Derek, Sarah, Cody, Nicole, Danielle, and Ryan South

3 Months!!

2012-02-16T21:20:00.004-06:00

Ryan is 3 months old today! He has been smiling so much and loves to make eye contact and smile at anyone. He weighs about 12 pounds, eats every 3 hours during the day, and sleeps about 6-7 hours at a time at night. He brings so much joy into our family!

Locks of LOVE

2012-02-13T12:13:00.002-06:00

About a year ago we were going to cut Nicole's hair. Then she watched the movie Tangled and decided that she was never going to cut her hair and she wanted it to be long forever. A couple of weeks ago she found out about Locks of Love and she decided that she really wanted to cut her hair and donate it to help children that don't have hair. She asked me about it every day until we finally got her appointment. Nicole is so full of love and I was really touched by her desire to give a part of her that she really loves.
Getting ready. . .

10 inches is needed to donate

We think she looks adorable!!

I love you Nicole! Thank you for your example of service and love!

West Yellowstone

2012-02-10T11:55:00.002-06:00

We had a fun mini vacation to West Yellowstone last weekend with the South Family. The kids had fun swimming in the pool for hours.

Our luggage cart is more children than luggage!

We also had fun sledding and and playing in the snow.

Thank you South family! It was such a fun weekend!

2 Months!!

2012-01-16T14:26:00.003-06:00

Ryan is 2 months old today!! I can't believe how fast this past month went by! Ryan continues to bless our home with his sweet spirit. He is eating about every 3 hours during the day and going 5-6 hours at night. He has started smiling and we just can't get enough of his cute little smiles! He weighs 10 lbs. 15 oz. and is 22.5 inches long. We are excited to see what his next month brings!

Ryan's Blessing

2012-01-11T13:58:00.006-06:00

Ryan was blessed on January 8, 2012. It was a very special day, and we are grateful for all of our family that was able to spend the day with us.

With great Grandma and Grandpa Moser and Grandpa Jim and Grandma Amy

I love this picture and am so grateful for the wonderful Mother and Grandma I have in my life. Ryan is very blessed to have such wonderful Grandmothers.

I was so glad that Grandpa Dee could be there to help bless his grandson who is named after him; Ryan Dee.

Ryan with his parents and siblings, who all love him so much!

I love this picture of Danielle! She is such a sweetheart!

My beautiful children. I am so blessed!

We also celebrated Nicole's Birthday. She turned 5 on January 10.

We had such a wonderful day. I am so grateful for the sweet spirit that baby blessings bring into the family. Thank you everyone for your support and love on this special day!
Having fun in a ball pit at Blast Off for Nicole's Birthday.

We love you so much, Nicole! Happy 5th Birthday!!

Cody

2012-01-03T17:54:00.002-06:00

Cody had to get his tonsils out this past week. He did great and is recovering well.
Getting ready for his IV. He was so brave and didn't even cry!

He has been on a popsicle diet for a few days!

Nicole

2012-01-03T17:48:00.002-06:00

Nicole is such a sweetheart! She is such a big help with Ryan and it is fun watching how good she is with him.

She is also a huge Daddy's girl and loves going to work with him when she gets the chance.

Christmas!

2012-01-03T17:15:00.007-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas!

We had fun making Christmas time treats; gingerbread houses, reindeer doughnuts and melted snowman cookies.

We enjoyed a few days in Wyoming with my family. Cody had fun with his cousins that he doesn't get to see as often.

All of our playing was hard work!

All the kids waiting to take a look at what Santa brought before going to church.

Motorcycle riding gloves!

Nicole with her doll bed that Dad made for her.

Danielle loving her dress up necklaces.

Having fun opening gifts.

Ryan's 1st Christmas! Having a new baby this time of year was extra special.

My Mom made all of the grandkids pajamas this year for Christmas. She also made all of the girls matching pajamas for their dolls! You are amazing, Mom!

Nicole and Danielle had fun sleeping in a little tent Nicole got for Christmas from Grandma Karen. They loved it!

One Month Old

2011-12-16T10:56:00.004-06:00

Ryan is 1 month old today! He is such a sweet little boy and has added so much to our family. We all love him so much!

Going. . .

Gone.

Best Friends!

2011-12-16T10:45:00.002-06:00

Nicole and Danielle are such good friends! It is so fun to watch them play together. This is how I have been finding them at night after I tuck them into bed-in their own beds.

They have also been having so much fun with their new little brother.

Danielle's Birthday!!!

2011-12-15T18:16:00.003-06:00

Danielle turned 3 on December 1st. We had a fun little party for her at our house.

She was so excited about the new pajamas she got from Grandma and Grandpa because we recently had to cut the feet out of hers because they had so many holes in them!

Danielle is such a sweetheart and we love her so much!

Ryan Dee South

2011-11-20T14:21:00.008-06:00

We are so excited to welcome Ryan Dee into our family! There is nothing sweeter than having a new little piece of Heaven in your home.

Ryan was born on Wednesday, November 16th. Waiting for the big moment!

He was born at 4:01 p.m. and weighed 7 lbs. 2 oz. and was 19 3/4 inches long.

Holding my new baby for the first time is one of the best feelings in the world.

Derek was such a strength and support and I was very grateful to have him there with me. Ryan is very blessed to have such a good Daddy!

