Spring Break: Zion

Our first camping trip of the year! We drove down to Zion on Thursday and had a wonderful time in a beautiful national park! The kids were so excited to go camping. I was a little hesitant about how Carder would do, but he did great! He was born to camp! The weather was spectacular: not too hot, not too cold, it was just right for hiking and camping! I was very excited to go to Zion, the last time I went there was twelve years ago. Nate invited me to go camping with him and a bunch of friends. It was on that camping trip we had our first kiss! I have always had a special place in my heart for Zion ever since. I must also say in twelve years I have come along ways with camping!

  Mama Mara took good care of Carder while we set up camp! He loved being outdoors and chilling in his 'tuba' (bumbo) as Mara calls it!

With the tent all set up the kids had a blast hanging out and playing inside the tents!

 Caleb loved wrestling on the sleeping bags with Carder!

  

With our camp all set up we set out on our first hike. We found a really awesome hike just blazing our own trail. I'm pretty sure the kids are saying 'we love hiking this much!'

 

 Along the path we found this huge fallen down tree! Mara and Ty climbed on top and Caleb and I tried pushing it up!

 I thought maybe I could swing from the tree branch, or lift my legs up around it, maybe not with the little guy on me!

We saw such different landscape along the hike. Highs and lows. We went down a wash bed, walked through a slot canyon, and hiked a plateau!

 This little Caluba ceases to amaze me! He really is the best hiker I know! He can keep up with his older brother and sister!

 Ty loves hiking! He just loves being out in nature and seeing new things!

 Reach for the sky? This is a stick up? Not sure here!

 This is the slot canyon looking up!

 Inside the sot canyon! So cool!

 The kids found a few good hiding places!

 The kids had fun collecting rocks along the way and finding holes to climb in.

 So we found this cool 'slide' for the kids to slide down. They climbed a little ways up and slid down on their bums. Then we hiked a little farther and went up on top of this mountain and hiked around. When it was time to go back we came to this exact spot and thought maybe we could get down sliding down on our bums. We were about where the pine tree is at the top. It was a lot scarier up at the top looking down. Right then I had this sick awful feeling that said DON'T DO IT! Then Carder woke up and started to cry, Mara started to cry and all heck broke loose! I said to Nate we better find another way down I don't feel good about this! So we did! We went the safe way and all was well! Glad we chose the right and didn't slide to our death!

Mara doing a rock angel? I love all the red rock country!

 Don't fall down the mountain Ty!

Caleb is one funny hiking buddy! He talk, talk, talks your little ear off! But when he gets tired from hiking he won't say a word! He won't even answer your question!

 Three awesome kids!

 Panoramic view of the mountains!

This was the mountain we hiked up! Let's just say I think it's time to get in shape again!

 

I love this little snuggle-baby! It's one of my favorite things in the world to carry my baby in the ergo and be able to snuggle with him! He loved hiking! He slept most of the time!

Time to go back down through the slot canyon! 

 Ty took this picture of us. He earned his photography beltloop for scouts on this trip!

Caleb was pretty tired after that hike! He was ready to go back to the camp sight!

Carder enjoyed the last part of the hike being carried by his daddy! I sure love this guy! Glad he would invite me to go with him camping twelve years ago and take a chance on me! Who could have imagined twelve years ago that we would be happily married with four kids and return to the place it all started! What a great family we have! Glad we can have one adventure after another together!

A very funny Caluba!

Every day is a fun day with my Caluba! He cracks me up! I love spending my days with this kid. I love laughing with him and sometimes at him! I love his fun personality and his wit! I love reading stories with him and going on adventures! He is my best little buddy!

One morning I was making Caleb's breakfast and we had a conversation that went about like this:
"Mommy we didn't get to go camping last summer because you had a baby in your tummy. Can we go camping again?"
"Yes Caleb we can go camping soon."
"Mom, how did the baby get in your tummy?"
"That is a very good question! Can I take your picture of you eating your breakfast?!"
And that was that! I didn't feel like answering a 4 year old's question! He seemed fine and ate all three eggs and toast!

