blue angels

my crazy crew!

aunt rosanne and madalyn

blue angels

the show really was very fascinating! glad we were able to see it. after the show we just HAD TO stop by reed's dairy and enjoy one of the best ice cream places EVER!

saturday night we all enjoyed a grilled steak and chicken kabobs, a little fire on the patio, and roasted marshmallows. half of us fell asleep outside we were so comfortable...and exhausted! a good time had by all.

we hated saying goodbye. thanks for coming rosanne and rafa. we hope to see you again soon!

blue angels

the hosts with with most! elise, neil, and chris

thanks elise and chris for letting us spend the afternoon with you!

wesley, gordon, and owen

me and kev

the blue angels

owen and wesley were MORE THAN excited to watch these jets. they made the experience twice as enjoyable!

we love company!

this past weekend we were lucky enough to have rosanne and rafa come and spend a couple nights with us! we loved being able to spend more time with these newlyweds!

friday night we had homemade pizza and then got a babysitter so we could go LATE night double-date. we went and saw inception. it was so fun to get out of the house and do a date night with them. and the movie was fantastic!

saturday we worked in our yard a bit (more to come later) and then headed over to my friend, elise's, new home to watch the blue angels air show. elise and chris just moved into a house right across the street from the airport run way so we were able to enjoy the show from their backyard. staci and kyle were even able to join us. we grilled hot dogs and enjoyed shade, a bathroom, and good company! THANKS CHRIS AND ELISE!


wesley sporting his medal from uncle rafa

madalyn chewing on her watermelon rind

rafa and rosanne

staci and kyle

owen's big day

after the movie we went to the toy store and let the boys spend their birthday money from grandma and grandpa ward (THANKS!) and and then grabbed some happy meals on our way home.

owen picked steak, corn on the cob, and watermelon for his birthday dinner. no one was disappointed with that choice. kevin grilled his best steak YET and we enjoyed a feast with my parents and staci & kyle.



owen asked for a cake with dinosaurs on it and i tried to get as creative as possible. this didn't turn out how i had envisioned (it rarely does), but owen LOVED it! that's all that matters.

happy birthday BIG BOY!

owen's big day

another late night preparing, but another happy day!

we woke up on owen's birthday to WESLEY running into our bedroom screaming about it being owen's birthday! he might have been just as excited as owen...which is good.



owen woke up and wanted to start unwrapping gifts right away. so, we let him.

he had been asking for a "a game player i can hold in my hand". we debated back and forth between a leapster and a nintendo DS (or at least i thought kev and i were debating...but, i think he had his mind made up LONG before i did). and we ended up getting him the nintendo ds. HE LOVES IT! he hasn't really set it down much since. kevin is asking that i give owen a couple weeks to completely indulge in game playing and THEN i can set time limits. BOYS! (:

he also asked for army guys in a tank.

kevin took the day off (as tradition goes) and made owen a 5-star birthday breakfast. it was delicious.

then, we headed over to the matinee to see toy story 3 in 3D. we had the theater to ourselves and my mom watched madalyn. it was a very enjoyable show!

owen turns 5!

my oldest, owen, turns 5 today! i cannot believe how quickly he has grown-up. it's so bittersweet to look at the past years in pictures and see how small he actually was when i always thought he was so big!

we certainly love this kid! he is so smart, so handsome, and so funny! we intend to spoil him rotten today and he cannot wait! i love birthdays!

we love you owen! happy birthday!

enjoy his birthday montage.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

birthday montages

this past sunday the kids spent most of the afternoon watching their birthday montages! they love to watch and laugh at the pictures. glad someone appreciates them! owen is so anxious for his updated one that should be posted tomorrow!

i'm stuck!

annual ross park swimming party

we missed last year (since I was only days post having a baby) but, we are back to our tradition this year. we had our annual ross park swimming party in pocatello! it's really the only time our little family gets to go swimming all together (WITH DAD)! so it was fun! we planned it on a weekend that didn't work so well for most of my siblings and friends but we went ahead it with it.

we had a small turn-out, but it was still so much fun! my parents came with my nieces (still visiting), and then we had some family friends come. the thomas family and the hurst family! we are so glad they were able to come and celebrate with us. and this year it was a DOUBLE celebration from owen and madalyn.


madalyn, kevin, and owen

kev got the boys goggle and they wore them during the 45minute drive there. i guess you could say they loved them!

and madalyn loved the cupcake!

our old neighbors...kirk and sarah! it was so fun to see them and to catch up with their mommy!

madalyn's birthday celebration

opening her gifts

aunt staci and uncle kyle gave her a princess sippy cup and an adorable outfit

grandpa and grandma gave her her first vera purse

cousins-megan and izzie

madalyn's birthday celebration

grandpa and grandma manwaring with the birthday girl

madalyn REALLY wanted to grab that candle!

the princess even gets her food in separate bowls! (;

wesley was pleased as punch to have chocolate ice cream

madalyn's birthday celebration

madalyn and her "ride"

that night we had a pizza party at home. grandma and grandpa manwaring came with my nieces. and staci and kyle showed up a little later for cake and ice cream.

madalyn's princess crown cake. i had to use ALOT of frosting to make this baby look right. but, it turned out.

madalyn's birthday celebration

our princess

birthday breakfast

the weather wasn't really cooperating for her "swimming"/lunch party. but we managed. we were so happy to have my mom and three of my nieces visiting from utah join us (megan, gabby, and izzie)! they showed up with mcdonald's and we played in the water for a couple hours.

madalyn and her new swimming "pool"