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Mother's Day 2012

"I hope that my dear sisters throughout the world - grandmothers, mothers, aunts, and friends - never underestimate the power of their influence for good."  - President Dieter F. Uchtdorf (attached to the See's chocolate they passed out to all the Relief Society women at church)

After getting to sleep in and shower, uninterrupted, this is what I walked downstairs to, along with a sparkling clean family room and kitchen thanks to Lauren:

After church photo session.  The three littles had drawn pictures of me in Primary and when they sang in Sacrament meeting they held them up at the end.  It was very sweet to see all the Primary kids beaming and waving at their moms.

After a great day at church, we enjoyed salmon, corn on the cob, green salad and cool whip-cottage cheese-jello salad for dinner.  Emily and Lauren did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen (my favorite part!), and we walked up to the water tower to see the goats that have been brought in to eat the vegetation for fire-proofing purposes.  (It doesn't take much to entertain us around here:)  Scripture study, prayer, and Daddy put the kids to bed.  It was a great day!

It's a party year!

(Get ready for a whole bunch of pictures!)

It's an "on" year for birthday parties and the first one of the year was last Thursday when we celebrated Maren's 7th birthday!  It was a Barbie extravaganza!  She woke up to this:

After school we braced ourselves for the arrival of 15 friends to join us for a Barbie Fashionista Birthday Party!  We did hair, make-up, and nails so the girls could rock our red carpet runway.  

Presents were next on the agenda.  Maren was very excited to see what was in all those beautiful packages.  I think Barbies would be a very good guess!

Next came cake.  Maren wanted "the cake lady" (our friend, Davlyn, of Flour and Flower Designs) to make her a "tall layer cake".  I told Maren it was wedding season and the cake lady was probably too busy making wedding cakes, including one for her own son, to make a birthday cake.  I just didn't feel up to the task of making a cake though, so I went over to Albertson's and found a Barbie sheet cake for $34.  But Emily Puckett would hear nothing of that!  She insisted on making Maren a six layer rainbow cake that she decorated beautifully with light pink roses.  What a gem!  (Emily and the cake!)

And to wrap up our Barbie-licious birthday celebration, we went to - can you guess? - Ruby's!  For the third year in a row!  Each year it's been a different Ruby's location though - thank goodness we have so many so close to us;)

I'd say it was the perfect 7th birthday.

Annual Easter Photos

A Last "First"

Our last child lost her first tooth tonight.  Oh, it is bitter sweet, all these "last firsts"!

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

Christmas Countdown: Day 15

Crazy Hair Day!!!!

I helped with Maren's first grade holiday centers today.

Gingerbread house constructing was the primary focus in Nate's third grade class today.

Lauren and Nathan had a Christmas piano recital at a local assisted living facility.  Maren made friends with this sweet lady who let Maren wear her Mrs. Claus apron.  I love watching my kids interact with seniors.  They are not shy at all and easily converse with the grandmas and grandpas.  It warms my heart.

 

"And behold, this will I give unto you for a sign at the time of His coming; for behold, there shall be great lights in heaven, insomuch that in the night before He cometh there shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it was day."  -Helaman 14:3 

Thanksgiving 2011: The Crafts

Ginger bought several crafts for the kids to do on Thanksgiving Day from Oriental Trading Co.  Maren and Ashley both made a "GIVE THANKS" banner, wove a placemat, made a scarecrow necklace and a wooden bead necklace.

Maren made me a matching necklace.  Sweet girl!

Thanksgiving 2011: TheTurkey Trot: 100 Yard Dash

On your mark... Get set...

GO!

The kids had to race around Dakota and back to the finish line.

The 6 and under crowd - Cade, Luke, Dashell, Draden, McKenna, Dixon, and Maren

Third Place Winner Maren!  Doug, our race organizer and sponsor, went legit this year with real, engraved medals and T-shirts. 

Happy Halloween 2011

Halloween went on for days around here.  Friday night was the school's First Annual Mako Monster Mash which Craig took the kids down to.  Saturday night was our ward's Trunk or Treat.  And then actual trick or treating on Halloween night.  Phew!  All that for a silly holiday that I'm not even sure why we celebrate!

Ashton (Nerf Warrior) and Nathan (Harry Potter) ready to go on Halloween night.  

 

Maren wanted to be Rapunzel from "Tangled".  I happily bought her the costume and wig.  I'm just grateful to have one more year with a little girl who wants to by a princess for Halloween.  This could be the last year :(

 

Ashley wanted to be a Barbie.  She even spent her own money on a blond wig, which she wore for part of the night at the ward Trunk or Treat, then decided it was too hot and itchy.  This is where Mom gets to say "I told you it was a waste of your money to buy that wig!" :)

 

Lauren (recycling her costume from last year) met up with her friends in the neighborhood for trick or treating Halloween night.

 

Emily (as a cowgirl) and her friends at the ward Trunk or Treat.

 

Maren and friends at the Trunk or Treat.

Emily (as Anikan Skywalker) and Alexa (as Darth Vader) on Halloween night.  They went to a Halloween party at a friend's and trick or treated in that neighborhood.

Nathan and his 8 pounds of loot!  Craig bought it off him and Nate bought himself some Lego Ninjagos.

Our neighbor, Jenna, with Ashley and Nathan, organizing their candy.

Fun nights!  Glad they are over!  Counting down the days til our annual Thanksgiving trip to the desert!

 

our month in review

I just didn't have it in me to do the 12 of 12 this month.  So how about 12 photos (give or take a couple) of our activities in the month of September?

 

Labor Day - Ashley and Nathan rode their bikes while Craig jogged from our house down to the beach.  I think Ashley's face says it all.  They called me to come down and pick them up and we went and got doughnuts and hot chocolate as a reward for their great efforts!

 

Maren and Malia after the first day of school, cooling off in the Galland's pool.  

 

Ashley is playing soccer for the third year.  Her team is the Bazookas (for bazooka bubble gum).  She actually is complaining about playing, so we reminded her that it was her idea to sign up, we've already paid the money, her team is counting on her, and she doesn't have to sign up again next year:)

 

Nathan and Ashley quit tae kwon do at the end of the school year in June.  Nathan wanted to start jiu jitsu with his buddy, Ashton.  Nate loves it!  He likes that they learn "take downs" and wrestle on the floor.  He is all boy!

 

Alexa, Racquel and Emily - First day of seminary - Day One of the next 12 YEARS! (for me at least)

 

Emily and Lauren wanted to have a photo shoot on Emily's birthday.  We went down the road to the fake guard booth and the girls flashed their best smiles and struck some sweet and silly poses while I tried out my telephoto lens.

 

Emily is running on the cross country team at the high school.  She loves it and is improving her race times.  

 

Craig celebrated his 43rd birthday with his own personal mini triathlon, Hawaiian shave ice, and dinner at Wahoo's with the fam.

 

We sang and had cake the next day with the Hoffmanns, Christian Macey, and the elders from our ward.

 

Same people, different party!  We sang and had cake for Emily's birthday two weeks later.  Emily went around all day on her actual birthday singing Taylor Swift's "Fifteen".  Emily says 15 definitely feels different, but maybe it's because she also just started high school and everything is new.  She can hardly wait to get her permit in 6 months!  And she is already picking out the truck she thinks she's getting next year :)  

Well, there's our month.  It was jam-packed.  

And there is lots more to come this month!