Lake Lahontan

We've had a lot of fun going to the lake this year.

The water was a bit cold for Leah at first, but she got used to it.


Braden has more fun playing in the sand than the water.

I had to take a fine tooth comb to Braden's head to remove the sand that was embedded in his scalp.

Leah would rather eat the sand than play in it.

Road Trip

The kids, my mother and I went to Utah last week for my dear friend Sarah's wedding. The weekend was amazing. I'm so very grateful to my mother for watching the kids while I attended a live session at the Manti Temple followed by Phil & Sarah's sealing. It was such an amazing experience to sit across from Sarah while her & Phil were sealed. I couldn't help but get all emotional and teary eyed. While giving Sarah a hug, she commented that "Who would have thought that we'd ever be here (in an LDS temple together.)" And, she was right. I didn't expect this for my life, but I love it and couldn't ask for anything more.

The only thing that would keep Leah happy in the car was chocolate.

I guess she takes after her mother.

Braden was kept happy by the portable DVD player that we borrowed from Grandma Sorensen. I couldn't get him to take his eyes off of it even for a picture.


Sarah's reception was beautiful. She did such an amazing job decorating, and she even designed her own wedding dress. I was so excited that Jillian was able to come from Vegas to the reception. We hadn't seen each other in almost a year.




Braden & Leah were real troopers this weekend. They rode in the car for hours, were hauled all over the state and expected to be on their best behavior for all of it. (I atleast want my friends to think I have perfectly behaved children.) All in all, the kids truly were wonderful. Sure, Leah hated her carseat and hardly rode in it, but what one year-old doesn't?




All weekend long, I wanted a fabulous family picture.



We tried.

Look who's 1!

Happy 1st Birthday, Leah!

Leah turned 1 on the 22nd of May. I can't believe she's a whole year old.

Here is the traditional messy face picture. Leah loved the chocolate frosting!


Braden & Mom helping Leah open her presents.



Leah sleeping in on the morning of her birthday.

I'm so very grateful to my father in heaven for this beautiful baby girl. I'm thankful for the wonderful children and husband I've been blessed with.

Happy Birthday, Gavin!

Gavin celebrated his 28th birthday on Tuesday.

For his birthday, Gavin bought himself a

Browning Citori Shotgun. He was one happy boy!

Big Brother & Little Sister

Braden loves to play outside and swing on the swingset at my mother's house.



He loves swinging even more when Leah is with him.



Sometimes I can't believe what an amazing big brother he is.

Our Little Prize Fighter

Leah got her first black eye on Monday. She tries so hard to keep up with Braden & Kylan that she doesn't realize she's not as big as they are. I think thebruise under her eye as darkened even more since I took these pictures on Tuesday night.



I was getting tired of Leah yelling at me while I was trying to feed her dinner, so I decided to let her feed herself.

Here is "Angry Leah!"

Happy Belated Easter

Here are a few pictures from Easter. Braden & Leah weren't too cooperative when it came to picture taking, but what can you do?

Braden received a tent, bicycle, movie, and Curious George book (which we have been reading every day). Leah received a tea set, puzzle, book and sand bucket.

Both kids had a lot of fun looking for eggs. We had to section a part of the yard specifically for Leah so that Braden wouldn't take all of her eggs.

The Saturday before Easter, we went with my parents to the hospital's Easter Egg Hunt. On the way there, Braden was excited to meet the Easter Bunny, but once we got to the park, he chickened out. Leah, however, didn't mind having her picture taken with the Easter Bunny.

When it was time for the Easter Egg Hunt, all of the 0 to 3 year-olds were in the same section. My mom stood with Braden & Leah on the starting line so I could video tape. When the announcer said "Go!" Braden just stood there while the other children dashed forward to pick-up the eggs. I stopped the camera, walked to him, and asked if he wanted to get any eggs. Braden shook his head no and replied "I have eggs at home." I coaxed him & Leah into each picking up two eggs.

I find it funny how different children are. There definitely were children there who were fighting to pick-up the most eggs. And there was Braden, content with his two eggs, knowing that he had eggs at home.