Memorial Day

I always love Memorial Day! We have started really enjoying visiting all the graves of our family that has passed on. (We have been accused of being 'Grave Hoppers'.) We usually spread it out over the weekend visiting grandparents, aunts, and of course Mason and Andrew. We started a fun little tradition where we each have to share a memory of the person we are visiting. The kids come up with the funniest things for example the memory of Jaren's Grandma Argyle was her oxygen tubes, and eating Sonic ice. For my Grandpa Park it was his big glasses (which I don't really remember that). The ones they didn't ever meet we had to tell them something about them. Anyway it was kind of fun! Memorial Day we started by driving up to Logan and having a breakfast at my parents house with some of Jaren's family. Then headed over to the boys graves, where you can see are how loved they are:)

This is the kids having a hard time getting their picture taken. If you can't tell... they get along really well!

Mason's flowers

Again my cute neighbor Angie did them and I love them every year!

Andrew's Flowers

Both our parents having breakfast.

I love this picture because this is my mom's parents headstone. Well my grandma's maiden name is Argyle. I know, I know a little gross. But our kids are normal, and yes Jaren and I are related aways down the line.

Grandma and Grandpa Argyle's grave

Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides Walk

This last Saturday our family had the opportunity to walk with our good friends from South Weber in the Cystic Fibrosis Walk. Their cute 8 year old daughter Kendall has Cystic Fibrosis. We haven't been around the last couple years to participate, so this was our first year and we had a blast. The sun was shining when we started, then it started thundering and lightning (do not like that), then it started hailing. It made for a very interesting and exciting walk. Then we were able to eat some breakfast and win some raffle prizes. It's always so fun to do something like this for a GREAT cause:) Not to mention at the half way mark we were able to get creamies, beef jerkey, and drinks.... my kind of 5K!

Allie, Kendall, and Kaden

Kelly was the only one who would smile for me:)
Allie and Kendall

Buffalo Point 5K/1Mile Run

It was our schools 2nd annual 5K/1Mile run. This year Jaren and Allie decided to run the 1 Miler together and Kaden and I decided we were going to do the 5K together. Well, Kaden never got around to training for it, but was able to run it (the entire thing without stopping) in 28 minutes. He did awesome... only a couple of times did he have to tell me to stop talking to him:)

Pre-Race
Starting Line

Post-Race

Pre-Race

Post-Race

1st, 2nd, & 3rd placers for the 1 Miler. There was a small mistake and it should have our friend Joseph up there and no Jaren:(

Sunday Experience

Earlier this week I was on my way home from the gym with some friends, when Lisa turns to me and says, ' Will you and your family sing in church on Sunday?' (She is the Music cordinator person) I started laughing and was like, 'Sure whatever!' But then I realized she was NOT joking. Then to top it off she tells me the song is 'Families Can Be Together Forever'.

You have got to be kidding me...

I get teary eyed just thinking of that song (and most of the time I am not an emotional person). Then thanks Mike and Melinda in the back seat saying 'Oh ya that would be awesome!' egging me on. So I decided to think on it and inform the fam about it and see their reactions.

Well... Jaren's reaction was fine, no complaining (I secretly tease him he has wanted to sing in Sacrament all year long, since he joined the ward choir and his younger siblings sing in church) You know I am just teasing you Jaren:)

Then there was Kaden who imediately broke into tears and said 'No! I won't do it! You can't make me do it!' and he ran off to his room. (Ok that went well)

Then Allie's reaction was 'Like, we will stand in front of everyone where people give their talks?' and I said 'Yes' and she sort of started to whine and I reminded her how her brother reacted and she decided she was not going to whine and just deal with it.

I had told Lisa we needed a run through then I would let her know. I knew if we sounded like 'crap' that I would be telling her a big fat NO! We sang away and to my amazement it wasn't half bad, so we ALL decided we could do this.

Sunday rolls around, we had practiced hard all week and that song makes me cry even thinking about it. (We sang that song at Mason's funeral) So I was nervous I didn't want to stand up there and blubber! After warming up a bit in the Primary Room we went back into the Chapel and there sitting there was my mom and dad. They had surprised us and drove all the way from Logan just to hear us sing. (They had also just been down here the day before with my Grandma so it was a big deal for them to come). Let's just say the water works began. (I think I am turning more and more into my dad:) I pulled it together and thought 'Ok... I can do this!' I know we were all nervous, Kaden leaned over to me and said 'Mom, I feel like I am going to throw up!'

Well we got up and started singing and I think I maybe sang 2 or 3 lines then it was a solo for the rest of the fam. I did what I did NOT want to do... I made a blubbering fool of myself!

On the bright side,

let's just say it was a GREAT experience and I know that I felt the spirit strong while we were singing and I am very glad that Lisa asked us to sing. I think it was good for our family to work together all week practicing and have this experience together. It also made me think of Mason and Andrew. It puts life in to perspective and reminds me that life is not always about work, making money, being skinny, church callings, school, and the list could go on and on. We get so caught up in our everyday lives being so stinkin' busy you forget what is most important. And right now what's most important to me is doing what is right so I can raise my two boys someday, and be together forever with my family!

When we sat down Kaden elbowed me and angrily said, 'Mom!! You weren't even singing!'
I really tried Kaden:)

Field Trips

I don't know about any of you... but I feel like the end of the year is so packed with fun activities with the kids that I feel like we are going and going, and fun project after project. Well I have been lucky enough to be able to attend two of Allie's field trips. The first one was a walk (and I am not meaning a couple blocks) it was like 3 miles uphill both ways and did I mention it was snowing?? Ok not really but it was like 3 miles or more and it was cold and windy. We walked to the Hamblin Farm (which I learned that is the last dairy farm in Davis County, I found that very interesting since my Grandpa has one in Southern Utah). The kids enjoyed watching a sheep get a hair cut, learning how to milk cows, planted some seeds, learned about eating healthy from some High School Dairy Princesses, and were able to look at all the animals. Quite the adventure and I think the kids all enjoyed it. At the end I was literally pulling a boy by his hand dragging him because he was too tired to walk. But of course I always have my good little helper Allie who absolutely loves being in charge or a mother figure who would walk in front of our group with her hand in the air so everyone else would follow her:) (Kind of reminded me of Mrs. Gettman my 2nd grade teacher if any of my fellow Providence Elementary classmates are reading this:)

Our second field trip we went on was to The Hogle Zoo. I am not a Zoo lover, but since I love my daughter I signed up to go. It definitely was a stressful crazy day. Trying to keep track of five kids in a very overcrowded zoo running each and everyway brought on just a little bit of anxiety! I was very glad when it was time to go back to the buses:) Our favorite animals that we saw were the elephants, giraffes, monkeys, and rhinos!