The name of our game...

Getting caught up is the name of our game right now.

Finishing the basement has literally taken over our lives the past several months. It has been very rewarding doing a lot of the work ourselves, but it has taken a ton of time. It's fun to see the work we have done all come together. It's pretty much done now, we are just trying to catch up on everything else now...the yard, and organizing the garage, storage room, and craft room that have literally had stuff just thrown in them while finishing the basement. Hey, the stuff had to go somewhere right? :) So we are still in the thick of organizing, but I am sure that we will always be working on that.

Here's are some highlights of what we've been up to the past couple of months!

These are the moments as a Mom that just make you proud, when you walk in to a room and your kids are reading a book together!

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Easter

Alice just loved helping to color the eggs!

Yes, this is the best shot I could get of the two of them!

Love Cole's face!

We had Easter dinner at Paul's parents, and while we were having a little family fireside, Cole just wanted to sit on Grandpa's lap!

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Paul turns 34!

Happy Birthday to the best Dad & Husband in the whole world!

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Tulip Festival!

Lunch beforehand. Cole just wanted to sit on his Grandpa's lap...again!

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Team Alena!

Several of my friends in the neighborhood secretly put a team together to support Alena who very bravely battled breast cancer, starting about 4 1/2 years ago...while pregnant mind you...and won! We walked together in the Race for the Cure. It was a wonderful to spend time with some of my favorite people. We had a little girls overnighter the night before and had an absolute blast full of amazing memories!

It was emotional for me to walk in the race this year, I have done it in years past, but this year it hit me even harder with my Mom being diagnosed with Breast Cancer in Dec., and day of the race happened to mark the 4 year anniversary of Ashley's diagnosis. When the race started, it all just hit me as I see over 16,000 people try and make there way through downtown! To see the support that others give is just awesome.

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Sunday afternoon walk!

Our little climber...I seriously just walked to garbage to the garage, walked back in...in only 20 seconds....he was in!

Dressing up with her cousin Addie!

Dressing up with her friends Chloee, Hadlee, and Brynlee!

Cole loves CHOCOLATE!

He's just like his Mom!

One of Alice's loves...cinnamon rolls!

Snuggling on the Love Sac! They are both loving playing in the basement!

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Some of my Favorite Girls in the World!

I cannot express how much I LOVE these girls!

We have so much history together!

Karrie and Al came out for her first visit with the triplets. It was so fun seeing her and made for a great excuse for a girls overnighter. We stayed down at Gateway. We shopped, ate, laughed, cried, and slept a little! Some of these girls I have been friends with since I was a baby (literally!), and the others joined along the way.

Karrie & I with our kids...aren't they just so cute!

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Alice's Little Gym Performance!

Needless to say the she didn't want to do much performing! She wouldn't do the beam or floor routine...but she did great on the bars!

Missing Ashley today! It's been 3 Years!

We Miss You Ashley!

Hard to believe it's been 3 years ago today that we have heald this sweet little angel in our arms, heard her talk, enjoyed her contagious giggle, enjoyed her kind spirit, kissed her good night, played with her, listened to her breath, and cared for her. We miss her more than words can begin to express. She is one missed little girl. We often dream of what it would be like to have this beautiful 8 1/2 year old in our home. We know she would be an amazing example to Alice and Cole and would be an absolute joy to be around.

It is during these difficult days that we so grateful for the knowledge we have of Eternal Families and are grateful for the comfort that the Gospel brings us. We pray we will worthy to be with this little Angel again. Until we meet again....

Here are just some fun pictures of our Sweet Ashley

Today we invited both of Ashley's grandparents to the cemetery then to our house for dinner.

The weather was ferocious! So cold and windy and lightly raining. Alice went right back to the car, so here is Cole. You can see how windy it was, the balloons are practically laying on the ground. We even lost two, they ripped right off there strings. Also, I love that many of the pin wheels have remained there through the winter, they are there from her birthday last October!

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Earlier this week at the playground!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Cole is exactly 16 months today!

Alice & Cole are loving the nice days we are getting here and there. Cole cries to go outside, and when we have to come back inside, I have to carry him in kicking and screaming. Today it is about 48 degrees, and Alice just ran outside in the back to play on the swing set, in nothing else but her swimsuit. Surprising to anyone? Not if you know Alice!!!! :)

The basement is coming a long. The kids love playing down there! Alice can hardly wait for her playroom to be finished.

As part of finishing the basement, we are putting in a kitchen desk. I am so thrilled!!!! Anything that makes my life more organized is a great thing, and so appreciated!

Cole is such a climber, so of course right away his climbs in through the cupboard to stand on the shelf, and couldn't be more proud of himself.

Maverick, he was just looking so cute after getting groomed, I had to take his picture!

I'm afraid to say that Alice's days of napping are nearing an end. I am not ready to give them up yet, but apparently she is. We are down to a few a week. Just the other day she comes out of being in her room for about 15 min and says on her way down the stairs in the happiest voice she could muster "I had a good rest Mom!" I'm glad the camera was nearby, because this is what she was dressed in and carrying down to me. She then says, "Do you want a cookie?" I just had to laugh. She went to bed in normal clothes, but if you know Alice at all, you know she would rather be in a swimsuit, yes even when it's snowing outside, or a leotard, or jammies! This girl is a funny one!

Apparently she really did need a nap, because a couple of hours later she fell asleep on the couch!

Cole's latest thing is to turn on the bathtub water and play, for the first 5 minutes it was just to do this...play with the water, but now he gets in every chance he gets, fully clothed. He has a bath in his clothes every time I'm in the shower or trying to get ready!

He is also into Mommy's shoes lately! So Cute!

When Cole was 14 months old, he started climbing out of his crib. I was shocked, he is so young. So we took out all his bumper pads, thinking that would stall him for a little bit, but it only stalled him for about 2 weeks. So now he sleeps with a crib tent around his bed!

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Mexican Riviera Cruise

We also just got back from the most fabulous vacation ever! We had the time of our lives! We went on a cruise with 1o other couples in our neighborhood.

I seriously love these people.

To say we had a blast is an understatement!

One of the many highlights was the zip lining adventure in Puerto Vallarta. They are ranked in the top 10 in the world. It was AMAZING & BEAUTIFUL!

At the Hilton Resort in Cabo!