What the HECK are they doing?????

Shark Reef

Troy, all ready to go.

Green SawFish

Sea Turtles (below) and I think it's the star fish and octopus(above)

Seeing the rays.

It has been a while since we visited the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay, but this weekend was a perfect chance since Aunt Krissy and Uncle Ryan were in town. We got a special discount for having so many people which is one of the benefits to having so many relatives. We met there on Saturday after we picked up Jeremy from work. We had lots of fun seeing everything. Sam was so excited! The whole day he kept telling me that he just couldn't stop thinking about going to the Shark Reef. On the way there we passed the gigantic golden lion in front of the MGM hotel and Sam about lost it! He was so impressed! Shaunie told him that there were lions inside the hotel that you could go see, too. He thought for a minute and then asked "You mean they have a Lion Reef?" Sam was also doing a good job at thinking of questions to ask the people who work at the Shark Reef. I told him they know everything. After looking at the piranha's for a while, his only questions was "What makes them die?" I think we actually stumped him.

Here are Troy and Sam enjoying the Lion fish. Troy was saying hi and waving to all the fish.

Now We Are 6....well, Sam is

Now We are Six (1927)

By A. A. Milne

The End

• When I was One,
  I had just begun.
  When I was Two,
  I was nearly new.
  When I was Three
  I was hardly me.
  When I was Four,
  I was not much more.
  When I was Five, I was just alive.
  But now I am Six, I'm as clever as clever,
  So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.

The best part of a child's life is the birthday! It is a special day just for them that makes them feel like royalty. I love making a big deal about my children's birthdays. It is my little way of saying thanks to Heavenly Father for the most precious gift he could give just to me...my child.

This year Sam asked for a Transformer birthday cake so here is what I came up with. We used fondant for the transformer part and then peanut butter M&M's for the dots. He was very satisfied. We had a big pool party with lots of cousins and family and a few friends from church and school. Sam felt like a king. I was too busy putting on a party to take photos, but hopefully I'll get some from Aunt Jen soon.

Pool Time

Summer has come very quickly to Vegas this year. We've hit 100 degress a few times already so the only real remedy for that is to hit the water. We decided that since it'll be a little more difficult for me to take the kids to the pool than normal this summer that we would invest in an above ground pool. I did a little research and we bought this pool here. It fits perfectly on our small back patio and it definitely keeps the kids busy and cool. So far it hasn't been too hard to maintain and the kids are good about asking to go in and out. It's only 3 feet deep so I feel much safer than I would if I took the kids to the pool, and the best part about it is that I don't have to drag the kids anywhere or get in a swimsuit for them to play! One day we'll have a house that has a real pool, but until then this will work perfectly.

Auntie Em and Uncle Ben

We got a visit from Auntie Em and Uncle Ben. It was the first time they had been to visit us in Las Vegas and we loved it! Here are the kids doing their best to get them out of bed on a Sunday afternoon. We had lots of fun and the kids got to play a lot. I hope we didn't wear them out.

Creativity and Love

Shaunie decided to make a little fort dedicated to Sam. If you can't see the signs on the wall they read "I love you so much." She took a lot of time putting this together and I was very proud of her. Sam loved it and I think Leah felt a little bit left out even though that didn't stop her from making her presence known. They played games and had lots of fun in this little fort.

Shaunie's class went on a field trip to the Special Olympics. I guess they have a big part of the Olympics where kids from schools get to take their students who would normally compete in the special olympics and combine it with other olympic-type events for the other students to compete in. She competed against other 2nd graders and had a lot of fun. She got a shirt and even a number to wear on her shirt. It was all very non-competitive, but she got to get out and cheer some classmates on and have a lot of fun doing it.

Sam's little creativity shining through. He is very symetrical in almost everything he makes.

As a mother one of the best things is seeing what your kids come up with next. I love to share in their creativity and love of life. It is especially rewarding when they are using their creativity to show love or appreciation for each other. The best reward a mother can receive is to see her children play together without fighting. It seems so simple, but it shows they truly love each other.

When school got back into session Shaunie and Sam received awards for the trimester. I was able to get a good one of Shaunie but not of Sam. Shaunie got an award for the "A" honor roll and perfect attendance and Sam got an academic achievement award and a citizenship award. You can kinda see Sam admiring his awards while he was sitting on the stage with his class waiting for the other kids to recieve their awards.

Easter 2009

Proud Sam.

Distracted Leah.

Cousins and fun. L-R Anni, Shaunie, Emma, Auri, Sam, Front:Leah, Lily
Poor Sam with all those girls.

Troy getting the hang of it.

Our colorful eggs.

We had a great Easter. Ok, I know this is a little late, but I thought I'd get it up anyway. Easter is one of my favorite holidays. I love the springtime and all it's colors and warmth, and I love the whole meaning of Easter. This year we had a special treat for Easter when my parents came down. We had a BBQ at the park and our traditional egg hunt. The kids had fun and got lots of candy and we were able to spend time together as a family and enjoy the great weather and beautiful park. Some the the highlights include:

• Watching everyone realize that we had nothing to cook our hamburgers on and then watching Jesse, after he ran to the nearest store, do his best at getting the fire to stay hot so the coals could really get going.
• Watching Carson stare in awe at some boys playing basketball at the courts near by. He was almost in a trance! Too bad we didn't have a ball for him.
• Watching everyone get creative with their food since we didn't have any ketchup. Josh actually ate his hamburger with warm potato salad!
• Watching Sam "innocently" wander through the area we where we were hiding eggs. He tried not to look but you can't cover your eyes and still see where you are going.
• Watching the smallest egg hunters, Troy, Carson and Ammon, get the hang of finding and filling their baskets. Once they realized that candy was hidden in the eggs they usually wanted to stop everything and eat their new-found prize. It took a bit to keep them going.
  
• Watching my mom run around after the kids and try to get good pictures of the egg-hunting action. It's just really hard to do!