a spooky Halloween.........

We had so much fun this Halloween, I can hardly keep up with it all! I think I need to make a separate post altogether with all of the pumpkin farms we visited! This is hands down my favorite time of the year (you can HAVE Christmas!). Some of these pics are terrible, my camera was on a funky setting, but you get the idea....it was a blast!

not supposed to use your hands on the donut on a string game, little butterfly!

my boys!

carving!

trunk or treat goods...

the little conductor!

madame butterfly

the itsy bitsy spider!

aye matey!

my birthday boy!

We started the day with pumpkin pancakes for my little punkin!

(Dad had to help blow...in our "blowing out the candles" trial runs Ian got too close and singed his hair!

Ian loved all of his new presents (the kids "helped" him unwrap)

another birthday candle on his pumpkin cake (is there a theme here?)

he really enjoyed diving in!

I can't believe my baby is one! I wish all of my whining would make time slow down!

Happy FIRST Birthday to the sweetest little PUNKIN! We love you, Ian!

Happy FIRST birthday......and Happy Halloween!

Isn't he sooooooooo stinkin' cute? I can't get enough of this guy! He is such a joy (cheesy, but true!) We are so happy he decided to come to our family last Halloween. This holiday is now even more FUN! We love you Baby Ian!

This cracks me up...."just kidding, it doesn't, just kidding it does!"

S-U-R-P-R-I-S-E!!!

I was a sneaky little devil this past weekend, and I flew home to surprise my mom for her 60th birthday! It was super fun to get away with just my littlest, and the look on my mom's face when we showed up at her office with a bunch of balloons was just PRICELESS! We had a great time in Utah enjoying the crisp fall weather and beautiful colors!

Ian and I got to see my whole family and some dear friends. Jon held down the fort at home, and I don't even think they knew we were gone! He had them doing chores and earning their keep. After seeing how capable he is, I will feel good about leaving more often! Thanks, Jonny, I am already planning my next trip...

run like the wind...

I just got back from volunteering at the school Jog-a-thon at Olivia's school. Olivia did great! She logged ELEVEN laps! Way to jog, Olivia! (notice her pacer running along side her and cheering her on....she has the BEST dad!).

eleven months....

oh no! How can it be? My baby is eleven months old! He is crawling all over the place, so my house has become quite like a lock down facility. Gates are up all over the place, which has become quite a frustration for Max and Molly who can't open them yet! The other day I ran upstairs to put some clothes away, and soon after I heard a little voice behind me, and there was Ian, all the way up the stairs. I had definitely forgotten how busy this stage is, because they want to be down crawling all the time, and let's face it, there are not many places you can just let a baby crawl! Ian's latest tricks are signing "more" (and he's the first of my kids to do it exactly right!), giving "fives," giving kisses, waving bye-bye, and clapping every time he hears "yay," "good job" or anyone else clapping. He's a big hit at Olivia's soccer games, because he's the only one cheering for both sides! This little guy puts many smiles in our day!

The countdown is on......just 24 more days until the big ONE.

Olivia's party

Olivia's birthday party was Friday night. I took five of her friends to have dinner, bowl, and play games at a really fun spot in town. It was a big hit! Here they are waiting for their dinner!

In the bowling LOUNGE! They have huge screens playing videos from now and THEN. Her friends loved all the "vintage" videos and thought it was hilarious when I said that those were super popular when I was their age, like "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." They all stared at me in amazement, like I was a real, live dinosaur, and then started laughing hysterically!

Here is the birthday cake. Spare me your compliments. Save them for Baskin Robbins.

Olivia is still saying, "Mom, that was the funnest party EVER," so I will call it a SUCCESS!

party on Molly, party on Max...

Max and Molly had their first "friend" party on Saturday. We held it at the park. We tried to combine the train and princess theme and just called it a "Royal Train Party." It was a big hit. Ten three and four year olds playing, eating, building, and having a ball! So cute! Max and Molly loved that everyone came for them. They had perma-grins all day!

