My Little Kindergartener

Ben is now officially a Kindergartener. He had his Pre-school graduation on Wednesday!!This is Ben accepting his Diploma. I think I deserve one as well for having to think of Show and Tell items that begin with all the letters of the alphabet. What begins with X other than Xylophone and X-ray which we did not have? I complain, but it was actually really fun.
Lee surprised Ben! We didn't think he would be able to make it and then there he was!
We love Miss Tiffany! She is so amazing with the kids. I am afraid that because she does such a good job, Ben may be a little bored in Kindergarten.

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Today is the last day of school for Emma and Eva too.

Let the Summer begin!!!

Happy Birthday, Lee!!

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Well, for 3 days I was the "older woman". Now Lee has joined me in being 32. The kids and I hope you have a great day, Lee! We love you and all that you do for us! You're the BEST!

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Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!

Emma and Eva had their Piano Recital tonight. They did a fantastic job as always! This was Eva's piano debut and she did great. They each played two songs, one of them being a duet with one another. I recorded it but unfortunately experienced some technical difficulties in the process. That darned camera! At least the last few seconds on the video turned out. They were just so cute playing together.

The BIG 3-2!

Wow! Yesterday I turned 32...and I don't feel a day over 60...physically anyway. I know, I am such a sad (crippled) subject at the moment.

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All I wanted for my birthday was some time with my hubby and Sushi! I got those so I am a happy camper! And then to top it off, I got lots of lovin from my kids in the form of hugs, cards, homemade books, even powerpoint presentations! Lee also made me my favorite cake, double chocolate chunk with chocolate pudding instead of frosting! It was heaven!

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I have to give thanks to Lee for not making a big deal out of my birthday like I requested. I know it was hard for him. Life has just been so crazy for us, I didn't want to add to the craziness.

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I now would like to take some time to say how much I love being ME. I don't think I could have said that a few years ago. The thirties have been so awesome for me. I feel like I am finally discovering who I am and realizing my potential. For me, my thirties have meant forgetting about the petty, silly, shallow things in life. I am really learning what truly is important. My teens and even twenties were riddled with insecurities and uncertainty about myself. I no longer want to waste my time caring what other people are thinking of me or pretending to be somebody I am not. I now embrace my strengths as well as my weaknesses. Everyday I strive to be a better ME, in the form of Mother, Wife, and Self. I am ME and I don't want to be anybody else!

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Thanks for all the phone calls and cards. You have helped make my day extra special!!

For My Girls

This picture really sums up our week. Every night this week Emma and Eva have had dance for 4+ hours at a time. They would get home from school, have a snack, do their homework, and then we would head off to dance and not come home until 8:30 or 9:00. They have been practicing for their little recital they had yesterday which is practice for their BIG recital on June 7th. A lot of the time is spent waiting for their different classes to go up on stage. Ben and Ella have been such troopers. They have had to come along because Lee hasn't exactly been available to stay home with them this week with his new calling and all. I almost started bawling in front of all the dance moms Wednesday night because Ben and Ella were running around chasing each other and screaming the whole time. There was no taming those beasts. But who could blame them? They were just so bored! I couldn't really get mad at them. But I am happy to say that we all got through it. Now we have a week to rest before the real craziness of "recital week" begins. Every year at this time I wonder why in the world I put myself through this. But the answer is simple...It's for my girls! They love it and I love seeing them SHINE!

It Was Nice Knowin Ya, Lee!

Lee finally finishes up school and everyone is so excited to be able to see him more. Then he goes and gets himself called into the bishopric...1st Counselor! Ahhh! And a brand new ward at that. So much for seeing him more. He is going to be a busy boy for a while. But I have no doubt that he will put in 100% and do a great job.

Both Lee and I are so thankful for such a supportive family. They really mean so much to us. It was so nice that Nani and Christian were able to fly up on such short notice to be here for this momentous day. And Grammie and Papa Rex also dropped everything they had planned to come down too. Papa Rex also ordained Lee a High Priest and he did such an amazing job. He was truly inspired. Our families make me honored to be a part of them.

Go Blue Dragons!!

Ben had his last soccer game of the season today. He's done so well.

What a powerful kick and throw in!

Ben always tries so hard to beat the other team to the ball. The Blue Dragons had great sportsmanship the whole season. Way to go team!

It was so fun for Ben to have his daddy as the coach. He is so proud of his trophy too. You sure earned it Ben! Until next season...

Well, Ella got the hang of potty training, but doesn't quite have the painting of the nails down yet. This is how she came home from her friend Isabel's house today. After a few moments of not being able to find the two of them, they were spotted hiding in a closet with some nail polish. I couldn't help but laugh and take this picture. THEN I proceeded to tell Ella why that wasn't the best idea. I highly recommend clicking on the picture and zooming in so you can get the full effect.

