Utah Lake

Another fun boating day. I was surprised at how well the kids did on the boat all day. Heidi and Jasons friend came and taught us how to wake surf. We stayed out on the lake until the sun was down. It was great! Then we went and got burgers. It was a perfect weekend with family and great friends.

Sage, Katie, Aspen

Jason, Heidi and McKenna

Sage and McKenna on the tube

Heidi, Katie, Aspen

Heidi Wake boarding

Nate Wake surfing

My first attempt at wake surfing. It was so fun! I couldn't drop the rope, hopefully I will figure that out.

Jason Wake boarding

He's the pro. Wake surfing and drinking a Mt. Dew at the same time!

Return of Settlers

For date night we had our great friends Heidi and Jason over. They used to live a house away and we would get together at least once a week for a game of Settlers. Its been a crazy year for Nate and I. And seeing how they have moved three times, it has been more difficult to get together.

We had so much fun! I don't know if it was the rock star or what, but I was laughing non-stop all night long. I have never laughed so hard in my life. It was seriously one of the funnest nights I can think of. We went and got ice cream from Letherbys, ate Heidi's awesome salsa, and stayed up late talking. Good times. Heidi won Settlers, we are on the look out for a trophy for her. Then we can play again and the trophy will be passed. It is the best to be around people who accept you the way you are and make you want to be a better person. I have learned so much from these two.

School Carnival

To celebrate school getting out, the kids got to go to their schools carnival. They both attend Navigator Pointe Academy. They had so much fun. Mckenna used all her tickets on games that involved food. They had so much fun running around with their friends.

It was such a great year for both of them. I was so impressed with all that they learned. They both did so well in Math and Reading. Mckenna was doing 1st grade Math all year. Sage moved to 3rd grade math and reading as well. I am so proud of how well they did doing their homework every night. They have had such a busy year with homework, dance, piano, baseball, and everything else. But we are all so excited for summer and to have a break from it all.

Nate and I are so happy we spent those hundred hours we did so that our kids could attend such a wonderful school.

McKenna and Natalie

Sage, Kade, Marcus

Best friends

Lip gloss

Apparently Sage and Aspen thought it would be a great idea to smear lip gloss all over Aspens face. I'm sure they were convinced it was a fabulous idea once they got my reaction.

Corey and Jen

Corey and Jen came in from Texas for a visit. They came and spent the afternoon with us. It was so good to see them. We went to Cafe Rio and ate lunch... YUM! The kids thought it was fun to play the piano and dance for them. Sage was so excited all week to see his Uncle Corey. They have always had a special connection.

Joy School

This was Aspens Joy School Graduation. This was her first year of preschool. My friends and I rotated weeks of teaching the kids. It was such a great experience for all of us. I will miss having the kids over at our house. Aspen LOVED Joy School. She learned so many things this last year. I cant believe how fast she is growing up.

Ben, Jasmine, Eli, Aspen, Cambree

My new favorite item

I am in love with my new purchase. I wanted a bike forever, and I got one for my birthday. But then I really wanted a bike trailer for the girls. Nate had a great idea...sell my double jogger and get a bike trailer. It was really hard for me to sell it though. It made me sad to realize that my kids are to big for strollers now. But I am OK now because I LOVE my bike trailer. I was so excited about the whole thing.

Nate went out of town today for a week. I was trying to come up with a good idea for something to do. So I assembled my trailer and wanted to go on a long ride. I have always wanted to go on long bike rides with Sage. Well we did it. We rode to visit Grandma and Grandpa Anderson. It was the best thing ever. It was really bonding for Sage and I, and the girls loved it. They giggled the whole way there. They loved the looks on their Grandparents face when they saw us at the door with our bikes. They thought it was pretty cool we rode all the way there. The funny thing is that they live pretty close. But I am in love with the whole riding bikes as a family idea. Now I just need Nate to sell his motorcycle and get a road bike. Ha ha, that won't happen but I don't blame him. We love ridding that bike too.