Making candy trains!

Max's cake

Molly's cake

Molly making a wish!

Eating lunch!

Max's wish...

and, a big deep sigh of relief from Mom that it is over... (now on to Olivia's party!)

Happy number FOUR, Maxwell!

Happy birthday to my little man! Max was super happy to finally be four, since he's been telling everyone for months, "I'm going to be 4 on my next birthday!" When he woke up on his big day I said, "Happy birthday, Max! You are FOUR now!" and he looked down at himself and said, "but MOM, I'm not bigger!" So cute. So like Max. Here he is blowing out his breakfast candle!

He got a remote control Percy with more tracks to add on to his train. He was in heaven! He loves Percy, "because he's GREEN!"

Such fun at the zoo!

He loved roaming around the BUS at dinner!

Making a wish!

Happy Birthday to my big boy! I can't believe my little four pound baby is now four years old! Max is an awesome boy! One of a kind! He is really easy to love. He is super sensitive. He gets scared easy. He likes to be at home. He doesn't like leaving his mom and dad. He loves TRAINS. He loves cars, too, especially his gold one named "Rocket Fire." He likes to ride his training wheel bike, and doesn't even care that it has purple flowers on it. That goes back to the sensitive thing, I guess. He loves to cuddle. He loves his DADDY. Max is a really good brother. He is always giving Ian a toy, and comforting Molly if she gets hurt. Max appears to be a little accident prone/clumsy. He takes after his mom in this, I'm afraid. He has his share of owies, but Mom never tires of comforting him. This little guy makes us so happy. He makes us all want to be kinder. We love you little man!

Happy FOURTH birthday, Molly!

Happy number FOUR to my little princess! Molly was so excited for her birthday. Here she is enjoying her candle on her Swedish Pancake. I love this cute look on her face. She is the queen of fun facial expressions!

And, here she is in her birthday outfit. Her shirt is Ms. Trouble. She loves the book, and she IS the main character!

We went to the zoo with friends, and the kids had SO MUCH fun!

looking for bears...

Here are my girlies at the Grilled Cheese Grill. So fun!

Molly is just a dear! She is super affectionate. When she wants loves, she says, "Mom, I want to curl up in your arms!" Of course, how can I say no to that? She loves to play with Barbies (and much to my chagrin, she likes to play them with ME), Polly Pockets, and, of course, DRESS-UP! She is a girly-girly-GIRL. It's pretty fun. She got a bride Barbie and groom Ken for her birthday, and a full ballet outfit, because she is starting a little ballet class next week, and can't wait! She is such a fun part of our family. She keeps us laughing with the funny things that come out of her mouth. And, her screams...well, let's just say, all of her good aspects make up for a lot! Happy birthday to our little girl! We love you, Molly!

more birthday!

This is the awesome place we took the kiddos for their birthdays. It's called the Grilled Cheese Grill, and it came highly recommended (thanks, Raina!). They have lots of varieties of cheesy bliss. It's Y-U-M-M-Y! And, it was a big hit with EVERYONE.

Yes, you actually eat in a BUS! So fun!

Yummy chocolate cake (but very ugly! I'll try harder on the REAL cakes, coming up for the "friend" parties!).

Olivia had a great birthday, and was elated with everything. She has grown up into such a darling young lady, and we are very PROUD of her. She has become responsible for her things, and quite often her younger siblings. She helps around the house, earns allowance, and spends it carefully. She loves to organize ANYTHING. She often asks, "hey Mom, can I organize this drawer for you, it's a MESS!" She LOVES school, soccer, and being with friends. She loves music and SINGS all the time. Our favorites are her shower numbers. Lovely, really. She loves to play on Webkinz. She is really into making her habitats super fun for her pets! She is my BIG girl, and I am so grateful she came into our family 9 years ago! Happy Birthday, sweetie!

