June 2015

Man, this little guy is growing big right before our eyes. He is learning how to take care of himself. Mom took too long getting grapes for him, so I found him like this, after he'd taken into his own hands.

Time for a trim.

Short hair and a new hat to keep the sun off this little fair maiden. We can all be outside the same amount of time and she'll be the only red one when we're done.

Last day of school picnic with school friends. Carli enjoyed first grade but was ready for summer break. (Although, the first thing she did when she got home that day was to set up a school for Janie - schedule and all - in their room.)

Happy Father's Day song

My kind friend brought us some beautiful and aromatic flowers for our table. They made our apartment smell so good!

 And here we are again with evidence that Mom is just too slow. Good thing he's got caring big sisters who help him out now and again.

May 2015

Yep, it's May and spring has finally sprung. That's how things roll around here. But, I am more grateful than ever when it finally shows it's beautiful face.

Spring also brings some pretty nasty Midwestern storms. This hail storm started when we were playing outside at the park. Glad we made it inside quickly, those suckers hurt!

Little Man went from surfer dude shag...

to high and tight handsome.

And this is how these girls feel about their mom. ( I'll take it all as a compliment?)

One of the best part about Mother's Day has got to be talking to Elder/Uncle Kelby!

Janie loved her Pre K class this past year. It was fun when her teachers emailed pictures of her day.

And one more great thing about Spring - I found the goose nesting grounds. There's not much better than seeing a family of geese stop traffic. (And the pictures were totally worth getting kicked off the high school property by the security guard.)

April 2015

Wondering why the sudden upgrade in photography? Dad gave me his DSLR camera when he got a new one. I have loved learning how to use it and trying out new things. Hopefully this will become a fun hobby for me and the family. It also shows what a beautiful place we live.

"Milo, show me your eyes."

I just love when this little boy gets hysterical. He is such a joy and calming influence in our family.

Told you the corner of the sectional was cuddle-inducing.

Me: "Janie, what were you doing over here?"

Janie: "How did you know it was me?"

We acquired a wheat grinder/grain mill in an attempt to eat healthier around here. That inspired this handsome man to become quite a baker. We have enjoyed all manner of whole wheat breads and goodies made by him. I am happy for him to have found another passion and especially happy to have the bread, but I can't help feeling like my thunder's been stolen. Especially after I heard this conversation between Janie and her Grammie the other day:

Janie: It's the last day of preschool and I gave all my teachers loaves of bread as a present.

Grammie: Who made them?

Janie: Mom

Grammie: Your mom makes the best bread, doesn't she?

Janie: NO WAY!!! Daddy's bread is the best you'll ever taste. You should come visit and have some.

March 2015

Spring break brought a trip to southern Utah to visit my parents. The kids and I were able to go for a couple of weeks and Logan joined us for the second week. We also got to visit Will, Chelsea, Aubrey Jr., Aubrey Sr. and Shanna and Daryl. It was a great birthday celebration for me. We swam a lot, played with dogs and visited temple square. I just wish I had pictures of it!

Milo's ABC's

We were also visited by a few turkeys in our parking lot. We see them pretty often in the area, but they've never been this up close and personal. Hopefully they didn't get too up-close-and-personal with the cars on the street.

February 2015

For Valentines Day I made the girls wallets to put their money in. They earn coins when they do certain chores and have been filling up their piggy banks. Carli also needed a safe place to put her library card - a prized possession for such a reader.

Carli has been participating in Girl Scouts, along with many girls in 1st grade, so we went to the fair they put on. Who knew there would be such a fantastic face painter there? Maybe I'm just impressed with the beautiful faces behind the paint. :)

He thinks he's one of the big kids these days.

One of the best parts of living in Minnesota has been our Craigslist upgrades. You may have noticed our new kitchen table which has a great story. Doesn't get much better than getting a great deal on a table, picking up a free area rug along with it and selling our old table and the area rug for more than we bought the table. We were so grateful. Here is the new sectional which was also a great deal, especially after we sold our old couch and loveseat. We sure love this and that corner spot has increased our family cuddles by ten-fold. (Well, maybe not that much, but by a lot.)

January 2015

I can't get enough of these kids together. (The garbage can is almost always found on a chair, bench or counter-top since it has proven to be Milo's favorite treasure chest.)

And look at that Jack 'o' Lantern grin. For whatever reason, Milo's teeth did not come in in the normal order. Definitely doesn't detract from the sparkle in his eyes.

Carli participated in the Achievement Fair at school. She did a Jello experiment in which her hypothesis was: People who taste a flavor of Jello that is the wrong color will guess the wrong flavor. She had a lot of fun making the Jello, giving it to friends to taste then handing out surveys for them to fill out. I had my fair share of flashbacks to Science Fair and can't believe I have a child old enough to participate in this kind of stuff. Pretty crazy!

On the night of the Achievement Fair, as it always goes, Janie had a Pre K family night. They had a family dance and this is what ensued. Love my confident little free-spirit! (Unfortunately, Milo was not all that fond of the loud music and flashing lights.)

December 2014

What a joy this little guy has been! December was great, but somehow I lost my pictures, which included Christmas pictures, darn it! 

Milo went to the pediatric ophthalmologist to make sure he didn't have any of the eye problems Carli has. They dilated his eyes, and for whatever reason that made this little game of Janie's hilarious. Funny boy...

November 2014

November was an exciting month, especially towards the end. Grammie and Papa Tommy came to visit - and boy, were we lucky to have their help for Carli's bookworm birthday party. So fun!

Unfortunately, Milo's first birthday was a bit overlooked with everything that was going on. I can't even find pictures of the event! We had a pretty quiet Thanksgiving. Tom's cousin Brad joined us. What a great way to celebrate so many birthdays and big events!