Alli's third birthday is on May 5th. We'll be celebrating her birthday the following Saturday, May 10th with a barbeque and game of kickball. Please plan on joining us for an afternoon of fun.

Front Runner

Well, as many of you know, Utah opened it's new commuter rail last Saturday. Justin and I had decided about a month ago that since Monday through Wednesday of this week was free on the train, that we would meet downtown after Justin got off of work and spend some time at the Gateway. So, Monday afternoon, after naps, I, myself, loaded up all three kids and headed to the Clearfield train station. Well, we didn't wait long before the northbound train pulled up and I got these pictures of the kids in front of the Front Runner! Soon after, our southbound train pulled up and we SQUISHED onto it. We had to stand the entire way to Salt Lake. The girls did really well, but I had to hold Bo from about Farmington to Salt Lake. Justin was waiting for us when we got off and we caught Trax and took that to the Gateway. We ate dinner in the food court there and walked around a little bit. After about 45 minutes, the kids were getting crazy, so we headed back the the train. Again, we had to stand the entire way home. Can I just say that being pregnant and holding a sleeping baby standing up in a train for an hour was less than ideal? My lower back and feet hurt so bad, it was ridiculous. After we got off the train, I asked Marianne if she liked it. She told me that she liked the "sitting train" (Trax) better than the "standing train." I thought that was pretty funny. In any case, we can now say that we have ridden "Daddy's Train" as the girls have been calling it for the past few months when we pass it on our way to Bountiful. I think we may try riding it again after the "free days" are past and the excitement dies down a little. Maybe then we will have a seat and not sore backs and feet when we get off.

Here is the Northbound train pulling up.

Allison, Bo and Marianne standing in front of the Northbound train.

I really wanted to get t picture of us actually riding the train, but it was SO crowded that I couldn't even maneuver my camera out of the bag, let alone get back far enough from the kids to snap a picture. Oh well, maybe next time!

Just one more thing. I have to say that I was a little disappointed with the lack of chivalry on the train. On our way down, there were three pregnant women standing while men were sitting just a few feet away. What is worse, on our way home, there was an elderly lady standing by us with nothing to hold on to. She kept loosing her balance when the train would stop and start up again. Well, at her last stop, the train stopped very suddenly and she toppled right over. Luckily, there was a guy with a duffle bag on the floor behind her and the duffle bag broke her fall. But, when she fell, I noticed a bench full of young men and boys sitting not two feet away from this poor lady. It kind of made me mad that they would sit so comfortably as this lady kept loosing her balance and finally fell over. So, for all you men out there that ride this train, this is a call for chivalry! Keep a close eye out for ladies in distress and give your seat to them! Now, I'll get off my soap box and let you go!

First Trip to the Park!

Yippee!!!! It was almost 80 degrees today, so I arranged for a couple of moms and their kids to meet us at the park down the street from our house for lunch. It was so great to get out in the fresh air and sunshine! The girls had so much fun and Bo and I enjoyed sitting on the blanket and snacking on goldfish, apples and a sandwich. Bo had been to the Dr. earlier that day and has an eye infection in his left eye and an infection in his right ear. Poor little guy! But, that didn't seem to affect him while we sat on the blanket and snacked while the girls ran around. The girls mostly played on the slides and in the little window underneath. All of the kids were so cute taking orders from each other like at a restaraunt. I couldn't help but chuckle every time Marianne asked what someone else wanted. It was just so cute seeing them all pretend and play so well together. So, here are just a few pictures from our trip to the park. I almost forgot to take some because I was having so much fun talking to the other two moms that were there, so here's what I did get. Enjoy!

Alli, Marianne, Trevan, and Lizzy in the "Restaraunt."

Marianne cruising down the slide.

Allison at the end of her slide ride.

Trevan making his way down the slide.


Marianne came down so fast that she ended up in Lizzy's picture. I think it's adorable! Cute girls!

Thanks Sarah and Amy for going to the park with us! We had so much fun! Let's do it again, soon!

Our Newest Addition!!!

Well, all of the searching on KSL.com paid off again! Justin still thinks I am a little obsessed, but this time I found us a great little minivan! I always SWORE that I would NEVER drive a minivan. Then, we surprisingly got pregnant (just a little sooner than we expected) and that put us straight out of a 5-seater car into something bigger. I knew that gas prices being as high as they are, that we couldn't afford to drive an SUV, and a couple of weeks of driving my parents Suburban proved me right! Thanks Mom and Dad for letting us borrow it, but I am glad to be driving something that gets a little better than 12 miles to the gallon! Anyway, here is a picture that I took from the ad on KSL.com. I will get a better one with all of the kids loaded in it. Marianne and Allison are so excited. They love their new white minivan! "There's somethin' women like about a mega-van man!"

Here are some stats on the "Megavan"
2000 Ford Windstar, 89000 miles, rear air conditioning, AM/FM/tape/CD player, tinted windows, and lots, lots more. After finally resigning myself to the fact that I would drive a minivan, I think this one is a great start!

My Turn to be Tagged!

Tagged by Kristina

Four jobs I've had
1. Delivered newspapers (hated it!)
2. Chick-fil-a ('twas okay)
3. Preschool Teacher at Head Start (liked it)
4. Mom of soon-to-be 4 (LOVE IT!!!)

Four movies I could watch over and over
1. Surf's Up
2. Enchanted (only 'cause I love to hear Marianne sing along!)
3. Hitch
4. Any Disney Animated Movie

Four places I've lived (plus 1)
1. North Ogden, UTAH
2. Bountiful, UTAH
3. Farmington, UTAH
4. Orem, UTAH
5. Syracuse, UTAH
Not real exciting, huh?

