We had so much fun in Hawaii. It was Amazing! We went Kayaking, splunking in lava tubes, watched the hot lava spew out into the ocean, boogie boarding, snorkling,and of course layed out and enjoyed the sunshine. I was nervous about leaving the kids, but Avery hardly noticed that we were gone and Andrew still loved me when we got back :) Thanks for watching the kids Cindi!!
*not the best picture but it is pretty much the only one we took

After we got back from Hawaii we stayed in Utah for a week. We took the kids to the Thanksgiving Point Petting Zoo. Andrew was deathly afraid of the goats but LOVED the pony rides.

We also headed to the mountains with Andy's fam and had a bonfire and roasted marshmallows. The kids had a blast!

Andy's sweet Grandma had a big BBQ on Saturday so that we could see everyone before we left. Avery loves to play with her cousins!

jumping on the tramp at Great Grandma's

playing hide and go seek

Cute Sylvie!

And in case you haven't had enough yet(HaHa!), here are 2 more :)

Avery And Uncle Ammon

Avery And Aunt Arianne

Okay, I'm done

Addicted

I LOVE photography and I can't put my camera down!! Just wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures of some people who were kind enough to let me practice on them. :)

QuACk QUaCk!!

Avery had her first dance recital the day before we left for Utah. It was so cute! I thought she would be a little scared to get up on the big stage and dance by herself, but she loved every minute of it! It was definitely a proud mommy moment. Having Avery in dance has been so much fun and has helped her to come out of her shell. We are going to miss Miss Tracee. She does an amazing job with the kids.

Drew is 16 months!

Here is a list of the words he can say:
Apple

Ball
Baby
Bonk
Bath
ByeBye
Bubble
Moo
Dog
Drink
Dada
Mama
sissy (this is the cutest!)
Paci
Blankie
Whoa

P.U.
NO
Sock
hot
hippo
Ya

Out

Up

Shoe

More

Andrew loves to
1. Pull his sissy's hair
2. Play outside
3. eat
4. Read books
5. Give kisses
6. Give Avery loves when she wakes up in the morning
7. Play with phones
8. Get his diaper changed (yea, right)
9. Cuddle his blankie (he HAS to take it everywhere and cries if I leave it in the car)
10. suck on his Paci
11. Dump out cereal boxes
12. Do everything Avery does
13. Say "Roar" and scare his Daddy
14. Vaccuum
15. Watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in the bouncy chair
16. Throw food from his highchair

We had our first little incident on Friday night that required a trip to the Urgent Care. Sweet little Avery Jane was running into the kitchen and tripped. She did one of those full force whiplash falls that little kids often do and smacked her forehead on the corner of the wall. I quickly picked her up and blood started gushing out. I yelled for Andy and he came running downstairs. We surveyed the damage and knew she needed stitches. I started to feel Really faint and nauseous. I've never had blood affect me like that before, I think it was because it was my own little girl. SO sad! We got in the car and drove her to the Urgent Care. The doctor said that it was such a clean split that he could just use butterfly stitches instead of real stitches which would help reduce scarring. I asked him if there was anything else I could do/put on it to help it heal faster and not scar. The only thing he suggested was plastic surgery. Great. She is only 3 and already has to worry about plastic surgery. I remember one of my mission companions telling me how she had gotten a scar above her eyebrow when she was little. She hated it so much that she got a job when she turned 15 and saved up enough money to pay for the plastic surgery herself. I guess I better start saving my pennies in case she decides she wants surgery! Poor girl. Andy took this picture when we got back from the doctors. She has to wear a big old bandaid on her forehead until the stitches fall off.

A Child's Prayer

I Love to listen to Avery Pray. When children pray it is so sweet, innocent, and meaningful in its simplicity. Avery HAS to say the dinner prayer every night. Sometimes she says some really funny things, but last night at the end of her prayer she said:

"Thank you that I am a child of God"

I just thought it was so cute and sweet that she could recognize that knowing she is a daughter of God is something special. I wish I could pray with the faith and innocence of a child more often!