{Girl Time}

Summer is in sight! The kids have had a couple days off of school lately, in fact two this week. Which, called for a sleepover of course!

These girls were so silly. After hot tubing they wanted a spa night. Once they applied the cucumbers, Maisey's door shut and the music was all I heard. I opened the door to see the girls laying in the dark, "relaxing" to the song "Battlefield" blaring! Okay, and there positions did not look too relaxing! To each their own!

 Ice Skating- one of Maisey's favorite things to do. Everyone did so great and it was so fun to see the excitement on their faces!

We LOVE Maggie Moos at Washington Square! Red Velvet (red color) Cotton Candy (blue) Watermelon (pink) and my FAVORITE- Marshmallow (yellow)

 Nails

 I took them to hot tub, BUT, they ended up swimming for some time! The water hasn't been cold (Maise has used the pool this past week with friends 2x), but it was also around 8pm at night and the air wasn't as warm out. Luckily, they warmed up in the locker room showers afterwards.  

Lexie, Taylor, Maisey, and Ellie

Gotta love underwater cameras!

Go get your pedis and bust out your sandals!

Bring on summer!

{Fun Run}

Maisey's school had their annual fun run. Each year Chad volunteers for the day and this year I was able to help out too. Maisey ran 12 laps, and she wore my favorite number "16!" It was an ugly day out but the kids were troopers, despite the mud up and down their backs!

Maisey and Lexie- inseparable!

Thanks to those who pledged and supported the girl! 

{Learning}

Well, a girls shooting outing didn't happen this past weekend but that didn't stop me from trying my new gun! Thanks to a knowledgeable friend, I learned how to operate 'her.' The kids watched DVD's and dirtied every inch of the suburban with bright orange crackers. Chad and I felt terrible! Herb brought 5 other guns and after shooting all of them, I am glad I went with my 22!  

{Miss Worker Bee}

Maisey wanted to visit my work on "Take Your Child to Work Day" last week. I don't work in the office on Thursday's but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to show her the valuable work my office does. I picked her up a couple hours before school got out and we headed into the office/

Because my work is confidential, I didn't think I would have much for her to do. I try to make most things a learning opportunity, and so I did just that. After she cut about 50 box tops off of reams of paper, she researched and wrote a paper on the benefits of open adoption.

I am thankful Maisey could come and learn more about social services. I am proud to be a role model to her as I share the realities of the world we live in. It's important to teach our children to be loving and accepting and I can't think of a better way.

She loved dressing up to go to the office. She said people at school gave her crazy looks when she told them of the dress code. Maisey wears dresses at least 2x a week, but I let he wear an all lace one she's been begging to wear to school. Her smile was the most beautiful part of her appearance!

{30}

I have been waiting for this day FOREVER! Okay, for about a decade! I am FINALLY 30! Let me start out by saying I feel old. Don't confuse this with mature, because I am a kid at heart (although I have lost my sense of humor somewhat along the way). 

I just feel like I have done so much by this time in my life. I met Chad when I was 18, we got married when I was 20, had Maisey when I was 21 (2 weeks before out 1st anniversary). Can you say lightening speed? That is a lot of change in a little amount of time! Because I decided to have children so young (Chad is 8 years older), I have felt so much older. My sister in-laws for example were having their children in their 30's and 40's... I already have a child who will be 9 this summer and I am just now 30! 

In short, that is why I feel so old. 

 With that said, I was SO excited for this years birthday. People still think I am in my early 20's and so now I am waiting for my youthful appearance to catch up with my age- although that is not something I am excited about- really! 

Here is a synopsis of this years celebration!

Thursday April 12th: Ci made me my favorite dinner- homemade egg rolls, sweet and sour, and fried rice. I love them, almost as much as I love her! She is so sweet to me.   

Friday April 13th: Wings and Waves in McMinville at the Evergreen Air and Space Museum, after wards onto Eugene.

Saturday April 14th: The motion picture of my aunts dance company (Zapp) with my mom, grandma, and Maisey.

Sunday: Brunch with my grandparents. Home to open up many cards and packages (some not birthday related however.

Jamie, thank you for the great baking book (America's Test Kitchen Baking Book). My sister also picked one out for me on behalf of the family and between the 2, I have tons of recipes to try (mom, I found a 4 whisk almond vanilla cake last night). I can't wait to bake!

Tuesday: GNO with the ladies at my favorite restaurant

Thank you Adrianna for the scarf (Charming Charlie)

Thank you Lisa for the perfume (laugh if you want- it's Brittany Spears but it smells great)

 Thank you Julie for the shabby clock!

 Saturday: Date day with my hubby. Dessert (The Cheesecake Factory :D) and birthday shopping!

 Thank you Naomi for the gift card! I bought this "overnight bag" for all my make-up and hair products while traveling (Charming Charlie).

 I found my gun! I have thought about owning one for about a year an half. Finally, I decided it was time. The safe has been waiting for a couple months while I shopped around- and waited for birthday money. 

So, thank you family for the birthday money. I bought a 22 caliber Sig Sauer PINK Moscuito.

It had to be pink, and it wasn't easy to find in stock. I got lucky at the gun show. 

The gun show was full of many interesting people, some who probably shouldn't own guns (instability and paranoia was in the air). Now, I just need to find a class for some training.

I heard a lot of laughs when I told people what I was shopping for. Apparently I don't look like the kind of girl who would be packing heat. Really, my gun with remain in a safe, unless it's being used for fun. I will not risk a child finding it.

