Nathan turns 5 years old! July 13, 2016

Nathan man had a birthday, shout hooray!! He turned 5 years old!! What a big boy!! We celebrated by going with our cousins to Remlinger Farms which has a children's theme park area with rides too! We rode ponies, buggy cars, ate mac n' cheese (an uncommon specialty around these parts ;)), twirled in the spinning pumpkins, rode the kids rollercoaster, and still mae it home in time for a family pizza party complete with cake and ice cream! What a day! All for this thoughtful, sweet, friendly, smart, speedy, full-of-energy and smiles boy!

Happy 5 years Nathan! We are so thankful you were sent to our home, for the miracle of your birth, where Heavenly Father blessed you to come safely for the special mission you have and life you are to live! You fill our lives with excitement, joy and racing fun times! Here are some highlights of our trip

 

 

 

I made him this long-awaited batman cape and he got his first legos ever, ninja style! :)

 

 We sure love you buddy and know you can take on the world with your smile and unconquerable spirit, faith, hard work, kindness and determination!

Joshua turns 9 months! July 5, 2016

Joshua turned 9 months old while we were in Washington on July 5, 2016!! Our hearts melt more than a million times a day as we spend time with this little curious explorer! He is in the stage where everything is going in his mouth, including his 9 month old sign! I was lucky I even caught this picture before he could devour it! ;) We are so in love with this baby! He now has 4 teethers, gives the biggest happy smiles and started holding plank positions and crawling right before we got to Washington for summer! Our hands are sure full with this little mover around, but our hearts are so full of love to make it all worth it!

 Yay happy smiles!

Big sister!

We have already started his basketball training!! Don't worry, he is an up and coming star, we just know it! ;)

On the Road to Utah then Washington for July Summer! 2016

We left on July 1,2016 for our crazy long road trop to Utah! It was rainy and overcast with a whole lot of nothing across the western Texas frontier, but we perservered...and by that, I mean our amazing drivers, Jonathan and Austin, and the enduring crew in tow, and we finally made it July 2 in the evening.  The deer helped us know we were almost there!

 

 

We got to spend some fun time with my mom, Terry, my sister Sarah, and her friend at a local rodeo show for an early 4th of July celebration. :)

There was a monkey riding a dog!! so cute!

We celebrated Nathan's upcoming 5th birthday with brownies and ice cream!! So excited for you bud!

Then, we were on the road again to make it to WA for the 4th of July to be there with all of Jonathan's siblings at his cousin's house for a big landmark family gathering! Hurrah! Let the fun....and endurance of a long car ride continue!!!

But, it was soooo worth it! Look at all of those beautiful trees! Sure miss you Pacific Northwest! BBQ time, family and fireworks!! 

It was such an incredible show put on by Ken and Abby, they sure do never disappoint! Doesn't get any better than to have their kind of firework show right in your own back.side yard.  So many fun memories and love being together. :)

June 15-30, 2016 End of June

Some of the highlights of the end of June include the following:

-Joshy showing us his impressive plank holds and push-ups, we'ev never seen one of our kids hold plank this long, or even at all! We are all so amazed and in love with that 8 month old smile!

Joshua Garret, our little baby carrot! That's what Nathan thought his name was if we were going to use the name Garret...hehe...so fitting, because it was his first baby food he actually liked and he is still a fan of carrots today (at 1 yr old!) Love you  Josh!

-Swimming with cousins!

-Dance camp put on by a family in our ward, their performances of "bibbity boppity boo!," "Rockin' Robin," and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" were sooo fun to watch! Way to go dancin' stars!!

-Family time on the lake!! A nice way to cool off, learn some new skills and be together for fun memories!

-FHE on putting on the armor of God! We all tried to shoot marshmellows at her, but she conquered them all! Way to go Kakey!

This baby 'Carrot" figuring out how to stand!! It helps to have sisters and a brother out there to watch!

 - Homeschool science experiment to learn about chemical reactions and creating CO2!!
-Scripture journaling...one of my favorite times of the day...when I really get to pass on my love for the scriptures and help the kids understand what we are reading and reflect on something they are thankful for that day.  It has really impressed me how much Nathan and Katelyn have really caught the fire of getting excited to make these.  One thing I will always remember about my dad, a love he helped instill in me, was a love for the scriptures.  I found him reading them and learning from the Book of Mormon and sharing and challenging us kids each meal time to apply the principles taught.  He encouraged us to keep a journal too, so I thought I would combine those two important goals and it has really helped bring so much peace, comfort and strength to our lives.  This makes my heart happy to see them so diligent and engaged with scripture study and learning :).  We definately are not perfect, but we are trying and to me, that sometimes is what counts the most!

-Temple trip date night with my sweetheart, my most favorite place to be....such a special place, where we can catch glimpses of heaven here on earth. :)

-Our town's splash party for the 4th of July, celebrated at the end of June! Lots of bouncy houses, fun and fireworks too! So glad Daddy could come too, it was a later night than usual, but the firweorks are always so impressive and incredible to see, especially with patriotic music in the background! We are so thankful and proud to be American.  We are truly grateful for all those who have fought and continue to give their lives to help keep America free. :)

 

 

new hair cut! It's lighter and much easier to wear down! Happy Mommy in her favorite purple!

-Some insights that have really touched my heart and enlightened my mind lately...from Conference talks and Ensign articles...

 
 

Can't forget the birthday girls poster pic and the sweet cake Gammy (Austin's Mom) made for her, to celebrate with Oakley on Oakley's birthday party, June 30, 2016.  SUCH a darling little princess cake!! How thoughtful of Gammy, she is like our adopted Grandma here in TX! We love her and playing with cousins!

 

 

Smiels and learning about the phases of the moon! Love you to the moon and back!