Jilly Bean

Two!

2012-01-26T20:00:00.000-08:00

Happy 2nd birthday, Hazel!!

How can my wee baby be two already? Where does the time go? I want to push pause and keep her this sweet, happy, snuggly, innocent thing for as long as possible.

She sincerely is a joy. She's like Mary Poppins...practically perfect in every way. She even unloads the dishwasher. Yes, you heard me right. She unloads the dishwasher. And puts her toys away while singing, "Clean up, clean up. Everybody do your share." And she snuggles me. Oh, I wish I could keep her in this stage for just a little while longer.

We started the birthday off right...with a partay in the morning! Crepes for breakfast...

...and a pile of presents!

Look at the excitement and intrigue on her face!

It's a lovely necklace from her GreatPapa Sperry. Thank you, Papa.

More excitement. She really knew how to respond when opening her presents. It was so cute.

All dolled up! She loves this dress.

These two cute little girlies are Hazel's favorite pals. They were born within ten days of each other. We had a really simple birthday party and invited these girls, along with their moms and siblings.

Cupcakes! Hazel anticipated her birthday with balloons, cupcakes, and a party with her friends. A side note, see the tablecloth on the table? It is my mom's. She had it on our table for all of our birthdays growing up. I love that tablecloth. I love that it's a real linen rather than a plastic cloth. And I love the continuity found in having it at all our family's birthdays over the years. I made a banner to match it. I love that little banner. I had fun making it and hope it will have the same effect as the tablecloth, linking family members together through our birthday traditions.

We finished off the night with a dinner party at Red Robin!

She got shy when the servers sang to her. She snuggled in to me and hid her face...peaking out every now and then. She liked the whipped cream!

Just for fun, Daddy's boots. I thought it was so funny when she wanted to put these on. She couldn't step into them herself so I helped her out. Once she got them on, she felt pretty proud to be in Daddy's boots.

2011 family photo shoot

2012-01-26T19:32:00.000-08:00

We had a lot of fun doing our photo shoot. This park had peacocks roaming free. They were beautiful. The kids loved following them through the orange orchards.

Sneaking up. He almost caught that one! Not really.

I love this funny face picture. It's especially cute to me because Hazel just figured out how to make a funny face for the camera. Love it.

Angels? Or rascals? Both! I adore these little people.

I love the morning sun shining through the slats and the rustic garbage can. So fun.

I love him!

I really love him!

Aaron is a really good photographer. I'm proud to be his wife. Who would have thought an engineer could capture such beautiful pictures? And he's an incredible dad too. Dang, I'm lucky!

Ring in the new year!

2012-01-26T19:01:00.000-08:00

I love New Year. We partied at home. Then partied at our neighbor's house. Then we partied more at home. It was great! Rootbeer floats, as usual, for New Year's Eve.

And funny faces.

More funny faces.

More.

And more still.

This was Lily's first time to stay up until midnight to ring in the New Year. Usually we celebrate midnight at about 7:00 p.m., put the kids to bed, then go to bed ourselves. But this year I decided to stay up until midnight and invite anyone else to join me. Lily joined in immediately. Aaron finally caved at the last minute and decided to stay up with us. We played dominos, drank sparkling apple cider, and watched our neighbors' fireworks from Lily's window. It was fun!

A few days later we got to see my brother, Jordan, and his family! They drove across the country for his internship. We were soooo excited that their drive took them through Flagstaff.

Hazel and Ian were excited to see each other again.

Jordan was excited to see LaMar's donuts again. He discovered these when they were living down here. So we surprised him with some. Yum.

Trick or treat!!

2011-11-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

Trick or treat!!

"Trick or treat, smell my feet! Give me something good to eat!" Carter discovered that song this year. He thought it was pretty funny. Apparently Lily already knew the song, with the second verse, "If you don't, I don't care..." Carter heard it once and thought it was hilarious. Surprisingly, they sang it once, and, at my request, that was all. Now we just make knowing allusions to it and all smile at each other, rather than sing it over and over again.

I usually like to have a family theme for our costumes, but Lily knew early on that she wanted to be a vampire for Halloween. I was so surprised because we don't usually do "scary" things for Halloween. But Lily was set on it because she and her pals play vampires during recess. So she and her closest girl friend dressed as matching vampires for our church trunk-or-treat activity. Unfortunately, I left my camera at home, so I don't have a picture of the girls together. :(

3, 2, 1...blast off! I can't get enough of Carter the astronaut! I just think he's so darn cute. He wasn't dreaming of being an astronaut for Halloween, we just found this awesome costume and chose it on a whim. After we bought the costume he told me several times, "I don't really want to be an astronaut. I want to be an airplane coyote." Gosh, I just didn't know what that was. He explained that it's an airplane that looks like a coyote. I'm still trying to figure out how to make that costume...so we stuck with the astronaut!

Carter had a super fun party at preschool. I'm so glad I could go. I loved watching him play and do the freeze dance. It was the cutest thing. What made it so stinking cute was that he was watching his teacher, Minnie Mouse, for cues on how to dance. She'd swing her hips and move her arms up and down, and Carter would do the same. His eyes were almost always glued on her. It was adorable!

Can it get any cuter than this?!!? I had two costumes for her to choose from: a cute little witch or this rooster. She wouldn't have anything to do with the witch dress and hat...but she loooves this chicken suit. I love seeing her walk around in it...the tail bobs back and forth over her diaper-bum and the little wings flap as she runs around. I love it!

Ask her what a chicken says, and she'll tell you, "Bock, bock."

As happens more often than I'd like to admit, we took care of the kids and sort of neglected to take care of ourselves. :) At the last minute I pulled out these witch accessories that I've worn a million times, and Aaron pulled out these scrubs, and voila, there we are! Not too exciting, but at least we're dressed up and ready to go trick-or-treating with our kids!

As is tradition, we visited our good friends on Halloween night. They had some extra special surprises for the kids. Four years ago Lily told them she loved Pixie Stix, and they've never forgotten. They give her a stash of them every year! (My kids love their cute dog, Scooby. He brushes his own teeth and loves to wear sunglasses!)

Sugar cookies

2011-10-31T13:22:00.000-07:00

I love sugar cookies! I love being with my kids. This sugar cookie-making venture was the most fun we've had yet!

Working together! I love that my kids are becoming big helpers. They're doing more and more around the house to help out, and I love it!

Yummy anticipation!

Frosting cookies is work! Carter and Lily both frosted two each, I frosted the other 48.

Yummmm.

Attention to detail.

I just had to stick this one in because it's so cute! Hazel enjoyed her olives while we frosted cookies. It's funny to note that our cousin, Hannah, has a picture very similar to this on her blog this month. Hmm, they must be related!

Our masterpieces!

She didn't frost, but she sure did eat!

We had so much fun making sugar cookies that we did it again when our buddies came over. It was a lot of fun!

It's autumn time!

2011-10-20T13:40:00.000-07:00

We don't exactly have autumn weather here. When it finally cools down, it's in the 90s. So I took my kids up to Flagstaff for some fall weather over a long weekend.

Our nature walk in the crisp air was so great! It helps that Uncle Neal plants crystals in his rock bed. My sweet aunt and uncle let us stay at their house. They were out of town and we missed playing with them. Carter was particularly bummed that Grandpa Neal wouldn't be there.

Gathering leaves, sticks, rocks, pine cones, and the like.

Cuteness!

Carter wouldn't smile for a picture. So I said something silly like, "There's a booger on your earlobe" and it got him smiling.

It snowed!!!! It was only a very tiny bit, and it melted when it touched the ground, but to us that was pretty darn exciting!

Hazy's first fall nature walk.

Lily sat down with a book, a mug of hot chocolate, and she was a happy girl on a cold afternoon. My daughter is just like me! She's a complete bookworm! I would read as much as she does, if I could. But I can't, because mommies have a lot of work to do. She's read over 2,000 pages for her school's read-a-thon in the last 5 weeks!

Carter was happy on this cold afternoon too: building for his vehicles. He played trains and cars all afternoon.

Hooray for long weekend trips!

I {heart} San Diego.

2011-09-27T13:20:00.000-07:00

Aaron took me to San Diego last weekend. It was wonderful.

Here are some of my favorite things from the weekend.

Gelato. Coconut and hazelnut. If you know me really well, I don't need to say more. But I will say more, because I adore hazelnut. I fell in love with it while I lived in France on my mission. When I saw hazelnut gelato I gripped Aaron's arm in excitement. I think my strength and delight surprised him a little. Yes, we got the same gelato on our first and last days on the trip.

Pizza is my favorite food. Filippi's quite possibly has my favorite pizza. It's loaded with cheese and vegetables. The sauce is made from scratch. The only thing wanting was whole grain crust, it was white. I'll definitely be returning to Filippi's on our return trip.

We went to the San Diego temple. It is exquisitely beautiful inside. My brother, Jaren, and his wife, Melinda, were married there, so it brought back sweet memories for us.

Flowers outside the temple.

We enjoyed the Mormon Battalion in Old Town. It was educational, fun, and really well presented. Kids love it: dressing up as a battalion member, pumping water from an old well, and panning for gold. It'll be fun to bring the kids back.

Yummmmmy mexican at Cafe Coyote, at the recommendation of a pal.

Another friend tipped us off to Crystal Pier. It's a row of houses on a pier over the ocean. It was fun to walk out over the water and watch the surfers.

The charming little houses on the pier were white with blue trim. Each house had its own design cut-out on the shutters. My favorites were the light houses and sea horses.

I love the beaches in La Jolla.

Did I mention that I love the beaches in La Jolla? They are so beautiful.

I don't know what the red fabric is on the ground...I just like the picture of Aaron.

I love, love, love this man. I adored him when we got married 10 years ago. I had no idea then how much more I could possibly love and appreciate him. He is a perfect match for me, and I'm so thankful he's mine.

The seals on Children's Pool Beach were really fun to see. Again, I can't wait to take my kids back to see them.

I enjoyed the break from all my regular tasks: planning, making, and cleaning up after meals; waking up at 5:00 a.m.; trying to keep the house running, etc. And I really loved having time with just my love. But I also really missed my kids. Hence, their initials in the sand.

This beach had super cool coloring in the sand. I wish I knew what it was from. Anyone know? Anyway, it looks cool.

Sandy feet. It was too chilly to swim, but I loved walking on the beach. The sand felt good on my feet.

Thank you oodles to Jeanette, my mom-in-law, who took care of the kids so we could have a good time.

I love Aaron. I {heart} San Diego.

To school!

2011-08-16T12:41:00.000-07:00

Farewell to summer... I love having my kids home with me in the summer time. This summer has been especially neat because Lily and Carter have reached a new peak in their sibling friendship. This summer they clicked and reached the point where they have so much fun playing together. They'd run off and imagine, collaborate and create, be clever and silly together, and have a great time. That's new for them. I loved seeing that this summer. And so it's with a little sadness on my part that I hugged them goodbye on their first days of school this year. Back to the rushed schedules and not as much family time...bummer.

