Eternal Family

 We were recently able to spend a wonderful weekend together in Utah.  Jody's mom came from San Diego, so we were SO GLAD that she could spend the weekend with us. 

We spent Sunday morning walking around Temple Square, and took lots of pictures.  I love these 5 beautiful gifts from God.  I couldn't imagine my life without any of them!

 My sweet mother-in-law suggested a picture with me and the kids by this statue of a mother playing with her children.  I'm so glad for this picture, as I am usually behind the camera.

 Can't help but be so very grateful for the knowledge of Eternal Families, and all the blessings that come from these Holy Temples.  I feel SO BLESSED!

Our weekend also included the graduation of the love of my life with his MBA!  We were ALL SO PROUD of him.  He worked very hard for the 2 years, and sacrificed a lot of time, but the lessons he taught to our children about hard work, and sacrifice for your families, is a priceless gift.

They hooded EVERY graduate, so it did get very long, but the kids were able to walk around a little bit, and all did SO GOOD!

:) Can't help but smile at the most treasured people of my existence.  Love this crew!

We came home and enjoyed a wonderful Mother's Day, and then the next day started swimming lessons.  Danica LOVES it, and is so FUN to watch.

Paige is getting to be a very good swimmer, and I love watching her learn.

They started Tyce in a younger class, but have now moved him up because he was doing things he was already taught last year.  He's doing so good too.

We also got to go and spend a wonderful (but VERY COLD) day at Lagoon.  Both Ali and Paige clogged in a competition there, and got 1st places.  I however forgot my camera that day, and am very bummed about it.  Luckily, the girls recital is soon, so I can get pictures of them, but unluckily, we missed out on the Lagoon pictures.  The kids were ALL thrill seekers, and enjoyed the day with Dad.  I had Danica for most of the day, who is also a little thrill seeker, but she wasn't tall enough for some of the bigger rides, so we spent some wonderful time together with her grandma.

I am so grateful for the opportunities like this that we get to spend together as a family making cherished memories.  Our kids are all growing so fast, that the day will soon come that they will have their own families, so every minute together counts!  I truly am thankful for Eternal Families!

What's Keeping US Busy..........

Jody's picture is on here first, so we will start with him. Although he has been finished with his masters degree for awhile, his graduation is in a few weeks, and we are all so excited for him. It was a lot of work for him to go to school on the weekends for 2 years, and he had to sacrifice a lot to do it, but he stuck with it, and in the mean time taught me and my children all about hard work. I love you Jody, and am so proud of you. Last weekend Jody and I took Kaden's ball team, (minus 2 of them) to Boise for a tournament. We all had a lot of fun, and although we played some VERY big teams, our 6 little guys did great. We won our last game against Twin Falls, and were very happy about it.

Next up is the only picture I got of the crew on Easter morning. I had an early meeting, so I was not home to take a picture of them in their Sunday best, but this will do. It tells a little more of the truth about how holiday mornings are at our house anyway.

I thought since it had been so long since I last posted, I would just get a recent pic of the kids, and say a few words about what they're each up to.

Tyce is Hungry for Spring, but staying focused in school. His AR reading goal this year was 100 points, and he told me yesterday, that he could possibly reach 200 before schools out. So proud of him.

Kaden not only did the bball tourn. in Boise, but he is also doing track this year. He LOVES the high jump, and is also running the 200m. However at his 1st track meet after clearing his highest in the high jump, he hit the bar with his back, and hurt it bad enough to not be able to run his races. Tomorrow is another track meet, so hopefully I will get to see him run!

Paige is focused on the clogging competition coming up in May at Lagoon. We are all excited to go watch the girls perform and have a fun family day on the rides. She also LOVES spending every other Friday at activity days. She sure loves her leaders, and loves the time with friends.

What can I say about what Danica has been up to? She is still my little sidekick, but I think the best words to describe Danica right now came from my mom last time we were visiting. She said, "how does a 15 year old fit in such a little body?" That truly is Danica. She's a tease, bossy, stubborn, giggly, wants it her way, demanding, and precious! Couldn't live without her!

Ali surprised me this last weekend. While Jody, Kaden, and I were in Boise for 2 days, she wanted to take care of the kids. She did ALL the cooking, cleaning, tending, bedtimes, chores, without any help. (except from her sidekick Paige). Grandpa and Grandma were on call, and checked on them frequently, but Ali always had it under control. She took the whole thing very seriously, and has proved to me just how responsible she is. SO PROUD of her!