A sunny day is great for a picnic! Caleb woke up one day and said he wanted to have a picnic so we packed his lunch box and we ate outside in the backyard!! It was rather fun!

This Caluba kid is quite the bike rider! He loves to ride his new bike. I can barely keep up with him when he rides! He is so fast!

A perfect park day!

I am so ready for spring! Some days are sunny and beautiful other days are windy and not so nice! After a long cold snowy winter it is nice to have warm sunny days! On these perfect sunny days you will find us outside either at a park or on the bike trail! My boys love being outside!

Carder went to the park for the first time and loved it!

Carder loved the swings! He thought that was the most fun ever!

He probably would have swung all day! He is just the cutest little munchkin around!

 Caleb was happy to be back at the park after a long winter!

Caleb is my buddy! I just love playing and hanging out all day with him!

Last year he wasn't quite ready to go down the fire-pole, now he can do it all by himself!

Caleb is such a big kid! He is so funny too! He has the cutest personality!

He kept trying to climb up the side, but just couldn't do it!

Caleb wants to be able to do the monkey bars! I'm sure soon he will be big enough!

7 months old!!

I just love, love, love, this little guy! Carder is our sunshine and smiles! He is so much fun! The kids are still so excited about him! They just love to hug, hold, tickle, kiss, snuggle their baby brother!! And Carder loves all the attention!

Carder is not like our other children! He is so different in many ways from his siblings! He doesn't love his binky, he goes to sleep without it and he goes down without crying! He wakes up quietly usually without a peep and lays in his bed until someone notices his eyes are open! Sometimes he will talk and babble to let us know he is ready to be out of his crib!

Mr. Carder is one cool dude! (even without the sunglasses!!)

 

Mr. Mover! He is a rolling machine! He does not stay in the same spot for very long! He rolls all over the floor and even scoots on his tummy! 

Mr. Handsome! He looks so cute in his Sunday best!

Mr. Noisy!! Carder says dada-dada-dada and mmmmama and bobobob. He makes other sounds too but he is constantly making some sort of noise--cute noises that is!!

Mr. Fuzzy head! I love Carder's fuzzy hair especially when he just wakes up. He has such blond hair compared to the other kiddos who all have darker hair!

Mr. Mimicker!! He does this cute big wide mouth laugh bwahahaha when he sees me!!

Mr. Dimple! I just love that Carder has one cute little dimple on his left side!

Mr. fussy-pants hates driving in the car! He hates his car seat, he hates sleeping in the car--another thing different than our other three kids! The other kids would sleep as soon as the car started and wake up when the car turned off--Carder will not sleep in the car even if he is tired. He fights it, he hates it. 

 

Mr. Sleepy-head! Carder loves going on walks! Whether it is in his stroller or the front pack Carder loves going for walks. He loves being outside. He loves swinging in the swing and watching his siblings play outside. After being outside in the fresh air Carder usually will fall asleep!

Nerd day!

To celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday the kids' school celebrated everyday by dressing up, or wearing something a certain day. One day it was nerd day! I don't know what Dr. Seuss and nerds have to do with anything nor do I really like the idea of classifying kids as nerds! But they wanted to participate so we did the best we could! Ty woke up and said "Today is nerd day, what is a nerd?!" I found a few images online of 'nerds' and this is what we came up with!

I think they are too cute to be nerds! You can't tell from the picture, but Mara has three piggy-tails! 

Caleb wanted to participate too although he didn't try dressing like a nerd, he actually wore mismatched pajamas to bed!

My funny kids! I hope they never feel like real nerds as hey get older! I hope they always feel good and confident and proud of themselves! I sure think they are great kids!

Ah nuts!!

Not too long ago my 3 oldest kids were making peanut butter bird houses to hang in our tree. Not too much longer after they had finished Carder broke out with hives all over his face, and arms. We gave him a bath, some benadryl, and covered him in cortisone. I wasn't sure if the hives and peanut butter were a coincidence or not. A couple days later the kids had peanuts for an after school snack. Once again where ever Carder had been kissed or touched was a hive! So I decided we better get on top of this quick! I called the allergy and asthma clinic and made an appointment for Carder. (The funny thing was the same doctor was my doctor when I was younger!)

