Apr 24 - 30

Monday, April 24 - Marisa and Amie's birthdays are both within the next few days. I got on Amazon and found these mugs that I thought were hilarious! Unfortunately, this one had a chip taken out of the corner so I had to send it back but otherwise, how cute are they?

Tuesday, April 25 - Sorry for the lame picture but we had book club tonight and, of course, I failed to take a picture! However, we discussed this book. I wasn't too thrilled to read it because of the title but I ended up really enjoying it! Plus, Connie Allen was a fabulous host and fed us three different kinds of pie (although, no potato peel pie) for dessert. I love book club! 

Wednesday, April 26 - I was invited to the school to sit with both Nick and Kendra for their birthday lunch table. As you can see in the corner of the top pic, Ricki wasn't as happy to be there as the rest of us. She was terrified of the Chick-Fil-A cow! I got the kids Happy Meals from McD's and kicked back with them while they ate. I love that the school does this. If nothing else, I like to come to the school and see my kids interact with their friends. Lunch and Chick-Fil-A cookies are just an awesome bonus! :) 

Thursday, April 27 - Let me repeat that APRIL 27!!! You have GOT to be kidding me! Someone please remind me why we live in Utah? I hate the snow in December so I'm super not cool with it in April!! Luckily it melted quickly but it was still a really cold day!

Friday, April 28 - Amie asked me a while ago if I would help her make mushroom cupcakes for a baby shower she was throwing. Here is how they turned out. They were fun and easy to make and I felt like they  looked pretty cute!

Saturday, April 29 - Happy birthday to my BFF and to my sweet nephew Henry! For Amie's birthday, we went to dinner at Salsa Leedos, I dragged her around Walmart for a while, and then we went to Kneader's for dessert. It is always a blast hanging out with her! I wish we could do it more!

Sunday, April 30 - We celebrated Henry's birthday at Dave and Viv's tonight. He is 3 years old and so dang sweet! I also got a chance to sit and hold this sweet little baby. I could just do this for hours and hours on end!!

Apr 17 - 23

Monday, April 17 - When I got up this morning, I came out and this sweet girl was just lying on the couch watching her show. I can't believe that she starts preschool in just a few short months! Where does the time go?

Tuesday, April 18 - Amid my wedding preparations, I realized we needed to throw a birthday party for Nick and Kendra! They wanted a "Secret Life of Pets" party so this is the invitation I made for them. I am so thankful for Photoshop!!!

Wednesday, April 19 - Jenni and I loaded up our at-home kids and went on an adventure! We drove up to Oakley to see the Red Barn venue where Kenny & Katie's wedding will be. It is so beautiful!! However, it gave me more perspective on all that still needs to be done to pull this wedding together. One thing was the folding chairs. They are just normal metal folding chairs so we decided we needed to do something to help cover them. I happened to mention that to Debby Asay and she told me she has these beautiful tulle sashes from her daughter's wedding. She showed me how to tie them to the backs of the chairs and everything! Yay!!

Thursday, April 20 - We are in the process of selecting a trampoline for the kids. They have been begging for one for years but they make Simon super nervous! He has come up with a plan to get one and put it in the ground to make it less dangerous. This is not the tramp we ended up with but he did order one online today! Yay!! The kids will be so thrilled!

Friday, April 21 - We had a late game so Nick got to play under the lights. Baseball: The Pearson family's favorite pastime! 

Saturday, April 22 - Nick had a 7:30 pm game last night and a 10:00 am game today! I love the thrill and anxiety of watching this kid play! It is so much fun to see him out there having fun with his friends! After Nick's game, we went to Zack's soccer game. He is fortunate to be playing on a team with 5 of his friends from the ward. This is his little bestie, Chase. :)

Sunday, April 23 - Happy birthday to Nick and Kendra! We celebrated with the Pearson's tonight and finally gave the kids their trampoline. They were SO excited!! I felt bad breaking the news to them that we had to wait a few weeks to dig the hole in the ground to put the tramp in but they didn't care; they are just so happy to be getting a tramp! We missed having Ashley and Ruby at their party but they had lots of fun with their aunt, uncles, cousins, and grandparents.

