April is for Field Trips

Caden's preschool class went on a field trip to Tracy Aviary this year, and since it was right before Spring break, our whole family got to go!

Here's Caden's cute class: 

 We walked around and got to see all the birds.

 Some of Caden's cute classmates:

 Miss Aubrey and Miss Marie

 Brynn loved the flamingos.

 And I love selfies.

 I just love this picture of these two!

A few weeks later I got to go on a field trip to Wheeler Farm with Makayla. 

Luckily I was in charge of keeping track of Makayla and her two friends, Haylie and Samantha. 

 This is Makayla's class and her teacher, Mrs. Kimball.

 Makayla and Haylie did not like the smells at the farm.

 We got to watch the blacksmith make a part of a chain.

 These baby sheep were born that very morning we were on our trip.

 We got to go for a tractor ride.

 And see the ducks. All three girls were so enamored by this tiny little baby duckling.

Our Biggest Goal Yet

See this picture? It means more to me and Tyler than anyone will ever realize for two reasons: 

 1, our kids. We are so lucky to have three of the most adorable kids around, and 2, see the house in the background? After 51/2 years of living there it's officially ours.

 Yep, we paid off our house in full. WE'RE DEBT FREE!!!!

With the exception of our mortgage, Tyler and I have always been debt free, and it has been our mutual goal to pay off our house as soon as we could. We've sacrificed a lot, endured a lot of poking fun at our lifestyle (I didn't have a smart phone until a year ago, and we haven't had a cable package in years), and tolerated a lot of spreadsheets, but we've also celebrated each small step that's got us to this point. And you know what? It feels great to know that our house is ours. There is a huge relief taken off our shoulders, and the grass feels just a little bit better now that it's ours. 

To celebrate, Tyler and I went to dinner at The Roof Restaurant where we had a spectacular view of the Salt Lake Temple.  

The dinner was delicious, but my favorite part was obviously the desserts. It was a buffet, so obviously I helped myself to one of each. 

We had to take the iconic picture in front of the temple. 

 We walked around Temple Square and talked about our next big goal in life. It was probably one of my favorite nights.

Pull It!

Another year of Trap shooting fun and another year of wondering what Utah weather is up to. 

Week one was gorgeous. Tyler shot just one bird above Jeremy. (Just kidding. He was one bird below, but to tease the Jones boys, he told them that he shot better than Jeremy). 

How can you cram so much sass into one little girl? Add a donut and a messy face, and there's no way you can resist our little Brynnie Bear!

Week 2 and 3 were cold and colder, thanks to the snow. Tyler didn't shoot as well these weeks, but he said he had more fun than he has ever had. 

 Caden and Brynnli's faces in these pictures crack me up. We spent a lot of time in the trailer where it was warm.

 Caden was mad in this picture because his pants got wet from the snow so he pulled it up all the way.

 The cutest thing ever happened during awards. We were all crowed in the room waiting to see Rico's team win 1st place, when some guy walked up to Caden and handed him his 4th place trophy and told Caden he could have it. I have never seen anything so cute as Caden when he realized it was his. He was screaming, "that's awesome!" and "That guy just came up to me and said, 'Caden, here's a trophy that you won!'" In Caden's mind he thought he had won the trophy from the raffle draw. What makes it even cuter is that he thought everyone in that crowded room knew his name and came to find him to give him the prize.

Caden's 5th Birthday

On Saturday, April 1st we had a family party to celebrate Caden's 5th birthday! 

 We decorated the upstairs and outside with lots of Spiderman decorations.

 Caden picked out his cake

 We had Caden's requested pizza for dinner and then opened presents.

 He got spoiled with a lot of clothes, shoes, Spiderman toys, and water toys.

 Presents must not have been that exciting for Brynnli. She was pretending to be a cat and fell asleep right in Grandma Kathy's arms.

 After presents we played a round of kick ball.

 Then Caden sang Happy Birthday to our Buddy and he blew out the candles on his cake.

 On Tuesday it was Caden's actual birthday.

 He woke up to some presents, but we would only let him open one. He had to wait until Daddy got home from work to open the rest.

 As soon as Daddy got home from school we went to dinner at Cafe Rio. Do you know what Caden got for his birthday dinner? A free quesadilla and a free dessert. He's one cheap date! But he loved it so much.

 After dinner we went to the library and then came home to open the rest of his presents. He got a coat, clothes, and Woody, from Toy Story. Funny story: Brynnli was playing with Woody one day and Caden got mad at her. A few hours later we were eating lunch and Brynnli randomly told Caden, "I sorry I touched your Woody, Caden." It took me a minute and a really good laugh before I realized what she was talking about.

After presents we had Oreos for dessert and then went to bed.

As per tradition, here's Caden's birthday interview questions at 5 years old:

1. What is your favorite color? "Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Violet."

2. What is your favorite toy? "Woody, and Buzz, and Zurg!"

3. What is your favorite food? "Pickles"

4. What is your favorite show? "Doc McStuffins! Fix you up today!"

5. What do you like to eat for lunch? "Pickes... you always say I smell like pickles."

6. What is your favorite thing to wear? "My Spiderman shirt"

7. What is your favorite game? "Candy Land"

8. What is your favorite song? "We Have our Carson, Colton, Makayla" (The Land Song)

9. What is your favorite book? "Mickey Mouse"

10. Who is your best friend? "Camden"

11. Where is your favorite place to go? "Hanna Land"

12. What do you want to be when you grow up? "A superhero and a dad"

13. What is your favorite thing about Makayla? "That she plays with me"

14. What is your favorite thing about Brynnli?  "That she is a baby"

15. What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? "Build and fix things"

16. What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? "Help you"

Oh Caden, words cannot express how much I love my little Buddy! You are the sweetest and most thoughtful little boy. I love that you are the only kid who will still snuggle with me and still come up to just randomly give me kisses. I love the way your little mind works and how you really think through things to try to figure them out. You are becoming so creative and I love to see all the things you imagine as you play with your Legos. I am so proud of how hard you work at preschool and your desire to learn. I am so proud of how you have blossomed in soccer this year. It has been so much fun to see your confidence grow. I love the bond you have with Makayla. I love to see the two of you play together. You are the most accommodating little brother and I love that you just go along with whatever scheme Makayla has come up with. I love even more watching you turn into such a great big brother to Brynnli. Even though the two of you are starting to fight more, I see the caring, loving side and how you are always looking out for her. We are so lucky to have you in our family, and I can't imagine my life without my little buddy. We love you!