Camping...practically in our backyard

One of the many things I love about where we live is the lake and surrounding campgrounds. This camping spot is 3 minutes from our new house, and you'd never even know it. We have been wanting to camp for the last 6 weeks, and last weekend was the first "open" weekend we had. We did get rained on in the middle of the night, but our tent kept us nice and dry.

Camryn loved her camping chair and was happy to have her picture taken multiple times to show it. 

Can't have camping without the s'mores.  Well, Bryce can.  The kids and I can't.  :)

 Waiting patiently for Dutch Oven pineapple upside down cake. 

 

Watching for fireflys and raccoons.  The racoons were pretty bold...I had to scare them away with sticks a few time.  (Ever seen The Parent Trap?  Yeah, that was me.)

Memorial Day in Nauvoo

We spent our Memorial Day Weekend with family in Nauvoo.  Nate, Mindy, and little Holden made the 2-day drive out, and Grandma, Grandpa, Emmy, and Jake met us there too.  We enjoyed the temple, city sights, and spirit of Nauvoo.

 

The kids loved staying in a log cabin, however Dakota was pretty disappointed upon our arrival, discovering there was no lake, beach, or boat at the cabin. Having Holden there made up for it, and Holden was often found in Dakota's arms.  Taylor and Camryn also loved holding and caring for him. 

Jenny and her family also met us out there, and were awesome enough to make the 5-hour drive with one-day's notice.  Taylor and Dakota especially loved playing with her girls, and not only did Taylor find his BFF, but the girl he is going to marry.  (He's been searching for awhile after being told he couldn't marry Dakota or Camryn.)

The drive home from Nauvoo could have been better...after 5 stops for what was supposed to have been a 3.5 hour drive we wondered if we were ever going to make it home. We were fortunate enough to have Mindy and Nate stay the night with us before heading back to UT, and we finally got to finish a game of Dominant Species. We love being with family, and are looking forward to more adventures this summer.

Caught!

What do the kids do when the visiting teachers come over?  Hide and eat ice cream in the corner apparently.  They were too cute I just had to get my camera.

Mother's Day Pics

A few years ago Bryce started taking pictures of the kids for Mother's Day.  Although now we share in the role of photographer, the tradition continues and I enjoy having updated pics of the kids every year. Here are this year's:

 

 

Our Girls

Glad he knows

A conversation I had with Taylor this morning:

To preface, it was 5 minutes before the bus was supposed to come, and Taylor was in his pajamas with unbrushed teeth.  He was playing in his room with toys, and asked me, "Mom, do you want to see my cars?"
"No, Taylor, I want you to put your clothes on."
"Mom, do you want to see my videos?"
"No Taylor, you need to put on your clothes."
"Mom, do you want to see..."
"Taylor, " I adamantly cut him off, "the most important thing is that you get dressed right now."
And just as adamantly, he responded, "No, Mom, the most important thing is God."

Glad he knows.  I told him he was right, and he still made the bus.  :)

Kansas City Temple Open House

We were excited to hear about the open house for the Kansas City Temple that was only 3 hours away.  This was the first time the kids had been inside the temple, and they were excited.  Taylor said he almost cried happy tears and it was a neat experience to be in the temple together as a family and feel the Spirit there. 

We did get a few laughs from Dakota.  She said her favorite part about the temple was the sparkelies, and while eating refreshments at the church after the tour I asked the kids if they had any questions.  Dakota thoughtfully replied, "Can I have two cookies?"