Easter

The girls had fun finding easter eggs at 3 different hunts this year. First was our Neighborhood Hunt, then our Ward Hunt, and then our Family Hunt. These are pictures from the hunt at our house on Easter morning.

Moab Trip

In April we went to Moab with the Taylor side of the family. Other than a little bit of wind and rain, the trip was warm and fun.

Fun in St. George

We headed down to St. George for a little time with Nate's Family in March. Almost all of his siblings were able to come so it was a good time for all. We had lunch at a park where the kids (and adults) had fun on the playground.

We went to the Bear Mill, where all of the kids got to play games and then create a stuffed animal (compliments of Grandma). Then they got to eat ice-cream and play at Grandma's house.

Taylor's 5th Birthday

This year Taylor turned 5! Wow! She wanted a bigger bike so she could ride faster. Nate wanted to get her a bike from a bike store but I couldn't justify spending $180 for a kid's bike. He put me in charge of getting the bike since I vetoed his idea. I shopped around and looked online and finally found an acceptable one.

Once she tried it out she looked so little on that big bike! She was a little frightened at first because her feet don't touch the ground when she's on the seat but she's getting more daring. She had a party with her friends this year.... first time so I was kinda unsure of what to do. We decided on a Sweet party. We toured the Sweet Candy Company with her friends. It was very interesting (maybe more for the adults). We got to sample some of the candy they make there... like orange sticks, salt water taffy, and chocolate covered cinnamon bears. Yum! After the tour we came back home for cake and presents.

Visit to the Zoo

We took a trip to the zoo at the end of January with Taylor's Pre-School Class. It ended up snowing the entire time we were there but I just bundled up the girls and they had fun - even in the snow. The great part about going to the zoo in the Winter is that there were about 50 people total. It was great not to have to wait or squeeze in to see the animals. The down-side to going in the Winter is that you don't get to see all of the animals- I guess the elephants don't like being out in the snow, go figure. We did get to see the bears, monkeys, snakes, giraffes, camels, birds, leopards and tigers. I asked the girls which animals they liked the best and they said the giraffes. Ava was fascinated with the monkeys and anything that remotely resembled a kitty. She would smile, point and say "kii-ee" (kitty) to everything.

Inside the Monkey Building, we saw a small Orangutan moving the straw around in his little room. Once he'd cleared a spot on the floor, he began spinning on his back-- like break dancers do. I'd never seen anything like that before and the girls thought it was great. It was fun to see him dancing/playing like that.

When we got to the leopard area there were a few little kids running back and forth in front of the glass. The leopard was watching them and pacing back and forth with them. One of the mothers made the comment "Oh, isn't that so cute? The leopard is playing with my son." Under my breath I commented, "It looks to me like he wants to eat your son for lunch!" Wow, was I grateful for the thick glass separating us from the animals. I did get this cool picture with the girls.

Hailee's Birthday

Hailee turned 3 years old in January. I can't believe how quickly children grow! She wanted a "Sally" party because she loves the Disney movie Cars. Here are some pictures of her party.

Christmas

Our Christmas Celebration this year was great. Grandpa & Grandma Taylor came on Christmas Eve. We went downtown to see the lights on Temple Square. It was cold but we stayed warm from the excitement of the girls and a little hot chocolate.

On Christmas morning Jason & Melissa showed up at 7:00 am. Whew! They didn't want to miss the kids waking up. When we couldn't wait any longer we finally had to wake up the girls at 7:45. They were sooooo excited once they realized it was Christmas. Santa brought Taylor & Hailee princess dress-up clothes. After the whirlwind of wrapping paper, boxes, bags and bows were over, we enjoyed a yummy breakfast of cinnamon rolls and bacon (thanks to Nate).