The 4th of July

 This was the first Fourth of July in 8 years that we've been in Utah for. I was so happy to be here this year for it. Although we did really fun things in Virginia, it was fun to be back with family.

We got up early in the morning and went up to the Fillmores for their neighborhood parade. Grandpa Fillmore played the trumpet in a band that was in the parade. It was fun seeing him. Spencer and Andrea were in town from Washington too. So we had a lot of fun together. After the parade we went back to the Fillmores. Grandpa Fillmore pulled out the sprinklers and a slip-n-slide. The kids had a blast.

Amy made this flag blanket and I love it so much. It was the perfect backdrop for Winston's first Forth of July. He looks like such an angel.

 After spending the day with the Fillmores, we headed down to Provo to spend the evening with the Hawkins. Almost all of my Hawkins cousins were at my grandparents old home for a big BBQ and to watch the fireworks. It was fun catching up with everyone and being able to show off baby Winston. The boys had a blast. This is one of my favorite childhood traditions. I loved being able to spend it with my kids!

Easter Sunday in Florida

We were lucky enough to spend Easter Sunday in Florida with Jake and Tyra and their family. This is our third Easter in a row with them, and we're really liking the tradition.

We went to church and then came home and had a egg hunt. The kids were hungry and tired and more than ready to hunt for treats. Here's Dellin and Sterling with their buckets.

 Israel got some shakers in his bucket, he was thrilled. Gouverneur got a car and loved searching for eggs.

 Sterling Henry and Dellin loved the egg hunt too. They both raced around like mad men and yelled out every time they found one. Here are some good action shots.

Jake took this picture for us. (The boys were a bit tired by this time.)

This picture make me so happy. I am so grateful for my family.  I'm grateful to my Savior for his Atonement and Resurrection that will allow me to be with them forever. I love Easter and love celebrating the life of Jesus Christ.

Next year, we need to plan better and do our hunt on Saturday, so that we can focus on the Savior solely on Sunday. Hopefully we'll be with Jake and Tyra again next year. And hopefully we'll be in Florida again!

We came home to this cute basket brought over by our darling, 81-year-old neighbor, Val. We love her and she clearly loves us. She is so good to us!

ST. PATTY'S

We had a pretty low key St. Patrick's Day this year. We were having so much fun with grandma Fillmore, that I almost forgot about. Luckily, I had some green food coloring to spice up breakfast. The boys loved green milk and green German pancakes.

We also lucked out that the boys church outfits are all green. Baby Israel sported a tie for the first time, green of course! The boys with Grandma Fillmore.

This is our first family picture in months. I love seeing all these cute boys.

 The rest of the day was pretty relaxing. Dad grilled up so killer steaks for dinner and we spent the evening reading and playing with grandma. It was a great day!

Valentines Day 2013

Valentines Day has become one of my favorite holidays. I started a few new traditions this year that the boys just love. I stole this mailbox idea from my friend Blythe. I got these at Target. I put them out on Feb. 1st. with a little treat inside. Each day they got something small like a chocolate, fruit snack, or small toy. Every morning they ran out to see if the flag was up.

I made a few new heart garlands and some bunting.

Sterling Henry was so excited to take valentines to his preschool. They had their party on the 13th. Dellin got to take a few valentines around to some friends. Gouverneur just wanted to show off his legs.

We did a scavenger hunt on the morning of Valentines for the boys to get their last surprise. The first clue was in their mailboxes.

Next they headed to dad's drawer...

And then off to look in Gouv's bear boot..

Then to the spoon drawer...

Which led them to find their gifts under Israel's bed. 

The whole thing was fun to prep for and even more fun to watch. The boys loved running from place to place. They big boys each got a Imagenext airplane and pilot.

Gouverneur got this darling doggy that he immediately started snuggling with. Hopefully dad doesn't kill me for putting this picture up, but Gouv's face is priceless.

We were lucky to have Grandma Hawkins with us for Valentines Day this year. We had a special breakfast with crepes, strawberries, and pink milk.

