Spirit Week

Needed to throw these pictures in the blog. Gunner was so proud of his crazy hair during Spirit week at school. Poor Caleb came down with pneumonia again so he missed that whole week at school. Poor kid. He's still smiling thru it all!

Wild man!

Mother's Day Weekend

Yes, I am WAAAYYY behind on my blogging. I use this as my journal and it has been forever. Shame on me. So, get ready to see several posts from me in the next few days so that I can catch up on the last 2 months!

On Mother's Day weekend, HopeKids put on a wonderful event for the Moms and their daughters. They did hair, nails, toes and make-up. They also had an area set up where our pictures could be taken together and also fed us lunch. It was a fun afternoon. Breezy definitely enjoyed being pampered. 

She was so excited to get her nails and toe nails done. Then it was on to make-up. She was a little unsure about the eye shadow and blush but definitely wanted to try different shades of lipsticks or "lips" as she calls it. 

There were tons of cupcakes to choose from. She could hardly make a decision there were so many!

Finally chose one with a shoe on it. :)

I loved being with my girl! What a fun day we had!

The following day was Mother's Day. I was spoiled rotten by my hubby who let me sleep in, took care of the kids & made me a yummy breakfast. He took the kids to the dollar store the day before and they each picked out a gift for me. Caleb picked a balloon, Gunner picked silk flowers, Breezy picked a porcellin doll & Bode "chose" a chocolate bar for me. It was cute how they all were so proud of their gifts. They will be something I cherish forever. 

My weekend continued into the next day because my Mom, sisters and I (with Breezy and her cousin Corinne) went to get pedicures. I LOVE getting a pedi!! 

It was Bree's first time going into an actual salon and she didn't know what to think about the bathtub at her feet. But she quickly caught on and enjoyed getting pampered, yet again.

Bode was the only boy but still seemed to enjoy himself...

My sisters Kelli & Kristin with her daughter Corinne. 

Me & Kenna. Not the best pic, but proves we were there. :)

I had to throw this pic in...Love my little niece Rinny!

The finished products! Notice how Bree's not wearing shoes? That girl takes her shoes off the second we walk in the door...anywhere, anytime! sheesh!

After our Pedi's we went to lunch at Paradise Bakery. Yum. Love me some cookies! The little girls had a lot of fun dancing to the music in their heads. What cute cousins. I'm glad at least Bree will have a cousin that is close in age since she doesn't have any sisters. 

Group shot! My Dad and brother joined us for lunch.

All in all, it was a fabulous weekend. I'm so thankful for my wonderful Mom who has taught me to be a good Mommy, to enjoy my sweet children while they are young. She's also taught me how to serve. She is always serving everyone around her. I hope I can pass on her legacy of service to my children as well. I'm thankful also for my sweet mother in law. She is a woman that is incredible. She does so much and is the most humble woman I know. I love you both so much! Happy Mother's Day!

6

This boy of mine is growing too quickly. He was counting down the minutes until he would turn 6. Months before his birthday he would ask me, "Mom, how many more days until my birthday?" In fact, the night before his birthday he told me, "Mom, I want to skip my bath tonight, get my jammies on and go straight to bed so that when I wake up, I'll be six!"

He wanted a "Sports Party" where all the boys went through an obstacle course performing different sports. He had a blast. 

Things I love about him at 6:

- He has a very competitive spirit (LOVES any kind of challenge!)
- He LOVES going to school. Hope that never changes!
- He is determined. He is great at riding his bike and has been determined to master it!
- He loves games of any kind (even races of who can get dressed the fastest). Loves the Wii of course!
- He has a testimony of our Savior and of prayer
- He still wants a goodnight kiss from me
- He adores his Dad and wants to be just like him
- He excels in school with reading and math
- He still loves super heroes/guys and loves to play with them at any moment
- He loves sports of all kind (favorites: soccer & football)
- He is very kind-hearted and always willing to help anyone in need
- He helps me to do what's right
- He still pronounces some words wrong (I hope he never gets them right...it's so cute)
   (bisgetti (spaghetti), biz-anya (lasagna)
- He loves to help me do anything (especially cooking)
- He's a good boy about doing his jobs around the house (hardly complains when he has to help Caleb with his jobs too)
- He loves to laugh and giggle with his brothers and sister
- He's sensitive yet tough

Happy Birthday Gunner! We love you so much. We are proud of the boy you are and are grateful you are in our family. It wouldn't be the same without you. You are a great example for your brothers and sister. Thanks for always keeping us laughing and enjoying each day as it comes. Happy Birthday Gunn, you are six now...only 364 days until you are 7!

Gymnastics

I have a crazy flipping monkey girl for a daughter. She is constantly hanging on my bed upside down, doing flips and somersalts and loves to walk across the back of the couch. So, I enrolled Bree in a gymnastics class once a week so she could get all the jumping and flipping she wanted! I think she's a natural...

An experience I'll never forget

On the Friday of Easter weekend we were able to spend some time with Justin's family at a picnic lunch at Freestone park. We had a great time being together. The cousins all had so much fun running at the park and also did an egg hunt.