Rach, Em, me, and Sav on Nates bike at my grandmas house

We miss Nate being gone and so almost every night the kids and I have gone on our little bike ride. It amazing how much fun it is. I love that the little things like that are so fun and meaningful.

Just hanging out

Nate and Tim battling it out at Guitar Hero

Nate invited our friends Tim and Mim over for a barbecue. Nate has known Tim forever. They grew up together. And Mim and I went to High School together. Its a small world. We had fun laughing that Nate and I met dancing and so did they. Good times! The kids had so much fun jumping on the tramp together.

Boating Trip..

Warm weather is finally here!! We were so excited we had to go celebrate. Nate has been on a big mission lately. He has spent three weeks looking for a good deal on a boat. We sold our really old one and we were ready for something different. He decided to go with a ski/wake board boat this time around. Nate and I were nervous driving to the lake. Knowing our luck it wouldn't work. But to our great surprise, it worked better than we even imagined. I don't know what I'm more excited about, having my husband back (seeing how he is not on the Internet non stop looking for boats anymore) or having a new boat.

The kids were so excited. The dive to the lake was not long. But every few minutes we heard the famous "are we there yet?"

After we got out of the harbor, Nate wanted to see how fast we could go. The kids were screaming and Aspen was holding on for dear life. They were so funny the whole trip. They were in heaven, along with Nate and I.

I was not sure if I was going to ski or not. Seeing how it was only May, the water was pretty cold. And today was the first warm day of the summer. But as soon as we stopped the boat Mckenna, Sage and Aspen were in the lake swimming around. I couldn't not go in after they were so brave.
Nate had such a good time. He loved listening to music and driving the boat. He is such a good person to be in charge of trips. He remembers to bring everything you could possibly need. He did awesome wake boarding and got "huge air" as he calls it.

I was so impressed by Sage and Mckenna. They both knee boarded and did AMAZING. I could not believe it. We really hope we can get them up skiing this year. Sage was so sweet to the girls. He liked being the oldest so he could explain everything to them. He loved getting in the water and swimming on the knee board. I could tell he was a little bit worried about fish. He asked me several times if I was sure that there were not any sharks. He was so darling. He loved eating all the candy.

McKenna is our water lover. Every time the boat would start, she would say she needed to hurry and go potty. So we would stop the boat and she would jump off and take off swimming. That was her excuse she used the whole time, just so she could get in the water. She wasn't worried about fish or being to far from the boat. Twice she swam so far we had to start up the boat to go get her. She LOVED knee boarding and would come in. She likes Nate to drive really fast. She was giggling and smiling the whole entire time.

That's me skiing. It was so much fun. I forgot how tired you get. My legs were burning. The best part of the trip for me was backing up the trailer. Nate dropped me off at the dock. He really did not believe I could do it. I was so excited to show him that I could. With one perfect try, I got the car flipped around and backed straight into the water. Nate couldn't believe it. It was fun to impress him even after all these years being married.

I am so happy the kids share the love Nate and I both have for water sports. They are troopers!

Aspen was so easy. I was worried she might not last the whole day. It was so wonderful not having to worry about diapers or formula anymore. I was so surprised she got in the water. She kept yelling "GOOD JOB" over and over anytime anyone was out behind the boat. She really surprised me with her pleasant attitude.

