April

OK so now that it is almost halfway through May I guess it's time to write about April:)  We had a great April and what made it so great you might ask?  Well for starters, it really was Spring.... daffodils, tulips, rain showers, warmer weather..the works.  Spring is ALWAYS so wonderful, but even more so after the long cold winter we had this year.  However,the thing that really made April great was our Hatch Family Reunion a the mansion/party house in St. George.  41 hatches spending a long weekend (Thurs-Sun) together under one roof could only amount to an amazing time:)  The fact that the house itself is pretty amazing didn't hurt either.  This house has all the amenities a hoard of Hatches would need---air hockey, ping-pong, indoor swimming pool, outdoor swimming pool, hot tub, sand volleyball court, basketball court, big theater room, huge kitchen, and plenty of sleeping areas for everyone.  With 25 out of 41 of those Hatches being children, it was quite a happy time for all the cousins.  The weather decided to cooperate as well..it was beautiful and sunny the whole time.

The indoor pool--night swimming

Outdoor pool

fun for everyone!  especially when you can gang up on grandpa:)

One afternoon we took the kids on a cool hike.  While hiking we even got to see drag racing on the bluff where the old airport use to be.  The boys loved that.

 Another afternoon we all went to this great park.  They had a lot of unique playground equipment.

 However, my FAVORITE part of the park was running into the Walter family.  I never get to see those kids anymore!  Turns out they were staying pretty close to where we were.  Matt and the boys saw them again that night at the priesthood session of conference.

Miranda and Katie

Another afternoon Matt's brother Mike set up a photo shoot.  Here's a look at SOME of the families who partied hard with us:)

Grandma and Grandpa Hatch

Matthew, Owen, Mike, Jen,  Holly, and Brooklyn Hatch

Katie, Audrey, Brooke, Elise, and Brian Mangum

Jenna, Rand, Cara, Laura, and Sierra Rupper

Alice and Ben Patron with a lucky Nathan:)

The beautiful Miranda

It was so amazingly fun just to hang out with family and let the children hang out.  I have some pretty cute nieces and nephews.  Here's a look at a few:)

Jack

Adella

Elise

The whole weekend was about being one big happy family.  We had such a great time! We are so lucky !

The rest of April was spent in normal day to day life...school, housework, and kids. Near the end of the month, due to a family crisis, our friends and former neighbors, the Marnicks (also the owners of our foster kitty), moved into our basement.  At the beginning of June they are moving to Denver, so we will only have them here for a short time, but we are bound to have a good time while we have them here.  Christy's husband Bob has already moved to Denver, so Christy is just here with her kids, Blake 5, Zach 9, and Shelby 16 until school gets out.  We feel very fortunate to be in a situation to help them bridge this gap:)

Also at the end of the month I went to a wedding reception for one of Jacob's close high school friends...a girl he went to a few dances with...a fellow trombonest...and I have to admit it was hard.  There is NO way my children are getting that old! After I left, I cried the whole way home.  I DO NOT want my kids to grow up and leave my nest, but they are and I'm not too happy about it!