Carter started preschool last week. We had planned to go in early so Carter could meet his teacher, see his classroom, and the preschool dog. (He's very scared of dogs, but has been working to overcome his fear.) The morning after we got back from vacation I called his teacher to set up a time to come visit. To my surprise, she said it started that day!! Fortunately we had all his supplies ready, so we got to start preschool earlier than we thought! (Yes, he brushed his teeth right before we left, so there's a big wet spot on his shirt!)

When we got to school he was so excited! I can't get over how he put his little fists up to his chin in excitement! The reason he's not looking at the camera is because this is his first glimpse of his classroom and he can't peel his eyes away from all the exciting things around him!

He hung up his backpack...Toy Story, not Princess! His teacher has a really fun set up. I wish I could be in his preschool class! I'm so excited for Carter. He is loving preschool already: the friends, the playing, the coloring, and writing, and even the dog! He actually pets Sandy, the dog! If you've ever seen Carter in the presence of a dog, you know that's significant.
I'm impressed with Carter's worksheets. We haven't done very much coloring and drawing with Carter because it hasn't interested him (hello, trucks and trains or a pencil?). So I was a little worried that Carter would have a hard time with crayon work. Well, I was pleasantly surprised to see his great coloring and line tracing skills!

I am such a goober and I forgot to get a picture of Lily before her first day of school yesterday!! I was so disappointed. So I resolved to get a picture of her after school. It seems she had a great first day of second grade...but she was tired.

I took her picture outside her classroom, and between "smiling" shots, I snapped this one of her. I think it accurately captures how she felt.

She has a lot of friends from previous years in her class, and is excited about meeting new ones. Lily is growing so much. This first day of school is still exciting, yet in some ways it seemed like "old hat" to her, as if she's been doing this for years and she's a pro. Well, I guess she is.

We're very excited about Lily's teacher. She is an excellent teacher, with high regards from Lily's first grade teacher. I think Lily's going to love her second grade year.

My kids are growing up. It is wonderful to see them become more independent and helpful, yet I know it means my apron strings are getting even longer and longer. Sometimes that's a little sad for me. In spite of my mommy heart missing them while they're away, I'm completely excited about the adventures they'll have and the growth that awaits them.

Swim!

2011-07-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

Lily's on swim team this summer. She's loving it. I'm so proud of this girl! On the first day of practice they said, "Jump in and swim across the pool." She swam 25 meters right there, and has been doing it since then.

She looks so little out there in that long lane!

Lily swims freestyle, back stroke, breast stroke, and butterfly. I'm proud of her gumption and determination.

I love this photo! It captures a glimpse of the friendship between Lily and Carter. I love watching them play and get creative together this summer. I love summer!!!!!!

I'm also very proud of my Carter boy. As of yet, swimming is more scary than fun for Carter. But he was so brave in his swim lessons this summer!

Carter was so scared to jump. His teacher, my good friend Nancy, had to count down for him a few times to get him to jump. Look at his face...so scared, but brave!

Another brave jump!

Nancy taught him to roll over to his back for a breath...

...then roll back to his stomach and swim.
Carter's getting more and more comfortable, the more time with spend in the pool.

What do the other kids and I do while one kid is swimming?...play in the heat.

Hazel's first ventures on a ladder occurred during Carter's swim lessons. She was pretty excited about that.

Multiple choice

2011-06-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

How did Aaron dislocate his pinky?

a. flipping oatmeal pancakes
b. karate chopping a cinder block
c. taking a spill while mountain biking

Aaron and Jordan returned from their early morning ride a little earlier than I expected. Aaron held up his hand and said, "I need to go." My stomach churned and my adrenaline started pumping when I saw his discombobulated finger. Jordan was so kind to accompany him to the ER, which allowed me to take care of the kiddos. Thanks, Jordy.

Aaron's owies are fixed up, he's a little sore, and he's back to work.

2011-05-21T10:53:00.000-07:00

I'm hosting an Arbonne catalog party! I used their products as a teenager and recently discovered it again because my friend is an Arbonne consultant.

A catalog party works like this: instead of meeting up at my house for a party, you can browse the products on line and make a purchase by contacting me. If you aren't familiar with Arbonne products, I can connect you to Dawne, my friend, and she'll introduce you to them.

I've loved the Arbonne products I've used because they're made of botanical ingredients, which are great for our skin, they look and feel fantastic, and they last a long time.

The perk to the catalog party is that there is no tax and a flat rate shipping fee. So, if you're interested, give me a call or email and I'll send your order over to Dawne!

Mother's day

2011-05-09T09:02:00.000-07:00

Mother's day was very sweet. Aaron and the kids took good care of me. I love my kiddos immensely. Sometimes it feels like my heart will burst.

I also enjoyed thinking about my sweet mom. My gratitude for her grows more as the years move on. She is wonderful!

I call it an eskimo kiss. He re-dubbed it the ladybug kiss.

Another great treat: my brother and his family are staying with us for a couple of months this summer! We got to have Mother's day together.

This is Kelly's first Mother's day. Her little boy is so cute. We love having him here. He's so easy-going and laid back. He just fits right in with all the kids here.

Warrior Dash!

2011-04-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

Aaron and I ran a crazy fun race last weekend. It's a 5k peppered with obstacles that have you climbing over cargo net structures, leaping over fire, and sloshing through a mud pit under barbed wire. We intended to run it together, but didn't have anyone to watch the kiddos. So we staggered our runs and went separately.

Before the mud pit...

...and after.

Wahoo!

The Warrior Dash has a viking theme...hence the viking horns.

The mud pit leaves you utterly covered in mud. To clean off you get sprayed down!

Over the fire.

In the mud.

Dir.ty.

Wahoo!! It was so much fun!

A few things

2011-04-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

1. I just signed up for the St. George marathon!! I've been thinking of running a marathon for a while. Now is the time for me to do it! Only 7,400 of those who register will be selected, by lottery, to participate. Cross your fingers for me that I'll be chosen! The race is October 1st. If you want to run with me or come cheer me on, I'd love it!

2. I'm completely excited about something. It's my vacuum and mop! Long story, short: I've had tile woes since I moved here 4 1/2 years ago. Nothing to properly vacuum/sweep and mop my hard floors. Our new house has a lot of tile, and it's textured. So I need something good.

Well, my genius husband found the perfect solution: our shop vac! It's been sitting in our garage all these years and I haven't thought to use it on the tile. He tried it and it works like a dream! It picks everything up! I love that my problem is solved, and didn't have to spend money on it.

As for the mop, I got an industrial mop and bucket. I love them. They make mopping so much easier and pleasant. The mop was inexpensive and the bucket was a bit more, but so worth it!

3. I'm going to make my blog private. I'd love for you to keep looking at my blog, so pretty please leave me a comment with your email address and I'll send you an invite.

Happy Easter

2011-04-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

The kids had fun finding the eggs and baskets left by the Easter bunny. Lily darted through the backyard gathering the eggs. We had to remind her to leave some for Carter and Hazel too!

The eggs were a hit. My kids had fun playing with the empty eggs after they extracted their loot.

Hazel was adorable! I put the basket in her hand and she took off for the eggs. She picked them right up and plopped them inside.

She loves sunglasses. She tries to wear mine but they slip off her face. When she got this pair, she was so happy!

I included this picture simply because I love it. Aaron took it and captured my cute Carter (and his love of trains) well.

Grandma Ford was here for our early Easter celebrations. I'll post pictures of her visit later. We had soooo much fun with her here. I keep telling her she needs to just move down here, but I haven't convinced her yet!

We enjoyed our religious Easter celebrations as well. I love Jesus Christ and am indescribably grateful for his Atonement and resurrection.

In addition to Easter, this Sunday brought a significant change for our family. Our bishopric was released, including Aaron from his position as first counselor. It's been a privilege for our family to serve the Lord in that capacity. It wasn't without challenge, having Aaron away from our family a lot. I'm thankful for the growth it has afforded us. I'm absolutely, 100% ecstatic to think that now we'll be able to drive to church together, sit together in Sacrament meeting, and have Aaron home more on Sundays and weeknights!!! We'll enjoy the reprieve, short as it may be!

Our new bishop is a family friend. We adore him and his wife. I look forward to how our ward will be blessed by their love and dedication. His counselors are great. Their wives (my friends) are babes, I might add. God bless them all!

I LOVE SPRING BREAK!!

2011-04-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

I love spring break now even more than I did as a kid! School days are long, busy, and most of the time I get with Lily is spent reminding her of what she needs to do to get ready for school, do homework, or get ready for bed. Needless to say, I LOVE when she has time off of school.

Spring break was awesome!!! My dad came to visit us for the first time. It was great having him here. We learned that Grandpa Clark loves Oreos and Froot Loops. He loves Oreos so much that we kept our pantry stocked! I won't say how many packages of Oreos we went through that week. We sure enjoyed helping him chow them down. We'll just say the kids call Grandpa "Oreo head." Unfortunately for me, I'm a close second for that title! I remember eating Oreos with him when I was a very little girl. I still love them!

The Excavator Park

Carter rocks the excavator!

Grandpa Clark and Hazel

Mustaches. Carter got a Dorito mustache. I asked him if he was turning into a teenager. He didn't like that at all, he kept telling me it was from the Doritos. When he tried to lick it off, it just smeared around.

Horse Back Riding

Lily was going to do a short ride around the coral with Carter. But by amazing chance, her dear little friend showed up at the same time as us! She was going to go on an hour long ride by herself, so Lily and I joined her. Lily loved the ride. She listened closely to the instructions at the beginning and I was pleasantly surprised to see how proactive and confident she was on the horse.

(Yes, we did cut Lily's hair! 12 inches!!)

My cute cowboy. He loved the cowboy garb. His only disappointment was that he didn't get to wear spurs. Carter waited an hour and a half to ride his horse. He was so patient and good.

I was also surprised to see how much Carter enjoyed the ride. I thought he'd be a little afraid, but he wasn't!

Look at that face!

Hazel found this little shopping cart at our friends' house and she adores it. She pushes it all around our house. The funny thing is that she doesn't crawl, she does a very funny scoot/shuffle. She gets around fast and it allows her to have a hand free to push her cart. It's the cutest thing!

Desert Botanical Gardens

The weather was lovely this week. We all enjoyed the gardens.

We learned on our horse excursion that this is a hedgehog cholla. We had fun identifying them all through the gardens and on a subsequent hike.

I thought this was such a pretty shot with the rock and plants behind.
(Gotta love Carter's shades. When the sun's bright he forms these cool shades with his hands which block the light but still allow him to see. Ingenious.)

Absolute cuteness.

The butterfly exhibit was the unanimous favorite part of the gardens. All three kids got so excited seeing the butterflies flit about the exhibit. I loved seeing their excitement.

The Train Park

Uhh, cuteness again. Don't you want to reach out and touch her squishy little arms and legs?!

My little loves.

Hooray for carousels! Hazel loved the bright colors, horses, and the music on the carousel. She was excited to sit on a horse. She was surprised and a little unsure when the horse started going up and down. It was cute to see her response to something new.

Hazel got so excited seeing the model trains move on their own! She couldn't get enough of them.

She watched this one go around and around. Grandpa was a good sport to hold her so she could watch for a long time!

Pure enjoyment! Grandpa got the kids these train suckers, and as you can see, Lily and Carter loved them. Aaah, how pleasant and carefree is childhood.

Jump!