Happy NINTH birthday, Olivia!

Happy NINTH birthday to my little girl! It was her MAGIC birthday this year, because she turned NINE on 9/9/09. Very ENCHANTED, really! She LOVED her special day. She chose to have Swedish Pancakes for breakfast, with whipped cream, of course. YUM!

Here she is with her new POGO-stick, get jumping, little girl!!!

Her new birthday outfit! Her shirt is "scratch and sniff" cupcakes! That's a nice thing to smell all day on your birthday, right?

Here are the cupcakes we took into her class. Little soccer RINGS. So fun!

And, here she is in her birthday crown (that she decided to make for herself=DIVA)!

She also scored a WHALE Webkinz (which she is very excited about because it swims in a bubble all around Webkinz World) and some PIXOS, which she did until too late last night.

fall fashion show...

Twas the night before school and all through the house

were fall fashions galore: Union Bay and Levi Strauss.

Olivia is ready, all tucked in her bed,

while visions of notebooks dance in her head.

Her lunch is all packed, her messenger bag, too.

She's ready for school tomorrow, how about YOU?

Here is a sneak peak at her THIRD GRADE wardrobe!

I cannot believe my baby is in the third grade and has a birthday in two days. Really? How can she be turning 9??? Lots more to come this week of her first day at school and THREE birthdays!

molly uncut...

I was cooking dinner last night, and while I had my back turned, Max snuck in and took a bite of the (pre-cooked) breaded chicken patty I was getting ready to grill. I turned around and noticed the bite missing and said, "Max, don't eat those yet, I haven't even cooked them."

And that's when Molly chimed in, "yeah, you freakin' vulture."

ten months

ten months!

oops, looks like Olivia dressed Ian for bed! I just let him sleep in it, since he looked so darn cute. This is what Ian is doing these days to make us smile...

crawling

clapping

signing "more"

clucking his tongue

pulling up in his crib

playing pat-a-cake

dancing to his favorite music (unfortunately, his taste in music runs towards his dad's)

eating anything and everything

cuddling his mommy

giggling at Max's physical stunts

pulling Molly's hair (and she lets him do it!)

hanging out with Olivia, his awesome roommate

and rocking out with dad!

bragging rights...

34 Quarts of peaches=total satisfaction

stitches

My little guy had a big accident on Sunday, just as we were packing up and getting ready to leave Utah! Somehow he got bounced too hard on the trampoline and fell on the bar, smack on his head. I didn't see it happen, but my guess is a big kid bounced him accidentally. Olivia brought him inside and there was blood everywhere. Luckily, there was a doctor in the house, whom I deferred to right away. Uncle Glenn sat him up on the counter and determined that the best route would be to get some stitches, so he and Jon jumped in the car and took him down to the Urgent Care. They walked in and Glenn walked right up to the counter and informed the nurse that he would be needing a room (connections are great, I tell you). They got to the exam room and stitched him up (with quite a struggle, I might add, Glenn said he might have been the hardest fighting kid he'd seen!), and he left with four stitches.

So, my big birthday plan of buying the kids a trampoline for their shared birthday is thwarted, as I now feel SICK about this darn accident. Dr. Glenn said "he'd never own one of those dag-blamed things" and I think I have come to feel the same.

A big bang ending to an otherwise accident-free vacation. Since they left the Urgent Care Max has not once complained about his head, and seems to be basically unscathed. And, if he's lucky and has my dad's hair line, no one will ever see the scar. If he gets his daddy's genes...........poor guy.

one last hoorah...

We made the trek down to Utah again for one last summer hoorah. We had tons of fun, as always, visiting, swimming, and riding on tractors...

here are the kiddos riding on Papa's tractor...(the dog came along)

Ian had lots of fun with TWO big days of swimming...

we got to swim with great friends in Bountiful...

these boys got along so great!!!

biggest and littlest (my nephew is about 6'5" and counting)

sweet Aunt Shirl took amazing care of us, as usual...

another tractor (Max let him have this ONE ride on it)...

brothers...

uncle-ly advice...

and yet another tractor ride...

