{Memorial Day}

Well we made it through our second Memorial Day, and I am so grateful to say that this year was a little easier. I have been so worried all winter Nic's headstone wouldn't be set in time. It seemed like the farther we got into spring the more snow we were getting. Thankfully it was set about two weeks before the holiday. It turned out beautiful and I think that he would be really happy with it. The saying on the back of it was from his most spiritual experience on his mission. He had written it down and closed with this statement.







Neil and i took the kids up on Saturday. He is such a great guy and always helps me take the kids up to see their dad.



The kids picked out this hanging basket because it had blue for Mason and pink for Avery.



My mom and dad also went with us.



We went again on Sunday, and there were a few more flowers.

Also I was going through some of Nic and I's stuff the other day and found an old memory card that had pictures I had never seen (since the day I took them) on it. There was some really cute ones. I decided for memorial day I would post them so that everyone could remember what Nic's smiling face was like :).

This picture made us all laugh so hard. My Grandma and Grandpa Daniels were on a mission in Nauvoo this Christmas, and they had knitted us all these hats and scarves. They were amazing, and as you can tell Nic loved his. (Maybe a little to much)

This is our very first snowman.



I just loved this pic of him with Mason. It is a classic Nic picture. Do you like Mason's pants? Nic pulled them clear up to his chin.

Well I hope you enjoyed my Nic memorial post. We all miss, and love him very much. I have to say though how grateful I am for Neil. I know that this was Nic and I's plan, and I am so grateful that there was also a plan to take care of the kids and I until we can all be reunited. I am so grateful for the gospel and the knowledge it gives us. Thank you so much to all of you that thought about and remembered Nic on Memorial Day.

{farm hands}

It is finally farming season (now that we are not covered in six feet of snow) and so we decided to go and ride with Uncle Robbie in his tractor. The kids loved it. Robbie had a play list on his ipod with all of the old classic songs he and Nic loved during past farming season. We had a lot of fun jamming out to them. The kids would go back and forth from trying to sing along to looking at us like we were nuts. It was a lot of fun.

For a side note. Nic and I used to call this tractor our race car because it is on tracks not wheels and it turns on a dime. One afternoon I came home from work or school, and Nic had built a race track in the field using dirt and a few straw bails. We climbed in my race car and away we went. It is a fun memory that I have of him. I don't know if Mike (his dad) has any idea we used to cruise in his tractor. Sorry Mike. :)

{feeding the ducks}

Our ward has a little mommies group that meets once a month, and always does fun things. Well, this month we went to feed the ducks. Most of the kids were pretty timid, stayed by their moms, and fed the ducks when they would waddle over to them. NOT MY KIDS! Avery was chasing them every where screaming "quack quack come here duckies." Mason wasn't any better. When my kids chased all of the ducks into the water they were trying to figure out how to get them back. Mason logically said,"we can jump into the water swim over to them and make them come back up." Isn't he smart. Those poor ducks were grateful when the Steinmann kids drove away. The kids had a lot of fun though, and we loved seeing all of the kids in the ward.

{That Darn Dog}

Last Saturday I was in Idaho Falls shopping and Neil had the kid's. On my way home he called me and said that Mason had been bit by mom's dog. So I hurried home so that we could take him to the E.R. The dog had bit through Mason's top lip and they had to call the plastic surgeon in. The DR ended up having to do two layers of stitches. One layer to stitch the tissue back together,and another layer to stitch the skin back together. He did an awesome job and you can hardly tell what happened. Mason was such a trooper. He didn't even cry when the DR stitched him up. Expecially after we promised him a new spider man.

{SAND DUNES}

So last week we had the great idea that we would buy a turtle sand box and put it in our backyard (or slab of concrete) so that the kids would have something to do. We went out to the sand dunes to get the sand. The kids had so much fun running up the hills and rolling down them, and Neil had a lot of fun trying to see how far he could get his dually pickup up the hills. (Not smart that thing is not the lightest vehicle out there.) Anyway, it was a lot of fun. Unfortunately though the sand box is already going away. I didn't stop to think about how much sand would be drug into my house everyday. I find little piles of it everywhere. It is out of control. I guess they will just have to play in the dirt at Suey's and Grandma Kim's

{NEW COUSIN}

We had a new addition to the Parkinson fam. Neil's little sister Lori and her husband Braide had thier second baby, a little girl named Taylor Emrie. The kids loved her, and it was so much fun to hold a brand new baby. (Notice Mason's amazing spiderman goggles and swim gear that he wore all over town :)

{Goin to Cali}

In the end of April my fam (Neil Kids and I) my mom , and my sister carl decided to take a little trip to cali and see my friend Teresa and her family. My sister Che and her husband landon also met us down there. The kids were so excited they got to ride on an airplane (which was great until the ride got a little bumpy) then when we got to cali we went to the beach, disneyland, and hollywood.
We had so much fun Mason was so excited when who should we see at hollywood, but the REAL spiderman. He just couldn't believe it. The kids also had lots of fun playing in the fountains. The next day we took the kids to disneyland. Avery was thrilled she kept telling us that she "loves princesses." She was so excited and gave them all huge hugs. She was also so excited to see tigger and kept telling him "tigger i avy steinmann and i love you." It was so cute. Poor Neil had never been to an amusement park and never hauled a 2 and 4 year old around. Halfway through the day he looked at Suey and said "this is a lot of work." He is such a trooper and we all had a lot of fun. Then we went to california adventure where the kids had even more fun seeing all of their favorite characters. And mom found Cruella Devil's trailer we had to convince her that it wasn't hers :)
While we were there the weather was in the hundreds so the last day we decided to go back to the beach. We were a little deceived by the cool ocean air and decided it would be smart to use tanning accelerator instead of sunscreen. Bad idea for Neil and Carl's white leg. Carl couldn't even wear shoes home. She was cursing the dang lotion. (don't worry though because the evil airport security lady confiscated it) We had so much fun. I think our first family trip was a success. (sorry there are no pics of you and landon che. My camera died at disneyland the first day and I don't have any you will have to email me some.)

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