2011-04-05T11:34:00.000-07:00

We've wanted something fun in the backyard to draw the kids outside in the lovely weather. When I was about 7 years old, my aunt and uncle got a trampoline. My cousins and I loved jumping on it. My aunt and uncle still have that trampoline, and my kids play on it. With fun for the whole family, and longevity in mind, we got a trampoline!! It's proving to be so much fun, for the kids and the grown ups!

Lily took to it like she was born to bounce. You should see how high she gets when we pop her! Carter was cautious at first, but now jumps on it with the best of us! He's gotten good at jumping, and I love seeing his little legs jump! Hazy loves the trampoline too. She sits and bounces or likes to be held in our arms while jumping.

Come on over and jump!

Snow, snow, snow!!

2011-03-17T13:15:00.000-07:00

We went sledding with our friends, Andy and Andrea last week. It was so much fun! This is the first time the kids have ever been sledding (except for when Lily was a baby) and they loved it!

Andy and Lily are just about to go over a steep little ridge. Look at the apprehensive expression on her face.

Then they're over the edge and Lily realizes it's just plain old fun!

Cutest snow baby! I love babies bundled up in puffy snowsuits. Hazy loved being outside in the fresh air. She enjoyed seeing birds flying around and seeing the tree branches move in the wind.

Andrea played a lot with Hazel.

Aaron and Andy became friends in the first grade. I think it's so cool that they're still close.

Carter's been dying to do this for months! He's been practicing at home: grass angels, carpet angels, rock angels (just kidding!).

The adult to child ratio (4:3) was perfect for a day in the snow! I could handle the extra help more often! My kids love how Andy and Andrea play with them and teach them.

Andy and the kids made a snow man.

On our afternoon walk. Carter loved throwing snowballs at everyone!!

I love that we live in the desert, but in less than two hours' time we can be in the snow. It's fabulous! We loved the snow trip and the fun with friends! As a side, I didn't take any of these photos. They were all captured by Andy, Andrea, and Aaron. I think they got some incredible pictures that weekend.

Sweetest tea

2011-03-16T13:39:00.000-07:00

My cute Carter was rummaging in Hazel's closet and pulled out an old tea set that's been on a shelf for ages, so we had a little tea party. This is the first time Hazel's had a tea party. It was so cute to watch the wheels turning in her head as she watched Carter and me.

After a little while she picked up a spoon and started stirring it in her cup.

Delicious!

Then she picked up the tea pot and poured some into her cup, then mine. It was so so precious!

Hazy took her first steps this weekend! And I missed them! I was in the other room and everyone excitedly called me in to see. She had taken a couple of steps, and didn't take any more...until yesterday. She took three cute little steps in the middle of our living room. For the time being, she still prefers her scoot to get around quickly!

Happy first, Hazy!

2011-03-09T10:59:00.000-08:00

Hazy turned one in January! She was a perfect baby and she's still the epitome of joyful sweetness!

She fell in love with this baby doll at the store. Every time we passed it she got excited and talked to it. She was so excited to have her at home too!

Hazy enjoyed her cake. At first she touched the frosting and tasted it. Then she poked her finger all the way into the cake. Then she stuck her hand in. The cake looked intact from the top and the other sides...but this side looked like a little wren's nest in a saguaro cactus.

We really missed having family here to celebrate her first birthday. But we were very happy to have these good friends celebrate with us! Yes, Hazel's in her birthday suit. After the cake, she needed a bath!

Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa Robison!

Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa Ford!

Birthday dinner at Red Robin. Hazel may have had some help from her siblings in choosing the venue.

Carter loves their cheeseburgers.

Lily loves their mac and cheese. She only ate two servings of it this time!

Where's Hazy?

Peek-a-boo!

Finally one like me!

2011-02-10T14:37:00.000-08:00

Hazel loves broccoli! It's been noted that my kids are picky eaters. Hazy, however, enjoys eating just about anything we give her.

We gave her broccoli for the first time last night and she devoured it. In fact, she set a crepe down to pick up more broccoli! It was so cute seeing her love that food.

I'm so excited that this girl has a wide palette and loves good food! I hope it will last as she gets older. Cross your fingers for me!

Mele Kalikimaka!

2011-01-13T19:47:00.000-08:00

My parents traveled to Hawaii to celebrate their 25th anniversary last year. Needless to say, they fell in love with the islands. My parents adore flowers and while in Hawaii, my mom was smitten with the exotic Protea flower. My sweet dad surprised my mom on Christmas Eve with a fresh arrangement of Protea flowers sent from Hawaii.

When my mom dressed for the day she put on her Hawaiian dress and shell laie. I wondered if she knew what would be arriving at our house, so I asked her why she decided to wear her Hawaiian dress and laie. She responded, "I just love them and wanted to wear them." She had no clue, but it fit my dad's plan perfectly!

They were both excited and she was so surprised! I loved watching them. It was sweet to see my parents like this together.

Since there was one Hawaiian gift on Christmas Eve, we went ahead and opened a Hawaiian themed gift my parents brought back for our family.

Jewelry for the girls, presented in gift boxes made of sea shells.

The boys got t-shirts. Carter was not impressed with a t-shirt and my mom could tell. Earlier in the visit, Carter noticed a zipper pull on my mom's purse that had their cruise ship floating in it. Carter loved it when he saw it. My mom had my dad stealthily run and get the zipper pull for Carter. When he received it, his face lit up and he said, "It matches Grandma's!" He still doesn't know that it is Grandma's!

My favorite thing in the package was a book my mom made that detailed their cruise and excursions. The pictures were beautiful.

It was fun to have a Hawaiian gift on Christmas Eve.

Christmas baking

2011-01-07T12:35:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas treats and foods. My very favorites are english toffee, gingerbread, and eggnog. Mmmm.

It was super duper fun having Mom and Dad here for the festivities. I have to say, I love seeing the cookies my dad decorates. They turn out so funky!

Hazel likes gingerbread too!

We made my Aunt Lynn's delicious butterhorn rolls. They're so buttery and yummy that I only make them once or twice a year.

My little baker.

Cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning.

No pictures of the toffee, bummer. And I don't make my own eggnog. Well, I did once when I lived in France and there was none to be found. Yes, I used raw eggs. Yes, it was delicious.

Until next Christmas, my delicious baked ones.

2011-01-05T12:02:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas celebrations were wonderful. They started out with a package from Grandma and Grandpa Ford.

It was full of nativities,

advents,

homemade suckers, and crafts.

Shortly after the package arrived, my mom arrived in person! Just in time for Lily's school Christmas program and her class Christmas party. It's a treat to have Grandma here for Lily's school activities.

Lily's party was so much fun! The classroom was mayhem! Which is wonderful because normally they are calm, quiet, and very well-behaved in class. It was fun to watch the kids run, play, shout, and just have fun!

They made carameled apples. The kids loved dumping sprinkles, m&ms, and crushed candies on their apples.

These pictures cracks me up! This is her crush. And it's reciprocated. Although they've got a thing for each other, they were sooo uncomfortable standing by each other for a photo. Lily told me one day, "I'm so scared of Sean cause he loves me!" I think it's really cute. I pray that she will always talk to me about the boys she likes!

Lily was so happy to see her teacher excited about the gift cards the class gave her.

We have a hard time keeping our house tidy. The kids throw things every which way and don't give them another look. Now, how ironic is it that Lily keeps her desk organized spic and span?? If only she'd do the same thing at home!

Her neighbor's desk in contrast. Lol.

How do you? round 2

2010-12-20T20:11:00.001-08:00

First a little update: We attended a nice funeral service for Dean and his mom last week. God is a God of miracles, Dean's little brother is recovering very well.

Here's another "How do you?" post:

How do you store extra bags and purses when not in use?

and

What do you eat for breakfast on Christmas morning and at what point in the festivities do you eat it?

Sweet Dean

2010-12-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

To Dean, one of the sweetest little boys we have had the privilege of knowing. He is one of Lily's friends from school.

And to his loving, devoted, faithful mom. She spent a lot of time in the kids' classroom doing volunteer work.

They passed away Thursday night in a car accident. Dean's little brother is in the hospital recovering. His dad was not in the accident and is with his little brother.

This loss is hard for Lily and all of her classmates. My heart has been warmed as I've spoken with other moms and heard how their children too have simple, yet strong, faith that Dean is with Jesus and we'll get to be with him again some day.

I'm utterly grateful for Jesus Christ. His grace and Atonement make it possible for all to live again and for us to be reunited with those we love.

Dean's dad has requested prayers in behalf of his family. May I request that you also consider sharing monetarily, to help relieve some of the financial burden that accompanies this situation. Money can be sent to Adam's Traditional Academy, which will then be sent on to Dean's family. Thank you.

Embroiderer, anyone??

2010-12-06T07:42:00.000-08:00

Hey local friends,

I'm making Hazel's Christmas stocking and need to have her name embroidered on it. Do any of you have an embroidery machine or know where I can have it embroidered??

Thanks!

2010-12-01T12:51:00.000-08:00

Ummm, adorable.

My heart goes pitter-pat when Carter wears that hat! Lily couldn't believe that little Hazel could stand with their help. It was cute to see Lily so excited for her baby sis.

Santa's elves dropped these snuggly jammies off at our house this weekend. The kids were so excited to find presents on our doorstep! Carter was amazed that the elves dropped them off unseen. He wants to find the elves that are stationed around our house, watching to see if the kids should be on the GB&G (Good Boy & Girl) list. He wonders where they're hiding.

I looked over at Lily after they had unwrapped their jammies. She was looking at me knowingly, so I winked at her. She winked right back, then mouthed "thank you!" to me. I don't know why, but it touched me and brought tears to my eyes. I'm realizing that my little girl is growing up.

These little guys make life bright!

Hikers and a mountain biker

2010-12-01T12:37:00.000-08:00

While Kristen and I rested (sort of) following our Black Friday shopping trip, the daddies and kids went for a hike. Those kids were awesome hikers! I was surprised to hear how far and how high they hiked. They hiked to the peak high above the King Saguaro!!

This peak is right by our house. What a great view.

Apparently, Lily kicked one of the rocks on the pile she's standing next to, and discovered a geocache hiding underneath. The kids loved putting their names in the book!

This was Carter's first mountain biking experience and I hear he loved it. I wish I could have seen him!

Thanksgiving Day 2010

2010-11-29T13:35:00.001-08:00

We started the day with a cold, windy 5k. The three youngest kids were going to ride in joggers for the run, but it was so stinking cold! We left four of the kids with Jason, and Carter insisted he wanted to ride, even in the cold. It was a great run. I ran hard and felt good about my time, especially considering I was pushing a double jogger into the wind nearly the whole way. It felt like I was pushing a sailboat against the wind. Yeah, tough. It felt so good when I was done. Kristen and Aaron were awesome. They don't run regularly, they just jumped in and ran a 5k...pretty impressive if you ask me.

This is my dreamboat, putting the herb rub on the turkey. He thought it was a gross job, but somebody had to do it. Lily was pretty much grossed-out by the sight of the raw turkey too. It turned out sooo delicious.

I made my aunt Lynn's make-ahead butterhorn rolls. Aaron and I first tasted them 12 years ago and were hooked. My children are hooked on them too. I daresay, Jason and Kristen and their kids are probably hooked too.