 It was a wonderful big 30! Thank you for all the cards and people who celebrated with me, or wished me well! Now I can't wait for 40! Ha, ha! I have a lot to do in the next 10 years. Stay with my for the ride because I know it's going to be busy!!! But, that's no different than now right? I just anticipate some big changes, which are really exciting. 

{Recent}

Here are the kids' most recent pics. Typically, we don't do indoor. However, with the extremely rainy weather I realized I didn't have much choice.

Now, the REALLY frustrating thing... I ordered the 3 prints above in 10x13. DO NOT EVER order that size- unless you want to drop a whole lot of $ on framing. I could not find any frames, so I looked into custom framing. But, I soon realized I did not want to go that route when the sales person quoted me over $900 for the three!!! CRAZY! So, I am going to keep looking, or else I am ordering another more common size!

{Easter}

We spent Easter in Hood River this year. We headed up Saturday afternoon after Ry's birthday, and enjoyed the sun, egg dying, and egg hunting. As well as good company of course!


Still the greatest idea! My sister in-law started a color-coded egg hunt when the kids were really little. Each year, the kids are assigned a color. This ensures its fair, that the big kids don't take all the easy eggs.

{4}

The sweetest little boy turned 4 on Saturday! He is SO sweet, polite, and kind, that I can't help but think about his future. What will he be (leadership, career, etc)? What will he love (sports, hobbies)? Who will he love (marry)? I don't spend too much time thinking about the future, because I want to keep him as little as I can for as long as I can! This week he is obsessed with Fire Trucks. He has always loved rescue vehicles, but he wears his fireman hat, coat, and boots nonstop. He has such a good imagination and is always pretending.It was hard to take pictures because he just wanted to do his own thing, but here he is with his two "best buddies." He asks for them to come over everyday, and he often requests they both come together. He is a very social little boy, and his nickname at school is infact "Mr. Social." Ryley is very versatile- he plays wonderfully alone and with other children. The jumping bean!Recently Ryley has showed an interest in hands on activities like cooking and painting. In this picture he is painting a wooden airplane. After this party, I swore to my family NO MORE Playmobil is allowed in our house!!! I never thought I would say this, but we have too much! My excuse right now, I can use anything he doesn't want in my future practice. For about a year now he has been in love with Playmobil and Lego!!!

{Spirituality}

My favorite view of the year! Cherry blossoms in sight from my bedroom window!

It doesn't matter who a person is, I can surely connect with them on some level. With that said, let it be known I especially enjoy talking to those who reveal their spirituality. Whether they are "religious" or not, and many spiritual people are, I appreciate getting to know this side of people. Some times I find it easier (I am more open) when discussing my spirituality with 'others' (those outside the LDS faith). Maybe easier isn't the word (or maybe it is because I am far from being a scriptorian- something I do hope to become), but it brings me joy to find others who follow him and to see his hand in their lives too, whether they recognize it or not.

I literally get tingly and overly excited when I share my personal experiences of how I've developed my faith in God. Whenever I hear that we need to be missionaries I immediately think, "I am not a very good one." But then I stop and remind myself that a person can be a missionary through example, by exemplifying the love our Savior Jesus Christ has for each of us. I do share my personal experiences with others and this brings me contentment. I hope they desire to seek out this comfort in life I call a testimony.

On Monday I taught Family Home Evening (FHE) from chapter 11 in the Gospel Principles manual titled "The Life of Christ." Recounting the Saviors life is a humbling experience for anyone, and it can be intense. With the conclusion of General Conference Sunday and Easter approaching at the end of the week, my emotions are especially charged. The death of the Savior on the cross also leads me to question why there are many who don't see Latter Day Saints as Christians. We believe Jesus Christ was born unto the virgin Mary for the purpose of gaining a physical body so he could suffer in mortality and pay the price for our sins- all of our sins. This is overwhelming. The fact he, the only begotten son willingly suffered all my pain, and yours, and every person who has ever walked this earth is unfathomable.

He lovingly did this to redeem us of our sins. Assuming we are repentant, we can live with him again and our father, for all eternity. Recently some life experiences pertaining to beginning life on earth and ending life on earth have been on my mind. For many reasons I won't detail what these thought provoking events have been, but I will say I am more than thankful for my knowledge of the gospel of Christ and for my testimony of life after earthly existence. We never know when our lives or someone we love will end, and we must treasure each amazing opportunity to breath and repair what needs be.

If you are still with me, I hope you enjoy the significance of Easter and recognize that Jesus lives. Through the gift we've received may we never take advantage and may we love with all our hearts.

{Eggs}

I am sure every other LDS family dyed eggs for FHE as well this week. This is an activity which never gets old. In fact, I had to take eggs away from Chad because he was hoarding them. Thankgoodness everyone will have another chance in Hood River later this week.

{Random}

I hope I will not be a forever wanna-be seamstress. I want to sew the clothes I design in my head, rather than the bare basics. One of my nieces asked me over Spring Break to help the girls sew American Girl clothes. Well, I wasn't much help, since I myself don't know how to sew clothes. A dress turned into an apron, and then we had skirts too. Needless to say, the girls were forgiving- the dolls didn't mind either. I think I may make Maisey a skirt like her doll above. It was a sweet shabby vintage look.
Better late than never! After 4 months of searching, I finally found a pink plate, and now my Valentine's decorations will be ready for display.