May Day Baptism

Baptism Day!! What a wonderful day for Arik & Annika. We are so very proud of them for making such a grown-up decision to be baptized. We are so happy that many of the people we love were able to make it to Oregon for such a happy day.

I have to blabber on a minute about my babies. Having multiples is a challenge that only other mothers of multiples can truly understand. It has definitely been one of the biggest, and most rewarding part of my life. I always feel guilty saying that because I am so grateful for this challenge. I absolutely love having twins -- yes, I have felt overwhelmed, tired (no, exhausted) and worn out; but it has also brought me more joy than I could ever express with words. Seeing Annika & Arik baptized today was a day of great sadness and joy: sadness that they are growing up, but joy for the wonderful person each is becoming.

It's Great to be Eight

Happy Birthday Annika & Arik!!!

My babies are eight and it is so hard to believe how quickly the time goes by. The day they were born was scary and exciting. Annika had been stealing all the nutrients from Arik, therefore they were born 5 weeks early. Having two babies is so great --- however, the saying, "double the trouble" is so very true! They are the best of friends, which makes this mama very happy. So, in honor of eight fantastic years..... We celebrated a little early by heading to Utah for Spring Break to ski and visit family and friends. Then yesterday they had a normal day at school and then spent the evening hanging out as a family. Arik requested Noodles with Egg for dinner and Annika wanted Butternut Squash Soup --- YUMMY! Happy Birthday babies!! It was also their Uncle Derrik's birthday. Happy Birthday D!!

Great People

Annika & Arik have been working so hard for the past month on their "Great People" reports and presentations. Annika chose Helen Keller and Arik chose Babe Ruth. They each did such an amazing job and I am so very proud of them! Here are a few pictures to showcase all the fun.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Just a quick tribute to my wonderful mother. She was here yesterday, so we celebrated her birthday a little early. I really am so very blessed to have a mom who is beautiful, kind, fun, and a wonderful friend. I love you Mom!

Our little entrepreneur

Tanner's fourth grade class created a town and society at the beginning of the year. Each student has to choose a business to start with a product to sell. Tanner chose to crochet beanies. A couple of years ago, his great-grandma taught him how to crochet. Then he was inspired by a good friend who also crochets and decided to make and sell beanies. His business is a hit!! Here is a picture of the latest business day. They have one each month. It is a lot of work for him each month because his beanies are so popular. He usually sells all the ones he makes and then also takes orders. Way to go Tanner!

Catching up on life

Ok, so I have been a terrible blogger since we returned home from Australia. It has been busy and this takes time that I have haven't had to give. I want to put these pictures on here from President's Day weekend. We always go skiing, and usually in Utah. Well, this year it just didn't work out, so we ended up skiing at Timberline, Mt. Hood. The snow isn't as good, and it was raining for a while, but we did still have a wonderful time. The kids did so well and since the intermediate runs here are easier, they felt like they were amazing!

After looking at these pictures and I am realizing that Colby and I have the same ski jackets on for the past who knows how many years. I think it may be time to update!!

Hiking the Rainforest

Here are a few pictures of our hike in the rain forest and swimming under the "Twin Falls"

Gold Coast

Our plan for the last week of vacation in Australia was to go to the Great Barrier Reef and snorkle. But once we arrived in Australia, we were told that it was not a great time to visit. First of all, there are deadly jellyfish off the coast near Cairnes during this season and second there often Cyclones. Well, we thought we could probably deal with the jellies because there are sting suits you can wear while swimming to keep yourself safe. However, there were two cyclones and a third that only developed to category 1 while during the time that we were going to head to that magical place. We made the decision not to go because of the cyclones - not really safe nor fun! Instead, we looked at the weather and chose the sunniest place for that last week, the Gold Coast. We visited Surfers Paradise last year and had a great time, so we headed there again. We were not disappointed. The weather was fabulous! We played on the beach, hiked the rainforest, swam under a waterfall, ate ice cream and played at the resort. The best way to soak up the sun before heading back to the Pacific Northwest.

Lake Burley Griffin

Last year, Tanner was obsessed with taking a paddle boat around the lake in Canberra. We promised we would do it, but only after work when Colby could go with us. It seemed to get breezy each evening, which makes it really difficult to paddle a little boat across a lake. Finally, the last week we just decided to do it. The kids and Colby had such a great time and the wind died down enough to make it very enjoyable.

Australian War Memorial

We weren't going to visit the Australian War Memorial, because I must confess that it sounded a little boring to me. I know that sounds terrible, but it was not how I wanted to spend our time in Canberra. But I kept hearing that it was a great place to visit, so the Friday before we left, we headed there with our friends. It was fantastic! There were so many great exhibits, clothing, tanks, airplanes and videos. There was also a play area for children where they could dress up, play in a submarine, play in mud bunkers, and fly a real helicopter. We had such a great time and I am so glad that we added it to our schedule.