Talents Abound

Serious light saber skills, dancing, AND singing:

we just can't suppress our gifts.

Another Girlie One

Here's a little movie for the Grandmas and Aunts: 

(I promise Hyrum has not been forgotten- he'll make his way into a post one day!)

Bows and Braids

Ivy's hair is FINALLY long and thick enough to give her mommy lots of fun styling options.  I absolutely love the time we spend every morning talking and trying out different styles.  Her hair is a beautiful strawberry blond color with yellow and red highlights.  I have no idea who's genes she inherited, but whoever it was: THANK YOU!

And here's sweet Delia with her little ponies.  She has CRAZY thick hair that I have to wash every single day, but I love it anyway. She wasn't very happy with the style, so we'll hold off on the hair pulling torture a little longer.

I know there's many people who think spending time on little outfits and hairstyles is an absolute waste.  It's true, it's very frivolous.  On the other hand- the life of a stay at home mother is, at times, exhausting, tedious, overwhelming, and stressful.  We often go many days without recognition of our tireless efforts to keep the family and house in perfect order.  I dress my little girls in silly clothes and take time to style their hair in elaborate bows and braids because I very simply love to.  It's not essential to their health or happiness, it's not going to create world peace or stop world hunger, but it makes me feel like my life isn't just changing diapers and cleaning dishes- so BACK OFF people...

The Beach Makes Me Hungry

We enjoyed a perfect day at beautiful Virginia Beach last weekend.  The weather was amazing and the kids were lucky to soak up some much needed Daddy time.

Hyrum wasn't satisfied unless he was in the ocean with Bry.  He had an absolute blast running away from the waves and jumping them (which gave Mommy a heart attack).

Ivy loved playing in the sand and making friends with the strangers who surrounded us.

Thanks to the AWESOME tent thingy we rented, (best $20 bucks we ever wasted) Delia slept most of the time.  Here's our little baby burrito:

It is a truth universally acknowledged that baby stretches are dang cute.

Baby smiles are cuter though. 

Delia's post nap routine is very rigorous- strrrretch, then... SMILE.

And last but not least, I ate.  Apple chips, granola bars, trail mix, pizza (cheese-free of course), tacos, and orange soda.  Nothing was safe that was in my reach.  Now it's no secret why I'm having a hard time losing the baby weight (thus no pictures of me in my swimsuit).

Game Over

 Here's an update on our little brood: 

Hyrum is a Kindergartner!  Sad, but true, I can't keep my little baby from growing up.  His favorite Kindergarten activity is eating in the "Cabitorium".

He LOVES girls and frequently points out the beautiful ones everywhere we go.  He also has a new "girlfriend" every other week.  This is how he explained marriage to Ivy recently, "Sometimes big girls are princesses and big boys are princes.  When they grow up they get married and get presents... I love presents."

He's discovered the magic of Star Wars, so we have in depth conversations about the fate of  "Dark" Vader, "Dorth" Mall, and Hans "Soli".  He uses his trusty light "saver" to protect the family from scary monsters and aliens- good thing too, our neighborhood's infested.  THANK YOU George Lucas for many, many hours of 5 year old boy entertainment!

Ivy is two going on thirteen.  Her favorite phrases are: "I'm not talking anymore."  "Don't look at me." and "I'm out of batteries." 

She started preschool and when I pick her up in the afternoon I'm pretty sure her teacher lies through her teeth as she proclaims how well behaved Ivy is. 

When she's not acting like a teenager she's quite fun. She loves to dance, manipulate play dough, and read the exact same book over and over and over and over....

Delia is my shinning beacon of peace and tranquility.  I totally look forward to my one on one time with her- it's the only time in my day where there's no whining, complaining, tattle-tailing, and fighting.

She's a great little baby with the patience of an angel (as long as I don't eat dairy or chocolate).

Bryan has major Senioritis and can't wait to graduate and move onto the next phase.  He's been an amazing support to me.  I can't believe how much energy and love that guy has.

Erin is struggling with the juggling act of raising three kids.  She often wonders how in the world anyone else manages this.  She has to remind herself that it took 9 months to gain the baby weight, so that's how long it might take to lose it.  She spends too much time yelling and losing her temper at her kids, and not enough time showing them how much she loves them.  She cherishes her family, friends, and life, but feels like she is constantly falling short on all her responsibilities and goals.  She has a deep and unchanging knowledge that no matter how many stupid mistakes she makes, her Heavenly Father loves her.  She is learning more and more every day to rely on her Savior, who brings peace and hope if she'll only open the door.


