The Tulip Festival

We just can't let a year go by without at least one trip to the tulip festival!  And today was the perfect day.

These girls of mine are just so beautiful!

But this new "smile" of Tessa's is cracking me up!

It's A....

And we're so VERY VERY excited!

Habitat Projects

The Bishop's Retreat

I don't think I took any pictures last year or talked about it at all, but this was our second year at the Bishop's Retreat.  Our stake presidency organizes a night away with all of the bishops and wives and it is so much fun!  Last year we went to Ogden and this year we were in Provo.

We start off with a trip to the temple Friday morning, this year we did a sealing session at the new Provo City Center Temple.  Afterwards we went to lunch and then broke into two groups for a few hours.  The men have a meeting and discuss bishop stuff... Brad thinks this part is really helpful, getting to bounce around different ideas with the other bishops and the stake presidency.  The wives spend a couple hours getting to know each other better while eating yummy snacks and I totally enjoy it.  That night we went to dinner, I picked up some "rolled" ice cream I was really excited to try and then we headed to a really fun activity.  Last year after dinner we played games back at the hotel and that was a great way to get to know everyone in a more relaxed setting.  This year they booked an hour at Getout Games.  Basically each group is locked in a room for 60 minutes and you have to work together to solve puzzles, crack codes, and get out!  It was SO MUCH FUN!  Our back story was we had snuck into a mob bosses' office and needed to get the gold out of his safe before the hour was up.  It was really tough, but we made it out with 5 minutes to spare.  The other group wasn't so lucky.  Even though it was a more organized activity it was still a great way to let our hair down and have fun with each other.

 The winners...

 Our whole group...

President McMullin and Kerry (second counselor in the stake pres), Bishop Lewis and Lori (1st Ward), President Wood and Aimee (first counselor in the stake pres), Bishop Lefevor and Julie (3rd Ward), President Godfrey and Liz (stake president), Audrey and her fiance (President Godfrey's daughter joined us just for this activity), Brad and I, and Bishop Rodriguez and Laura (5th Ward).  We were missing Bishop Allen and his wife Shena (11th Ward), Bishop Gardner and his wife Anita (4th Ward), and Bishop Sutton and his wife (2nd Ward).

We stayed at the Marriott just a few blocks away from the temple and finished off with breakfast and a quick get together in the morning.

We've really enjoyed these last two retreats and I look forward to going again next year.  I can see why the only advice the former bishop's wife (Brooke Gatten) gave me was not to miss this!

A Fun Day with Papa

Today, while Mimi is at a quilt retreat, we had Papa all to ourselves.  We spent the morning bowling and then walked around the state capital this afternoon.

These goofballs are so crazy.

 I knew the trees were in full blossom, but they were even more beautiful than I expected!

 The kids were much more excited about playing on the steps than looking at the trees.  I've only been here a couple of times, but I'm always in awe at what a stunning building it is.  After walking around inside the boys discovered the only thing better than running up the stairs outside is sliding down the railings!

Zoo Day