Olivia is walking!! She is getting better and better each day. Last Thursday she got up and decided to walk. She would take about four steps and fall down. Yesterday, it was her desired mode of transportation. She falls, but instead of crawling she gets back up and walks again. Her steps are cute and wobbly. It is fun to watch. It's amazing how fast kids progress at things when they decide that it is time to do them. Way to go Liv!

Independence weekend

Our 4th of July weekend was a lot of fun. We kicked it off Friday night with a picnic at the park. The weather was absolutely perfect. The kids played for quite a long time. It was so relaxing and it was great to be together as a family. Kiley and Kade both mastered the rock climbing wall and Olivia loved the swings.
Saturday we did some yard and house work (always a must on the weekend.) That evening we had Emily (Ki's sister) and Jeremy (my brother) and Leslie and their two boys, Will and James, over for a BBQ. After dinner we did some fireworks out on the front lawn. Thanks Aunt Emily for the fun fireworks. Ki took the kids to Hatch park to watch our cities fireworks. Aunt Emily went with them. Olivia was ready for bed, so sadly I had to miss out on the show. I did see three out our window just before I put her down.
Sunday my brother Jeremy blessed his baby, James. We went to church with them and dinner afterward. It is fun to celebrate special occasions as a family. It was fun to visit with all my siblings (minus Derek :0( ). We headed up to my Mom and Dad's that night to stay over.
Monday we woke up early and went to the Lewiston parade. I love parades. I think they are so fun. The kids scored on candy. Which isn't really that great because then they just eat sugar all day. Anyway...after the parade we walked around the booths at the park and then went back to Mom's and had lunch. We did a hike and played in the water and slip n' slide. We BBQ'd that night. I love being with family. The kids have so much fun with cousins and it is always fun to catch up with my siblings.
I love America and am proud to be an American. We are so blessed to have the freedoms we do. This country was founded by men lead by God. May our freedoms be maintained and preserved!!

June News

June has flown by! I can't believe the fourth is this weekend. Where does the time go?
We had a reunion a couple of weeks ago with my Dad's whole family. We haven't done anything together for a really long time; aside from the occasional wedding. It was a lot of fun. We camped up Ogden canyon at one of the church's sites. Let me just tell you the bathrooms were awesome! Flushing toilets, a shower (which Ididn't take advantage of, we were still camping:0) and nice sinks. Anyway...we had a great time. The kids had a blast and it was fun to catch up with my cousins and their families. Olivia did well too. The first night was ROUGH, but the second night Ki graciously gave up his spot on the air mattress and we made a bed for Liv. It was much better than sharing my small sleeping bag with her. Thanks honey! I was really bummed because I forgot to take our camera. UGH! I'm hoping that loved ones are true to their word and email pictures. (hint hint)

I went and stayed at my Mom and Dad's for three days last week. It is always so nice to be there. Mom helped me with a quilt I'm making for Kiley's bed. I started one for Kade and Kiley before Olivia was born. Thought that I could get them both done and I was wrong. I got a row done on Kade's before Liv came but that is it. I hadn't worked on them since. I love going home. It is always relaxing and nice. The kids were outside most of the day jumping on the trampoline and swinging. We really want to live in the country someday and I hope we get to! Thanks Mom!

First Step

So Olivia took her first step two days ago. I can't believe it! The kids were swimming in our little swimming pool and Olivia crawled over and decided she wanted to stand. She kept getting up and standing all afternoon. When we went in the house, I put her a little ways away and she took one step towards me. So cute and exciting.
She also has a hippo toy that she can walk behind and she loves it. Kade was playing with it last night and she was getting a little miffed. She takes off behind that thing. It is so crazy. Once again, she is growing way to fast. She is still sleeping in her crib which has made a huge difference for us all. I'm really proud of her and very grateful!!

Picture updates

Our little Olivia is growing so fast. She is a great eater and loves table food. She has said bye-bye to baby food and just eats whatever we eat. She loves to explore and I found her pushing Kade's scooter into the kitchen. She recently has discovered cupboard doors. She likes to crawl under the sink. She got stuck and was crying but she was patient while I grabbed the camera for a quick picture.

Kiley and Kade got to have Easter egg hunts with their Drake cousins and Samuel (their Aston cousin). They had a lot of fun at both. We love our extended families!!


Kade played soccer this spring. He cried his whole first game and part of his second. By the third game he was ready to go and excited to play. It was fun to watch him and he was so cute.

We went to the zoo with Daddy awhile ago. We usually go when he is working and can't go, so it was fun to have him go with us. Aunt Emily also went with us and that was fun too.

Sanity Restored

Olivia has not been a great sleeper since she was 6 months. She went from sleeping on her crib mattress sleeping through the night to sleeping in our bed and eating 2-4 times during the night.
Well...we have been putting her in her crib since Thursday and letting her cry herself to sleep. It has been a bit rough. She has ended up in our bed twice, threw up Saturday night because she was so upset and also had a messy diaper (unbeknownst to us) and has awoken Kiley up on occasion. Last night she still cried herself to sleep but she slept through the night and stayed in her bed the whole night!!! She slept until 7:30 am and was even happy when she woke up. Yea, yea and yea! We'll see how tonight goes but I now believe it is possible.

I know it has been a long time since I last posted anything. We are still alive and doing well. I want to write about Easter and other stuff and post some pictures, but it has been hard finding the time and motivation (mostly motivation) to do so. I know you are saying to your self, "Why doesn't she just do it now?" Good question. Again...it is the motivation. I want to be able to do this when I have a little free time and can do it with a little peace and quiet. Now you are saying to yourself, "so this is her last post." Could be, only time will tell. ;O)