Jaxon is 9!

Jaxon's birthday was on a Thursday. He opened his presents before school and got the lego crane he's been wanting. He picked Smashburger for dinner and we did Leatherby's for dessert. We were all so full by the time we finished our ice cream. We are so grateful to have Jaxon in our family. He is an incredible older brother...his sister adores him and the two boys love being with him and doing whatever he's doing. They get so bored in the day without him and they light up as soon as he walks in the door. He's smart and fun and a great friend. We love you Jax...you are loved by so many!! 

Dressing up

Chase loves super heroes and loves dressing up like them. He was being the Green Arrow in the top two pics below. And he loves dressing up as a knight. We found the knight hat at Zurcher's and we went shopping in Walmart with him wearing it. I could tell he made a lot of people's day by being so awesome. He loves wearing hats of any kind or sunglasses or buckets...he has a wide range of characters he plays and it always makes me smile. 

Valentine's Day

Jeff and I had a very enjoyable Valentine's Day. We went to the Grand America for dinner. They had a five course meal which was outstanding. The main course and the dessert were my favorite parts of the meal. We went to a movie after dinner. It was fun to celebrate our relationship...all ten amazing years of it! Love my guy...lucky to have him! 

Costa Rica

Our trip to Costa Rica with the adults in Jeff's family was amazing. We stayed in a house next to the beach and were able to watch the most beautiful sunsets on our back porch every night. We enjoyed a lot of beach time, relaxing, surfing and boogie boarding. The water is unbelievably warm. We had our own personal chef who cooked us dinner most nights. She was amazing...all our meals on this trip will be hard to top. Our favorite restuarant, the TacoBar, had the best food and smoothies and the coolest swings surrounding the bar. We did a ziplining tour through the rain forest. It was beautiful. We loved Costa Rica and are hoping to go back some time. We love spending time with these peeps. 

7 years old

Still can't believe that Claire is 7. They are all growing up way too fast. She opened her gifts in the morning. She got an IPad mini and more accessories for her Americn Girl doll. I made biscuits which is her favorite breakfast. I got to help out in her class that day and it was fun to see her with her crown and decorated chair. We let the kids pick where they want to eat and she picked Brick Oven. She wanted to go to Swig for dessert but we were all so full we did it later that week. So grateful for my girl...she is a great sister to her brothers. She is a very kind person who always makes sure others are included at school. She is so intelligent and so beautiful! We love her to pieces! 

Claire's Birthday

Claire loves to plan parties. She wanted to do a spa party for her birthday. It turned out so well. We had 16 of her cute friends come. We had a pedicure station, a manicure station, a hair station, and a facial station. I had 4 other adults to help and it was a bit crazy getting them all through each station but it worked and the girls loved it. They looked so cute with the cucumbers on their eyes. The lighting wasn't great in my pictures but it was definitely a successful party. 

Walks

Jeff and I both got FitBits for Christmas. It's nice to have an exercise goal to work towards every day. We try and go on walks as often as possible. It's a great time for us to talk with little interruption. This winter has been so pleasant and we've enjoyed way more walks than should be normal given this time of year. Our favorite place to walk is daybreak. I may have an ulterior motive of hoping Jeff will want to move there the more time we spend. I love the neighborhoods and am in love with some beach looking houses they've just started building. Maybe some day...:) 

Wedding

We left from Heber to go straight to the airport to fly to Arizona. We went down for my Dad's wedding. It was a quick trip but we had a great time. I say this often but my kids cannot get enough cousin time...they love being together. Even better when they get to travel with them. We got a lot of looks on the airplane because of the mass number of kids we had between us. The setting for the wedding was beautiful. It was one of the coldest weeks in AZ and there was snow but it was really pretty with the snow and the red rock. At the end of the wedding the kids each got to hold a dove and then they let them go at the same time. It was pretty cool. I did something that is not like me at all ;) and left Jeff's and Jaxon's white shirts at our hotel which was an hour and a half away. We lucked out that the golf shop had silky white polos which passed for white button ups. There is not much cuter than little boys in ties. Other things we'll remember from the trip...freezing in the lobby and watching a few guys get thrown out of the hotel on New Years Eve, all the kids waving to us from the top of the elevator which we had no idea they were on, and Jeff knocking and waking up half my family before he found the right room. It was a wonderful trip and so nice to be with my dad and my siblings and their kids. We are happy for my dad and Jennifer and wish them much happiness. 

Heber

The Sunday after Christmas we headed to Heber to spend the next four days with the Trimbles. This week is one of the things we look forward to the most every year. We stay at the Zermatt. They have one of the best pools for kids and the hot tub is pretty awesome as well. The kids love swimming and playing with their cousins. I'm always amazed at the games they come up with without any toys. They are one imaginative bunch and it's fun to watch them enjoy being together. The adults have a lot of fun as well...playing games, talking, and playing made up games as well. It's nice to be part of such a fun family. I laugh so hard when we hang out and it is always a good time. All the adults go to dinner one of the nights. We spend a day in Kamas at the rec center and play walleyball and swim. It's a week that never disappoints. 

Christmas

I feel like these last few years and the next few will be the most magical and memorable years of Christmas. Our kids are at the perfect ages for maximum enjoyment. We enjoyed staying at our house Christmas Eve and waking up to Christmas. It's only our 2nd year having Chriatmas at our house and I love it. Santa treated us all well. Jaxon got the IPad Mini he wanted, Claire got her American Girl doll, and the boys got a ride on Jeep. Seeing them ride around in it together is the cutest.