INACTIVE

So I guess I have officially been notified that my account has been INACTIVE for 90 days...I'm thinking, "That's it?".

Here is an official post saying that truly I don't want to be considered "INACTIVE" and I do need to be better about updating. Even if it is just pictures about what's been going on.

SO...I promise that by the end of this week...I will post!

4th of July

This year for the 4th we celebrated over at the Farnsworth's house! We thought about going camping up at Cedar Mountain last minute but decided to stay in town this year. It seems almost tradition now to have our families together. We've done it the last 3 years. I am so grateful for the men and women who have served and currently serve our country to keep the freedom's that we have. I can't imagine it being different. During fireworks the kids were mesmerized. The kids wereWAY into doing Sparklers and the guys made a fantastic fireworks show!!!

(Of course my pictures are backwards...I always forget and am too lazy to switch them around)

Pool fun!!!

There are more pictures to check out at
Farnsworth's Blog

Especially some priceless pictures of the guys playing basketball in the pool!!!

Bike Riding!

Bentley has been really wanting to be a big boy and ride his own bike. Poppy thought nothing could be better than his very own HARLEY!!! As you can see, Bentley loves it!!!

Now Ella on the other hand was WAY to big for her ride...for her birthday she got a bike...

Being the worst of parents, it's taken us this long to get her a helmet and let her ride in the front yard. Usually she rides her bike around the house and in the backyard!!! She did a really good job and LOVES riding her bike! I think I might have found a running parter!

Trip to the Dominican Republic

Day 1: Our trip begins. Our flight left Vegas at 6:30. We got to Miami and had a 4 hour layover. By the time we got to the Dominican it was about 9 and already dark. A bus picked a group of us up and drove us to each of our hotels. We stayed at the NH Real Arena. LOVED IT!!! We would definitely stay there again.

Day 2: Because we got in so late the night before, we didn't really get a chance to see where we were staying and what the beach looked like. I am sad we didn't take more pictures of our room and the hotel. Today we went parasailing. Probably one of the coolest things we did. Because the water was so clear, we could see everything we even saw a few sting rays. Cason wanted to be dipped in the water...me I was o.k. if we didn't. As you can see...we did!!!

Day 3: Today we woke up early and took at 2 hour bus drive through the Dominican Republic. This was neat because where we were was very touristy and you don't really catch what the country is really like as well as the people. Driving through the streets was really an eye opener. We would see kids in their underwear playing in water, it seemed like small huts or one room houses were the typical place to live for most families, lots of farming land, TONS of motorcycles. That is the main transportation. You would see sometimes up to 4 people on the back of a motorcycle. Once we got to our destination we took an 1 1/2 catamaran ride to an island called Saona. The ride was fun...a little long. But we danced and got to meet a lot of people. The island was beautiful. Like everywhere else in the Carribean, the water was clear and very calm. We ate BBQ and spagetti (which is nothing like it here...very bland). Going back we took speed boats and stopped in the middle of the ocean to swim. I would compare it to the "Sand Bar" in Havasu. It is pretty shallow. That area is known for finding star fish. Our group found 2 of them and huge one and a small baby one. We took some pictures, got back on the speed boat and back to our bus for the 2 hour ride back to the hotel. On the way back, the bus ended up breaking down. It was fun because we got to stop at one of the local markets (that's a picture of the bathroom) and looked around. The kids there begged for money and the adults just wanted you to buy anything from there. We finally got back to the hotel, ate at the Asian Dining and chilled by the beach.

Day 4: Today we played at the beach for the day! In the morning Cason and I went out for sailing lessons. He was the one that did it, I just layed out on the boat for the most part. He got the hang of it real quick. It was really neat to just be the two of us out in the middle of the ocean sailing a boat! We did a little photo session before eating at the American Steak house for dinner. The sunsets there are to die for.

Day 5: Today was perfect...we knew that this was our last day before leaving and so we spent the entire day at the beach. In the morning it was raining pretty good. Thunder and lightning storms are incredible there. We would wake up to the walls shaking our room completely lit up in the middle of the night. During the day we played sand volleyball, went snorkling, layed out until our skin couldn't handle it anymore, took naps under the palm canopy, and then went to eat at the Asian Dining. When snorkling we saw a couple of stingrays, what we thought was a blow fish, and tons of other clear fish with blue stripes.

Day 6: The trip home was bitter sweet! We had to be in front of our hotel by 6:00 to catch the bus to the airport. Ending the trip waking up to the sunset was the cherry on top! The airport there is outside and unloading and loading onto the plane from the ground was a new experience for the both of us. When it came to the airport, we were the typical tourist with our camera in hand taking pictures of every moment!!!

