Friends over

The week that school let out for the summer the kids invited some close friends over for a campfire and to hang out. It was fun for them and to have so time together before they left 4 Cali
The twins having fun too.


Forrest Shoots the ball then...he does his famous celebration stride. I really need to video this and put it on it is so funny and cool...and sooo Forrest.

Xavior...yea he knows he is cute...

Forrest and best friend Javone. These two are so great. Javone had to move from Perry mid-year and now he goes to Massillon. When Forrest found out he was not going to be at Perry anymore he and Javone actually cried. I love it. I am not sure they would want me airing this but I thought it really showed their true manliness. They are still close and really see each other quite a bit. He has a great family and he is a really good kid. Forrest has impeccable taste in friends. Javone has this killer smile and he likes to discuss serious subjects with me, which drives Forrest crazy, he says mom please don't bring up anything serious with Javonne. We just laugh. JAvonne and Forrest wrestle and fight and it makes me nuts. they are laughing the whole time but Forrest ends up bruised up. I have to make them stop. This picture is a good example f their overall mood all the time. They are awesome.

My sweet niece Laura

Alyssa, Heaven and Harmony

Alyssa, Laura, Heaven, and Harmony

Micki, Baylee, and Anthony.

Jordan, Mya and Xave

A day at the park

I could not resist snapping these pictures of the twins at play. I loved seeing their innocent faces just smiling away and having fun. I wanted to capture the awesome faces of youth. They are so care free and sweet I love it. It is fun watching them just be little. I hope it does not go Too fast, however I know from experience that it does go fast. they are coming up on the big 3 and it will be another great year to watch them grow.

Mothers Day

Mothers day was fun and we were happy to spend it with our mothers. Chad and I took our moms to the park for a "Fancy" Picnic. We made delicious sandwiches and had lots of fun. I assembled a list of questions that we asked our moms after we ate. Some examples of the questions are. "what would you do differently if you could raise us over again?" and "What are the things that attracted you to our dads?" There were about 10 questions in all and it was neat to see their response to them. Some answers were serious and others were hysterical. It was fun to get to know our moms a little better and spend time together. All the kids were there too and they played with grandma in the park. It was a beautiful day...a little chilly but great!

Me and my lovely mom Cynde Chad and His beautiful mom Phyllis.

These are the cards my kids made me...I love them!

The twins getting some cheese time.

Ahhhh

Me and my baby....so cute

Me and Jolene my "other" daughter, and Grandma playing yes playing with the kids. She is so silly and FUN.

Update

Tomorrow morning I take my 4 oldest kids to the airport. They are leaving for California to spend time with dad. They will be gone until Aug. 1st. I have been so pre-occupied with getting them ready to leave that I have not had time to post pics. I am pretty backed up I have lots of events and pics since mothers day. When I get all caught up I am getting my blog made into a hard cover book. Then I will start a new fresh year of blogging. Happy Summer. New pics to come... :)

Kirtland and Headlands

This past Sunday we went to Kirtland after Church. We drove up with Our family plus Mya's friend Jordan, in one car and my mom drove with all 4 missionaries and their investigator Larese and my brother John. We packed a picnic dinner and went on our way. When my brother arrived at our house these are the first shots he took of the twins playing in the yard with a tennis racket. It turns out we forgot our camera so all of the following pictures were taken by my brother and he e-mailed them to me so I could blog them. I am so thankful he took so many GREAT pics. We were sad we did not have our camera but it turned out to be OK because we got all these great shots that we would have probably missed. We went to Kirtland to see the Bronze statue exhibit showing different scenes from Christ's Life. It was so beautiful and very moving spiritually. I am so happy we were able to go up. The statues are amazing and so full of emotion. We walked a bit around Kirtland. The kids and the Missionaries went on a brief tour with a SIS. Miss. guide. We set up and had a picnic then we did not want the day to end it was a sunny warm day and the sun was staring to set. My brother had the idea to go to Headlands Beach to watch the Sunset since it was only a few min. away. Before we left to go to the beach we stopped at the Kirtland temple to walk the grounds. Then it was off to the beach. We arrived there and took of our shoes and walked barefoot through the warm sand. I love Headlands it is like going to the ocean. It is a nature preserved beach with seashells in the sand and driftwood on the beach. there is a really cool lighthouse and it is just gorgeous. The babies loved playing in the water and the sand. I had to watch them so close they wanted to just swim in the water. They have no fear, they would keep walking in the water till it was over their head if I did not stop them. Mya and her friend Jordan tossed a beach ball around. All the boys were skipping rocks. The sunset finally came and it a perfect end to a perfect day. Great idea John!

The twins are 2 1/2 now WOW

Harmony and Grandma, so sweet. Harmony is so picture perfect.

These flower pics are from my yard. I love my tulip garden. There is a ton of them.

In the cloud pic. note the dog face with a heart shaped nose.

This plaque is located inside the visitors center in Kirtland. I feel so blessed to live by such a remarkable place in church History. The spirit is so strong there. I love how my testimony has grown just due to these sacred places.

These pictures are of the amazing bronze sculptures.the one above is Mary and Martha listening to Jesus.

This one is my favorite it is the First Vision.

Jesus in the Garden.

Jesus in the temple with Mary the adulterer.

I love these ones, the expression on his face is so precious.

This pic. does not do this one justice, it is Jesus walking on water. It was really big and the water area was a large square with waves. I love the expression on his face here too because he looks so determined and faithful.

The missionaries with their guide and Larese.

This is my brothers hand and a flower he held up. I love this shot.

We saw this on the beach, a child made it. It was so cute

These sunset pics are so great, with a black silhouette of everyone. I love them. This one is Forrest and Chad skipping rocks.

Forrest watching the sunset.

Linnea and Larissa. So so cute.

They loved the water and the sand in their toes. They loved it a little too much. Its s good thing I brought their jammies to change into because they were covered in sand.

Me and the twins.

My mom, Harmomy, me and Linnea walking away. My brother John fianlly got in a picture.

Me and Harmony. I love this picture, Now I wish I would have taken one with all the kids. I love these pictures because none of them are posed its all natural interaction between us. I did not even know john was taking most of them. That's why I did not get the other kids in. Sorry Jordan, Mya and Liam. Going to Kirtland is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon, and Headlands is fantastic way to end it. Since the weather is nice we are planning lots of Sunday getaways. We visit state parks and take a picnic. We stroll, read and spend time together. I look forward to Sundays. They really are or can be with planning a day of spiritual renewal and physical rest.

Need I say more...