Pie. Yum.

Pumpkin pie. We made my favorite pumpkin pie. It's not too strong and pumpkiny...it's just right. We also made a pecan pie, for the first time. I used a butter (as opposed to corn syrup) recipe. It turned out so yummy.

No pie...just ice cream.

Ice cream too.

Ice cream!

Sweetness.

This little guy loves playing in the dishwasher. If we were working in the kitchen, he was nearby...either playing at the dishwasher or in the pantry.

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving.

First house guests!

2010-11-28T14:12:00.000-08:00

It was so great to have my brother and his family visit us!! They were our first house guests in our new home. I really enjoyed time with my brother and his wife. I especially loved watching my children play with their cousins.

Braving the cold for a polar bear swim. Brrrrrrr.

Jason was the only adult to get near the water. We were way too chicken. Actually, he didn't want to get in either, but did so at his little girl's request. What a sweet daddy!

The wee babes watched from the side. Aren't they cute? This little guy reminds me a lot of my kids. He and Carter could pass as brothers with their blue eyes and blond hair.

The bakers, making rolls for Thanksgiving.

Jason and Kristen brought us an indoor smore maker. The kids thought it was the coolest thing in the world.

Love it!

2010-11-27T12:20:00.000-08:00

I love this movie! My expectations going into the theater weren't extremely high for a few reasons: 1. the last few Disney princess movies were only so-so, 2. the trailers had a slap-stick feel to them, which I don't enjoy, and 3. the title was rather random, not classic. I got the impression this was just a shot at Disney having one more thing to market. But I was wrong! I completely agree with my sister-in-law when she said this is the best princess movie since The Little Mermaid.

I love this movie! The characters are lovable and engaging, the music is fantastic, the art is beautiful, and the story is the traditional Rapunzel fairy tale, with a super fun twist. I loved it and am itching to go see it again.

*Spoiler alert!* If you haven't seen Tangled yet, go see it then come back and finish reading my post!

My family saw the movie with my brother and his family who were in town for Thanksgiving. Curiously, my beautiful long-haired blonde and their adorable short-haired brunette resemble the lovely princess.

I'm so excited!

2010-11-16T19:21:00.000-08:00

Tonight at dinner Aaron told the kids and me that he had a surprise for me. He said I could have it after dinner. I thought it would be something small and funny, or if I was lucky, a Milka chocolate bar. Whoa, my baby really took me by surprise! He gave me tickets to see The King's Singers perform a Christmas concert in December. I am so excited!!

Their music is so much fun! Aaron and I saw The King's Singers way back in 1998 when we were first dating. It was such a lively, fun concert. I'm so looking forward to seeing them again next month! Aaron won some serious points with this one!

Awesome Halloween cookies

2010-11-16T10:52:00.000-08:00

Carter and I made the Halloween cookies this year. He wanted a gingerbread man one.

So he got one.

Right after I snapped this photo, the tray tipped and cookies slid onto the floor. Don't worry, they still tasted good.

2010-11-15T15:20:00.000-08:00

More of Awesome October. Here are a few pictures that I loved. My Grandma and Pops are so dear to me. It was special for us to spend an afternoon with them.

Papa read the coolest construction book to Carter.

Hazel and her little cousin Ian.

Rise and shout, the Cougars are out!

2010-11-07T18:57:00.000-08:00

I love BYU! It's my alma mater. I learned so much there, in the classroom and out. I had so much fun with friends there. I met the love of my life there. I am utterly grateful for the time I spent at BYU. I would love for my kids to have similar experiences there as young adults. And so, I've started early to instill a love of BYU in their young hearts.

Whenever we go to Utah we spend a day at BYU: eating ice cream at the Creamery, bowling in the Games Center, getting a souvenir from the BYU Bookstore, hunting animals in the Bean Museum, listening to the carillon bells, and walking around campus. I always point out where I lived as a freshman, including the freezing cold concrete outside that their daddy and I sat on late at night, talking and sipping hot chocolate. I love that place and want them to love it too. How can they not when it includes BYU ice cream and chocolate milk??

I came across these ferocious cougars in the Bookstore. I stayed far away from the second one...it was particularly wild. They both calmed down, however, after I took them to the candy counter and let them choose some candy.

On this trip we went somewhere new: we meandered through the HFAC and briefly enjoyed some exhibits in the Museum of Art. The memories came swarming back to me as I walked through those buildings. (The MOA got me all lovey dovey and missing Aaron because we used to go on dates there all the time.) Those buildings smell exactly the same as they did 10 years ago!

I wanted our day at BYU to be perfect, but it was much more like the above picture. :)

I told the kids about the amazing library. They thought it was so cool that they were walking on the sidewalk, and there were people under them studying in the library! Carter was enthralled by the sidewalk sweeper pictured above. He thought it was so dang cool!! I told him that when he grows up and comes to BYU, he can get a job on the maintenance crew and drive one of those sidewalk sweepers. He was in heaven. He looks forward to that day!

Like I said, I'm instilling the love of BYU young. Isn't it great?

Cousins and corn maze

2010-11-06T09:56:00.000-07:00

I love seeing so many cousins together! We live far from these guys and miss them so much! Four of these boys belong to my big brother, Jaren. The other little guy belongs to my little brother, Jordan. I adore this picture because it's all kids and babies, no grown ups. It's fun to see the little kids growing up enough to help take care of the babies.

Run!

One little person cried in the maze because we kept hitting dead ends and he thought we were lost. Poor kid.

The unnamed little person was relieved when we saw the exit sign, and absolutely ecstatic to see a huge excavator dumping dirt onto a conveyor next to the maze!

This is a great photo! Look at J.J. man's face! I love it!

Hazy and I had fun too!

Grandpa Clark

2010-11-04T21:21:00.000-07:00

As soon as we got home from Flagstaff, the kids and I turned around and headed up to Utah for my Grandpa Clark's funeral. It's sad for those of us left behind, but Grandpa was ready to move on. While we miss Grandpa, his funeral provided the opportunity to get together with lots of family. I loved seeing my Grandma Clark, my dad, aunts and uncles, cousins and their cute kids. I absolutely loved the time with my family. It was a short trip and there was not enough time with them all!

I love this picture of my dad (far right) and his siblings. He's the oldest of the six. His sisters are the wee babes. The other boys are somewhere in between.

This picture makes me smile!! All of my dad's kids (5 boys and 3 girls) were able to come for the funeral except one. I loved being with my siblings, even though it was so quick. I wish I'd had more time to spend with them.

A family funeral gathering isn't complete without a funny face by J.J.

This saddle belonged to my great grandpa. When my grandpa inherited it, he put it on this big old spring for the kids to ride. It is so much fun. My grandma brought it to the family luncheon and the great grandkids were lined up for this thing!!

Chilly air in Flag

2010-11-03T11:07:00.000-07:00

Our fun friends invited us up to enjoy the cool air in Flag. Our goal was to see leaves changing colors and teach our kids about autumn, since we don't really have one here. We were a little early for the leaves, most were green, but we caught sight of a few colored ones. We enjoyed the cool air and the company of our friends.

Andy and Andrea took us on a fun hike.

Lily climbed right up this big old rock. Andy was a great spotter.

Lily was a great little hiker and found lots of leaves, sticks, and pine cones to bring home.

Carter had some technical difficulties...relieving himself in the great outdoors proved a little challenging. :) But he sure is cute anyway!

Hazel enjoyed the ride on Aaron's back.

They aaaalmost reached around it!

Look at those yummy pizzas! Andy and Andrea had some great pizza ideas to share. If you know me well, you know that I love to make homemade pizza. I'm excited to try their tips at our house:
1. Pre-cook the pepperoni in a pan for a few minutes then dry it on a paper towel. It gets rid of a lot of the grease.
2. Slooooooowly caramelize onions in butter. We're talking hours in a frying pan over low heat.
3. Basil pesto instead of red sauce.

Those pizzas were delicious and hit the spot after our jaunt in the fresh air. Thanks, Andy and Andrea!

Meow, woof, purr!

2010-11-01T14:57:00.000-07:00

The dog catcher was about to snatch up these cute little cats and dog, but I, the benevolent veterinarian that I am, rescued them and took them into my home forever.

We had lots of fun brainstorming ideas and then making our costumes this year. Lily and Hazy were perfect little cats and Carter was a ferocious dog.

Lily chose 11 sparkly jewels to adorn her collar. And she loved wearing makeup for the big night.

Carter is scared to death of real dogs but made a fabulous one himself! His little face was so cute all painted up!

What can I say, this little darling is adorable! When I painted her face she thought I was trying to feed her. She kept trying to eat the brush!

We had lots of fun at our church Halloween party, a friends' party, and then trick-or-treating on Halloween night. We have way too much candy. I've got to find a way to get rid of some (a lot!) of it without the kids knowing. If you have any sneaky tips you'd like to share, let me know!

Awesome October

2010-11-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

October was an awesome month. It started with Hazel's first ever pony tail! You have to look closely but it's there...behind the flower. Isn't she beautiful?!

During General Conference, the kids played in their cool forts. They used a ladder and some strong clips to hold up their blankets. Lily's face is peaking out between Carter and Hazel. Can you spot her?

Jas

2010-09-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

I've got to put out a big old *woot woot* for my big brother. He is so incredible! He's participating in a sport called Cycle Cross. Its a cross between road bicycling, mountain biking, and running.

I wanted to put his photo right in my blog, but I couldn't get it to work. So follow this link and check him out!!

Saturday fun: work and play

2010-09-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

Now that the weather is cooling down we can play outside! Saturday morning we got up and went for a hike. We went to see an old rusted out vehicle on the trail Aaron rides. We ended up going a lot further than we anticipated and had a great time!

Yesterday after church Lily headed up our effort to create the following list.

Things We Saw On Our Last Saturday Hike
1. a little town
2. rusty old car
3. jumping cholla garden
4. blocked-off trail
5. 5 hot air balloons
6. small fast running lizard
7. cottontail bunny
8. big black flying bug (a tarantula hawk??)
9. king Saguaro cactus
10. hummingbird
11. green, fully-leaved Ocotillo (these are usually bare and look like skeletons)
12. new Gore buildings where Aaron will work
13. blackish yellow butterfly
14. safety green moss on rocks
15. colored shadows (hot pink and turquoise) made by our water bottles
16. Arizona Coral Snake! (these things are bright! and poisonous!)

The rusted out vehicle. Carter thought it was very cool.

Although the vehicle was cool, he did not want to fall into the ditch with it. Since Saturday he's been telling me that the bad guys drove it into the ditch.

This "little town" is actually a community just north of us where some of our friends live. Lily captured this photo, actually.

And this one, budding little photographer that she is! (Yeah, Jas, this one might bring back some uncomfortable memories!)

Lil also took this one of the jumping cholla garden. Don't brush agains these guys, their pokies jump out at you!

Ocotillo

The Arizona Coral Snake. Very cool. We researched it when we got home and learned some neat things about it.

I love being outside, especially with my family. Hooray for comfortable weather! Today Carter, Hazel and I hung our hummingbird feeder, played on our grass, and laid in the shade of a palm tree in the back yard. Aahhhhhh, it's so nice to be outdoors!

