Music to my ears

Jeane Wernly is amazing.  She is the boys' piano teacher and is a gift from God.  Really.  She makes musicians out of the roughest and has made music come alive in our home.  She is patient and kind.  She knows how to teach all kinds of kids and loves them while doing it.  She holds them accountable and wants them to succeed.  Our life is blessed because of her.  She is very special and I will absolutely be devastated when she retires.  

 I love the recitals.  They are such a treat even if they do go long at times.  It makes me so proud to see my boys and friends' children play their pieces.  Below you can see Nicholas, Isabel, Mitchell, Natalie and my boys in the picture.  She also teaches Alexis, Camille, the Zarchins, Eli, the Hanson boys, Alexandra, the Shawens, Sarah Romney and countless other children.  Needless to say, the Mormons LOVE her.  Gabe has started taking piano this year and is doing great.  Coleman and Tate play so many difficult, wonderful songs.  I love to hear them practice so much that I rarely forget or excuse a practice.  They hate that....  Someday I will post the videos of them playing.  So impressive and touching for a mom like me!  I think I will take it back up in a few years.  I need to conquer that beautiful piano we have!  

Check out Nicholas!  Lol!!

I absolutely love these three kiddies.  I am so glad they are growing up together!!

Sweet Tate

Sweet Coleman

Look at Coleman's shoes?  Flip flops.... always flip flops.  Lol.  They are Eric's blood for sure.  

Life is good when filled with music!

I love Beakie

So, while Tia and her awesome family were here we had a HUGE wind storm that knocked out the power for about 4 or 5 days.  I don't remember.... it is all a blur.  We all slept in the basement and basked in my 100 degree house.  Here are all the kids watching some recorded show on a computer.   It was great fun.  Really.  Who would have thought....? 

The new Air and Space Museum.  Ask Tia about the ride home..... DC is a bit tricky. 

Once weekend we went to the beach!  Beautiful weather! 

Meine Lieblings!!

Cousins having fun.  Sweet Rosie!!

Riding waves ALL day long!!

A nice moment. 

My favorite beach bum

Funny boy

Tate is always up for being buried.  Not me!!

I love this pic!

Burying Tate.  Look how tall Riley is.... Crazy!!

Another victim!!

This one would make Grandma Jackie proud!!!

Isabelle, the sweetest, nicest and prettiest girl on the planet.  We are on a Capital Tour.  Very cool and so worth doing!!

We went to Arlington on a hot hot hot day. 

Hot hot hot.... Can you tell?

Changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Hot, cute and sweet cousins.  I am blessed!!

Tia and her family came to visit us for about 2 1/2 weeks.  What a treat and adventure it was!  I am so glad that they came.  We had the storm, a motorcycle crash and lots of noise, food and fun.  I am so lucky to have such a wonderful, cool, fun and amazing big sis.  I love her kids.  After the storm, we had about 7 trees down and what seemed like millions of branches.  Riley, Ian, Coleman and Tate helped Eric and Brad until the entire lawn was cleared.  It was hot in my house and none of her kids complained.  They were here for the 4th of July and we had a big bash.  David and Maria came down and I have the absolute WORST and OUT OF FOCUS pictures to prove it.  Tia is horrible at taking pics (Sorry Sis) so maybe I will get a few up of the night, but I doubt it. 

I love my family and I hope they come again real soon!  Oh, Beakie is Tia's nickname.  I have called her that for as long as I can remember.  I don't know if she likes it or not, but I just can't stop.  I am hooked.  Sorry Beakie. 

DJ Eric

The Hill Cumorah Visitor Center

Joseph Smith as a boy

My handsome boys

King of the Hill

Angel Moroni monument

Inside one of the Joseph Smith homes

Beautiful temple through the trees.  You can see the temple as you are walking to Joseph Smith's home. 

Joseph Smith's home.

I love my family!!

The creamish gray wall on the left is original to the house.  Really awesome!

Temper tantrum #2

Checking out the barn

The boys in the Sacred Grove

Sweet Gabe

Yes, I was there too!

Somebody loves their Daddy!!

We ran into the Del and Jen Bowman from BYU.  Small world!  Love them!!

Beautiful Niagara Falls.  Please note Finn's attitude.... It was a bit hot.  Can you tell?

Check out Mr. Sassy pants

This is Eric every where we go.... he always says he will send me the pics, but... nope!!  Still waiting darling!!

Mr. Sassy pants biting Gabe. 

Chillin'!!

Eric was asked to DJ for the Youth Conference in.....Palmyra NY.  He was nice and asked us to go too.  Palmyra is loaded with church history and it a very important place for the boys to go.  I want them to see where Joseph Smith grew up and had the First Vision.  Close to Palmyra is Niagara Falls.  We decided to go there too.  It was the opening weekend and packed....PACKED with people, but we still had a lot of fun.  I love family trips and wish we took more of them.  It was a beautiful drive up there and I hope we get to go back soon!!  Can anyone say "Hill Cumorah Pageant"??!!!  Maybe someday....(O:

2013

The hard part about getting behind on a blog is that you focus on what you missed and then you get even more behind because you are trying to catch up.... and so you miss the present.  Again.  I love my blog but it makes me feel like an EPIC FAIL at times.  I guess I just need to squeak in an entry or two a week and call it good.  I remember when I used to actually believe that I needed pics of EVERYTHING we did for hope of documenting it.  It bettered our lives in that many more things were captured, but also made things more stressed and "planned".  I am hoping in 2013 that I find some blog balance.  I want to publish.  I want to blog more.  I want my kids to blog as well.  I want to capture meaningful pictures and words.  I want to remember the funny moments in our home as well as the proud and maybe not so proud.  I need to write down my resolutions and this can be #1!!

Happy 2013.  Nice to feel the keyboard under my fingers!  

Life is good!!