When the Uncle and Cousin come to visit...

When the Uncle and Cousin come to visit, we drive cars.

And we dance for joy.

(Seriously, this picture doesn't do her dancing skills justice. So cute!)

When the Uncle and Cousin come to visit, we shoot water guns.

And take boat rides.

When the Uncle and Cousin come to visit, we fly in airplanes.

And we go root for the Padres!

When the Uncle and Cousin come to visit, we wrestle.

And after all that, then we finally relax.

Thanks for visiting us, Ross and Drew! We had so much fun with you. Next time bring the girls!
P.S. Maria, if you want bigger copies of any pix, let me know!)

When the Aunties come to visit...

When the Aunties come to visit, we go see Shamu!

And splash in the water park.

When the Aunties come to visit, we play hours of Guitar Hero...

(Stormie is a MASTER GENUIS on this game. Major holla's to ya!)

We eat lots of yummy food....

And go see the Padres!

But when the Aunties come to visit, what we love most of all are cuddles and loves!

(Apparently Caden avoided the camera for most of this week. He was still cuddled and loved as much as a 3 year old boy allows.)

We love you, Aunties! Please come visit again!!

May recap

Sorry for my absence, folks, but it's been season finales on all my favorite shows, so my nights have been busy. I know that's lame, but what can I say? I love my Office and House. I finally made it through my tivo, just in time for my all-time favorite summer show.

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE!!!

I will be watching every Wed and Thursday nite, so unless it is a dire emergency, please do not call.

Now to recap May:

We did the Cystic Fibrosis Fundraiser walk with Scott's work. This is the second year we have walked to raise money for CF research. There are a few people afflicted with this terrible disease in our stake, so this cause is near and dear to us. Last year it was May Gray, but this year the sun was out in all her glory. Man, it was hot! But the kids were great (they were being pushed after all!), and we raised over $15,000!

"Cornerstone for a Cure" Team

Scott and Caden had their Father/Son campout. They both "had fun". (That's about all the details I got.)

Caden with his buddies enjoying the outdoors.

The night of the campout Scott's work had another fundraiser we had also committed to. I ended up getting another ticket, so Jen, Tammy, and I went to the Women's Gala. It was fancy and fun, with yummy free food and excellent company. (And I got to wear my fancy dress one more time!)

Since it's May, that means it's Padre season! (the season actually starts in April, but we got our first free tix this month) Jen and Chad went with us for 1 game. Garlic fries, anyone?

We tried sitting with the kids at another game. We lasted 1 inning before we went to sit on the grass hill and Caden played baseball with the other kids.

And of course, the love of my life celebrated his 32nd birthday. Very last minute I decided to throw him a suprise party, but since his actual birthday was on a Sunday, I had a hard time coming up with a valid way to get him out of the house. So about 4 hours before the party, the Bybee's very graciously offered their house. It was a lot of fun, even if it wasn't too much of a surprise.

And to cap off the month, my baby sister graduated from high school. Only 13 years after I did. I never have to step foot in that building again. (because in Idaho, graduations are in the high school gym or the football stadium, depending on the weather) Adios, Hillcrest.

And now onto June.

Disneyland

On Thursday we went to Disneyland. It was the perfect time to go - the weather was great and the lines weren't long at all. We met up with Scott's bro and his family and had a great time. I'm really sorry we didn't end up staying up there and doing 2 days at the park with them, but my kids were pretty tired the next day. Somehow we forgot to get a photo with both families together - ugh. But it was so fun seeing you guys, Kierstin! Let's make it an annual thing!

Wow - 3 smiles and 6 eyes looking at the camera. I thought that was an urban legend!

What cuties I have!

Cousin Lauren, Cousin Kate, and Caden in the train cage. These are 2 of the cutest, sweetest girls - with one of the cutest, sweetest boys!

Now back to the real world.

I don't want to jinx us, but...

