Kindergarten Graduation

When I started kindergarten,
I couldn't have felt smaller;
But I've been growing, growing,
And not just growing taller.

I've learned to read and learned to write,
And learned my numbers too;
And there are many other things
That I have learned to do.

Kindergarten's over now,
But I am not afraid.
Because I know I'm ready
To enter the first grade!







She did it! Ally graduated kindergarten!! Her graduation was so cute. They had all the little graduates march in with their hats to the "graduation march song" and sit on the stage. As they read their name and they walked across the stage they said what they wanted to be. Ally wanted to be a teacher-of course! I have no doubt that she really will be a great teacher one day as I watch her teach her little brothers everyday at home. Her cousin Oaklee got to come to her graduation which seriously made it for Ally. Our camera battery died before I got to take a picture of the two of them-I hate that! It was such a great day and we are so proud of her. Not only is she a diligent student but she is such a sweet girl. She has so enjoyed this year and has learned so much. I hate to think that my little girl will be a first grader-but I know she will love it. I'll just have to soak up every day of having her home this summer!

Isabel Lizard

I thought I would put some pictures of our new baby Isabel. We are loving her! I forgot how magical it is to have a new baby in the house. Allyson, Isaac and Austin just can't seem to get enough of her. The two boys are especially completely head over heels-I'm not sure she's ever been in a room by herself without at least one set of eyes watching over her. They are both surprisingly so good and haven't tried to pick her up or been rough at all-whew! Isaac has nicknamed her "Isabel Lizard"-I'm not sure where he got that from-but I think it is so cute! She is the nicest baby ever-we just can't believe how sweet she is-seriously so easy! She definately makes us want a dozen kids...oh wait, there's the whole pregnancy part first! We are all doing really well and loving every minute together-we feel so complete!

A visit from the Baldwin's

My little sister Ash came to visit to meet the two new babies. We had such a good time! It was so much fun to get all of the cousins together-what a cute bunch of kids they are! Isabel and Tanner were quite the troopers getting lots of attention and kisses from everyone! We only wish it would have been a little bit warmer, that they could have stayed a little bit longer and that Uncle Nicholas could have come with them!! We LOVED having them and can't wait until they come again.

Who's hiccups are who's?

Gymnastics Performances

Our kids all had their gymnastic performances on Friday. They all did such a great job and we are very proud of all of them!! My good friend Katie is their teacher and does such an amazing job-Thanks Miss Katie!!!

More pictures from the hospital...

Here are just some more cute pictures of our new little baby while we were in the hospital! It's amazing how quickly they change!

Grandma's Twins

As I've mentioned before, my little sister had her baby on my birthday, just 9 days before Isabel was born. After so many months of anticipation, it was so much fun to get these new little cousins together. It will be so much fun to watch them grow up so close in age! My mom thought it was especially fun since it felt like they were the twins she never had! They are 2 very sweet little babes!

May 6th..not a day too soon!!

I feel bad that I didn't get Isaac's actual birthday post done on his birthday. With the new baby coming and the whirlwind with all of that-I just never got it done. I just wanted everyone to know how much we LOVE our little 4 year old!! From the minute he could smile-he has never stopped! I have never met a happier child. He seriously makes everyone around him in a good mood-you just can't have a bad day when you look at his face. This year he has been SO excited for his birthday-it really seemed like it would never, ever get here-but luckily it did and he loved it!! My mom was actually here from my little sister and I's baby's, and lucky for Isaac her trip landed right on his birthday-he thought that was pretty special. For his birthday dinner he wanted to go to McDonalds to eat and play on the toys! We hardly ever do this, so he thought there could be nothing more special. We then ate cheesecake and opened presents. I think his favorite was the inflatable pirate ship for the pool (in the picture) and also the punching bag. It was a fun day for such a fun little boy. We are so proud of him and so glad that he is in our family!!!

They have a blog!!!

My sister Jess and her husband Brad just started their own blog since they now have a sweet new baby to brag about! The link to their blog is Brad&Jess Smith on the side!

Welcome Isabel Eva Manwaring!

At 2:00 pm today, we welcomed a beautiful, healthy baby girl to our family. Isabel Eva Manwaring weighed 7lbs 5 oz. and measured 20 inches. She has a little bit of brown hair and we think she looks like her older brother Isaac. Rachel is still in the hospital recovering, but both her and the baby are doing very well. We are so happy and blessed to have such a precious little spirit enter our family. (Please look for more pictures and details to come once Rachel is discharged from the hospital :)

What do you do with a scurvy pirate?

The day of Isaac's birthday party finally arrived!! He has been waiting for this day since the day after his party last year! This year he had a "Pirate" party and just couldn't have been more excited. Definitely one of the biggest highlights was that his cousin/best friend Jaden came all the way from Idaho to come for the event (Jaden also brought his mom, dad and 2 sisters with him!). It's so funny because about 6 months ago Isaac would always ask if Jaden could come to his party when he turned 4. I, of course, never in a million years thought it could happen and so I tried to prepare him so that his heart wasn't broken. Imagine all our surprise when we found out that he would be here! I think Isaac must have jumped up and down 200 times when we told him! Thanks Josh and Joni for making it so memorable! The party was so cute and so much fun-he has such a cute little group of friends! There was hats, hooks, patches, mustaches, walking the plank, cannon balls, pin the patch on the pirate, "lunch of the sea", a treasure hunt, a pinata, a pirate ship cake and lots of presents (thanks Elena for all the ideas)!! He'll have his "real" birthday tomorrow-I can't believe he is really going to be 4!!

The BEST birthday present EVER!!

This year on my 30th birthday, I got the best present from my little sister Jess! On May 3rd she and her husband Brad gave me a new nephew!! Tanner Bradley gave us all an early surprise being born a week early-and he couldn't have picked a better day!! Everything just went perfectly-and both mom and baby are doing so good! It makes us even more excited to get our little girl here-1 week away! Congratulations Jess and Brad and thank you for making my day so special!!