This was the scratch test they gave Carder. They tested him for nuts, milk, soy, wheat, rice. Although he has little red marks all over his back the big ones on the left side told us what I was pretty sure I already knew--Carder is officially allergic to nuts! NOOOOOO!! Darn it! We were doing so good to have 3 kids not allergic and now the fourth is! Bummer! 

I was pretty disappointed to find this out, however I am grateful we could find out under these circumstances and not by mistake after eating a nut. It's pretty scary to be allergic to nuts, I think as a parent it is going to be 100 times scarier! We ordered his epi-pens to have on hand. I hope he never has to use them! We have decided to get rid of all peanut products from our house so there won't be an danger in our home. As for me I am off all nuts until Carder if finished nursing. It isn't easy to not eat nuts! It was a good three years being able to eat them! Now for the safety of my child I don't know if I will eat them again! 

My poor baby Carder! I am so sad he can't have nuts. It's really not fun. Maybe he will grow out of this. I can sure hope! I am glad he isn't allergic to anything else. We will be going back in a year to have Carder tested for all nuts.

Caleb's Talk

Jesus wants Caleb for a sunbeam!! I can't say Caleb loves sunbeams, in fact most Sundays he sneaks with Mara to her class instead of going to his class! Caleb does enjoy going to Sunbeams when his mom is the sustitute teacher! And I just so happen to be his teacher when the parts for sharing time were assigned. When I asked for volunteers for a prayer, scripture and talk Caleb was the only kid who wanted to give the talk! I kept asking him "are you sure Caleb you will give the talk? Do you really want to do it?!" "Yes! I will!" he said! So the topic for his talk was: 'The earth was created for Heavenly Father's Children.'

I kept it simple for him, and really I didn't think he would do it. We practiced and practiced. We went to the church several times during the week to practice. The day of his talk arrived and at first he was a little hesitant to go into the primary room, but once he got in there he walked to the front of the room and sat down in the front row ready to give his talk. When it was his turn he stood up and walked to the microphone and in the sweetest most angelic little voice he said:
"The world is so lovely I am happy as can be
For all that the Lord has created for me.
The sunshine,the flowers, the stars up above.
The home where I live and the family I love."

He did it!  He held up a picture for each of the things he said, and he even had it memorized! Caleb really gave his first talk! It was the cutest thing I have ever heard! No one could believe he actually said it! The primary presidency were so impressed! They couldn't believe little Caleb could actually give such a great talk! And as proof of his talk here he is ladies and gentleman:
Caleb Lewis!

Valentine's Day!

Valentine's day is sort of a silly holiday! But I guess I can accept any holiday that consists of flowers, chocolates, candy, and expressing more love to each other!! Valentine's day also means Valentine boxes! And this year we had to make two! What says I love you more than helping your children make their Valentine box?!

 This year Ty chose to make a Pirate ship! He did a great job, with a little help from mom and dad! (It was a family affair this year, we worked on them for FHE!)

Mara made this darling bird house! So cute! She did a great job with her daddy's help! Way proud of Mara Lew!

 Second year in a row for Ty winning an award for his Valentine box! Way to go Ty! The funny thing is that he got the award for "I made it myself" but he did have help on it!

 

This next story is my new all time favorite Valentine's story! Nate came home for lunch on Valentine's day and had a surprise for his lovely wife: flowers and cold cereal! He was so excited because not only was it on sale, but it was my favorite kind of cereal, or so he thought! Actually he was a little confused, my favorite kind is craclin' oat bran, but that's ok I will learn to like this kind  too! The funny thing was, he bought 14 boxes of it! He told the cashier at the store "this is my wife's favorite, I scored big time!" Oh he scored big all right! That was the funniest thing ever! I still laugh out loud to myself every time I think of the 14 boxes of 'my favorite kind of cereal'! I know my husband loves me! I love him too! I am grateful for my four darling children! It was fun to give them little Valentine surprises and tell them how much I love them! I tell them every night when I tuck them into bed: "I love you to the moon and back!" I love my family from infinity plus one!