The Birthday Girl

Can't believe Averee is 9!  Holy cow-where does the time go?  Well, in our family the kids get a friend birthday party on the even years and a family party on the odd years.  Since it is an odd year for Averee she decided she wanted us to go to Laser Mania then Menchies for her birthday.  YUM!

Adee and Reese enjoying some yummy Menchies

Me & my sweet boy Owen

Then we had all the family over for dinner & cake on Sunday.  Here is Averee with her Animal Cookie Cake.  The kids and Danny made a delish cake! Of course everyone loved the Animal Cookies the best :)

Here is Grandpa & Grandma Jones, Averee, Reese, Cam & Adee

Here is Averee, Reese, Cam, Owen, Adee & Aunt Michelle

The Big Kids: Cole (poor kid broke his leg 2 weeks ago), Savanna & Megan

This is Seth, Stockton, Ian, Uncle Kyle, Uncle Jason & Grandma Verlene

Aunt Michelle, Uncle Todd & Aunt Shannon enjoying some cake & ice cream

Averee was so excited to open her present this morning-and I was too!  I have had it for awhile & couldn't wait for her to open it.

She got an iPod...she has wanted one for so long & couldn't believe she FINALLY got one :)  She is such a good girl & we are so lucky to have her in our family.  She is a wonderful big sister & such a big help to me.  She is so tenderhearted and sweet.  We love you birthday girl!!

Here is the cute birthday shelf I am doing for everyone's birthday.  I made the balloon wreath with some friends, then I made a bunting banner to match ( I laminated it so hopefully it will last all year-I love my laminator!).  I also got a cute idea from Pinterest-it is subway art with all the stats from their birthday.  I made one for each kid & they turned out so cute!

This is Averee's birthday subway art- so fun!

Averee the Ballerina

 Averee loves ballet...and she is really good at it.  Her long term goal is to be on pointe shoes, and she can't wait! :)

 Look at that form!

Here is Averee and her ballet teacher Miss Jennie Wood.  Averee adores her & thinks its so cool that they both have curly hair ;)

Piano Recital

Averee & Adelyn had a piano recital & got to wear their costumes. They were so excited! They both played spooky songs & they did a great job. All that practice really paid off!

Adelyn played a duet with her adorable teacher Camille Jennings

Way to go girls! We are so proud of you!!

Saturday is a special day...

After talking to my friend today (thanks Elsha!) I got to thinking it would be a good idea to document the kids chores-it might be pretty interesting to look back in 10 years & see what the kids did for chores & how much they got paid. Saturday is our cleaning day, everyone is usually home so it is the easiest morning for us to get it all done.
So after breakfast the kids do the chores that they are expected to do each week just as part of living here & contributing to our family:
Averee (8.5)- Deep Clean Room, Clean 2 bathrooms (mirrors, sinks, toilets)
Adelyn (6.5)- Deep Clean Room, Wipe down Living Room furniture (couches, coffee table & end table)
Owen (5)- Deep Clean Room, Wipe down all Light Switches & Door Knobs
Next comes the chores they can do to earn money. The amount of these chores they do is up to them, depending on if they want to earn money or not. But sometimes if they have been naughty, or if I just feel like the house really needs it, I make them do all their money chores:
Averee (8.5)
Wipe down 1 wall of Mom's Choice $.75 (can be done multiple times)
Clean Pantry Shelves $.50
Organize Toy Room $1.00
Clean 5 Doors of Mom's Choice (front & back) $1.50 (can be done multiple times)
Clean Inside Fridge $1.00
Wipe Down Dining Room Table & Chairs $.75
Adelyn (6.5)
Wipe down 1 wall of Mom's Choice $.75 (can be done multiple times)
Clean 5 Doors of Mom's Choice (front & back) $1.50 (can be done multiple times)
Clean Front of Fridge, Back Door Window & TV $.75
Clean Entertainment Center $.50
Clean Kid Tub $.50
Clean Mom's Tub $.50
Clean Front of Stove & Dishwasher $.50
Wipe down 1 Door Frame $.50 (can be done multiple times)
Owen (5)
Wipe down 1 wall of Mom's Choice $.75 (can be done multiple times)
Wipe down Hutch & Under Bar $.50
Clean Front of Kitchen Cabinets (lowers only) $.50
Clean Front of Bathroom Cabinets $.50
Clean Front of Mom's Bathroom Cabinets $.50
Clean Baseboards in 1 Room $.25 (can be done multiple times)
Clean up Backyard (put toys away & pick up garbage) $.25
Well, that's about it. Am I a slave driver? Hopefully no one calls CPS after they read this post :0) The kids seems to actually like the opportunity to earn their own money. Plus, it gives us a chance to teach about savings & tithing. They might just thank us later. We can only hope.

Tuacahn Presents The Little Mermaid

When I found out that Tuacahn was going to do The Little Mermaid this summer, I knew I just had to take the girls. They were so excited! We made it a girls nite out & went with Grandma V & her little neighbor girl, Aunt Alesha, Aunt Angie & cousin Aiva. Grandma brought enough candy for the entire audience, but at least the sugar kept the girls awake-it was a late nite. The performance was amazing & the special effects were awesome! I was surprised by all the different songs-but loved it anyway. So glad we got to do this with some of our favorite girls!

Spring Soccer

Averee, Adelyn, & Owen wanted to try playing soccer this spring. We thought it would be a great idea for the girls to try something besides dance. We also thought it might help Owen get a little tougher. Danny ended up coaching Averee's team which was quite an experience. Dannys didn't love it & says never again, but we'll see. It was fun to see the kids get better each week. The season went by way too fast!

Averee liked to play goalie so she didn't have to run around so much :0)

The hardest part was keeping Reese entertained and off the field during game time!

Owen's friend Tyler Page & his cousin Cam Jones were on his team-FUN!

Adelyn and Owen were in the same league so they got to play each other... luckily there was no fist fights!

Adelyn was a great player-she is the most athletic of our children so far

Owen & Tyler Page passing the time while their sisters play each other

Hoppy Easter to You!

Each year our neighborhood does an Egg Hunt before Easter. The kids love it & we have a great time hanging out with all our neighbors & friends. Easter Morning...The Easter Bunny spoiled us this year! Then we headed to a nearby park for our traditional picnic lunch and to roll eggs down the hill. The kids love to make tracks in the dirt then race their eggs down the hill. Happy Easter everyone!

It's GREAT to be 8!

Where does the time go?! I can't believe Averee is already 8 & getting baptized! We are so proud of her & the choice she has made to follow our Saviour Jesus Christs' example to be baptized. It was so fun to take her shopping for her baptism dress-she is growing up way too fast! She was a little nervous, but mostly just excited, to take this important step in her life.

Ryan & Verlene Christensen, Grandma Funk, Averee, Danny & Maren Jones 4 Generations...Love you Grandma Funk! Dale & Sandy Jones, Averee, Danny & Maren JonesAfter the baptism, we had everyone over for a light dinner & desserts. It was great to hang out with everyone. We have such a wonderful family-they are so supportive. Love you guys!

Happy Birthday Averee!

Averee had her birthday party at the Sand Hollow Aquatic Center this year. We let her invite all the girls from her school class & ward. 17 girls came!! It was quite a fun bunch-the girls had a blast. It was fun to meet all the girls from Averee's school class that she talks about all the time. What a cute group of girls :0)