Easter Day

Today is Easter, and just like every year that darn Easter Bunny gets in the house and leaves his bunny tracks. I didn't think he would this year with Jake and Travis gone to New Mexico, but sure enough when we got up this morning there were tracks everywhere.

Jackson went through his basket and was so excited to find that the Easter Bunny had remembered to leave Jake's basket for him as well.

Later we went to Grandma and Buddy's for an Easter Egg Hunt, and it was extra special for Jackson because Jake and Travis made it in time for the hunt. They drove straight to Grandma and Buddy's so that they could celebrate a bit of Easter with us.

When we got home Jake went through his Easter Basket and shared some of the fun stories of his trip with us. We are so glad Jake and Dad are home, and that they had such a fun trip. What a great way to end our Easter, as a family!!!

Easter Colors

It was strange this year to color Easter Eggs with out Jake. This is really his thing, and he is so creative with it. I had forgot to purchase a egg dying kit, but had remembered that the food coloring box had instructions on how to color Easter eggs. So I followed the directions on the box and viola.... I will never buy another Easter Egg Dying kit again in my life!! These were the brightest eggs we have ever made.

We even went the extra mile and covered some in modge podge, and sprinkled them with silver glitter. They were super cool. Jackson and I had alot of fun coloring the eggs, but I know that this was one day that he was really missing his brother. Mom is cool, but brother's rule!!

We cant wait for tomorrow...... Easter!!!!!

Dinosaur Park with T-Jack!!

I think the best part about the Easter Egg Hunt at the Dinosaur Park, were these moments!! Jackson and I had so much fun walking around to all the different Dinosaurs, reading about them and seeing all the exhibits inside as well.

These are the moments that make it all worth it!!

2 Easter Egg Hunts with Jackson

I wanted to do something special and fun with Jackson this year, being as he and I were home alone while Travis and Jake went to New Mexico to shoot turkey's. So I found 2 local Easter Egg Hunts and we did our own kind of hunting.

Our first Easter Egg Hunt was at the Mt. View Park in Farr West. This was a fun one because so many of Jackson's friends and class mates were there. Instead of actual eggs though, the park was sectioned off into different age areas and treats were scattered across the grass in these area's. When the horn blew the kids were off to gather as much of the treats as they could. Jackson made a haul, and got some fun little trinkets as well as some candy. It was freezing cold, but once that horn sounded I am sure that Jackson didn't notice the cold outside. What a fun start to our day.

Our second Easter Egg Hunt was at the Dinosaur Park. I thought this would be such a fun Easter Egg Hunt, and something different as well. When we got there we had to park about a mile away and be driven by trailer to the Dinosaur Park. This place was packed. I was so amazed how many people were here. After paying our admission into the park, we found the area we were to be in and waited. While we waited we looked around at some of the dinosaurs. It was so beautiful to look at the area where the egg hunt would take place. There were at least a million colorful eggs scattered across the ground in the area that was blocked off until the gates were opened and we could pick our spot for the hunt. I had read that you could only take 5 eggs, so I was sure there would be enough for the millions of people that were there as well.

When the gate's opened Jackson found the spot he wanted to stand and then once the horn sounded he was off. I have never in my life seen a place be cleaned up so fast. It was amazing, there were kid's everywhere. Jackson had his 5 eggs, and we went and opened them (after snapping a few pictures). I was amazed with the adults that I saw with pockets and purses filled with eggs as well. No children around, just them with the eggs. UNREAL!!!

While we were at the Dinosaur park Jackson and I decided that we would walk around and see the Dinosaurs. Jackson really likes Dino's so it was alot of fun to find his favorite and see the life size creatures.

This was a fun day to spend with Jackson, we decided that we will pass on the Dinosaur Park next year, and find a better hunt to go to!

Bear Dominos and Brynn

Today Jackson had a play date with a friend of his named Brynn Jordan. She is such a cute little friend of his, and they have such a good time playing together.

I couldn't help but snap a few pictures of them as they played domino's with these little toppling teddies!! It was an afternoon filled with fun and laughter!!

Farwell Primary, Hello Priesthood...

Today Jake advanced from the Primary to the Priesthood. He was given his Certificate of Advancement, and was also awarded his Faith in God book, for completing this program.

Jake was ordained a Deacon today

as well, by his Grandpa Lamar

"Buddy" Bott.

Uncle Blake came,
as well as Grandma Bott, and Grandma Cleo.
It was a very special day. Your Dad and I are so proud of you Jake and the choices you make in your life. You are such an example to us as parents and also to your little brother Jackson who wants to be just like you.

Congratulations Jake for advancing and taking the first step towards

your mission!!

Happy Birthday Jake #12

It is so hard for me to believe that my little Jake is 12!!!! What a milestone birthday this is for him! He will receive the priesthood, and move from primary to the young adult group. YIKES!!

