Summer!

Summer has begun and we are having a great one! It is too overwhelming to think about all the posts I should have done in the last year. So I will just think back over the past couple months. We started summer off with a trip to St. George with friends. We did lots of fun stuff from hiking, swimming, going to the park, splash pad, boys going golfing, and lots of delicious food! Here are a few pics from the trip. Thank goodness Jackie remembered her camera!

Hudson and Kade at the park

Kade playing in the baby pool

Kade playing with the jet ski he tried to steal.

Hiking trip in Snow Canyon

Wow! I don't know how Hudson let Mike and Kade get in front of him. If Jackie hadn't gotten a picture of this I never would of believed it.

We made it!

Show us your muscles!

We have been working for about a year on remodeling our kitchen and it is almost done. We started with hiring someone to lay tile for us last August. Then Mike sanded down every cabinet in our kitchen and after many trips to Home Depot we found a stain we loved. He also added crown molding. Then Mike changed out the fixtures, we bought a new microwave, and dishwasher. Then we could finally afford new countertops. We have just a few more things we would like to do which are a new stove, backsplash and a new surface for our desk. I absolutely love it and still can't believe it is my kitchen! Just a little more patience and I will have it exactly how I want it. Here are a few picture we took along the way.

tearing up the old carpettearing out the old counter tops

I have dreamed of new carpet for years. It is amazing!

I absolutely love our new kitchen!

I have lost my patience for putting anymore pictures on the blog but Kade and I had a ton of fun in Ohio visiting my family. We also had a great trip to Colorado for the 4th of July. Maybe I will post some pictures of our Ohio and Colorado trips in the next year.

Finally an Update

I guess you can say this year has been pretty crazy! It is very embarrassing to look at our blog and see pictures from last Christmas. It has been way too long since I have updated it. It's overwhelming to think of all that has happened this year and trying to catch up on everything so I just uploaded a handful of pictures to tell the highlights of 2010.

We took a trip out Colorado in April to celebrate Mike's mom, Pam's, Birthday! It was a week filled with fun. We took a trip to the Denver zoo. This is Kade and his cousin Jace. They look pretty exhausted by this point but they loved it!

Mike Graduated in May!!!!! Well he walked anyway. He had to finish up a class over the summer. It is wonderful to have him done with school and home a little bit more during the week.

Kade playing at the sand dunes in North Carolina.

In May we headed to North Carolina for a few days. From N.C. we headed to Ohio because my sister had been in a fire and was severely burned. Thanks to wonderful doctors, nurses and the prayers of family and friends she recovered quickly. We were very blessed as a family to see a miracle take place before our eyes.
I competed in two triathlons over the summer. They were a lot of fun and I even talked some friends into doing them with me. Amanda and I raced in the Salem Tri in June. Then Mary, Amanda and I did the bountiful Tri at the end of June. Kira and Kade playing together

I headed back to Ohio in June to be with my family and help out with my sisters kids during her recovery in the hospital. It was definitely a bit of a stressful visit but it was wonderful to be with my family.

Kade making a card for his Dad since we were in Ohio during Father's Day. Carter was helping him out what a great cousin he has!

Kade and I had a blast over the summer. It was so good to spend lots of time with him. We took trips to splash parks, swimming with his friends, we went to the farm at Thanksgiving point, a trip to Seven Peaks, up to the mountains to go fishing and lots more. This picture is from the day we went to the Dinosaur Museum with Mary and her boys.

On the Fourth of July we took Kade to Discovery Gateway. He loved it!




Mike and Kade building at Discovery Gateway.

We took a camping/boating trip to Flaming Gorge with Mike's Family. I think Kade's favorite part was riding the jet ski. He didn't even mind if it wasn't in the water, he even started it up when we were back at camp and it was on the trailer. (Actually this picture looks like we took it Colorado when we went out in July to go boating and to a Rockies game. It is much too green in the background to be Wyoming.)

This was at our Pioneer Day BBQ. The kids enjoyed the sparklers and poppers.

As if our year hadn't been crazy enough we decided to remodel our kitchen. I don't have any pictures of after our tile was put in I will have to post some later. Maybe in about a year from now with my blogging record. Mike is still working on the cabinets. It took me a while to decided on a stain. We bought a microwave to go above our stove which I love. It makes for lots of extra counter space. In the next few months our plan is to get new fixtures, counter tops, sink faucet and back splash.

Our trip to Gardner Village to see the witches in October. Kade was checkin out the ducks.

Kade pushing the pumpkins off the ledge right by a sign that said "Do Not Touch the Display". The boys heard a thump and looked back. Kade thought he was pretty funny. I got a couple pictures and with each one there are less pumpkins in the background.

Kade, Petra and Hudson

We finally got them to sit still for a moment.

My dad and Bridget came out for a week in October. It was so much fun having them here. We decorated haunted houses one night they were here with Brook and her boys. Kade didn't really care much about decorating he just wanted to eat it.



Beck and Kade all dressed up in their buzz costumes. Kade totally stole Beck's wings for the picture.

We finally got Kade potty trained!! Mike decided to start potty training him a couple weeks ago while I was working late with Parent/ Teacher Conferences. He is talking a lot and getting so big. Yesterday he asked for a big boy bed. Yes he is still in his crib and almost 3. He hasn't tried to climb out and sleeps twelve hours at night. So I guess this week we will try to find a big boy bed for him.

Since Mike just finished school I decided to go back to school in September to get a gifted endorsement. (learning how to teach the really smart kids in my class) I just finished my first class last week. It is really weird to get back into the college mode.Then about a month ago I was called into the YW's in our ward. I think I may have to put my endorsement on hold for a while.