Ryan had his first visitors after being just 1 hour old. Grandpa Jim, Grandma Amy, Jared, and Cody, Nicole and Danielle came to welcome the newest member of our family.

Surrounded by the people I love, and holding a healthy new baby. I am so very blessed!

Tears came to my eyes when Cody was holding Ryan and I heard him say, "This is the best day of my life!" This is truely what life is all about!

Ryan will not be lacking in attention with these 2 wonderful big sisters taking care of him!

After holding the baby, Danielle ran over to my bed and said, "Mommy! I am so proud of you!" What a sweetheart Danielle is!

Ryan getting his first bath.

Nicole wouldn't let Ryan out of her sight!

Holding my nice clean baby - there is no better smell!

Everything went so well, and we were able to come home the next day.

Once again, Ryan was met with lots of hugs and kisses from his sisters.

We have been very lucky to have my Mom here to help. I am grateful for her and her willingness to take care of all of us for a few days!

I can't take enough pictures of this cute little guy!

My beautiful children all ready for church. I am the luckiest Mom ever!

I am so grateful for the blessing of being a Mother. I am so thankful for how well everything went. I am so happy to have Ryan in our family!

Snow!

2011-11-20T14:17:00.002-06:00

The kids had fun building a snowman after a storm we had.

More Fall

2011-11-02T15:35:00.006-05:00

We have continued to have a fun and busy fall.
Cody is getting so good on his motorbike, and rides it every chance he gets.

Derek celebrated his 32nd Birthday. The kids and I love him so much and are so blessed to have him in our lives!

Some of the South grand kids singing primary songs for Grandpa.

HALLOWEEN!
We started off our Halloween celebrations by carving pumpkins. The kids had so much fun getting all slimy and helping me get all of the seeds for cooking-my favorite part!

We had many opportunities to get dressed up this year. This is for our ward party.

There was also a Halloween parade at the library, and Nicole won 2nd place in the coloring contest!

Having fun on the inflatables at the carnival at Cody's school.

We had a fun dinner on Halloween night, complete with witches potion to drink and candy corn sugar cookies.

We have had a lot of fun, eaten way too much candy, and are looking forward to November and our new little baby who is due to arrive in about 3 weeks!

Fun Fall

2011-10-19T09:20:00.009-05:00

We have been enjoying a beautiful Fall. We spent a fun day visiting Mesa Falls.

The kids had so much fun throwing snowballs and playing in the snow.

We also went to one of our favorite places in Island Park, Big Springs, to feed the fish and ducks.

It was a beautiful, fun day!
Cody has been so excited to go fishing since he got a new fishing pole for his birthday. We had a really fun evening fishing at a fishing pond in Idaho falls. Derek was so good to teach him everything about putting a worm on a hook, and how to cast.

Cody's first fish with his own fishing pole!

Nicole was having a blast just playing with the worms. She was getting so attatched to them, playing with them and naming them, that Derek and I were worried how she would feel about us putting them on a hook. When it was time for one, however, she picked one out and gave it to Derek saying, "Here Dad, this one has been naughty, it is time for him to die!" Nicole never stops surprising us and making us laugh!

Danielle was not so sure about touching the worms.

Nicole and Danielle also caught some fish!

Getting ready to eat their catch!

It was such a fun evening, and all of the kids did great catching their fish!
Of course it wouldn't be Fall without a trip to a pumpkin patch. There is a beautiful one near Rigby that we went to with our friends Troy and Lacey and their kids.

Having fun in the hay maze.

We all picked out our favorite pumpkin.

One of Nicole and Danielle's favorite things to do with pumpkins is to paint and decorate them.

I love Fall so much! We have been having lots of fun and we are all excited for Halloween!

Growing Up!!

2011-10-05T21:15:00.004-05:00

These past couple of weeks my kids have seemed to have grown up so fast!
We potty trained Danielle and she did great! Nicole was a great help and would help Danielle put a sticker on her chart after she used the potty. It will be nice to have a few weeks of no kids in diapers!

Cody lost his first tooth! He was very excited!

He also turned 7 on October 4th. We had fun eating cake and ice cream with his cousins at Grandma and Grandpa South's house.

He is very excited about his new fishing pole and tackle box that he got for his birthday. He carries it around everywhere and can't wait to go fishing to try it out!

Nicole has started sleeping in a big girl bed. She looks so little in it after coming from hanging out of her toddler bed! Nicole has become the best little helper around the house. It has been fun to watch her grow up and be such a good older sister to Danielle. I know she will be so helpful with the new baby.

I am so blessed to be able to be a stay at home mom to such wonderful children. As I put them to bed the other night; Danielle in underwear, Nicole in a big bed, and Cody with his missing tooth, I realized how quickly they grow and I am thankful for everyday that I have with them.
I love my quickly growing children so much, even when they are acting like wild animals!

Canning Day!!!

2011-09-16T19:27:00.002-05:00

My mom came and stayed with me for a few days and helped me do all of my canning. We spent three days canning
peaches

pears

and salsa!

We canned a total of 113 quarts!

Thank you so much, Mom! It was such a fun few days!

Gone Fishing

2011-09-15T22:08:00.004-05:00

Derek and his brother, Josh, had a fun day fishing in Yellowstone National Park.

They had to hike down this canyon to get to the river.

"Cherish The Magic Moments"

2011-09-07T15:40:00.001-05:00

I love my husband!!!