The main reason we headed down was for the wedding of Jake and Emma. Their sealing was amazing. It made me remember my own, and I am so happy for those two love birds! Crystal and I helped the amazing Shirl with the food for their reception, which was TONS of fun, and lots of work, but I would do anything if it means spending time with those two sister in laws. The reception turned out great, and thanks to nearly 400 eclairs and 400+ barbeque beef sandwiches, we had just enough food! Thanks for getting married, Jake and Emma! Good luck in love and life....

nine months...

I can't believe my baby is nine months already. He is a total gem. He sleeps all night. He naps in his bed twice a day. He LOVES to play with his toys. He rarely fusses. He loves to eat. ANYTHING. He loves to drink out of big cups (he has the same hole in his lip that his mommy does). He has a contagious laugh. He loves to be snuggled, wrestled with, and doted on by all of his family. He brings us together. The perfect end to our little family. Our CABOOSE.

21 pounds

29 inches

(thanks, Jaide, for the cute picture!)

warning, here come a lot of pictures of a very fun stay-cation!

We had such a blast with Crystal, Jaide and Tage this past week and a half. It was too fun, too fast, and we wish we could do it all again! These visitors are so good to us, so helpful, and love to do all the things that we do, which makes it easy! Here are some of the highlights of our trip:

We had a fun picnic at a river-front park. The kids had fun playing in the water and watching the boats. This was part of Jaide's birthday extravaganza.

Molly roped Jaidie into some good-ole dress-up! Jaide was such a good sport when Molly brought her a dress that Molly promised was just her size!

Thank you, Jaide, for turning 17 at my house and choosing to go here for dinner:

Jaide under the banner, she is even cuter at 17, if that is possible!

Oh, I love this picture. These three have always been so close even with so much distance (because their moms do such a good job keeping in touch!) and pictures like this just warm my heart! We have so many of the three of them through the years, and I just want to take time by the shoulders and shake it and say stop, don't let these guys get a minute older.

We love you guys and will miss you dearly, dearly, dearly!

berries!

Berry picking is an integral part of summer in the Northwest. We have been doing our fair share. We like to freeze them, and love to jam them! This summer, before our visitors arrived, we made 20 pints of strawberry jam, 20 pints of sylvan berry jam, 15 containers of sylvan berry freezer jam. Probably sufficient for a nice long winter, but we couldn't resist one more opportunity to go picking with our favorite berry team! Here are some cute pictures Crystal took of our adventure!

Max with his goods!

Molly getting to work. We told them if they didn't pick, they didn't eat lunch. It was very motivating.

And, we decided to feed them, because we ended up with 67 pounds of boysenberries and raspberries. Yum!

It wore this guy out!

And, after this, Crystal and I were also very worn out! The end result? 72 pints of jam!

Crystal, I think we should go for double or nothin' next summer!

more, more, more!

We took a trip to the Farmer's Market on Saturday. We all walked and pushed two strollers two miles each way, with the promise that after the market we would hit the fountains and cool off! It was so fun. We have loved this attraction for years! The kids had a blast splashing each other, spitting water at each other, and eating lots of kettle corn!

I just love this sculpture!

ooh, the water feels good!

At home, we stayed cool on the Slip-n-Slide. Aunt Crystal bought us a new Diego slide, and everyone had fun sliding (except Max, who had fun observing). Here is Molly reassuring him that it is "super fun" to slide!

Jaide is showing everyone how it's done!

And then she gave Molly lessons (and lots of support!)

Could these cousins be any more fun???

life's a beach...