Four T.V. shows I love
1. The Office (much better when I can watch it with Justin)
2. American Idol
3. Criminal Minds
4. A Baby Story (only when I'm pregnant)

Four of my favorite foods
1. Fresh, warm homemade bread with real butter
2. Homemade Apple Crisp (just not the same if it's bought)
3. Stuffed Hamburgers (let me know if you want the recipe)
4. Anything at The Mandarin (chinese food)

Four sites I visit daily
1. KSL.com (more so when I am looking to buy something)
2. gmail (multiple times)
3. Unglamorous
4. Auto Trader ('cause we're looking for a van)

Four places I have vacationed
1. St. George (at Justin's parents' home)
2. Disneyland (when Justin and I graduated from WSU)
3. Denver (on our Homeymoon)
4. Moscow, Russia (to pick up my big bro. from his mission)

Four places I'd rather be right now
1. In bed, asleep
2. In St. George
3. In the hospital having a baby
4. In Texas to see my new nephew, Brigham

Four bloggers I'm tagging
1. Lee'sa (now it's your turn, too)
2. Jill Tippetts
3. Christy
4. Ash (only because you love it!)

Hope you enjoyed learning a little more about me. Feel free to consider your self "tagged" if I didn't list you. Fun, fun!

Welcome Baby Brigham!

Here is a picture of our adorable new nephew in Texas. Joe and Liz had their baby boy on April 7th. He weighed 7 lbs 13 ozs and is 21 inches long. Isn't he cute? And I KNOW cute! Congratulations Joey and Lizzy! We love you!

Marianne and Allison Have Been Tagged!

My friend Lee'sa's daughter, Annie tagged Marianne, so I decided to include Als in the tag. Here are 10 things you may or may not know about each of them!

*****


Marianne

1. Is 4 years old.

2. Loves to sing.

3. Still takes a good nap almost every day!

4. Loves princesses (what 4 yr old little girl doesn't?)

5. Knows all the books in the Book of Mormon.

6. Knows the First Article of Faith.

7. Knows the Second Article of Faith.

8. Can sing all of the songs from Enchanted.

9. Knows all of the letters of the alphabet and their sounds.

10. Can get any little baby to laugh their guts out!

*****


Allison Jo

1. Will be 3 years old next month.

2. Sings and reads herself to sleep.

3. Can almost sing the "Books in the Book of Mormon" song all by herself.

4. Likes to play by herself most of the time.

5. Likes to wear anyone's shoes she can find.

6. Has a very big sweet tooth, like her mom.

7. Was potty trained before she was 2 years old.

8. Can write the "A" in her name all by herself.

9. Can sing all of the songs from Enchanted with her sister.

10. Has the most infectious laugh of anyone I know!

*****

Okay, so now the girls have to tag 5 friends. Aaron Jr, Lily, James, Jacey and Duncan. Hope you enjoy!

BIG Weekend!

We have had a very busy weekend, so here's a lot of stuff to read and look at. Hope you don't get bored! Have fun!

Easter Greetings!

Yesterday was Easter Sunday and it was such a beautiful day! Here are a few pictures to tell about what we did.

We, of course, went to church (right across the street). We decided to snap these pictures before the kids went inside after church. I wanted them to be nice and clean and with this group, that wasn't going to last long.

Here is my cute little man in his Easter duds. I just LOVE his deep eyes and his infectious smile!

Here's Allison in her blue Easter dress. Blue is Alli's favorite color, so I just had to use this fabric!

Marianne, as you can tell, loves anything pink! So, she got the same print as Allison, but in a bright corally pink! I was very happy with how the girls' dresses turned out!

All three kids diving into their baskets that the Easter Bunny brought while we were at church. WAY too many goodies!

Marianne was all about finding eggs. We basically had to rip Alli out of her basket to find her fair share of the eggs before Marianne got them all!

I am in love with this little boy! He got his fishy crackers from the Easter Bunny, but he didn't want to give up on getting his sisters' jelly beans and such. We had to keep a close eye on the little sneak! Ahhhh, those eyes!

As I said before, Alli was all-consumed with her Easter basket. I had to finally put it up out of her reach because she just kept shovelling treats into her mouth! What a turkey. She must take after her mom.
*****
It was such a beautiful Easter day. We enjoyed each other's company as well as that of our wonderful families. Thank you Sadie for coming out for lunch and playing with us. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Arrington and Grandpa Grose for letting us come out and play week after week. (And THANK YOU for Enchanted!) We are so grateful for our families and we are so glad we have the gospel of Jesus Christ that teaches us that we can be with them forever. I am personally grateful for my Savior and that he was willing to come and set a perfect example for me and then to suffer and die so that I might live again as he does. What wonderful blessings our Father in Heaven has given to us to know these truths! We love you all!

Ward Party

So, after we worked so hard in the yard Saturday Morning/afternoon, we got to go to our Ward Dinner and Dance Saturday Night. While the kids slept Saturday afternoon, I made a couple of pies to take to the party. Then, at 6:00 we loaded up and drove to the Stake Center. They had delicious BBQ Brisket sandwiches, chips, pickles, olives, and carrots. Then, they had about 20 different types of pies and cookies that the Relief Society provided! We really had a great time together on Saturday and go a lot done in the process!

Justin and Marianne square/line dancing.

Allison and I doing the Macarena!

The girls and me doing the Twist. A little awkward for a 6 month pregnant lady, but fun nonetheless!

Justin taking Allison on a stroll around the dance floor. They both loved it!

Now for Marianne's turn. What an adorable couple, don't you think?

The girls shared a slow dance with each other after their turns with Justin.

Bo basically boogied with a chair the whole night. You can't tell from pictures, but when he heard the music start, he would bob up and down wherever he was. He's already got rhythm!