Vernal Utah

2011-09-07T15:26:00.003-05:00

We had a great weekend in Vernal, Utah visiting my sister, Megan, and her family. Their daughter, Evalyn Amelia was blessed and we are so glad we were able to spend this special day with them.
Evalyn with her beautiful sisters and cousins

Me and my wonderful, beautiful, Mom

We had a fun afternoon enjoying the beautiful Utah day.

First Day of School!!!

2011-09-07T15:16:00.003-05:00

Cody started 1st grade this year!

Nicole is in Pre School!

Finishing Up Summer

2011-09-07T14:16:00.009-05:00

We enjoyed playing as much as we could to finish up the summer. We also did a lot of traveling.
MISSOURI
We spent a few days in Kansas City, Missouri. We were able to go to a fun Children's Museum.

We also took the kids to a splash park.

YELLOWSTONE
We took a day to visit Yellowstone National Park. We had a lot of fun walking around all of the hot pools.

Taking a break for lunch.

Of course we had to see Old Faithful. The kids loved it - it really is an incredible thing to watch.

We also saw a black bear run across the road. That was only the second bear I have seen in the wild and it was really fun to see.
CALIFORNIA
We had a really fun few days traveling to California. Derek's brother, Andrew, and his family moved to California so Andrew can attend school at Stanford University in Palo Alto. We drove down with them to help with the move. We were also able to visit my sister, Rosie, and her family in Discovery Bay. They were able to take off work and school to take us boating. It was a great day!
Uncle Neil and Danielle

Having fun with cousins, Cayden and Cameron

Derek wake boarding

Snack time!

HUCKELBERRY PICKING
We also spent a fun couple of days picking huckelberries here in Idaho.

Fun Pictures

2011-09-07T14:01:00.002-05:00

Hide and seek is our kids favorite family home evening game. I thought it was so cute one night to open the pantry door and find this.

Nicole wearing Dad's boots!

Taking advantage of Idaho's wind by flying kites.

Enjoying Summer

2011-07-31T23:11:00.003-05:00

Playing at a Splash Park with cousins.

Taking a break for a snack.

Nicole and Kaylie warming up in the sun.

Feeding the ducks at a Nature Park in Rexburg.

I love playing and spending time outside with my kids! We have had such a fun summer and I am so grateful for the beautiful place that we live.

South Family Reunion

2011-07-31T22:53:00.005-05:00

We had a great South Family Reunion camping in Island Park.

Derek and his brothers, Andrew, Josh, and Nate, singing. They sang together a lot growing up. They sounded amazing, and it was so fun to listen to them sing together.

I don't have very many pictures because I got sick and spent most of the time laying in the tent throwing up, and we had to leave early. But we had so much fun while we were there. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family.

Big Girls!

2011-07-31T22:40:00.002-05:00

Nicole got a new "big girl bike" this summer. She has been having so much fun and is doing great!

Danielle took over the trike and has been doing her best to keep up with her older brother and sister. She is actually doing really well!

And since I was taking pictures of the girls with their bikes, Cody wanted a picture with his bike. He has loved riding every chance he gets, and his new favorite thing is to go to a local skate park and go off all the ramps and jumps. He also just learned how to ride with no hands. He is always mastering some new trick!

It's a. . .

2011-07-23T21:30:00.002-05:00

That's right!! Derek and I found out that our new little baby is a boy! We are all so excited. Cody started dancing when we told him - he is so excited for a little brother! We are so very grateful that all is going well with the pregnancy, and that the baby looks great!

Boating

2011-07-16T22:20:00.003-05:00

We had fun boating on Ririe Reservoir for Family Home Evening on Monday.

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-16T21:42:00.006-05:00

We had a great 4th of July Weekend in Star Valley. Along with having tons of fun, we were also able to see our new Nephew, Nathan Kim Call, be blessed.
We started out by going to Granite Hot Springs to swim.

All that swimming makes you hungry!

Derek teaching the kids about pine cones.

Cody getting a little nap in with his Dad.

On Monday, we started the day by going to a parade.

My little brother, Jared, was playing in the parade.

We then went to Murphy Lake to spend the day.

Cody had fun catching fish with his cousin, Landon.

Helping clean up after a fun day.

More Summer Fun

2011-07-16T21:33:00.003-05:00

We have continued to stay busy and have lots of fun this summer.
With cousins Katelyn and Kylie at the Zoo.

We spent the day riding horses and shooting guns. Nicole and Danielle loved the horses.

Cody, however, discovered that he is really allergic to horses!

Derek helping me with my aim.

Welcome Home Elder South!!!

2011-06-09T23:02:00.007-05:00

We are so happy to have Derek's brother, Jon, home from his mission in California!

Cody, Nicole, and Danielle waiting for him at the airport.

Jon was met with many hugs from excited nieces and nephews. (This isn't even half of them!)

Singing "I Hope They Call Me On A Mission" for Jon.

We are very proud of you, Jon, and grateful for your good example to our children. We love you and are so glad to have you home!

Summer!

2011-06-09T22:12:00.006-05:00

We have been having a fun and busy summer! The first thing the kids want to do every summer is go to the zoo. It was fun to go when it was still cool outside because most of the animals were up walking around. You can see the lion behind Cody.

Their favorite thing to do is pet and feed the goats.

