Graduation Day

Josh graduated from kindergarten on Friday May 23rd. He is such a great little guy. I have a hard time believing that he is getting so old. I tried really hard to make it his special day. Thanks to my Grandpa Gunderson having his 90th birthday party on Saturday, we had family in town to come and support him. I think he had the biggest cheering section out of everyone. We ended up going to Chilis that night to have ribs- his favorite. Grandpa Garth and Grandma Bonnie gave him his first "real" fishing pole for his graduation and he can't wait for Grandpa to take him fishing. Overall, it was a great day.

memorial day weekend

Ryan and I took the boys to the cemetery on Saturday because Ryan will be flying on Monday.
Ryan's best friend Bradley was killed in a van accident when I was pregnant with our Bradley.
We knew if we had a boy that we wanted his middle name to be Garth- but other then that, we couldn't figure out a first name. The Wednesday after Bradley's funeral, we found out we were having a boy, and knew he was to be named Bradley Garth Willard.
Ryan really misses his friend, and we hope our Bradley realizes what big shoes he has to fill...
The other picture is of the boys by Ryan's Grandparents on his mom's side.

Pasco, Washington

The kids and I decided to jump on a plane and got to Pasco with Ryan on a long lay-over. We have been doing this quite a bit lately and love the idea of free airplanes and hotels. Makes for a pretty cheap mini-vacation. (If anyone knows me- I am a sucker for free stuff!) It was really hot there, and I was scolded by all three boys for forgetting their swimming suites. Instead, we walked next door to the mall and took them to the candy store where I was promptly forgiven. We also stayed in the "Lion Hotel" (Red Lion) which the boys get a kick out of. Overall we had a great time and got to spend some time with Ryan. If he is never going to be home- we will track him down at work to see him!

Mountain men...

So, Ryan and I decided that we would climb the buttes (old volcanoes) near where I grew up. I swear we used to climb them all the time when we were little and it was no big deal... So, we drove out and headed up the mountain. About half way up, we realized that it was harder then what we had expected. The boys kept sliding back down the hill and falling down. When we finally got to the top- Josh was totally disappointed to see grass in the crater and not a hole for the lava to flow out of... Overall, we were hot and sweaty, but there is something about the view from up there that is just awesome.
History books say that years ago there were men that robbed a bank and hid their "goods" there in the mountain before the cops got them. I can say, that if there ever was a treasure hidden, I would have found it- I searched high and low as a child. Well, I told Josh the story- and he is now sure that he is going to find it. It was so fun to watch his imagination take over as he searched for the lost gold- I miss those days...
In honor of memorial day, I took some great pictures of the Indian Paintbrush flowers. My Dad and I used to climb up and pick them on memorial day to take to my Great Grandma's grave. They are so beautiful...

Finally!

Okay, so Ryan and I have been looking for a reasonably priced house in Utah for about five months now. We have been from Tremonton to Provo and everywhere in-between. We have had so much frustration because we wanted to find the perfect place to have our family.
So now, we are pleased to announce that we have found a house!! Actually we are building a house. It is in Eagle Mountain Utah, and it will be done in about 5-6 months. We picked out a lot on Saturday, and are excitedly getting ready to pick out options and get going with the process. It is about an hours drive to the airport, but Ryan was happy with that. He will only make the trip a couple of times a week, so it will be fine. It is also only about 15 minutes from his brother's house, so we will have family close.
This is so exciting!!

May Day!

So happy May 1st to all of you out there... Any big plans?
For us, we thought we would maybe plant some flowers, till the garden or have a picnic.
Or we could scrape the snow from the sidewalks, build a snowman, and sip hot chocolate!
WHAT IS THIS??? When will this nonsense end?
We are so desperately sick of the snow around these parts.... I guess it is time to take a plane somewhere warm...
Florida friends- get your guest rooms ready! =)
On a funny note:
Zack asked if he could go out and ride his bike this morning and Josh said,
"No you will freeze your cotton tail off."