We got home from Europe just in time for our Kids Spring Break. We wanted to make sure we were home so that we could do family things while they were out of school. Troy continued to take the week off. The first thing we did our kids have been dying to do for awhile...that is going to Airborne. It's a trampoline place where they play dodgeball and jump. They loved it!
As you know - we are BYU fans. We don't JUST like football...or basketball...we are all sport fans. The Men's Volleyball team has a great team this year - namely due to a man by the name of Taylor Sander. He really is amazing. Seriously. I'm pretty sure he could quite easily jump over my head. We went to 3 or 4 games this year - and because I must have been bored, or just a super nice mom, I agreed to painting faces. And chests. Daxton told Kyle and Jake, "There are girls in my primary class who watch BYU. What if they see me." My boys couldn't understand why Daxton was worried that girls would see him without a shirt - we know which one out of the 3 is girl crazy! The boys got their arms signed by Taylor Sander and thought it was the coolest thing ever! Glad the kids enjoy the simple things.
Our first snow this year happened in November. Little did we know, that it would be the last snow until the middle of January! I'm glad we took advantage and took the kids sledding. They had begged to go, and they all did great. Haley even went down the hill by herself, and hauled her sled up all by herself. That's my kind of sledding! As an adult, it's fun to watch my kids be so excited in the snow, even though the novelty has definitely worn off for me. I like to watch snow fall inside of a clean house, but that's my only joy of snow. 
This fall, our family had the chance to go back to Oregon. Well, we made it happen. Troy really wanted to go to the BYU football game vs. OSU and I had a few photoshoots. So, we decided to make a weekend out of it. We left on a Wednesday night and stayed in Boise. We woke up the next day and made our way to Portland. We stopped at Multnomah Falls on the way into town for a photo op. It has been so long since we have been there. Still gorgeous! We then drove into Aloha to stay with friends, the Gonzalez Family. We ran a few errands (tax free) and met up with them at THE Papa's Pizza. Definitely not a food favorite, but the kids LOVED playing there. It was really fun. The next morning we got up early, packed a sack lunch, and drove to the Oregon Coast. It's not a trip to the coast if you don't make it to the Tillamook Cheese factory! We stopped at a beach near Cannon Beach for our lunch. We ate quick, and the kids took off their shoes, and headed for the water. It was a sunny day in October, and I wished I had shorts on! At one point, a child said, "Who knew we could have so much fun at a cold beach?" We stayed about an hour, then headed inland to meet Sarah and kids at the Pumpkin Patch we frequented when we lived there. It was still fun (pretty sure more expensive though)! We told the kids they could pick any pumpkin as long as they could carry it. I think we ended up saying at least 20 feet. It was fun for them to play on the hay bales with old friends! We then went back to Papa's pizza - this time with the Nielsen's. The adults did NOT want to eat the food, so after the kids played for awhile - we put Kyle in charge of all the kids, and we went to PF Changs. Yum! My kind of dinner! It was fun catching up. The next day, Troy left early for the football game, and I headed to do more photoshoots. I LOVE my Oregon clients! Cassandra picked me up when I was finished, and we took all our girls to lunch and then to a makeup store where we put makeup on them! Their choice of everything! That night, Sarah came by and we visited and chatted until Troy got home from the game. We decided to drive through the night and make our way home. It was a super fun weekend! I love little family trips. Oregon was such a great place for us to raise our little kids. It was the place I had babies, was pregnant, and had toddlers to entertain. The friends I had their taught me so much and I will always remember them. As Troy and I drove around, we missed that time our kids were so little, but we also knew that we are where we are supposed to be. It was a great feeling to have. We know we will always remain close to friends, but we made the right decision for our family, at a time when we really didn't know what would be the better choice! We will definitely have to make Oregon a destination for more family get-aways! 
This year we have really enjoyed our backyard! The fruit trees we planted 4 years ago, have finally started bearing fruit. And it's super yummy! The kids love playing in the backyard, and I am so excited to be able to have a wonderful garden. Now, don't get me wrong. I do not have a green thumb - unless you count weeds. I am also pretty busy, and I hate yardwork and pulling weeds. I got to friends yards who have absolutely beautiful yards - but it's just beyond me to do it...kinda like sewing. I do love eating the tomatoes. You can never have enough tomatoes - especially when they're straight from the garden! I LOVED the pear tree too! The kids ate them, and I think next year I may try bottling some. I know,'gasp' heard round the world! I actually made applesauce with the apples from our tree. I kept the perfect ones to just eat - but the rest I turned into applesauce. Straight apples. No sugar, completely organic (cause we don't know how to spray our trees). So wonderful! Truly feel blessed to have what we have! 
During one of the parades we attended this year - we were given free passes to Classic Waterslides. I used to go there when I was a little girl. It's definitely classic. We met up with the Braithwaites, and the kids had a great time, especially since Canyon School District was already back in school! I loved how the kids could go down by themselves, and they let the kids play - even though standing on stacks of mats isn't exactly safe. It was super fun, and I wished I would have taken the kids earlier in the summer - although, if it was busier, I'm sure I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much! 
And one of my favorite reasons for taking the kids swimming in the summer...
...asleep by the time we get home!
While Mike and Maria were in town, they wanted to go on a hike. We wanted to go somewhere that the kids could hike without too much help and someplace close. Doughnut Falls up Big Cottonwood Canyon is the perfect spot. It was gorgeous up there. Quiet, serene...well, until our kids got up there! They had a blast. Playing in the water, looking for caterpillars, and looking at flowers. It is always nice to be able to take a short 30 minute ride and be in the mountains. 
We took our friends out to the Harding Hideout again this year. The kids love being able to bring their friends. We had a good time. There were frogs, lots of them - so much, in fact, that we had to tell the kids they couldn't touch them anymore. I hope they were playing dead, and not really dead. Ooops. They always have fun on the slide, swing, and in the water. Its really important for me that my kids have great friends. I think so many of the choices you make as a teenager are determined a lot by your friends. I am so happy of the friends my kids have chosen and who they love to spend their time with. We had a good day together, and everyone left a bit early, which gave us time to sit and talk to my grandma and grandpa. Definitely a good day! 