We went to a little animal show while we were at the zoo. While we were waiting for it to start, there was some very loud and upbeat music playing. Danielle went up by the stage and started dancing like crazy! Once she realized she had everyone laughing she really put on quite the pre-show performance!

And of course you can't leave the zoo without a train ride.

Cody has been enjoying playing baseball again this year. He is having fun and doing great!

Cody and Nicole have also been taking swimming lessons. They both LOVE it and can't get enough of the water.

Danielle has been our little trooper. She happily watches her big brother and sister as they are involved in their different activities. However, her bravery and desire to do more things on her own have led to some pretty bloody accidents! She has been such a good sport through it all.

And on rainy days the kids keep themselves busy using their wonderful imaginations and playing with each other. Cody and Nicole spent two hours one day pretending that the wheelbarrow was a boat and the garage was the ocean.

Spending time snuggled up in the house playing and reading stories also helps pass the time on rainy days.

We are excited for more summer fun and adventures!

Graduates!!

2011-05-17T21:22:00.004-05:00

This week Cody graduated from Kindergarten, and Nicole from Pre-School.
Nicole attended Jellybean Junction Pre-School, with Mrs. Jaime as her teacher. She absolutely loved it, and did fantastic.

Cody attended South Fork Elementary. This is the three Kindergarten classes doing a program for graduation.

Receiving his Diploma from his Principal, Mrs. Thurber.

Giving his teacher, Mrs. Treasure, a quick hug.

The proud Graduate!

It has been a fun school year, and both of the kids did great. I am very proud of both of them!

New Cousin

2011-05-02T14:55:00.003-05:00

We are so excited to welcome a new cousin into the family! Joseph Randy South, son of Nathan and Emily, was born on May 1. We are so happy for their family, there is nothing sweeter than a new little baby!

Easter!

2011-05-02T14:38:00.005-05:00

We had a great Easter filled with egg decorating, Easter egg hunts, and new Easter dresses. The kids had fun decorating eggs with their South cousins.

They also had a fun Easter egg hunt.

Of course, the best part was eating all of the candy!

My beautiful kids. Actually this was the week after Easter, since Danielle was sick on Easter. But they looked just as cute wearing their new things a week late!

Sweet Girls

2011-05-02T14:22:00.002-05:00

This is Nicole getting ready to get her 4 year old picture taken. I have had so much fun doing this tradition that we did in my family when I was growing up. The pictures turned out great, she was so beautiful!

Danielle fell off of the toilet and cut her eye open on the corner of the sink. It happened at night so we took her to the the doctor first thing the next morning. They said we had waited too long so they couldn't give her stitches, even though she would have needed them. I hope her scar doesn't bother her too much!

2011-04-10T14:10:00.002-05:00

Danielle doing her nails with me. It is so fun watching her try to do everything that I do.

Having a fun Sunday afternoon. I love seeing my kids play together!

Cooking Fun

2011-02-12T20:37:00.005-06:00

I love to cook, and I love my kids. So cooking WITH my kids. . . I'll admit I don't always love! However, I have had a lot of fun with my kids this week doing some fun cooking projects.
Our first project was making and canning applesauce. I canned 38 pounds of apples, and the kids had so much fun helping me. Cody and Nicole loved using the apple peeler.

Danielle just loved eating all of the apples! I started noticing that all of the apples that I took out of the box had bite marks all over them. And then I saw Danielle!

We also had a lot of fun making and decorating Valentine sugar cookies. The girls loved using the heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cookies.

Cody actually just had more fun pretending my rolling pin was a steamroller and would flatten all of the left over cookie dough left on the table.

And of course, we all had lots of fun eating the cookies!

I love my children so much and am so grateful that they enjoy doing the things with me that I like to do. I am so grateful to be a mother! And I am so grateful for my Mother, and all of the memories I have of spending time cooking with her.

Music Time

2011-02-12T20:35:00.003-06:00

My kids love to get out all of my mixing bowls and pretend they are drums. It can get really loud, but listening to them make up words to the songs they sing is pretty cute!

Family fun

2011-01-25T21:39:00.001-06:00

We had a fun Family Home Evening talking about Ammon. This is the kids with their sheep they made to remind them of the story.

Island Park

2011-01-25T20:07:00.003-06:00

We had a fun weekend staying at Derek's Grandma's cabin in Island Park with our friends, Troy and Lacey Hanson and their kids, Isaac, James, and Annie.
Nicole waiting for the fire to warm up the cabin.

Cody loved having boys his age to play with.

Danielle and Annie

With my girls

Happy Birthday Nicole!!!

2011-01-11T14:04:00.005-06:00

On Monday January 10th Nicole turned 4!
We had a fun party for her with the South's on Sunday night.

We also went bowling on Monday night.

Taking a break for some love from Grandpa

Cody and Kaylie have always been good friends. I think it started when they spent so much time together when they were younger in Alabama. It is so fun that our kids have so many cousins to be best friends with!

We had a great couple of days celebrating! We love you so much, Nicole! Happy Birthday!

December

2011-01-08T08:36:00.008-06:00

December was a busy, but very fun month. We loved being able to spend so much time with family and doing all of the fun things that Christmas brings.
Nicole and Danielle sharing a snack. They are becoming such good friends. It is so fun to watch them play so well together. (most of the time!)

