we have been given much, we are required to give much back. It was a very humbling experience and a good reminder for all us.
The view from their back step

Our last night there we got together with some of the locals for a serious game of soccer. Chase held his own and was in the game the ENTIRE time. He loves sports and lives to play them. Cort said one of the guys from the other team asked how old Chase was and said how impressed he was with how into the game he was. That's our Chase.


The first day there one of our friends caught an Octopus that all the kids got to check out. We also got to watch dolphins and a killer whale swim around about 15 feet or so from the shore, right out by where some of the men were snorkeling. SO COOL!


The kids got to snorkel for the first time. The water was SO COLD! I couldn't even bare to put my feet in the water, but they didn't let a little thing like cold water stop them and I'm glad that they got to experience it.





Playing on the beach never got old





Quad rides were a favorite too!

White Sand Beach. So pretty.





Sea shell hunting. There were huge sea shells everywhere all over the beach. Taylor couldn't get enough of collecting them.

Roasting Marshmallows at night. I was so impressed with all the teenagers who were there with us. I hope my kids grow up to be just like them. So kind, willing to help, and polite. What great youth we have in our ward/neighborhood.


Fun time with friends





Family time






Football on the beach. Once again Chase was loving it!


We couldn't thank the Davis family enough for the invite. A couple highlights of the trip that I didn't get photos of, were the 4 huge fish Mason caught with his spear gun while out snorkeling and then cooked up for us not even an hour later. Some of the best red snapper I have ever had. And then also, when we came across the Mexican military who were stationed along our drive down to Puerto Lobos. Ever had someone point a machine gun right at you from ten feet away?? We can now say that we have. Talk about making your heart pound. We were told by those who had been there before that normally they are never there, how nice of them to show up just for us! :) It was really such a wonderful trip. One I don't think we will ever forget.
Tally on the way home. All of the kids where asleep within about 5 minutes once we got in the car to go home. Party til you drop!