Friday in the SG

We have not been to St. George since October so we could not wait to get there. After 2 weeks of the stomach flu and then croup, we were so ready to get down to our heaven on earth. We arrived just before 9pm on Thursday night. We had such a fun drive down and everyone stayed awake the whole time! We woke up pretty early and the kids could not get in the pool fast enough. Joey had turned on the heater but for some reason it shut off! So they did not last too long until the heater kicked in! John and Darolyne came over to watch the kids while Joey and I went to the Parade of Homes. We had the best time. Seriously cannot get enough of him! I love spending time with him! When we got back we just relaxed, swam, and ate some great take out. Nothing beats being in my favorite place with my favorite people!

Valentine's Comes Early

Since we were leaving for our highly anticipated trip to St. George the kids received their Valentine's gifts on Thursday morning. They each got a new pair of shoes, two movies to share (Hotel Transylvania 2 and Goosebumps) and lots of treats. They were not expecting it and were so excited. Joey left me a card and some of my favorite chocolates. I have to say that it was one of the nicest cards he has ever written for me. He said that he has learned to love and be loved because of me. I could easily say the same thing about him. I am blessed beyond words to have Joey as my eternal Valentine!

Superbowl 50

Yesterday was Superbowl 50 between the Panthers and the Broncos. Since we have been dealing with the stomach flu over here, we were grateful to celebrate in our basement! We had lots of treats and baked potatoes for dinner. It was a pretty boring game but the Broncos won 24 - 10. So fun to spend this time together as a family.

HAST Swim Meet

On Thursday Nash and Luke had another swim meet. They both did a really great job! It was at the provo rec center. Luke swam the following: 100 IM- 1:45 (he beat his time by 2 seconds!) 50 Free- 39.89 and 50 Back- 50.75. Nash swam the following: 25 Free- 28.75 (he got 2nd place in this event) 25 Back- 31:79 (he beat his time by almost 3 seconds) and then he did the 50 free- 1:09. So proud of these boys. They improve every meet they compete in. They are both getting so strong and are such amazing swimmers. Love being their number one cheerleader!

Parent Teacher Conference

This last week we had parent teacher conferences for the kids. They all did amazing. Nash and Gray both scored way above where they need to be in their reading and in their math. Luke and Harlee are both doing exceptional also and scoring above their grade level. Tag has met all of his academic goals and knows all of his uppercase letters and can count to 15. So proud of these cute kids. They definitely get their "smarts" from their dad! *Here are Luke and Harlee's projects they had showcased.

Another Artist in the family

The other night when we were getting ready for bed, Joey brought me a paper full of color! He told me that Tag had drawn all of the faces. Such a good job! I love that he also loves to draw and I cannot believe he is drawing so well at 3! Way to go Tag!

A new path...

I know that I have mentioned it before but not officially. I have earned my loan originator license and I am going to attempt to do my own loans. This is way outside of my comfort zone but I am excited about the blessings it could bring to our family. I am currently marketing myself and hoping that the loans will come. As I was studying for my test Joey gave me a blessing which assured that this is what I am supposed to be doing. I was even promised that I could support the family on my income from this new opportunity. I am moving out of my comfort zone and moving forward with faith! Here is to a successful new path! *Daryk was nice enough to take this picture for my business cards!

Fun Family Night

Last night we decided to spend a snowy night in watching Goosebumps. We all got in our comfy clothes and headed downstairs to our favorite family room. We enjoyed Joey's specialty of root beer freezes and some Valentine's day candy. Since Tag is getting older we can all watch a movie together and I love it. I LOVE my family. They bring me such happiness and there is no one else I would rather be with.

Gray's Turn- Our Student of the Month

Gray is not the best at going through his backpack. So before school on Thursday I was getting out his take home reader and he showed me his student of the month certificate. I was so excited for him and so proud. His teacher talked about how great Gray is because he always turns his homework in. She can also count on him to keep all of his commitments. We are so happy that he is being recognized! Congratulations Graby!!

His own choice...

Yesterday I was eating an orange and Tag kept smelling the peel. He tried to bite it and I told him that was the peel and he would want to try the orange. He smelled the orange a few times and then took a bite. He kept taking bites until I took a picture to show Joey. I should know that as soon as I make a big deal of something he refuses to do it. Such a strong willed little guy! So proud of his willingness to try something new and healthy! Love the baby steps...

Sluffin'

On Friday I decided it was time that the older kids got to have a little fun. They are so good to go to school daily with minimal complaining and I get to take the younger ones to do fun activities. I dropped Gray off at school and then checked Luke, Harlee, and Nash out. They were a little confused but the confusion turned to excitement when I told them that we were going to Airborne. It was so fun to watch them have fun together. After Airborne we came home and they had a little time to play their new Wii U game without Tag and Gray taking their turns. Love these kids so much and I so love this time I get to spend with them. Such a great afternoon!