Oakley

Oakley tried out for a dance tour team with a team out of Rexburg last December and in January we found out that she was one of 10 girls that had made the team.  She was one of two (her and her friend Brooklyn) that made it from a different dance studio.  All the others were from their dance studio.  We had prayed and prayed about this opportunity and told Heavenly Father that if it was right for her to go that she would have the chance.  We were thrilled that she was one of the ones chosen.  She started practicing with her tour team the end of February and has ABSOLUTELY LOVED it!!! It isn't anything like what she has done before. There is some clogging in it, but they also do traditional American dancing like square dance and running line dance and bluegrass type singing/dancing.  They dance with partners and do lifts and flips and she can't get enough of it.  She comes home each week and you seriously can't wipe the smile off her face! She is headed with this tour team for 3 weeks this summer to Indonesia.  

On a side note - YES, sending my Type One Diabetic daughter across the world without her mom for 3 weeks to take care of herself scares me TO DEATH! and literally makes me sick to my stomach when I think about it, BUT we aren't about to let diabetes hold her back from this once in a lifetime opportunity. We are so excited for her and know Heavenly Father will watch over her.

Oakley's friend Colman's mom asked her, Katie and Lauren to come for a photoshoot one afternoon and of course they were ALL OVER THAT! ;) She did a GREAT job and I LOVE the way she captured these beautiful girls' true beauty.  We are so grateful for good friends and good friends moms who want to take our picture! :)

Yard Work

Every fall we have a neighbor that goes to Arizona for the winter and she asks the kids to come rake her leaves for her after they fall off the trees so that they don't kill the grass. This past fall we got snow so early that we didn't get the job done.....or even started in the fall.  So this spring the kids and I headed over as soon as the snow melted to rake and haul Luella's leaves.  They were wet and HEAVY and our bodies ached for days afterwards, but we did it!!

 Before and After

 We hauled load after load out to the pasture.  It is so good for the kids to learn how to work and how to work hard.  I am grateful for opportunities like this for them to serve and think of others. I am always glad when this project is finished for the year though. :)

My New View

I absolutely LOVE the view out my new windows into my new backyard. It will be much nicer when we have a yard in, but for just being dirt right now it isn't too bad. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the water running along the edge and you can't tell from these pictures, but I love the view of the grain field and the mountains.  If you look really close you can see Dallin.  He LOVES the view about as much as his mom does.

One morning I looked out and there was a duck floating in the canal and I said, "Oh, I love the duck out on the water." and Dallin said, "I love it too......I want to shoot it." Hahaha.  He is his dad's kid!

Laiklie

 I tried to do a lot of de-junking and moving while the kids were at school so they couldn't see what I was throwing away. ;)  I happened to find this little surprise under Laiklie's bed one day while she was at school.  Love it! Funny girl!

Dallin

Dallin has become a full force teenager and is wearing me out over things like HAIR CUTS!! Who knew hair cuts could be such an issue?!?!

I finally gave in and decided that for the most part he gets to decide when and how to cut his hair with the one rule that it is always an appropriate hair cut for passing the sacrament.  He likes it MUCH LONGER than I like it and for the most part has done a great job keeping it looking nice.  But it gets SO LONG SO FAST and then we FIGHT over having to get it cut.  This was a before and after picture I took of the last hair cut so I could show him how much better it looks when it is cut! What's funny it after seeing the pictures he TOTALLY agrees with me.....but here we are 3 weeks later having the hair cut fight once again. :) He wears me out!

Our New Home

This post is out of order....but I didn't want to forget it.  This was April 8th and it was our first dinner as a family in the new house as we finished all the final touches before moving the next day.  We were able to get all the beds/big furniture moved over and spent our first night in the house April 9th.  It took a full month of moving the small things and organizing and trying to keep both houses clean before we were completely moved, but we finally got through the move without any mental breakdowns....even though I was on the verge of one many times! ;) Soooo glad to be in our new home and absolutely LOVE it!! 

Calving

The boys had to be extra good help this year with calving while we finished the new house.  One night Ryan headed over to work at the house and sent the boys out to check cows.  It was taking them a long time and I was getting worried.  Just as I was about to go find them they came tromping in.  They had got out there and found one that had calved.  We calved mostly heifers this year so we had had some small calves, but nothing like the one they had found that night.  It was seriously the size of a little lamb.  Dallin picked it up and Rhett carried the flashlight and it took them several tries to get the mom to follow them into the barn, but those two little boys got the job of getting calf and mom in the warm barn done, all by themselves.  It is one of those moments where my mommy heart swells with pride for my great little hard working men.  So proud of them knowing how to do these kinds of things from watching their daddy closely.  I wish you could tell from the pictures just how little and sweet this baby calf is.  We were surprised he survived! I love that my kids get to grow up living a farm life!