August update

It's only been a couple of weeks since I blogged but I have been getting a lot of complaints. Good to know people love us and want to keep updated. Honestly people I am busy trying to be a Mom, it is hard to take pictures of us learning and having fun when it is what we do everyday. So here are a few pictures I managed to get and an update. If Lindsey would just move back then she could have her job back as my full time photographer and blogger.

I neglected to mention last time that Zak bore his testimony for the first time. He was so excited to do it, and he thought about it for a while before he went up to the pulpit. He was thinking of all the things he knew for himself. He had me go up with him, and then he got a little bit nervous. He said two things. "I know Heavenly Father loves me. I know that President Monson is a prophet that I can follow him back to Heavenly Father. " What a great kid! Makelle wanted to go up too and then decided to wait for another time. I am proud of my kids for so many things, but I love that they know what is important and what brings true happiness. I also had a missionary moment this week. I was asked by a friend what we believe. It was a teaching moment for me, as I was at a loss for words. I had been praying for a missionary experience, and there it was. It was awesome and very exciting. Even though it was something so small, I had the opportunity to share. I will be ready next time for sure.

We love living here, everything about it is amazing. Who knew one little family could grow so much. We are definitely out of our comfort zone most of the time and it is wonderful. There is so much in the world to enjoy. Life is all about the experiences and we are enjoying our journey. Our branch is amazing, they truly are our family. I got to go with the youth last Saturday boating. It was loads of fun. I got to spend the whole day having fun and relaxing away from the kids and it was all magnifying my calling. But it is important to remember when being pulled on a tube, two thumbs up does not mean a-okay it means go twice as fast, whoops!

One thing my kids are doing great at is making new friends. They have tons of friends, it is wonderful to see them play together with others. I was feeling sad one day that my kiddos are growing up, but then I reminded myself that that is what life is all about. It is so exciting how they learn and grow each day. They love to learn. I am so glad Zak is home for one more year before kindergarten. We all have so much fun playing together everyday. I am so glad I get to be a Mom and especially a stay at home Mom!!

Some of their new friends.We always love getting packages in the mail. Madsens, Granny and Gramps, and Grandma and Grandpa keep us going with lots of fun surprises in the mail. We love it!!
The kids in their new clothes from Grandma Valynn


I can never think of anything to say other than, What a cute boy!
More friends

John in is White Coat, he has a big ceremony this weekend which I won't be able to go to. If only we had family around to babysit!

Zak doing a trick in the air.
Lantz always drooling and always happy.


Lantz's favorite thing to do is still to eat.

He's learned about mirrors, again what a cute boy.
I can't even be alone in the bathroom for five minutes to do makeup, this is what the kids do while I try to get ready once a week.
Makelle wearing makeup and her favorite vest that she insists on all of the time.

7 years ago, by John

What a hot chick!

4th at the Holder's and I still joined the family the next month.



Wow!



What a beautiful bride!






Who could have predicted the course that our lives have taken 7 years ago. All I know is that I am one lucky guy.
We had a bunch more pictures that we scanned in but they would all be side ways and I couldn't figure out how to fix them.
Also, I would just like to take this opportunity to thank Lindsey for losing all of my previous entries to the blog, such wonderful content lost forever. Thanks Linds.

We spent a week at Joan's house in Virginia. It was great to have someone close enough to visit. John was on a break before his official school starts on Monday. We had a great time. Mostly we went swimming, swimming, swimming, and more swimming. Zak is amazing at swimming and Makelle is able to get around too. We would take short breaks to eat and then we would be out again.
I think we all gained about ten pounds after the trip. It is great to have someone else do the cooking. We ate garden veggies for about every meal and we loved it. We got to bring some home, so we can enjoy it for a while longer. My dad has three gardens so he had plenty to share.
We went to a lake one day and played at the beach it was beautiful. The lakes here are so pretty. Joan's son let us use a kayak at the lake so that was fun. We also went to all the cheap food places and stocked up on snacks and treats for super cheap. We loved the ride home, going thru the mountains covered with such lush, dense, green forests. So many beautiful places, who knows where we will ever end up.
Zak and Makelle are getting so good at making new friends. They were friends with some of Joans grand kids and had a great time. One picture is of them waiting for the fireworks. Boy was that entertaining, luckily we were faster than the cops. Will my dad ever learn???? He makes life exciting.

We had a great time, Thanks Dad and Joan!

What we do in the summertime

We went for a walk and gathered leaves and flowers, and then we made these headbands, or Makelle calls them Mary Poppins hats!Beautiful!!
This is Zak after a long day of swimming, talking on the phone. He is too tired to even hold the phone up.
Makelle showing off our first cucumber.
We love swim lessons. Zak and Makelle did great at swim lessons. After the first day Zak could swim by himself under the water. Makelle can get around with a tube or floaty. They can float and swim and do tricks, they are awesome.

Fun times with Matt and Suzy! Zak and Makelle were so excited to see them and to play hide and seek with them. They talked their ears off for a while and we were able to play. We got to swim at their hotel and show off the things they learned at swim lessons. Suzy read lots of books and did a treasure hunt for them, which they loved. Matt got to go to the zoo with us and played with the kids lots. Matt and John went golfing in the rain and tied. That's a first for John to tie with anyone, he must be getting better. Thanks for coming guys, we had a great time. Makelle told Matt and Suzy to not be so long!


Yes, he really is always this happy.
Swimming, Swimming, and more swimming.
The pool is five minutes from our house, but Makelle was pooped. We told her to fold her arms so she wouldn't bug Zak, and then she fell asleep.
This is what having kids is all about, teaching them how to do your work. Having kids grow up is great!
Feeding fish at a pond near our house.