Stay-cation Time!

We kicked off Memorial weekend with a Stay-cation at the Costley's! If you haven't heard, a stay-cation is when you have a vacation right in your own home! It was honestly so so much fun, we had such a wonderful time. My parents have such a fun house-add in family you love and it was a great vacation! We started off with Pizzeria pizza-my fav- and then we had a ping pong tourney!

Here are the boys playing Sting, they are getting into it.


Here is Rob taking his punishment!
Grannie bought a fun little car to entertain Blake while we played ping pong

She was so excited, it was like Christmas!

Darling little Joss Cos!

Chase was the Ping Pong Tourney Winner!

He wanted to take an "action" shot...I think I have a different name for this pose

How lucky am I? We celebrated my BDay starting off this early means I get to celebrate for a whole week...Woot Woot!

Blake showing her Elmo hat

Insert cheesy BDay hat family photo here...

Um what is up with Robs hair?

Bday cake time, Blakeley loves to sing Happy Birthday

Blake blowing out the candle

Back to the Stay-cay... Smores-Yummy

My cutest fam!

Blake was exhausted from all the fun

Saturday morning after breakfast the boys went golfing and the girlies and babes relaxed and watched a movie-we talked through most of it though.

Then after a delicious lunch we went out back for water balloon volley ball

Josslyn being adorable as usual

Getting our shirts ready for V-ball

Okay the hair looks better but not sure about the pose/face

No pics of the actual game cause I was too busy kickin trash...someone may or may not have scored 8 points for her team...just sayin :)

Blakers keeping her self busy again, I promise we didn't leave her to herself the enitre time

We had such an great time. Thanks Costley family for all the fun memories!

Mothers Day

First let us take a look at the cute little bug who made me a mommy... I found her like this! She cracks me up.
Cheesy!

Surfin' the Web!

Okay, I know mothers day was a few weeks ago but I still wanted to share some of the cute pictures we took that day!

We had this canvas made for Jan for part of her gift. It turned out so darling!

Grannie with Blake and Joss

Then Blake wanted to give kisses....

...She is so sweet to her cousin Josslyn!

Always a character...

Cathy took some pictures for us tonight! I am so excited to see how they come out. We did some fun ones as a family and then some of Blakeley! This is a silly one that Cathy posted on her blog, Blake is always having to be silly. It seems like I live with someone else like that...hmm! Thanks Cathy!

Play Date

Wednesday we went to the park for our monthly play date. We had great time talking and laughing. The kids are definitely getting much more active but they are all so darling. I feel awful because I didn't know it was going to be so warm and Blakers got sunburned on her arms and her poor little piggy tail part in her hair. I didn't even think about sunblock until we were packing up to go home...Sunny was still sweet to offer although we were practically in the car :)

Blake has a hard time keeping her eyes open in the sun, I feel her pain!

Blakeley and Stone

Blakers was so excited to see Lily she gave her a sweet hug! It was funny she must have thought she was in charge of kissing every ones owies! Anytime someone cried She would give them and hug or a kiss. She is a silly girl!

Grandpa Hoyal!

Rob's sweet Grandpa Hoyal passed away on Monday night. I have known him for 7 years now and I feel like I have lost a grandpa too. Norm was one of the most amazing people I have ever met. He lived such a wonderful and happy life and even this last month as he had been in and out of the hospital with sickness and broken bones he still had a big smile on his face and a friendly greeting anytime you arrived to see him.

We visited Grandpa the day before Easter and took a few photos with him and I am so glad to have these now.

Rob and Grandpa, how handsome are these two?
Norm didn't exactly have a quite voice and that was a family joke but he had some of the funniest little sayings that always made me laugh "Good night no!" and "Well that's a fine how do ya do!"

He also LOVED John Wayne and watched his movies all of the time. He even had a life size cardboard cut out of John Wayne!

The first time I went out with Rob we met at a friends and Rob was late. We finally met up with him and turns out he had been up to his grandpa's helping him around the house and that was why he was late. So months later Rob shared with me that when he was leaving his Grandpas he knew he wouldn't have time to go home before meeting for the date and so he used his Grandpa's toothbrush to brush his teeth (Why he thought that was a good idea I don't know.) Well I was pretty sicked out by this story because I may or may not have kissed Rob that night :). Thank heavens I can laugh about it now.

