April 2- April 22

Wow!  We've got a lot of catching up to do!  Let's get to it:

      After Spring Break we had a quiet, yet, meaningful Easter.  The Saturday before Easter we dyed eggs and Derek hid baskets for the kids around the house.  The kids loved looking for them.  On Easter Sunday Derek and I spoke in sacrament meeting.  After church we watched some of the Bible videos from our church about the Savior's atonement, made paper lilies, and later joined our friends, the Anderson's, for dinner and a game of hands on table.  We had a great time and felt a great spirit about the day.

  Many of you probably know by now that Derek and I have been in the application process for buying a franchise from Great Harvest Bread Co.   The weekend after Easter, Derek and I traveled to Dillon, MT(15 hours to and from, ugh!) to attend a Discovery Day for Great Harvest.  This was the last step in our application process.  We had a great time and felt very good about our day with them.  On Monday, April 16th, Great Harvest gave us the good news that we can join their team in Twin Falls, Idaho!  We are so excited!  We've dreamed about doing this for years!  We are making plans to move to Twin Falls during the summer.  Derek will be working in Utah for a year until we get the bakery going, and then He and I will run the bakery together.   There are still more details to work out, but, we'll keep you posted.

   

      Gina turned 5 this past week on April 20th.  She was so excited.  We had a Robin Hood friend party in the morning and a family party with the Bal's in the evening.   We can't believe she's that big!  She starts kindergarten this fall!  Yeah Gina!  All the kids are jealous of her bow and arrow set ( the arrows have suction cups, don't worry:).

     More recently we have been working on finishing projects around the house.   Derek left for Utah yesterday and starts his new job on Monday.  The kids and I will pack the house up and finish school.  It's crazy, but, we feel it's right and things are falling into place.  We are grateful for all that we've learned here and the relationships we've built here.  However, the winds of change are in the air.... Here's what the kids have to say:

Ethan-  I made an account on Pottermore, played in the band for an assembly at school, got a hair cut, enjoyed my chocolate egg for Easter, and I'm generally having a bad time at school.

What Ethan has to say about the family changes:  I'm 50/50 about moving.  I'm glad we have the bakery, but, I'm sad to be leaving.  I'm happy that I'm leaving school, but, I'm not glad that Daddy's gone.  I'm also excited about the big library in Twin Falls!

Olivia- Just finished a week of testing (whew!),  I made a family album at achievement day, Easter was fun because we dyed eggs and found our baskets together and just had fun together, I liked church and how we went to the Anderson's for dinner, I liked Gina's family birthday party.  Oh yeah, I made a Pottermore account too!

What Olivia has to say about the family changes:  I really liked that we got the bakery and that we're going to Twin Falls.  I want to leave sort of, but, I don't want to leave my friends.  I am happy about leaving school.  I'm also excited about the library in Twin Falls, but, I don't like that Daddy's gone.

Phoebe-  Testing this last week was most important, I won glow-in-the-dark bubbles at school, I had fun with the Hazel's when they came to watch us while Mom and Dad were gone, I had fun at Easter because I got a candy carrot thing.

What Phoebe has to say about the family changes:  I'm  feeling ok about it.  I don't want to leave my friends, but, I want to see Twin Falls too.  I don't like it that Dad left.  I really want to move to the bakery because, well, first, Mom said that we could take a basket and put bread in it and take it around our neighborhood or something and deliver it.  I think that is cool.

Regina- I had really lots of fun at my birthday and at Joyschool.  And I also liked Easter.  It was fun and I really like how Enoch was playing with us.  It was really fun and we had a lot of fun too. 

What Regina has to say about the family changes:  I like how we got the bakery.  I really wanted to give some bread to Annalee's Dad, so they can try our bread that we make.  I love you Dada, I miss you so much.  I hope you like my blog and I really like you when you helped me with my chores.  I feel really happy about moving for the seasons.

It's a Pink, Pink, Pink Birthday!