P.S. I had a moment of personal growth on Saturday. I learned to mow the lawn! In my family growing up, that was the boys' job. (Don't worry, I had specific jobs they didn't do, like cleaning out the fridge.) I wanted to learn to mow the lawn so I could help keep our backyard lovely. So Aaron taught me to use the weed eater and the lawn mower. It was fun to do something new! The rest of the family sat on the patio and fixed Sherman (as in, P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sidney). He's the little vacuum-filter guy that crawls around the bottom of our pool and sucks up the debris. [Yes, Raschell, Sherman moved to our house. He says he misses you and wants you to come over for a swim. ;) ]

How do you?

2010-09-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

Hi gals. I love learning from other people who've been there and done that. So I'm putting out some questions and would love to learn from you. What organization tools, tips, processes do you use to keep your household running smoothly? I'm brainstorming how to organize my new house and would love to get ideas from friends. What works for you??

Right now I'm particularly wondering:

1. How/where do you store your family's shoes when they enter the house?

2. If you have a pool, how/where do you store pool toys, swim suits, and beach towels so they don't end up all over the house?

3. How do you organize all those papers that come into the household and clutter up the counters?

4. If you have tile floors, do you sweep or vacuum? What kind of vacuum do you use? How do you clean or mop your tile?

5. Where do you keep all your bags, backpacks, and purses that get used daily?

Please, please, please share!! Thank you!

Julie and Kurt's wedding day

2010-09-14T19:57:00.000-07:00

Julie and Kurt are married!

Their wedding ceremony was lovely. They were married in the Portland, Oregon temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

These two lovebirds are extremely happy!

She was so beautiful!!

Julie and Kurt both love China. They each served missions for our church in Taiwan, then met afterward in a Chinese class at BYU. During their engagement they spent the summer apart...doing study-abroad in China. He went for the first half of summer and she went for the second half. Fortunately, they overlapped a week together in Beijing. The reception (which I'll post about later) had a Chinese theme. It was really gorgeous.

Julie's dress was custom made by a famous Chinese tailor. Chinese brides wear red. White is reserved for funerals. So the tailor was a little confused when she requested a white dress. The silk fabric is beautiful...it has dragons and flowers on it. Kurt's suit was also custom made.

I loved the time I spent with my family!! I loved laughing with my siblings and their kids. I really missed my siblings and nieces and nephews that weren't able to be there.

Are these not the cutest little Asian bridesmaids you've ever seen?! Lily loved being a bridesmaid! She adored her turquoise chi pao. She wanted to wear it constantly. Little Hazel was so cute (and so slippery!) in her pink silk dress.

Pretty blues.

I love when she loves on me! I can't get enough loves and snuggles from my kids!

Kurt's parents hosted a fabulous lunch on Lake Oswego. The food was delicious, the view was refreshing, and the company was completely enjoyable.

Grandma shared her chocolate cake with Carter. He didn't eat the cake, wouldn't touch the berries, but loved the whipped cream!

It was a wonderful day for the bride and groom and us.

I'm in love with their photographer!

What the kids do while I'm unpacking

2010-09-07T10:45:00.000-07:00

Goof balls!

Yes, she's a little angel.

Actually, I'm kind of surprised it took three and a half years before the big sister dressed the little brother up in her dress-ups.

First day of first grade!

2010-09-07T09:42:00.000-07:00

My cute girl is a first grader. We were in a rush to get out the door this morning. I told Lily to go stand by the front door while I ran to get the camera. When I popped around the corner, this is what I saw! Last minute adjustments to her adorable new shoes! They sparkle and have Hello Kitty on them. I am in love with them! I wish they had a pair in my size. I'd wear them too!

My girl is growing up!

The summer came and went so quickly! Although we started school weeks after the other local schools, it still feels like it snuck up on me and arrived way too quickly.

I used to worry that I'd get sick of my kids in the summer and try to hurry them back to school in the fall. I don't feel that way. I love having them home and miss them when they're gone. I'm excited for Lily's adventures in learning and fun, but I'm so bummed I don't get her home with me. After I dropped her off and drove away, I felt a little teary.

I had wonderful plans to have a special breakfast prepared and get Lily to school early so she'd have time to greet and play with friends. However, I'm not as on the ball as I wish I were. Those things didn't happen. I will follow my husband's good advice and focus on what I did do, rather than what I didn't get done. So, in an effort to focus on the good: I wrote Lily a "first day of first grade" letter, washed her hair all fresh and dried it, made her lunch, and got her off to school, with a baby sis and jammied brother in tow.

Now I'm going to continue unpacking and organizing...wish me luck!

Home

2010-09-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

I don't have words to adequately express how I feel right now. "Thankful" is most succinct. This is our new home!!

We have been waiting years to buy a house. We moved here after college, right around the peak of home prices. They were incredibly high. There was no way we could purchase a home at that time. When we started to rent in 2006, I would have screamed if someone told me we wouldn't purchase a house for four more years. But it turned out, we were in the Lord's hands and were so blessed while we waited.

I love, love, love this home. I love the huge pantry that fits all our food storage!!! (Our food storage used to be in our master closet!) I love the comfortable kitchen. I love that it has a living room so I'll have one room in the house that is always clean. I love all the windows that let in light, but are covered with sunshades. I love the soft carpet. I love the open stairway that looks into the living room. I love the big family room. I love the loft upstairs that is full of toys! It'll be a constant mess, and that will be okay! I love the kids' bathroom. I love that I will have a craft room!! I love the three car tandem garage that will provide storage and a place to park both cars. And I love the pool!!

When we first moved here, Lily was 2 years old. Her request in a home was that it have stairs. She quickly added a request for a pool. Luckily for her, our new house has both!

I am so thankful to Heavenly Father for His loving kindness as He helped me wait for something I wanted so badly. And I'm extremely thankful to my wise husband whose knowledge, patience, hard work, and desire to follow God have brought us to where we now live.

The house is full of boxes. I'm slowly organizing. I'll slowly post interior pictures as we get the place in order. If you can't wait for those posts, come on over and visit!

Picture of success

2010-09-01T11:06:00.000-07:00

That's right, folks. My little guy is potty trained! This was our exciting adventure when we got home from our trip to Utah in June.

We provided some pretty awesome incentives, I must say. Every time he tinkled in the toto, he got an M&M and put a sticker on his chart. If he went poopoo in the toto, he got a mini Snickers bar and put a sticker on his chart. When he filled a row of stickers on his chart, he got...a new die-cast Thomas and Friends engine or car. Yeah, he was in heaven. (Thrifty me, of course, got the engines off of craigslist.) Hooray, Carter!!

Wedding bells are ringing!

2010-07-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

My baby sister is getting married next month! I'm so excited for her. She's excited too as the picture attests.

The man of her dreams gave her this beautiful ring. I still haven't met the man but I hear from the family that he's a keeper.

We threw her a bridal shower. Those fortune cookies were handmade by my amazing sister-in-law, Melinda. They contained some of the funniest fortunes I've ever heard. My aunt's fortune read, "Your future will be embarrassing." Love it!

I enjoyed meeting some of Julie's close friends and spending time with family that I don't get to see often. I administered a multiple choice test all about Kurt and Julie's courtship. It was great fun to invent make-believe scenarios about their courtship. It was fun to see which people were really in the know on Julie's life!

Fun, fun, fun!

2010-07-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

We stayed with my big sis, Jenny, and her three kids. Can I just say we had so much fun with them?!! Lily has been waiting ages to spend time with Sarah and Amy. And she's been excited to see Ty, but oh, so afraid, he'd tickle her 'til she couldn't breathe. She laid down the law and said no tickling her...he agreed.

My Carter is such a boy. He loves to play rough, blow raspberries in people's faces, and do annoying stuff like that...well, I was delighted to see that he'd found someone who would play with him! Ty was lying on the couch. Carter came right up to him and made a very annoying sound in his face. Normally, if he did that to me I'd say, "Stop it, Carter." But awesome Tyler did it right back to Carter! So they had a little annoying sound war with each other...and Carter loved it! He's a super fun cousin! I also have to add that Tyler is a busy young man, always at work or out with friends, but he made time to spend with us while we were there. Thanks, Ty!

Sarah did Lily's makeup and hair. Lily felt so beautiful.

My beautiful nieces, Amy and Sarah.

Aunt Jen spoiled the kids and showered them with love. She's affectionately known as Aunt Skittles because she often has packs of Skittles for all the little cousins. They adore her! My beautiful sis is an amazing woman. I admire her courage, sense of humor, dedication to her family and the Lord, and her beauty.

2010-07-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I love Temple Square. I have pleasant memories of time I spent there throughout my childhood and youth. I want my children to have a little bit of that too. We visited Temple Square and had a wonderful time.

A feeling of peace pervades this place. It is calm and beautiful. I feel God's love for me when I am there.

We enjoyed the Christus statue and the reminder of our Savior's love and infinite sacrifice for us.

The temple grounds are always so lovely. I love the flowers, grass, and trees there, coupled with the blue sky. It's a beautiful place. I wanted to get a photo of all my kids together. The girls appeased me...

Carter didn't.

Another favorite activity of the day was watching Book of Mormon stories in the visitors' center. We watched clips about Nephi's trust in God when he and his family were traveling in the wilderness and needed food. He sought God's direction about where to hunt and went to work to make a new bow and arrow after his original one broke.

We also liked the clip about the young men who fought valiantly to protect their families, people, and liberty. They trusted God completely because their mothers taught them to have faith in God.

This statue caught my attention because it captures and portrays motion. Joseph Smit h was always in motion, he was always doing, working, producing, serving. I felt inspired to move forward and better serve others.

Lily got a kick out of this cool drinking fountain. You push the foot pedal on the bottom to get water. Cute Lily had to put both feet on the pedal and use all her body weight to make it work! Needless to say, she took several drinks from that fountain and then got a few more when we passed by it again later.

I served my mission in France and Belgium. I found a soeur Francaise (a French sister missionary) serving on Temple Square and absolutely loved speaking with her in French. I love France and speaking French, but don't have the opportunity very often. So this was a treat. At the end of our conversation, this soeur sincerely thanked me for serving in her country. I honestly can't express how that touched me. If you served in France, you can understand why that meant so much.

As we stood on the top floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, I told the kids again about their great, great....grandpa from their daddy's side of the family who manned the crane that placed the statue on top of the Salt Lake Temple spire after it was built. The kids always love hearing that story. Hearing it again while seeing the statue high on top of the temple, made it real and exciting to them.

This was a wonderful day. I was spiritually filled.

Grandpa Clark

2010-06-29T17:46:00.000-07:00

My dad took us to the zoo when we were in Utah. We had so much fun with him! We enjoyed the cool, comfortable weather, watching the animals, and time with Grandpa.

Carter loved riding the train!

Lily was the photographer behind the camera for this shot.

Two ferocious spiders!

Grandpa and the girls.

We were all tired after the long day of walking at the zoo. Carter insisted that Grandpa carry him. Thanks, Grandpa!

The next day we went to the Clark Planetarium. My kids loved this place! They were so interested in the Foucault pendulum. They loved the anticipation as the pendulum swung closer and closer to knocking down the next little key. Grandpa followed those kids all over the planetarium...upstairs and down, and back up again!

