This was a fun month! We began the month by going on a road trip with my Mom to Utah. We visited my sister and her family, and helped to send of Elizabeth on her mission to Portugal. She is going to make an amazing missionary. I got to have about a week with her, going shopping for stuff she needed and just able to spend some time bonding with her. What an awesome woman she is turning out to be. Can't wait to see how the mission improves her life. Based on the letters we've received from her so far, you can tell the mission is having a strong impact on her life. Love it.
We had to say goodbye to Liz at the Provo City Center temple due to the MTC's drop off policy now (lame), we got to tell her all the things we love about her and our hopes/advice for missionary service. This really helped me to remember some of the precious feelings I had as a pre-missionary. I'd never want to go on another mission, but my mission experience gave me the greatest change in myself. Pretty intense, but awesome experience. I also included her pre-packing mess in her room...girl had a lot to do the last minutes before she left.
The Provo City Center Temple is so beautiful! We love walking the grounds and seeing all the pretty flowers.
We got tot spend a lot of time with family, we were there for two weeks. Lily loved being with her cousins! I feel like I hardly got to see her while I was there cause she was always playing with her cousins. Her and Ben love playing with each other, they are such cute cousins! It also snowed while we were there...so had to document that.
We also got to go to Rexburg to meet our sweet Lucy Horton! She is soooo beautiful. I love that baby, she made me want another one! Andrews house is awesome, his neighbors have goats, chickens and even peacocks in the back which wonder into Andrews yard as well. Jacob loved chasing the chickens and captain. Poor captain, such a good dog to put up with my crazies. We visited the BYUI campus. It has changed so much! there are more apartment buildings, high rise-ish, more shopping and restaurants. and the campus has new buildings. the auditorium building was huge! and the MC actually makes the school look like a legit university. The only down side is that it's lost its small quiet feel. but I'm sure it's better this way.
We went to Temple square during conference. I walked around with my nieces talking while my mom and Ricardo went to conference. I love spending time with these two amazing ladies. My nieces are beautiful, inside and out! It was weird watching them get checked out by boys, they are still babies to me. And it made me feel very old. They even tried to give me a makeover...I'm lost cause. I had to borrow some of their clothes just to feel cool. LOL! They tried to do my eyebrows to be more in style (thick brow is in) and all it made me look like was Eugene Levy. yikes. but I did learn some beauty tips while I was with them, I have a new appreciation for hair products and makeup now.
Andrew and Whitney came to my sisters ward to bless little Lucy (which is primarily the reason we took this trip), Liz's farewell talk was that day too. Horton's dominated sacrament meeting. That Lucy is the cutest!!!
I didn't get many pictures of the 10 brutal hrs there and back, but I did capture these two. It's a small world we live in. On our way back to Phoenix, we stopped for a break at a burgerking in a city called Kingman. We were sitting in the play area watching the kids when I hear someone say, 'is your name Andrea?' I turn around confused and see a guy with glasses and a hat. Then I realized who it was 'SHUT UP...GEORGE!?' It was an old MTC buddy of mine that I haven't seen in 11 yrs! I was so excited to see him and meet his beautiful family. He does not have facebook, so we have not stayed connected. Come to find out he lives in Phoenix as well! We talked for a while, exchanged info...now we just need to plan a MTC district reunion. Those guys helped me to stay on a mission, cause I definitely wanted to go home day 1 of the MTC! If it hadn't been for them, who knows what would've happened. Again, who'da thunk I'd run in to anyone from my past in Kingman?! So good to see old brotha's. Lily was just happy to get a crown. lol
The weekend we got home, we went straight to Tucson for Easter Weekend. We hadn't seen Mark for Two weeks cause he had to stay home for work. It was so great to see him again, I sure did miss him a lot!
Took the kids to Purple Heart Park for their annual easter egg hunt.
Easter Sunday family photo in our Sunday best. The kids would not look at the camera! lol
Jacob loved the easter bunny. I can tell Lily is getting too old for the Easter Bunny now.
Easter egg hunt on Easter Sunday. Lots of goodies. Jacobs first hunting, he loves this holiday.
Purple heart Park Easter egg hunt
Then the weekend after Easter, we went back to Tucson to attend the Pima County Fair (family tradition in memory of Randy) and we also got to attend the U of A football meet and greet the new team. It was really cool to meet the players and see the locker room and gym. I love college football.
The fair was really fun this year because Jacob got to ride the rides too. He loved it. One of the rides (the motorcycle) I'm not to sure if he enjoyed. He just looked like he was hanging on for dear life. He also really loved the petting zoo. He kept kissing the animals (yuck), he really loves animals. Lily is a little dare devil and wanted to go on as many rides as she could. She loved the tall ferris wheel and we are looking forward to going to Lagoon in the summer for her to ride on rides with her cousins.
Lily has started her Crossfit Kids class, I'm definitely more excited about it then anyone. She loved her first day, and has decided the Rower is her favorite exercise. Mine too!
Jacob is a crazy pants. He's a funny kid, won't let me get a thing done around the house, but he is sure loving. He just wants to cuddle all day. I love my sweet boy. He is talking more, saying things like: 'Mimi, are you?' and 'high chew' (he has a candy addiction) and 'up aba da wood so high'...and he loves for people to smell his stinky feet, and he's kind enough to smell yours too if you'd like. I don't think he has gained any weight, and has zero butt, so he's definitely built like my brothers. We sure love our boy!
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| I don't think she understood the exercise. lol! |
This last Saturday, the weather was BEAUTIFUL! Perfect weather. I wish it was like that all year long. We took lilys bike out for a bike ride, Jacob liked riding it around too. Lily is getting better at riding her bike, too bad it'll be 100 degrees out soon and we can't ever go out! oye
We are also officially in the market to find a house (wahoo). It is getting difficult to find a house in our budget (under 200k) here in Gilbert, most of the homes are 230k+. I love this area so much, but I don't think we can afford it. SO, we may end up in east Mesa or Queen Creek which are all good areas, just not as fancy as Gilbert. We will stay here for 6 more months while we find a house. Good stuff! I feel like we are finally becoming grown ups ;)
