The Graduate

Last week Kylie graduated from her second year in Preschool and is ready to be a Kindergartner. She is so excited about going to Bradley's school that it was hard to be sad that she is growing up so fast. For graduation all the kids performed songs they had learned this year. She did so well and kept waving at us. She is not shy at all! The next day she finished another year of gymnastics. All the girls performed the skills that they had learned and she has definitely come a long way. My favorite was when she did the balance beam. To steady herself she would grab the girl in front of her. We were cracking up! Gymnastics has been so great for her and she wants to continue next year so we might have a little Shawn Johnson on our hands.

Preschool Graduation

Kylie waiting for her turn with her coach

(I don't know why the pictures came out so dark)

Balance beam routine

Posing on the balance beam

(she is 2nd in line)

Getting her trophy

Kylie and her friend Eleanor

(They went to both Preschool and gymnastics together)

The Wedding

My youngest sister, Melissa, was just married in the Newport Beach, CA Temple and her wedding capped off a really fun week with family. There were so many great moments that day, but I think the best part was that all five of the kids in my family were in the temple with their spouses. Surprisingly, we were all married in order (oldest to youngest) and because she was the youngest we were all there. None of us took for granted that day what a blessing that is! The sealing was amazing and there was such a great spirit there. Below are some pictures of the day. The day before the wedding we did a dry run with the kids to make sure everything was ironed and fit well and its a good thing we did because it took us about 2 hours to get ready and take some pictures.

The dry run

(I think they look great!)

Family picture at the Temple
Ben was not too happy...

So he laid down to rest!

He did perk up at the reception when he got a cupcake

The new Taylor and Melissa King

Kylie looks mad, but she was really excited to have her own bouquet!

My parents with Taylor and Melissa

Melissa with all the grandkids

My siblings

(Brian, Amy, Taylor and Melissa, Me and Matt)

Mani's and Pedi's

Kylie got her first manicure and pedicure for the wedding and I think I'm in trouble. She loved it! My mom took all the girls for a little pampering the day before the wedding. I have never seen a salon with so many chairs. I think we filled all 14 massage chairs! It was really fun to get a pedicure with all my sisters, mom and daughter. We don't live close to each other so it made it that much more special. Here are a few highlights:

She loved the foot bath

The bride and me

My mom and sister

Abby (my niece), Amy (my sister), Alyssa (my sister-in-law)

The grooms cousin and Amanda (my sister-in-law)

The finished product

Big Ben is 3!!

Ben turned 3 while we were on vacation and it was the perfect way for Ben to spend his birthday. He loves to be outside so we spent the day at the beach and the pool. My parents took us all to the Storyteller's Cafe to celebrate his birthday. They brought out a really cute Mickey cupcake with a candle. We also took him to a huge Build-a-Bear and he picked a new bear and dressed it like Woody from Toy Story. He couldn't believe all of it was for him. He is so cute! I still can't believe our little guy is 3. He is one of the funniest people I know and he talks so much. I am so glad that he had such a great day!

Showing us how old he is!

The whole gang

The First of Many

We just got back from a fantastic vacation/wedding in So. California! We took so many pictures so I needed to break it up into a few different posts. We drove down to Newport Beach to be at the wedding of my youngest sister in the Newport Beach Temple. I was worried about being too pregnant to enjoy anything, but we had such a great time! The wedding wasn't until Saturday so we drove down on Tuesday to enjoy a few days in the sun. On Wednesday the kids spent the morning on their scooters and then we spent the rest of the day by the pool. That night we went to Downtown Disney and had dinner with my family at the ESPN Zone. Thursday was spent at the beach and then at the pool to wash all the sand off. That night we went back to Downtown Disney for a birthday celebration for Ben and his cousin Collin. We really appreciate my parents for giving us all such a great time.

Every night they were so exhausted they fell asleep in 2 minutes!

Cousins

(Collin, Abby, Kylie, Bradley and Ben)

Mother's Day and Baby Loot

This weekend has been a lot of fun. On Friday, we went on a baby shopping spree at Target. With only 1 month to go I figured it was time to get ready! We didn't need that much since this is the 3rd boy, but it was fun to shop for new little onesies and a new car seat that we really needed. The reality of having 4 kids soon is really starting to sink in! On Saturday I went and got my hair done while Dan took the kids to get Mother's Day presents. It was so relaxing and I was so grateful for the time off. This morning, I got French toast in bed and some really cute gifts that the kids made in school. Dan got me See's Candies and ordered a blanket with "Grant" embroidered on it. Its something I have really wanted. Dinner was delicious: steak, potato salad, garlic bread, baked beans and corn on the cob. For dessert, he made my favorite, peach cobbler. I feel so blessed to have such a great family who take such good care of me. I am really grateful to be Bradley, Kylie and Ben's mom!

I was so excited that I laid out all the new baby things and took a picture!

(Pretty dorky, I know!)

April Card

April was Mother's Day/Father's Day and since I did Mother's Day last year, I thought I'd branch out. I found some cute paper with both planes and cars on it. It was a fun card to make.

BYU Graduation

A week ago my brother, his wife and my sister all graduated from BYU. My parents came out and stayed in a hotel in Provo to be close to all the action. Bradley and Kylie got to spend 2 nights with them and they had such a blast swimming in the hotel pool and ordering movies on TV! It was really fun to be on campus during graduation and it brought back a lot of great memories.

The graduates

(My sister Melissa, brother Brian and sis-in-law Amanda)

Melissa and fiance Taylor

(only 12 days to go until the wedding!)
Aunt Melissa

Dad, Melissa, Mom

Future BYU Graduates

Kylie swimming in the hotel pool

My brother Matt and Ben

Matt playing with the kids