End of the Year Parties

The room mothers really go all out for these parties!  Parents are invited to attend.  Luckily they let E participate too.

S's class had face painting and a train!  I don't have pictures of the train because E and me were riding too.

S got a bird house at his party.  The boys had so much fun putting it together and painting it.

 B's class had a water fight!

Idaho

You see how far behind I am?  This happened in March and it's July.  Oh, well!  So, my sweetheart started his new job on April 1st so as a surprise he worked it out so I was able to go to Idaho and see my family and see my youngest sister Kelli before she left on her mission to Argentina.  I had two days notice before I left.  It was originally planned that I would meet Adam at temple square and hopefully Brett too and hang out with them and their kids for a while then Shaunie and I would drive up to Idaho together.  Shaunie was in Spanish Fork for the Color Festival.  I ended up with a migraine so bad I was throwing up and knew I was going to die, so I cancelled that plan and book the Salt Lake Express up to Idahoo.  Adam was very sweet and met me at the airport anyway even though I only got to see him for 45 minutes.  I felt bad I missed his kids.  Brett didn't get my voicemail until I was headed home so I missed him altogether.  Sam picked me up at a gas station  and brought me to his house.

Adam and me at the airport

The last time this little lady saw me she was 2 years old and didn't remember me at all.  Her mom and dad had just gotten home from a week long trip and she'd been staying at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  When she woke up in her own house she came out and saw me asleep on the mattress on the floor she came flying into the bed, "Daddy!"  When she realized I was not her daddy she started bawling hysterically and ran back into her room and slammed the door and cried herself back to sleep.  It was very sad.  But, when she woke up the second time and saw her Mommy and Daddy were home, she became my best friend and by the time I went home it was "Aunt Kari, I love you.  You can stay with us forever."  So cute!!!

Sam and his family.  It was my first time ever meeting my cute nephew! He was such a happy dude.

Then Sam took me up to Idaho Falls where Dad picked me up.  We took a walk around the temple before going up to Rexburg for Easter dinner.  I had a perfect, quiet week hanging out with Mom, Dad, Kelli and Shaunie.  One day Rachel and her girls decided to meet us half way so we drove up to West Yellowstone to hang out with them.  There was still tons of snow and the whole town except for one gas station and one gift shop were closed, but it was fun to see them!

Lunch at the gas station.  Nattie trying to make a wish with a straw wrapper.  This girl could TALK!  I was amazed.  She's the same age as our E, but E can't talk anything like that.  

 This picture did not turn out so well.  I love them!

 With Shaunie and Kelli at the Rexburg temple.  Dad was supposed to be in the picture with us, but we forgot to take a picture the night we all went and he wasn't there when we went back for a picture.

From the Phone

The cool thing about having a camera phone is you can take pictures anywhere even if you forgot your camera.  The problem with it is, I forget to download them so some of these pictures are really old and my posts aren't at all in order.  So, here are some of the picture I got off my phone!

AT THE ZOO

The lion here facing us came and knocked a female lion off her rock.  She tried to fight him and the second male lion walked over to back up the other guy, so she backed down but there was a lot of roaring.  It was quite a show.

E loved her pony ride so much she found this little sheep statue and pretended to ride it.  She was so happy.

Summer Family Community Night

 E and a bunch of other girls danced and danced and danced until they couldn't dance anymore.

 N's boss has invited him to go golfing.  N doesn't golf.  But, we figured you don't turn down an invitation from the boss, so for Father's Day/Birthday we got him a set of clubs.  He is now in love.  It's so cute.  The boys are in heaven too.  Papa has been taking them golfing on Saturdays with him and they have clubs of their own from Uncle Josh so it's been really fun.  Here we are waiting FOREVER at the store while he tested out clubs and found out what he liked.  Luckily there was a place that the kids could put too.

Random Pictures

S and Nils

 Sleeping on the way home from school

 Watching a movie with "the other girl friends"  We have two families we are friends with of all girls.  Rather than calling them by their names the boys call them "the girlfriends" and the "other girlfriends."

 Hand painting

 Cuties

 At the temple.  Cold day and she took her shoes off!

 "Studying" ladybugs

 Chillin' at the park one day while her brothers were at school

S and Tristan's play date at the arboretum  

 Trying out fig cookies at Nadim's house

 Spray park down town!  B was the only one who wanted to get in the water.  It was rather chilly.  We road the trolley too, but I didn't get any pictures.

 E and Jihane

 Snuggling my boys

 S first time climbing a tree

 Thanks Aunt Shaunie!

 An attempt at styling my red hair, which is now black bye-the-way.  I tried to dye it back to the original color, but it turned BLACK.  Now the boys say, "Mom, we love your witch hair."  Nice.  I may have to cut it all off.  N is cringing at the thought, "Don't do it!"