Happy Father's Day!

My kids are so blessed to have Greg as their Dad. He is a rock star here at our house and we love him so much!

A Trip North

Two weeks ago we traveled up north for a much needed retreat. We stayed with Greg's folks and saw lots of friends and family, went to our old ward and loved every minute of it.
Here are some pics of our trip. I don't have nearly enough of the kids with their friends, but I got a few. We went to the neighborhood park on Monday morning and at one point there were over 25 kids there! It was fun to see my kids so happy.

On Saturday night I even got to party with my book group friends. I have missed them so much and I laughed more in those six hours than I had in two months. Michelle hosted and we ate an amazing dinner, played an enlightening 'truth' game and had an all-around fabulous night. There were a few gals not able to make it, and they were definitely missed.

We saw my brother Kristopher and my dad, Steve, and lots of cousins. It was a great trip and we can't wait to go up again.

Memorial Day Weekend

Over Memorial Day weekend, my mom, sister Kylee and her hubby Eric came for visit. It was a long drive from Washington, but I am so glad they came. We all needed to see some familiar faces, and who better than a Nana and Aunt that cover the kids with kisses?

They got in Thursday afternoon, so they got to come to the Pinewood Derby and cheer Trent on. Friday was the last day of school, so after the kids came home we drove up to Snow Canyon. We were blown away by it's beauty. We spent Saturday in downtown St George at the city square, where the kids had lots of fun in the water. There are lots of parks with water features here in St George, and I think this one is our favorite. If you come visit, I promise to take you there! :) We also went to the Visitor's Center. It was perfect weather, not too hot but still warm enough. They had to head home Sunday afternoon, and although it wasn't a long trip, it made us so happy to see them and share our new home and city. We can't wait for their next visit.

Fun with Nana, Auntie Lee and Uncle Eric

Pine Wood Derby

On Thursday night, Trent competed in his first Pine Wood Derby! I don't know who was more excited, him or his dad. :)

They only had one week to get 'Stinger' ready for the race, and they did a fantastic job.

He won 3 of his 4 heats and won an award for having the Sportiest car. They didn't announce an overall winner, it was one of those "We want everyone to feel good" things. Hmmmm....I don't know how I feel about that. (Don't get me started on how building our kids' self-esteem has backfired in our faces. That's a rant for another time.) We figured out that Trent would have gotten the third place trophy if they would have given them out! Way to go Trent, we are so proud of you!!!

Ouch

While at the park a few weeks ago, Rachel took a tumble. This is what she looked like the day after:

Luckily nothing was broken and the bruising only lasted a week.

What to do, Rachel is 2!

Our little charmer turned 2 on May 7th. We had a little party that night and she was terrified of her cake, see accompanying photos.
I still can't believe my 'baby' is 2. Since we've been here in St George, her walking and talking have exploded. I haven't posted much about her walking difficulties, but it took her until January to be able to walk a few steps unaided. We worked with Kids on the Move up north, and now we're working with TLC for Families down here. She walks totally on her own now, though still a little wobbly, and loves trying to keep up with the older kids. I am so happy and relieved. They've said she has low muscle tone, and we continue to work with her on strengthening her core. It's pretty tough to teach a two year old how to do pilates, so we just bounce her on a big ball and she screams the entire time. It's great fun; if you're in town, we'll give you a demonstration. :)
My laptop is on the fritz, and I'm crossing my fingers that all of my pictures from the last two years are still on there. Therefore, I can't make a nifty slide show like I did last year, but I'll give you a few photos of Her Highness from the last few weeks and her b-day.
We are so happy this little bundle of joy came to us. She was an unexpected gift that I am thankful for every day. We love the way she throws her arms around our necks and hugs us tightly. You would think the kids weren't going to see her for a week each time she goes to bed: they have to give her "Kissy! Huggy!" each time. She has the sweetest little voice and constantly makes us laugh with her cuteness. We love our Rachel!