Back to School!

Hailey's first day of FOURTH Grade in Mrs. Clark's rockin' roll class!

Megan's first day in Mrs. Bigler's very "Hoppy" Froggy themed class.

Hailey with her good friend Audrey Eyring from last year's class. She's sad that she won't be in the same class this year but I'm sure they'll play at recess, etc. Nice family and friend.

Hailey and Megan posing outside their school before the bell rings. They were so excited and organized in the morning before school. They even showered and practiced piano before school! Way to go girls!

Happy 9th Birthday, Hailey!

Hailey turned 9 on Wednesday, Jan. 27th! It's amazing how well she's growing up and enjoying life as a responsible 3rd grader. She's a great kid and is a big help at home. She wanted to go to a fun place to eat dinner and so we found the Mayan in Sandy, UT. Here's her birthday "lava" cake at the Mayan Restaurant. It was pretty impressive with the firework shooting off in the middle! You can't really blow it out as it just stops on its own but has a big "wow" factor!


We took her to dinner at the Mayan which features an ancient Mayan ambiance with real divers who dive off of these cliffs into a pool of water below inside the restaurant. It was fun! The kids had a blast and even liked the food! It turned out to be the perfect night!

Matthew Walks!

We are so excited to report that Matthew took his first real steps at Grandma and Grandpa Murphy's house on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! He's having a blast with his new-found freedom. Here's a short clip of him walking in our kitchen and even turning around mastering his new skills! We just love this little guy!

First Snow!

Amazing! The first snow of the year! Here's a view out our front door looking onto our neighbor's yard and the street. It's coming fast and furious with no end in sight for today! Please say I'm dreaming.....


Looking to the side yeard from our porch! Snow everywhere!


Crazy, aye! I couldn't believe my eyes this morning when I woke up but it's true! The snow is still coming down and I'm in shock! I scrambled to find old snow boots for the girls to wear to school but I couldn't find any gloves or hats. I know I should've picked up some snowpants already but I haven't. It's incredible and took me off guard. I know it's getting close to November but I'm still in denial:O Time to get out the gear and shovels! YIKES!

New Twin Cousins!

The proud parents of twins! This is my "little" brother, Tim, and his amazing wife, Sage, with their new baby boy twins named Oliver Arthur Pearson and Anders Stuart Pearson. They are so stinkin' cute! Anders slept during the whole visit and Oliver was looking around not making a peep. This was a week after they arrived and are doing so well. I don't know how Sage makes it look so easy;) You go girl! Thanks for letting us come visit!


One of the twins trying out his new swing. Let's see what he thinks...........


Thumbs up mom and dad! We have the coolest relatives. Aunt Jenny got us this Awesome swing! She rocks! (I think Hailey or Megan took this shot. I thought it was cute.)


Group shot with the cute Momma Sage in the background. We were so happy to greet these adorable twins into the family!


What a cutie this little Oliver is! I'm a proud Aunt Jenny!


Ryan smiling knowingly.....Tim and Sage's lives are changed FOREVER! No good sleep for awhile guys! We pass the torch to you...


Megan is all smiles!


Grandma Pearson being a super helper! They now have 9 grandchildren! Who-hoo! Who will bring it to an even 10? Melissa? Heather?


Hailey and Megan looking like pros on the baby holding front! Future babysitters right here!


Matthew wasn't quite sure about these new baby cousins! I'm sure he'll be getting them into trouble in no time showing them new tricks and things to get into! We're so excited for future playmates! Way to go Tim and Sage!

Apple Picking!

We found it! A real Pick-Your-Own apple orchard in UTAH! It took us a long time to get there but it was worth it. I'll have to say the apple cider was not as great as the East, though. But it was sure a fun day!


Here is a great view of our drive into Paradise Valley, Utah. It was fun to be in such a rural landscape and drive on a dirt road to get there (i guess we took the back way thanks to mapquest) It was super bumpy but very picturesque!


Megan loved the taste testing part best of all!


Hailey was a pro at finding the right apples to pick. She was very thorough and conscious about avoiding the nasty worm holed ones! She wanted me to shoot every angle of apple picking...but I'm not a great photographer unfortunately.


"You're letting me pull this off the tree?"


"Is this OK to put in my mouth?"


Our cute trio of kids posing after a fun bout of apple picking...and sampling:P




A successful day of Apple Picking and Pumpkin snatching! Who knew it would be sooo difficult to find a Pick-Your-Own Orchard in Utah! But it was worth the 3 hour roundtrip drive!

Hello Again!

Sorry I haven't been blogging but it's been a crazy summer and now it's finally settling down a bit.

So much has happened! We moved to North Salt Lake, UT to our new home, Ryan started his new job and had a birthday, the girls started first/third grade, Matthew turned 1, and we are somewhat functional and stable;) I'll just post some pics and do more later. We feel so blessed and happy! Thanks for everyone's prayers and support!


Our family on a nice afternoon on Temple Square after the Music and the Spoken Word broadcast. Ryan's second official broadcast conducting one of the songs. He did awesome! We're so proud of him!


Here's a picture of us in the Tabernacle in front of the organ. Ryan's new office is underneath the tabernacle which is pretty cool.


Ryan's thirty-something birthday! The girls designed the cake and I helped them decorate it. It was a fun! We love you daddy! You don't look a day over 25;)


Hailey with her new third grade teacher Mrs. Kidd at their new school Orchard Elementary. They were a bit nervous but mostly excited and have adjusted well to life at a new school.


Megan with her new first grade teacher Mrs. Deaton on her first day of school. She was so excited! Hailey and Megan both have great teachers!


Matthew turns 1 year old! We celebrated with some our friends Abbie and Tyler! I can't believe it's been a year already! He's such a great kid and I can't wait to see what his future will hold. He's finally crawling "normal", pulling himself to standing, climbing the stairs, and has 7 teeth. He loves music, chasing his sisters in his walker, getting tickled, and laughing when I say "no". An all around good natured soul!