BTW- many of the pictures in this post were taken by a fabulous girl named Andrea.  Thanks girl!

First Smiles

I know, I know- I've completely skipped months and months of our lives, including an entire pregnancy, Delia's birth, Hyrum's preschool graduation, a super fun Utah trip, and many other sweet memories in between.  I dearly hope to record these milestones for posterity one day.  But today is not that day. 

Today is for the best milestone of all, the first moment when you know your new baby knows you and loves you. After 6 weeks of no sleep and recovering from childbirth the best reward finally arrives in the form of a toothless grin...

Everyone has differing opinions regarding who Delia looks like the most.
I'll let you be the judge:

The Newlyweds Come to Town

We were so lucky to have my little sis and her new hubby come to visit.

Amy and Zack were so amazing to take time out of their vacation in North Carolina to drive up.

We had to visit our favorite place- the zoo of course!

I'm afraid we spent lots of time hanging at home because not only is nap time important for Ivy, it's also a necessity for the pregnant mommy.

We had such beautiful weather we had to make it to Maymont Park for a nice walk.




Thanks for coming Amy and Zack! We love you two!

The Golf Ball Massacre

So-called "experts" (who probably never had children) encourage young parents to help their offspring experience new things. They use phrases like: "mental and social development", "synapses connecting", and "IQ building". We parents can't resist these phrases and actually can't get them out of the back of our minds (the section where parental guilt is kept). Bry and I really do try to share activities that we loved as kids and still love now with our own brood. Not only is this usually a pain in the booty, but it can be downright dangerous.

If you have ever attempted to take a young child to a restaurant, camping, fishing, to the library, to sporting events, to concerts, to church, or anywhere that has any rules like: no yelling, running, peeing in your pants, ripping books, throwing food, taking off your clothes, or jumping in the frigid water, you know what I mean.

So, we decided it was high time we took the kids miniature golfing. There really isn't a more family friendly activity. What could go wrong, right?

We pretty much spent the entire afternoon screaming at our kids. "IVY! Stop throwing the ball in the pond/bushes/at your brother!" "HYRUM! Stop swinging your club! You're going to hit someone!" "IVY! Don't jump in the filthy pond!" You get the idea. It was so stressful and exhausting Bry and I were so relieved to get in the car and go home. We ended going through several golf balls and even broke a club. It was one of those events that was stressful at the time, but absolutely hilarious to remember. We took some cute pictures too, so I guess it wasn't all that bad.

Welcome Summer

We had a crazy warm spell with temps in the 80s and 90s a few weeks ago. It was the best "summer" ever because it only lasted a week! Not that I don't love lots of things about summer in Virginia, it just goes on and on and on....

Here's some of my favorite things about the Season:

Long walks in the woods

Popsicles

Swimsuits and sprinklers
Ity-bitty sundresses

Sunhats and ice cream

Sweet, sweet freckles

And last but not least- a little streaker in the back yard.

Ivy has decided when the weather is warmer than 75 degrees, clothes are unnecessary. Her exact quote is, "I be naked!"

Two New Additions

We are pleased to announce the arrival of Kiwi the Parakeet and Hermie the Hermit Crab into our family.

We have terrific family in the ward who were looking for someone to take over the care of their parakeet and crab and we were happy to take them off their hands. Thanks Nuffers!

Kiwi is sweet and gentle, but I can't help being be frustrated with him. He trusts Bryan (who isn't the animal lover of the family) more than me. He even likes Hyrum more than me. You'd think he'd favor the person who feeds him, changes his water, and cleans his cage EVERYDAY- maybe one day he'll wise up to the girl who loves him the most.

Hermie is the new mystery of the family. I've never actually seen him move, but every morning there's evidence of a great party in his cage. Sand and food and cute little tracks everywhere- even physically impossible surfaces. He's gotta be some kind of secret agent/ninja/wonder pet crab. I even creep into the room to spy on him in the middle of the night (yes, the frequent nighttime bathroom breaks and contraction phase of the pregnancy has started) to catch him in action. Still, he just hides in the smiley face shell. I guess this is just another relationship that might take some time develop.

I really enjoy having little dependents around me to feed and care for. Even pruning, clipping, and weeding plants keeps me in high spirits. Maybe the fact that these alive, but non-intelligent organisms can't talk back or throw tantrums is the rationale behind my blissful new hobby.