Summer Nights

I have come to feel a little jipped. I have been excited to move all winter long and now that summer has FINALLY come, it isn't so bad (granted there are only three months out of the year here that are warm.) We have enjoyed fun family activities -well, the very few moments we are not working on the play that is.

Dylan played on a T-ball team. He loved every minute of it! He was one of two kids who could throw the ball from the pitchers mound to first! We are such proud parents, can you tell?? He was sad when it all eneded because it made him feel so big and he called them "my team." Connor and I have also been playing on a softball team so he really enjoyed having his own feild time! My favorite part was when he would run into home and pass by us giving us all high fives, and always seeming to leave Ashlyn hanging. Luckily, she is patient and would hang out until he finally heard us and came back.

Dylan also took swimming lessons. The first day was rough, but then he went to town. After he got his cool, shark googles, there was nothing that could stop him! He is my little fish. He really believes that he can swim all by himself (making me happy that he is so confident, but scared because I don't know if that is REALLY true.) Ashlyn has even ventured off the stairs, and would rather swim and jump in deaper water. We spend all the time we can at the pool before we have to leave. Everyone looks at me like I am crazy coming to the pool with three little kids on my own, but how else do you do it?!

Here is our last hurrah to Cleveland. We will miss the sunny days!

Opening Night

This week we opened the play This is Kirtland. We had a successful first two shows. Now we just have 6 more shows. Here is Connor singing Dear Emma. I have heard from many that he plays a wonderful Joseph (as myself- but I am biased.) He was worried about following Nate as Joseph from last year as everyone thought he was amazing. I can't tell you how cute he looks in all of his makeup! Good thing I am the one who gets to steal kisses between scenes (Shh, don't tell Emma!)

I play Julia Murdock, the woman who died giving birth to twins who were then given to Joseph and Emma. This song is the only scene I am prego in, so there are a few jokes about it:
After the opening scene I "go get pregnant"
I have a very short pregnancy
Didn't I just do this?
I am very pregnant but have a 5 month old too!
Wide load coming!
I die and come back to life (I am in a few more scenes after my prego scene- unprego)
I have two husbands, both who are younger than me!
I am a mistress to Joseph

Here are the kids at just ONE of the many practices they attended. Ashlyn who wishes she was up there dancing right along with us.

Here is a sideshow of all the fun and crazy moments of our experience. This has been a very hard time for us, but rewarding spiritually. We have learned so much about Joseph and these Saints. We have had many spiritual experiences and we have made so many wonderful friendships! This really is an amazing show written and directed by our close friends. I am so impressed with the concentrated talent in this area- all for a great purpose! We are so excited to share this with our friends and neighbors.

Race Car driver???

We went to a little get together at our friend's house. If I were a kid I would have been in heaven. They had a lot of fun water games going on, but Dylan had only one thing on his mind- the battery powered jeep! And he did not want to do anything else. In the driver seat or in the passenger seat, he is just happy to be aboard.

Here is Dylan showing us his reverse skills. They are probably better than my own! Maybe he even has makings for a race car driver, he does like to drive fast every chance he gets (especially in Poger's sports cars!)

Ashlyn found a new love- the sprinkler. She figured out how to get a drink- at least as much of the water that actually got in her mouth!

Summer fun is hard to beat with all our great friends, that we are going to miss!!

Scary feet, Scary feet

I mean scary face. (That is a Monster's Inc. joke.) Just a little clip of Ashlyn. She says funny things and does a very funny scary face!

And this is what Ashlyn's room often looks like by the end of the day!

Today I found Ashlyn behind the couch eating a whole bag of crackers (for those of you who don't know, this is her favorite food and if the saying "you are what you eat" was really true, she would be one!) And I couldn't take them away because I was laughing so hard because of the glasses. I asked her where she got the crackers (I didn't give them to her) she said "kitchen." She had retrieved a stool from another room and grabbed them right off the counter! THis is funny because we never willingly give her crackers because she would rather eat crackers over anything else.

House of little Dancers

I am way behind on my posts so here is to my little Dancer- well I have more than one. Here is Dylan from his Dance concert about a month ago. He was in a little boy's creative dance class. He really loved it and asked to go to Mrs Tracee's house (her studio was in her basement.) However, she has moved and when I told him we couldn't he was quite sad. The boys were little gardeners and he did such an amazing job. There really is a little dancer inside of him along with all of his athletic ability!

As for Ashlyn, she would have died and gone to Heaven if she got to dance too. When we go to play practice she is begging to get on stage and dance with us.


Dylan's cousin, Isabella, also danced in the concert, so here they are! And boy do we miss you Tracee!

Best Dad and Best 6 Years

This is a few days late and a few days early!

Connor and I had our 6 year anniversary. I am so proud of all that he has accomplished and the man he has become. He has been the rock in our family and the life of the party. Let me tell you, we are officially a party of 5 that never seems to end! We have traveled all over the US and life still seems to get sweeter by the day. I am grateful that he is constantly serving me in every way that he can. It is a rare occasion when he is in any way selfish.



He is the greatest example I could ever dream of for my children. If they turn out just like him (looks are already on his side) then they will be amazing. Connor is constantly inspiring me to become a better person in every way. He is driven in all aspects of his life. He never seems to amaze with with all his talents and abilities. There seems to be nothing he can't do, and do it well.


With Father's Day coming up, I would like to exclaim to the world what a wonderful father I have for my children. Even when he is exhausted he comes home and gets right to "play." If there was ever a man who could hold up the house on his own, it would be him!

Our future always seems to be bright with a man like Connor at the head. Here is to the best dad and the greatest husband!

Northwest Wedding

The reason we haven't been bloggin:



My little Brother, Jameson, got married to Kamrah on May 24th in the Portland Temple. It rained and rained the days before,but then the Sun came out all day for the wedding! What luck, or maybe it was just the Heavens Smiling! Check out her dress, she made it herself! (Wish I had known her when I got married!) My little sister, Carrie, and other family watched our kids during the sealing. We also did a lot of driving between Portland and White Salmon, WA (Kamrah's home town) and so we had some great bonding time. Connor even learned most of his lines for the Kirtland play (Dylan now has all our songs memorized for the play- maybe they should cast him too!) The reception and ring ceremony (Kamrah is a convert to the church) were at her friend's Bed and Breakfast. It was gorgeous!

A few funny things-
1. Cousin Morgan fell in the reflecting pool at the temple. Good thing we had all our luggage in our car!
2. Dylan has an affinity for peeing outside. He really would rather not use the toilet if he had the choice. The temple grounds must be lush, because he dropped his pants and "fertilized" the plants right then and there during our picture session.



We made the best of our trip and also saw Connor's brother, Joel, and his family near Seattle . Carter is just 5 months younger than Dylan. I felt like I didn't see Dylan for three days while he played all day with Carter in Carter's playroom. Boy do I wish they lived closer! Kadi showed me all the best places to shop, Mason and I became buddies, and Connor got some quality time with his brother.

The 4 1/2 hour flights back and forth weren't as bad as I had imagined it to be with three little ones. However, the three hour time change just about killed us. The rest of this week we have really been trying to recuperate! I think everyone hated us when our kids were waking up at 4 am, but now we are up till 11pm at night.

We are now back to daily play practice. A blessing and a curse. It is much harder than I imagined to both be in the play and somehow entertain our children during all the practices. Boy, Cami and Nate made this look easier than it is!