We Finally Made It To NYC!! (part 2)

Rachel on the Toys 'R Us Ferris wheel.

Ashley and Melissa were the only ones brave enough to go near this T-Rex. It moved and growled and everything. Very cool.
Times Square!!! It was breathtaking. Amazing. Loved it.

Ahhh--finally, a chance to sit down. The subway was very fun, but this was at the end of the day, on the way back to the ferry, so everyone was tired and wet. Ashley and Melissa might have been able to go another few hours.

Saying goodbye to the beautiful Statue of Liberty.

Melissa Turns Nine

Melissa turned nine on Monday! She got lots of fun stuff including her favorite new toy, her first camera. Once again she wanted a Fairytopia cake. She is my optimist. She's never unhappy for long. I can't believe she's so old already!

Not IN My House!!!!

I'm not afraid of salamanders, but this little guy really chose the wrong day to show up in my basement!! Last night I had a horrible dream about a snake getting into our house (now those things I am terrified of). So today I was going downstairs to turn on the t.v. for Sara and saw this peeking out at me from under my ottoman. I'm pretty sure my heart stopped for several seconds before I realized it was just a salamander. Still, he should not be making himself at home in MY house.

Cutie!!!

Emily is three months old (plus some) now and is so much fun! She smiles and laughs all the time, tough NEVER for the camera. She also absolutely adores he sisters. They read to her and hold her and take such good care of her.

Melissa even took a nap with her during General Conference.

Easter Egg Hunt

We were invited to a friend's house for an Easter egg hunt this year. There were lots of kids and tons of eggs and we had so much fun!! Melissa is suffering from seasonal allergies. She's my kid. Poor thing.

Melissa's eyes must really be itchy and watery. She didn't even see that one on the fence.

The Deck Project

It's been a while since I've been able to do any home improvements, but with nice weather finally here, I'm back at it again! The time had come (probably 5 years ago!) for our deck to be sanded and stained. This is before--

--more before--(You like how I put the girls to work sanding? They did a great job!)

--one last look at the before--

--and after 3 full days of a lot of work, this is the result! Now I can enjoy sitting outside on my huge deck.

D.C. Temple Trip

We were finally able to make a trip to D.C. again last weekend to go to the temple. This time we met up with Jason's brother and his family. The kids had a great time playing with their cousins and it was so good to see them all!

There is a path from the temple that leads to this playground about a mile away. Along the way is this cool bridge that I had to get a picture of.