Apr 10 - 16

Monday, April 10 - Simon sent me the current temperatures from Herriman and Puerto Vallarta. I'm ready to go back! :) I think Zack was ready to go back to the warmth when he was at the park for soccer practice. Aren't they the cutest little team?

Tuesday, April 11 - After talking with Penney about her awesome planner, I went to The Quilted Bear and got myself one. The other three kids played on the playground while Nick warmed up for baseball and I went through the planner. I think I am going to love it!

Wednesday, April 12 - Since we've been home from the cruise, I have had a sore on the side of my fingernail. It is getting more and more sore, red, and now it is oozing. I sent this picture to Simon to see if he thought I should go to a doctor or not. I think I'll wait a few more days and try some oils on it before I do that. 

Thursday, April 13 - I can't explain the whole story behind the top picture. It would take an entire post. BUT, this picture represents a whole memorable experience in my life. This past Sunday, I was just feeling alone. I was having a hard time and then found myself sitting in Relief Society all alone. I was trying super hard not to let it bother me but the truth was, it did. Penney, seeing me across the room, scooped up all of her stuff and walked all the way across the room to sit by me. Instead of being just normal-grateful, I broke out into an ugly cry and sobbed most of the rest of the meeting. Fast forward to today. She knew I had bunco at my house because I had invited her. She knew I was stressed so she showed up to my house at 11:00 am and offered to help me clean. I tried to refuse but she was so sweet, I did end up having her help me. In this pic, she is doing Ricki's hair. Kendra's was already beautifully done by her just before. Shortly after this, she received a devastating phone call that her unborn but full-term niece had passed away in utero. I maintain that she was at my house first to comfort me but then so that I could comfort her. It isn't coincidental that the Lord has His hand in our lives! Bunco turned out great but my thoughts were definitely with Penney and her family all evening!

Friday, April 14 - Welcome to the world Ruby Vivien Pearson! She was born at 8:57 pm and weighed 8 lbs 8 oz. She is so perfect and beautiful! On this, Ruby's birthday, the kids and I met Jessie and her kids at the Nickel City Arcade in Orem. They had a blast with just $10 worth of nickels and I enjoyed watching them! Tonight, Kendra had Savannah, Jada, Halle, and Brielle over for pizza, cupcakes, and a movie. Kendra was only about 3 hours away from sharing her birthday, not only with Grandma Howard and the rest of the country for tax day, but with Ruby too!

Saturday, April 15 - Happy birthday sweet Kendra and Grandma Howard!! What a busy but fun Saturday! We started out at an Easter Egg Hunt with my mom's ward at 9 am. Our whole family went so we decided to do our annual egg dying at my parent's house right after. Look how many eggs mom boiled for us!! After all the eggs were dyed, we went to lunch at our family's fave, Las Glorias. Now, I have to apologize for flipping off the camera but remember my sore finger from earlier? I could stand it no longer! I just have a skin infection that is beginning to spread down my finger so I finally went in. They gave me a prescription for antibiotics and this stinkin' awesome brace so that whenever I accidentally touch something with my hurt finger, it doesn't send me to the floor in pain! In between our craziness, we left the kids at home during Ricki's nap and went to the hospital to meet Ruby. Oh my heavens! She is so perfect!! Unfortunately, we couldn't stay long because we were taking Henry over to Dave & Viv's house for another egg hunt. We picked the kids up on the way over and had a super fun egg scavenger hunt that Alexis put together. It was really cute and lots of fun! I just love this time of year!

Sunday, April 16 - Happy Easter! My kids are so goofy! Of course they put their baskets on their heads!! :) We had a really nice day at church remembering the Savior and the sacrifice He made for us. I am always grateful for the reminder of why we celebrate Easter and I am thankful my kids understand it as well. At dinner tonight, the kids lined up in their usual fashion and got ready for the big egg hunt. This year, Kam was able to participate, which was super fun! We also celebrated Grandma's birthday. What a fun way to end the week!!

Apr 3 - 9

Monday, April 3 - We had a lovely day at sea! I was so happy to be here with my hubby and family! 

Tuesday, April 4 - Port Day #4 - Puerta Vallarta - We rolled into port just as the sun was peaking over the mountains. Puerta Vallarta is beautiful! Instead of shopping all day long, we stopped at our old friend Inez's shop and then walked to the beach. We love the beach there!! Ricki couldn't get enough of the sand. Sweet Beach Baby!

