Bunny Hill all the way!

I had my very first experience down hill skiing on our anniversary and I have to admit that I think I'm not going to take on skiing as a hobby. We had a lot of fun going down the bunny hill and after about 30 minutes I told Jared it was getting a little boring so we decided to try something more challenging. We asked some guy what the next easiest hill was so he showed us (we should have been more cautious... ) and we took the fun ride up to the top of the mountain. When we got there it started snowing REALLY hard, and we didn't have goggles. We started down the hill and I was doing pretty good at the first, but then I got nervous and started going straight down the hill instead of side to side- I was afraid I would fall off the side of the mountain, what can I say- So I started going faster and FASTER until I couldn't see anymore because of the snow. I tried stopping gracefully, but it didn't work and I ended up rolling about 3 times. I was pretty frustrated, but we weren't down the mountain yet, so I put my skis back on and tried it again, only to fall even quicker this time. I felt pretty angry and made Jared walk down most of the rest of the hill with me. Jared later went on that same hill two more times and told me it was the hardest hill he's ever skied down! (He has only been 5 or 6 times) So I learned my lesson, next time I'm going to ask a worker what the best hill is and not just some random guy, or even better, maybe I'll stick to the bunny hill :) It was a really fun activity to do with Jared though and even though I ended up with a really nice bruise I would still do it again, maybe just in about 5 years :)

Happy Anniversary

Four years ago today Jared and I were married for time and for all eternity. I am so happy I made the decision to marry Jared and that he wanted to marry me! It has been a great four years. Jared is a great husband and I have so much fun being married to him. I am thankful for who he is as a husband, father and best friend. I love you tons Jared! We're on our way to 100! :)

Pictures from Easter Weekend

Relief Society Pinata, Fierce Attack

Jen had a blast at the relief society activity. For some reason, the men were invited so I got some footage of a typical woman's event. Jen attacked that pinata better than any woman there, but I have a biased opinion. I love how after the pinata attacks her, she does not back down but gets even more aggressive. Hope you enjoy the video.

Another Life Lesson

I don't know what my deal has been lately, but I have been getting annoyed or easily upset at the silliest things. I contribute part of this newfound lack of patience to March Madness, I think it's making me go mad :) Not really, but I'm glad "the dance" is only once a year.

This morning we decided to take the girls to an easter egg hunt. We ended up getting ONE that's right, ONE egg for each Madeline and Aliza. Really I don't care that much because I probably wouldn't let the girls eat most of the candy anyway, but I was upset because there were tons of people around us that had a basket FULL of eggs. How did this happen? Do we have really slow girls? No, it's just that we got there right before it started so we were at the back of the line, so by the time we got to the eggs they were all gone. It was a silly (and dangerous) set up, that's all. Anyway, like I said I was annoyed, and at such a silly thing, especially because the girls didn't know any different and they were happy with what they got.

It was only 10:00 am and such a beautiful day so before we left the park we had the girls get in a firetruck that was set up for the easter egg hunt, and then decided to go to Harper's Ferry. Jared had the great idea to do that, and I'm so glad he did. It was exactly what I needed! It is this place that some people have dedicated to peacefulness, happiness, and Christ. A perfect thing for easter weekend. We had such a great time there. I am so thankful that these people are willing to share their treasures.

Earlier this morning I told myself that it was up to me to be happy, and then right when we got there I saw this sign.


We had a lot of fun and got to see tons of peacocks, some deer, and a bunny (a real Easter Bunny) We'll try to post a video of it later today. It is such a peaceful beautiful place. I just loved going there, and I was reminded to remember the important things in life, and that you are the one that sets your mood. I am so thankful for nature. It is so nice to be able to "breathe in the quietness". Experiences like this always rejuvenate me.

