Wednesday, April 30, 2025

April Adventures Await!

3rd quarter grades came out and guess who got a 4.0? These two!! They are the best students and we are so proud of them... although I am starting to regret my decision to pay them $50 every time they get a 4.0. 

Lagoon with cousins! How many kids fit in the haunted house cart?


You're never too old to ride Puff... Look how much fun Caden is having!!

Bulgy is still one of Brynnli's favorite rides. All of the cousins watched Brynnli go on this ride and every time she would go by us we would all scream and wave. I think Brynnli might have been a little embarrassed. To make Brynnli cringe even more, Tyler ran in at the end of the ride and insisted on helping her out of the ride and carried her out, just like a little kid. 

Makayla's trio made the Hustle Dance competition Instagram page. 
Hey, it's a legit question... Tyler, what's the answer? 
While the girls were at a dance competition, Tyler and Caden got to go mountain biking with the young men in Moab. They said some of the trails were very challenging, but they had a lot of fun. There were lots of flat tires along the way and the boys learned the importance of having the right equipment (aka, not a cheap bike that's 30 years old). 


Looks like Caden was worn out by the end. 
I love spring time. I love the way our house looks when all the leaves on the tree start blossoming. 

I left to run some errands and had to chuckle at Caden and all of his friends over. Caden has such a great group of friends!
My mom turned 76 years old and we celebrated her birthday with dinner at our house. My mom had no idea what was going on, but she had fun. We love being with her and know her time is short. 



Brynnli's team was picked to go to a company convention. They had to attend classes for 2 days and then there was a competition. Brynn was not excited for this event at all. But I stayed close by and brought her lunch both days. The funniest part is when I picked her up at the end of day 2 and she looked at me and said, "Get me out of this place!" 



Poor thing was exhausted after dancing for 2 days. 

The Moffies were visiting from Florida, so Brynnli got to play with Abigail for a few days. They had so much fun together!

This next part is a little vulnerable for me, but here we go... A few years ago we were looking for something to do as a family and we decided to go hiking up Ensign Peak. It's a pretty steep hike, maybe a mile and a half. I was so out of shape that I struggled to climb it. I had to take breaks every couple of minutes, and eventually the kids and Tyler left me behind and ran up the hill. I was so embarrassed and mad at myself that I couldn't climb it with my family. Fast forward to today and I have been on a heath journey to get in better shape and lose weight. I decided I would try to hike Ensign peak again, and this time I was able to climb it without feeling so frustrated with myself. It was a good moment for me! 


 Whelp, that's all for now!

Sunday, April 20, 2025

Easter Joy in Full Bloom

Happy Easter! I love this time of year because the weather is getting nicer, the days are getting longer, and we get to spend more time together as a family. But my favorite thing about this time of year is getting to celebrate Easter and remember the greatest gift of all, the atoning sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

We have our usual traditions of opening pajamas before bed and setting our Easter baskets, in hopes that the Easter Bunny will stop by with some fun surprises. Even Bella was ready for some Easter fun!



We woke up early the next morning and started hunting for the kids' baskets. Bella found her basket first... probably because it had treatises in it. 
Caden was rockin his bunny ears all day. 
Brynn found her basket next in the coat closet, buried under the blankets. She was so excited about her quick sand kit. 
Makayla found her basket in the kitchenette. She loved her clothes. 

Caden searched and searched... we were starting to think he was forgotten (common with the middle child), but alas, he found his basket behind the kitchen sign. Caden's favorite gift was a Lego car. 


Then we got ready for church and I had to take a picture of my adorable looking kids all dressed up. Gosh they clean up nice. 
After church we got a few photos in their new spring outfits. 


Then we were off to our first Easter party. The kids loved the Easter Egg walk and scream. If you know the Collard family, then you know exactly what I mean by this. 







After that we headed over to Grandpa Bob and Grandma Kathy's house for another Easter egg/money hunt and to decorate Easter eggs. 

My parents always do so many eggs for just 3 kids, and they had so much fun counting their money!




Caden was so creative (not) and made these very realistic eggs of me and Tyler. I think my egg looks cuter than Tyler's.

And yes, Caden still rocked his bunny ears through the night. 

Happy Easter! I am so grateful for my Savior and his atoning sacrifice for me. Because of Him, I can live with my family forever!