Major Update!!

I have been a total slacker when it comes to the blog. I'm hoping to stay on top of it this year! We sure had a fun filled 2011. Check it out if you dare!!!

caves in logan

We felt very adventurous and decided we would get in the car and go hike up in Logan to the wind caves! We invited Lincoln along for the ride. All three of them had to wear their U of U hats. What goofballs! We stopped at the nature trail before going up to the caves. It was really pretty the leaves had just changed color. 

How cute are the three of them! The water was making me so nervous so we decided it was time to head up to the caves.

Ava had to stop and pose for a picture, while the boys where off going potty in the trees!

WOW!! What a hike!! The kids were real troopers to hike up the the very top! It is not an easy hike for adults let alone kids, but we would stop and rest then go on our way. It was so cool to be at the top inside of this wind cave. Ava told us that she is going to build her house here! Cash and Lincoln had fun gathering up rocks and sticks and Miss Jovi slept the entire time!

Me looking down at them.

hiking

The weather here has been picture perfect so what better way then to go hiking to really enjoy it! I'm so glad that the kids love the outdoors it makes going hiking so relaxing. Its fun to hear them talk and what they think of nature.

Ava had to be the leader today since she has already been up here with Dad she knew the way.

Dave is honestly the great guy ever!! He carried Cash and Jovi most of the way. 

Jovi's eyebrows crack me up! 

Could not get him away from the drinking fountain. He just had to keep watering his feet!

Jovi 6 months!

Little Miss Jovi is growing up so fast! Six months already. What a joy this  little one is, who knew that she was exactly what we were missing around here! All jokes aside she is a wonderful addition to the family. She is a mix between both Cash and Ava. But, still looks alot more like my side of the family! Finally!!  We love this girl. Here is my attempt at trying to be photographer!

Thanks to my friend Amanda for the adorable bloomers!! 

 These two are T-R-O-U-B-L-E!!! I can already tell that they will cause some mischief around here!

AWE!!! Look at those big brown eyes!! 

halloween!

We love Halloween around here! This year we all went as different things, normally we try to find a theme. Dave and I were gangsters from the roaring 20's! Ava was a witch, Cash a boxer (two years running, it just suits him so well) and Miss Jovi was a black cat. Most of the family comes over to trick or treat since we live in the best neighborhood ever!! I love trick or treating in our neighborhood there are masses of kids and families every where you look! Plus they start early which means they end early so no ones knocking on our door at 10 o'clock at night.

Dave and I looking so wonderful!! 

Party of five! 

Aunt La La, Grandma Jack, and a little black cat! 

Ava's 6th Birthday!!!!

Seriously!! Where did the time go?! Our Miss Ava Jae turned 6 on October 14! We love this girl so much! That doesn't even cover how we feel about her. She is our first, the one that made us parents. She has melted our hearts from day one. To sit and look back at her through out the years brings tears to my eyes. She is growing up so fast I'm so grateful to Dave for making it possible for me to be home with her every second of her life. I can honestly count the nights I have been away from her on my two hands. We are best friends according to her! and let be real, me too!  She is an old soul in a young body for sure! The things that come out of her crack me up! I love hearing her giggle or sing down the hallway. I love watching her dance and tumble around on the floor. To hear her reading books to us floors me, and to hear her speak Chinese just about blows my mind! She is a great big sister who is always willing to help with Cash and Jovi. How lucky those two younger ones are to have two moms!! Ava we love you more and more every second of the day! We hope you had a wonderful birthday!

Ava can never wait to open presents. It has to be the first thing we do when we wake up no matter how early it it!

This year she decided to have a Halloween Witch party with her friends. I'm not the best party planner out there but I try my hardest! Plus, Ava is involved every step of the way. She even designed her own invitation after I thought I had it all done! Nope she made me change a lot of the design so it was just how she wanted it. We made mummy dogs, with apple bites and witches brew for dinner. And instead of cake she wanted two different kinds of cupcakes. One hairy spider chocolate cupcake and skeleton cupcake. Thanks to Aunt Mindee and Amanda for helping .

