During the Hunt

Here are the boys trying to put the car back together after the brake job while Jonah hung out with James in the kitchen.

The Big 10

Jonah had the most amazing birthday any kid could ask for this year! I went a little overboard and planned the whole day full of surprises---a Treasure Hunt! The first clue Jonah found on his door when he woke up led him downstairs to behold all of the decorations that Jase and I stayed up late putting up. We had everything covered with streamers, balloons, and ribbon. Even the ceilings! I had the table all decorated with his gluten-free chocolate cake (Jonah loves chocolate!) and first gift (a paper airplane kit). He was also treated to his favorite breakfast: bagels and cream-cheese!! We also enjoyed chocolate milk, grapes and M&M's (Jonah's favorite candy). With birthdays in our house, the birthday kid/adult gets to choose the menu for the whole day. Asher just enjoyed playing with the balloons for like the next week!

The next clue led us over to Jason and Lisa's home. We were needing to get the brakes fixed on our poor Saturn and Jason (my generous brother) offered to do it for us. Plus Jonah would get to see some cousins on his birthday since I don't "do" parties :*) So we ran over there, and Jone did get lots of playtime, because the brakes were a BEAR to get off and on and it took a way long time. But I didn't mind because Lisa offered to take me over to look at "pretty houses" (as Ash would say) and we toured the model Ivory home (my DREAM home) in Draper. We had to skip the next clue which was supposed to take us to Renee's townhome in Orem for gluten-free mac-n-cheese for lunch. Instead we took it home and relaxed! He received a few more gifts throughout the day (such as a Bakugan toy and others...truth is, neither of us can remember!) and we ended the night with deluxe Nachos for dinner (my specialty) and cake, of course. Overall the Treasure Hunt was a hit and a huge success in the eyes of my sweet 10-year-old. Can you believe he's ten!

Tangled

On March 25th Renee and I took our kids to see the new movie "Tangled" in Provo. After a prolonged trip to Walmart to get some treats, we finally made it there just in time. It was a 3D version and by the end of it I finally convinced Ash to try on the 3D glasses. He did and really liked it. Unfortunately the movie was almost over by that time! No matter, we had a great time regardless. And you'll have to forgive Jonah for not being in the picture. Apparently he's too OLD to pose with cartoon characters :*)

More Pics from Idaho

Val and Jase surprised Kathy and I with flowers before we left for the sealing. Jonah and Ash enjoyed TC (Temple Cat) and Sadie's antics throughout the weekend. They're so adorable!

Moss Sealing

On Friday, March 18th, 2011 we drove up to Idaho to stay with Kathy and Val. They were approved by the church to be sealed for time and all eternity the following day, March 19th, at 2 pm in the Rexburg, ID temple. We had just moved up to Utah the week before so we were grateful for the timing. Unfortunately, after a few hours of driving I realized that I didn't have my temple recommend---yikes! After getting to their place, Val suggested that I contact my bishop to get special approval to attend. After many failed attempts, I had accepted that I wouldn't be able to attend. But, due to Jase's tireless efforts, he got a hold of our new bishop, Bishop Smart. Because he didn't know me, he gave me a standard temple recommend interview over the phone! I passed :*) and was gratefully able to attend the sealing.

All I remember was the large crowd that was gathered and the smiles Kathy and Val had on their faces. It was a remarkable experience and we're so very happy for them!!

It's a ZOO in Here

In our new Draper home the boys prove that you're never too old for stuffed animal companions. Here we have 3 Gungas, "Bear", and Teddy-Bee. They all came through the move safely and the boys are all smiles! Hooray!

Thanks Mom!!!

Jonah's First Party

In my family it's tradition to have FHE together on the 2nd Sunday of each month. It is then that any birthdays for the month are remembered and celebrated with cake. So, on March 13th we all met at my mom's home in South Weber for cake and ice-cream. It was so good to see most of the family there and we had a good time visiting. We all enjoyed gluten-free cake and had a blast :*)

Back in Utah

Our move to Utah was pretty uneventful, except that our Arizona movers were difficult to work with. They promised to arrive at 8am sharp on Friday, March 4th, but they didn't show up until 9:15am. Then, they promised to load our truck in 1 hour. Well, it took nearly 2. THEN, we got into an argument over payment. In any event, we eventually got the truck loaded (it was filled to the brim!) and made the long drive to Utah in two vehicles--Jonah and Jase in the moving truck and me and Ash in the Saturn.

We spent the night at a hotel in St. George and arrived in Utah on Saturday, March 5th. My family was kind enough to all show up to our little Draper townhome apartment and help us move in...complete with bringing furniture to help fill it out. We all had pizza, worked hard, and even got to visit. All in all it was a welcome sight to see everyone and be back "home." Our new address is 14990 Sycamore Hill St. Draper, UT 84020. We love our Liberty Hill community so far and love the mountain views from our place. It is a 3 bedroom, 2-1/2 bath apartment with plenty of room for us :*)

I took this picture on March 8th...two days after we moved in. It snowed the night before so we had a welcome surprise when we woke up. A pretty nice view coming from Arizona. The only downer was that we all ended up with a severe cold for that first week! Gotta love Utah!