Krista & Ryan & their family joined us for the day & it was so great to spend time with them. That night we headed to the Easter pageant at the Mesa Temple with some of our family. Click here to learn more about the LDS church and pageant. 

There are probably over a thousand people that attend the pageant every night.  

Before the program started, there were cast members that came out to mingle with the people in the crowd. Shephards, Roman soilders, angels, etc. I was talking to Bree about what we were about to see and she seemed very interested. 

We had eaten dinner there and just then I turned to go put our pizza box underneath a chair behind us and when I came back, Bree was gone.

I checked underneath chairs, in our stroller, next to her cousins...

She was gone!

Well, I found out later she decided to go on a walk by herself...in a sea of about 1000 people. 

I tried to be as calm as I could. The first thought that came to my mind is "you are on the Temple grounds surrounded by nice people, she'll be okay."

 I told Justin & our family to start looking for her and everyone spread out. Then started asking people if they saw a little girl... when we didn't immediately find her, the worry started to set in.

After about 10 minutes of intense worry and fear I saw Krista carrying her back to where we were sitting. 

She said a nice couple had seen her wandering around and took her to where the lost children are taken (the Flagpole for future reference).

When I asked her where she was going she told me, "I want see Jesus Mommy."

She thought that she might get to see a glimpse of Jesus up close. What a sweet girl. I couldn't help but shed a few tears. Tears of relief & gratitude that we found her and tears that she knows who our Savior is and wants to be with Him.

Through the whole program that night, she was so entranced with the music and was sure to point out where Jesus was standing. She also loved the angels and the dance of the 10 virgins; because they were princesses, of course.

 I can't help but think she was surrounded by angels when she went through her cancer

almost 2 years ago. And I think that's why she has such a special relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ. Because I know He carried her through those months of pain and suffering. 

And He is still with her today.

I'm grateful we can celebrate the real meaning of Easter which is our Savior's resurrection and celebrate the knowledge that He lives and will be with us always. 

Happy Easter!

Easter weekend

I've never really been very pro-Easter bunny. 

Don't get me wrong, I love to celebrate Easter. I love traditions that we have.  Dyeing eggs, decorating with fun pastel colors and using this holiday as an excuse to buy lots of chocolate & candy to hide all over the house.

But, the Easter bunny? I've never really "got" the idea of him. But, this year my mom insisted on taking my youngest 2 kids to see him at the mall. It was fun, but it was freakishly hot outside (one of the hottest days in April) and we waited in line far too long only to find out that Bree wanted nothing to do with this overgrown bunny. I didn't blame her. He was kinda creepy looking. :) 

Bode, on the other hand, didn't care at all, as long as someone (or some-thing) was holding him, he was happy. Bree, at least, gave me a cute pose...far far away from the Easter bunny. 

This little one is so delicious. He's such a good baby. 

One of our Easter traditions is spending time together at the Phillips Lake to hang out with family, grill hamburgers and hot dogs by the fire, water-ski, dye eggs and of course, the Easter-egg hunt!

Gunner couldn't wait to get on the water and practice his skills. 

Gunner loved to water-ski (at least he thought he was skiing) :)

 Caleb loved the jet-ski. 

Bree loved the cupcakes!

Uncle Dave instructing the kids about the hunt.

The hunt is on! Gunner was first in line to grab those eggs.

Isn't she cute? 

Caleb was happy with his loot.

Gunner was such a sweet brother. He stopped several times to share his eggs with Caleb or even point out more eggs for Caleb to find. What a tender hearted boy. It melts my heart to see how much he watches out for Caleb.

Easter Sunday. Love my boys in matching shirts. And I'm so glad to have a little girl to dress in pink! (Even if she is making a double-chin face).

We hope you had a fabulous Easter! We are so grateful that we could celebrate the knowledge that our Savior lives! 

Blessing Day

Today Bode was given a name & a blessing by his Daddy. 

It was a beautiful blessing. 

He got all dressed up for his special day.

We had a lot of family attend. Thanks to all that came!

I got a picture with the man of the hour. Isn't he so cute? A bit of a chunk these days, huh? I love his chubby cheeks.

The blessing outfit was Gunner's and his shoes were Caleb's - baby Converse. Love it!

We had lots of family at our house for the traditional luncheon after the blessing. And between being hostess and feeding this little guy, I didn't get any pictures of everyone that attended. Shame on me. 

I did manage to get lots of kisses by my first baby though.

These were some of the highlights of Bode's blessing:

"Bode Michael Cook"

"We love you and are so glad you have come to our family. You are now surrounded by great men. Develop relationships with them and look to them for advice. Your family loves you. We bless you that you will be great friends with them. Develop characteristics of kindness and be gentle like your mother. We bless that you'll have a special relationship with Caleb. We bless you to be patient and proud of him. We bless you that you'll grow and serve your fellow men, that you'll receive the Aaronic & Melchezidek priesthood. We bless you'll be a good student. Study & read your scriptures. Bless you'll be a good man and serve a mission and go to the temple. And bless you that one day you'll have a family of your own. We bless you'll have a great testimony of the Son of Man. Know you are created in His image. We bless you that you'll have a good direction of right and wrong and that you will always choose the right. Your family loves you."