Kansas City

A month ago, we traveled to Kansas City to attend the Temple Open House.  We left home after school and work on Friday night.  We spent the night in a hotel and went swimming in the freezing cold pool in the morning. 

We spent the day at Crown Center before heading down to the temple in the evening.  It was wonderful to be in the Celestial Room as a family.  The kids were super impressed with the sparkly chandelier.

Kate is 6!

Well, the day finally came. All month, Kate has been requesting special privileges because "It is my birthday." She started counting down with 15 days to go! Because of regular, crazy life, we spread out the celebration.

Wednesday was an early out for the kids. We left around 2 in the afternoon and drove up to Rochester, MN to party with our northern cousins. Joseph played Nicely-Nicely in"Guys and Dolls" - and we wanted to see him! We got to see him perform and he did such a great job. Totally confident and cute up there on stage. Before the play, Angela pulled off a lovely little party for Kate. We got to eat pizza and salad off princess plates with princess napkins and cups. Kate even got to wear a princess crown! She had requested presents at this little party, so we let her open all her presents a day before her birthday. After the play, we drove home, getting in around 1 am.

On Thursday, the actual birthday, we were never all home as a family - this is why we decided to do presents the day before. Kate was confused that she didn't get any presents ON her birthday and I had to explain that she had already opened them the day BEFORE her birthday. Well, that wasn't good enough. She apparently told people at school that she had not gotten any birthday presents! I did take some Krispy Kreme donuts in to her kindergarten class and she got to have friends over after school!

Kate had a friend party on Friday night. It was a pajama party at Pump-it-up. It was perfect! The kids loved the giant slide and the basketball area. The helpers were so awesome, I didn't have to anything but take pictures and race kids through the obstacle course!

We love our little Kate! She still entertains us with her funny sayings and cute ways. Her two bottom teeth are super loose and barely hanging on. She is getting better at reading and learning addition at school. Every day for lunch she has a juice box, go-go squeeze (applesauce in a squeezable pouch) and a Zone bar. Two weeks ago she learned to ride her bike without training wheels and would be totally content to pedal up and down our street all day. We are so grateful for our Kate the great!

Salt Lake City

On the Thursday of Spring Break, the whole family headed to Omaha. We spent the night in a hotel, then Meg and I flew out early Friday morning to Salt Lake City. We have been planning this trip since Meg turned 12. Now that she is a "Young Woman" at church, she and I really wanted to attend the young Women General Meeting in the Conference Center. It turned out to be a great weekend to be in SLC. With mom and dad Hawkins midway through their MTC training, we had a mini-reunion with four of my brothers and their families.

We stayed in Bountiful with Brent and Sharilyn. They were good sports to pick us up at the airport, then lend us a car so that Meg and I could go down to Temple Square. We enjoyed the beautiful flowers and walked through the new City Creek Center. We toured the Beehive House and ate lunch at the Lion House.

Dan and Julie arrived with their kids Friday afternoon. The kids all had so much fun playing together! After an amazing dinner, (thanks Sharilyn for all the wonderful food!) we took the kids to "Get Air" - a trampoline place where the kids bounced on the ground and off the walls and into big pits of foam. They had a great time and all ended up with red faces and sweaty backs! Needless to say, they settled down pretty well that night.

Saturday - we gathered! Mom and Dad, Sam, Dan, Joe, and Brent and families! The kids did an Easter egg hunt, played kicked ball, and played knock-out. We watched slides in the basement. After a late lunch, we all headed down to Temple Square. We all went through the south visitors center, then the girls and moms headed over to the conference center.

It was thrilling to be in the beautiful Conference Center . It was packed with shining, happy girls and women. The speakers were all wonderful and it was special to hear from and be so close to the prophet. It was wonderful to be there with Charlotte, Josie, Chloe, Sharilyn, Sage, and Claire and my wonderful Meg!

It was a fun family weekend. It was especially nice to spend some time with mom and dad - since they are now serving in the Anchorage, Alaska mission for the next 18 months!

Hola, amigos!

Our family enjoyed a wonderful, sunny week in Mexico. We rented a house in Akumal, a little over an hour south of Cancun. It was perfect for our family - room inside to be comfortable, and lots of lovely spots to sit outside right on the beach. We even got to eat a fresh coconut from one of the trees. The kids loved swimming in the rooftop pool.

We spent a day at Xel-Ha, an outdoor eco-park. We got to snorkel, zip-line, bike, eat, and cliff jump. Meg and Tim got to swim with the dolphins.

We hired an LDS guide to take us to the Mayan ruins. He took us to Tulum and Coba. We all climbed to the top of the big pyramid in Coba. Tim was super fast - he beat us to the top and was the first one down. Kate insisted on doing it all by herself - she refused to hold our hands.

We loved exploring this beautiful part of the world and loved all the time we could spend as a family. The kids were great travelers and got along well. We got to relax, do fun outdoor activities, and learn about the history and culture.

Fantastic week!

Last week was pretty full and fantastic. Nathan celebrated his 40th birthday! And lots of the kid's activities ended. We are so glad that Nathan's dad and my parents came to visit and join us in our many activities. They arrived Thursday, February 16. Nathan and his dad drove to Ames to see Jacob play in a basketball game. That evening, joined by Laura and Chuck, we all went to see Tim in his 3rd grade concert. He looked great up there - he knew the words to the songs and smiled so nicely.
We snatched Tim after his concert and went to the Theatre Arts Center to attend Meg's play! She was the villain in the 6th grade melodrama and she was awesome! She was so cute in her cowboy had and boots and her fringed western clothes . She has been working hard on her lines and had lots of after school rehearsals. She was so great, it was hard to "boo" her when she came on stage.
On Friday, Jacob had his last Show Choir Competition. We all drove to Indianola to cheer him on. Jacob's group, "En Fuego," did great and won first place in the competition. It was an exciting evening!



Nathan had done so much planning for his "birthday party" on Saturday night. He rented the high school auditorium so that he could do a piano recital. I'll admit, I had my reservations, but it turned out beautifully! It was so much fun! Nathan played several songs by Jon Schmidt, Ravel duets with the three older kids, I played Clair de Lune, and together, Nathan and I played the second movement from Rachmaninoff's 2nd piano concerto. Nathan was worried about nerves - but he looked calm and felt mostly calm throughout the program. We had over 300 guests attend: neighbors, patients, colleagues, and church friends. Nathan's brother and his family came down from Minnesota to attend as well!









After the recital, we had refreshments and visiting in the band room. Nathan had an amazing birthday cake "The Road to 40." It turned out so great!

Happy Birthday Nathan!