Jacob's birthday and breakfast with the witches

Jacob turned 2! We just had some family over for ice cream cake and opened presents. I can't believe I didn't even get a picture of his cake! I have a video of everyone singing to him and him blowing out his candles, but it won't load here!  Jacob is definitely all boy! He loves his blanket (he shoves it in his mouth) and all animals! He's all about wrestling and building forts and getting into everything! He doesn't walk, but runs everywhere, but is still kind of a momma's boy and loves to sit and read stories with me. He's been a challenge, but we can't imagine our family without him!

 

 

Gardner's Village (in West Jordan) has Breakfast with the Witches every October, and Neal's mom took all us girls (Stephanie, Mikayla, Annie, Lydia and I). Breakfast was buffet style (pancakes, eggs, bacon, fruit, potatoes etc) and was yummy. There were a lot of different witches who came around to the tables and then later on put a show for us. Lydia was able to go participate in one of the activities on stage as well.

August/September 2015

Neal's cousin has a boat and invited us all to go boating at Deer Creek. We love the water and Lydia has been asking to go again all year. She loved going on the little tube by herself and going on the big tube with Chloe and Jada. Towards the end, somehow the big tube flipped over with all three girls on it.  Lydia got stuck underneath for a few seconds before getting out. Thank goodness for life jackets! Jada held onto her and they all came back on the boat safely. She was a little scared but got back out there after warming up. Neal and I also went water skiing and tried wake surfing for a while. So fun!

Lunch/ activities at the "beach." Since there were quite a few of us, we took turns going on the boat so this was the hangout for the rest of us.

 

Helping Neal's grandma move. She got a house in Bountiful and we're excited to have her a little closer now. Jacob loved running up and down the truck ramp.

July 2015

Neal's parents rented a cabin at Bear Lake over the 4th of July weekend. We have gone there every year since Neal and I were engaged and it's always so much fun!

Beach day! The kids loved being pulled around on the tube and playing in the sand. We also had fun on the boat and the wave runners.

In Bear Lake waiting for our shakes, and just hanging out at the cabin. We loved it and can't wait to go back next year!

Dress like a cow day for Chic Fil A. The kids and I had fun getting our cow outfits ready and getting our yummy (and totally free) dinner once daddy got home. Thanks Chic Fil A!

Neal's friend Tyler was a river guide up at Jackson, WY(quite a few summers ago) and got a group of us together to go down the Snake River. Before Neal and I were dating, we went on this trip, and that's really where it all started for us, so it was really neat to go again. We drove up via Rexburg so my parents could watch the kids for us, and then we headed up to Jackson. Unfortunately we didn't take many pictures, but I got this one of the Teton Mountains on our drive up. Since we were coming from the opposite direction as most people, we were just meeting up at the campsite with everyone. We plugged the address into the gps and headed up. It took up on the dirt back roads, which probably would have been fine except it had rained recently and was super muddy! Man, was I nervous. I thought we were going to slid off the road a couple of times (in the middle of nowhere with nobody around!) and on top of that the car was running on empty (we didn't realize the back roads would be so long and that there wouldn't be a place to fill up on the way). We almost turned around a couple of times, but kept going and did eventually find the campsite! Horray! I was so thankful and happy we made it there safely and didn't run out of gas! That night we camped with some of Neal's friends and in the morning we headed to the snake river and went on a couple of runs down them. It was so much fun and brought back so many memories. It was over too soon and we headed back after lunch so we could pick up our kids and head back home.

Bountiful's 24th of July days. The kids loved the parade, although Jacob kept throwing the candy back out in the road and then we had fun at the park doing all the activities. Lydia and Jacob loved the train ride and wanted to go again and again.

Oh Jacob. Just some random pictures that I found. He loves animals and finds them where ever we go. I got out the paints one day and the kids were having so much fun. I left the room for just a minute and Jacob decided it was much better to paint himself instead of his paper. And just hanging out with dad! Jacob is always busy and into everything, but we love him so much.