Here's all the witches! top row - Yazi, Ava, Mckenna, and Kinsley bottom row - Charlotte, Emi, Sophie, and Reagan. 

Ava chose two games to play. Mummy Wrap Up and Guess Who.

You should have heard the giggling out on. They all had so much fun wrapping each other up.

They had even more fun tearing up and playing in all the crepe paper.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!!!

For Ava's family birthday party we went to a local farm for a hay ride to pick out our pumpkins! This is the third year we have been doing this and it is the most fun ever! They have people hiding out in the fields so when you go around a turn on the tractor they jump out and scare you, It gets the kids every time!

Waiting in line for the next tractor.

Lincoln with Charlie, Koi, Rain, Ava with Jovi and of course Cash running around!

Seeing these two looking so grown up is crazy!! They are six weeks apart and the best of friends! 

Loves from Grandpa Steve

Koi and Cash on the hunt for the perfect pumpkin! It seriously took them forever!

black island farm

This outing kicks off our Fall/Halloween season. The kids have a blast running around , climbing, and riding!

Cash and Ava in the huge pumpkin bouncy house.

These are the best slides! They look so scary from the top! That is why the kids have to ride with Dad! 

Dave teaching Cash and Koi how to rope.

Grandma Jack and Miss Jovi trying to stay cool in the shade.

How fun is this! Grandpa Steve, Grandma Jack and Cash.

Ava and Aunt Lauren

This is the first time we participated in the pig races. Funniest thing I have ever seen. Not just the pigs but how Cash reacted to the race! He ran on the outside of the track shouting at his pig! His pig won the race!! But they pick another pig because he ran inside the pin first. Oh well! It was still a blast and a fun way to end our day.

Cash waiting for the gates to open.

firestaion

Aunt Blythe invited us to her local fire station for an evening of fun to see fire trucks, an ambulance, a helicopter, and a crash test simulator. We even got to ride in a fire truck! It was such a fun night with most of the cousins. Ava was at dance so she missed out on this one. We have no pictures of us in the fire truck because both cameras batteries died! and Aunt B doesn't know how to us my camera phone!!

Cash and Koi waiting so patiently in line.

Miss Jovi pulling faces at Grandpa Steve!

Snowbasin

One of our most favorite place to go hiking with the kids is up to Snowbasin.  The gondola ride is fabulous!  We use to take Ava up here all the time.This was the first time we have ever taken Cash up the gondola or hiking. I was a little nervous because he has no fear I thought if there is a way to get the doors open while going up the gondola he would find it! But he was in heaven! He loved looking out the windows. When it came time to hike every two seconds it was "Hey! Look a tree! A Rock! A Stick! come on guys!" The whole way up! Ava and Cash never walked they ran the whole hike until we made them stop for a picnic lunch. Jovi did great! Slept most of the time in the snugly while Dave carried her.

So happy to be out and about.

Riding up the mountain. Cash can't contain all that energy!

Ava wanted to take our picture.

There they go!

Nothing beats a picnic in the beautiful mountains.

Tracy Aviary

The kids have been obsessed with the movie "Rio" So over the weekend we went to the Tracy Aviary. I have always heard of how much fun it is, but WOW! It was amazing. We were some of the only guests they had this morning. We got there just in time to see the bird show (are fav at the zoo too)! Ava and I  voluteered to be apart of the show, a beautiful toucan jumped across my arms to get a grape. Then it was Ava's turn to be a "tree" for a Turaco, cutest little green bird ever! Next we explored the owls, and followed a poor peacock around the park. The kids and Dave fed the pelicans and stood in awe of the Bald Eagle and golden eagles. It is so amazing to see their eyes light up with they see these birds. I love showing them new things.

Here's Ava trying to make the wings fly.

Ava the Toucan!

Heres that poor peacock! I felt so bad for him!

Almost had him!

Ava and Cash lunch for this hungry pelican.

Feeding the pelicans.