We Really Did It

Although it felt like there was one obstacle after another on our path to moving, it did happen. I felt I could breathe a sigh of relief once my Kitchenaid was in place on the counter. We have moved to the country, sort of. I'm excited for the quiet. To not be in the middle of constant business. I'm excited to explore the paths and trails all around our house. This is going to be an exciting adventure for a while to come. Yay!

All Done!

Watson loved preschool. He loved Mrs. King. He loved her the moment he met her. He was so happy to go to school every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. His last day was fantastic. The kids put on a play of the book, Miss Nelson is Missing. Watson was the detective. He played it perfectly. The kids sang fun songs and told funny jokes. Mrs. King was the best teacher! This was the perfect place for Watson to start his "formal" education. I'm so grateful it was in our neighborhood. I'm so grateful Mrs. King loved the kids and her work. I'm so grateful Watson was safe and happy and able to continue learning. I hope his next preschool experience is just as great. There is a high bar to meet for his new teacher this fall.

Our Cute Little House, No More

This was my house. And then it was our house. So much happened here. I became myself in my early thirties. Then I became Scott's wife and Chandler's (step)mom and Watson's mom. It was hard to leave it. So much was learned here. But, it was time to go. It was time for a fresh start and a new place. We worked hard to make this our home together. We have so many lovely memories here. Quite a few heartbreaking ones too. We will miss our cute little house. And our fantastic, loving ward. And our nice neighbors. And I will really miss my little gardens.

Mother's Day

I had cake for breakfast. And beautiful flowers to enjoy. And lots of kisses. And two surprises: a flooded basement and a new china hutch for our new home. The basement flooding was the low of the day. Watson and Scott were the high of my day. I am so blessed, and grateful.

My Big Kid

 I still remember Chandler this way. He was so happy, so little, so cute. I can't believe he is 14. Where did time go? He used to indulge me any time for pictures. He usually smiled his biggest smile, no matter the circumstance. Things have changed since hitting the teens. Most of my pictures are of him with his hand covering his face or blurry because of hurrying out of view. It's quite a challenge at times.
We love Chandler. We love his sensitive heart. He can be the absolute best brother on the planet! He makes me laugh, a lot. He is pretty patient despite having two sets of parents and five siblings scattered around. He is the best 14 year old I know. Happy birthday Big Kid of mine!

This is our new norm once I pull out the camera. He's usually telling me how much I owe him for his image too. He thinks he's pretty awesome, and I do too.

A Little R & R

Things were crazy. The house, the float, the selling the house. Our family need a little time of from the real world. Scott had a little St. George trip planned "for work" to bike. So, Watson, my mom and I tagged along. We stayed at the Gundersen condo and really did a lot of relaxing and a little bit of hiking. Of course we ate good food and swam quite a bit. It was just what we needed. 

 This hike was in Leeds. It was fantastic! Watson loved being in the water and scaling the biggest rocks he could find. It was such a great experience. And so beautiful.

We managed to fill up on treats as frequently as possible. The Fractured Prune donut shop was super yummy and we couldn't get enough of Swig. We were sugared out by the time it was time to head home. It was relaxing and really a perfect time to be together.

So it begins....

In July 2013, we were asked to meet with President Maughan in the Stake Presidency. We didn't know him well. He was in a different ward. He asked that we be part of a three couple team to head the creation of the Stake float for the Days of '47 parade. The idea was kind of overwhelming but doable as we weren't mainly in charge. I attended the float preview party and some other meetings with people that build floats for a living. We continued living a normal life with the idea of the float somewhere in the back of our minds. Then in November 2013, shortly after Scott broke his foot, President Maughan visited us again. He asked us to be in charge of the whole float project and the other couples would be minimally involved, if at all. This became a much bigger task for us! Scott accepted the call with enthusiasm and I reminded President Maughan we were still considering moving. He said "ok" and we forged ahead. Things started to really weigh on our minds about this now. We had to have a design submitted for approval by March 1st. We got to work and this is what we came up with:

This is our second rendering of the concept:

Thanks to Ann Kofoed, our ideas became visible. Now comes the harder work...

Our Easter Best

Love the bowtie!

Egg Hunt and More...

I love our tradition of coloring Easter eggs at Grandma's in preparation for Saturday's hunt. This year we missed half more than half of the kids but did our best to color the DOZENs of eggs Grandma hard boiled. Watson's hair style is courtesy of Stratton in this picture. Stratton is his hero.

Watson was super excited to find more eggs than anyone else. Luckily, he didn't focus on that very long but just enjoyed running around with his favorite people, cousins. He and Stratton made a good time and worked well together.

The hunt for eggs is always a little tricky. The Easter bunny at Grandma's makes sure to mix in real eggs with candy filled plastic eggs. It's a little bit of a challenge to find them all but the kids do every year!

We always search for baskets inside Grandma's house. That bunny is tricky! Luckily, her house is small and the parents, kids, are persistent. 

Easter Sunday best, and vacation relaxation attire for the Hoopes' girls, captured on film.
Although I love these traditions that are fun, I do love to reflect on the miracle of the Savior's sacrifice and Atonement. Families couldn't BE if it weren't from Him. We couldn't be made whole if it weren't from Him. He is everything. I hope that remembering that always is a tradition I create with myself and my family.