What a guy!

I have been in spring cleaning mode. I have been organizing closets, de-cluttering and deep cleaning. Luckily, I have a great husband that is always willing to help out. Of course, I picked cleaning out the closets and stuck him with the toilets. I'm lucky he's such a great sport.

Our little punks

Hayden lets the puppies inside yesterday and said, "Mom, you were right, you chose the good one. Me and daddy, we chose the punk." A little over a year ago, the three of us walked into Petsmart and saw these adorable little puppies. A couple of days prior to this, Toby and Bear had been hit by a car and died, on the same day our adoption fell through. So, the three of us, sat on the ground in Petsmart holding these cute little black fur balls. I fell in love with Princess. She cuddled right into me and I never put her down. Thomas and Hayden played with Spanky for over two hours. None of us would give in on which puppy to get, so we got them both.

Talk about spoiled puppies. But, it is true, Princess is the good one. She is smart and a lot calmer than Spanky. Spanky is truly a punk, but has so much personality. We definitely love our pups.



Thomas was out of town this week for training in St. Louis. I don't know who missed him more, Hayden or the puppies. While we were watching TV, Princess, Spanky and Hayden all had to sit on Thomas' lap. What a crack up. The pups definitely demanded the most attention. We love our little punks, all three of them.

Water balloon fight

Hayden had a ball with all the Murphy's this weekend. We had an egg hunt for the Hayden, Logan and Victoria and a water balloon war. Hayden loves playing in the water. He didn't even mind that although he only had water balloons, his dad had the hose. This was his first time having a water balloon fight and he thought water balloons were the greatest invention ever.

Easter party

Every year all of us Simonton's get together and have a big Easter party. We hide eggs for the kids to find, and Grandpa always brings eggs filled with money. It is fun to see all of the kids searching for the eggs. I love getting together with my family. I wish JD and his family could have been here. We sure miss them, but especially on holidays.

These are some of my favorite pictures from the day. I love watching Hayden playing with his cousins.


And the race is on...


finding eggs...


Cute Brinley girl... she is a doll.


Kaylee climbing a tree. Seriously, she is a monkey.


Grandpa and Hayden


Grandpa and Grandma gave all the boys silly string. I'm glad we were at Josh's house and not mine. What a mess! But they had so much fun!

The cousins, as well as we could get them together.
In the back, Austin, Kaylee, Brooklyn, Katelyn, Kiley.
In the front, Dallin, Brinley, Casen, Braden, Hayden and Brigham

Spring Break

Hayden had a fantastic spring break. He was able to go to his good friend Channing's house on Monday and Tuesday. Danya took all four boys to the Science Center on Monday and then to the park on Tuesday. Hayden loved every minute of it. Danya used to watch Hayden for a couple of years when he was a baby, so he loves spending time with the Paxman's. Spring break also consisted of playing playdough with Brooklyn and Brigham, seeing a movie with his mom and dad, decorating eggs, and a huge Easter party.

He favorite part of his week with the time he spent with each of his Grandmas. Grandma Bonnie took him to see Horton hears a Who and shopping. Grandma Joyce took him to McDonalds playland and to see College Road Trip. He is so lucky to have Grandmas who love him so much and he loves spending time with them. Thanks to everyone who helped make this a wonderful spring break for Hayden.

What a relief!

It is March and I have figured out plans for Hayden during the summer. This is such a feat every year and one that leaves me with all kinds of emotions. I feel guilt, that Hayden has to go to a daycare place during the summer, financially I try to find the best place without killing our budget, and mostly, I try to find the best environment for Hayden. It is a process. I have spent the past couple of weeks trying to find the perfect place for Hayden to be. Through much prayer, effort and asking around, I think I found the best place for Hayden. I am so excited to say that he is enrolled in a summer camp. He is going to have such a fun summer and he is so excited. Talk about a fun program. Every day he goes to a karate class and a tumbling class. They also play t-ball, basketball and soccer at the park every morning and every afternoon they go swimming. Every day they have a different fieldtrip. Once a week they go to Bounce U, Skateland, the movies, and to a museum. He will have a much funner summer than if I were even at home with him. What a relief! I love that we've moved on to summer camps. And, the best part, when we took Hayden to check the place out yesterday, here was his response. "Sweet! You are definetly the best mom ever!!!!" Hearing those words, and feeling the guilt rush away, priceless.

Joyce's mission call

We are so excited that Thomas' mom received her mission call yesterday. She is going to Salt Lake City to the family history center. We are so excited for her! We know she will be an incredible missionary. She starts on May 2, 2008. We will all miss her a lot, especially Hayden. But, we are so happy that she is choosing to serve the Lord.