Memorial Day Yard Progress

The elevation of the yard is looking better and better. With everything going on over the holiday I was happy we made any progress. The trampoline hole is now dug. Matt had to basically chip away to get the dirt out of the hole. Im excited as it is now coming together

Memorial Day Weekend

It was a fun Memorial Day. I had text Tiff a few months back and asked if there was going to be a time when they were coming out that we could do a baby shower and this was the weekend. We were lucky enough to have them stay with us so we got to spend some one on one time with them as well. Friday night Tiff and her family as well as Chris and Krissy stayed with us. We made homemade pizza and just visited. Saturday morning Tiff, Krissy, and I got everything set up and ready for the shower. By the time we got ready for the day it was time for the shower. I was really please with the turn out we had. Tiff got some great gifts for her and their baby girl. 

After the shower ended we decided to have everyone stay and we could have dinner together. We got more chicken marinating and made a couple salads. I was really glad I had grocery shopped so we would be prepared for something like this. I can't say enough how much I love having the space I do to host. Em is such a happy sweet little thing and she was happy to help me by sampling the salad.

Saturday after dinner everyone went their separate directions while Matt and I got everything put back together from the crazy weekend. On Sunday Matt's mom invited us to come have dinner at their house with everyone before they headed home. Aaron made spaghetti and meatballs. It was fun to be together again. 

We sat in the backyard in the shade. It was pretty warm in the sun so the shade and the cool grass was perfect. Made me excited to get our grass in and start having some fun.

Learning a New Skill....Quilting

With school out it means we will get to learn new things. I have been quilting with Gracie for the last month or so and Hallie was eager to try it. She immediately loved it and was actually quite good at it. This girl can do anything she puts her mind to 

Random Funness

Gracie and Morgan taking a selfie. These 2 either love or hate each other. I think its just the age but Im grateful they have each other to play with

Spaghettios for lunch now calls for no clothing. This girl is a messy eater but she loves them so we just had an extra bath

These kitties have become very loved at our house even by Matt that is allergic to them. He snapped this pic one day as he was leaving for work

Hallie's Last Day of School

Im so surprised that the end of the school year has come so fast although I thrilled that its summer and we can just play and sleep in. Hallie has grown and changed so much this year. We are so proud of her and the young lady she is becoming. 

One of the last days of school they have field day where they do nothing but play pretty much. Hallie was super excited that Matt was able to go and help. They had different stations from bounce houses, to a magician, and stories.

Hallie's teacher, Mrs. Coy, has been great she has pushed and challenged Hallie in just the right ways. I hope her teacher next year is just as good.

Hallie and her friend Paige. They are great together and Im so glad she has found good friends.

Sprinkler Time

Now that the swimming pool has dried up the work for the sprinklers has started. Im so glad we hired someone to do that. Matt just doesn't have the time and I don't have the patience to do that. They used the trencher for the front yard but ended up having to use the pick ax to dig the rest of the trenches....glad that wasn't us.

YM/YW Fundraiser Dinner

We had so much fun at the YM/YW fundraiser. We had heard it was a very popular thing in our new ward and it didn't disappoint. They even had gluten free option for me. Em had about 5 servings of noodles so I think she loved it as well. They did a silent and a regular auction. They raised quite a bit of money for their camps. It was fun to intermingle with the ward and buy some fun stuff. We bought a water purifier and some babysitting hours for date night

Selfies

The girls have been very into taking selfies. It brings a smile to my face to open up my phone and find all these sweet faces that they have taken together. 

Is the Flood Coming?

The spring here has been so wet! I swear we haven't had a day without rain in over a couple months. It has been great for the water reserve but it has been rough on our yard work. It has also bee really hard to get all the drainage under control in the yard. Since pouring the concrete we haven't had anymore water issues with the basement but the backyard looks like swimming pool at times. Oh well in a month we'll be complaining about the heat and how dry it is so for now I will enjoy the rain and how green everything is.

Never Ending Yardwork

I feel like we are "building" a house again except its the yard. We want to get it done so most if not all of our time is being devoted to it. The kids are great to help but its really hard for Matt and I to work on a longer project without one of the kids needing something. It can be frustrating but we are working thru it. Often times I feel guilty for not helping enough and leaving Matt to work on his own while I take care of the kids. I know we have talked about doing all of this again but Im not quite sure. Im ready for the projects to be done and to just spend the majority of our time as a family just living our lives.

Baking Gracie

I have found that I really enjoy baking with my kids. Gracie is at an age that she loves to bake/cook. She has become really good at it. At least once a week I try to have the kids do most of the prep/cooking/baking/clean up. They are getting to the point they need less and less direction. Im always impressed at how quickly kids pick up on new skills. And its giving me the opportunity to gain patience and realize that there is more than one way to do thing. Ez once told me there are 2 kinds of people. There are teachers and taskers. I think I am a natural born tasker. Meaning I like to check things off my list and its hard for me to slow down and teach someone or let someone help me. I feel that being like this I miss opportunities with my kids and I am working hard to change this. 

Bubbles

Em and the girls are loving the bubble machine Em got for her birthday. I love it because I can sit back and watch them enjoy the bubbles without having to blow them. Bubble machines are a genius idea.

Hallie's Show and Teach

At the end of the each of the 1st graders have an opportunity to choose something to show their class and teach them. Originally Hallie was going to do a craft but at the last minute decided she wanted to take her kitties. I think the kids really enjoyed it and Hallie did a great job teaching the kids how to hold and take care of kittens. She thought it was really cool to wear the microphone and have everyone listening to her. I was impressed at how well she did explaining things and keeping things under control. She wanted each of the kids to line up in one line to hold a kitty and another line to pet the kitties. It was a fun afternoon

The Adventurous Life of Emery

Em's personality continues to show its self more and more everyday. She is so fun. She loves to be silly and laugh at herself. Here she is playing peek a boo

Now that she is mobile she is very mobile. We got the gate up and have been working on child proofing. With our soft close cabinets its nice because they are harder to open so she hasn't figured that out yet. She has started pulling herself up on things and into things. I don't think it will be long and she will be walking

Along with being mobile comes the falls and the injuries. She fell while climbing in the toy cupboard and hit her poor face.