Swing Ball FHE

The weather has warmed up quite a bit and we can't help but to be outside playing in the fresh air. For FHE this week the kids wanted to play a game they made up on the swings. It's called "Swing Ball" and it is tons of fun! The game is a mix of baseball and kickball. Each player is on a swing and they keep track of their own points and outs. They are pitched a ball and kick it while swinging. Quickly jumping off, they try and score points by the number of bases they touch. Each base is a point, but if you get a home run it is 5 points. Pretty sweet! We played 7 innings and surprisingly they all ended up with 19 points...a three way tie. We had a blast! I love these creative kids!

Matt pitching the ball to the Swing Ball players.

In this picture, Karley was being pitched the ball. The determination on her face is easy to see as she goes for the kick! Matthew and Kynlee obviously can't wait until it's their turn!:)
These creative bugs also played a game on the tramp. While jumping and counting to three, one of them would say something to be and they would each role play what was said. Here they are being Rock Stars! Some other ideas were: cars, babies, Moms...it was cute!

Spring Break Getaway

Last week was our Spring Break! It's funny because we are still waiting for it to actually look and feel like Spring around here. We tried to enjoy the break by swimming, shopping, and watching the new Hannah Montana movie. It was so good...loved it! On Friday, we had plans for a getaway up North to Ogden Valley. Our good friends, Aaron and Bonnie, offered us Bonus Time through their Time Share. Thank you so much! We stayed the night at a Condo Resort in Eden. The kids had so much fun staying somewhere other than home. Even though our time was short, we made so many amazing memories and truly enjoyed our family time! We love exploring Utah. It's so fun! I love this picture of the kids! They were so excited to go out of town and had so much fun! This was the view out the back porch...gorgeous!Matt and the kids
Me and the kidsWe went and ate at Eats of Eden. It was so cute and yummy! Pizza was 1/2 off, so we let the kids get their own. They loved it!We had fun playing the "Telephone" game while we waited for our food. What the first person said always ended up a little different by the end, especially when Kenzie was involved. We laughed so hard!:)The girls look so scared posing with a big bear!:) After dinner, we headed a short ways up to Powder Mountain. There was still so much snow up there (see it's not really Spring yet). The ski lifts were closed and nobody was around. Matthew hiked a little ways up the hill and went sledding! Kynlee and Karley thought it looked like fun, so they went to join him. They had a blast!Kenzie making nature look even more beautiful!Matt and the kids had fun playing tennis for the first time. The night before they played racquetball. They loved it and thought it was the best!On the way home we stopped in the Ogden Canyon and went hiking on the Indian Trail Head.Matt had Kenzie on his shoulders the whole time! He kept asking her if she was tired from hiking and she would say "Yes"!:)We hiked about a 1/2 mile to a bridge with a river running under it.

It was so beautiful!

We chilled out a little before we headed back. We had such a fun trip!

Easter Celebration

Well, it was just our family this year for Easter. I think that is a first ever! I must say that it was nice to have our own family time, but we definitely missed sharing this special holiday with loved ones. The kids each colored a dozen eggs on Saturday night. They came up with some creative decorating ideas. The Easter Bunny hid these eggs Easter morning. After checking out their baskets full of candy and pool toys, the race was on to see who could find the most eggs...it ended up being pretty even. I think we are still missing an egg! EEWW! We enjoyed our church meetings today. I am always spiritually uplifted by the beautiful music and inspiring talks and lessons on Easter Sunday. We ended our day with a traditional Easter dinner that I prepared - glazed ham, potato salad, corn, and rolls. That was definitely a first and was not too bad!

They had so much fun coloring eggs!

Our bright, colorful, and sporty eggs!
Matthew got a waterproof football to play catch with his Dad in the pool!
Kynlee got some diving rings. Thanks Easter Bunny!

Karley got some splash bombs. She can't wait to go swimming!

Kenzie got a cute octopus kick board. Yay!

"We're ready to find the eggs the Easter Bunny hid!"

Everyone did pretty good!

Grandpa and Grandma Debbie sent up an Easter package for the kids. They were so excited (especially Karley) to each get a yummy Reece's Egg and Gummy Lifesavers. Thanks!

The kids just couldn't resist a funny face picture. This has got to be one of the best ever taken!:)

Grandmama sent us a sweet Easter card with some sparkly Easter tattoos for the girls. We wore them all day. Thanks Mom!

Grandma Slider made each of us the cutest little bunnies that were stuffed with candy! Thank you so much...we love them!

