The Very Good: The best snow on earth all to ourselves!

We had another great time this year out in Utah for spring skiing and as usual we pretty much had the slopes all to ourselves. This time the boys only did one day of ski school since now they are to the point that they just need to keep practicing all that they've learned. Each day though they got a good taste of very different skiing conditions, all of which were very fun!



On our second day of skiing we were greeted by a foot of new snow. All that fresh powder did become a problem for Ty who loves to go through trees and found himself getting stuck. The boys are also now at a point where they prefer to ride the lift to the top of the mountain by themselves. (Something I don't think I'll ever feel comfortable watching them do!)



A white out at the top and before long they are out of our sight!



The boys love to ski through trees. Sometimes Ty gets a bit too adventurous targeting untouched areas. You'll see on one of his attempts to make his own trail he got a good dose of powder...



My three boys! Rarely did we ski past anyone or did anyone ski past us. The beauty of spring skiing in Utah where everyone else is sick of the snow I guess...



No broken bones and no frowns allowed! Another day with a happy ending for all!!!



On our last day of skiing, Connor just wanted to "stay home with Grandma and Sage and relax". We decided to take Ty up to Solitude since we had never skied there before. We were so proud of him for skiing the whole day without complaining about being tired or wanting to go home and hang out with Connor. By this day I was even really tired and could feel my body starting to drag. As much as Ty said he missed Connor, I think he enjoyed having mom and dad all to himself!



Jack is the King of turning an ordinary day into a really fun day. On Saturday, we all went bowling, ordered pizza, and the kids spent the evening dancing with all their cousins, aunts and uncles (minus Uncle Steve). Then at 8 p.m., I snuck out to play the role of Easter Bunny finding myself traveling from store to store in search of any leftover toys or treats to put in baskets...



Ok, so we didn't get a good Easter photo of everyone but here are a few from the day!



Here are a few random photos from the few days we spent with Grandma before Jack arrived into town. I love to take the kids up Provo Canyon and to Deer Creek. Robbie, the kind neighbor boy who got to know the boys after staying with us while attending a BYU game at UW, took the kids out for a spin on his scooter which they LOVED!



Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for another great visit! We'll see you soon!!!

March Madness! The birthday that keeps on giving...

The Big '7': So February 27th is the boys actual birthday. Once again, we were in Utah the week before their birthday so of course Grandma and Grandpa wanted to celebrate at their house. (See Winter Break post below.)

Then we had a small party for them on their official birthday which is when we gave them their new bikes. Nothing like waiting until the last moment. I literally ran out on the morning of their birthday while they were at school and grabbed what I thought looked best. Ty loves the color yellow so I knew right away which one to get him and then Jack is a big Tony Hawk fan so I decided to grab one of those for Connor. I know the day will come very soon when I'll have to spend the big $$$ to get them the ones they want but for now ToysRUs works great and these ones looked pretty snazzy. We'll see how long they last.



Here they are posing with their bikes. Ty's has gears and Con's is more the bmx style.



Ty couldn't wait until the next afternoon to take his for a spin so dad pulled out the cars for a test ride that night!



And finally, just yesterday they had their birthday party with all their friends. I learned my lesson last year about not letting the numbers get too high and decided that instead of doing the same old Kids Bounce which is where most parties are held out here I'd try to think up something different. I came across a magician and thought that would be a fun, out of the norm idea. Indeed it was a HUGE success. His name was Turk the Genie. He's performed for many large corporations and schools and the reviews on his web site were great. He did not disappoint. We had a few minutes before our magician arrived so Jack started off the party performing a few magic tricks he had picked up at Disneyland on a business retreat. Connor also did a great job doing one of his. (We can't say the same for Ty but he tried...lol!) Here are some photos from their big day!

Good times!

The boys 1st grade concert: What can I say. We've come a long way from the Kindergarten concert where ear plugs were almost a necessity and you wondered if any of the kids were actually even paying attention to the music instructor. Big change this year! I was so proud of Connor and Tyler. They looked so handsome and sung so well. I loved that they both got into the actions too. Too bad I haven't figured out how to get them to follow commands like that at home. My sweety pies are sure growing up. After the concert, one of Ty's little friend's mom asked if she could take a photo of the the two of them together. I think someone has a crush on my Ty!!! Of course we couldn't leave the school without taking dad to visit their classroom one more time. I love how excited they get to take daddy around the school.






Happy Birthday Amanda!!! I don't know what I'd do without some of these girls in my life. They keep me young!!! Hmm, can you tell who is the oldest in this bunch? I can say it's not the birthday girl!!!

The ugly turned good: Basketball season!

So this week the boys got to celebrate the conclusion to their 1st basketball season. We were questioning whether there would be a second season as it was a bit amusing to watch those first couple games but in the end, they surprised us. They love the sport and improved DRASTICALLY! To the point that Ty got the award for being "Most Improved Player" and Connor got the award for "Best Defense". I think the Coach was right on. I don't think anyone that Connor was guarding ever got a basket and we were amazed with Ty's sudden agressiveness to get the ball in his possession and make baskets. We were proud of them both! I also have to laugh because when we learned their team name was the Penguins, all the parents were laughing wondering who would name a basketball team that. As it turned out, Ty had actually picked that name (not the coach) and his team mates had agreed up on it. That was until the 3rd game when it got changed to the Huskies. We are in Husky country out here and when you wear purple, it is a given that that is your team name... :)