Hangin With My Peeps

Happy Easter!

I love Easter because that means that Spring is finally here... Well it's supposed to be here, but the weather is so cold lately. It definitely does not feel like Spring. We still managed to do all our fun traditions despite the cold. 

We started off with coloring Easter eggs. The kids were all so creative this year. 

 

Brynn made so many cute eggs like Peppa pig and Bluey (can you tell what shows she likes to watch right now?)

Caden went for a farm theme with a cute chick, pig, cow, Mike, and Sulley... wait a minute... Monster's don't live on a farm!

Makayla went for a Minions theme. She also loved her "Deep end" egg to highlight her solo dance this year. 

But the best egg award goes to Tyler who made a "Cup O Noodles" egg. Seriously, this egg was so good and so detailed, even with nutritional information on the back. 

The kids all got new pajamas from us... one of my favorite traditions. 

The next morning we were up early to go to church, so we didn't get to hunt for our baskets until after church. Once we got home the hunt was on. Bella found her basket first. Her great sense of smell must have led her straight to her basket that was filled with treats and bones. 

Brynn found her basket behind the Lego table. 

Makayla's basket was behind the watermelon sign. 

We were pretty sure the Easter Bunny forgot Caden's basket because it took him FOREVER to find his, but we finally found it in dad's new office closet hidden behind some books. 

Then we were off to our family parties. Brynn looked so "Utah Mom" in her new romper. She needed her swig cup to complete the look. 

All the cousins were ready to slowly walk around the yard yelling each other's names. Kenzee definitely wins for loudest voice. 

It was so cold while we were hunting for our goodies. 

Then we went over for dessert at my parent's new house. It was too cold to do the hunt outside, so the kids got to find their eggs in the basement. All the kids said they actually liked hunting in the basement better. 

Time to count the money in their eggs. Each of the kids won a "golden egg" with $20. Lucky kids

It was a great Easter this year, despite the cold. I love hangin with my peeps!

Time Marches On

As much as I warn these kids about how they are not allowed to grow up, they continue to not listen to me. Here's a look into March of 2024 as time continues to march on.

I love when these girls get along. It's a rare occurrence, so it needs to be documented when it happens. 

Even though she is a teenager, sometimes you just need to play on the swings and the wiggle car. I snuck these pictures and they might by my favorites. 

Is it not a family selfie if your tongue is not sticking out?

We got to attend Makayla's choir concert. This one they had to learn songs in different languages. 

This is one spoiled dog... she's getting paw-sages from Makayla. 

Looks like Haylie and Henry might be back in our neighborhood. Remember when they had 9 ducklings in our back yard a few years ago? Good times. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day! The kids didn't try to catch Lucky this year, but he still stopped by to play some tricks, bring us some treats and surprises. 

Oh ya, and he peed in our toilet again. You know, you would think he would use the bathroom at someone else's house... why is it always at ours?

And he turned our milk green. And then the kids refused to drink it. 

Bella is in heaven whenever she finds a sunny spot to lay. 

Caden and Tyler had fun at the Jazz game. The Jazz are not doing well anymore this season, but the lesson we need to remember is that we don't give up on our Jazz.

Caden waved to Alema Harrington, one of the announcers for the Jazz

Makayla's dreaded day has arrived... she's getting phase 2 braces. Our orthodontist does braces in phases to reduce the amount of time they have to be in braces. Makayla's first set was when she was in 3rd grade and she had the expander for about a year. This time she will have braces on her top and bottom teeth for about 12-18 months. 

Makayla doesn't love it, but I think she looks beautiful!

I got my nails done and I loved them until Tyler said it looked like I had Easter eggs on my fingers. He sure knows how to ruin things. 

We're making some good progress on our basement. Tyler and the kids were priming to get ready for paint. 

Bella got her haircut and look how cute her bows are. 

We do not love snow in spring... seriously, what is up with our weather lately?

Makayla took this Bereal and I just love these three.

So Tyler and I went on a little date night. I wanted to try a new restaurant my coworkers told me about called Sol Agave. When we walked in it was crowded and it looked like there were cameras set up. We both looked at each other and Tyler said, "I wonder if a Real Housewife is here" and at the exact time he said that, we both recognized Meridith Marks from the reality show Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. Tyler and I both love the show so much. The hostess took us to our seats and we were literally kiddie corner to Meridith's table. There were about 3 different camera men set up filming and one of the cameras was pointed right at me. I was so nervous the whole dinner. What if we watch the show and all you can see in the background is me stuffing chips and salsa in my mouth?

The food was just ok, and the gawking at the "celebrities" was amazing. We were hoping for a fight scene, but their dinner was very tame. 

We didn't recognize the couple they were eating with. I guess we will have to watch this season to see who they are. 

After dinner Tyler and I went to the Jazz game. I am so glad we bought season tickets and hopefully there will be more Jazz games (and hopefully a better season) next year. 

Spring break at our house was pretty boring. I told the kids I would take them to do one fun thing and they decided to do the trampoline park. Other than that our Spring break was kinda lame. 

After 51 Years, They Moved...

Last year about this time my dad told me he was thinking about moving because the yard was getting too much to keep up with and my mom is requiring more supervision and can't be left alone. He got serious and started looking at lots. He found a 55 and older subdivision about 5 minutes away from our house where he could build a new house and put money down on it. Over the last year we have watched the house being built and now, here we are on March 18 and their house is all done! Their house is so beautiful and so perfect for them. 

One of the hardest parts about the move is that my mom can't remember that they are moving. Every time we would talk about it she would say, "well no one told me I was moving," or "how come I didn't get a say in this?" When we would try to tell her that she was a part of the process the whole time, she would get angry and deny it. It makes me sad because my mom always wanted to move to South Jordan and now that she is, she can't remember it. I know this move will be hard on her, but at this point, we have to choose who it will be hardest on, and staying in their old house is too hard for my dad. 

We moved them into their new house and as I was taking out some trash, I saw this rainbow. It was a good reminder of a new beginning. 

The following week I helped my parents clean out their old house. My parents were lucky to find a buyer without having to put the house on the market and deal with showings. The new owner is the son of a family in my parents neighborhood. The whole process of buying the house and selling their old one was a very smooth process, which helps me to believe that this was meant to be. 

I spent some time alone in their house while cleaning and I make a very conscious effort as I was in each room to remember memories. I remembered Christmas mornings in the living room with all of my brothers excitedly opening presents. I remember helping my mom in the kitchen making dinner. I loved summer nights playing on the tramp. Part of me is so sad that I won't be able to just walk into my childhood home anymore, but I am so glad my parents live closer now and some of the stress of keeping up with their house is over. 

I went with my parents as they closed on the old house. They cheered with sparkling cider

And this is it... the last picture of my parents at their old house. 

Here's to new memories.