Happy Easter 2012

"This is the day the LORD has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it."
-PSALMS 118:24

My Noah

Classic Sofia

Love Day 2012

The little unremembered acts of kindness and love are the best parts of a person's life
- William Wordsworth

We started a tradition a couple of years ago that

on Valentine's Day, our family eats dinner by candlelight.

The kids love it.  It makes an ordinary meal a bit special.

We eat, have cake and blow out candles.

Offer our small tokens of love to one another.

It was a glorious evening.

Noah and Sofia even danced for us.

One of Noah's talents is the Coconut dance.

i didn't know.

And because their parents are in love

We had to kiss

and both took turns taking pictures.

Christmas Highlights 2011

Nativity

Every year growing up.

Before we could open presents from each other on Christmas Eve.

We reenacted the nativity.

My mom asked us to do it again this year.

I personally think we were a lot cuter when we were little.

But Look at those angels,  they are stinkin adorable!

And Joseph and Mary were marvelous parents.

And as per tradition, Nik was Caeser Augustus and the Donkey!

It was great fun!  So glad we did it

Lights on Temple Square

Every year the day after Thanksgiving

We have a marvelous party downtown

with my husbands fam.

We eat amazing food 

hang at the Plaza

And see the glorious lights on Temple Square

In Salt Lake City.

bundled up family

 It is always crowded.

This year a bit bitter cold.

Magical.

This is one of my very favorite traditions ever.

I look forward to it every year.

Sofia by the pink lights

 Sofia is at the age where everything is 

wonderful,

magical,

and extra special.

She loved every minute of it.

She saw the Christus through the window of the visitors center

and insisted we go up there.

It was so packed we barely got up there.

The look on her face as she gazed at the statue of Jesus

made the crowds and hassle totally worth it.

At least for me

Noah under the "Red Tree" we got engaged by

Noah is older and it getting into stories of our little families history.

It was a big deal to him that this is the tree, we got engaged by.

They both wanted to walk around to see the nativities from around the world

just to see the cute baby Jesus'.

This was a marvelous night.

Happy Halloween 2011

Add caption

 Happy Halloween!

Good Ninja with Stealth and Awesome fighting moves

I am Tangled, you have to dance and make funny faces

Easter 2011

My beautiful children in their Easter outfits.

Willie the Rabbit, our personal Easter bunny,

was very good to us this year.

Noah got a Agent P or Perry the Platapus 

and Sofia got a Maximus stuffed animal.

We were very happy

I still can't believe he is seven.

She is one gorgeous babe.

St Patrick's Day

We spent a couple days before St Patrick's day building a trap

for the silly Leprechaun that turns our milk green.

Noah also made one for school.  It is a bed. 

I think it sure looks inviting.

Even a stuffed animal to cuddle with.

Sofia also made a bed to put in our family trap.

That sneaky leprechaun snuck passed us and got our milk green.

It sure made crackers and milk yummy.

He left green footprints all over our trap and right to our fridge.

Louie the Leprechaun at Noah's class got away also.

Noah was convinced they would get him.

He left a note saying "hee hee hee, you can't catch me"

We were a bit sad.

I have been trying to catch leprechauns my whole life and still have not got one.

I was lucky enough to teach Sofia's neighborhood preschool class that day.

we made Shamrock people.

Ate gold coins.

drank green milk

read leprechaun stories.

Talked about green and wore crowns and hats

Very fun and memorable.

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

Happy Turkey Day!

 I hope you have a fun filled day of lots of food

good friends, family and warm memories.

and I hope you all take the time to remember all we have to be thankful for

After all that is what this holiday is about.  

As we express our gratitude, 

we must never forget that the highest appreciation

is not to utter words, but to live by them. 

