Me and my Girl

I had the opportunity last Friday to spend a little extra quality time with my girl.  She looks just like the rest of them. . .  little bird lips and all. 

 and just in case you're wondering what that might look like from the outside. . .

there I am in all my 6 months along glory.  When I saw this picture, I thought, "Seriously?  How is my belly not twice this size?"  That's because it feels twice this size.  How can a bulge only that big cause a woman so much waddling, pulled muscles at the drop of a hat, second thoughts on picking anything up from the ground, swollen ankles, frequent headaches, tripping over feet, an aching back, and general exhaustion?  I mean really, it's not that big!!!  I miss my capable, agile, run the double jogger, saying "yes" to my kids, strong body.  Pregnancy is never easy, and mine are a lot easier than some and for that I am grateful.  But if I had a nickel for every time I've thought, "I am not 24 any more," over the past month, I'd have enough money for a really stylin' maternity outfit.  Or maybe a pedicure.

That being said, I do enjoy having my little buddy with me wherever I go.  She always reminds me she's there.  A little kick, a little twist.  We share an ice cream cone.  We look at the tiny PJ's in Costco.  Yes, I wanted you in there.  I'll probably even miss your pokes and prods once you're out.

And I can't wait to meet you!

Egg Hunt 2011

 Yesterday was a glorious, sunny, beautiful, warm, spring, day before Easter.  It was heavenly.  70 degrees and couldn't have been prettier!  Hurray for a late Easter!  It made our annual egg hunt even more fun than normal, because we were dry and warm and enjoying our first real day of Springtime weather!

We did nests for all the kids again this year. . .  they love this!

 and the cupcakes were rather pretty this year. . .

 Here are all the big kids lined up and ready to raid the hunting grounds!  They were so excited.  It's always so hard to hold them back until everyone arrives and for the little kids to get started.

 Off they go!

 We did the hunt in a wooded park with little walking trails.  It made for some great hunting!

 And of course we had some areas for the little people. . .

The sunshine was so nice.  To really appreciate how nice it was, you can go here, here, or here and read about some of our past hunts. . .

We missed all of our old friends and neighbors from the old house, and the park access right across the street, but it was sure fun to celebrate with all of our new friends!

Happy Easter!!!

Happy Birthday Chandler!

 It's Chandler's turn!!!  Happy Birthday big guy!  We're having his party the next Saturday, so today was just family gifts and cupcakes, but he had a great day!  Chandler has got to be one of the most fun people to give a gift to in the whole world.  It could be a twig and a rock from the backyard, and he would jump for joy and say something totally genuine like, "Oh, I've always wanted a stick shaped just like this!!!"  He's so fun.

One of his favorite gifts this year were new replacement buzz lightyear PJ's!  (and Woody too)  He was so excited!  

Grandma and Grandpa sent some story books with CD's they had read the stories onto.  He loves them!

Stay tuned for party news!

the WOLF!

Let's continue Aidan's big week, shall we?

 Turning eight around here also means you get to join the cub scouts!  Aidan had his first pack meeting a few days after his Birthday!  Here's that "Oh, everybody's looking at me!" face again!

 Here are the wolves giving him a rousing welcome!

 Our pack has a fun tradition for the new scouts.  One of the first things they need to do is complete their "bobcat."  Gordon and I helped him do this before his first pack meeting so he could earn it right away.  When you earn your bobcat, the leader turns your upside down. . .

 Then your mom pins on your bobcat right side up, and you're not supposed to turn it over until you've done a "good turn."  He pretended to hate it, but he loved it.

Welcome to the world of Cub Scouting!!!

Aidan's Baptism

Being LDS and turning eight, you have the opportunity to be baptized as an official member of the church.  We are so proud of Aidan for making this decision and following Christ's example.  We had such a nice day, filled with family and friends.  Grammy and Grampy flew to town, and we had a lovely program.  Ethan played all the music for the program, which may seem like a lot of pressure to put on a little guy, but he loved it and did a wonderful job.  Friends from Hillsboro drove in.  Aunt Keren and I gave talks, Grampy led the music, Daddy baptized.  It was a beautiful day.

 Right before the program begins.  There's that "I love attention!" face again!

Here's the happy fam afterwards.

Way to go Aidan, we are proud of you and the young man you are becoming!

It's Great to be 8!

Did you miss me?  I've been a regular slacker around these parts.  Something about birthday season, plus a pregnant woman, seems to equal a few things getting put on the back burner.  But, here we go!  An attempt to get started again!

Aidan turned 8!   Happy Birthday big guy!

Around our house, we follow the every other year friend party rule, and EVEN years are family party years.  This year, Aidan lucked out with BYU's big game falling on his birthday evening!  So, we had the fam over, opened gifts, and watched BYU get slaughtered.  Luckily, Aidan had picked BYU to lose this game in his bracket, so even though we lost, he still had a "successful night."

He got a pocket knife from Uncle Theron and Aunt Rachel, something he had been looking forward to!

 And his cub scout gear from Grandma and Grandpa!

 And a very much needed, bigger bike!  We're developing quite a collection around here!

 Uncle Wayne took over the duty of pocket knife safety, and the boys had a nice review about "the blood circle."  Always such an appealing name.  Thank heavens for Uncles.

Here is Aidan, about to blow out his candles, and making his "I hate attention" smile.  As in, okay, I'll smile and then please everyone stop looking at me.  Did you know he hates attention?  Well, he does.  That is to say, he hates being the center of attention.

Happy Birthday Aidan!  The birthday report will continue here shortly. . .