This was the longest morning waiting for Nana and Grandpa to come to our house. The kids were so excited! We played outside for most of the day and every 10 minutes they would ask, "When are they going to get here?"
This is the kids newest creation. I love watching them play can come up with new ideas.
We enjoyed our walks in the wonderful weather. Grandpa was so brave to try the one wheel and he was very impressive. It is very good at it. Go Grandpa!
Chalk art for the welcoming of our guests!
This was our first day of swimming of the season! The pool was heated and really to invite summer. We love the swimming pool!
Easy lunch and look at the meat roses the girls made out of salami and pepperoni. YUM!
So impressed that Scott would work out with this crazy fellow. They worked hard!
Yoga with Nana!
I love how watching Scott and Ruth Ann grandparent.! They are such great examples of unconditional love and spending time with the kids. Thanks for being amazing grandparents!
We went to the library to check out some books. The kids absolutely love books. I am so grateful for Nana and Grandpa sharing their love for books with the kids. They love reading together and sharing adventures and lessons about life together through books!
The weather was so nice we went to the park to play.and have a picnic. We played on the playground, played catch, and chase. It was one of those moments that we are so grateful for family!
Finding treasures and flowers for Nana.
That evening we did a double date with Scott and Ruth Ann. We wanted to do something a little different and went axe throwing. We had a great time together. As the kids get older, we have less one on one time with Scott and RuthAnn so we love and value our times together. It was great to be together and have a great time. Derek dominated all of us!
I am sad that I didn't get pictures of the girls and their adorable hairdos. Ruth Ann did the girls hair many times over. The girls had a great time also did Nana's hair.
Crafting and arts with Grandpa
This was one of my favorite afternoons where we swam in the afternoon playing games like the name game, 4 corners, and more. It was so fun to play together as a group and enjoy each other. It was one of those moments that was just right.
Ruth Ann was so sweet and taught the girls and I how to make her famous strawberry jam and making bread. It was so delicious!
The kids did a dance show/party. They preformed for Nana and Grandma. Claire did a hilarious performance for a dance called I love my Grandpa and then Emmett did a dance and he knows how to do eye contact. It was the first time that I visioned Emmett as a teenager. ha ha.
These kids did a fun performance!
Included running around the couch
More walks...I am so glad it is spring.
I love watching the kids read together!
We went to SFA gradens to look at the blossoms that are just at the beginning. It was fun to see that spring is here! We did the Labyrinth Path.
Flower Hunt
I knew that Nana would love this garden! I was laughing so hard watching her take all these pictures.
As I am writing this I am laughing because these are the only two pictures I have of Nana and Grandpa together. The first one Ruth Ann's eyes are closed and the next picture Scott's eyes are closed ha ha.
Swing
We went to the pond to see the ducks.
Quick workout at the ROTC section.
I was so impressed with Ruth Ann. She came to a zumba class with me and we had a great time! Thanks for being willing to get out of your comfort zone and join me. It was fun!
Sweaty selfie
It was great to play Disney Scene It!
One of the days we were on our way to the library and I got a call from someone that said that my daughter was with her in front of my house. I was so confused and told her that she has the wrong number. Then we realized that we left Desi at home. Derek and I thought she was in Nana and Grandpa's car and they thought she was in our car.
Desi was so brave and she tried to get the attention of some lady down the street that was outside. The lady worked for CPS for 18 years and she noticed Desi. Desi ran to our front door and gave the lady my phone number. As scary as that situation was, we are so proud of Desi! She did the right thing and she remembered my phone number. She was so brave.
Desi really appreciated the help from our neighbor (that we have never met) and wanted to make her cookies and a note. We are grateful for her.
We walked to the ladies house to give it to them. They are a sweet older couple and super friendly. The lady also owned her own daycare for 23 years and so children have a special place in her heart.
OF COURSE WE DID A LOT OF READING!!!!
We are so grateful for Nana and Grandpa reading with the kids. They absolutely enjoy every minute of it! It seems like after every trip I wish I would have gotten more pictures because we love soaking up all the memories together.
It is so fun to see the kids working out on their own. They did weights and running together. I love their passion for a healthy lifestyle starting at a young age.
