Easter

Easter was fun as usual. We have all been looking forward to Easter, and weren't let down. The weather could have been a little better, but oh well. We have a long-standing tradition of celebrating Easter with the Gordons. This year we had dinner at the farm and then all the parents hid candy and eggs in the orchard. This is one of my favorite parts of Easter. Then Grandma and Grandpa had put together a treasure hunt for the kids. It was way fun and the treasure was money eggs in the barn. We all got $3. Yea!



Louk thought hunting for candy was the the greatest thing to ever happen to him!




On Sunday, I had to remind the girls and Louk to look for their baskets. Goofy kids. They got some clothes, flip-flops, candy and Tangled. After church we had a little egg-coloring party and watched Tangled.



Louk had to put all of his new stuff on over his pajamas. He especially liked his new rainboots.






These were our votes for the best eggs!

It was another fun holiday, and now we are definitely ready for Spring.

Just thought I would share...

Durke and I really enjoy reading together. We read on our own too, well I do anyway, but we really like to read together. Right now we are the 3rd volume of the Kingdom and the Crown series by Gerald Lund.




I don't know if any of you have read this series but it is amazing. It is set in Jerusalem and surrounding villages during Christ's life. I have been reading the New Testament along with the books and I have learned so much. These books have taught me a lot and helped me to understand the scriptures and the culture of this time in history a little more. Plus, it sparks some really great conversations for Durke and me. So, if you looking for a way to spend quality time with your hubby read together!

How do you eat your Oreo?

Oreo cookies are a staple at our house! They are one thing that I have to be sure to never run out of or I get in big trouble! Everyday after lunch Durke divies out the Oreo's, it is such a special time... just kidding. Anyway, Louk has caught on to this tradition and definitely enjoys his cookies. He's a dunker just like his dad, I don't enjoy it so much because then I have to clean him up, and he is usually pretty messy. I had to take a picture of him today though, because he was so dang cute and made me laugh.

I hate tax season...

and that's all I'm going to say!

Catching Leprechauns...

On St. Patrick's day Gracie came in from playing outside and asked me the steps to trapping a Leprechaun. I told her to set a trap and put some gold in it and they might catch one. So she built a little trap in her Aunt Joni's backyard who lives next door. A few hours later, Joni came over and said that there were green footprints all around the trap and the gold was gone! Gracie and Abi thought it was so cool, they had to take pictures. What a cute & sneaky aunt they have!

Baby Cole

I have so many posts to do that I am getting a little overwhelmed, but I thought I would post the most important one for now.

My cute little sis and her hubby had their second son last Monday. He was almost a month early and is a tiny little guy. He has been in the NICU and is working on gaining some weight and getting the whole eating thing figured out. We haven't even got to hold him, but I did get to sit with him for a little while last week and he is so sweet. I just love babies, I could eat them up!

Here are a few pics of the little guy, I'll post some more later when he's home and not looking like he's on an alien spaceship or something.

Love you Jaimie and Chase! Congrats!

Cole Ray Bawden --- 4 lbs. 8 oz. 18 inches long.

Winter Escape...

Durke and I have been in desperate need of a vacation, so for Christmas we decided to book a cruise. We booked a Mexican Riviera Cruise with Princess and went February 12-19. It was the most amazing trip and one we will never forget! We are having such a hard time adjusting to life again. Here are a few pictures and some of the fun things we did.

Neither of us had ever been on a cruise, so just being on the ship was so great. We ate a lot, sat in the sun, ate a lot, danced, watched movies, ate way too much, and just enjoyed being together!

We saw so many ocean animals and it was amazing. The whales are migrating right now so we saw them almost everyday. When we were in Puerta Vallarta on a small boat we got really close to theh whales. We also saw seals, turtles, and tons of dolphins.





Here are a few pictures of some of the amazing sunsets and views we saw everyday on our ship.







(I have a thing for lighthouses!)

We also got to spend Valentine's on the ship. Our Valentines are usually spent with the kids, so it was quite nice! They made a big deal. We had dinner, went to a show, and dancing. It was great!





We had a lot of fun when we went into the ports. Our cruise stopped at Puerta Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas. Those of you who know Durke, know he is quite adventurous so that means I am always doing things that I am not so sure about. We (he) thought it would be fun to do the Zip Line and Rappelling in Puerta Vallarta. It was a little crazy but really fun.

When we first got off the ship, they took us on a speedboat out into the ocean for about 20 minutes to this little village in the jungle, then they put us on these crazy trucks and hauled us into the mountain, THEN we got on mules and rode higher into the mountains, then they sent us on all of these ziplines and we rapelled waterfalls. I couldn't take my camera so these pictures are from the website. It was so fun!











After Puerta Vallarta, we stopped in Mazatlan. This wasn't my favorite port. It was a littler scary, but we still had fun. We had a VERY interesting cab ride and got to play on the beach and shop.




Our cab!




There were some crazy guys cliff diving of this rock for tips. It scared me just to watch! It was so shallow and rocky, I really thought they were going to get killed!

Our last stop was Cabo San Lucas. I immediately fell in love with this place. It was SOOOO beautiful and clean. I definitely would love to go back there soon! We (again, Durke) decided to do the Rhino ATV adventure. It turned out way fun, a little wild, but we had a blast, and the beach was amazing!






After the ride, we shopped in a way fun market and bought all of our souvenirs. They had beautiful clay pots that were handpainted. I bought me a bowl and me and the girls some fun sundresses and bracelets.







We had such an amazing time, and it was really hard for us to come home, but we missed our kiddos and family and it is good to be back. I think!

I suggest a cruise for everyone! It is the best way to travel!!!