Spring Break 2012 - LAS VEGAS!

DAY 1

Mid-80's with lots of sunshine meant a day at the pool and that's about all we did. We drank sodas, ate honey mustard with onion pretzels (thanks Kelly!), swedish fish, licorice, made colored sand bottles, swam, ran back and forth to the hot tub and soaked in the sun.

We had a true teenager with us this year. All she could talk about was "getting a tan". But she managed to keep her phone close by so she could keep up with what her friends were doing on their Spring Break. This picture above is a great one of her . . . her cute body in the sun with her phone in hand . . . classic!

Then came the pool party! A crazy DJ lady that sang parts of songs, had contests going for free drinks, the macarena and sand art! Katy and Shawn went for the Sand Art.

Seems like it never fails . . . I just wanted a picture of these two chillin' in the sun, but Jen had to make a funny face.

No really Jen . . . just a picture of you reading . . .

No really . . . put your book down . . .

Are you kidding me? Never a dull moment with these two around . . .

Jen finally decided to take a dip in the pool to cool off . . . Tyler wasn't far behind . . . he was like a tiger watching his prey . . . waiting for the right moment to make his move and then BAM!

But she will never go down without a fight . . . lucky for me it was a friendly one.

And they could practically pass for twins . . .

The day ended with all of us hanging out on our chairs . . . in the shade and Shawn wrapped up in a towel on my lap.

He told me stories and made some of his crazy faces . . . this is a little taste of what I saw . . .

Katy couldn't stand missing out and had to join in . . .

This is what Bret saw . . . :)

. . . and that sums up DAY 1!

My Mom's 60th Birthday

My mom turned 60 this year so we celebrated with a little surprise dinner at her favorite restaurant . . . Los Hermanos! She thought she was just coming to be with our family but was surprised to see all her siblings there.
My uncle Larry and Aunt Cindy, Aunt Kerry

It took a little work but we got my cousin Chance to flash those new pearly whites for us.

My grandma Robinson, cousin Chelsea, and Aunt Leslie

Aunt Kerry and uncle Rory, Dad

Dad, Jen, and Mom

. . . and the rest of the crew

Kym and I spend the last 4 months working on a book with pictures from Mom and Dad's wedding, through our childhood to our current families. It was fun to present it to Mom and watch her look through it. I wish Kym wasn't so far away and could have been there with us.

You can't have a birthday at Los Hermanos and not have them sing the birthday song to you. Mom was a good sport and just a little shy :)

After working on the history of our family and looking through all the pictures of us together for the last few months, I noticed we were a little short on pictures of Mom with her siblings. So I took advantage of them all being together and snapped a few (wish Grandpa was still with us). It's fun to look at this picture and picture them all growing up together as a family.

I love this picture of my Mom with her arm around Grandma. They both look so beautiful. This side of my family has always stayed closed and connected and I'm grateful for the love we feel when we are together. There is nothing better than getting together with family.

Happy Birthday Mom!

We love you and are excited to see what the 60's bring for you.

Young Women Conference

Jenny and I were lucky to get tickets to the Young Women Conference in the Conference Center this year (we even snagged an extra one for Mom). We took off a little early to check out the new City Creek Shopping center across the street and Wow! was it fun. Can't wait to spend more looking around sometime. We ate at one of our favorite places, The Blue Lemon, and then headed over to the Conference Center. This picture above is of us in line walking in.

It was neat to be there to hear each of the sisters speak but especially to hear and see President Monson. It's always fun to hear him speak and especially see his funny humor at the beginning of his talks.Afterwards we went outside and looked out over the balcony at the Salt Lake temple. We took pictures and played for a little bit before they started shuffling us down.

It was fun to have Mom come with us again this year. I thought about Katy the whole time we were up there. I can't wait for her to be old enough to come too.

There's nothing better then spending time with two of my favorite people. We laughed and talked and shared treats and grew closer. These days are ones to always remember.

The Presidents of the United States by Shawn Clark

Late Night Sledding

We've been a little bummed with such a mild winter this year since some of our coolest gifts for Christmas this year were new sleds. So when our first real snowfall that actually stuck to the ground came at 10:00 at night we had to get out there no matter the hour.

Bret and I got back late from our Saturday night date and told the kids to get their gear on . . . we were heading out to play in the snow while it lasted. Within minutes we were in the car and heading over to the school to try out the new sleds. We could tell they were going to be awesome but were ready for bigger hills. We loaded everything back up and headed to Rock Canyon Park to take on the big ones. We all had a blast. Nothing like sledding at midnight with all the college kids. It was a night to remember.

Shawn even took on the big hill by himself. He was in heaven . . . absolutely no fear.

I even took a spin on one of the sleds . . . screamed all the way down!

Riding Horses in January

Our good friends, the Jorgensens, invited us to go down and ride horses one Saturday in January. Katy was so excited she could hardly stand it. Unfortunately, Jenny and Tyler take a little more after their mom with a fear of horses. Jenny wasn't so sure about the whole idea and Tyler was absolutely against it. Shawn was just ready to come along for the ride.

Bret got Jenny to brush Jake as he and Paden got the saddles ready.Katy and Hannah got their helmets on and were so excited they couldn't stand it.

After a little encouragement (and maybe a little insisting), Jenny jumped on and rode all by herself. I was so proud of her. That's something I've never been brave enough to do. There's something about horses. They seem so big to me.

Paden climbed on and helped Shawn lead the horse by himself. Shawn was in heaven.

Tyler started out riding in the back but got enough courage to lead by himself later.

Katy and Hannah switched off back and forth leading. They had so much fun together.

By the end I was brave enough to climb on, but not without my sweetheart so I could hold on really tight. I knew he would take good care of me.

I was proud of all the kids for being so brave. Especially Jenny and Tyler for riding and leading by themselves. It was a little bit of a milestone for our family (especially for me).