First time wakeboarding

The boys went boating with their scout group. They were able to wake board for their first time. They loved it.

Mason

Jonah

Blogging and exercise are they the same??

I don't anyone to think I don't keep up on my blog.  Ha ha!!  I pull it up everyday to see if there are any new posts on others blogs to read.  Thank goodness my sister, Lara, posts almost every day. ( I am still waiting to see what hair color she chose though.)

I started blogging because it is such a great way for distant family to keep involved with our lives and I'm not great at writing in my journal every night so why not blog.  On a side note,  my hubby was a great journal keeper has like four full journals from his mission and many from before and after, then we get married and what happens???  He stops.  I must be a bad influence on him.  Or maybe.....I've made all of his dreams come true so  his life is complete and he has nothing else to write about.

Anyway,  I really want to have a great blog/journal and I really want to exercise to be more fit.  But I can seem to find other things to be distracted by before I actually start blogging or exercising.  Kind of like I'm avoiding it. 

When I have been training for some of the relays and runs I have done, I hit 5 miles and I'm bored out of my mind even if I'm running great.  My hubby says I haven't hit my "ZEN" yet.  Apparently when you are in your zen, running is therapeutic, relaxing etc.  The same goes for blogging, sometimes I enjoy writing but when my finger nails are too long and keep catching the keys or I continually have to backspace for grammar/punctuation corrections or when the computer is being difficult I'm not in my zen.  I'd rather sit and read everyone else's blogs before updating mine. 

So yes, I am a procrastinator.  What else is new.  However, I do want better journaling of our family and I do want to be more active and so with that I will  try harder.  So stay tuned you may see more updates from me:)

What's up this summer.

I have so many pictures and activities to post about and not a lot of time, or focus, to get them posted.
I have already had an eventful summer, I don't know that my kids feel the same way (see Ellie's post).  Since school ended we went to St. George for a few days for a Hays family reunion, (my side of the family).  Lots of fun family time with cousins on the lake, at the pool, in the lava tubes, playing games enjoying good food and each others talents.  We had great time.
The following weekend I ran the Ragnar relay with a team from our ward ( a couple not from the ward).  Jeff was going to run until he injured his leg a couple of weeks before the relay.  Luckily we had him as a volunteer for the relay.  It was a beautiful run with great weather and great company.  I am glad it is over :)

This week is moving week.  We have been working on moving for the last three years and now we finally are doing it.  We are moving to a house in Sandy and are very excited for the change.  We are excited for a larger home with more storage space, a garage and a neighborhood with sidewalks.  Now if I can just get through all of the packing and unpacking.  Such a good excuse to declutter isn't it?

Next week we have a Belcher family reunion, (my mom's side) while celebrating the 4th of July.  I have a cousin who said the title of her next book would be "Family Reunions: Heaven or Hell?"  I'll let you know at the end of the summer after all of our reunions which it is.

Jessica has been doing a summer reading program at school.  It is Mon-Thurs from 8-10 for five weeks.  It gets us up and going in the morning and I have to remember homework each night but we are hoping it will be with it. She is a trooper it's a lot of work for her but she sticks with it; as long as I keep offering good incentives:) 

Stay tuned, I will try and get pics posted soon.  Until then we will keep playing hard this summer!!!

April Birthdays

Sunday, April 3rd we had our big birthday celebration. Mason and Jonah turned 11 years old and Jessica, 7 years. Since it was conference Sunday we were able to have a casual morning. Jessica's wish was to have breakfast in bed. So everyone was served breakfast in bed, even Ellie. It hardly seems fair that she would be the only one not being served breakfast in bed. (The boys chose to eat theirs on the couch).

The boys love to watch the show "Cake Boss".  They wanted their cakes to be decorated with fondant.  I was not quite up to trying something brand new on multiple cakes for a large group. So we agreed the boys could make their own fondant decorations.  I used a marshmallow fondant recipe and the kids had fun making the decor.  Jonah decorated his cake in a baseball theme and Mason's was in a basketball theme.  I chose Jessica's cake, it seemed easy at the time.........  Enough said.

Jessica's cupcakes were made in a "tye dye" style with the cake sporting the colors of green, orange and pink.

Per Mason's request, our good friend Dan, made Mason's cake.  A yummy, lemony cake. 

Getting ready to blow out the candles.  Many cousins and friends were with us.

We surprised the kids with a pony for their party.  The pony's name was Mika.  Note the picture below with Ellie and Jeff.  It was a wonderful snowy April afternoon :}.  The kids just bundled up and enjoyed the pony.

I love my kids birthdays.  Probably too much.  (It seems all I do is spend time in the kitchen.)  Hoping for a little sunshine next year.

Valentine's Boxes

Jonah's Microwave Box

Mason's Snowboard Box

Ellie's Dog Box

Rear View

This was the first year my kids have made valentines boxes for school.  Years past they have always made an envelope in their class.  I thought they were very creative and they each did them on their own.

Hawaii Trip

Jeff and Steph at Waimea falls.

My lunch from Grass Skirt Grill in Haleiwa, Ohau. One of my favorite places to eat. We enjoyed it a couple of times while there. I was so hungry and the food looked so fabulous I just had to take a picture. Kind of nerdy I know but how delicious does that look!!?? This is grilled chicken teriyaki. I love their grilled fish also.

A large sea turtle at Laniakea beach Oahu, AKA turtle beach. We enjoyed snorkeling with many large sea turtles. When three large ones surrounded me. I panicked and surfaced. I still feel uncomfortable under water with large sea life around me. I guess I need a few more trips to Hawaii to overcome that fear :)

The LDS Hawaii temple. I took this picture after Jeff and I did a session there one evening. It was beautiful and wonderful to visit that temple.

Haleiwa beach. Jeff heading out to surf. Hard work, but so fun.

Jeff and I on Ke Iki beach a few hours before we headed back home. This picture was taken about one hour before the great earthquake in Japan. The house we stayed in was just off this beach. So beautiful.

Large waves at Ke Iki beach. The night we left, the waves here were about 15 feet high. They were just crashing on the beach. The earthquake happened shortly after, hmmmmm, coincidence?

Jeff in our rental car. He loved driving a convertible. Pipeline is in the background.

Plant with large leaves at Waimea falls gardens. The picture behind a large leaf with the question of any clothing on is a family joke.

Sunset from Ke Iki beach.

Jeff at Waimea falls. It was a fun swim over to the falls. It is so refreshing to be in fresh water after swimming in the salty ocean all week.

Overall a wonderful vacation.  It was rainy season so we swam when it was raining and laid on the beach when the sun was out.  We enjoyed a trip to Pearl Harbor, shopping at the swap meet, biking to Ted's bakery for breakfast, eating at so many wonderful places, eating Malasadas and Haupia Chocolate pie, waking to Sharks cove and the wonderful snorkeling, driving through pineapple fields with the top of the car down while listening to Ukulele music and so many more wonderful things a great vacation brings.

First day and a half in Hawaii

A view from the Pali lookout, China man's hat and the upper east coast.

Jeff and I at the top of Diamond Head over looking Honolulu.

Jeff in our rental car heading up to the Pali lookout. The convertible was so fun!!

One of my favorite views from the Pali lookout.

View of Honolulu from Diamond Head.

We are having so much fun.  Soooo relaxing.  We are enjoying our stay up on the north shore where the pace is slow and island life is real.  We can walk to many of the beaches, the grocery store and great food places.  We are planning on snorkeling, surfing and sunning the next few days.  Oh, we love Hawaii :)