And were back...

We have taken a bit of a vacation from the blog world, but we did get some good pictures of Jackson in his urban sombrero (Seinfeld anyone?) and are now happy to be back.

Allow me to catch you up to speed.

The month started off nice with Trevor receiving a couple of awards at his school. We were so proud! Trev hates being made the center of attention of course, so it was quite enjoyable to watch him squirm with awkward delight on the stage in front of the other students and parents.

My parents gave Jennifer and I an early anniversary present by taking all the kids minus Jackson over one of the three day president holidays on a trip all over the state of California. They spent time at cousin Ryan's b-day party in Orange County, stopped off at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library near Santa Barbara,

and visited Kelly and Julio in San Luis Obispo.

Trevor and Logan really liked the library as they were able to walk through the old Air Force One and see some other cool things as well.

If you ask Lizzie, she just really liked staying at the different hotels and going swimming.

Lizzie loves the hotels above anything else when ever we make a trip. In fact, she loves them so much that she begins to cry and say, "I want to stay at the hotel" each time we are pulling back onto our street from a trip. I'm not sure what that means, but it probably isn't good. Anyhow, they had a great time.

Jennifer and I really enjoyed the quiet home for the weekend. We went out to eat for almost every meal, went shopping (my favorite) and saw lots of movies. All of the families went out of town around the complex leaving the place very quiet. On Sunday afternoon, Jackson slept while Jennifer was visiting teaching, leaving just me. After living next door to 9 other cousins, aunts & uncles and 2 grandparents, it was eerily serene. I am sad to say that it was almost uncomfortable. Poor Jackson was so bored from just hanging out with mom and dad all weekend that on Sunday night we found him laying on the ground staring at the ceiling. I think he was more excited then Jennifer and I to see the rest of the kids return home.

We also spent three of the weekends in February putting together a new playhouse.

With thirteen cousins between the three houses and lotsa friends always over, the play equipment (the trampoline being the foremost) gets lots of use.

About two years seems to be all we can get out of any trampoline or playhouse.

Now I know it doesn't look like much, but that thing was a major pain in the butt to put together. Three Weekends! By the time it was done, Matt and I both agreed that where it sits is where it stays cause were not going through that again. Anyone else have a similar experience?

Anyhow, it was time for a new playhouse and tramp. The last trampoline broke a couple of months ago (I think Robb was jumping on it, need I say more...). Since then, the kids and moms, were at a loss as what to do that is fun (and what to do to get the kids to play outside). That was all remedied a couple of weeks ago when Matt and I stayed up late one Monday night putting the new one together. The kids were so excited that we let them stay up late to jump on it for a few minutes. It is nice to have both mini projects done.

We also took advantage of one of our Monday's off to hit the snow. Rainfall has been good this year in the valley and thus the mountain tops are capped with snow.

The Minnicks invited us to come along with them to a snow park near Shaver and we could not have asked for a better day, sunny and warm.

We left fairly early in the morning allowing us to have some good time in the snow, eat some good chilidogs with hot chocolate and then return home fairly early in the day. Logan loved the hills with his board.

Trevor enjoyed the fort building and snow ball fighting with some new friends.

Lizzie, well Lizzie just wanted to eat.

"Little monster" Jackson enjoyed being held the ENTIRE time we were there.