We were at the breakfast table and Emmett started saying, "Five little red hairs and then ate one. Four little red heads and ate another." ha ha I thought it was so clever- red hairs ha ha.
This girl lost another tooth! She wrote Trixie (her tooth fairy) an adorable book. I will have to post the video of her reading it because it was adorable.
Claire has worked very hard and she completed all her 1st grade! She is actually almost done with her 2nd grade English, but she just completed her 1st grade math so we got to go on a date of her choice! She was so excited to go to McDonalds/
Before Nana and Grandpa came to our house, we had the first great weather and we decided to go camping at Hanks Creek. It fed our family's soul with goodness and nature. We all expressed how much we missed being in the trailer and being in nature. My mama heart swelled hearing that from the kids.
Cleaning rocks
So beautiful!
Derek beat us all balancing on the bar. He said that he thinks its because of practicing a lot on the one wheel because there is a lot of balancing.
The kids found this area that they called Africa. I love watching them imagine and play together. They had many crazy adventures in Africa. We spent some time as a family there.
We did homework in the chilly mornings and Desi wrote some stories.
Derek had to come back to town to work and so we went to the homeschool skate ranch and had a great time.
More camping experiences
I loved watching the kids play in the cold, cold water!
Then I decided to be crazy and go join them! It was so so cold. Then the kids had a goal to dunk me in.
Campfire
We went to Bella Gaia. The best way to describe it was a performance with guitar, vocal, harp player, and dancesr perform and they have visual effects about the Earth. It shows how humans and nature are connected. It was seriously a spiritual experience that has you leave in aww about the beautiful Earth and how everything (weather, flow of rivers, ecosystems, humans) are all connected. Just writing this brings me to tears because it was wonderful!
I love seeing the kids read for homeschool. Homeschool is just wonderful! I feel so blessed to be able to have this opportunity!
Ashlyn loved this book. Thanks Maren for the recommendation!
Emmett's school work from preschool
Happy Birthday to the greatest Daddy and Husband!!
Daddy recently introduced us to parfaits and we had it for breakfast! So good!
Derek's hygienist gave Derek this shirt she made for his birthday.
Ashlyn had this idea months ago when we were living in the trailer, but for Derek's birthday we should recite poems. Derek loves hearing the kids recite their poems that they learn for homeschool. It really touches him where he gets goosebumps and tears up. It is so sweet.
So we all practiced our poems and each took turns sharing our poems and Derek loved it.
The morning of his birthday, he said at the table that for his birthday would love to hear poems. The girls' eyes got so big because that is what we were planning of our surprise to him in the evening. It was so cute!
Emmett finished his 2nd pre-k book. He is so excited to start kindergarten!
Derek has been super dedicated at the gym doing his training and cutting to prep for muscle building. I have been super impressed with his dedication. I love when he sets a goal, he is 100 percent!
Way to go Derek!
Emmett went on a date with Daddy for getting his pre-k school done! He loved every minute of it!
For Valentine's Grandma Martinson got us a puzzle of all the grandkids. It is a hard puzzle, but fun to figure out who is who. We are still working on the puzzle. It is pretty hard.
Thanks Grandma!
Derek got another set of weights and bench so we can workout at home.
We love them!
The kids love going to the library right now. I think we go at least 2-3 times a week.
So I am training for my first triathlon! It is so out of my comfort zone and so I know that I need to do this. I have been doing research and the biking portion takes up the majority of the race so I have been biking for my training. I used to think that I hated biking, but I actually really enjoy it!
For our date night Derek and I switch turns picking our activity and this night I chose biking Kit McConico which is like trail riding. It was a blast!!! Dererk rode is one wheel while I rode the bike.
Enjoying another day at Mission Tejas! It is so fun to be in nature with the spring weather! Perfect weather! Perfect company!
The kids went to Encanto Camp at their dance studio. They had a great time dancing, crafts, and making new friends.
Emmett is OBSESSED with Star Wars right now!!!!
He would talk to you all day about it and every book he gets at the library is Star Wars.
He asks everyday if we could watch it.