Relief Society Birthday Cake

I made a birthday cake for our enrichment party last night. It was really fun and I think it turned out good. The funny thing is that I thought the colors were purple and gold/ yellow, but I found out (after I already made the cake) last night that the R.S. colors are blue and gold. Oops! Oh well. I was really nervous about our enrichment party because the men in the ward were invited, and I just thought it wouldn't turn out very well, but it ended up being SO successful! We had the perfect amount of food, a great lesson, a fun trivia game, and a pinata! The theme of the party was Sisterhood around the world so the pinata was a world. We had 9 tables with things on them from all around the world. It was so fun and I'm so happy it worked out so well!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

St. Patrick's Day is one of my favorite days and I don't really even know why. When I was growing up my mom would always make green mashed potatoes, a four leaf clover shaped meat loaf, green jello, and green milk. It was always a fun tradition. I don't have the necessary ingredients to make my mom's traditional st. Patrick's Dinner, so I think I'm going to take a wack at Irish soda bread and Irish Chicken and Dumplings tonight. I did have a lot of fun dressing the girls up in green today. So since I don't even know why St. Patricks Day is celebrated I think tonight for Family Home Evening we'll have to do some Irish research, oh and fill out the March Madness brackets- Jared's request :)

Caldwell Basketball City League Blues

The Caldwell city league ended last week. I think my team finished 2-9. Our team wasn't very good, as you can see by the record. By hey, there's always next year.

Search for Mormon Pioneer Companies

For home evening we spent 2 hours looking up which of our ancestors were Mormon pioneers that crossed the plains between 1847 and 1868. This cool Mormon pioneer database is an easy way to search which company they came in and at what time. It also gives a little history about the company. I love database queries that are available to everyone. I even submitted some info and some old lady already emailed me back that she updated the database. There are some people who I know crossed but are not in it, but for the most part, it's good.

McPratt Small Fries

The other day I was finally able to have Rachel wear this shirt... it is size 0-3 months and she is 7 1/2 months! I think it will fit her until she's at least 9 months! So either we have REALLY small babies, or the shirt size was larger than the average 0-3 month clothes. :)

Little Miss Shorty

When we took Aliza to her last doctor appointment our Dr. told us to measure Aliza's height at 20 months because twice that is supposedly how tall she'll be as an adult. So I measured Aliza the other day and she's 30 inches, which means she'll be only 5 feet tall! It'll be interesting to see how accurate that is! Aliza's growing up so much and her hair is getting so long! She's such a fun little girl and we love her so much!

Another Jackpot Find

Yesterday Jared bought me an early anniversary present... Rock Climbing shoes! We found them on craigslist for $20 and they're brand new! We weren't sure they would fit, but they're perfect! So I guess we'll be doing some rock climbing for our anniversary this year!

Pictures

Some of these are silly and some are cute...

D.I. The store to die for!

The other day I sent Jared (and Madeline) to D.I to drop off some stuff. I started worrying a little bit when he had been gone for almost an hour, but not too worried because he was going to DI- probably his favorite store :) When Jared got home he had a big smile on his face and 2 bags full of videos! I thought, oh no, we already have too many movies, and we hardly ever watch them. But before I gave a bad reaction, I let him show me what he got... he found 23 living scriptures videos, a Strawberry Shortcake raincoat for Madeline (that she just LOVES), a big bird toy, and a purse. I actually was really happy about the living scriptures movies. I think it is a great way to teach basic scriptures stories to your kids. Jared did a great job shopping at DI... one mans trash is another mans treasure :)

I love Craigslist and Tax Returns

Since I did the taxes this year I got to decide what to do with the return. Spend it all on me for sure!! :) (just kidding) I have been really wanting a square table with benches though so I've been looking on craigslist.org and found one today! I just went and picked it up and I'm so excited! It's exactly what I've been looking for and it was a great deal. Double bonus! I'm happy I did our taxes this year, they weren't even that difficult, and it's really nice having three kids to claim :)

The New Cat's Name

And the Cat's Name is . . . [watch video]




Since this cat is so curious and always investigating things, we decided on this name. Thanks all of you for voting on the blog, but oodles just won't do. I was upset at Jen for putting that as one of the options and then it won. Rocky was my second vote and Cupid was Jen's second vote (barf!). One day the music to Matlock came on and like a bolt of lighting hit Jen's brain, "Matlock" she exclaimed. I could only believe it was inspired, so it stuck.

And that's the truth.

Jared