Back to It

Well, here we are with a new blog, trying to get back into the habit of blogging again. I finally decided it would be best to just start a new blog so I don't have to pay for storage space, but I can keep all the old stuff until I can get it printed into books to have and save, then I will go back and delete. So I will play a little catch-up from the last two or three months.

 So here's a picture of Sam's birthday cake from way back in January for those of you who didn't get to see it. I have it admit, it turned out pretty dang awesome. I was a little worried when he asked for a Transformers cake, but like I usually do, I found someone who had already done something that looked great and seemed like something I could do myself. Sam loved it! I didn't have any other good pictures because we had a pinata and a flashing gun toy, but he had a great time!! His biggest present was a big boy bed (finally) and both grandparents contributed blankets for the twin bed, which he LOVES!!

 Just some random pictures of Amy from whenever.

 She loves to stick her fingers in her ears like she can't hear us.

 And is always wrapping herself in some sort of blanket/towel.

 And this is Liliana who has been staying with us for the last month. Her family works for Robert's dad out in Arizona. The United States just passed some laws that made it possible for Liliana to be legal to go to school, drive, etc. So she came up to stay with us for a while before school starts at BYU-Idaho to work for Robert sorting potatoes to earn money for school and we've done our best to help get her set up with school and learning to drive, etc. It has been fun for the kids to have a playmate around and Robert has almost died and gone to heaven with all the authentic Mexican food we've been having. I enjoy having someone to talk to and have learned alot of new cooking skills!!

 I got to teach the all the YW on St. Patrick's Day and had found a yummy looking recipe for Key Lime cupcakes on Pinterest, so decided to go all out and made these scrumptious cupcakes to share. Had nothing to do with the lesson, but it was a ton of fun to do a bit of cake decorating again. The shamrocks are made with a liquid sugar method called Color Flow and it was fun to experiment with it a bit to try out different looks with sprinkles.

 And a catch-up of our life wouldn't be complete without at least one picture of the Potter kids over hanging out with us. They are our regular play buddies and in this picture I was working hard at practicing my tortilla-rolling skills and most of the kids opted for a hot homemade tortilla for a snack instead of graham crackers - score one for this momma!!

 Also this last month was Kaylie's birthday. She would be four years old of she were here with us. It's so hard to imagine it has been so long! We buy a rose for each year that has passed for her birthday and this year we had Jake and Stacey (Robert's younger brother and his wife who are in Rexburg for now) over to help us enjoy a Chocolate Almond cake in remembrance of our sweet Kaylie Bug.

 This last week has been Spring Break, so last Thursday we went with our buddies the Potters to a gym called Flips that does open gym a few times a week for $5/kid. It seemed like alot to me until I saw how much there really was for kids of all ages to do. From the tramps, to the foam pit, to the slides, it was a great place to take the kids and just run and play for two hours. Amy jumping off the long tramp to Aunt Julie in the pit, since there is no way Mommy could possibly get in or out of that thing now! :)

 And happy Sam and Lilly waiting their turn to run down the long tramp.

 Then on Saturday we headed over to the Potter's house to have an Easter egg hunt in the backyard. And even though it is mostly grass, an acre of grass is still plenty to hide 9 eggs for each of the six kids we had searching. It was just the right amount for the older kids, but Amy lost interest before the end. It was short, sweet, and perfect for what we like to do for Easter.

 And last, but not least, our little photo shoot from after church on Sunday of the kids in their Easter outfits. I think Sam looks like such a handsome little boy in his khaki's and blue shirt. He has almost always been in a black suit, so I thought it was time to try something a bit different.

 Amy's dress came from Grandma when she brought Liliana up at the beginning of the month. I tried to make a new hairbow to go with it, but it turned out to be way too big, so she just looked adorable in the stuff she already had :)

 Sam said "Look what I can do!"

 To that Amy said "I can do it bigger and better than you!" :)

 And such is the relationship between these two! Growing up way too fast!!

So that just about sums up our last three months or so. I did forget to mention (and post pictures of) our new mini van!! We bought a 2011 Toyota Sienna in preparation for the next little Skousen arriving sometime around the end of June/beginning of July. We found it in Arizona for a really good price and Robert's mom brought it up to us when she brought Liliana to stay. It has been a dream with plenty of space for Robert and power doors for me. We are all super excited for it to be the new family vehicle. And did I mention it's a wonderful, deep, rich red color? So that's it for now!