David turns 40!!!!

 Well he made it!!! David turned 40 and what better way to celebrate the big 40 then on a boat in the middle of Lake Powell with family?

The best way to start your day is by pushing a houseboat off a rock.....

 And you can see how excited he is for his cupcakes

 He did leave a candle for his girlfriend :)

 The Sunday after we got home we did a small party for him at home with some friends and a cake decorated by Zhara

 Love this man!

Summer is over....let school begin

And just like that summer was over. Summer 2013 was the best summer we have had since Zhara started school. 2010 we moved from Scottsdale to Tucson and moved from homes to hotels all summer. 2011 we bought a house. 2012 Charlotte was born. I enjoyed the girls so much this summer. I enjoyed all of our trips and day to day laughter and fun that we had. We started school a week earlier this year and it was the perfect time because everyone was just starting to get on each other's nerves but we weren't quite to the point where we didn't want to be around each other. It was great to have a back to school night the week school started. It helped calm the nerves of the girls. Alyssa wasn't quite as nervous because her teacher was Zhara's first grade teacher. Zhara was really nervous about her teacher because she had "heard" things about her and she felt so much better after meeting her and seeing her friendly smile. Charlotte was all ready to be a big girl!!!

We celebrated the last day of summer with a movie and some big girl shopping time with our friend Faith. I took the girls to see the last summer movie Rio and we had lunch at the mall and did some shopping at Claire's for some hair accessories. Then we headed home to get all the rest of our school supplies ready for the big day.

August 1 2013 ....no better way to start the school year off with a healthy breakfast of doughnuts

How in the world do I have a 2nd & 4th grader? Wasn't it just yesterday we were walking Zhara into her 1st grade class and David told Alyssa "good thing we are having a baby because next year Mom would be all alone"????

We were quite the sight....the girl's friend Faith stayed the night with us for the first day of school and then last minute one of my friends needed me to watch her daughter so we loaded them all up and walked into school. We got some good looks as David was surrounded by 6 girls. I loved having my girls home and I will miss them but I am excited to see them grow this school year. Here's to the good times and the bad!

Time to head home

The trip had finally come to an end. It was quite the game of Tetris to pack everything back into my car but after about 20 min and lots of comments from people leaving the hotel I did it!!!

 We made one last stop before we left to visit my Grandma Mary. Oh how I miss her sweet voice always calling me "sweet April" I miss her the most on my birthday when I don't see her beautiful handwriting on a birthday card in the mail or hear her wish me a happy birthday over the phone. I am so grateful for the love that my older girls have for her even though their memories of her are few. She was a beautiful woman and I am grateful for the knowledge that I will be with her again one day.

 We took a small detour and took the girls to Precious Moments and visited the beautiful chapel that he built and it was...well...precious and beautiful. It was a wonderful way to end our trip together

 We spent the night in Amarillo TX. That morning as I was using the bathroom I didn't have any toilet paper and so as I got up I laid my phone on the tub next to me.....and in just a few seconds Charlotte grabbed my phone and promptly dropped it in the toilet. Needless to say it didn't work for very long. As we left for our last 10 hours we made our last tourist stop at Cadillac Ranch. A random plot of land with Cadillac's buried in the ground.

 The girls and I enjoyed adding our spray paint to all the rest

2800 miles, 4 states in 6 days.....I can honestly say my girls have never been better in the car and it was a trip that I will cherish forever. Wonderful memories and time with my mom that will always bring a smile when I think about it.

Missouri Day 5

Zhara really wanted to visit Liberty jail while we were in MO and even though it was another 2 hours of driving I told her we would go because I'm not sure when we will ever make it back out there. So on Monday Grandma kept the little girls all day while the older girls went with Charlotte and Jordan to Liberty MO. It was such a great experience and history lesson for the girls. The spirit there was strong and you could feel the sacredness of what happened to the Prophet Joseph Smith when he was kept there.

 We enjoyed our time with Jordan and Aunt Charlotte and appreciated them driving us up there and spending all day learning about our beliefs. We enjoyed some yummy Red Robin before driving to Independence

 The girls really enjoyed the visitors center

 My Aunt Charlotte means the world to me...a woman who has supported me in many different ups and downs of my life. She has always shown her love and support for me and I am grateful that she is my "big sister"

 We ended the trip with one last visit to my grandparents....and of course catching lightening bugs...or fire flies

 And you can't leave the hotel without one more swim!!! It was a wonderful trip that I will cherish forever. I am so thankful for my family.