Derek's sister, Katie, married Scott Walker on December 18. It was a beautiful wedding, and we are very happy for them.
The older girl cousins all loved Katie in her beautiful wedding dress.

South family girls

South family boys

The kids with their graham cracker Nativity that they made.

Christmas Eve
We had a great Christmas Eve with the kids acting out the Nativity story.
Cody as a wise man

Nicole was a shepherd

Listening to Grandpa read the Christmas story

Christmas Morning
We had a fun Christmas morning at our house before spending the day with the Souths.

The Monday after Christmas the South family went to the Elk Refuge in Jackson. It was a very cold, but fun sled ride.
The kids loved the bus ride out to the refuge.

The kids helping Dad do some after Christmas house decorating. Derek is such an amazing Dad! The kids love to "help" him do everything.

We had a wonderful month and are looking forward to what the new year will bring us!

Excited for Christmas!

2010-12-08T14:14:00.003-06:00

The kids are at such a fun age for Christmas this year. It is so fun to see them get so excited over everything! Danielle thinks having a tree in our house is so cool. It is so fun to see her eyes light up every morning when she comes out of her bedroom, point at the tree and make sure we all know that it is there. Cody and Nicole are having so much fun with our scripture tree and love puttig an ornament on every day. They all love singing christmas songs, and at any given time at least one of them is singing jingle bells at the top of their lungs. And of course, they are all so excited about Santa. The other night when I checked on the kids, this is how I found Cody asleep in his bed. What a fun time of year!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-29T14:42:00.006-06:00

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend in Star Valley.
We had alot of fun playing outside in the snow.

Nicole loved eating icicles. This is her crawling under the truck to get the perfect one!

We also decorated gingerbread houses.

We have started a tradition of making a dome gingerbread house! This is Cody's favorite!

The kids had a good time eating cookies and watching the Parade of Lights. This is a fun tradition that I remember doing when I was little.

We also celebrated Danielle's Birthday. She will be 2 on December 1!

I Love you so much, Danielle! Happy Birthday!

We had a great Thanksgiving and hope all of our friends and family did as well!

Big Girl!!

2010-11-16T13:46:00.003-06:00

Danielle started sleeping in a toddler bed instead of her crib this week, and is doing great! She loves it, but I had a hard time putting the crib away. My baby is just growing up too fast!

Aircraft Museum

2010-11-09T14:12:00.002-06:00

Cody is really into planes lately, so we took him to the aircraft museum on the Hill Airforce base. He loved it!! And we had a great day together as a family.

October!!!

2010-11-02T14:14:00.011-05:00

What a busy month it has been! Derek finished the dome in Texas and we are now back in Idaho! We love being home and spending time with friends and family. We have had lots of fun this past month. Here is some of what we have been up to.
Idaho!
The kids have been having so much fun playing with all of their toys and books that they have lived with out these past few months.

Nicole started Pre-School and loves it! Cody is also enjoying kindergarten here in Idaho.

Pumpkin Patch
We had a great time picking out our pumpkins at a pumpkin patch with our friends, Troy and Lacey and their kids.

Decorating Pumpkins
The kids had a fun time painting and carving the pumpkins we got.

Derek's Birthday
Derek celebrated his 31st Birthday on the 26th.

Halloween
We finished up the month with a fun Halloween.

Cody was a Ninja Fighter.

Nicole really wanted to be a pumpkin this year. These pictures capture Nicole's personality so well!

Danielle, my little princess.

Eating all their candy with some of their cousins. We love living so close to family and having our kid's best friends be their cousins.

A busy night!

Along with all of our fun times, we have also experienced some disapointment this month. When I went in for my 12 week doctor appointment, we found out that I had miscarried our little baby at around 11 weeks. I am so thankful for all of the love, prayers, and support we have received during this time. I am also so grateful for a loving Savior. He has helped ease our pain, and we have seen this trial become a way for our Heavenly Father to bless our family. I am so grateful for the beautiful children that we have been blessed with. I feel so blessed to have the knowledge I have of a loving Heavenly Father, and his plan for us, his children.

Happy Birthday Cody!!!

2010-10-05T19:40:00.004-05:00

On Octber 4th Cody turned 6!! I was able to have a party with him and his class as school. He thought that was the coolest thing!

We also had a fun party at home.

We had fun going to a skate park and letting Cody play with his new remote control truck that he got.

Thankyou Grandma and Grandpa South for the motorbike!

Thankyou Grandma and Grandpa Moser for the books!

Cody is such a sweet little boy, and I feel so blessed to have him in our home. One of his first days of school I was waiting outside for the bus with him. As the bus pulled up and Cody took off running, I called out that I loved him. He didn't say anything back and I felt a little sad! But as he got to the bus he stopped, turned around and yelled at the top of his lungs, "Mom, you are the best Mom in the whole world!" I feel like the luckiest Mom in the whole world to have such a wonderful son. I love you Cody! Happy Birthday!

Fishing Trip

2010-10-04T20:29:00.002-05:00

To celebrate finishing the dome, Derek and some of the crew went deep sea fishing. This is Derek with a Redfish that he caught.

They also caught Red Snapper and King fish.

Derek had fun cooking the fish that he caught. The kids were a little nervous about eating it, (Nicole had been playing with her toy fish all day) but they all really liked it, especially Danielle, she loved it! I will admit that I was also nervous about trying it, but I liked it as well!

