Alex is 7!

Alex turned 7 today. I am afraid to blink because I know when I open my eyes she will be 18 and going away to college. This year Alex wanted a Nintendo DS for her birthday. I had to combine all $ from grandparents and us in order to get it. Such an expensive gift for such a little girl. Martin had to work today so I decided that we would celebrate her birthday yesterday, let me tell you we celebrated. She wanted to go mini golfing so we went to Liberty land in Lehi. At first we were just going to go golf but apparently it was a better deal to get the unlimited pass. So we went and played laser tag, golf, go carts, bumper boats, and on some inflatable stuff. Alex also went rock climbing...which is something she loves to do. After our hard playing in the hot hot hot sun she wanted to go to dinner at Chili's. Apparently she wanted to have their macaroni and cheese aka Kraft. We got there and ordered and Alex decided she needed to quickly drink 2 glasses of chocolate milk in order to quench her thirst. That just made her sick to her stomach so we promptly got everything to go and left. Jenny and Katie came over for Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream pie that night and then Olivia stayed for a sleep over. All in all I think she has had a fantastic birthday.

I am so glad Alex is apart of our family. She is so smart and responsible. She loves to help around the house and loves to care for people. We love her and hope she has another great year.

Grass

About a month ago Martin and I finally finished the new sprinkler system and laying the sod. I was going to post the results after a couple of dry spots got greener. And then I was going to wait until he cut it for the first time. Delay after delay so I finally just did it. The labor was incredibly back breaking and I am so thankful for a husband that doubles as the incredible Hulk. No matter how hard I tried to keep up and do my share, he really did all the work. I am so happy to have a nice front lawn so I can no longer be embarrassed by what the house looks like. Now the back is a whole other story...

My Baby's 5!

Ashlynn had her 5th birthday today. I can not believe my youngest is that old and will be starting kindergarten soon. I hope she had a good birthday. When I would ask what she wanted she would constantly change her mind or talk about the three cakes she wanted.(She is such a funny girl) I love her so much and am so glad she is apart of my family.

My brother also had his birthday today. I wasn't able to be there but I hear he had fun! I love you Matt!

Kids!!!!

Last Sunday, we did not go to church because Ashlynn had a cold and I wanted her to get over it asap. I always feel bad about missing church because my calling is more Sunday oriented. During the week she recovered while Martin and Alex both started getting sick. Martin became congested and just didn't feel real well all week. Alex started out getting congested and then it all went down hill. Wednesday night she threw up all over herself, her bed, her sister's bed...(Bunk beds have their downfalls, one being when the person throwing up is on the top bunk it is much more messy.) The girls moved into the living room for sleeping while Martin and I tried to clean and disinfect their room. Alex acted sick at first but never threw up again. Today, I thought she must be better because she was eating again, had not thrown up and did not have a fever. With no noticeable signs of sickness I proceeded to get everyone to church. Before church she said her tummy hurt but I assumed it was other problems. We got to church 15 minutes early like always. I went out to get a tithing slip and when I got back one of my counselors was calling me over to our seats. There was Alex with throw up all over herself, the pew, the floor... Why did she just sit there? Why had she not gone to the bathroom? We started to clean her up so we could leave as discreetly as possible when she projectile vomited again. After trying to clean up the area as well as I and Bridgett could, I left and took her. She went into the tub and her clothes into the washing machine. All signs of her throw up are now gone and she is again acting like nothing ever happened. With the amount of torture parents have to put up with it is no wonder parents turn around in later years and embarrass their teenage children...it's just a thought.

California Day 5, 6, and 7

Sunday we went to church with Dad and Lynn. After church all of Martin's family came over to Dad's house for a birthday BBQ in his honor. When everyone was leaving I felt my vision go wavey. Apparently there had been an earthquake in Los Angeles. We found out later that it had registered as a 4.7.

On Monday, we went to Disneyland. The girls were so excited. First up on the agenda were Mickey ears. They both picked out the princess ears and got their names stitched on the back. After that we hit the rides. Trying to do as many of the rides as we possibly could Martin and I would strategize were to go next while waiting in line. After riding the Matterhorn Alex wanted to know if every ride was a roller coaster. She loved it. After Fantasyland and Toon Town we had lunch. Next we hit Tomorrowland. We got in the 25 minute line for Space Mountain. When we were only 5 people away from getting on Ashlynn tells me she does not want to go. I have to ask her to seriously think about it because she can not change her mind after the fact. (I was not waiting in that line again.) Ashlynn and I did not go but Martin and Alex did. He said that when they got off she said "That was Awesome!". I guess she really likes roller coasters now. It was getting close to the closing time for California Adventure so we decided to go over and see if there was anything we really needed to ride on. When we got over there I realized that my cell phone was no longer in my pocket. After that everything went down hill. We were tired and I was cranky. The girls were falling asleep on Martin while I checked a couple of the rides for my phone. We decided to call it a day. I now understand why people feel the need to go to Disneyland for 3 to 5 days...we could never afford it but it would help spread things out a little.

On Tuesday we packed up and headed home. It is so good to get away but at the end of a trip it is so good to come home.

Happy Anniversary!

I know that most people have been celebrating Memorial day today but not Martin and me. Today is our 9 year anniversary. I know that most of you probably think that is still in the newlywed stages, I mean we are still in the single digits, but to us thinking of nine years seems like it should be a reallllly long time. We didn't do anything really special because we just got back for California not that long ago. This morning we worked a little in the yard (it is such a mess) then in the afternoon we went to see Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D. I think the girls really liked it. We went to Chili's for dinner after the movie. It wasn't really a great date since we had the girls with us. Yesterday I asked Martin if he loved me as much as the day we got married. He said that it was a different love. (haha, he always knows the correct answer) I also asked him if he would ever go back...he said he wouldn't trade our girls for anything. I love that man! I am married to a terrific husband and an even better father. I can not wait to see what the future has in store for us.
PS Happy Birthday Nikolas! I hope you had a great one!

California Day 3 and 4: The Wedding

(I stole this picture off of Jenny and David Webb's Blog because we did not take a single picture of the wedding.)

Friday was spent in San Bernadino doing whatever we could to help Linda prepare for Krista's wedding. I spent the morning chopping celery, honeydew, and pineapple. Because there was so much to cut up I did end up cutting my finger slightly but believe me it could have been much worse. Martin and the boys spent the day outside painting and stringing Christmas lights all throughout the backyard for the reception. We did what we could but it was relatively small compared to the huge amount of preparation Linda had been doing for months. I am amazed at all the small details that I would have totally forgotten about if I had been putting the wedding together.

Saturday Krista and Ertle were married. They were sealed in the Los Angeles temple by the same sealer that sealed Linda and Matt. The bride was beautiful and the spirit was strong. I really enjoyed being in the sealing room, everyone dressed in white with all of Martin's family. The reception was beautiful and thankfully not too hot. By the end of the night, the backyard had a magical feel to it with candles glowing, music playing and thousands of Christmas lights strung across the yard. We had planned on helping take down whatever was needed but it was apparently already assigned to people Matt and Linda knew. I have never seen something that took so long to put together, taken apart so very quickly. We got home really late and had to carry the sleeping girls in to bed. Thank goodness we got to sleep in some the next day.