Camping at Lake Livingston in Houston

We wanted to do something fun for spring break and Lori had just the solution... come camping with them in Houston!  She made it easy since she packed all our camping gear and food, all we had to do was fly from phx (which ended up that we landed at 2 am and a broken stroller and slow rental car process later, we crashed at her house at 4 am!!  I felt so young again!)  We headed up after a slow morning letting the kids play in their amazing toy room.  I just loved being outdoors!  It wasn't too rugged, but still plenty dirty with a crawler around.  

We played card games together.

The girls hiked around the lake.

 Mariah took a nap in a tent without complaint (have I mentioned she is easy?)

  The boys went fishing with live worms...yuck!

Mariah was drawn to the chairs that tipped over, buckets of water, the fire and dirt.  It was quite a feat to keep her alive and safe... I gave up on the clean part.

 TWINS!  Thanks to Lori having 2 girls in a row, we get matching hand-me-downs for my girls and I love it!  Obviously Mariah is not loving this moment, but I hope someday they will be friends.

Megan had a birthday and we had the most amazing cake I have EVER had!  Then the kids blew bubbles to their hearts content.

This cousin, Cameron is SO sweet to Mariah.  She laughs SO much at him.  She really loved him!

There was even a park with the old-school long slide and tall swings.

The laughs from this baby are SO fun.  Her brother and cousins really know how to get her giggling!  Almost to the point of not being able to breathe!

Mariah fell asleep in the open air at night and we moved her into the tent later, she fell right back asleep and only woke up once. 

Hallie was up really early begging to wear her pretty pink dress (which I had not packed) We promised she could and she went back to sleep!  Then in the morning she was devastated she had to wear pants again, but she had already worn pants yesterday!!  camping was a huge sacrifice for that little girl!

 We literally had JUST packed up all the stuff and jumped in the car when an amazing hail and rain storm pounded the camp.  We were so glad we were leaving!

 Saying goodbye to cousins.   SO happy we get to have family love!  Thank you Lori and Jim for all you do to make our get-togethers fun and possible!  We love our family!

Snow Day

When we realized Jackson didn't have school on Monday (after I returned to the land of the living from my sickness) we wondered where to go.  The usual location is Utah, so we made a run for it.  We decided to go Fri at 9 and the flight left at 2.  That meant lots of packing and cleaning for me (and an hour at the park to pass out Hallie's valentines.  

**Travel advice: Don't put lotion on your hand before security!  I walked through the metal detector with MAriah in my arms and then they swipe my hands and detected "explosives" on my hands.  Then I wasn't allowed to touch any of our bags, my shoes or help my kids.  Luckily Dave was there to put everything together as I sat and watched (still holding Mariah).  They did allow me to buckle her into her seat.  Dave took the kids to the gate as I got an intense pat down, my bags rifled through and my shoes tested.  Turns out mother-of-three was NOT a terrorist, so they let me go (Running as fast as my body could to the gate to be let on moments before they shut the door!)

We stayed with the Harper's on Friday night and Saturday.  They were getting ready to leave for their mission in the DC temple on MONDAY, yet they were gracious enough to host us!  They also watched our kids so we could go out for a minute on Valentine's day.  Somehow we missed getting a photo before they left.  It is definitely easier to say goodbye knowing we will probably visit DC in a few short months.  We are so grateful for their example of service and sacrifice to serve the Lord and the people of the DC area.  

We took our kids WAY up the canyon to get a taste of the snow (the weather in the valley was pretty gorgeous).  The kids loved riding the sleds as we pulled them.  Mariah smiled and waved at everyone.  Jackson and Hallie loves sledding on a small hill and digging in big drifts (accidentally stepping in river water.)

 Mariah got pretty fussy when I laid her in the snow, so we just propped her in the seat and she sat for an hour without moving and fell asleep on our way down the mountain.  She is such a good girl!

Grandma and Grandpa Ahlstrom are so fun with our kids.  I swear they have more energy with the kids than I do!  Amazing!

 My mom helped Jackson make this lion out of clay and then he wanted to make a horse too.  It took over and hour and he did not get bored or distracted all all.  He read all the instructions and did most of the work!  This kid is amazing when he puts his mind to something!

Grandpa is so fun! 

I got to play a game of racquetball against my dad which was fun.  I flew home with all 3 kids alone.  None of them fell asleep as planned so there was no need for the double jogger stroller we toted there and back.  The flight landed at 10 pm and EVERYONE was still awake.  Luckily, the leappad, kindle and ipod were helpful parents since there was only 1 of me.  Dave picked us up and helped me unpack everything.

12 on 12th March

1. Jackson is on spring break, so we are having a bunch of fun with him.  He rode his bike to the park while I ran the girls in the double stroller.  We are loving the weather right now, although I can feel it getting a bit hotter... summer is coming!  I loved watching my big boy peddle his heart out ahead of my racing to the park.

2.  Mariah is officially into the mess making stage.  She loved opening cupboards and drawers and pulling everything out!

3. reading books.  We went to the library yesterday.  Jackson has already read 2 chapter books (2nd grade level) and Hallie has turned through the pictures of all 33 books.  These kids love books.  I try to read to them at nap time since bedtime has gotten so long we tend not to read then.

4.  Dave working on the laptop.  It seems he works almost every night from home.  He is a hard worker and has too much to do right now.  The Merger is coming up and keeping him busy.

5.  Jackson loves to play with Mariah.  We let him be the horse tonight and she giggled as she rode on his back.

6. We made Chex muddy buddies for a snack.  Jackson loves to read the back of the cereal boxes and all the chex boxes have recipes.  It was my first time so it was fun to share it with the kids.  Jackson is able to do so much of the work, so it is nice to actually feel that we are doing it together.

7.  Hallie's playgroup.  I love that she has friends she loves to be with weekly.  Today she ran around singing and doing the moves to "Let it go".

8.  The night ended with me packing for a camping trip in Houston with our cousins.  I hope we are able to get there and get home without incident :)

9.   LAST month on the 12th I had a pic of life... Well, Jackson talked me into it again today.  He set it all up and wanted to be the banker.  Luckily, about half way through Mariah had a melt down and we counted our fortunes early :)  Jackson knows I am a sucker for games.  I love that he can actually PLAY many games.  Yesterday he seriously KILLED me in ticket to ride.  Smart kiddo!

10. Mariah still takes 2 naps which means we are home between 9-10:30 and sometime in the afternoon.  I love that she is happy and content even if we push her naps around a bit, but I also love that I don't have to worry about timing since I don't have to get Jackson from school.  It makes it easy to do 2 naps.  Hallie and I take a quiet time during her second nap and frequently I even get a nap!

11.  writing in the kids journals.  I still try to write daily in Hallie and Mariahs journals.  I have started writing monthly on my personal journal blog about Jackson.  I hope the kids value these someday.  I certainly like going back and reading them (especially when comparing kids at different stages.)

12. I didn't get 12 photos today.  I WISH I had a photo of Dave playing "rough" with the kids.  The kids love it and I love the sound of happiness and fun in the house.  Mariah always tries to get involved too now.  Tonight she threw fits when Hallie took her toy she was playing with.  She is getting more fiesty, curious and strong minded.