Rachel likes the grass

Rachel is so happy to be sitting outside on a blanket in the grass. She'll spend a good 20 minutes picking blades of grass and watching her siblings play. It's kind of nice that she isn't crawling yet, in that respect (soon she'll be headed for the street)! I wanted to capture some photos of her in the natural light.

Our Dancer, Elizabeth

Elizabeth started taking a combination dance class in January. It has been the best thing for her! It has been a great way to redirect her energy away from constantly leaping off the couch. Here are some pictures of her after her dance recital and a short video clip of her performing at the Utah Valley dance competition (her class took first for her entire age division!). In the video, she is second from the left at the back (sorry we couldn't get closer).

Cute Videos of Rachel

Here's a clip of Rachel's "a-da" conversation with her daddy.



And here's one more, of Rachel clapping every time we say "yea!"

Emma rides a bike

I looked out the window yesterday, and noticed not Elizabeth, but Emma, riding her sister's bike! I was pretty surprised!

Our New Family Room!

The first couch we've ever bought!

Before the carpet was installed

We just finished our basement family room, an eight-month process! We are SO EXCITED! Last Monday we had our "moving day" to rearrange and assemble furniture and other things in our living room, family room, and master bedroom. It feels like a new house!

The Aaron Family Invades Disneyland

We took the kids to Disneyland in February for four days. It was such a blast! Everyone thoroughly enjoyed himself. Even Rachel showed her approval with various coos and chews on her fists. She was mellow on nearly every ride. Elizabeth was, as always, our little daredevil who fearlessly rode every ride and even begged to go on Space Mountain (we encouraged her to wait a couple years). Matthew, who has always been a bit hesitant about tall or fast rides, quickly overcame his fear after plunging into the briar patch on Splash Mountain. He nervously asked me, "Mom, where is the big hill?" Mom: "Matthew, that was the big hill." Matthew: "No, the really big hill." Mom: "Matthew, that was the really big hill!" Matthew: "Oh." He decided that Splash Mountain was his favorite ride after that. Emma felt somewhat left out of the rides she was too short to go on, insisting, "I am tall enough!". So we had to arrange the ride schedule to ensure lots of opportunities for her to go on rides, too.

Newport Beach Temple

February 9th we left the cold and snow in Utah behind and took a family vacation to southern California. We had a blast staying with Rob (Sarah's brother) and Kimberly and family. On February 10, we drove with the kids to see the Newport Beach Temple. It was a beautiful, clear day, and perfect for taking some pictures.