Jake always loves to spend his birthday hunting, and this year was no exception. Travis took Jake with him today as the went in search of a wild turkey. Travis drew a tag for this and Jake was so excited to go with Travis in hopes of filling this tag. They hunted all day, but were unsuccessful in the hunt. They had a lot of fun, and saw some fun stuff, but no turkey!

I made a dinner for Jake's birthday and we had Grandma Cleo, Papa Gary, Grandma Bott and Buddy over as guests to share in Jake's Birthday Celebration. After instead of a cake Jake wanted glazed donuts, so we stuck the candles in them and sang Happy Birthday to this special guy!!

I am so blessed to have you, Jake, as my son!! I love you so much, and am so proud of the young man you are becoming!! Jake you have so much love in your heart, you are such a special part of our family, and a light in my life. Always remember you are Amazing, and A Child of God!!

Happy Birthday Jaker T!! May this be a an amazing year for you!!

FaRwEll OgDeN TeMpLe

As I mentioned earlier, Tiffani and I had decided that we would visit each Temple in Utah with the kids this year. So Jake's birthday is the next day and he had asked Sage and Tiffani if they would like to meet at the Ogden Temple (which is being torn down to build a brand new temple here in Ogden) before it was gone and take a picture there for our Temple Quest.

It was so fun to meet and take these pictures knowing that this temple would soon be gone and the construction would begin for the new temple that would be built in it's place. What a beautiful building this is, and will always be. This is a special Temple for me. My Mom and Dad have worked as Temple workers at this Ogden Temple for the past 11 years and even more special they were married in this Temple, and began their lives together within these walls. What a glorious building this has been.

After our photo shoot, we all went to Chop Sticks for some Chinese food, and to celebrate Jake's birthday early. He loves Egg Drop Soup, I am sure it is his very favorite food, so he choose to go here to eat. It was yummy!!

I am so grateful to have such supportive family member's. Tiffani is a huge support to me and my family, and it means so much to me when we spend time with each other. What a wonderful evening we have had together!!

Jake's 6th Grade Castle

This year in 6th grade Jake has had to do a Science Fair project, build a Totem Pole, and now build a Castle. It was worth 50% of his grade for this quarter, so it had to be Great!

Jake is so creative, and was so excited to build this amazing castle. I am so glad that Travis has an artistic gene as well, since I am a get it done quick kind of person, my projects lack the flare that Travis and Jake like to have.

Travis and Jake worked so hard on this castle. Travis assisted Jake with the plan for the castle as well as showing him how to spray paint it (yes, he is 12 and just learning to use spray paint, oh how the times change). My job was to purchase the list of materials that were needed, as well as take the pictures when it was finished.

I am so proud of the job that Jake did. This was by far the most amazing castle I saw at the school when I went to take pictures. What a great castle Jake and Travis made together. I mean it was complete with knight's and rocks, a draw bridge that could be lowered over a moat, and trees. It was so realistic. Jake was even more excited when his teacher told him it was one of the best castle's he had ever seen. He even gave him an extra 10 points on the project!! Way to go Jake, you never cease to amaze me with your talent!!

SuNdAy HiKe!!

This morning we woke up and while getting going for the day Tiffani asked if we could run to church and attend sacrament meeting. Begrudgingly we all got ready and were out the door in 15min. After the meeting I was so glad we had gone. It was the perfect start to the day. The speaker were great and the spirit was strong! Thanks Tiff for leading the way!

After church the kids wanted to go hiking, and Sarah wanted to lay in the sun, so Tiffani and I took the kids, minus Sarah (she stayed to lay out by the pool)on the Temple Quarry Rock/Black Rock hike. It was so amazing to see the size of these rocks that were hauled from the mountain to form the foundation of the St. George Temple. What desire and rive those settlers had to have had, for such a daunting job.

While we walked along the trail Jake swept his meteor stick along finding various sized magnetic rock, we saw several lizards (which scared me a few times as they scurried across the trail), we stopped to take various pictures, and viewed many beautiful plants and flowers. It was such a beautiful hike. I was so glad that we had taken the time to see this historical site. What appreciation I have for the faithful men, women, and children that took the time, and even gave their lives to move these monstrous boulders and form the foundation for this holy house!! AmAzInG is the word I would use!!

After the hike we loaded up our bag's, piled in the car and headed North, back home. This was such a fun filled Spring Break. I had so much fun and I am sure the boy's did as well. This will be a trip to remember with many fun filled memories.

LuNcH OuT iN St. GeOrGe...

Every time their is a trip to St. George, it is not complete without a visit to the Pizza Factory. Tiffani and I decided that since it was the last full day we were here we would all go out to lunch. (being as lunch is alot better price) It was delicious!!

After lunch we walked around the little shops that are close by the Pizza Factory, snapped some fun pictures and spent quality time with family!! What a fun day this has been. Thank You Grandma Cleo for letting us use the condo for these day's of fun and relaxation!!

TeMpLe, MeTeOr'S, aNd MoViEs...