Here's a cool story: we had lunch that day in the nearby food court. As we were walking out, I saw a cute little baby girl in her stroller...and I recognized her! I didn't recognize her because I had ever met her, but because I keep in touch with her mommy, my cousin, via our blogs! Baby Quinn was in line with her daddy (who I also wouldn't have recognized if not for our blogs!). So I stopped and said hi and he told me my cousin, Crystal, was there! So I made a beeline over to see her. I am so glad for our blogs that have kept us in touch! Love you, Crystal!

The Drive Up

2010-06-24T14:11:00.000-07:00

The kids and I drove up to Utah together for our first big trip of the summer. Some say the drive from Phoenix to Provo can be done in 10 1/2 hours...but I've never braved it with the kids, especially without Aaron.

We usually break the trip into two days but this time we split it into three, having playtime with cousins both nights. We drove the two hours up to Flag and stayed with Neal and Chris the first night. Fortunately, Topher, Natalie, and Joey and their families were there...so it was a super fun par-tay! I didn't get any pictures but we had a lot of fun!

The next morning we drove from Flag to St. George. It took us 6 hours, with two bathroom/nursing stops. Our first stop was at Lee's Ferry. We walked out on a bridge across the Colorado River and even saw a native California Condor perched under the bridge. Arizona is beautiful.

The kids on the bridge.

We stopped for a minute by these gargantuan rocks. I asked the kids to stand by them for a picture but they refused because they were afraid the rocks would roll and crush them.

We visited the St. George temple grounds. It was peaceful and lovely there. These are my two willing models. They were happy to sit still for me to photograph them.

Carter, however, was on the go. He only held still long enough to look at a motorcycle and a fire hydrant.

Carter thinks these things are so cool. He likes to count them when we're driving. He notes the different colors and shapes of hydrants. He doesn't yet know why dogs like them. I'll keep that one a secret for as long as I can, otherwise, he might want to try it too.

Carter is holding a pass-along card. They are a friendly way of sharing our faith with others. I visited with a sister missionary who is serving in the visitors' center with her husband. I noticed a French flag pinned on her lapel and introduced myself to her in French. It was so much fun to chat en francais! I was utterly shocked to learn that in May 11,000 francophones visited the St. George temple grounds! Usually around 4,000 pass through per month. I couldn't believe it!

We had a grand old time playing with Sherrie and Gayle and their families. They are two of the funnest families on the whole planet! I am so glad we belong to each other. My kids had a great time playing with all our cousins. It was so much fun. In that first leg of the trip, Hazel met 16 new cousins!

The kids and I got in the car to make the last leg of our trip up to Provo...and the van wouldn't start. Turned out I needed a new battery. So sweet Sherrie tagged along with me (held my hand, really) while I got a new battery. Thanks, Sherrie!! We got on the road a few hours later than hoped, but it turned out a-okay. I was just glad the battery died in St. George rather than in the middle of the desert. We were blessed. The last leg took 4 hours. When we reached Provo, the magnet was pulling us to Jordan and Kelly's house to meet our brand new cousin, baby Ian.

He is sweet and sleepy, just like a newborn should be. I could see lots of Kelly in him at the beginning of the trip. By the end of our two weeks there, I was deciphering some more of his daddy in him. He's a precious boy. We love him!

2010-06-24T09:08:00.001-07:00

I have a wish list of things I'm wanting. It has things on it like a concealer brush and a hand wheat mill. Well, my list has just grown one item longer. The Silhouette, a digital cutting tool, much like the cricut...but better! You don't have to have cartridges for it! It comes with images, you can use the fonts and images from your own computer, and download more from their website for 99 cents. Yikes!

Thrifty Decor Chick is doing a giveaway for one. A million and two people have entered the giveaway. I did too. You can too! Good luck to us!

Kindergarten complete!

2010-06-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

Sending Lily to kindergarten was challenging for me. I missed her terribly when she started all-day kindergarten. We settled into a routine through the school year. While I missed her, I'm so pleased with the education she received this year. Now the school year has ended and we're nearly a month into summer and having a great time! We had a fabulous trip to visit family in Utah, which I'll post about in coming days. First things first!

She received an award for knowing all 70 phonograms in the Spalding curriculum. I loved the uniforms the kids wore this year. It made dressing for school in the morning easy, provided an atmosphere of modest dress, and decreased perceived social classes based on who has the coolest clothes.

The kindergarten teachers at Lily's school are amazing! Lily learned about all the presidents of the United States and the founding of our nation. The kindergarten put on a fun and stirring patriotic performance with song, dance, and word. Lily was Thomas Jefferson on Mount Rushmore.

"I'm a Yankee doodle dandy, a Yankee doodle do or die. A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam, born on the Fourth of July!" Those little kids were so cute dancing up on stage. I loved it!

Ms. Carol and Lily were good pals this year. I'm incredibly thankful for her positive influence in Lily's life. Now my Lily has lost her first two teeth, can read, and is an official first-grader. Wow!

Happy 31st!

2010-06-17T14:49:00.000-07:00

My man is getting old! Okay, not really, he's just as old as me now. Aaron was out of town for work on his birthday. He said the folks at work sang Happy Birthday to him and were surprised to hear that he is 31 and has three kids. Good for him, looking like a young 'un.

He got home right at bedtime so we had a late dinner and birthday celebration.

We gave him cowboy boots, which he's been wanting for several years now. Hooray! His parents also gave him a Cutco knife. Wahoo! My parents gave him gift cards for Red Robin and a leaf blower that he's been wanting. Well, his gifters know what he wants!

Aaron doesn't love birthday cake. So he got brownies with Breyer's mint chocolate chip ice cream. It was delicious! Hazel was intently focused on the candles on Aaron's brownie. Lily was too, in fact. She tried to blow them out for him. :)

Aaron is an amazing man. I couldn't ask for a better husband, friend, and father of my children. He is incredible! Happy birthday, Aaron!

I'm so proud of him!!!

2010-06-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

My little man is learning to swim. This is really out of his comfort zone. Carter has played in the pool every summer, but at his age, last summer was a life time ago and he doesn't really remember it. It's time for him to learn to swim.

Like I said, it's out of his comfort zone. He cries when his (fabulous) swim teacher takes him into the pool, but he's learning what she's teaching him. He swims to the edge of the pool and walks hand-over-hand to the stairs to get out.

I can tell that, even though swim lessons have been scary for him, he feels a sense of accomplishment and pride for learning to go under water, swim to the edge of the pool, go around the edge of the pool to the stairs, etc. I was worried that he would be scared of swimming and not have any fun. But today we hit the jackpot and he had fun in the pool!...We played tag and he loved it! He floated in a tube and we chased each other all around the pool.

He even goes off the diving board! Not willingly...but he does it, and then swims right to the edge and over to the step. I'm so proud of my little guy! Here's to a summer of fun in the pool!

Father and Sons' outing

2010-05-26T09:39:00.000-07:00

Aaron and Carter went on a Father and Sons' camping trip a few weeks ago. Carter loved sleeping in the tent. He got up bright and early at 5:00 a.m.! It was super windy but they had a good time and kept the tent from blowing away.

Carter helped Aaron drive down a dirt road. That was the coolest thing to him. They listened to Alan Jackson's song titled Drive, about a boy who reminisces about learning to drive with his dad as a young boy and then passes the legacy on as he teaches his daughters to drive. Now Carter asks to listen to the driving song.

Traffic stopped for an hour and a half on the way home. People got out of their cars and kept each other company. Some folks got a kick out of seeing Carter ride his little bike along the side of the freeway. Someone even generously gave him a matchbox car.

Staying occupied on the long wait.

Swim lessons!

2010-05-26T09:23:00.000-07:00

Lily had a refresher course of swim lessons last week. She is a great little swimmer and had tons of fun with her friends.

Nancy was a great teacher. They reviewed the backstroke, butterfly, breaststroke, safety bobs, and breathing.

Aren't these girls cute?

This adorable baby hung out with Hazel during the lessons. I just love this photo of her eating her foot! Her mom says she gets this talent from her dad! Too funny!

Enjoying the hard-earned Otter Pop after the lesson.

She lost it!

2010-05-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

Hooray! Lily finally lost her first tooth! She's been waiting soo long to lose a tooth. She's so excited! She's been wiggling it for weeks and hasn't wanted Aaron to pull it out. (I couldn't pull it out if she wanted me to. It gives me the willies.) She's cried wolf a couple of times...tricking us that it fell out. So today before swim lessons her friends, Charlee and Oaklee, ran in to me saying, "Lily's tooth is out!" When I went in to see Lily, sure enough, it had come out. Lily was brave and pulled it out on her own!! She is so proud of herself! I think she's pretty cute with that hole-y smile. I think the bottom left tooth will follow soon.

The renowned tooth.

Lily and I made a tooth pillow the other day. She designed a cute little pillow and then we made it together. It has a pocket on it to put the tooth in. Hopefully the tooth fairy will take the tooth and leave some $$ for Lily in return.

About the same time we were making the pillow, Lily asked me if there's really a tooth fairy or if it's her mom and dad. I asked her what she thought. She didn't really answer me, she just said, "I really need to know." So I told her. And then I explained that this is information for her to know but not to talk about with other kids. Just like her mom and dad told her, other kids' parents will tell them. We had the same conversation about the Easter bunny in April. I almost cried after I told her, but she was 100% a-okay with it. In fact, she liked talking to Carter after that, all grown up like, about whether or not the Easter bunny had come to our house yet. I can't believe how this little girl is growing up.

P.S.

Lily woke me in the night to tell me that the tooth fairy came.

Here she is bright and early this morning, with her tooth pillow, moolah, and Lamby.

Now Carter is anxiously awaiting his first wiggly tooth... It may be a while!

Angel baby

2010-05-02T14:25:00.000-07:00

This little girl is such a pleasant baby. I couldn't ask for a sweeter, calmer, more patient baby. She's giggly, squishy, and perfect for kissing. She's a perfect package of sweetness and fun.

Late is great!

2010-05-02T14:24:00.000-07:00

My mom-in-law and I have something in common: we can't get to the post office to ship off packages in a timely manner. And this time it made for a really fun birthday and Easter celebration yesterday morning!

Carter (and Lily, I might add) loves this Thomas Lego set. It is so much fun!

Who doesn't love Easter candy early in the morning?

Grandma knows what Carter likes!

Grandma chose beautiful new Easter outfits. I loved having something fresh and new for my kids to wear to church. Thanks, Grandma!

I love, love, love when my kids are dressed up nice before church starts. I think I like it so much because with three kids, everything is usually in disarray. ;) In this moment I enjoy the illusion that everything is clean, bright, and tidy!

Happy 3rd birthday, Carter!

2010-04-30T15:27:00.001-07:00

Carter turned three! He's been talking for months about his approaching birthday. He knew he would have a Thomas birthday and then he'd be three years old.

Carter is such a fun boy. He's developing a silly sense of humor. He loves to make up words and insert them in silly places in a conversation.

He is very loving. He often asks, "Mom, are you happy?" and if I'm not he tries to help me feel better. Today I was crying and he said, "Let me wipe that tear off your cheek." Then he wiped it right off. He's a sweetie.