Valentines was a complete success! Sterling flew out that night to go on a trip with his high school pals. My sister Jen, and my niece Eliza flew in that night for a fun girl's weekend.

Christmas Day 2012

The boys all slept in till a little after 8 on Christmas morning. They came running into our room to tell us that Santa had come and left lots of presents. Because we don't have stairs to make them wait on, they had to sit on the couch and wait for us to get the cameras ready to document everything. Little Man could barely sit there he was so excited. I remember feeling the same way as a kid.   

 

 Family photo.

Stocking were the first place the boys went.  (These are still my most favorite thing that I've ever made.)

 

Dellin found a pack of fruit snacks at the top of his stocking and was done. Who knew that's all he needed?!

 

More fruit snacks.

Oh and a chocolate filled candy cane. He sat in this box eating for a good while.

 Little Man handed out all the presents from under the tree. Some of the gifts included Connect Four from Grandma and Grandpa Hawkins, and Dad got a sweet BYU sweatshirt from his brother Parley.

 Gouverneur stole the show Christmas morning with his cuteness. His darling "Rudolph" nose looked pretty cute on Christmas morning. His first gift he opened was yellow rain boots. He put them right on and marched all around the house. He was in heaven. He also managed to steal the boys' pack of bandaids and run around with them. Darling boy!

  

 

Santa stuck the boys' bikes under a blanket back behind the couches. We waited until the boys were all done with their other gifts and then I asked Little Man to grab me a blanket. This is what he found.

 

 " Bikes! Bikes for the boys! Christmas bikes! Bikes!"

 To say that they were shocked and super excited is a complete understatement. Dellin was very serious about posing with his bike for some reason.

 

 Little Man made us a really cute card and painted a frame in preschool. He loved giving us his gift.

Sterling completely surprised me with his amazing enameled, cast iron pan. I've been wanting one this size for a while. Thanks Love. He always surprises me. He also got me new slippers and boots.

One of the best part about Christmas was having Sarah with us. The boys absolutely adore here and we do too. We love you Sarah. Thanks for joining us.

 We spent the rest of the day just lounging around. Dad smoked some salmon for a dinner we went to that night. Little Man helped.

 This Christmas was magical. It was fun to be in our home and make some of our own traditions. The most fun part about the Christmas season was watching our boys get excited about all of it. All the lights, music, movies, food, traditions, decorations and work were all worth it! Already looking forward to next year.

New Jersey

 We had such a great time up at Jake and Tyra's house. They really are fabulous hosts. Having grandma and grandpa Hawkins there made it really special. They spent a good portion of the time holding babies. Israel loved all the attention.

I love this picture of grandpa with Israel and Mya. Mya is easily the happiest baby of all times.

Gouverneur with grandpa Hawkins.

 See what I mean? These two babies were held constantly.

 

 Jake and Ty's kids are just darling with babies.  Here's Isaac and J.J. with baby Mya and baby Israel.  There was a baby holding line at all times.

We had an early birthday celebration for cousin Leah while we were up there. This is the only picture I have of it. The kids all went crazy with the ice cream cake. It was quite delicious.

Cousin time was never ending. The boys had so much fun all day long. The kids all got along really well too.

  Dellin, Leah, Abe, and Sterling Henry.

Lounging in the hammock. 

Sterling Henry, Bryn, Dellin, and Abe.

The kids watched endless amounts of shows together... At least my boys did.

Every time we went somewhere, one of the cousins rode with us. My boys were in heaven. 

Cousin Leah pictured here.

We also loved spending so much time with Josh and Laura and their girls. We were so happy to finally meet baby Mya. She is an absolute doll. 

Josh never disappoints.

Games were played every night. The boys got really rowdy as usual. Josh is the master of Monopoly, although I'm pretty sure that Sterling won this game...

 The whole trip was amazing. We spent every minute together just talking, crafting, holding babies and playing games. My boys were in a dream land of family and fun. We're so happy to have family that lives so close. We can't wait to see ya'll again soon!