After we went hiking around the beautiful Red Rocks, we went back to the condo, showered and headed for town. Tiffani and I had talked the night before about doing a special project for and with the kids. We had decided, with the kids, that it would be really fun to visit each of the temples in Utah this year, and while there take the kids pictures in front of them. We even mentioned that it would be neat to copy the pictures onto fabric and eventually make a quilt out of them for each child.

While we were in town we decided we would stop at the St. George Temple and take some special pictures. It was beautiful with the gray clouds in the sky, it made such a contrast against the bright white stone of the temple. What a special place this is, and special pictures were taken.

During our trip around town we stopped at several shops, the library (Sarah had homework), Great Harvest Bread for a yummy cinnamon roll, and even a Pawn Shop (Jake's choice, since he really likes the TV show Pawn Stars). While in the pawn shop I was looking through some movies, and Sage came and suggested a few for me, so I purchased some for us to watch later that night. Jake and Sage wanted to stop at the hardware store, Jake had an idea to make a meteor stick, since he was determined to find some meteors while hiking through the hills. Sure enough he found a sales associate that was into his idea, and she helped Jake find the perfect supplies needed for his Meteor Stick. He and Sage took off on a hike, Jackson was close behind, as soon as we got back to the condo. They did find a few magnetic rocks, and boy were they excited about them. It was so fun to see their excitement when they came back and washed and photographed each rock. Aw the joy's of a child!

Once again after dinner we popped some pop corn and all settled in to watch one of the new movies I had purchased "Step Up". It was a fun show. Great choice Sage!! Then it was off to bed. Today was a very full day, and we are all exhausted.

HiKiNg tHe ReD RoCkS....

I will admit, I am not a fan of hiking!! I never have liked to go hiking through the hills, but in the past 2 years I have found a secret liking for hiking!! SHHHHH!!

Today we planned to spend the day hiking around the red rocks of Dixie. If you have ever been to St. George then you know the red rocks. They are gorgeous and have some real neat history and even secret little spot's to see as you hike. As we approached the hiking spot today we noticed what looked to be a movie set, and sure enough it was. Apparently there was a movie being filmed for the Disney Channel called "Charlie's Ride". It was fun to be hiking around the rocks as they were setting up to shoot this movie.

What a beautiful spot of Earth this is. It was amazing to hike and although we weren't going far, how different the rocks looked from each other. The kids had fun finding new places for pictures, and seeing the cactus growing up through he rocks. It was a real nice hike and a very beautiful view.

SpRiNg BrEaK DaY #2

While on our shopping trip earlier we had convinced Tiffani that she should color her hair, and being as we were on vacation, and that she had never colored her hair, she agreed. It was so much fun to see Sarah coloring her mom's hair and Tiffani's excitement as this was her very first time getting it done.

After the hair was colored we found ourselves at the pool again, I swear these kids have gills and fins!! Sarah and Sage gathered the courage to jump into the outdoor pool, which is not heated so it was FrEeZiNg!!! Jake and Jackson chose to just chill on the tube's in the heated indoor pool!

After we got done swimming we decided we would watch a movie, so after dinner I made a HUGE bowl of coconut oil popcorn, and we all watched "Tangled". It is such a great show, and the perfect movie to wind down to at the end of the day.

SpRiNg BrEaK DaY #1

We are so excited for Spring Break (although it is snowing). Jake, Jackson and I are heading to St. George with Tiffani, Sarah, and Sage for a 5 day vacation! We all loaded up in Tiffani's car and off we went.

It always seems to take so long to get to your vacations spot, but the weather was perfect for driving and the company was as well, so the trip didn't seem as long as it could have. After our long drive we were all starving, and in no real mood to cook something for dinner, so we decided to stop as Chili's for some much needed food. It was delicious!!

After dinner we headed to the condo, unpacked the car, and were off to the pool. This is such a great condo area because they have an outdoor, and an indoor pool, so even if it is cold outside the kid's can still swim.

The boy's had so much fun swimming, and playing in the pool with their cousins. I am so glad that Jake and Jackson get along, and play so well with Sarah and Sage, they always have so much fun together. As we went to leave the pool that night, due to the daylight savings, the clock on the gate lock timer had not been changed and we were locked in the pool. We had to call the on site manager to come and let us out. It was kind of fun to listen to the kids talk about how they would spend the night in the pool area if we could not get out.

The next day we of course went back to the pool for a few hours, and then off to the store's to buy some groceries, and shop for some fun vacation treasures. Sarah and Sage found some cute summer dresses while we were shopping. I had forgotten how many clothes girls try on, in fact Jake and Jackson asked, "why do they try on clothes at every store?" It was cute. Jackson I think wanted to see what all the hype was about, so during a stop at Target, while Sarah and Sage tried on the stack of clothes they had found, Jackson found this shirt and insisted that he needed to try it on. It was cute, and after he decided not to purchase the shirt, didn't ask to try on another item the rest of the day. I think he realized that it was more of a girl thing!!