Kid Free Vacation!

A few weeks ago Matt and I took our first kid free vacation ever! We have only left the kids maybe two nights total since Austin was born with out at least one of us home with them. This trip was LONG overdue. We went to Cancun Mexico with some good friends of our, Damon and Kelly. We stayed at the most gorgeous hotel with a perfectly white sandy beach.
We spent a lot of time doing absolutely nothing. We read on the beach, swam, drank a lot of pina coladas, and were actually able to close our eyes with out checking to see if some one was drowning or not! Not to mention that fact that we ate a lot!
We went out to Chichen Itza ruins. Matt and I had been there before, but it was a first for Damon and Kelly. It is an awesome sight to see the huge buildings out in the middle of the jungle.
After sweating our heads off at the ruins, we went swimming in a natural well called a cenote. It was beautiful! We had to walk down through a tunnel that was carved into the mountain to get to the water. The water was over 120 feet deep with vines growing down from the ceiling, which was at ground level.
On the fourth day there, Damon got really sick and ended up in the hospital. He was in the hospital for two days! We felt terrible. It was their first trip out of the country and he ended up getting horribly sick! While Damon was in the hospital and Kelly was keeping tabs on him, Matt and I went to an island called Isla Mujeras. It was absolutely beautiful and so quaint. When we got to the island we rented a golf cart and took off to go explore. We ended up on the north end of the island at the most beautiful beach I had ever seen. The water was crystal clear.
We swam out to a sand bar and were able to stand up in the middle of the bluest water. The far side of the island is not used for swimming because it is mostly rocky cliffs.
Matt and I found a way down and we found some HUGE seashells. They were a little beaten up from the rough rocks, but our kids thought that they were the best souvenirs ever. While we were out on the island, Matt was in his typical good samaritan form. A golf cart full of women got stuck in the sand and he stopped to help them out. This is so typical of Matt!
It was very hard to come back to reality and leave the beautiful beaches. Of course we could have stayed longer, but life has a way of rearing its ugly head at times! So after a LONG day of delayed flights, airlines changing terminals on us without notice, and literally running through airports to make connections, we made it home. It was so nice to be able to spend some one on one time with each other without having to think about the kids first. Damon and Kelly were great to travel with and we had so much fun, even with the fact that Damon got sick!
Thank goodness for my fabulous parents that took such great care of our kids. They were all sad to have to leave Grandmas and come home. This will definitely be something that we will do on a more regular basis. I'm not so sure that my mom wants to hear that! I think the kids wore her out and kept her hopping for the week!

First Day of School!

I can not believe that school has started all ready. We just got out two weeks ago and it does not seem right to be going back so soon. Austin started the fourth grade, (which seems crazy to me that my first born is in the fourth grade, I must be getting old!) He was a little concerned because we switched tracks this year and most of his friends did not. He was relieved when he showed up and saw a couple of his good friends from 2nd grade so things are good now.

Easton is now in the first grade. Thank goodness his two best friends are in his class. I think that we would have had a major meltdown if he was on his own. He is still not quite so sure about school. I ask him what he did on his first day and he said "nothing". I said "nothing?", and he said, "well, nothing fun"! He is one that needs to be constantly challenged and engaged in something. I thought that he might be a little nervous when I dropped him off, but he threw his backpack in line and ran off to play on the playground. He is certainly my child that stresses the least. Austin, on the other hand is another story!!

Things that make me smile!

This is nothing new or earth shattering, just a couple of cute pictures and things that I thought were important to me. I had been thinking of things that make me happy the other day. Our lives are really busy and crazy right now, but I know that I need to remember the small and seemingly unimportant things that make life great. I read an article in the Ensign a while ago, about not sweating the small stuff and not freaking out when things go wrong, because they will. That got me thinking about what makes me happy and how I need to relax about things a little bit. So here is a list of a few things that make me smile:

* Sami wanting Christmas songs sung to her in July, and the fact that she sings to herself on the potty!

* Ava When she give her "pat-pats" (This is when she gives you a hug and pats your back at the same time, too cute!)



* Easton wanting peanut butter on his pancakes. My grandma Skidmore did this when I was younger and I thought she was so strange!

*Austin having to have popcorn and apples when he watches movies just like grandma Mary.

*Having a handy man for a husband. After the disposal, dryer, and the van broke all in one week he was not going to pay one more person to fix something, then the washer broke two days later. Needless to say 1 week and $40 later, we had a fixed washer. He is the man!

*Sami when she calls me "Mama Jo Jo." I have no idea where it came from or why it makes me laugh, but it does.

*Watching Matt perform wrestle mania with the kids.


*Sami talking about going to visit Grandpa Mel so he can read books to her.


There are countless more, these are just a few. I have the greatest husband and four wonderful kids, even through all of the meltdowns and tantrums I still love them!

Last Day of School, Finally!!

Having year round school, it seems like it goes on forever! The boys had their last day today, only to have to start back up in two weeks. Easton graduated from kindergarten today and Austin is moving on to fourth grade. I can not believe how big my little boys are getting. Easton had a graduation ceremony where they sang songs in Spanish and English. They all did a really good job. His teachers said that he has a good grasp of the Spanish language.

Easton with his friends Paris, Broc and Parker.









After fighting the girls to be quiet during Eastons program, we had Austins award ceremony. Austin received an award for being on the honor roll every term this year.I am proud of both my boys. Their teachers could not say enough good things about them. It must be from all of the good parenting they get!!
It is times like this when I really miss Matt being around. He is busy with finals, and I know that he would rather be with us instead of pulling teeth out of some poor suckers mouth, well maybe he wouldn't! After Sami had her daily meltdown on the floor of the multi purpose room, I vowed to never take the girls in public again when they are expected to be quiet and calm. I had thought of getting a sitter, but then decided against it. What was I thinking? I know they will grow and things will get easier, right?

Anything to stay cool!

It has been unbelievably hot in Henderson lately. We are trying anything we can think of to stay cool. The pool is almost to warm to make it much fun. It is no longer refreshing. We decided to try ice blocking at the local park. We had a great time. The kids were a little confused about what to do, so Matt had to demonstrate for them first before they would try it on their own.

The kids are great at coming up with fun things to do in our patio that we call a backyard. Even with as little as it is, they seem to be able to find things that keep them occupied for a little while. Kids are great at improvising with what they have!

Ava loves popsicles so much that she will go to the fridge and point and scream, that is her new way of communicating right now. Why does she need to learn to talk, when we all give her what she wants anyway! You can certainly tell that she is the baby of the family. Hopefully she will grow up to be an independent person despite all of the babying that she receives! Don't you love her little "hoochie" swimsuit? Hey it was free, and you can always use another suit!