Our trip to the coast was awesome! It was 90+ degrees when we packed up and left, but the weird Northwest Coast Phenomenon kicked in when we hit the coast, and it was windy and freezing on the beach! Never fear, we had fun nonetheless. We flew kites, dug in the sand with sticks (someone forgot the beach toys...), searched the tide pools, and watched the sunset over the Pacific Ocean from the warmth of our hotel room. Does it get any better than that?

The view from our patio

Tage looks like he's thinking...hey, look at my two cute babes!

silly cousins

here's to fifteen bliss-filled years...

Yesterday, Jonny and I celebrated our fifteenth wedding anniversary. He was on a plane all day and I was 67 pounds deep in boysenberries, but sometime in the very near future we plan on going out and painting the town to celebrate the best fifteen years EVER! I just love this guy!

...and this is how I picture us 15 years from now (and 15 years after that, and so on).

summer fun

more favorites...

Kristen, you've done it again!

Family Home Evening at the Temple

"As we touch the temple, the temple will touch us."

President Thomas S. Monson

he will be missed...

We got sad news that little Patrick passed away recently. Although he was only with us a bit over a year, he will be missed and we will never forget him! He is survived by his mother, Sweetheart. He had an accident while loading into the horse trailer, and it left him brain-damaged and with many cuts on his legs and face. Two vets determined that he would not be sound if he continued to live and it would be better for him to be put to sleep. He died by injection while Olivia's grandpa held him. Olivia is heartbroken, but she knows he is in a better place and is running free without any pain. That makes us all feel a bit better.

Patrick: born March 26, 2008 (here he is on the day of his birth)

Died June 10, 2009 (this is a recent picture from our trip to Utah just days after his accident)

daddy of the year...

I just wanted to give a little shout out to my sweet husband, who is the greatest daddy ever! I am so grateful that I chose HIM, and pretty happy that he puts up with ME. Here are the top ten reasons he is the BEST:

1. He plays with our kids. REALLY plays.

2. He takes ALL of them to "China Town" (tickles them relentlessly) EVERY SINGLE DAY.

3. He is SUPER positive.

4. He reads parenting books and is always trying to better himself as a dad.

5. He thinks that the most important thing that he can do for his kids is to love their mother.

6. He provides for them, so that they can have their mommy stay home to care for them.

7. He brings them silly prizes whenever he returns from a business trip.

8. He takes them on "daddy/kid dates" regularly.

9. He tells them every day how lucky he is to be their dad.

10. He reads the scriptures, prays with them, and cuddles with them every night.

**Photos courtesy of Kristen**

while the cats away..

So, it is the annual "Daddy/Daughter Camp-Out" for our ward this weekend, and Max was soooo sad that he was not invited along for this one! He always wants to be ANYWHERE that Dad is. Molly runs a close second. I, on the other hand, am constantly trying to win him over, to no avail! I stinkin' adore this kid. He just warms my heart with his sweet demeanor, his winning smile, his sensitive spirit. Not that I'm playing favorites, but geez this kid has got a hold on me! And, I know he loves me, he tells me so at least five times a day (he is so sweet!), but he just loves his daddy MORE (to say the least). Anywho, in my efforts to woo him and to make him happy he stayed with me this weekend, I pulled out the BIG GUNS! We went on a TRAIN RIDE! We rode the MAX train (how cool is that?) downtown, got dinner, and then rode it back! He was SO excited all day leading up to this big event. He just kept saying, "I wanna ride the train, the M-A-X spells Max train!". He was so enthusiastic, and the night did not disappoint! He was in heaven. Here are some pics of the outing:

Here's me, trying to prove I was there!

After we got back to the car he announced he wanted ice cream, and of course, his wish was my command. We stopped at Cold Stone on the way home. When we got home, we all got our jammies on. I quickly got a very tired Ian to bed, and asked Max if he'd like to sleep with me tonight ("oh yeah, baby," was his resounding answer). After we brushed our teeth, I read him 11 Dora the Explorer stories. He could not believe that I kept agreeing to "just one more." When he was ready to go to sleep, he rolled over and asked me to sing him some songs. "Which ones?" I asked.

