Happy 5th Birthday Hannah!

I can't believe my oldest is five! Time goes by so quickly. We had an eventful birthday as always. We had two extended family parties over the weekend. It is always so nice to get together with them. Hannah has been planning on a friend birthday party but she wanted to make sure we didn't forget the family ones. It is nice to have the traditions with Grandma and Grandpa's and cousins. We love all of them! They were of course very good to Hannah with some nice gifts.
On her birthday she wanted to open her gifts first thing. She has been wanting a guitar for a long time. She has been so happy since she got this. She has made up quite a few little songs. It is fun to listen to her. She also got a little digital camera so she won't steal mine all the time. She loves taking pictures. Heath made her an omelet breakfast which is her favorite. Then she had to have donuts to take to preschool.
She had a unicorn party in the afternoon. It was fun. We had a unicorn pinata, pin the horn on the unicorn, unicorn craft necklaces, and unicorn cupcakes. This was my first friend party. They are a lot of work but worth it in the end. You just hope they feel loved and special at the end of the day. I realized it is a good thing I have decided to have one only every other year. We finished the night off with pizza at the restaurant which is what Hannah chose.

Hannah is such a fun girl to have around. She is very thoughtful. She is very observant and notices details about things and people. She is very smart. She knows what she wants. She is quiet in her own way - especially around others. We are so lucky to have this girl in our home. We don't know what we would do without her. Happy Birthday Hannah!

50th Anniversary

My parents had their 50th Anniversary this weekend. We had a party for them at the church with a dinner and a program. It was so nice to get together with family to celebrate this great event. It was fun to set it up, write their life sketch, watch a slideshow of their life, enjoy good food and be with family. Congratulations mom and dad on this great achievement. We love you!

Wish I was there

So Heath is in Vegas this week at a conference for school. Vegas isn't my favorite place so I was okay just letting him go until I heard he was staying at the Paris. I have always wanted to stay there. They upgraded his room to a view. He sent me this picture today of what he sees out his window. My favorite thing in Vegas - the water at Bilagio. So for a second after having a crazy day of shopping, being on the phone way to long for our oxygen job, teaching dance, and yelling at my kids too much cuz they won't stop fighting - just for a moment I wish I was there.

Sun Valley

Heath had a conference in Sun Valley this weekend so we decided to go with him. Neither of us had been there so I wasn't sure if there was anything to do in there but we decided to give it a try anyway. We drove there in the dark so when I woke up the next day I was surprised the mountains weren't bigger and it seemed to be missing trees. The towns and the lodge we stayed in were nice though. The hard part was finding places to eat. There didn't seem to be much to chose from in our price range. This place we chose for breakfast one day was way to pricey for my taste. Good thing Hayden is enjoying every penny of that hot chocolate. We decided to go to Albertson's after that and by breakfast for in the hotel room. We did have fun swimming, exploring, and watching a lot of movies. We actually had a really nice time. It was nice to get away and relax. The problem with that is coming back to all of the things you need to get done that you didn't while you were gone. Oh well, memories are worth it. Now I just need to figure out my dryer situation. I am tired of it being broke. We really need to decide - fix or buy new.

Spring Break Ups and Downs

Our break started out really fun. We went to Montana to Fairmont Hot Springs so the kids could swim. We had a great time. It was a really relaxing, short break from being in Idaho - not that Montana is any warmer! The pool there is so great. They have an outdoor one and an indoor one. It is a hot springs so they keep the water really warm, around 94 degrees. They have a big slide (kind of like Heise) that the kids loved going down. Hayden especially liked this part. He would go down all by himself- backwards, forwards, on his belly- he just loves the water. They have an animal park and playground in the back. In the summer they have all sorts of activities like basketball, tennis and a whole bunch more. It is a great place to visit. It was a little cold but we knew we weren't going to Mexico. The ride home got a little crazy with the blizzard. A three hour drive took about six because it was one lane and we couldn't see past our hood. Our one friends even went off the road. We were lucky to get them back on without a tow truck. We were even lucky to make it through because they closed the freeway just after us.

We were a little surprised by the turn of events for the remainder of spring break. I had no idea I would end up the hospital for a couple of days and be so sick the rest of the week. It really was a time for me to count my blessings. I'm glad to be alive first of all. I'm so glad to have the family I do that took care of me so well. Heath just stepped right in and was so great. I'm also so blessed with good neighbors and a ward that helped out so much. I really didn't have to worry about anything. Thank you to all of you who were so caring and helpful. I am feeling so much better now. I'm still really tired and lightheaded but I am able to get around. It is a little frustrating to not feel 100% already because I'm just not good at slowing down, but it is good for me every now and again. Heath is adjusting to the house work. He only has three more weeks of duty. We really do appreciate all of your prayers and kind words.