"We're at the mall, we're cool"

Todd took the day off on Monday and I was itching to get out of the house. I couldn't think of anything else to do, so we went to the mall. The kids saw the carousel and asked if they could ride it.

We went to the top level and Ameliah, in her true nature, picked the pink horse.

Cannon picked the white tiger. No surprise there.
I am really beginning to feel spoiled with all of the family time we have had this past week!

Show Low Family Outing

So on Friday, Todd had a last minute business trip to Show Low and the kids and I tagged along. Road trips are not too bad with the kids because we got a dual screen DVD player for Christmas and they just love it. As we were driving through Salt River Canyon we started to smell something burning. I pulled over at the first available pull-out and my brand new brakes were smoking! I didn't realize that I had been riding the brakes. I was just trying not to hit the guy in front of me. Todd said that we needed to sit and let them cool down for a while before we continued. After sitting in the car for a while, I decided to get out and look around and this is what I saw...

You can't see it very well, but the white water was leading to a pretty little waterfall.

We hadn't even made it to our destination, but my family was already enjoying our trip. I was glad that we were able to enjoy this beautiful scenery that we would have otherwise missed.

We got to Show Low and spent the day tagging along with Todd. After dinner we rented a room at the Holiday Inn. It had an indoor pool and spa. The kids were so excited to go swimming. We all got suited up and went for a dip. The kids had such a fun time going back and forth between the pool and the spa. At one point I remember watching the smiles on the faces of my kids and my husband and I said "This is joy!" Our kids are young, but they knew that this trip was just our family and that it was special.

They stayed up so late that it was hard to wake them up in the morning, but we had to get back to business. I am so proud of these little ones for how well they did in the car. We did a lot of driving and just sitting in the car and they were such good sports about it.

I can't believe how much our little family needed this time together. It was wonderful to observe and enjoy the beauty of the earth that our Heavenly Father has created for us. After this weekend I realized that I need to make it a priority to plan more trips like this for our family. I can't remember who said this or where I heard it but it goes something like..."I have learned that being with those I love is enough".

Easter Weekend

We had such a fun Easter weekend! On Friday we went to Kinley's house and we had an Easter egg hunt! Right out of the chutes Kinley set off with purpose and she would have found them all if we didn't encourage my kids to hurry and find some.

Brother looks more like he's practicing his football moves than finding Easter eggs.

He knew there was something inside, but didn't know how to get to it.

Ameliah enjoying her spoils.

Kinley enjoying hers, too. She was nice and shared some of hers with Ameliah and Cannon since she ended up with way more eggs.

Then Cinderalla and Snow White showed up and gave us a little princess fashion show.

They are such good friends. It is so fun to have cousins around the same age!

Me and Snow White.

After a very brief nap, we frosted some Easter cookies that Aunt Jodi made. They were so yummy! She had bright green, pink and purple frosting and some super fun sprinkles to go on it too. Notice the big pink sprinkle under Cannon's right eye.

What a mess!

Ameliah chose her favorite color pink to accesorize her face. It matches her pink polka dots on her shirt quite nicely.

On Saturday night we pulled the back seats out of the van and put a futon mattress in and headed for the drive-ins. We love to go to movies, but our kids have a hard time keeping quiet so the drive-ins is our best bet. Plus, it is only $6.25 per adult (5 and under are free- sweet!). You get a double feature, so you are only paying $12.50 per couple to see two movies. Can't beat that!

Me and Ameliah finding our comfy spots before the show.

This is my handsome husband. I don't know who had a better time- the kids or us! In fact, we are planning to go back tonight because on Tuesdays it only costs $4 per adult.

Cannon didn't care much about the movie. He spent most of the time pretending to drive the car and pushing all the bottons he could get his hands on.

On Sunday morning we went for a drive and found these...peacocks! They were just hanging out in someone's front yard. This guy was up on the roof across the street. He started squaking and they all crossed the street and went to the backyard of the house he is standing on. This white guy looks like an albino peacock. I had never heard of that, but he was cool looking.


Here is on of the males. There were several females, too, but they aren't as pretty so I didn't include any pictures of them here.

Here's my pictures of my kids in their new Easter clothes. Grandma has planted some beautiful spring flowers in her planter and I thought it was a perfect place to pose.

This is my little princess.

I loved this picture! It is not too often that I get a picture of them both that I like. They are such fun little kiddies.

I didn't even tell them to go hug the tree for a pose, they just did it on their own.

People were walking out of the building ooing and ahhing at their cute little poses.

In the evening we went to Grandma Porter's house to go visit and work on the puzzle. This was such a cute moment, I just had to capture it on camera. I love my handsome boys!

Ameliah was feeling a little left out, so she gave me another darling pose.

It was a quiet and peaceful holiday and we had a fun-filled family weekend. Who could ask for more?