Nick's Homecoming!!

The best day of the entire year!!  So glad he made it home safely and is still "Nick"!  He had a great experience and we as a family grew because of it.   It is amazing how much we were blessed throughout the year and how much prayers on our behalf helped us make it through such a challenge.  I know without a doubt that Nick was protected by our Heavenly Father.  There were so many amazing experiences he went through that we can't deny the fact that he was truly blessed.  I am so grateful for the man he is and the father and husband he has always been and still is.  I am glad to have our family back together and I am reminded daily with a peace that he is home and our family is whole again!  We, as a family, enjoy everything we do together and don't take for granted the small and simple things of being together.

A funny.

We were driving to school this morning and Jaycie and Brayden were talking about the cool soldiers that killed the bad guy to keep us safe like their daddy does. Jaycie pipes in and says "I give that soldier a Super Star and a thumbs up!!" She cracks me up! I didn't stop laughing all day.

Date Night with Brayden!

Brayden has been huge into writing what he calls his "Kindergarten" writing. He leaves notes around the house and also writes me little letters and puts them in my lunch bag before I go to work. It is fun to try to decipher what he is actually writing. Well we were sitting in sacrament the other week and Brayden grabs his note pad and starts writing. (I will translate at the end for those that can't read his "kindergarten" writing.

Brayden: I love you mom
Me: I love you too! You are handsome.

Brayden: You are pride. (Pretty)

Me: Are you happy?

Brayden: Yes, but I want to go on a date.

Me: That would be fun. Where should we go.

Brayden: To Night?

Me: No, it is Sunday, we can go next Friday. Where are we going?

Brayden: Fun Zone to play Laser Tag

Me: Fun, it's a date!

Brayden: Yes, I love you

So we ended up going on a date to the Fun Zone that Friday and had sooo much fun. We ended up bowling instead and then playing arcades. Brayden hit every single jackpot at every game we went to . On a normal day the kids usually will get about 200 tickets to split between them. But Brayden ended up with 1900 tickets all on his own. I should have had Brayden go buy a lottery ticket!!! Then we went to Wendy's for dinner and laughed and laughed and laughed some more. It was so fun to see Brayden be so mature and funny. What a great kid!

Date Night!

Jaycie got to go on a date with Grandpa Edwards on Saturday. She was so excited. They went out to dinner, to the fun zone, and then to Shopko to pick out a toy. She loved every minute. Grandpa said he had so much fun. He said Jaycie just talked and talked and talked some more. He loved it!

Thank you Grandpa for making Jaycie feel so special!

EASTER

We went out to Nana and Grandpa's house this year for easter and had a lot of fun. The weekend was beautiful so we got to enjoy the outdoors. The kids had so much fun playing on the trampoline and on the new four wheeler. Zach and Brayden had a minor mishap with the four-wheeler. As Brayden tells it: Grandpa told us we needed to go down this steep hill, so we listened, and forgot to push on the break and hit this HUGE ditch and went flying 5ft into the air!. Both boys came in pretty shook up. It is probably a good thing because they were already getting a little too comfortable.

We stayed the night Friday night and when we woke up the Easter Bunny had left a few droppings everywhere he went. The "Droppings" led the kids to their Easter baskets. THen after lunch we headed outside to fly kites and do an Easter egg hunt. THe kids got hooked up with so many treats, toys, and a Money Bunny. Zach and Brayden both found the money bunnies. Zach wanted nothing to do with the bunny, just the money, so he tossed the bunny to Mia. Brayden on the other had didn't even notice the money and was just very excited to have the bunny. It wasn't until later he realized there was actually money on the bunny. At least the bunny was blue, that makes it a little more manly, RIGHT? It was a great Easter.



You can kind of see a little bit of the bunny droppings in this picture. The boys are investigating the carrot found on the ground that had bunny bite marks in it.


Run Kitty, Run!!!!!



HAPPY EASTER!!

A surprise for Nick

I wanted our house to be different when Nick got home so I had the walls textured and painted from a lady in my ward and her mother. It turned out so cool! I even had them help me buy some decorations, and I finished our remodeled bedroom. It really made a huge difference and turned out way cool! One of the bathrooms and my bedroom both have a wall done in the texture.

The entry way leading into the living room. The wall around the fireplace is only halfway done in this picture but at least you get the idea.
This picture was taken before the walls were actually decorated. But the far left wall is the one with the texture on it.

New carpet in my bedroom.

The patriotic wall. It has all the new military pictures we took right when Nick left.

It turned out really neat and Nick loved it! He is wondering now what will be done when he comes back in another 6 months. I guess he will just have to wait and see!