The best thing about this trip was not the destination but who I got to be there with. It's so much fun to see how simple things are when you get rid of cell phones, bills to be paid, a house that needs constant cleaning, work, 2 kids that what your undivided attention (although at the end we both were really missing them bad)!!! I'm so grateful that we were able to take this trip and take it back to simplicity...we are coming home feeling both rejuvinated and recomitted to that!!!

Whoops!!!

I say "Whoops" because has it really been since after Easter?

Ella's first dance recital!!! Now she looks really happy in all of the before and after recital pictures. In here is one with her on stage as she was performing...she came out all happy and smiling. Saw her dad and waved...and then she saw everyone else....FROZE!!! She just stood on her dot, chewed her gum, looked around, and didn't move any other muscle. It was very cute and after she was very excited that she got on stage. She was really excited when her daddy and Aunt Peg gave her flowers. She was like, "These are mine?" Way too cute! Glad we got it on film!!!

DISNEYLAND!!! Loved it! But we always do. This was the first time that we went with just the four of us. It was tons of fun and Ella thought it was so neat that everyone knew that it was her birthday! (Because of the birthday pin)!

Ella's 3rd Birthday! For her birthday this year we just did cake and icecream at the house because for her birthday we were going to take her to Disneyland!!! She got some awesome gifts but her favorite for sure is the "Fancy Nancy" dress up clothes!!!

THE LION KING!!!

For my mom's birthday, my dad surprised my mom with dinner and tickets for the Lion King! She was so surprised and even more fun we all got to go! It was great and has been a long time since we've all been able to go out together! The show was incredible! I would pay to see it again a few times!!!

Fun, Conference, Logandale Fair, Easter!!!

Better late than never!!!

As you can see these girls love dressing up...and Dax...basking in the fun!!! My favorite is that the 3 littler girls wore the skirts as dresses!!!

Some randome pictures when the kids were sick. They spent most of the day outside eating popsicles. Maybe I'm a bad mom, but I wasn't about to have throw up all over the house!!! Plus...it was one of the sunniest days we've had!

For conference this year I put Ella's tent together upstairs and they watched a movie. It was way cute!!! As you can see they had a blast!

The Logandale Fair was fun. Very cold & wet & windy!!! The kids loved all of the animals. Bentley kept trying to kiss the goats. He was too cute! Cason and

Easter was a blast this year! Ella really got into the Easter bunny coming and it totally helped that the night before we dyed Easter eggs with the Mecham's. I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of that! After church, we went over to Cason's sister's house and did dinner and an egg hunt with all his sisters and their families. It was so much fun. We don't all get together too often so it was tons of fun just hanging out and laughing. The kids get along so good with their cousins now and they just played outside the whole time. All of the younger cousins got to do an egg hunt. The two older boys helped the little ones. Bentley was loving Cameron. He helped fill up his basket pretty good! I had a fabulous moment with my little niece Lana. She was so cuddly and lovie!!! I think because our kids are so close in age I haven't gotten to hold her too much. Bentley was cracking everybody up. Anytime we looked over he was stuffing his face with some other candy or food that was in reaching distance!!!

Can You Believe It?

Once again...so much has happened...without me getting overwhelmed and by leaving out everything that has really happened from Thanksgiving to Christmas...here goes...

Bentley turned 1:

December 28th...I'd feel like a really bad mom if I didn't post just a few pictures from Bentley's first birthday!!!

He was facinated with the candle...but got a little too close & tried to touch it...thus the huge cry face!!!

First hair cut:

Red Rock on President's Day:

I think pictures will say it all!!! It was snowing and cold!!! The really neat pictures are on my facebook!!! I didn't want to take my camera with us on the hike because it was snowing so hard.

Girl Fun!!!:

Ella and her friend Kenzee. It's fun that Ella is at an age where she has friends and is good at playing. She is very lucky to have great friends...what's funny is that she hangs out with the girls' that I have been friends with since forever!!! I love that!!!

Started Running:No pictures but let me just tell you that I LOVE it with a passion. There is something about being able to run and leave all of my cares and concerns behind. I wish there was more time in the day for it. Thanks to Missy who has truly gotten me motivated to start. She is the best running buddy!!!

Day at the Park: Last Saturday we went out to Tooley Springs for some family fun. Unfortunately by the time we got there, we only had about 1/2 hr before the park closed. In that time we still had a blast. First off...the geese out there are brutal. They are completely vicious. I think even at times Cason ran from them!!! I have always loved going there since I was a kid and hope to make a place that we continue to take our own kids!!!

Today is my dad's 58th Birthday:

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!

Tonight we got together at our house for some steak and potato bar for my dad's birthday with all the family that's in town. It was a lot of fun and were able to continue with our birthday tradition of saying everything we like and love about my dad. We, especially me, are so VERY grateful to have him in our lives. Anyone that knows him...loves him...and knows exactly what kind of father, friend, and worker he is. He has always been such a great example to me and I only hope that I can be half of the parent that he was to me. I feel so lucky to have him as my dad!!!