My BIG Girl!

Last week was a big milestone for Ella. She became officially potty trained! She has done so well. I cannot believe that for the first time in NINE years I will not have to buy diapers the next time I go to the store. It is quite a bittersweet moment for me. On one hand I am so excited to be on to the next chapter in our family's life. On the other hand I am sad that all my kids are so big and they will never be little again. I am a little more emotional about this than I thought I would be. Time goes by way too fast!

Happy Mother's Day!

Four reasons why I love Mother's Day...Emma, Eva, Ben, and Ella!!

More Mickey Mouse Club

Last night Emma and the whole third grade class had the opportunity to perform their Mickey Mouse program again but this time at Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City! Abravanel Hall is home to the Utah Symphany and also hosts many other concerts throughout the year. The kids all felt so privileged to sing there with a handfull of other schools along the Wasatch Front. Emma's favorite part, she said, was singing the "Mickey Mouse Club" song. I think this will be something she will remember for a long time.

Twilight, The Movie

Hearing about the Twilight movie being made has made me a little uneasy. I really liked the books and REALLY don't want to be disappointed. Then I saw a trailer for the movie and it gave me hope. Check it out...

http://twilightthemovie.com/

What do you think?

"I Do"

This weekend Lee and I had the opportunity to spend some time in LA for his brother, Dave's wedding to his gorgeous bride, Kristin. It really was an amazing day for them, but also for everyone who got to share in the experience. I should probably warn you, there are a lot of pictures on this post. Unfortunately, like a total dork, I forgot my camera. So, I had to buy some disposables to use. Luckily a lot of the pictures turned out. I decided to include all the good ones on the blog so that if there is anyone who wants a copy, you can just "copy" and "paste" them right from here to your computer.

Dave looked like such a hottie and Kristin took everybody's breath away! The ceremony was so nice and the church was beautiful.

This is Dave and Kristin with her sweet family.

Linda was such a proud mother of the groom. She said that in years past her boys often gave her a run for her money but it's the times like these, that make it all worth while.

Dave's good friend , Jordan and son, Scott take a minute to relax before more pictures.

After the wedding in Santa Monica, everyone took a nice drive up the coast to the Adamson House in Malibu. This was the reception sight and it was so breathtaking.

I couldn't imagine a more beautiful place to have a reception.


We just had to sneek away for a quick picture.

Dave and Scott, two peas in a pod.


Dave is such a good example to Lee in so many ways. I am thankful to him for that.


I thought it was so cute seeing the wedding party act like they were walking the catwalk.

I want to see some more attitude, boys.

The girls had it down.


It was so nice to see some family that we don't get to see enough of. In this picture from left to right: Lee's cousins Crystal and Julia, Lee's brother in law and sister, Kit and Patrice, and Lee's sister in law and brother, Karen and Rick.

Lee's Aunt Jan and Crystal looked so pretty.

Bud, Vicky, Lee's mom, Barbara and David. Sorry, Nani. I caught you with a mouthful.

Jordan, Lee's brother Gary and his wife Wendy, Lee's cousin Chris and his fiance Jessie, and Lee's brother Christian all posing for a quick picture.

Lee, Edie, BJ, cousin Adam and Merilee, and Uncle John and Aunt Diane. This was quite the entertaining table. I loved hearing stories about John and Diane's travels.

Lee, being best man, got up to give a few remarks. One story that he told was about when he and Dave went to a youth campout. It was the last night and everyone was commenting on the trip and their experience there. Dave got up and there were two things that Lee remembers him saying. One, "I am grateful my little brother, Lee could be here with me." Two, "And I love him." Dave has always been a very generous and caring indiviual. This story made everyone emotional.
To make things even more emotional Lee then played a song that he wrote just for Dave and Kristin. It was awesome. Afterwards, one of the photographers came up to us and told us how he does weddings every weekend and hadn't gotten that emotional in years. If you want to hear the song that Lee wrote for them you can click on the title at the top right of the blog. It is called "All a Part of Our Love".
Lee was really hoping they would like his song. I think he scored some major points.

Gary and Wendy are so cute together!

So are we!

They were very nice to each other when cutting the cake. I was secretly hoping to see an AFV moment, but it never happened.

Scott raided the Candy Bar. He literally took all the candy he could hold.

So at the end of the night I had some extra film left and since we don't have enough pictures of Scott I took some cute ones of him. Sadly, some really good ones didn't turn out. But these were great too.
He is such a handsome boy!


Here he is showing us some of his tricks.

Scott posing with Wendy. They are both so cute!It was a long day!

I want to thank Grammie and Papa Rex for taking care of the kids while we were gone. I know they had such a good time riding the horse and sheep, and shooting the bb guns, and playing at the park and all the fun stuff you guys did together. You guys are awesome grandparents!