It has only been five months since I have found the time to blog so there shouldn't be that much to catch everyone up on, right? Wrong! Wow, that took two hours to upload all of these photos. It is hard to believe how much we actually do in a summer. I posted pictures of Zack learning to ride a two wheeler, Jason and Zack working on our new shed, our summer trip to Montana, birthdays, boating, camping, and many other activities. This chronicles our lives pretty well.
Things have been going really well and been very busy since school began in August. I went back to work full time and still am struggling to balance home and work. Wow, does the laundry pile up. Jason is such a great help to me and even scrubs the bathrooms, does laundry, or makes dinner for me when I need some help catching up. We are slowly getting into a groove.
The kids love school and have been working really hard and learning a lot. They never cease to amaze me in all that they can do. Jason has been working hard as well and just finished an elk hunt, he focused mostly on muzzleload hunts this year.
Life is great here in Utah and we hope that everyone else is doing well. I promise I will try harder to post more frequently as I already have a camera full of stuff I need to download and can't sit for two hours to get it done next time. ;)

Cassidy's fourth year of soccer, fall season.

Zack's second year of soccer, fall season.

Zack's sixth birthday party with friends and family in our backyard.

His brand new bike, now that he can ride a two wheeler he needed a bigger one.

Dreesed up in the knight dress-up stuff Grandma Lora Lee and Papa Allen gave him.

Zack on his first day of first grade.

Cassidy on her first day of fourth grade.

Waiting at the bus stop.

Cassidy and Zack ready for another great school year.

This is how we got the boat out of the water at our annual trip to Bear Lake with Kathy and Ty and friends this year. That is the kind of service that you get when you go to a private beach meant for locals. ;)

Cassidy and Zack doing some fishing.

This is the camper Jason bought last November. We took it up to the Uintas to have a camping weekend with the kids.

Cassidy and Kaydence at Cassidy's birthday party at Applebee's.

Cassidy decided for her birthday party this year she would invite 3 of her favorite friends and take them to Applebee's for dinner. Aunt Kim, Uncle Justin, Darrin, and Kaydence made it to town for a visit just in time to come with us.

This is a cave near Bear Lake that we explored on one of our trips up that way.

It was only 42 degrees at the bottom of the cave and we didn't bring jackets, cause it was July.

Jason trying a skyski while boating with our friends the Mann's. We had a great time trying it out and the kids had a blast because they have four kids and their two oldest are about the same age as Cassidy and Zack. I met Carin Mann at Lady Fitness, she is one of the instructors there, and we have hung out with them a few times. Lots of fun!

Zack all ready to help dad build a new shed in our backyard.

Jason and "Mini-Jason" get to work.

The finished shed.

Hanging out in Columbia Falls, Montana at the waterslide park.

Grandma Linda holding napping Paityn.

Hanging out in the WARM pool.

Jason and Zack showing off their "moves".

Cassidy and Papa Rex doing some swimming.

The kids and their kids in front of the cabin.

Cassidy in the canoe.

The twins, Jackie and Sara, show the kids how to work the paddleboat around the pond.

The doe and her fawn that hung out at the cabin.

Ronna and Ted's family cabin, Ted's family owns it and they take turns using it.

Aunt Jill holding baby Paityn as she waves hi to her mommy.

Jason looking fierce on the plasma bike.

Cheese!!! Paityn and Scott, Jason's little brother and his baby.

The summer project at Scott and Amy's house, a deck on the the back of the house.

Cassidy and Madelynn hanging out as far away from the boys as they could get.

Kaiden getting ready to have his turn on the slip and slide.

Swimming at the Broadwater in Helena, Montana. Madelynn and Cassidy, little mermaids.

Playing Ping-Pong at Grandma Ronna and Papa Ted's new house.

Zack learning to ride a two wheeler with daddy's help.

