Mother's day, end of school, recitals, May

I had a great Mother's day!  I'm very blessed to have these 2 girls call me mom.  I love being a mom.  Some days are wonderful and some days I'm hanging on by a thread...but they are my everything.  I love them more than words.  They are both in really great and cute stages right now which is so fun!

On Friday at school Jade made me a cute Mother's Day card.  While I was gone to work on Saturday she was sad I didn't take it with me so she told Tom to take a picture and send it to me so I could always have it with me!  love her

When I got home from work on Saturday, we had all new woodchips!!!!  I was so happy and surprised that I cried!  You know your an adult when a Mother's day gift like that is the best thing ever!  Thank you Tom, it makes me so happy and our yard looks brand new!

Lainey demonstrating her strength and showing off the new playground chips!

Jade being adorable and showing off the new Cedar chips!

They also made me beautiful cards and pictures!

Mother's Day!

Tom took care of all the house stuff, cooked, and made me amazing peanut butter bars!  Thanks for the great Mother's day babe!

The rest of this post is going to be all over the place...
Jade and Treyvin were my worm removal team!  The got all the worms off the cement and onto the grass

Flying on the trampoline

Lainey climbed up there and looked at me saying "SHEEEZE!"  She was clearly so proud and wanted to make sure it was documented

No, it wasn't "dress up like a nerd day" at school...  she just happened to demand wearing socks with her sandals that day and then got glasses in her Wendy's kid's meal that kind of made it all come together haha!  She looked so cute!

We had a park picnic with her best buddy Swayz

Oh Lainey :)  As I'm trying to read this book to Jade I see this..

Jade had a mini tumbling recital.  It was fun for the dad's to come and watch all they have learned in tumbling this year

Our date for May was going to dinner and a session at the new City Center Temple in Provo!  Beautiful!!

Helping with the laundry

I think Lainey had enough of me cramping her selfies!

Ok she let me in this one!

Puddle jumping!

That night we had a girl's night to celebrate the Byrd's new baby boy due next month!  It was so much fun! (Brittany left before we took this pic)

Jade also finished up her first year of preschool!   She absolutely loved it!  She learned so much and I'm so proud of her!  She knows all her letter sounds and it starting to sound out words!  It is so fun to watch.

Getting a good last day of school picture was a challenge haha!  Once the camera comes out, her natural smile is nowhere to be seen

Love the 9 month comparison!

And a comparison from the "Meet your teacher night" to the last day.  She seriously loved Miss Janet and cried when the realization that she won't have her as a teacher anymore hit.

Last day of school Teddy bear picnic

Sunday afternoon at the park

This was taken at Jade's dance dress rehearsal of her little dance class!  The lady that took it said Jade just dove in front and posed haha!

This little beauty had her recital on Wednesday and she did so great! (even though she was doing her own thing half time haha)  She has worked really hard this year and learned a lot about listening, trying your best, and focusing.   At the December show, I was doubting whether or not she would actually perform... she was so dramatic, scared, and emotional....This time around, she was excited, brave, had fun, and loved the stage!  We are so proud!  It was such a fun night and Grandma Michelle was so sweet and came to watch her and join us for the donut party afterwards.  It meant a lot to all of us!

Terrible quality but Jade is on the far right.

Jade got to make a new friend Ayla while I was doing her mom Ashley's hair!  (And they requested this picture)

Lainey just kills me lately with how funny she is!  If she stayed this age forever I would be happy!  I just love this stage!  She is just the cutest

Some funny stuff they say:

Some favorite things that Lainey says are:  (you have to picture it in the cutest, sweetest voice) "Sorry mama", "thank you mama", "ok mama", "mom WAIT!",  "Hi chew", "siweal" (cereal)

And when there is a pause in the conversation, she will say, "So....."  and I die laughing everytime

And Jade is getting so smart and always says the funniest things:

At her dress rehearsal there was a section coned off for the groups running through their dance and another half where the other dancers were running wild.  Jade was on that half and I hear her loud and clear yell, "Everyone, grab a partner!  Let's have a hoe down!"  LOL that girl! She took it upon her self to direct all those in the chaos to start a dance

And I can't remember if I already wrote these last two funnies, but they are too good to be forgotten!