The kids dressed in their Easter best! The past couple of days have been cloudy, gloomy, and rainy, but today it was warm, bright, and sunny. Perfect! I am so thankful for this, because it made me think of my Savior. He is the LIGHT of the World! I know that it is through his life, atoning sacrifice, death, and resurrection that we can gain eternal life. I know that He lives. He is my perfect elder brother and has shown me the way. I know he loves me and knows who I am. I am so grateful to be able to celebrate this glorious day. Happy Easter!

The Big Violin Recital

On Thursday night, Kynlee had her end of the year Violin Recital. It was at the Piano Gallery in Orem downstairs in a Recital Hall they have there. The auditorium seating, acoustics, and stage made it perfect for the big night. Kynlee has been playing the violin for 7 months. Each month she gets better. She has worked hard on practicing her recital pieces. Her dedication payed off, because Kynlee did wonderful! She was so brave to stand up there and play in front of an audience. I am so proud of you!

Kynlee played V.I.P. March, which she had memorized, and Country Gardens from Rainbow Tones, Book 2. She can't wait, because she will soon be starting Suzuki!
Kenzie handed Kynlee some pretty flowers after her performance. She is so beautiful!

Kynlee with her cute, proud teacher, Becca.

Neighborhood Egg Hunt

Our community had an Easter Egg Hunt for all of the neighborhood kids. We hadn't been before, so we decided to give it a try. We were definitely not the only ones there. It was crazy! There were hundreds of candy filled eggs scattered in the grass and the hunt was roped off by age groups. As each group plowed through their area, it was clear to see that there were not near enough eggs as there were kids. I think everyone still had fun. I was just glad that I found my kids in all the craziness after it was over!:)

Kenzie was excited until it started and the chaos began. She started crying! I was able to help her get one egg...that was all she wanted. Poor thing!

This is just Karley's age group. It was this crazy in each group!

Karley and a couple of her friends tried to get as many eggs as they could. As quick as Karley is, she ended up with only three. She still had fun!

Kynlee walking back, happy with the stash she found!

Matthew and his friend were there as spectators. Silly old boys!

Fun With The Hopkins' Crew

We were so excited to have Uncle Jesse, Aunt Karissa, Brigg, Tate, and Presley make the long drive from AZ to visit us! It is always wonderful to see family that we haven't seen for a while. Grandmama also flew in to add to the excitement! We had such a great week! Matt was able to trade work days to be home and the kids took a couple of days off of school. Kenzie turned 4, so we had some Birthday fun. The kids got to play in the snow and go to Jump On It. Grandmama took Karley and Kenzie Birthday shopping...they loved what they got! Thanks Mom! The highlight of the trip was bundling up and going tubing at Gorgoza Park in Park City. It was a lot of fun and the drive home through the mountains was gorgeous! Karley loved having everyone up here for her Baptism too. What a sweet experience! There were many tears shed when it was time for them to leave. We love family so much! Thanks sister for hauling your family up here. I know it wasn't easy, which is why it means so much to me. Words can't express how truly grateful I was for this visit. We made so many good memories that will last forever! We love you guys! We made big beds for the cousins to sleep on. It was a slumber party every night!

Kenzie, Presley, and Kynlee swinging in the snow!

Matthew, Brigg, and Tate making snowballs!

Kynlee is showing off her mini snowman!

The kids had fun sledding down the driveway! Who needs a real hill?:)

Cute little Presley!

Kenzie, Tate, and Presley having a blast at "Jump On It", on Kenzie's B-day!

These little ones had it made getting pulled around in their tubes!

Matthew enjoying the ride up!

Aunt Karissa melting the snow beneath her, because she is so "HOT"!:)

Matt, Jesse, and the older kids had fun going down the big, fast hills! It was awesome to hook all the tubes together and go down in a big group! Our teeth were frozen when we got to the bottom from smiling the whole way down...good times!

Kynlee loving the ride!

Karley looks so comfy on her way up the hill!

Me and my Sis...I love you!

I took this of Kenzie while we were tubing down the hill. I think it shows how much fun she had!

The Hopkins Family

The Slider Family

I love this picture! It is one of the few I got with my Mom, sorry. The adults went and ate at Tucanos Brazilian Grill. We got so stuffed...it was yummy! It was so nice to have an outing without the craziness of kids!:)
We were so excited to have the Hopkins Family and Grandmama here for Karley's Baptism! It was so special! Thanks!
After the Baptism, we went swimming. It's so beautiful to swim with the snowy mountains in the background. Grandmama and Aunt Karissa were bundled up as they watched!

Kynlee with sweet Presley! By the end of the trip, Presley let Kynlee hold her...Kynlee ate it up!