Way too long...

It's been way too long since I've posted...not that many people care :). Here are some BRIEF highlights of the past couple of months.

Ellie finished her first year of preschool and they had a darling program with a cowboy theme.
SO CUTE!

I know Ellie doesn't look too happy, but she had fun :)

Ellie's teacher is the best! She's been such a blessing to Ellie.

I love these women!! I really should post a picture of the three of us from the 'good old days' in the mission field! We had a fabulous time in Santa Barbara - and I got a great abs workout from laughing so hard. Really.

Ellie & Jacks new toy. Funny how long they are entertained by going 1 mph. Jack in his swimming gear for lessons. So cute.
Father's Day - Aren't they a good lookin' bunch?! I'm so blessed to have such amazing men in my life. I am so grateful that John is such a great father to our kids...they ADORE him. He is such a sweet, patient, engaged dad. He learned a lot from his own dad. And then there's my dad (not in the picture). Words cannot express my gratitude for him. We have such a sweet relationship.

I am so blessed.
Ellie's dance performance. She did NOT want to wear makeup - she's not so girly. But isn't she darling? I love her to pieces!!

Ellie's perspective. These are her photos. I just thought they were funny.
Fun times with beloved cousins!!
Yes, Jack is wearing a swimming ring - funny boy!!

April update

Easter Party at Grandma Bonnie's Jack painted his mouth with paints from the Easter BunnyA monumental day...Ellie's hair is FINALLY long enough to wear in a piggy!! She's only 4 1/2!! Jack was MESMORIZED by the NCAA championship gameJack LOVES his backpack (it's a sheep!)He's also quite a lush...AWESOME. Water Park in St. George

Ellie & Jack played in the sand for HOURS in St. George

Wildlife Museum in St. George

Picnic in Snow Canyon

I realize there are too many pictures of Jack in this post. Ellie is just as cute, I promise!

Recent pictures

Jack randomly playing the pot lids - I think he needed some attention! Ellie & John going on a Daddy/Daughter date. So cute!!

Jack reading an elephant book - he's obsessed.

Snow Canyon

Ellie LOVES to hike

Over the weekend we went on a short getaway to St. George. It was beautiful! The weather was perfect. I got a little melancholy when I took my kids to the little park we always go to and realized how much my kids have grown in the last year. I love their ages, and am sad that they are growing up so fast! However, the older they get, the more we can all enjoy as a family. We took them hiking in Snow Canyon and they LOVED it. They also LOVED the sand dunes there. It was a fun weekend.

She's Home from a wonderful vacation!

Ellie had a fantastic visit with her cousins! She adores her cousin Abby and Abby's brother, Ben. Everyday she tells me a little something about how Abby does this or that...or what Ben taught her. She's lucky to have such sweet cousins. And even luckier to have a wonderful grandma who was willing to take her! Admittedly, she got homesick...more so than I think Grandma realized. She was so happy to come home...I got the best love I've EVER gotten from her at the airport when I picked her up. I'm so glad Ellie has cousins she loves. Thank you Lindsay & Chris for letting Ellie visit! She will always remember her visit - what a treasure!

On a much sadder note, my poor little squirt of a nephew, Charlie has been in the PICU at Primary Childrens for over a week with RSV. He is the sweetest little bug. It's been such a difficult week for my brother Nate and his family. We are praying he will turn a corner soon.

Ellie's vacation

Ellie and her Grandma Bonnie left for Michigan on Wednesday to see her cousins Ben and Abby. I have never seen Ellie so excited about something. She emptied her piggy banks to help pay for the flight - even after we told her she could buy an awesome toy with her money. It was really cute to see how excited she was.

I was surprised at how hard it was to put her on the plane! I had to hide my sadness until she was gone, but then I cried on the way back to my car. Here's a picture of her with her grandma getting on the plane... Cute little bug!! I love her more than life!

Haiti

Last year while John and I were visiting the Dominican Republic, I really wanted to see Haiti. Some of my family had been there, and said it is indescribable. They were right. The border bridge had just closed for the day, so we couldn't cross over (it closes at like 2pm on Sundays), but people were going back and forth across the river, which serves as the border, and you can see right into Haiti. It was incredibly sobering to see the living conditions in Haiti...it's hard to comprehend unless you've seen the poverty first hand. And to see it is life changing. Over the course of the past 4 weeks as I've watched the tragedy of the earthquake I have been so sad. The newscasters have tried to show the poverty - and it is just as they say. They are not sensationalizing the poverty at all....there's no way to over-dramatize such poverty. I've seen just a small glimpse of it myself.

I have wondered over and over (and talked to John about it) why Heavenly Father would allow something SO tragic to happen to people who already suffer more than most of us will ever have to. Why? It seems so heartless, so callous. And the only reason I've been able to come up with is that now the world is aware of Haiti and the plight of it's people. And now that people are aware, perhaps in years to come (none too soon), the rebuilding of Haiti will allow Haitians to live in better circumstances than they did before the earthquake, and certainly than they do now. That is the only silver lining I can come up with...that it has caused us to stop and think about others and has allowed us to serve...and in turn, the lives of the Haitians will be blessed in the long run.

And, just another thought - a tangent, really - aren't Americans amazing?! When I've seen on the news how much $$ Americans have donated to Haiti - especially in comparison to any other nation on earth, it is astounding. Americans have compassion that doesn't seem to eminate from others around the world. Even as our economy suffers, we are a generous people. It has made me proud to be an American.

My heart has always been with, and I've always felt a kinship for Africa (I served my mission there)...and I've always wanted to do a humanitarian vacation there. I still do...BUT, now I feel such a strong desire to do the same in Haiti. I feel like because I've been so close to where such tragedy has taken place, I have a connection there. Silly, I know. But, I'm going to start saving my money to go back to Haiti and do a humanitarian vacation. Help rebuild wherever I can. The past several weeks, I have wished I had medical training - to be able to help so immediately. It will likely be a couple of years before I get to Haiti, but I am determined to go. And it's interesting, because we hear about the poverty in Africa - which is very real also, and I certainly don't intend to minimize it - but it's a half a world away. Haiti is so close...It's closer than Puerto Rico! And yet, they live in conditions comparable to the poorest countries in Africa.

The following pictures aren't great - as I've said MANY times, John and I are terrible photographers - and I don't think they capture what we saw, but they do show a little.

This little girl was so cute. Her mom was doing their laundry in the river right below the bridge, and her dad was bathing. We saw several people bathing in the river.