~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Halloween 2010

 Princess Sofia and Captain Clone Commander Rex

 Laurie a Japanese Masseuse and Kersten the Austrian Tourist

 and a couple of my other favorites  My niece Allie as Minnie Mouse

 Brother Nik as Ron Burgundy from Anchorman and Lina a 50's housewife

My mom Jeanne and Al as Vikings

My kids kept telling them that they were Dragon Trainers

My sister Em as Wilma and Gearold as Fred Flintstone.

We had a really fun Halloween.
We gathered with 3 families in the neighborhood
for yummy taco soup and food.
Then we went  out all together to Trick or Treat.
It was so super fun
It was fun to watch the kids form friendships
and run up from door to door.

Traditions of the 4th of July

It is now a Tradition to go up to Davis County for the 4th of July.

And have a fun BBQ, party with Matt and Mara and their families.

We look forward to the food 

the company,

the laughs and the fun.

Every year Kersten and Matt will disappear 

usually ending up in Farmington canyon.

 

All the cousins and the kids always play kickball in the circle.

Here is Noah running to first base.

These kids are really so so nice.  

They always include everyone.

Even if they are not related. 

This is Stone pitching the ball.

Here is Grey and Mara with one of the cousins.

Of course the adults help the kids get around the bases.

Can you believe how absolutely gorgeous Mara looks?

I would kill for a figure like that.

She is one of the most beautiful people I know

Inside and out.  I want her fashion sense and discipline.

And here is how Fia spent the game of kickball.

Playing in the rocks.

Hey, we all had a good time.

It was also Grey's birthday

So we at cake and sang and

We went and watched the Fireworks 

at the Davis Technology College.

We drove in the back of a Caboda .

Which is a little truck that is more like a four wheeler.

We rode on the sidewalk and in the bike lane.

Noah got such a kick out of riding in the back.

Sofia thought that fireworks were pretty but too loud.

Noah and Stone played so so well.

They are begging for a sleepover.

We will see.  I am glad they have fun together.

Memorial Day Weekend 2010

Well,  the weekend did not turn out as I planned.  Which is not saying much since we did not have any really specific plans to speak of.  We wanted to spend time together, work on the yard and the playset for the kids, Noah's report on Bluebirds is due tomorrow and I wanted to paint the wood alcove in the bathroom.  Anything, that was on my list got scrapped on Saturday afternoon, when my stomach lost all it's contents.  I babied myself the rest of the night, watching Avatar with my family and then going to bed early.   And by dawn I knew,  my body, said no more.  You are going to be in pain as if acid were running through your veins.  One very wonderful trait of my husband is that he is amazing in a crisis.  It is his time to shine and he always pulls through in more ways than I can count.  I am grateful everyday for this attribute of my husband.  My first thought and request when my family woke up Sunday morning was to have a blessing to get me well much faster and to also stay out of the hospital.  I have great faith in blessings from my Heavenly Father.  I have seen them work miracles in my life time and again.  My husband arranged everything and stayed close, just in case.  This can go downhill fast. I laid in bed writhing and wiggling to get comfortable and finally I received a blessing which immediately calmed my spirit.  I needed to listen to my body and I knew that I was loved. My body said to sleep.  So I slept and slept for 5 hours.  I woke up and ate jello and sprite.  Read Sookie Stackhouse and went back to sleep.

I woke up this morning feeling more myself.  And as I knew would happen a miracle.  I stayed out of the hospital and I could manage from here.  My daughter snuggled with me all morning, kissing my face, rubbing my hair and saying over and over "I love you, too"  even if I had not said it and "Mommy, I missed you."   We played dancing Cinderella guys in bed and hung out with me all morning while my husband mowed the lawn.  I took a shower and collasped in exhaustion after lunch and slept the afternoon away.  I awoke to hammers and drills working on the playset just like we planned and happy children.

I went outdoors for dinner as I was feeling quite ornry.  (A sure sign of continuing to get better).  I really needed a change of scenery.  We had a wonderful BBQ at my in-laws.  I mostly ate watermelon and laughed as we watched the kids play soccer with Uncle Isaac.  And Fia yelling over and over  "Look, I pay soccer"  and Noah was yelling "Pause" at the top of his lungs cause he was the 'wEf"  or the Ref and we had to explain that he is suppose to yell "Time out" if he wants a pause in the game.  It was hilarious.

