H-A-Double P-Y

2 days old

18 months old

We're feeling H-A-Double P-Y! Cuz it's your Birthday!

Aryn celebrated her 10th birthday on Saturday.

It's strange in a way because I remember bringing her home from the hospital. And it doesn't seem possible that it was a DECADE ago.

She was so little and tiny. And we fell in love with her.

Sometimes I think about her being our first child. I think about all of the responsibility that comes with raising a child. Sometimes I focus so much on all of the things I feel we should be teaching her. I forget that I'm actually supposed to be learning from her as well. And I have learned so much from her.

Aryn is such a lovely girl. She has a funny sense of humor and is so fun to be around. Her brothers and sister love to play with her. She brightens up our home. We love her very much.

It has been a wonderful 10 years. I feel so blessed to have her in our lives. We are still in love with this girl!

5 years old

10 years old

Late Night Birthday Soiree!

Aryn had a Late Night with friends on Friday to celebrate her birthday. Everyone came dressed in their pajamas. They ate food, played a game, popped popcorn, and watched a movie! The movie was Nancy Drew, of course. I know she had fun. (Late Nights are such a GOOD thing.)

In the Garden

I thought I was going to regularly post about what's happening in the garden...
Let me give a quick update:

The onions are growing (even after I transplanted them from my grandpa's and didn't realize this new method of gardening was going to require me to pay attention to the watering).

The turnips and leeks seedlings have sprouted up through the soil, and are getting bigger everyday. I'm going to need to thin pretty soon.

The daffydowndillys (from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett) have been blooming and most recently the tulips.

Zoe and I noticed that the carrots are just barely coming up from the ground as well.

The apricot tree has lost its blossoms, but there are tiny, little, green apricots forming.

And one of the cherry trees has just started to blossom, albeit in a very small amount.

All of us here are working and hoping for a bountiful garden this year.

Beginning of the Ending

You know that song that has the lyrics "...every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end..."

That's sort of how I feel about this baby boy.

I guess what I mean to say is that I feel like it's the beginning of his babyhood ending. I haven't wanted to cut his hair because I just LOVE his little curly locks. He's my own little Goldilocks.

I cut his bangs a little on Sunday just to get them out of his eyes. Some may think I need to cut the whole head of hair, but I can't... not yet.

GIVEAWAY: March

This little ball of yarn is big enough to make two baby magic slippers.

I found the pattern for them on sockpixie while looking on Ravelry. I fell in love with the baby slippers when I saw them. I wanted to try making something little and tiny and cute with those little nuggets of yarn. I used the leftover yarn from those arm warmers I made my sister.

I decided that these would be the perfect thing for my GIVEAWAY this month. I made one pair as a gift and one pair to giveaway. So... leave a comment on this post and you'll be entered. The giveaway will close on Monday at 4:00 pm MST.

********************** the giveaway is now closed **********************

Don't you just love them?

And the winner is...

Red Cliffs Revisited

Sometimes it's fun to do things on your own. And sometimes it's fun to do things with a friend.

Last Fall we went on this same hike, by ourselves. This time around, we did it with friends.

Asher's friend... Zoe
(I think she's whispering to him to be careful around the water.)
Be VERY careful because...
You just might fall in and get wet!

Stripped down to a diaper. This little group stayed and played in the shade with the mamas. Smart little children. Zoe and her friends...
Emerson and Andalynn

Isaac and his friend...

Slatin

These two climbed and scrambled and hiked and climbed some more!

Aryn and her friend... Kaige

Last, but not least, My friend...

Keri

(a.k.a. The Snack Queen: my kids kept begging food off of her because we had just had lunch and I didn't want to bother with food. Thank you so much Keri!)

St.Patrick's Day Parade

Aunt Saddie decided she wanted to have a parade for St. Patrick's Day. We thought it sounded like fun.

We didn't really have anything to make a float or to decorate bikes with, so...We decided to go as the BAND! Because every parade needs a band.

Aryn on cymbals. (She thought they were called "clinks.")

Zoe and our neighbor, playing the recorders. (Let me tell you, these are NOT the most fun instruments to have around the house.)

Tomas, a wee leprechaun, on tamborine.

Our other little neighbor taking her turn with a recorder as well as a maraca.

Asher on clinks.

Isaac with the triangle.

Hazel is the pot of gold at the end of the Rainbow.

The starting line up.

The parade route down to the park!
The grand finish. Everyone LOVES a parade.

My little bit of green for the day! (I tried keeping it discreet for pinches!)

The Secret Garden

Our Family Read Aloud book for this month is The Secret Garden by Fances Hodgson Burnett. Isn't is fitting for this time of year?

The kids are loving it! (Even Zoe seems interested for longer periods of time. Which, to be honest, surprises me.)

The language of of the book takes some getting used to. Not only in listening to it, but also in reading it. The chapters are longer, so occasionally I'll break them in half and read part of the chapter one night, then finish it the next night.

We are learning all sorts of new words (wuthering)and dreaming of far away places (India and England). Our imaginations are running wild in the garden and it's brought a new dimension and interest to creating a garden here at home.

I love how books can do that!

friday to friday