Well here are some of the highlights from our trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It is probably the best vacation I have ever been on in my life and I think that Jason agrees. We went with our friends since college, Mike and Rachelle Player, and had a blast!
We had so many great adventures. We snorkled, kayaked, ziplined, rappeled, hiked, parasailed, and laid around the pools at the resort without a care in the world. We ate all the time and barely ever felt a hunger pain. The resort we stayed in was amazing and we were waited on the entire time we were there. It was an awesome adventure!
My parents watched the kids for their anual camping trip with Grandma and Granpa Byrom. They were able to go to Pipe Springs and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon as well as swim in the Kanab pool and play with their cousin Kaydence. They had a great time, thanks so much mom and dad!
After we dropped the kids off in St. George we hopped in the car and drove to LA to fly out the next morning. It was a long drive but it was a lot of fun listening to Rachelle sing Vanilla Ice and Guns N' Roses. We were able to see some of the sights in LA while we were there too, plane tickets were 300 dollars a piece cheaper as well.
We got to Mexico on Sunday afternoon and as we stepped off the stairs onto the tarmat our breaths were taken away by the heat and the humidity, I don't think we ever really got used to that! We had a marvelous time and did so much stuff while we were there. It was definately a vacation we will never forget.
The last time we traveled with Mike and Rachelle was to California when we graduated from college in 1999. We definately have to do this again but sooner than every ten years!!!

All of us enjoying a delicious dinner.

Jason and I on a boat ride back after a great day on the water.

Some of the gifts we brought the kids, a dress and headband for Cassidy and a NAAAAACCCCHHHHOOOOOOO mask for Zack! ;)

Some of the pools we loved to lounge in.

Our kitchen.

The living room.

Our bedroom, Mike and Rachelle had one just like it too.

This was the view from our balcony.

Some of the resort in the evening.

Downtown Puerto Vallarta from a boat in the bay.

Our resort taken by Jason while he was parasailing.

Looking up a street in downtown Puerto Vallarta.

It was so humid this is how Jason's back looked after a taxi ride!

Enjoying the evening at the resort.

In downtown Puerto Vallarta after a day of shopping.

The Pfisters and the Players enjoying an awesome day on the golf course.

A beautiful tree outside our hotel lobby.

Jason and I relaxing in a hammock. We loved it so much we bought one for our deck!

Jason and Mike got to golf with a caddy, Antonio.

Rachelle and I ready to head to the beach!

Me rappeling down a waterfall.

Jason and I with our bestest friends, Mike and Rachelle Player, on a boat crossing the bay.

Me all ready to snorkle.

Jason with the thumbs up ready to go!

Jason and I in a zip line race, I WON!!!

Beautiful village of Yelapa that we hiked through, you can only reach it via boat.

Jason and I kayaking. Apparently he knew someone was going to take a picture but I didn't. ;)

Jason ziplining through the canopy.

Jason on his midget mule!

Mike and Rachelle Player on the plane ride to Mexico.

Jason and I on the plane to Mexico.

We flew out of LAX so I had to take a picture of my first time there.

There were random people dressed like characters in the street in downtown Hollywood (Spiderman, Ironman, Bumblebee, KISS). These guys wanted a dollar each to take your picture with them, I guess we were suckers.

We drove to LA to fly from there to Mexico, flights were cheaper, so we had one night in LA. I have always wanted to go see the Chinese Theater in downtown Hollywood so I talked everyone into going. It was very cool to see, there is something I can check off my bucket list! ;)

Zack is almost dead center.

Zack and his Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Hepner.

Zack graduated from Kindergarten the end of May. I can't believe my baby is going to be in first grade! It is so exciting and weird at the same time. The graduation was a cute program during which they did a small group and a whole group performance of something that they learned each month of the school year. Zack's small group part was December's 10 Little Reindeer, too cute!

The midgets at the Aquarium.

The midgets at the Dinosaur Park.

While Jason and Scott golfed the kids played dress up.

