Fun Friday

Last night we went swimming at the Lehi Pool. Like so many of you we love that pool. The thing about it - is it's WARM! Yeah! The kids don't turn blue when they swim there.

I think this poster is hilarious. They take no pooping in the pool seriously. Kids three and under have to have a swim diaper, plastic swim pants and their swimming suit before they can go in. Last night a lifeguard did a spot check on Jack to make sure he had the proper attire - and he passed.

Here is cute Eliza ready to take the plunge.

Jack's not sure about the water feature. He was really checking things out last night. I thought he would want to get down and be crazy, but he was surprisingly calm. I like that kind of surprise.

I love our digital camera. It can take pictures underwater (and video). So we had a lot of fun last night trying to get fun shots underwater. I love this one of Aiden.

Here are Russell and Jack floating around the lazy river.

I was trying to get a good shot of Aiden and Eliza and when this came up I was laughing so hard. Look how Aiden is sneaking up on Eliza and the face he is making is pure Aiden.

Eliza is so sweet.

Here are me and Jack.

One last picture of the fish. We had a great time last night. It was one of those perfect nights where Aiden and Eliza got along and we did something that they both wanted to do. That doesn't happen all of the time, so we really have to enjoy it when it does!

Not 100 Percent

This is Jack normally. Happy, busy, he never stops and he never wants to sit on my lap.

He wants to be working. He wants to be helping. He wants to be exploring.

This has been Jack for the past couple of days. This is Sunday and he was so sick he lay on the chair in my room for 2 hours without moving. It's so sad when he feels sick-but what's even more sad is I like that he wants to cuddle with me. He has had a bad cold. And Aiden has missed the last three days of school with strep throat. Aiden will go back to school tomorrow, hopefully Jack will get feeling better soon and I will keep enjoying the cuddling while I can get it.

Has Anyone Seen Nigel?

Aiden lost his frog Nigel. I don't know how long he has been gone or where he could possibly be. He has had Nigel for almost a year now and he takes pretty good care of him. A couple of months ago he bought a friend for Nigel- Fred. So we have had two frogs.
Yesterday we went to the pet store to buy crickets for Fred and Nigel and when Russell went to get the cage to clean it out- Fred was the only one in there!

It was so sad. Aiden was looking all over for him and he was crying. He really loved Nigel. I am glad that he still has Fred. So now I am worried. Worried about where I am going to find a dead frog. Worried that Jack will find it first. Worried that it is going to start to stink up the house and I will have no idea where to look. Maybe Nigel found his way outside, and hopped down to a nice pond somewhere and found a good home....maybe.

Swimming Lessons

Aiden and Eliza just finished taking two weeks of swimming lessons. They have the best teacher-Pam and they both did a great job. I can't believe how much they improved over the last two weeks.

I love how Eliza looks during swimming lessons with her swim cap and goggles! So cute and funny.

This picture is kind of hard to see, but it's Aiden practicing the correct body position for swimming. I am happy that Aiden and Eliza seem to take after me as far as water is concerned. I love it-Russell is scared of it!

Happy Valentines

Eliza and Paige walked out of preschool dressed as Valentine Boxes yesterday. They looked so cute and lucky for me my camera was in the car. They have the cutest preschool teacher who is always thinking of creative projects. And Eliza loves going to school with Paige!

Happy Birthday Russell

It's Russell's big 33rd birthday today! I was looking through some pictures today and here are some that capture Russell perfectly.

Russell loves winter (I do not). I am pretty sure it is his favorite season. He loves to go snowshoeing, snowboarding (when he gets a chance) and if he could he would sleep in a snow cave every weekend.

Russell is always reading. Not fun novels like I like to read, but books that you actually learn something from. Last night he was reading The Power of Positive Parenting. I've seen him read intriguing books like: The E Myth, Quick Books for Dummies, Teach Yourself Accounting, and Principle-Centered Leadership. He is always learning and developing new talents and skills. In fact he read a pamphlet on balloon animals and he actually made a little dog! I love that about Russell.

He LOVES his family. I know that we are the most important thing in the world to him. He always goes out of his way to make sure we are having fun and that we know we are loved by him. Even if it means waking up at 5:30am to see the balloons launch on the 4th of July.

I love how much the kids love their Dad. It's all fun and games when Dad walks through the door. He is the best Dad. He is always teaching the kids the gospel with activities he chooses and how his lives his own life. I had to take this picture of my boys all in orange-I love to buy them orange shirts. I don't know why other than it's a fun color!

Russell loves the outdoors! He loves to hike and camp and explore. He also loves to buy things for the great outdoors. I think he has a tent for every season and situation-trust me there are a lot of tents in the basement! He loves all of the latest things, I think that is his weakness...camping gear. I love how excited he is to get out there and share this beautiful world with his kids.

As you can tell Russell loves to have fun with us. He always makes life an adventure and he always makes sure that Aiden, Eliza and Jack are included and having the time of their lives!

Russell is one of the hardest workers I know. He is always doing some kind of project. He wakes up very early every morning to work and he never complains. Most days when he gets home I know that he is exhausted, but he never says anything. When he is home, he is home and ready to help me with anything that I need.

I could go on and on about Russell. I love him so much. Happy Birthday Russell!

My Turn

Santa brought us a Nintendo DS for Christmas and I have to say I am a little bit addicted to Mario Brothers. I usually have to wait for the kids to go to bed before I get a chance to play, but the other night I picked it up and the kids were all of a sudden stuck to my sides. I guess they wanted to check out my sweet DS skills.

The only problem is I don't really have sweet DS skills, so Aiden kept telling me what to do and if I wanted him to, he could beat the level I was on. It was really funny because Aiden was getting frustrated with how I couldn't do it. Fun family times.

Jack is Awesome!

Jack makes me smile all of the time! He is so happy and so busy. He had just found an M&M on the floor (you can see a little chocolate on his teeth) and he was thrilled! He loves to chase Aiden and Eliza around the house and you can tell he's all boy, because when they let him catch them he grabs them and tries to wrestle with them. He's had a raspy voice the past couple of days and when he talks it is so cute! I am so glad I get to be Jack's mom!