8 is GREAT!

A couple of weeks ago I went to Utah to see my parents off on their mission to Toronto Canada, Portuguese Speaking. It was a great and spiritual weekend-- not just because I left my kids home in AZ. ;) On Saturday we were able to go to the temple together. That was a neat experience to be there with them. Then Saturday evening they took me to the Gaucho Grill-- a Brazilian restaurant. It was a lot of fun to try all the different roasted meats and my dad was able to speak Portuguese with the waitress.  On Sunday my parents spoke in Sacrament Meeting. I surprised them with a special musical number. I arranged a piano solo of 2 of their favorite hymns-- "More Holiness Give Me and How Great Thou Art"-- and "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go". My mom spoke about how the Lord has guided her life and love of music. I really enjoyed hearing about her life experiences and it made me think about how the Lord has guided me in my life. My dad spoke about what makes my mom t...

This past week we celebrated Kohler's Kindergarten Graduation. We were able to use the school's brand new Multipurpose room!  We are so excited for the new building! The kids were so cute. I really love Kindergarten age. They are so excited about life and learning.  Here are Lauren and Brynlie waiting for the ceremony to start  Kohler in his seat. He's such a Ham!  Waiting to get his diploma  Kohler and Ashlyn Sneider. He claims adamantly that she is NOT his girlfriend. :)  Kohler and Brynlie  Getting his diploma. I was bummed because I had the camera ready to get the perfect shot of the hand shake with the principal but the flash caused a delay, so this is the shot I got.  Hail the conquering graduate  The after graduation class party! Here is Kohler with his teacher, Ms. Sermeno. She is so great! This year Kohler learned to be a leader and has discovered several talents. He's also a good reader. Kohler, Alyssa, Brynlie and Lauren...

While my parents were here in February we decided to hike South Mountain. It's not quite like hiking in Utah. It's actually very hot, sunny and dusty. But I guess hiking in Arizona can be an interesting experience. The scenery is different anyway.  Here we are at the trailhead  Grandma, Brynlie & Lauren on the trail  Hiking up the hill  Here we are at a rest stop Lauren taking a rest  Brynlie had some help but did really well for a 2 year old  Lauren & Grandma  Brynlie and Lauren posing on a rock  We climbed up the top of the mountain (more like a large hill) I was really suprised at how well the kids did. We hiked for about 2 hours.  My dad reminded me of Gandalf with his tall walking stick  I love this picture. Jason's looking out on the Phoenix Valley trying to see if he can spot his work. Brynlie makes this cute face a lot.  Resting again  Having a little snack Brynlie didn't like the pretzels. We ha...

I'm a little behind on my blogging and I'm waiting to get pictures before I blog about me weekend in Utah. So, in the meantime I thought I'd post about some fun things that we did when my parents came to visit last February for Alyssa's baptism and Hanna's birthday. Hanna wanted to go bowling for her birthday. It was most of the kids' first time. At first they were not quite sure about it, but in the end I think they all had a good time.

Since it's mother's day, I thought I'd post some more pics of my cuties! Kamary... Hanna... Alyssa... We're getting Lauren & Kohler's done this month so I'll post them when we get them. Being a mother is very challenging, but I am so blessed to have such wonderful children. They really have the most unique personalities and it is so fun to watch them learn and grow. They are all very sweet and good kids, trying their best to do what's right. I love my kids-- truly they are a great treasure!