Cassidy and Jason holding Paityn.

Jason's little brother Scott came to visit Memorial Day weekend with his cute family (Amy, Kaled, Kaden, and Paityn). Besides the rain keeping us from the zoo we had a wonderful visit with them and were so glad they came to see us. The guys played golf on base and we all went to the Dinosaur Park and an Aquarium. We also had a fun BBQ with all of Jason and Scott's extended family in the area. Such a great time!!!

The new swingset, a.k.a. the scene of the accident.

Zack and Timmy after cast #2.

Putting on cast #2.

After they cut off cast #1.

Finishing up putting on cast #1.

Zack with his splint before cast #1 got put on.

(I forget the pictures upload backwards!)

Cassidy explaining her birdhouse.

Cassidy's birdhouse hanging on a tree at the exhibit.

Cassidy dropping her birhouse off to be judged (after a soccer game).

Zack and Cassidy's baseball team coached by Jason's old mission companion, Jeff Harrop.

Zack and Cassidy in the dugout.

Zack hitting the ball one handed.

Cassidy and Zack hanging out in the outfield waiting for action.

A lot has happened since the last time I blogged. The biggest event being Zack breaking his arm the weekend after Easter. He was playing on his brand new swingset, remember that Cassidy broke her arm on our old swingset when she was five, and doing a neat trick on the rings to show his friend. Well, he landed left arm first on the ground and ended up breaking both bones in his arm, his radius and ulna. We sent his poor little friend home and rushed him to the ER, Jason was outside when it happened and took one look at his arm and knew it was broken. We spent about three hours in the ER. They had to sedate Zack to set the arm since the breaks were so bad but there was an orthopedic surgeon on call so we know it was done right. He was in a lot of pain but did as good as you can expect a scared little boy to do. He wore a split until that Friday then we went to get in casted to his armpit. He planned all week that his first cast was going to be blue and if he got to another one it would be black. I took him back to school with a sharpie and he came home with the whole thing written on. He and I went back to the ortho's office today to have the cast cut off, more x-rays taken and a new cast (the black one) put on. He freaked when he got a glimpse of the saw even though I spent all morning preparing him. It was pretty scarey I imagine. He insisted that the same guy that did his x-rays and put on his first cast, Timmy, put on his second cast so we had to wait a little while for him to be free to do it. He will wear this cast, it is only about 7 inches long, until the 3rd of June. Luckily he will get it off before mom and dad head to Mexico and the kids head camping with grandma and grandpa on the 5th.

Cassidy recieved quite an honor last month. She heard about a bird house competetion from her 3rd grade teacher and after her class did one she decided she wanted to enter her own. We took one of the birdhouses that Jason's Grandpa Milt made and let her paint and decorate it however she wanted. We were invited to the awards ceremony at The Nature Center in Ogden, where the competition took place and Cassidy recieved second place in the kid's category for "form and functionality" (thanks to Grandpa Milt). She was asked to talk about her bird house then recieved a ten dollar prize for it. It was very special to her and exciting to see her birdhouse displayed at The Nature Center, where it will be until August.

Soccer is winding down. A few of Zack's 10:00 games have been cancelled but the weather has always cleared up anough by 1:00 for Cassidy to play. They have one game left tomorrow. They both stated playing baseball a few weeks ago. Zack really could have played T-ball one more year but we didn't want to be up at the ball field Monday-Thursday like we were last year for games so we decided to put them both on the same coach pitch team. This is the last year Cassidy can play in this league as 4th grade girls and older start playing softball. Jason's friend and old mission companion Jeff Harrop is coaching the team so it is fun to see him and my old roommate Dalyce, who he is married to, more often. It is sad that they live in the same city as us but we go months without talking to them sometimes. It has been fun so far and having a cast hasn't slowed Zack down at all.

We are all anticipating the end of the school year as well as a visit from Jason's youngest brother, Scott, and his family for Memorial Day weekend.