At Costco, there is a little person that works there and Jade saw him and starts giggling quietly... and keeps giggling and says, "Look at that little guy.  He is such a cute little guy!"  I was mortified haha

And at Maceys we walk past a woman with white hair.  After (thankfully) we pass her Jade looks at me with concern and sadly says, "Oh, how sad.  That lady is going to die soon."  Oh My Gosh haha!  She had been very curious about death and we've done our best to explain how it all works and that no one will live forever and we'll all die when we're old.  And she said, "like 30 years old?"  So to explain, we said "No, like 100, really old with white hair" and that's where it came from .

Weekend visitors, Elijah's baby blessing and the ZOO!

Last weekend was a blast with Trevor and Lashel's family in town and we loved having them as our guests!  

Tom took these pictures as he was setting up for them to arrive while I was at work.  Oh these girls!!

I love this picture of little Straton and that hunk Uncle Tom!

These girls look a little homeless, but at least they have adorable dresses!  Lashel gave it to Jade for her birthday

On Sunday, Jon and Kimi blessed their baby Elijah an amazing blessing and it was such a beautiful day spent with lots of family!
Lainey loves her Uncle Trevor!  She doesn't like many men so that's a big deal!  She loved calling his name and getting his attention around the house1 "Trev!  Trev!"
During Sacrament meeting, he tickled her arms and hands for probably 40 minutes and she couldn't get enough and just zoned out

Cute Maddie was entertaining Ella and  Lainey

Teaghann and Lainey were cute little buds too

We also gave Ella her birthday present!

It was so nice to spend the day at Jon and Kimi's and all the cousins had so much fun!

Later that day we went and played at the park

 These two have the best time together and they all play so well.  It's so fun to watch

That night around 11pm, something possessed Tom and he just started slaving away in the kitchen and about 30 minutes later he brings over artichoke dip, salsa and chips....AND homemade peanut butter bars!!! What?! It was the best midnight binge ever.  Love you babe!

Tom took the day off on Monday and we all went to the Hogle Zoo!   And minus the fact that Lainey randomly threw up all over as we were driving there from simply coughing weird (thankfully I brought extra clothes and none of the rest of us puked from the horrible smell)...it was a perfect day!
I think it's a law that you have to take a picture with your head in the lion's mouth when at the ZOO.  So for posterity, here it is

It was so cool to see this lion actually roar!!  You could tell it wasn't even trying and it was still powerful and loud!

Lainey was the most fun to watch!  She LOVED IT ALL!  When you would point out an animal for her to look at she would seriously search so hard and when she would finally spot it she would go crazy!  She bounced, laughed, pointed, and would say the name and/or sound it made!   It was probably the best day of her life so far!

Jade is still oddly afraid of sitting on a carousel animal and prefers to sit in "the carriage"

This is her excited but scared face..

These sea lions were awesome!

Shouldn't this be in a Hogle Zoo advertisement?!

You can barely see the snow leopard behind us

Tiger!

Riding the train around the Zoo!

Oh Lainey!:)

After the Zoo we stopped for lunch where Lainey slept on me the whole time!  Which never happens!  It was so cute, she was exhausted!
That evening Michelle came down to visit and we ordered in pizza and soaked up our last few hours before Trevor and Lashel went home

We're so happy you came up for the baby blessing and stayed with us!  It was the best!

On Tuesday it was back to reality.
My cute walking partner tearing up the trail!

That night the Fowlers invited us to come check out their new toy!  It's a One Wheel and it is pretty sweet!  Tom, of course, is awesome at it and I could at least stay on.  It was so fun and funny!

These two.... :)

Cole racing the entire neighborhood of kids in a race on the one wheel!

Random: 

Lainey is obsessed with loving on the dogs lately and they reluctantly oblige.

And Grandpa Kevin gave each of us kids at the baby blessing one of these Lifetime kids tables!  It is so cute and perfect!  I think the girls would willingly eat every meal if we kept this in the house every day!