Mothers Day

This was the best Mothers Day I have ever had. I was so overwhelmed by all that Nate did for me. He worked all weekend on his projects to surprise me. He went and picked out flowers and planted all of my garden beds and pot. He did such a good job with the colors of flowers he chose. He also got our whole garden in. It was so amazing that he would work so hard to surprise me.
Sunday we had my Mom, Grandma, and Nates parents over for brunch. It was so fun having them all over. I don't know if anything is more fun than having loved ones gathered around the table eating yummy food. After we ate Mckenna and Aspen showed everyone their dances for their recital. After everyone left we went to see grandpa in the hospital. It was so hard seeing him laying in bed with his broken back. The kids picked him flowers and were so happy to see him.
When we got home, Nate surprise me once again. He had gone shopping at some point I guess for food. He hid it so I never new he had bought it all. He made the BEST dinner. We had barbecue chicken, potatoes, punch, beans, and ice cream. He had the kids write me the cutest card and they all drew pictures. Nate gave me the most beautiful flowers and such a nice card. It was the most fantastic day. I couldn't believe how sweet my kids were to me. They kept hugging me and telling me I was such a good mom. WOW! I couldn't ask for anything more.
It was so nice seeing my Mom and Grandma. I reflected alot on my life. I am so thankful to have had such a sweet mom. She really was always so sweet and loving. She taught me so many important things about life. It is because of her that I have such a passion for music. She instilled in me the want to develop talents. She also taught me how to appreciate all of the little things in life. She was so good at not spoiling us. I know that because we went without alot, that I appreciate little detail about my life. Little things have always been such a big deal to me. Nate taking me to dinner, or going to the movies, or getting a new shirt. Those things are so special because they were not something I always did growing up. Thanks mom for all of the many things you taught me!
I also cant believe the Grandma I was blessed to have. She is so amazing. I was so fortunate to be so close to her! She so amazingly smart and funny. I will always cherish Sundays because it is the day I always got to see her. She always did so much for me. I still light up every time I see her. I cant imagine what I would do without her!
I am so blessed to be able to be a Mother! What a gift. I am so very grateful I was able to have three of my own children. Evey day with them is so precious. I know I am of course bias but they are such amazing kids. I have been so touched lately as I watch them. The friendship they have with each other is overwhelming. They have been outside alot lately. It has been so fun listening to what they are saying to each other and watching them giggle and laugh. I dread the day they are grown and move out. I am so happy and grateful beyond words to be there mother.

Savs Wedding

Sav and Wrens wedding

The wedding turned out so great. It was such a fun day. Aspen was so funny, she thought she was getting married. My girls were so excited to be flower girls. My Aunt Holly made them their beautiful dresses. Aspen could not wait until the big day. She kept asking me when we were getting married. I had to explain to her many times that only Savannah was getting married. She said "no I can marry David" (her little friend). I then asked her if she was ready to move out and live with him. That of course brough tears, she informed me that she is always going to live with me. But when the big day came, she still thought it was her day. She loved the attention everyone gave her for looking so cute. When Savannah came out of the temple she about died. She could not figure it out. She kept staring at her. She was SO perplexed. Everyone was laughing so hard. She followed Savannah every step she took and kept touching her dress. She had such a confused look on her face. She thought she was the star of the show and then here comes Savannah in a beautiful white "princess" dress. It was great. Mckenna and Aspen loved being at the temple in all the pictures. Poor Savannah and Wren, they must have hugged them a million times. It was darling though when Mckenna ran up to Wren and kissed him. McKenna has always had a special bond with Wren.
The reception was great. Everything was so perfect. Thank heavens Sav didn't have the bridesmaids in the line. We were able to walk around and mingle. Nate was a trooper with the kids. We had to be at the reception at 5 with 3 hungry kids. He took them to get dinner and came back to chase them for the next 5 1/2 hours. But we had a great time. CONGRATS SAV AND WREN!

Savannah and Wrens Wedding dinner..

Finally Savannah and Wren get married. The wedding dinner turned out so nice. We ate at the Joseph Smith building. Their parents spoke and we watched a really neat slide show. It was so cute seeing all of their baby pictures. I love weddings and am so happy for them. Savannah is my cousin, but more like a sister. We grew up together and have always been so close. I was so happy to be part of her wonderful day. LOVE you Sav!

It was so fun spending the night with Nate. He was being so funny all through dinner. He has such a great sense of humor.

When we got there Sav didn't know where Nate and should sit. So we made room at the "Cousin table". It was so much fun! Rach, Em, and Sam were so funny. We all laughed so hard through dinner. I am so blessed to have such amazing people in my family. I am so happy to be so close to all of my cousins.