I think Caden has finally mastered pooping in the potty! We started this long process called potty training in Jan, but he refused to go #2 in the toilet. I don't know why. We went through countless pairs of underwear. I bribed him with all sorts of things if he could just go stinky in the potty. Cars, cookies, a trip to Chuck E. Cheese, anything. I even bought a few "Cars" characters that were really hard to find (we have almost all of them), and told him he could have a car every time he was successful. Nothing worked. I was so frustrated that I considered putting him back in diapers. That, or ship him off to Grandma's house for the summer so she could try her luck. ;->
Then something clicked this week. He's been successful 4 times - yes, I'm counting and you would too! - and my stash of cars is down to the last one. I couldn't be happier. I'm hoping he's figured it out and soon I'll be able to start calming down the bribes a bit. Unless you find the "Bob Cutlass" or "Mario Andretti" car character for me.

Around the World in 80 days

Whew! It has been one crazy month! After our fun with Jenna and family, we ran to Phoenix for a week. My cousin got married, so it was a great excuse to see lots of family, eat lots of food and do a little shopping. ( I would have preferred lots of shopping, but at least it was QUALITY shopping!) The bride was beautiful, the family was fun, the weather was enjoyable. It's on the brink of getting hot over there, so it was the perfect time to get married. I got to spend some good time with my closest, bestest cousin Jill (her sis was the bride) and her kids and hubby. (Jill and I were roommates and both met our husbands the same nite at ward prayer. (so Utah, I know) Scott and I beat Jill and Spencer to the alter by 4 months...guess who got the hormones in the family? ;->) Plus some of my Mom's family came into town the same weekend, so we got a double dose of family catch-up. Lots of fun. (You look great, Brooke! You have that beautiful pregnancy glow that always eluded me. I had that green, nauseated glow.) It was a fun trip.

Scott, the kids, and I with Jill, Spencer and baby Logan enjoying the outdoor reception.

Soleil danced ALL night long. That's her in the pink. Her and cousin Avery (Jill's daughter on the far right) kept everyone entertained with their dancing skills. Those girls are so like their mamas!

*Thank you for the photos, Aunt Judy!! It was great to see you!

Then 2 days after our return from Phoenix, my mother-in-law came into town for us to go to Hawaii to celebrate our 5 year anniversary. We had a great time in Kauai! Our resort was beautiful, the pools were fantastic, the food was delicious. Scott surfed, we both snorkeled and swam and hiked. We did a zip line tour with lunch and swimming at a waterfall. So fun! Highly recommend if you aren't too afraid of heights. I did some more shopping - are you surprised?? - and we both ate and ate. Thanks for the restaurant tips, Melissa. Dinner was delicious every nite. Now for the fun photos:

This is the back of the resort. There were 2 adult pools, 150 foot water slide, a lazy river, 3-4 hot tubs, and countless other pools for everyone. We would get yummy smoothies and relax!

This is the saltwater lagoon. The beach is next to the lagoon.

Overlooking the coast on top of the Kalalau Lookout.

Nothing like an early morning hike along the coast to make you feel manly.

Scott zipping. He is trying an advanced trick of trying to touch the ground. So adventurous.

Going out to dinner. This is the hotel lobby.

Leaving Kauai. So sad. I don't know why I'm pushing my chest out in this picture. Wishful thinking maybe!

A huge thank you to Linda, my dear mother-in-law. She took fantastic care of the kids at home for us. The kids had lots of fun with her. Caden is still asking for you, Linda. We love you and a million thanks!

Until next time, friends, Aloha!

BFF

Sunshine and Jenna - BFF's 4EVA.

My best friend Jenna and her family came into town to play for a week. We did Disneyland, Legoland, Wild Animal Park, the pool (still too cold for the beach) and ate and ate. It was so fun to hang out with her! Since she lives far far away, our time together is limited nowadays, so we got a year's worth of talking in in a week. I love this girl like my sister. She has a great hubby Eric, and three of the cutest kids - Sydney Marie (after me), Matthew, and Noah. These kids are like my niece and nephews. Thanks for coming, Torgersens! We love you!

Waiting for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

Caden and Scott at Legoland.

Are we having fun yet? Notice Caden is saying "cheese". Soleil is mad she can't grab the NYC Lego people.