It really is an interesting fact.  Last Memorial Day I had pneumonia  and did not leave my bed for a week..  It's a good thing that we were living with my sister at the time or my kids would have been very neglected.  Kersten and I have been teasing that this is our new Memorial Day tradition.  I hope not.  I want to do much more fun things on our long weekends.    I did not mean to make this blog a venting forum but it sure feels good to get this out.  Now I must go to sleep if I will keep getting better.  Since Noah and I still have a report to finish before school tomorrow. Yes, that is me,  I am already teaching my son to procrastinate to the last minute.

Mischief Leprechaun 2010

A leprechaun came to our house today

Even though we even set a trap.

Noah designed it and even put a sleeping potion in it so that he could not get out.

It looks a bit like a tent, I would think.

We put something green in it,  his frogee

and some golden coins and he even put straw in there to make him more comfortable.

The cups on top were for headlights

to attract him to the trap.  

Next year Noah says we need to put sticky tape all through the trap.

He snuck out of the trap and snuck to our fridge

and made our milk green.  

He is full of mischief this one.

He even drank one of our Sprites. 

Noah had to investigate and keep each of the footprints

so he came make a better plan for next year.  

I love this outfit on Sofia

It really is so fun to dress up a girl

and one that loves to be so pretty all the time.

I love having a daughter. 

And Irish blessing.....

May there always be work for your hands to do,

May your purse always hold a coin or two.

May the sun always shine on your window pane.

May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain.

May the hand of a friend always be near you.

May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

Kids Christmas Quotes

NOAH

When setting up the Playmobil Nativity downstairs,  Noah and I went through the story of Jesus and played it out with the toys.  It was actually a very tender moment for me as his mom as it seemed to me that he was understanding the story a bit more than he used to.  Afterwards, he asked if he could play with it for awhile.  I wandered away and came back about 15 minutes later.  All of the figures were sprawled about the table and Noah looks up at me with excitment in his eyes, exclaiming "Mom,  I never play this game before."  He picks up one of the wiseman and said "This is the evil king."  I thought it was a wiseman but this was a new game he told me.  And the bad guys had poison darts and had knocked out all of the good guys. Except for Mary, who was sitting guarding Baby Jesus, cause that is what Mom's do.  He picks up the angel and tells me that she is magic and has the potion to wake them all up.  And after everyone wakes up, the bad guys storm in trying to get all the good guys. And then Baby Jesus pulls out TWO Guns from underneath his manger and saves us all.   Hey at least he understood the part about Jesus saving us all.

In the car driving home from school
"Mom,  it is a good thing that there is a Santa or there would sure be a LOT of elves around."

SOFIA

On Christmas Eve we got home really late from my in laws so the kids did not get the cookies out for Santa.  Noah was very distressed and worried that he would not come.  I assured him that I would make sure it was taken care of.  He clarified that Santa needed milk with his cookies and a diet coke also.  Cause Dad told him Santa likes that.  Kersten and I had a brilliant Idea to also leave some popcorn for Santa and his reindeer.  Here is a little known fact about my daughter,  She LOVES popcorn.  A bit obsessed with it really.  In the morning after we opened presents Noah goes over to the plate and notices that the milk and diet coke are gone and that there are cookie crumbs and some popcorn.  We told them we left him some for him and his reindeer.  The rest of the day we would hear Sofia saying over and over again "Santa Popcorn" and laughing.

I helped the kids get presents for their dad.  Sofia and I were struggling on what to get him.  Whenever I would ask her what she wanted to get Daddy she would exclaim  "Ponies".  When I thought of a book he would like and asked if she would like to get it for him, she looked at me very serious and said "Princess Book."  She was very determined about this.