Birthdays in May

 Bryan's birthday was on Memorial Day this year. He took the day off (working for an airline you get very few holidays off) and relaxed and enjoyed the day. His surprise present was a pillow pet from Ty. Yes, we got him a BYU pillow pet. He says the couch cushions are not soft enough and so this will be his 'napping on the couch' pillow.

 His big gift was an RC 10 car. He has been wanting one for years!

Lucas took out his remote controlled car and Bryan took out his. Bryan's car is FAST. We have told Lucas that if he learns to drive his REALLY well, then maybe he will get one like Bryan's in a few years.

They raced their cars, we ate a lot of food, and we ended the day with peach pie and homemade ice cream. Happy birthday Bryan!!

 Ty turned four years old on May 14th and on the 12th of May he had his first ever friend's party. It was pirate themed and Lucas helped us out by being the 'bad' pirate who stole the kids treasure.

We had a lot of fun playing games and then having a treasure hunt to find our treasure chest that Lucas stole.

 One of the games was bombing Lucas with water balloons from the upstairs window.

 Then they fought Lucas and won the treasure back.

 I love this picture of Ty! This turned out to be one of his favorite toys!

 A couple of days later on the 14th we had a little family party. We had dinner at McDonald's (Ty's choice of course) and then we went home for cake, ice cream, and presents. He got some fun new toys that he has been playing with ever since.

We love having Ty in our home and my life would be so different right now without him. He is fun and happy and full of life. He loves playing with his toys, riding his batman big wheel, and finding all my hidden treats so that he can eat them too. He is a mommy's boy and I love it. I know it won't last forever and so I'll enjoy it while I can.

Easter

 We dyed eggs on Friday morning while Steph and Grandma were here. I know the boys loved it since they don't get to do eggs with Grandma every year.

 The boys had lots of fun and I love using the colorful eggs for the next couple of weeks. We boil a few but most we just dye raw. Then there are lots of eggs to dye but not too many we have to eat quickly.

 After we dyed eggs I went with Steph and mom to the Bountiful Temple for a family sealing of one of my mom's cousins. It was SO great to see my extended family and it reminded me of the love I have for all of them. Most of them live in California and I haven't been back for a long time. It was so wonderful to see and visit with them. It was also the first time I've been to a sealing with a family with kids. I just remember seeing their three boys come in and feeling so happy to have the gospel. I'm lucky I was able to go!

Easter morning was a lot of fun. I should say our Saturday Easter morning because that is when the Easter Bunny comes to our home. The bunny wasn't going to leave anything but candy this year but at the last minute found a great deal on a couple of Darth Maul lightsabers! They have been dueling with them ever since. Easter Sunday was relaxing and peaceful, plus Bryan was released as the Elder's Quorum President! It has been an adjustment for him but overall he is feeling great and that he did what he needed to do in the calling.

Build a Bear

 For Ty's fourth birthday Grandma Garner and Aunt Stephanie took Ty to Build-a-Bear to pick out a stuffed animal. His birthday isn't until May but we went a little early since they were down here a couple of weeks ago. We gave him four different choices and he picked a cute puppy.

 It was so fun watching him as the lady filled his puppy full of stuffing...

and as he kissed the heart to put in the puppy.

Thanks to Steph and Grandma for such a wonderful experience! I know he loved it, and so did I.

40th Birthday

 Last year sometime I mentioned to a friend of mine how it would be fun to be surprised on my 40th birthday. I'm sure I mentioned this in passing but she remembered. I knew they were planning something but Bryan fooled me by telling me it was on Saturday--just something small. So Thursday I go to pick him up at McDonald's due to an immense lie about being out for JetBlue with another person and her car breaking down. I get him and he drives over to Olive Garden, while I'm telling him he's going the wrong way, and says, 'You've got dinner in there. Have fun!' I was shocked!! I can't even tell you how many things Bryan misled me on last week. I've discovered that he is a great liar! Luckily for me he doesn't have to do it very often.

 I went in and discovered a lot of my friends and my mom and Stephanie had come from Idaho! It was such a fun night and I am so grateful for those who made the effort to come. It really did make me feel loved (even though they all looked great and I didn't necessarily since I didn't know I'd be in a restaurant that night). After dinner we went over to a friends home and watched a video Bryan made of my life. It was a great way to end the night.

 Then Saturday we went to the Brick Oven--located in South Jordan for dinner. We love the fact there is now a Brick Oven only 15 minutes from our home. Before dinner we went and saw Mirror Mirror with the boys.

Sunday we ended my four day celebration with chocolate pie and presents from Bryan and the boys. My big gifts were two rocking chairs for the front porch. Now I can read and watch Ty ride his bike in comfort.

I had a wonderful birthday filled with family and friends. The past couple of years I've dreaded turning 40 but last week I realized it really is not a big deal. I'm happy and blessed and having a wonderful life.

Spring Game at BYU

 We haven't been to the BYU spring game for a few years and so we were looking forward to a fun family activity. As Cougar Club members we got to sit up in a box for the game where we were provided water and pop.

 After drinking a soda Lucas went down by the field and followed Cody Hoffman around. It was fun to watch him from above. Towards the end of the game we went down to find Lucas. All of a sudden Lucas runs by us and says, 'Cody Hoffman said he would give me his gloves!' We follow him and find out that at one point he had asked for Hoffman's gloves and he replied with, 'After.' So after the game Bryan put Lucas over the railing and Lucas ran and found him.

 He came running back to us with a glove (Hoffman said he could only give him one). We went back down on the field and asked him to sign it.

 We also found Bret Thompson who served in the Louisville mission and knows Ben. Bryan told him we were Jeppsens and that he was Ben's brother. He was great and even let Lucas put on his helmet for the picture.

We all had such a great time and now we can't wait until the fall when the football season starts!

Home Alone

Bryan had the opportunity to do some software training in Orlando Florida for a week and a half. It was a great thing for him but I have always hated being home alone. However, I have to say that although I missed Bryan it wasn't too bad. I still stayed up past 1 AM every night but not because of strange noises or because I freaked myself out thinking about all the bad things that could happen. I still checked the doors and windows plenty of times but I no longer felt the need to jam a chair under the door that leads to the basement. So what was the difference between this time and previous times? One--Lucas and I fasted that Bryan would be okay on his trip and that we would be okay here at home. Two--I have two kids who keep me busy. Three--I think I finally decided I needed to grow up and deal with being alone sometimes. Four--I decided that if someone was going to get into our home it did no good for me to worry about it. The most I can do is lock us in and go to sleep. In fact I enjoyed the late nights where I read and read and read with the light on until 1 or 2 AM.

Bryan came home last Wednesday and brought us all back a gift from Orlando. Lucas got a Harry Potter jersey, Ty a Spiderman shirt, Lynne a Harry Potter scarf, and Bryan picked out a Spiderman stocking hat for himself. We're so happy to have him home with us again!