Girl's Trip

2010-09-28T19:59:00.005-05:00

I had a fun girl's trip this past weekend with my mom and my 5 sisters. We got together in Salt Lake to celebrate Megan's 30th birthday.

We ate at alot of good restaurants and enjoyed talking and relaxing without kids! (We all missed our kids a ton!)

Megan getting sung to at the Olive Garden.

We were able to go to a session in the Salt Lake Temple. I have never been inside this temple before and really enjoyed it.

We attended the Relief Society General Meeting Saturday night. It was fantastic. To be in the same room as our Prophet was such a wonderful experience. We then went to Music and the Spoken Word performance Sunday morning with my Dad and brother, Jared. It was wonderful as well.

I had such a great time and loved spending time with my family! Happy Birthday, Megan!

Creative Fun

2010-09-28T19:50:00.002-05:00

We didn't bring many of the kid's toys to Texas since we knew we wouldn't be here very long, so they have had fun making their own toys. This is them in homemade trains they made with old work boxes. Kid's creativity and ability to have fun no matter what is so cute!

Family Home Evening

2010-08-30T20:42:00.002-05:00

We had a fun Family Home Evening activity tonight. I made cupcakes with letters on them and the kids and Derek had to figure out the message that they had on them.

And this is the message. . .

That's right!!! We are expecting baby #4!! I am due around May 6. We are very excited!!!

Cody starts Kindergarten!!!

2010-08-24T14:10:00.002-05:00

Cody started Kindergarten this week!

Cody has been so excited to start school! Even though we live close enough to his school for me to walk him there, he insisted on riding the bus! I have been a little nervous about it being full day, but he is doing great and loves everything about it.

Saying goodbye to Nicole. They are such good friends and Nicole and Danielle have missed Cody a lot these past couple of days.

Waiting for the bus to bring Cody home!

We all miss him while he is gone, but are so glad that he is having so much fun. Good Luck Cody!!

Texas State Aquarium

2010-08-24T14:03:00.001-05:00

We had a great day at an aquarium in Corpus Christi. The dolphin show was especially neat.

Museums

2010-08-19T15:36:00.006-05:00

One of my favorite things about traveling around is finding all of the fun things to do in a new area. We have found several fun museums and have had a lot of fun this past week visiting them. I think it is really neat to see all of the family and kid friendly places that different areas have.

USS Lexington
This is an awesome aircraft carrier that has been made into a museum. It was really neat, and Cody especially loved all of the jets and air plains.

Children's Discovery Museum
Cody spent a couple of HOURS dressing up and pretending to be a Vet. They had such a cute little Vet's office for the kids to play in.

The kids had fun dressing up and putting on plays for me on a little stage. This is Nicole playing her part of Little Red Riding Hood.

Museum of Science and History
My 3 little dinosaurs. . .

We got to take a tour of a ship that was a replica of the ships that Christopher Columbus sailed-it was really neat and Cody LOVED it.

I just thought this was really cute!

Texas

2010-08-08T15:06:00.002-05:00

We have recently moved to Sinton, Texas. Derek is building a dome gymnasium in Woodsboro. We are close to Corpus Christi, and it is very pretty. The heat and humidity is quite a shock to us, coming from Idaho, but we have already had lots of fun at the beach. We expect to be here for 2-3 months and are looking forward to another fun (and very hot!) adventure!

Pig-tails!!

2010-08-08T14:57:00.003-05:00

Danielle's hair has finally gotten long enough to put in pig-tails. I think she looks so cute!

This is a picture of Nicole's first pig-tails. I can't believe how fast time seems to go and how fast kids grow and change.

Bear Cave

2010-08-08T14:45:00.002-05:00

We had fun exploring a bear cave in Island Park. Randy has known about this cave since he was young, but just recently was able to find it again.

My Fun Kids!!!

2010-07-27T23:27:00.002-05:00

So they say it is good to let your young children feed themselves so that they can develop that skill. But sometimes I wonder if it is really worth the mess. . .

But one look at this face and I have to say, Yes!

I was turning off all of the lights the other night, and found that my plant looked like this. Nicole and her animals!

Silly kids. . .

Boating

2010-07-27T22:49:00.003-05:00

We had a fun time as a family boating and playing in the water in Menan with Katie and some of her friends.

Nicole and Danielle playing "house" in the bushes - it was really cute.

Pioneer Day Celebration

2010-07-27T22:00:00.003-05:00

We had a great time at the Stake's Pioneer Day Celebration again this year. The kids got to ride horses, chase chickens, catch fish, and ride sheep. It was a fun night!

Chasing Chickens

While most of the kids were being shy, and would just poke at the chickens, Nicole would pick them up and carry them around like a baby. She loves animals!

Corpus Christi

2010-07-18T12:15:00.003-05:00

Derek and I took a fun trip to Corpus Christi, Texas. We will be moving soon to that area and Derek had to go meet with some people about the job. Thanks to Mom, for watching our kids, I was able to go with him. We were able to find us a cute little house to stay in while we will be there working for a few months. We also enjoyed going out to eat, going to movies, swimming, and spending time at the beach. It was a wonderful few days spent with the man I love! Thank you SO MUCH Mom for watching our kids!

