A drive through Paris...

It was our Spring Break this week. So many possibilities and so many places to visit. We decided to visit Paris.

The tabernacle was amazing. With not much else to see in Paris, IDAHO we continued on to Bear Lake, Utah our final destination.
We met up with most of my siblings and their family for a weekend of eating, sledding, snowboarding, movies and late nights. It was so fun to visit until all hours and enjoy yummy, delicious food. It was a great way to spend our Spring Break. PS. We missed you Grandma and Grandpa, Stephanie, Nicole and Johnny.

Catchin' Air

Monday Bruce and Parker hit the slopes. A father-son day off...male bonding. A day on the slopes. Life is good.

Bathing Beauties

Birthday Celebration

When celebrating birthdays we do it all at once. Saturday was the day. While Parker and his buddies celebrated with paint balling and pizza the girls had a pool party. Their primary teacher from years past offered her indoor pool. The afternoon was filed with goggles, giggles, gifts and giddy excitement. They feasted on pizza, ice-cream and chocolate cake and even found room for popcorn and treats during the movie. What a fabulous way to enter the tween years.

Birthday Wishes to my sweet little ladies. I love You.

Happy Birthday Bailey

Happy Birthday Sidney

Happy Birthday Hannah

One Year Older and (a wise guy) Wiser too

Today Parker celebrated his 14th birthday with friends...paint balling:) He didn't want a party, didn't want presents, didn't want cake and ice cream. Just an afternoon with the guys plastering each other with bright florescent, green paint balls. They came back to our house and topped the afternoon off with pizza and chilled. We have arrived at the teenage years. Parker before going to bed tonight said, "Thanks Mom, it was a great birthday". Never have I done so little and had him love it so much. I think I'm getting the hang of this teenage thing...I think?

I sure love this boy. "Happy Birthday Bud"

Therapy Session

Today I had lunch with my good friends. These are friends that I met when we first moved up here 8 years ago. We started out with a weekly play group since all of our kids were young -mine were 3, 3, 3, and 5. Oh those were the days. Since most of our kids are all in school now it has evolved into getting together every couple of months for lunch at someones house. Today's topic ranged from religion to world affairs. When seven women get together who knows what the topic of conversation will be or how many different topics we will explore. Somewhere in between those diverse topics I felt joy. The joy one feels when you know that what you have to say is important and that someone wants to listen. The kind of joy one feels when you have friends that love you and care about you. The joy that one feels when you have received an answer to your question. The joy one feels after eating chocolate:) (we had some for dessert). The joy one feels when you know others support you. The joy one feels when you know you are not alone. I am so grateful for my friends. Those I had lunch with today as well as those far away who live in my blog world and I can keep in touch with them and their lives. I can't imagine my world without friends. I am so blessed.

I think Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best "It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."

The Simple Life

The other morning I awoke, we read as a family and the kids headed off to school. The sun was just coming up what a beautiful sunrise. Oh, it's good to be ALIVE!