Family Picures: June 2015

We decided to do family pictures for my birthday this year. I'll try to be somewhat selective, but prepare for a picture overload! 

May 2015

Neal has been wanting to go ride horses for a long time. He finally found a connection and we were able to go. We just rode them around the barn, but he and the kids loved it. Lydia was also so excited to ride with Brent and Annie on their motorcycle.

Daniel Tiger (for those of you who don't have little kids, it's a kid show on PBS... a "newer" version of Mr. Rogers neighborhood) came to Wheeler Farms (about 30 minutes south of us) and Lydia was so excited to go see him. If I would have know what a HUGE turnout there was, we probably wouldn't have gone. We had already told Lydia that we would go and meet him, so we got in line. I can't remember how long we waited, but it was at least 2 hours! Fortunately both Neal and I were there so we took turns waiting in line while the other one took the kids around the farm to play at the park, see the farm animals, and watch/chase the giant bubbles. They also had a few activities for the kids: coloring, making a paper bag tree, and planting a little garden.

April 2015

A few months ago, Jacob woke up (maybe 30 minutes or so) after going to bed. I went to see why he was crying and his face was red and puffy and his eyes were swollen. Scary! We called our neighbor (who is a doctor) and he told us it sounded like an allergic reaction and to get some childrens benedryl from the store and give it to him. Fortunately the medicine worked and his swelling/redness went back down and he was able to go to sleep. Earlier that evening I had given him a bite of a peanut butter brownie so I assumed he must have had a reaction to the peanut butter (I couldn't think of anything else new he'd eaten that day). To be sure, we took him to the allergist and had him tested. They poked him with a bunch of different needles and labeled them to see how they would react. It looked painful to me, but Jacob didn't seem to mind, he was just loving the sucker they gave him. Sure enough, he is allergic to peanuts. I'm glad he just had a bite of brownie and that his reaction was a mild one.

Happy Easter! I loved making special easter chocolates all growing up. We had little candy molds (with eggs, bunnies, baskets, flowers, etc) and would melt white chocolate (color some of it) and use toothpicks to "paint" the pictures on the chocolates. Quite time consuming, but so pretty when you finish. Lydia loved helping me! We also made some chocolate covered marshmallow eggs. We like to meet Neal at the bus stop  when he comes home. His bus driver (John) is always very kind and often has something for the kids, so we made him a special plate of easter treats and took it to him.

A few days later, John told us that they were switching routes for him  so he wouldn't be driving Neal's bus anymore. One his last day, he had toys for the kids. An Anna doll for Lydia and a truck for Jacob. He is such a nice person, and we'll miss seeing him each week day. The top picture on the left: Lydia got some money in her Easter eggs this year (from the hunt at Grandma Johnsons). Annie asked her what she was going to do with her money and she excitedly replied, "Buy new underwear!" So I took her to the store and she bought new underwear. She was so happy and proud to show daddy when he came home, that he took a picture of her.

Some neighbors had some little bunnies. The kids loved holding and petting them!

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but the kids are sitting a little brick (it sticks out a bit, maybe for decorations?) at Neal's parents house. Top right: feeding the ducks/geese Bottom right: My little dishwasher

Feb/March 2015

February and March (2015) randoms

4 wheeling, listening to daddy play guitar, reading stories, and visiting the Joseph Smith memorial building

My mom always made us big heart sugar cookies for Valentines day and I've carried on the tradition. By the time I remembered to take a picture, the rest of us had already eaten ours, so it was just Neal's left :)

Making marshmallows and playing under the bunk beds.

January 2015

For some reason, Lydia has decided that she likes sleeping behind the couch. Even if we put her to bed in her room, she comes out in the middle of the night and this is how we find her most mornings. Bottom rght: they are always finding something to make a mess with. Today was all the ads that came in the mail. :) 

We went down to the new(ish) Aquarium to check it out. It was pretty fun and we liked looking at all the different animals.

Watching the penguins and fish.

