Talent Show 2013

I am so proud of Xander! From the day the flyer came home he was adamant about performing in the talent show.  He knew that he was going to play a song from church called, "Families Can Be Together Forever."  And he did. He did a fabulous job.  He was so calm and sure of himself it was inspiring.  After we left he and Eliza started planning what they will do together next year! Oh BOY!!

Backyard Neighborhood Fun

I know I've mentioned it before but I LOVE our neighbors...we got a random Saturday night invite to come over for s'mores and play time.  The kids had a BLAST and the s'mores hit the spot.

Mommy's Getaway

I am so glad that Ben met Charity before we were married so that I could have such a great friend! And right now, Charity lives in the Bay Area so I got to have a reason to sneak away for 24 hours and have a blast!  We met up at her office and ran all over. From Los Gatos, to San Jose to Berkeley--we were literally all over the place!  We went hiking, we dined, we toured the Winchester Mystery House, we dined some more.  It was so fun.  I should definitely go again!

 

I LOVE FREE!

My newest FREECYCLE addition:

We are LOVING it!!

MLK Jr. Day

We did not want to be home on this day but the snow trip from last month still haunted us. So we called in back-ups...and met our cousins at the park for a picnic and play time. It was SO FUN!  Living near family is so wonderful-when your family is a wonderful as ours!!

Sunday Best

Ben has a new assignment at church. Officially, he's the "Executive Secretary" which means he's a personal assistant/secretary to the Bishop.  What that means is that he goes to lots of meetings--and they start at 630AM on Sunday.  What does that mean?  That means I get to get these cuties ready for church on my own each Sunday and have them at the chapel in time for our 9 AM meeting.  Some mornings are better than others but this particular morning I got to get a snap shot-we've figured out a few things like doing the girls hair while they eat (while I would prefer not to do it) is the best way to get it all done. 

18 Mos Old?

Look who is getting old?!  Holy cow. We are 18 mos.  That's crazy!

Some things to know about A--

Elmo rules her world!

Loves to talk and has a large vocabulary and LOVES to mimic what you say.  She recently copied me in saying, "Bonjour" to our French friends and it was ADORABLE!

LOVES sweets.  Will settle for fruit and if she must, bean beans.

Loves to be outside and jump on the trampoline and ride bikes

Thinks she's the same age as V, E & X

CLIMBS like nobody's business

Loves to sing and play instruments

 

A is mostly a happy girl that makes us all laugh.  We are teething like crazy right now though so we are not happy.  But we love her to pieces and we are so glad she is part of our family!

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day 2013

Today marks 9 years since Ben & I had our first date!

In 9 years:

We have bought 2 cars & 1 house

We have had 4 children

We have moved 9 times

Completed 3 degrees

We had a fabulous day! I woke up early and made homemade cinnamon rolls with pink frosting.  

For the last couple weeks I've been sending Xander a Valentines joke in his lunch--it has been super fun and he has loved it.  Xander came home every day still laughing.  

Ben surprised me by actually celebrating Valentines day--he got us tickets for a weekend showing of Legally Blonde, the musical.  It was super fun-the best part being getting to sit with Ben for 3 hours alone and undisturbed (thanks GG for watching the kids).

It was a super low key and fun day when we talked about love and first dates with our family.

Oh and it must be said, the shirt that A is sporting  was none other than yours truly made by my Grandma Sally.  I'm so glad that my sister found it and sent it to me so that at least one of my kids got to sport it.  :)

New do's

Someone has been asking for a haircut...

something short "like Eliza"

I was happy to accommodate that request--less hair=less work for me

 This little girl couldn't be happier!  She tells everyone, "I got a hair cut!" Thanks Amelia!

Whatever happened to winter?

We haven't had much rain since December--and as much as we appreciate all the outside time--we seriously need rain!!!