Easter 2019

We started our Easter celebrations a week before Easter with the annual Pugmire Easter Egg Hunt.  They moved to Ephraim last summer and it was our first time being able to visit them there.  The kids love this tradition and I'm glad we were able to make it!  Especially because the majority of us had all been sick the majority of the week.

The night before Easter we slept at our new house for the first time!  The upstairs bedrooms are set up, the two basement bedrooms still need fixing up, but we made it work!  It was fun to wake up and get ready for the day in our own home.  It was also really special to see two rabbits in our front yard on Easter morning, the kids thought it was so awesome!  After church the kids were able to go look for their Easter baskets.  Louis told the kids that if they needed a clue they would owe him a piece of their candy.  Avery was the only one that ended up needing a clue. 
Easter evening Avery taught a special lesson about Jesus Christ and His last few days earth and ending with His resurrection.  We are so grateful for our Savior and all that is possible for us because of Him. 

Turning 30

It was my birthday over the weekend, and I am now 30!  People seem to make a big deal over turning 30, but it really didn't feel like a huge deal to me.  We did have a fun time celebrating though!  A week or two before my birthday Avery and Mary started getting really excited about my birthday and would talk secretly with Louis about what we should do to celebrate.  I guess the excitement got to Mary, because a few days before my birthday she told me they were going to have a surprise party for me!  Whoops! 
The day of my birthday we headed over to our new house (we're (aka-Louis) still fixing things up in the house so we're not actually living in our house yet, only a couple more weeks to go!) and got things set up.  Louis was such a sweetheart, he planned a Harry Potter themed party, and had several things planned for the night.  We started out eating dinner before heading downstairs for the party.  Downstairs there was a movie, quidditch pong, wand making, photo booth props, and Harry Potter trivial pursuit. 
The beginning of the party was crazy town with everyone pretty much showing up all at once.  There were approximately 50 kids, okay only 14 kids, but they pulled out about every toy we have.  A lot of the people who came hadn't been to our house yet, so they wanted to be shown around.  It was just overwhelming for a bit there.  Thankfully once we headed downstairs it calmed down a bit, the kids went outside to play in the backyard and the adults went around to the different stations Louis had set up. 
It was a fun night and I'm so grateful for Louis for all he did to help me feel loved on my birthday.

Boise Trip

My kids had been asking for awhile when we were going to go visit Grandma Donna again.  That told me it had been too long! (It hadn't even been a year) I called up Grandma Donna and asked if we could come visit during our Spring Break.  We set it up, prepared our things, and headed up to Boise!  The kids were so great on the drive up, it was amazing!  I think most people who know Avery, know that she loves Paris and the Eiffel Tower, so we decided to stop in Paris, Idaho for a quick picture!  She can now officially say she's been to Paris!

The first night we stopped at the hotel to get our things dropped off, then grabbed some dinner to bring to Donna's apartment.  We ate dinner and chatted for a bit, then headed back to the hotel.  Wyatt doesn't sleep in cars so while he was still happy, he was also very tired. 
The next morning we headed back to Donna's and picked her up to go to the arcade.  We went to the arcade last year when we visited and the kids loved it, so that's what they wanted to do again this year!  We got to the arcade just after it opened and had a great time running around from game to game earning points.  Once we were done, the kids split the points and picked out some prizes.  Then we got some lunch before dropping Donna off then heading back to the hotel so Wyatt could take a nap.  While Wyatt napped Louis did some work for a few hours and Avery watched some TV because she had a fever and her throat was hurting.  Mary, Ethan, and I went to Target to kill some time.  When nap time was over we picked Grandma Donna back up and went to dinner together. 

 Louis helping Mary with the jump rope game

They got to do this awesome ride on the way out!

Ethan seemed to have a good time, but afterwards he said it was scary!

Mary couldn't get her salad with one fork so she used two!

Friday morning we packed up the hotel and checked out, then went to Donna's again.  We just sat and chatted until it was time to go home.  We headed out a little early because Donna had a doctor's appointment so we decided to stop in Twin Falls on our drive home.  We first stopped at the Falls which we had never been to before!  Out of all the kids Wyatt liked it the most, the other kids were a little afraid!  We also stopped at the temple to walk around the grounds.  Avery was still not feeling well, she was actually in her pajamas the whole day, but I think she still enjoyed our stops that day.

Two years ago when we stopped at the Twin Falls Temple

The rest of the drive home was once again great!  I was really impressed with our kids and how well they did for the whole trip.  It was a nice time away as a family and we enjoyed getting to spend time with Grandma Donna.

Spring Tea Party

This fun family tradition happened pretty randomly two years ago.  Spring was coming up and I thought it would be really fun to do a little spring celebration with the girls.  A Spring Tea Party is what I came up with.  It is such a simple tradition, but one my kids really look forward to!  The Sunday after the first day of spring we put together a simple lunch celebrating the new season.
This year Avery requested strawberry milk to drink, so we had strawberry milk, flower shaped sandwiches, fruit, and cheese sticks.  We always make sure the girls know to hold their pinkies out with they drink!  You can click here to read about our first Spring Tea Party.