Fathers and Sons

On May 15th and 16th was our ward's Fathers and Sons' Campout. The boys were so excited to go. This was Ben's first year going with Brandon. Ben knew going camping with dad must be something exciting since Hyrum was so excited to go.

A week before the camp out, Brandon and I were talking about the Fathers and Sons' activity. While Brandon and I were talking, Hyrum started mentioning how fun it was to sleep in the van and the yummy "nummies" they cooked around the fire(smores and starbursts). It was so funny to listen to him talk about how much fun he had with Brandon last year.

When Brandon got home from school on the 15th he stared to get everything ready. The longer Brandon took to get everything packed, the more excited the boys got. It was so cute to hear Hyrum talk to Ben about what they were going to do while they were camping and how Emmy couldn't come because she is a girl.The boys were more then ready to hop in the car with dad when it was time to hit the road. From what Brandon tells me they had such a great time and for the most part pretty good. They had a fireside about the Priesthood and Brandon said they were perfect during it. Ben was the youngest camper from the ward there.

While camping, Ben kept trying to jump in the fire, the boys got to play with a whole bunch of boys from the ward, Hyrum and Ben got to sleep in the van, have smores, stay up unti l 11, and have time with dad. I don't think anything could have made them happier.I receieved the picture on my phone below on the night of the 15th. It looks like they were loving life.They ate an early breakfast the next morning in order to be able to make it home in time for Hyrum's soccer game which didn't happen. Oh well, they had a blast and have been pretending to go camping ever since; except now Emmy can come.

I am so grateful that I am married to a man that thinks outings like these are important. Also, that he takes the time to do these things with our kids.

Emmy was feeling sad that she was getting left out of the excitement, but I told her we would have fun too. It was always a tradition growing up that while the boys were gone to Fathers and Sons, the girls in the family would do something fun too. While the boys were gone, Emmy and I went out to eat. We went to Blockbuster and she got to pick a 99 cent movie. We came home, I painted her nails, watched a Barbie movie, had popcorn and treats. She was in heaven! She loves to get her nails painted and holds very still and waits patiently for them to dry. She also loved the Barbie movie! She hasn't really seen girl movies before. After our fun night, she got to sleep in my bed for the night.It was such a great weekend! Everyone had a great time.

Dates With Dad

Brandon had his Spring Break the first week in March this year. The one thing that he said he wanted to do was to take each child out on their own personal date. I thought this was a great idea and supported him as he took each child out for some quality daddy time.

Emmy had her date first. For her date they went to ride the carousel at the mall. She was so thrilled to go with daddy all by herself. Brandon said she was so excited when she saw where they were going. She picked out the "neigh" she wanted to ride. Brandon and Emmy rode the carousel a couple of times and then went to eat at McDonald's. Emmy even got to have ice cream afterwards. When she came home she was seriously the happiest I have ever seen her. She was running everywhere laughing and giggling and being silly. I think it did her little heart some good to spend time with her daddy.Hyrum went on his date with daddy next. He was so excited for his turn. He watched Emmy go out on her date and knew that his turn would be soon. For his date he was so pleased to go with his dad out to eat at McDonald's and then to see the movie Bolt at the theater. He talked about his date with dad and the movie for days. He also was so happy that he got to spend some quality time with his dad.Finally, it was Ben's turn for his date. He also went to the Carousel with dad and found a "neigh" to ride on. He rode the carousel and headed off with dad to McDonald's for a fun lunch and some ice cream. After lunch, Brandon thought it would be fun to take him to see some real horses since Ben's favorite animal is a horse and he loves real animals. However, the horses by our house weren't very close to the fence that day so Brandon took Ben to a near by park. Of course, Ben was in heaven! He loves to be outdoors! Going to the park is one of his favorite things to do. He was so happy to spend some time with his dad. He had a great time on his date. I am so grateful for a husband who takes the time to make each of our kids feel special and important. Also, I am grateful for the time that Brandon puts in to be the best dad he can be.

Christmas Lights

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, Hyrum helped Brandon put on the lights on the house. This was our very first Christmas of putting lights on our house. Hyrum was so cute! He was so excited he could hardly stand it. He would run in every few minutes with a big smile on his face telling me what they were doing. One time he ran in and said, "I am crazy mom!"When it came time for the big reveal, Hyrum could hardly wait to show me the lights. Hyrum had me close my eyes so it would be a big surprise.

Hyrum and Brandon were very proud of their finished product.
Hyrum is a light lover. Any room he is in, no matter what time of day, he will have all the lights on. He is in heaven with Christmas lights. We put a couple of strands of Christmas lights in his room for him and he loves it! He has the lights plugged in every minute of the day. I love the fact that he finds so much joy in a simple thing, such as having Christmas lights in his room.