He's such a boy! He drives me nuts with how he likes to hit and crash everything into everything else! He's beginning to find gross things hilarious.

He got presents in the morning from grandparents. He is so happy to have Flo. He carried her around for days.

Look, he can drill his nose! How cool!

We went to the train park with one of his little buddies. They rode the train and the carousel and pushed their huge dump trucks around in the sand. He loved it!

Red Robin for dinner!

We had a little party for him the next week. He had quite a go at blowing out his candles.

It took a few tries but he finally got all three candles out!

This little guy makes life fun! I'm thankful he's my boy.

Fun lunch!

2010-04-30T14:48:00.000-07:00

What kid wouldn't love to eat these fun lunches?

Mine!!

Carter ate the cheese, threw the meat (you can see it off to the side), gave the pepperoni pieces to Lily, and left the bread. Lily devoured the pepperoni and ate the rice and cheese. She politely told me she didn't care for the meat or the bread. At least she said it politely.

L'Art de Lily

2010-04-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

Kurt and Julie

Lily's artwork portrays articulate emotion. Sometimes she really surprises me with how she expresses her emotions with pictures. The above picture was drawn in a moment of anguish when Daddy had to go to an evening church meeting with the youth. Look at the tears bursting out. If you could see her little arms, they're reaching up and her hands are in fists rubbing her eyes. I love how she is sounding out words. The portrayal of Aaron is startlingly accurate: the brown striped shirt, the black bag he carries his church stuff in, and the back of his head as he waves his hand and walks out the door.

We enjoy having family movie nights together. Two recent movie nights have inspired some artwork: Meet the Robinsons (pictured above) and Ice Age 3 (pictured below).

Hazel's blessing

2010-04-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

Aaron gave Hazel a lovely blessing this morning. She is a precious girl. We're thankful Heavenly Father sent her to us.

Neal, Chris, and Annie came for the blessing, as well as Joey, Tara, and Joseph. It was great to have them here.

Debi is our special Sacrament meeting helper. She is wonderful! She is such a help with the kids every Sunday. Curt is heading out of town for a few months, so it was a treat to have him with us today too.

It's done!

2010-04-10T23:18:00.000-07:00

Hazy's blessing dress is done! I've been working like a mad woman on it all week. I enjoy making a blessing outfit for each of my children. It's a special event in their lives and it means a lot to me to create an outfit uniquely for them. It's done and I love it!!

We will bless her tomorrow in Sacrament meeting. Three of her cousins will be blessed the same day: one in Texas, one in Idaho, and one in Wyoming.

Edith Roosevelt and George Washington

2010-04-09T15:30:00.000-07:00

Lily has been studying all the presidents of the United States at school. This week they had a Presidents and First Ladies' Tea. They also learned etiquette used during colonial times.

Lily dressed up as Edith Roosevelt, wife of Teddy Roosevelt. Her escort was George Washington. It was so cute to see the boys escort the girls to their seats and stay standing until all the girls were seated.

Once seated, they toasted each other by reciting the beginning of the Declaration of Independence. Then they politely enjoyed their delectables.

Lily's Declaration of Independence. (I think she requested a dramatic pan featuring her pink cowgirl boots!)

Snuggles

2010-04-06T20:31:00.000-07:00

I felt so blessed to have all of my kids snuggled on me while we watched General Conference. I enjoyed Conference. I love how I feel when I listen to the words of God. I want to be a diligent, dedicated mother and to follow Heavenly Father's commandments as perfectly as I can.

My Easter treats

2010-04-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

I love these kids!

Happy Easter! We are enjoying celebrating the miraculous resurrection of our Lord and Savior.

Spring break 2010!

2010-03-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

I love spring break! I love having all my kids home during the day. I wanted spring break to be fun. I didn't want us to sit home all week, bored, and stir crazy. So I planned some super fun activities, and some good down time at home, and it turned out to be a fabulous time!

Lily and Carter's cool fort. At first it was a bus. Carter loved that! Then Lily wanted it to be a house. Carter insisted it was a bus. So Lily determined it was a broken bus house. Carter loved the idea and agreed. Voila the broken bus house!

On St. Patrick's day we dressed in green and went to the park for a picnic and playtime with some friends. I wish I had lined up all the kiddos and gotten a picture. It would have included 12 kids...all dressed in green!

Generally, we try to go to get the kids to bed early. We thought it would be fun to have a "late night" out for a change. We got the kids in their jammies and went to Paradise Bakery where we ate cookies and played a game we brought from home. The kids thought it was really cool to be out late (we were home by 8:00!). We got a lot of bang for our buck...it only cost $2.50 and we had so much fun!

We took a long drive down to the Shamrock Farm Dairy for a tour of their 10,000 cow dairy. We loved playing with friends there and eating the yummy ice cream made by Roxie the cow.

The train park was so great! The weather was perfect and the kids loved riding a train, a carousel, playing in a yellow caboose, and eating ice cream (yes, again!) with friends. It was so great!!

Lily said she was the princess and Cole was the prince.

Hazy enjoyed her time at the park too. She rode in the stroller and in our awesome new baby carrier. I love that carrier and am so glad to have it! You can see it pictured above on my girlfriend, holding her baby girl who is nine days older than Hazel. Those two will be little pals!

We tried to get a line-up of the five big kids for a photo. I could not pull Carter away from the big old train engine. But if you look closely between Cole and Ava, you can see him in his orange shirt, gazing at the train!

Congratulations, Julie and Kurt!

2010-03-21T16:28:00.000-07:00

Congratulations, you guys! Welcome to the family, Kurt!

Lily turned 6!

2010-03-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

Lily girl is so fantastic. My first baby girl is no longer a baby. She has grown so much and is a wonderful girl. She is helpful, fun, clever, and smart.

Run

2010-03-10T20:24:00.000-08:00

I ran today, for the first time in a long time. It felt sooo good. I ran 2 miles. I was slow, especially on the hills, especially pushing 55 pounds of cute kids and jogger in front of me. But it felt so good.

Smile

2010-03-03T12:48:00.000-08:00

Here's one more from yesterday. Last week Hazel started trying to smile and talk to me. We've had several little conversations that melt my heart. I love how she sweetly coos. She's not smiling consistently yet, but when she pops one out it makes me smile right back at her. I can't wait for her to smile all the time!!

2010-03-02T15:15:00.000-08:00

Sweetness.

Precious.

Darling.

I love this soft blankie. It was mine when I was a baby.

I couldn't stop thinking about my sister, Jen, today. When I kissed Hazel's feet during diaper-changing time, I thought of Jen. When I looked at Hazel's sweet soft cheeks in these pictures, I thought of her again. She loves babies fresh from heaven. I wish she was here to meet Hazel and snuggle and kiss her. Really, I wish that of all my family members.

While I took those photos of Hazy this afternoon, my other jewels were doing this:

Lily was watching a movie after school.

Carter was sleeping peacefully.

I'm a happy mama.

Love One Another

2010-02-14T08:07:00.000-08:00

Love One Another

Follow the link above to watch a beautiful video of love.
Happy Valentine's Day!

Per Grandpa's request

2010-02-02T19:17:00.000-08:00

Grandpa requested some more photos. He is so kind and selfless to let my mom come visit and help out here. Thank you, Dad!

Lily made this butterfly to celebrate 100 days of school. Aaron was her helper. They had to use 100 items to create a butterfly sculpture. She used 100 butterfly-shaped confettis.

Grandma is the perfect helper. I appreciate how she loves my children.

Carter and Hazel's first meeting. He is so sweet with her. Normally he is rough and wrestling, but he is so gentle with Hazel. He often says, "Aaw, baby Hazel" or "She's so cute!"

Sisters! Lily knows all about being a big sister. She loves having a little sis.

Sweet girls.

Did I mention he adores Hazel? I love watching him interact with her and hearing him talk about her. He is a great big brother!

Lily washed the wagon the other day. She got it so clean!

Life's rough!

My sweet baby girly.

She's Here!

2010-01-24T09:43:00.000-08:00

Hazel Joy came on January 23rd at 4:12am
8 lb. 2 oz.
20 inches

Month in review...so far

2010-01-18T09:58:00.000-08:00

It's been a great month so far. Aaron's brother, Adam, and his family came to town so we got together at the children's museum. We had fun making crafts and playing around.

We had a fabulous time with them. I love when cousins get together to play. It does not happen often enough for our family!

Lily and Aaron put together a dresser in preparation for Hazel's arrival. Lily is so good at building things! She can honestly put together furniture that I haven't even attempted. She looks at the instructions and does what they say. She put together a drawer completely by herself. (Do you love the overflowing laundry hamper in the background?)

Carter is outgrowing his naps. One day he fell asleep in the van and awoke enough to stumble into the house but immediately fell back to sleep once he got past the entryway. He slept for a long time like this with his bum in the air. He's so cute. Notice too that he's sleeping with his green tractor and the King.

Lily makes way cool train tracks. Carter plays on them for hours.

A family portrait by Lillian.

A couple of girlfriends threw a shower for another friend and me who were expecting babies the same week. It was fun to chat with girlfriends. I loved it. Thanks, gals!

Our neighbor's friend drove his big white dump truck into the circle and let the kids climb inside it. Carter loves to look at the huge wheels, the engine, the exhaust pipe (which he calls a "yaust pipe"), and the mud flaps. Heaven for my little guy.

Today it's raining! The kids took their new umbrellas from Santa Claus outside to play in the rain.

That's our month so far. It's going well. I think the rest of the month is going to be pretty great too! Mom will arrive this Wednesday. I'm due next Sunday. So we'll probably have a baby sister in the next week or so!! I'm very excited!

Happy New Year 2010!!

2010-01-02T15:36:00.000-08:00

We had our annual New Year Party. The ball dropped at 5:30 p.m. and we had a great time! We stomped on bubble wrap, drew "2010" on our faces, played a game to guess which day Hazel will arrive (the person closest to the date will win a bag of Lindt chocolate balls!), and ate rootbeer floats. Mmm, mmm!

The kids had to make sure we got every last bubble popped!

Welcome, 2010!

My true loves

2009-12-29T11:21:00.000-08:00

2009-12-25T08:14:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!
May our hearts be full of love for one another and our Savior.

Great start!

2009-12-19T10:58:00.000-08:00

I can't even say how excited I am to have Lily home from school for two weeks! Aaron only works two days next week. We are going to have so much fun together! We started our Christmas break off great! We played at the park, then ate dinner at Culvers (kids' choice), then drove around to see Christmas lights.

My beautiful girl. When Lily gets home from school she changes out of her uniform into regular clothes. I love to see her choices. Today it was an orange shirt, a turquoise skirt, and a brown sequined vest tied together with her native american shirt tie. Luckily it sort of blended in with the turquoisy sequins and skirt. :)

We love teeter-totters. Uh, I think Carter and I make a pretty balanced pair, don't you?

Aaron makes everything so much fun. The kids can't get enough of him.

Carter played with Harold the helicopter in the sand almost the whole time at the park. He used to not like the sand because it was dirty...but now he loves it!

My honey. He's the greatest husband in the world.

Ummmm, yes, I still have six weeks left.