They have a huge rainforest room with tons of birds, a small petting section (with sting rays, fish, etc), a big rope bridge to cross, etc. 

The kids like playing on the giant whales. We  also saw a couple of short movies in their 3-d theater. The had a really cool on about "monsters under the sea" but it was a little to realistic and scary for Lydia. She liked the animated one we saw better. Left: our family in the giant shark mouth. Middle: crossing the rope bridge.Lydia loved it and wanted to go again and again.  

December 2014

December is always busy and goes by too quickly! Just like that, another year has come and gone!

When you have an older sister, you sometimes run around the house in pink fairy wings. :) The kids were having fun playing together: wresting, and doing tricks. 

The kids found a package with this foam forms inside (I don't really know what it's called) and had so much fun with it! It got everywhere though and took forever to clean! 

We love all the family get togethers around Christmas time. I was terrible at taking pictures, so I only have pictures from the Swalberg family party.

We're so lucky to live 15 minutes from downtown Salt Lake and temple square! It's always pretty cold, but the lights are so beautiful!

The candy windows (across the street from the temple at City Creek), and more lights!

Neal decided to make popcorn chains for the tree this year so we popped a bunch of popcorn and got started. After a while, Neal changed his mind because Jacob kept grabbing his string and was eating the popcorn faster that Neal could put it on! Lydia thought she'd put popcorn on anyway, so she grabbed a handful and started decorating.

It was one of those crazy stressful days, and we needed to grab a few last minute things from the store. We loaded everyone up in the car and headed to Walmart. After getting everything and waiting in line, I remembered something else. Neal and Jacob stayed in line while Lydia and I ran to grab it. While I was standing in the isle, a little boy came up and handed me a little bag, then continued on with his mom. I looked down at what he had given me. It was a bag with a five dollar bill inside and a not attached that said, "You've been R.A.C.K ed!!! Random Act of Christmas Kindness" It really touched me and made me stop and reevaluate what was truly important. I had gotten so caught up in trying to get everything done, that I was not in the spirit of Christmas.  I'm so grateful for a mother who remembered to teach her children what the real reason and meaning of Christmas is. I  truly needed the reminder to stop, take time, and look outwards for ways that I could be kinder and serve more. It was a little Christmas miracle to me that I'll never forget.

We spent Christmas Day with Neal's family this year. We were all spoiled by Neal's parents, especially the kids. Neal's favorite gift was the BYU jerseys his parents gave to Lydia and Jacob. :)

Bradley made a snowman with the kids. They loved it!

November 2014

The weather was still pretty good for November, so we enjoyed playing outside a lot.

Raking the leaves so we can jump in them is always so fun!

Somedays you just let your kids out of the house in whatever they put on... even if it is a tinkerbell dress with pink fairy wings. :)  Bottom right: the kids love to make "foamy soap" (just mix a little dish soap and water until it is foamy). This picture is super blurry, but it's the best I had. Middle: Lydia was so excited to make her own funny face pancake. I think we made them for a few days in a row. Top right: Ok, so this one is really embarrassing! I actually went to  work with two different boots on and didn't notice until I had been at work for almost an hour! In my defense, I did get ready in the dark that morning and remember pulling 3 boots from my closet. I thought that I threw the one that didn't match back in, but I guess I grabbed the wrong one! After I noticed, I just wore my socks for the rest of my shift.  

Watching out the window and having fun with play dough.

We're so excited to welcome Mikayla to the family (she is marrying Neal's brother Kevin). We had so much fun going out to lunch with her and her mom. Neal's brother, Bradley also came home after serving his mission in Canada. Welcome home, Bradley! 

October 2014

We love living across the street from the elementary school. We have the playground to ourselves during the summer!

Happy 1st birthday Jacob! We thought it was appropriate to make him a car cake... since he was born in one.

Happy Halloween from Cinderella and Prince Charming

We went to a BYU football game. While we were there, people kept turning around and looking behind us. We discovered that Elder Perry was sitting in the box right behind us! Go Cougars!