Row your boat, Twinkle twinkle, Child of God (so I sang, and then he added) Hurries down the hill, Doe a dear, and Spoonful of Sugar.

I think Max enjoyed being an only child for the night.

I am soooooo much cooler than dad right now.

a quick recap

Cousins!

Olivia on Sweetheart

Baby Patrick: one year old

The kids at Erin's house

funny boys and funny faces

More to come, I promise...

trip

We had a great trip to Utah for Parker's graduation.   He is awesome and clearly a genius.  He graduated from Seminary, which is HUGE and we are so proud of him for that.  He also graduated from high school with a 3.987 GPA and was VP of the Honor Society, captain of the Golf team, and All State in tennis.  And, what's even more is that he is KIND, sweet and the best big brother EVER! What a gem.  I wish I could take any credit for him!  I will upload pictures of him soon.  I am still beat.  Sorry for no pictures.  My camera was broken. I have a few cute pics to download from Olivia's camera, but I am too lazy to do that right now, so if you want a recap of the end of our trip, you can go to Crystal's blog or Shirline's blog.  And, for some fun family photos, please visit the blog of my ever talented friend, Kristen.  She did a great job with a very un-cooperative group.  Hopefully later this week, I will become motivated to dig a little deeper and post more, but until then...

comings and goings...

We have been low key, lately.  There has just not been much to blog about.  So here is a very boring list of our comings and goings for our real die hard blog fan (I think there are only two, thanks Mom and Dad!). 

We've done a TON of yardwork (and haven't made a dent), we've played outside and started frequenting our parks again.  I've rediscovered the $1 32 oz Diet Coke at McDonalds (ahhh, the tastes of summer). Jon and Max went on the Father/Son camp-out and didn't  take a single photo. Olivia has been obsessed with hummingbirds, and did an awesome job on her school project (again, no photos, UGH!)

Baby Ian decided to try sleeping on his side (now maybe he will grow some hair in his bald patch).

Outside, outside, outside.  We cleaned the playhouse, it's ready for guests.

He really is in charge.

Molly is freakin' obsessed with puzzles.  Each morning she gets them all out and proceeds to put them all together all over the hardwood floor.  She likes them to stay set up all day, and then at night cleans them up so she can do it all over again the next day.  It has cured her of her TV habit, and makes for a happier girl.  I think this is the most endearing thing!

Olivia is my little babysitter.  She wakes up in the morning when Ian does (I'm not sure who wakes who up!).  She brings him down to me so I can feed him, and she kisses me on the forehead as she hands him over.  I feed him, and then get dressed and go running while she "baby sits" him (Jon is usually still in bed at this hour).  This is how I found them yesterday when I got home from my run.

That is our life lately. Kind of boring, but really full of such joy and love for these little ones we have been blessed with.  We have rediscovered a book lately, The Power of Positive Parenting and it has once again changed my life and how I relate to my kids.  A much needed reminder.  I highly recommend it.  On a lighter note, I have discovered Frozen Yogurt from Trader Joes that is EXACTLY like Pink Berry/Red Mango yogurt.  It is heavenly.  And healthy. And low cal (until I shred a chocolate pound plus bar all over the top of it!).  Any who, if you live near a Trader Joe's, check it out.  If you don't, I feel so sorry for you, because it is the BEST! 

Next week we are headed to Utah to celebrate the graduation and festivities of darling Parker.  We will surely take a photo or two then, and share our adventures.  Until then, Happy Spring!

six month stats...

20 pounds 

29 inches

100% rockin' awesome!

Half birthday...