I have just been doing all the things that mothers do. We are so excited for Linda to be able to come for Jody's graduation in May. She will be here to see the girls dance at Lagoon too, and spend the day with us there. We always look forward to visits with her. I think that brings us back up to speed, thanks to a new camera! WA HOO!

A few Mexico pictures

This is definately NOT my favorite picture of me, but I have very little to work with because half way through our trip, my bag which held the camera fell and now the camera does not work. Therefore, Jody's phone has the rest of the Mexico pictures as well as my oldest 2 kids birthdays and all other important events. When he remembers to email them to me, I will finally be able to truly update the blog.........anyway...............this is us standing by the pool that looks out toward the ocean. It was early in the morning, so not alot of activity yet, but very pretty to sit and watch the sun come up.I love this picture of Jody. We were shopping at the markets, and the guys all found these hats. We took their pictures and then left the hats there. Not really something Jody could wear to farm in......Right!

This is our first night there, and in the restaurant we ate at, they had a mechanical bull. Well, I was not going to let this opportunity pass me by. I was the only one that tried it, and all I have to say, is at least I got on the thing without a struggle, because one lady had a lot of trouble. I, However, was falling off in just less than half a turn. Jody barely got this picture. I'm blaming it on my slick capris, and inexperience. I know if given another chance, I could really ride this thing!

Last but not least, this is in the lobby of our hotel on the first night. We had a great time, and loved the warm sunshine and many adventures. I can't wait for the next vacation!

Promised Pictures

This is my boy Tyce playing basketball for the first time. He's getting the hang of it, because in this game he made 2 shots, and his team won 40-4! WaHoo!

Paige is the one shooting. She also made 2 baskets at her last game, and I of course missed them because I had to hurry and run Ali to her game. I'm sad about missing them, but sure proud of her.

Finally, with all the kids getting some spotlight blog time for basketball, I figured Danica needed a post too. This is her today, in her very cute outfit that only someone so cute could get away with. Sure love this crazy girl!

That's it for now! Jo and I are off to Cancun this weekend, so next post will be all about Fun and Sun!

Look close.......

Look close, and you will see some great defense going on in the middle of the picture! Kaden has been a lot of fun to watch this year, and is getting to be a great ball player.Look close, and you will see #14 who is the girl who was high scorer in their last ball game. They won 8 to 6, and she had 4 of their 8 points! She is a great ball player too, and I have loved watching her learn sooo much this year!

Look close, and you will see many elk on the hill behind our house. Once in awhile the big herd that lives around here will come into view, and it's always fun when they do!

I am still working on getting pictures of Paige and Tyce playing ball, but I'm hoping to remember my camera this weekend, and post some before Jo and I leave for Cancun next weekend. So.............keep looking for those!

Christmas 2011

Christmas with the Shumway's 2011

Christmas was lots of fun for us this year. We celebrated with parties and activities most of the month of December, and Loved It! We of course started the season off by decorating the Christmas Tree.

At our annual ward party, the primary did the manger scene and sang some songs. Ali was Mary, Paige is behind her as an angel, and Tyce is way over on the right in the blue as a shepherd. They all looked so cute!

Then of course there is Christmas morning. This is Tyce loving his new art kit from Santa.

Kaden's expression is funny, but he's waited a long time for this 22, and it was a surprise to him to get it for Christmas!

This picture is because I LOVE it! Right before I took this, Danica put her little arms around both her sisters. SO CUTE! They got cute hats, and had put some of Danica's dolls hair clips in their hair. Sure love these girls.

Christmas was lots of fun. We have finally got it put away now for one more year. We spent a lot of the break painting the girls rooms, and enjoying watching Kaden play some b-ball. Now we are on to a new year, with new goals of family unity in mind, and hoping for only great things for all of our family and friends! We love you all!

Picture Update

I thought I would finally post some pictures that went along with the last post. This first one is just one shot of Kaden's eagle project with Kaden, his dad, and his grandpa all in the picture. This is Tyce's 7th birthday. He had a great day, as you can tell by the smile on his face!

This is my cute little halloween bunch. (minus Kaden, who thinks he's too big to dress up, and was outside hunting pheasants) Tyce - Vampire, Paige - An old man, Ali - Devil, and Danica - Princess.

This last picture is a family shot with Jody's mom Linda on her last visit in November. I can't believe how big my kids are getting.

That's that! More to follow soon! (hopefully).