I am reading a book off of Oprah's Book Club and she did her first ever (which she has had her book club for many many years) non fiction book. I love Oprah and I love non-fiction. It is a book that is all about living your truest self. We are conditioned a lot in our lives with politics, religions, social culture, and many areas that we don't even realize. The author is helping me recognize what is my true and honest self. It has helped me a lot in big and small ways. Some of the small is realizing when I am not being honest with Derek because I don't want to hurt his feelings or I don't want to stir something small into something big- but honesty is important to both Derek and I. Then it has been great help to live what I believe is my truth. I have mentioned before that living the church has been one of the hardest decisions and this book is helping me recognize what is my truth that I chose to live by.
I cut my hair!
I haven't had my hair short since 7-8 years and I wanted something different. I was actually regretting it, sad, and I missed my long hair until I discovered recently that my naturally curly hair is back!!! I had curly hair on my mission and a little before I had Ashlyn and since then it has been flat. Well it is BACK!!
I am 36!!!!
So I have been preparing for a triathlon and I decided the day before to try the triathlon on my own to see my time and see where I can improve. Well I have been working it up in my mind. I am really great at the bike and run, but the swimming is what I was the most nervous about. Well I woke up at 5 in the morning to start the day strong and it was 38 degrees (and I hate the cold). But I have mentally prepared myself and here I go! I get to the gym and realize that there is no water in the swimming pool and so I asked the front guy about the pool and it is closed for maintenance. I was very disappointed! So I decided to just do the biking and running portion. So I change out of my swim suit and into exercise clothes and hit the bike. I biked for 15 miles (an hour) and then I get on the treadmill to do the running. I run the 5k (3.1 miles) then I decided to run another 3.1 miles to make up for the swimming. Well I felt so good I decided to run a half marathon (13.1 miles)! I was so proud of myself! I can do hard things. I honestly thought that half marathons are out of my reach because the couple of months when I run my feet and hip have been hurting. So I was super happy. This is probably my 8-10th half marathon (I wish I would have kept track) This is the best shape that I have ever felt in my life!! I am feeling so good! Bring on 36!!!
Me coming home from the gym and my entire body is drenched in sweet sweat!
The kids scared me when I walked through the door.
I wanted to get a massage for my birthday but it was booked so I got a massage by 6 helpers. It was glorious after all the workout I did.
It is funny when I look in the mirror I think to myself, "who is that girl?" I honestly don't recognize myself with curly hair... ha ha
We went to Mission Tejas for some hiking! It was absolutely perfect weather in the low 70s! I love being in nature and being with the family. This is heaven to me. When we are here it is a feeling that everything is right in the world.
The kids are making up shows for me.
The kids love to climb this big log but there was so much water for the rain. Derek was sweet to start a bridge out of the fallen logs and branches,. Everyone joined in. It was fun to see their creativity. We called it the dam bridge (ha ha)
One of the kids' favorite spots is what we call the Little House on the Prairie. It is a bird watching shed. Derek will throw the kids threw the window and they love it! Then they like to play Chick Fil A where we place an order in the window and we pick it up. ha ha
I love how much their relationship has blossomed over the past few years. It is great to see how close of a relationship all our kids have together. We really love our time as a family.
This drive to Mission Tejas is so beautiful! I love listening to Indie Folk music while we drive.
My "birthday cake" (coconut cream pie). Derek makes it and it is the best! I think this time was the best that he has ever made it. I don't know if it is because we haven't had it for over a year or what.
Sweet note from Ash. Love it!
Then we watched my favorite Disney movie Frozen 2
There is so much satisfaction seeing my kids read and enjoy it!
Claire taught me how to make my own snowflake! She is a great teacher.
Our neighbor on our walking route has a dog named Ranger that the kids and Ranger love to see each other. This is where the kids can get their dog fix.
For Derek's date night we went to the new BATMAN movie. Derek absolutely loved it! Me, not so much.
Brinley made this Harry Potter bookmark. She is creative.
The joy of the simple things
Derek may be embarrassed that I am posting this....but I am so proud of his hard work.
Brinley did an art picture of a cactus!
Claire lost another tooth. This is her before it fell out. We called her buck tooth ha ha
Brinley took this picture of the flowers on a tree at the park. I love this time of year!
This girl finished her Kindergarten!!! She worked so hard!!!
She couldn't help but have a HUGE smile on her face. I love the pride that she has in herself.