My little baby is 3! She said she wanted a pink cake, with pink frosting, and pink everything! Obviously pink is her favorite color. Happy Birthday Princess!

Olivia's Birthday!

My is 7! Time flies! She had a Kirby party this year. We love you!

Happy Birdthday! 2 Cute!

Happy Birthday Regina! She's two today! Here's a picture of what she looks like today, and a video I caught of her recently. This is just an inkling of the cutie I get to spend my days with! I love you! Happy Birdthday! We'll have more pictures of her party later.

Memory Lane Monday

I am admitting to being a terrible sister. My brother's birthday was 15 February and I never posted anything about it. Part of the problem was, that Derek and I had gone to San Diego to escort our friends through the temple for the first time. Even still, I could have posted a day or two after, but, no, it had to be two months after.

So, Happy Big-Time-Belated-Birthday Brother! You are awesome, and I am so excited to hear your songs remixed. Thanks for all the fun we had as kids. I always felt safe with you driving to school with me, or walking with me to the store to get stuff for mom, and especially during Halloween and running throughout our neighborhood getting candy.

Love,

Your squeester

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my Mom's birthday! I found these pictures of her when she went away to college in Idaho. My Mom was so excited to get out on her own! Little did she know what adventures lie waiting for her in the future.

As my Mom and I find opportunities to talk to each other, I've learned from her that all her adventures so far have been great learning experiences for her. She has grown so much since her college days.

She is many things to me and one I'd like to share is her example of service. She is ready at any moment to serve. She has helped me recover from each of my c-sections as well as my last surgery. She serves her mother who is old and frail. She is this moment in Hawaii serving my sister who is pregnant and moving a business to a new location and her family to a new house! I could go on and on about the many ways my Mother serves us and others. Thanks for everything Mom! Happy Birthday!

Ethan 0 to 8 in 2 minutes

Happy Birthday Ethan! Ethan turned 8 on Sept. 13, 2008. Wow, that went fast. Ethan is a fantastic kid. We've been through a lot. He's the first ya' know. Here are some facts about Ethan: responsible, caring, perfectionist, reader, game crazy, pokemon lover, helper, watch dog, dancer, funny face maker, morning person, energy, and tenderhearted. We love you Ethan! Sorry about two slideshows in a row. We've been busy! More to come, just hang in there!

Happy Birthday Liliaan!

Happy Birthday Liliaan! I hope you had an awesome day! One of my favorite memories of you was when you were a baby. You used to sit in a little chair that hooked to the table. When I would sit by you at dinner, I would whisper in your ear a bunch of baby talk. Then you would turn to me and whisper back in some garbled language you had. It was so fun! Now here you are a beautiful woman with a great husband and a cute little baby. I'm so glad I was able to be pregnant the same time you were. It was fun talking with you about all the adventures of becoming a mother. You are awesome! Love ya'!

Happy Birthday Josh!

Happy Birthday Josh! I only have a few pictures with Josh in them, hence the Christmas picture. As you can see, growing up he was much older. I remember he drove a little blue car, and I could always tell when he was coming home, because I could hear his music before he turned onto our street. I also remember he was a pioneering snowboarder with the coolest Winterstick. My all time favorite memory of Josh was something he said we could do on Christmas Eve. I don't remember the year, but, one Christmas Eve Josh let all of us camp out in his room. It wasn't a real room at the time; my dad was trying to finish the basement and Josh lived in sort of a cement block. Anyway, we all camped on the floor and watched The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (To us known as The Great Ak). I thought I was so special, because I slept on Josh's floor. Have a great day Brudda'! You've accomplished many great things! (By the way, if you check out the link, scroll down to #44).

Happy 1st Birthday Regina!

My little Reginita is one today! Regina means queen, and boy do the kids respond to her every beck and call. She has been such a wonderful baby. She is always happy. We have loved every minute of her first year. Here are some pictures from this past year. I hope you enjoy them. We'll have more pictures of her party later. Dang Gina! That went fast! Can't we slow this train down!