The not-so-great part of our break, which I won't even mention, includes being up with Lily for an hour in the night cause she didn't feel real well and some exciting times with Carter's diapers. I'll say no more.

Aaron is such a dream boat. He let me sleep in until 8:00!!! I don't know when that last happened. When I got up he had made pancakes for us all.

Carter got a train pancake. He thought it was the greatest thing ever.

Lily got a butterfly. Notice her lovely lipstick.

My dreamboat, right there.

More fun pancakes: a snowflake, a saguaro cactus, a circle, and a swirl.

My special pancake was baby Hazel all swaddled up tight.

After breakfast we worked our tails off to clean up the kitchen and family room. See, what a great start to our Christmas break!

Star of Bef-hem

2009-12-16T14:49:00.000-08:00

We had fun decorating our Christmas tree. Lily has been dying to get the ornaments out. She asked me several times in the weeks before we got our tree if she could just get the ornaments out and look at them. Mean mom said no because if we did, we'd have ornaments and tissue paper all over the place until we got the tree.

We put our tree up the week after Thanksgiving. The kids were so excited. With every ornament she pulled out, Lily gasped and made a comment like, "This is so beautiful," or "I love this ornament because...." Both kids had a great time identifying their own ornaments and hanging them on the tree.

Carter has learned a lot this year about Baby Jesus' birth and the new star that Heavenly Father put in the sky at Jesus' birth. He calls it the Star of Bef-lem. It sounds so cute when he says it!

The ritual of putting the star on top of the tree has always been Lily's privilege. However, Carter is old enough to do it now too. Both kids wanted to be the one to put it on the tree. So problem-solver Lily came up with the great idea to do it together.

Voila!

Jolly old St. Nicholas

2009-12-11T11:38:00.000-08:00

Jolly old St. Nicholas, lean your ear this way....

We got to see Santa Claus at our church Christmas party last night. Santa was so jolly and nice. Lily told him she would like a family of Lambies. Lily has mentioned a few different things this year when we've asked her what she'd like Santa to bring her. For several years she's wanted a castle for Lamby to live in. She asked for it a month or so ago but hasn't talked about it much since. She has also mentioned clothes for her stuffed animals to wear and a big white teddy bear as big as her with a red rose in its hand. She saw one like that at a yard sale a couple of years ago and loved it. Do you blame me for not buying a big used teddy bear to add to our already huge collection of stuffed animals? Well apparently, that teddy bear made an impression on her because she's talked about it since! We'll see what Santa decides to bring for Lily this year.

When Carter saw Santa walk into the room he ran straight to him! He's been excited about Santa this year. He says often that he would like Santa to bring him a train for Christmas. Unfortunately, Carter doesn't understand that he has to wait until December 25th to receive his presents. He was so disappointed last night that Santa didn't give him a present. However, I have a suspicion that when Carter wakes up on Christmas morning he will no longer be disappointed!

Our ward Christmas party was great, of course! Santa was a huge hit. Aaron was photographer and took photos of all the kids with Santa. He'll email them out to ward members later. Our dinner was headed up by Chef Cameron so it was delicious! He made his unforgettable potatoes dauphinois, for the third year in a row. Those potatoes had the effect on Aaron and me that the huge teddy bear had on Lily. We talk about and anticipate them all year long! After dinner we listened to some music selections and a reading from Luke chapter 2. I enjoyed singing Candlelight Carol, a sweet favorite of mine.

Sensitive little man

2009-12-02T07:49:00.000-08:00

You may know how a gal feels during the last trimester of pregnancy. Tired, not enough energy to do what needs to be done, and uncomfortable in a variety of ways. (I'm not complaining, mind you.) Yesterday Carter and I were sitting at the table together finishing up lunch when I let out a big sigh. Carter turned to me and said, "What are you feelin' like?" It was the sweetest thing and actually took me by surprise. I didn't even realize I had let out an audible sigh and I certainly didn't expect my two year old boy to notice it and tune in to the fact that it meant I was feeling something other than great. What a sensitive little guy. I replied with a smile that I was just tired, but happy too. Then I asked if he was happy and he said "yes" with a big smile. Life doesn't get much better than this, does it?

2009-11-30T20:50:00.000-08:00

"In the year of 1620 on a cold December day
102 pilgrims sailed into Plymouth Bay..."

Those are the first two lines of Lily's recitation for November. I love her school. She is learning about the history of our nation in ways that are fun and exciting. She has learned about the creation of our nation and the pilgrims who came here for religious freedom and fought with God's power to make this a nation of liberty. I love that the school is patriotic. Every morning they say the Pledge of Allegiance, then have a moment of silence for individual prayer, and then sing the Star-spangled Banner. I was at the school this morning for an assembly and felt a calm, yet powerful feeling as we observed those moments of patriotism and respect for God.

Lily receiving a "coup," an honor, from her teacher during their native american unit. Parents were invited to attend their Thanksgiving event in which the kindergarteners dressed as native americans and the first and second graders dressed as pilgrims. They taught us a little about the first Thanksgiving and then the children sampled a few Thanksgiving foods. I am so impressed with what Lily has been learning and making at school: the tunic and headdress shown above, wampam belts, native american musical instruments, a diorama, pottery and basket weaving, and the pilgrim costume in the top picture. I can't say enough good about her school.

All aboard...to the North Pole!!

2009-11-23T10:13:00.000-08:00

We took a magical ride on the Polar Express to see Santa Claus. It was so magical!

Carter adores trains so this was amazing for him. In the days leading up to our train ride he would ask me if we could go now. "Pleeeeeease?" He was so patient.

Looking out the window.

Kids can wear their jammies on the trainride like the boy did in the story. We usually give the kids a new pair of jammies on Christmas Eve, but they got them early this year. I made these jammy pants from adorable cowboy and cowgirl fabric I found last year. I finally got them made!

We ate cookies and drank hot chocolate on the train. Beforehand we talked about the cookies and wondered if they would be yummy. The chefs on the train announced that the cookies were made by Mrs. Claus herself. Lily excitedly said, "They'll be delicious because they're homemade!" She was right. They were good...homemade is always the best! Aaron's cookie disappeared really quickly!

This was such a magical evening! As we read the book on the ride to the North Pole (we went through a magical tunnel that put us out close to the Pole), we wondered if we were in the same places the boy in the story was. Lily's eyes got big as we said, "Maybe we're going through a forest and wolves are watching our train speed by, " and "Maybe we're on a mountain too!"
I love this picture of Lily peering out the window at the North Pole. She was in awe.

Santa came onto the train at the North Pole!!! He gave each child a bell. I must say, those are the best jingle bells I've ever heard ring!

We had such a wonderful time together! The evening was just as magical for me as it was for the kids. I loved watching them enjoy the magic of Christmas!

Yes, if you didn't know, I'm pregnant and this photo makes my tummy look huge! I guess it is, but I've still got 9 weeks to go!

Another birthday

2009-11-09T10:13:00.000-08:00

I had a very happy birthday. My family made me feel very special that day. My mom made me a delicious zucchini cake. The zucchinis were grown in my dad's garden and the walnuts were grown on my grandpa's tree. Lily and Carter helped mom frost the cake. They love licking the beaters!

Dad was so sweet and thoughtful. He sent me off to get "that thing done to your feet." My first pedicure ever. Isn't that so thoughtful for a dad to come up with?! We had dinner at a restaurant that I love. It's called Neapolitan. It's delicious italian food.

As you can see, for Aaron it was more work than pleasure. He sure did give me a break by wrestling Carter that evening. He also made me crepes for breakfast that morning. What a dear.

Growing up my mom put a special table cloth on the table for our birthdays. To me, it's the epitome of birthday. You put that on the table and the whole house feels birthday-y. She was so sweet to bring it with her and put it on my table for my birthday.

Thank you, Aaron, Lily, Carter, Mom and Dad for a wonderful birthday!

Wow!

2009-11-06T08:11:00.000-08:00

In a word, "Wow!" is my description of William Joseph's live performance. Aaron and I went to his concert last night. It was a fabulous show. His music is new to me and I completely enjoyed the performance. His music is very powerful and full of energy. Aaron and I loved the show. So did Hazel. She was awake and moving through the whole performance. The other performers in his quartet were extremely talented too. He had a violinist, cellist, and percussionist accompanying him.

My very favorite song was Kashmir. I also adored an unnamed ballad that isn't on his album, as well as Shine, a new song. Check out his website (linked above) and you can hear his fantastic music. Thanks, Michelle, for introducing us to your talented brother's music!

He's an incredible musician! His performances are amazing. He'll be performing Saturday night at the Mesa Arts Center. Go see the show!

Halloween spookables!

2009-11-02T16:03:00.000-08:00

My mom and dad came to visit for Halloween! We're so happy to have them here!

We made our yummy sugar cookies. Grandpa got pretty fancy with the frosting.

Carving pumpkins was a lot of fun. Lily drew the cutest face with star eyes. Carter requested moon-shaped eyes.

Left to right: Carter & Jill's, Lily's, Grandpa's, Aaron's.

Lily dressed up as Tinkerbell when she was born. If you have a little girl, you probably know that Tink was not born an infant.

Ah! A witchy and a princess! That's the sweetest witch I know! Lily designed this costume for me. As I was hurriedly finishing sewing the kids' trick-or-treat bags, she came to me with this outfit and said it was my princess costume. It ended up winning the "cutest adult costume" at our church's trunk-or-treat activity. Way to go, Lily!

Our un-traditional Halloween dinner. I used to make pumpkin stew. But seeing as how Aaron and the kids don't like it, I've quite making it.

Look at those Halloween spookables! Carter did not like Grandpa's costume one bit. He didn't want to go anywhere near him. Hence, the crying. Lily wasn't too impressed with his costume either! I can't understand why.

Tinkerbell and Peter Pan! Carter loved being Peter Pan. After his bedtime bath he insisted on wearing his Peter Pan costume to bed. He was the cutest little Peter Pan!

Boo!

Pumpkins!

2009-10-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

We went to a pumpkin farm up north in hopes of finding some cool fall weather. We didn't find any cool weather, but we had a lot of fun and got some great pumpkins.

Aaron's teaching the kids about the oil pan, where the fuel is burned, and how the transmission works.

Lily's favorite part of the day was feeding the horses.

Carter's favorite activity was riding the train.

I love these little faces!

Choosing a pumpkin.

We got fantastic pumpkins! We'll carve them on Halloween day when Grandpa and Grandma Ford are here.

Big kids' bedroom

2009-10-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

Is our house shrinking? Or is our family just getting bigger? We're making room for Hazel. We moved Carter out of the nursery and into Lily's room. It is now called "the big kids' room!"

We brought Carter's bed in and made bunk beds for the kids. Lily is ecstatic to have bunk beds again and Carter likes that his bed is like a fort now. We got two cute little rugs to put on the floor that help define the room as Lily's and Carter's. It's been a great switch so far. The kids go down to bed well and I think it helps them feel more united.

My little goofies!

2009-10-23T11:57:00.000-07:00

Sadly, our dear camera is ill and had to be sent away to be fixed. I'm hoping hoping hoping it will be fixed miraculously quickly so we can have it back for the holidays....or at least for all the Christmas festivities. Until we get it back, our old point and shoot is making a come back.