Family Reunion

2010-07-18T12:08:00.002-05:00

We had a fun reunion in Island Park with the Strongs, Derek's Mom's side of the family.

Rigby Lake

2010-07-08T22:51:00.004-05:00

We went to Rigby Lake with my Mom and Carrie and Missy. The kids all had a blast!

4th of July

2010-07-08T22:34:00.004-05:00

We had a great 4th of July weekend. We started out by freezing, but having fun, at the Rexburg parade on Saturday.

We had fun doing fireworks at Derek's parent's house.

We had a great day in Menan on Monday. The kids really enjoyed getting to go to another parade.

Blue Hair!!!

2010-07-08T22:26:00.004-05:00

The other day I was doing laundry, and Derek had left a blue pen in his shirt. After scrubbing the washing machine, I went into the bathroom to do my hair. Well, I thought I had washed my hands well enough. . . .

Fun Few Weeks

2010-06-22T21:21:00.001-05:00

Derek and I have been able to come home for a few weeks. Derek finished the job in Missouri, and we will be going to Texas soon. We have loved being home and enjoying so much time with family. For the second year my family ran in the Teton Dam Marathon as a relay team. We all did great and had a great time!
Eating out the night before.

I ran 5 miles this year.

Dad running with Mom at the end of her four miles-so cute!!

Joining Megan to cross the finish line as a team.

We did it!!!

Having fun after the marathon. What a good sport Danielle is!!

Getting cleaned up. Cody and Landon - what a team!!!

Having fun at Grandma's house. Derek was in Missouri so the kids and I spent the week in Wyoming.

Danielle enjoying Grandma's cooking.

A family favorite - Murphy Lake

Nicole had fun playing with Jared. . .

. . .and napping with Jared

Cody's fish!!!

Butterfly House

2010-05-07T16:19:00.003-05:00

Another fun adventure! We went to a butterfly house that had tons of beautiful butterflies flying around. Cody had a big one land on his head!

Fun Weekend

2010-05-07T15:22:00.002-05:00

We had a great time last weekend. Derek and I took turns going to the Temple.

Nicole loves bugs!!! I am amazed at what she lets crawl all over her. She gets so attached to them and cries if we make her put them outside, or if they die. It had rained the night before Derek went to the Temple, so while we were outside waiting for him, Nicole went around and gathered up handfuls of worms that were on the pavement. She was determined to put them all back into the dirt so that they wouldn't die! (A few days ago she came inside with a cockroach climbing up her arm! I about passed out, but she insisted that it was her friend!)

We then went to Grant's Farm and let the kids feed baby goats with bottles of milk.

However, most of the goats wanted to eat the kid's shirts more than drink the milk!

We also saw a really neat elephant show while we were there.

We had a great time. . as you can see!

Children's Museum

2010-04-24T12:20:00.004-05:00

We found an amazing Children's Museum in St. Louis. The kids and I were there for 6 hours, and I'm sure they could have stayed there several more. It is fun living in places that give us the opportunity to do fun things like this.

27!!!

2010-04-20T13:02:00.003-05:00

I had a great day on Sunday celebrating my 27th Birthday! Derek made me a delicious Sunday dinner and we enjoyed the day together playing and feeding ducks at the park.

Sneaking some story time in before Church.

Big Girl!!

2010-04-15T14:40:00.003-05:00

Well, it's official. Nicole is a big girl. Last week she woke up one day and said, "I want to wear underwear." I very happily said, "OK!!!" We spent the week potty-training, and she did great! This is her saying good-job!

And speaking of big girl. . . Danielle is growing up so fast! She amazes me with her growing vocabulary. Some of her favorite words to say are: uh oh, Mom, Dad, me (she raises her hand in the air when she says this, it is so cute), no, yellow, brown, purple, here, what's that?, car, and her new one, and my favorite, love you!

Keeping Cool

2010-04-15T14:18:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it is only April and we are having to find ways to stay cool! The kids don't mind, though, and have spent every minute they can in our little swimming pool and slide.

Happy Easter!!

2010-04-05T07:35:00.004-05:00

We had a great Easter weekend. We enjoyed making Easter cupcakes and sugar cookies, decorating Easter eggs and having an Easter egg hunt, watching General Conference, and playing outside in the wonderful warm weather.

I remember making these Easter cupcakes with Mom. The kids and I had a fun time making them.

Decorating Easter eggs.

Enjoying the beautiful spring weather between conference sessions.

Science Center

2010-03-29T16:05:00.003-05:00

We found a great Science Center in St. Louis. The kids had a bast!

Back to Missouri

2010-03-27T09:29:00.002-05:00

We recently moved from Oklahoma back to Missouri. We are living in Festus and really like it so far. Cody started swimming lessons at a YMCA, and loves it! We are excited for more fun adventures in a new place!
Visiting the Zoo in Tulsa before we left.

Gymnastics

2010-03-04T13:36:00.002-06:00

Cody and Nicole just finished a gymnastics class that they have been taking these past two months. They both loved it and did really well.

Air and Space Museum

2010-03-04T13:31:00.003-06:00

We had a fun time at an air and space museum here in Tulsa.

Nicole

2010-03-04T13:24:00.002-06:00

Every day is an adventure with Nicole!

Walking!!

2010-01-18T14:14:00.002-06:00

Danielle started walking this week. She is so cute, and it is so fun to watch her try out her new found ability. It is so fun to see Cody and Nicole get so excited for her. I love being a mom!

