MAY UPDATE...

ok, so i've been a total slacker lately with my blog...SORRY!  i can't believe that its already the end of may! AND...the kids are out of school! SUMMER!  we've been keeping busy and we are looking forward to having a super fun summer now too.  here are just a couple things we have been up to lately.

 we brought our fire pit out of storage and had a family fun fire night with the Priors....the first of many i'm sure.

 we have LOTS of dance parties...and when i say "we" i mostly mean TY!  he loves to dance and his most favorite time to dance it right before bed time.  favorite songs: "Q-U", "Clap your hands", and "Beat it"

 Blaine finished up 2nd grade and is now officially a 3rd grader!!!  wowza crazy!!

 on the last day of school a fire truck comes and sprays down all the kids.  it was just a white cloud of water...so awesome.  there was honestly no place to hide, but seeing that it was 106 degrees outside, it' felt pretty good!!

 
 we get to play with these cutie kids all the time!  we love our cousins the Hubers!

and i get to snuggle with this cutie face all the time too!  love me some Carlee

and then there are just those days when you feel like you need a nice mustache.  ty has discovered markers and more importantly that he can write on himself.  some days are just mustache days!

we also been loving the pool here and look forward to the water park opening this weekend!  Ty loves building thomas trains and blaine loves helping come up with new designs.  The church ward here is also already keeping up nice and busy.  i teach the youth sunday school class every week ages 14-18, and on top of that i have been asked to be the girls camp director.  we are planning that and getting really for "real" camping in tents and everything.  Jake was called to be in the Young Men's presidency and has already grown found of the boys he is over.  he loves working with the boys...and he focuses on the scouting program.  next week he actually also gets to go up to scout day camp with Blaine all day.  the boys are so excited!  i will try to be better and keeping my blog updated, but we are just having so much fun, it's hard to slow down.  happy summer!!

Happy Birthday Junior

i know i say this every year...but i can't believe another year has gone by and our little baby boy Junior would be 4 today!  sheesh....4 years.  here are just a couple fun things we did to celebrate!

 little brother Ty helped make the cupcakes

 big brother Blaine helped keep track of your balloons....we sent 4 balloons off this year to your party in heaven!!  we know he is probably having a good ol time with his cousins Jenny and Josh...and grandma's and grandpa's too.

 (the 4th balloon kind of got a head start)

 then we eat yummy cupcakes

 every year we also wear a baby blue ribbon in remembrance.

another thing we always do is go to BJ's for dinner.  {there is a BJ's close to the cemetary in CA}, since we knew Jake would be gone the night of Junior's actual birthday...flying to cali...we went out a dinner a couple nights before.

i am so grateful to my mom who was able to go visit Junior for us since we are no longer close by.  Grandma take care of us!

a couple thoughts this year....i wonder what we would be doing today with a 4 year old little boy?! probably playing cars, drawing pictures and maybe building legos.  maybe we would have gone to the park and played on the swings or he could have rode his bike along side of me around the lake.  he could maybe be playing hide and seek with Ty while Blaine was at school or watching his favorite movie like Toy Story or CARS...who knows....sometimes i just wonder.  but something that i wondered today that i have never really thought of before, was....i wonder if i will recognize him in heaven.  Before i have wondered what he would look like NOW...as a kid...but i wonder what he actually looks like...in heaven. and will i know him??  both of my boys look so different i don't know how he would have looked.  i truly hope i would recognize him.  maybe i will know him spiritually?!  i guess he will know who i am...i know he watches over us now....so he can help me out when the time comes. i don't know if any of this makes sense...sometimes my mind just doesn't make much sense.  i'm just grateful today for the knowledge and faith i have...and i know that i will see my baby again someday.  families are eternal...so they are stuck with me whether they like it or not.  i love all my boys and i'm so lucky to have them in my life.  i love you Junior and still miss you everyday.  you are still part of this family and always will be.  keep taking good care of us...xoxo

Walk to the park

Blaine's class had a fun field trip and walked to a local park.  it was fun seeing them all walk down single file.  Ty and i stopped by to play...and bring Popsicles.

can you spot Blaine?!

cousin Jake's class was there too...so fun