Wednesday, April 5 - Another awesome and relaxing sea day! This was our second formal night and getting a picture of the whole fam with nice smiles was...well...impossible! :) (Oh Zacky!!) Later on, Simon and I were called onstage for the Newlywed Game. It was super fun and guess what?!?! WE WON! Go us!!!

Thursday, April 6 - This, our last sea day, ended up being eventful. One of the crew members fell and hit her head and had to be rescued by the Coast Guard. It was amazing to watch but I felt so bad for her! I can't imagine how scary that would be. Tonight, we had to say goodbye to our wonderful waiters - Antonio and Jovell. We enjoyed getting to know them over the past 10 days!

Friday, April 7 - I cannot believe that 10 days have already come and gone! This was one of the best cruises yet!! We had fun being there with our kids, their cousins, our extended family, and our friends. Until we see you again, goodbye Port of Las Angeles!

Saturday, April 8 - We are, obviously, so sad to be driving home! Well, Ricki is pretty excited but everyone else wants to stay on vacation!! Goodbye fun, awesome, and wonderful vacay!

Sunday, April 9 - We're home and wedding mode is in full swing! I worked on the invitations some more today. We are hoping to send them out in the next two weeks. The wedding is quickly approaching!!

Mar 27 - Apr 2

Monday, March 27 - Day two of driving went pretty well but took quite a bit longer than we had expected. We were all pretty excited to get out and stretch our legs at Newport Beach! We met up with the McCullough's there, flew a kite, walked on the pier, had yummy donuts, then finished our evening at one of our favorite restaurants, Acapulco. We're here! Let the REAL vacation begin!

Tuesday, March 28 - Like Simon put on this picture...here is our home for the next 10 days! Hooray!! This is the Star Princess and it is a beautiful ship. One of our favorite things about cruising is watching the sun go down over the horizon. Unfortunately, we missed it most nights because we had early dining but Simon was able to catch this last slice of sun before it disappeared. So beautiful!

Wednesday, March 29 - Port Day #1 - San Diego - Right outside our ship, in the same port, was an old aircraft carrier named the USS Midway. We visited the museum and learn some really neat history about the war and the men and women that served on this ship. We were fortunate enough also see the twice-annual landing of the Leap Frogs Navy Sky Diving Team. It was amazing!! They came out of the sky and flew a U.S. flag all the way until just before they landed on the open deck of the USS Midway. My kids were in awe...and I was too! I am so glad we went there. It was a great experience! 

Thursday, March 30 - We had a fun day at sea and did a lot of hanging out by the pool. Ricki and I also got a big long nap in. It was formal night so we started getting ready around 4:00 for our 5:15 dinner. The girls wore their new Easter dresses (a few weeks early). I got tons of comments on Ricki's "dinosaur" hair! Once the kids were settled in bed, we went up to the dining room to play cards with the grown ups. This was a loud but super fun group!

Friday, March 31 - Port Day #2 - Cabo San Lucas - We were brave and went parasailing. Well, Nick, Trevan, Jake, Kendra, Simon, and BJ were brave. I completely chickened out when we got out on the open sea. It made me a little sick just watching my kids go up so high over the open ocean. It was a very expensive boat ride for me but it was fun watching everyone else have fun. :)

Saturday, April 1 - Port Day #3 - La Paz - We have never been to this port so it was really fun walking around and taking in the sights. There was an open market just outside of the port so we stopped and did a little shopping. You may notice two things about this photo. First, we are missing two children. Kendra and Zack decided to stay on the ship in the kids camp so we only have Nick and Ricki in this picture. Second, how did Simon manage to be at the beginning and the end of the words?

Sunday, April 2 - Port Day #4 - Loreto - Once again, another port that we have never been to. We did a lot of walking! There was a really neat city main area so we walked down the boardwalk until we got to it. There was a beautiful little cathedral, a shopping district, and lots of shade under some pretty cool trees! When we were ready to head back, we found a nice little beach that we played at for about an hour before getting back on board. Our entertainment was a mentalist/magician named Wayne Hoffman. He was really quite amazing! It was fun to watch his show and Simon even went to the early and late entertainment to catch it twice! What a wonderful day!