Happy Birthday Nicole!!!

2010-01-12T14:14:00.006-06:00

Nicole is 3!!!

We celebrated Nicole's Birthday by going to a really fun aquarium. It is always fun to find all of the new fun things to do in an area when we move.

We also had a fun little party at our house.

Dad super excited about playing pin the tail on the donkey!

We love you so much, Nicole! Happy Birthday!

Christmas and Oklahoma

2010-01-06T12:49:00.002-06:00

The past couple of weeks have been lots of fun, and lots of travel! Derek finished the dome in Missouri, so we packed all of our things and went to Idaho and Wyoming for Christmas. We then moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where we will be for the next few months. Packing with Danielle proved to be a challenge!

We made gingerbread houses at my Mom and Dad's house. We were all pretty proud of the dome we came up with. Cody thought it was great, but he was worried about not having a generator for it!

Nicole bites everything, so we were not surprised that she used her teeth to unwrap her gifts.

Danielle opening her gifts.

My sister, Carrie, made this apron for Nicole. It is adorable, and Nicole LOVES it!! Thanks, Carrie!

Having "story time" with all of the new books.

Christmas pajamas are a fun tradition.

We had a wonderful Christmas, and loved seeing everybody that we could while we were home. We are excited for our new adventure in Oklahoma!!

Christmas Fun

2009-12-08T12:20:00.003-06:00

We have been enjoying lots of Christmas time fun. Nicole was scared of Santa this year, and would only get close enough to grab the bag of candy from him and run!

Happy Birthday Danielle!!

2009-12-04T12:27:00.003-06:00

Danielle celebrated her 1st Birthday on Tuesday, December
1. We love you so much, Danielle! Happy Birthday!

Nauvoo

2009-11-29T13:49:00.002-06:00

We had a fun Thanksgiving in Nauvoo with my sister Carrie and her family.
Hyrum, Joseph and Emma Smith's graves.

The kids loved petting the oxen.

Going for a wagon ride.

Carthage Jail

Derek and Troy sharing a special moment.

We also went to an amazing parade of lights, went through the beautiful Nauvoo Temple, and just enjoyed a fun weekend together.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T07:07:00.001-06:00

Fun at home

2009-11-24T13:06:00.003-06:00

I was in my room folding laundry the other day when I realized it had gotten really quiet. I started looking around for Nicole and Danielle, and found that they had taken out all of the things from a kitchen cupboard, and were both just sitting inside with the door shut. It was really cute, and I am grateful for how well Cody and Nicole play with Danielle.

She is at that age. . .

Nicole loves to play with my kitchen things and pretend to make food. Today she was making "chicken nugget soup."

!!!SKYDIVING!!!

2009-11-03T13:36:00.011-06:00

For Derek's Birthday I got him a gift certificate to go skydiving! He went with Troy, our brother-in-law, who also just celebrated his birthday. He had a great time and I enjoyed seeing him in that jumpsuit!

Derek practicing his form for the free fall.

All ready to go!

Getting ready to get in the plane. I was surprised at how little it was!

Floating trough the air. Derek is the one with the white parachute.

Landing

Good job, Daddy!

Good job Derek! Happy Birthday, I love you!!

Halloween

2009-11-03T13:14:00.002-06:00

We had a really fun weekend with my sister Carrie and her family. This is the kids going trick-or-treating together.

Nicole and Kylie happy to be together.

The cutest puppy ever.

Thanks for a great weekend, Fowlers!

Fun with Nicole

2009-10-29T12:28:00.002-05:00

Nicole loves to stack things and make towers! The other day I found her making a tower out of the toilet paper. I thought it was pretty cute, and it reminded me of all the fun me and my sisters used to have with rolls of paper towels!

Happy Birthday Derek!!!

2009-10-27T12:47:00.003-05:00

We had a fun time celebrating Derek's 30th Birthday!!

We got together with some friends and carved pumpkins.

Happy Fall

2009-10-20T12:58:00.003-05:00

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-20T12:35:00.005-05:00

We had a fun time going to the pumpkin patch. The kids got to get their faces painted, go through a hay maze, and go on a tractor ride. They had fun running through the pumpkins, and choosing their favorite ones.

Happy Birthday Cody!!!

2009-10-07T07:55:00.004-05:00

We had a fun day on Sunday, October 4, celebrating Cody's 5th Birthday!

Spirit Week

2009-10-02T15:50:00.004-05:00

This week was spirit week at Cody's preschool for Homecoming.
Sun glasses Day

Pajama Day

Super Hero Day

Preschool

2009-09-18T21:01:00.001-05:00

We have been really lucky to get Cody into a great preschool here. He loves it, and is doing great!

Elephant Rocks State Park

2009-09-18T20:37:00.008-05:00

We have had fun exploring new things here in Missouri. This was a fun hike we went on.

Parents As Teachers

2009-09-18T20:28:00.002-05:00

Since moving to Missouri, I have gotten involved with a program called Parents As Teachers. It has been such a fun thing for me and my kids. This is Cody sitting in a helicopter at one of the activities.

First Haircut

2009-09-04T08:57:00.004-05:00

I finally gave in and took Nicole to get her hair cut. It was so long and pretty, but it was such a struggle to keep it done! We think she looks adorable!!