My little caboose is six months old. I am super contemplative and sad as I post this. This little guy is it!  Everything he does: his milestones, his firsts, and the things he outgrows just mean that he's getting older, growing up, and one step closer to leaving me! It is hitting me so hard that this is the last time that I will have a little one to hold, cuddle, coo at, and take care of.  I am so grateful to you, baby Ian, for teaching me how to slow down, let things pile up a little, ignore the phone ringing, and just look at you, hold you, and rock you.  It has taken me until number four to finally realize how quickly it goes, how precious each of them are, and really what "in the blink of an eye" means.

He celebrated his six month mark by sitting up for 20 minutes straight without tipping over while he played with toys scattered all around him!

Fun with phonics (warning:not for the faint of heart)

Tonight when we were driving to dollar ice cream cone night at Baskin Robbins I overheard a funny conversation going on in the back seat between Max and Molly.  It started out pretty typical, they love to converse about one another's parts...it went down like this:

"Monny, I have a penis, you don't have a penis, I have a penis (could he use that word any  more times in one sentence???).

"Puh....puh...penis...Mom, does penis start with "P?"

Yes, Max it sure does!

"Monny not have a penis, right?"

That's right, she does not.

"No, I have a bagina...buh, buh, buh....bagina start with "B," Mom?"

I'm not composed enough to answer at that point.

"No, Monny...it's jina.  Juh, juh, jina starts with "J."

"Oh."

Just when I hoped it was over, I hear Olivia quietly remark, "I think it starts with "V."

Hooked on phonics is working for us...don't say I didn't warn you!

a gift

Last night baby Ian gave me a gift.  A long overdue, much appreciated gift....(drumroll......) he slept through the night!  Yippee!  I finally cut the apron strings and put him upstairs in his crib, because with him right beside me, I think he smelled me and had to be with me all night (I am magnetic that way). When I fell asleep I thought it would be a night full of trips upstairs to comfort the little guy, but the next thing I knew it was 5 AM and Jon was sleeping next to Pamela Anderson.  Still no peep.  I fell back to sleep and he finally woke up STARVING at 6 :15.  He got in bed with me and we cuddled back to sleep until 8:45.  What a way to start a Saturday.  Wish me luck tonight!

Max's first REAL drawing...

I am not sure why I am so proud of this, except that it is the first time he has drawn something intelligible and it was of his own free will and choice.  I think it is a true masterpiece.  A side note:  I asked him what the pink thing below the eyes is, and he said "it's a rectangle so he can stay warm."  Hmmm... Any interpretations???

Rhododendron Gardens

We took a trip to the Rhododendron Gardens yesterday.  They were in full bloom!  The kids had the most fun chasing the ducks, but liked the flowers too, I think!

They were actually petting the ducks!

Cute picture, but no flowers in sight

and, we were there too!

Max's favorite you tube...he says "I yuv ugly girls"

Easter best

Easter was lovely here, despite the pouring rain! Here are my cute girls!

Best friends...

The whole cute clan...

Olivia made cute bunny cupcakes for dessert!

I love celebrating the holidays with my little (or not so little) family.  It is the greatest joy in my life!  All of the work, preparation, and planning aside, we just get to play, laugh, eat and enjoy each other.  I am especially grateful at this time of year for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who made it possible for us to be together as a family forever!  I hope your Easter was as lovely as ours!

sad...

Today we were running an errand and we passed our favorite ice cream joint.  Olivia sat up straight and said, "I think I see Jaide and Tage."  I replied, "oh, that would be cool, but doubtful!"  She got quiet.  On our way back through town, we passed the ice cream place again, and she said, "Mom, do you ever wonder what people are doing or thinking?"  and I said, "sure," and she said, "well, I wonder what Jaide and Tage are doing right now, cause I really miss them."  UGH!  It made me cry!  She loves her cousins  SO MUCH!  Then, when we pulled into our driveway she said, "oh, I was hoping they would be here to surprise us."  Another pang! So, tonight I am sad and EXTRA missing some of my favorites....here are some pictures that lifted my spirits!

(by the way, guys, you can surprise us any time!)