A few weeks ago Grandpa was in the hospital again waiting to have surgery on his hip. Rob and I went to visit him. He was happy and polite as usual, he was lying there in bed and every so often he would just start singing. I don't remember the words to the song he was singing but it was about leaving the Red River Valley.That is the last time I saw and spoke to Norm and in my heart that day I think I knew that would be the last time I saw him alive. He was always so happy even when he was sick. He was a wonderful example and has been a great grandpa to my husband. Rob has learned a lot about the gospel, about service, and life from Grandpa and I will always be grateful to him for that.

I want to share one last story that we heard today at his funeral that I feel shows just the kind of man that Norm was.
His wife was killed in a car accident when he was a young father of 3 (Rob's mom was only 4 yrs old.) The accident happened because a man ran a red light and hit her car. After the accident one night there was a knock on the door. Norm answered the door to find the man who had caused the accident standing there at the door. The man was crying and apologizing and saying how sorry he was. Grandpa Norm put his arms around him, gave him a hug, and told him it was already forgiven.

We will miss Grandpa but we will won't forget his example and all he has taught us!

Easter, Easter, Easter!

Easter weekend with Blakeley was full of fun and family! On Saturday grannie Sheryl invited Blake over to color some eggs. We had a fun time and Blake was happy to color on all the eggs with marker! She wouldn't look my way for any pictures but I thought this face of hers was funny.

The Easter Bunny stopped by and left a trail of plastic eggs from Blakes crib all the way down stairs to her chair where he left her some prizes.

She had fun playing with her new prizes for a few hours, Rob went to lay her down for her nap before church and didn't come back for like 10 min...when I went upstairs to make check on them I found them taking a sweet little Easter nap together!

Blakers all ready for church in her fun Easter Dress, pig tails, silly smile, and pot belly!

After church we went to Gr Brians for dinner. Here are the sweet girls showing off their Easter Dresses!Kale, Blake, Harper

The Brian's Easter Egg Hunt!Blakeley loved finding all the eggs this year.then to...
Little Mountain Egg Hunt with Hales Family

Last we went to Gr Costley's for our final celebration. My mom has always just hid the basket and we have to find clues that lead us to it. This year she did a really simple one for Blake to find the basket for her and Joss! It was fun and Blakeley was so excited when she found the basket.
This is when she found the basket She is diggin in...
Cute little cousin photo!

I had to put this one in too, because Josslyn is just a cutie and she looked so adorable in her Easter dress!

Blakeley went to Nursery!

Sunday was the day. It was time to take Blakeley to Nursery and I was very nervous because she really hasn't been left alone with other children that weren't family or her babysitting buddy Gambel. So we got all geared up and I had Rob take her in. She was a little clingy to him at first but he found her a toy she liked and just stayed close for a minute. Then he told her he was going to go and to give him a kiss. She gave her daddy and kiss and let him leave with no trouble! WHAT! So Rob came by the Primary room and gave me the thumbs up that all was well, thank heavens cause I was sweatin' because I could hear a little girl in there crying and I thought it was her.

The Nursery kids come in for singing time after the Primary has gone to class so I was worried she would come in and see me and not want to go back. So she comes walking in with the Nursery and spots me and she comes running over to me and so we sit down for singing time. When it is all over I put her down and tell her she has to go back with her class now. She gives me a kiss and turns around and walks back to Nursery with her teacher-she doesn't even give me a second look. I just couldn't believe it! I got tears in my eyes, I was so proud of my little girl and so sad that she didn't need me. I turned to the ladies and said "Just as I suspected she isn't having a hard time with it but her mom is!" I'm such a baby but I can't believe how big my girl is, they grow way too fast! It was a great experience when I picked her up we went and washed her hands and when we came out of the bathroom she ran right back to the Nursery room, she wanted to go back! I know this may not happen every week but I am grateful she has done this good so far!

Having some pre-church lunch! Daddy and Blakers

She insisted on holding her bunnies and then this stinkin lint roller!

Oh well you do what you have to to get the picture.

What a cheese-ball!