June 2012

*Will turned nine—not 36!--this month. I didn’t have enough single candles, so we made do with these numbers. He made my life easier by asking for a Costco cheesecake.
*We took our farewell trip down to Yorba Linda. I think this picture captures the essence of the trip of going through boxes, reminiscing about all the good times, taking it easy, and spending time together as a family. It was a touching moment when Bri found a letter Brent had written to Chelsea years and years ago. Chelsea had never seen it until this particular day years later. I think it was meant to be that way.
*Ezra loves books--especially non-fiction. Just like his mama!
*Our sweet friends invited us to their cabin. My kids did not want to leave. Could it have been the pond, the boat, the four-wheelers, the fishing, the trampoline, the cabin, the friends, and the wildlife?
*The last day of school was hard for Will. He lucked out with a FABULOUS teacher who made school enjoyable for him again.
*Swim lessons started! Evy and Ezra were in the same class. Ezra really excelled. He was able to freestyle the length of the pool with only stopping twice. He will be moving up to the next level, and Evy will repeat this level again.
*Miss Abby is my right-hand lady. She is such a great help and is turning into my personal cheerleader! I'm so thankful for her!

May

*Time for backyard fires and s'mores again! Will and I built this fire together. I'm sure there are many more to come.
*Liesel in on the action. . . again! I was trying to take a pic of the two brothers and caught this moment instead.
*Nana (Val) was able to visit two times this month. We feel spoiled!
*Supermoon. My friend who works in the nursery at a local hospital said it was crazy in labor and delivery that night.
*I was able to go with Abby's class to the copper mine and supervise her and three other friends. Let's just say after riding to and from the mine with those girls, it is my conclusion that the world is going to be a-okay!
*Evy's first engagement photo! Really it's a moment I captured while she was playing with her friend at Mc D's.
*We love, love our stake carnival. The last two years there have been bubbles galore, and I love watching the kids run around chasing them. As a side note, some people enjoyed watching me do the dunk tank. Ezra got me on the first ball!

April

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*It has been warming up--finally. One warm day after it rained, the kids thoroughly enjoyed playing in the gutters. Don't judge.
*This male Northern Flicker and his chica have taken up residence in our front tree. They really need a "Do Not Disturb" sign.
*I had had it "up to here" with Liesel until Eric started taking her to puppy school. Now that she has some manners, I like to play catch with her in the backyard.
*Our cat, I mean Evy, found a nice warm puddle of sunshine to soak in.
*We've been blessed with great neighbors who like to do fun things with us like watching outdoor movies.
*Eric celebrated his 39th birthday. As a family we went to our cousin's wedding reception and spent time with extended family.
*My mom and dad's annual Easter box arrived full of goodies. We're still not sure what my mom meant when she said it was going to be something "little." Quite the opposite!

March

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*A definite highlight this month was our trip to So Cal, and a highlight of that trip was our tradition of visiting the tide pools. We hit a perfect low tide smack in the middle of the day.
*Will has not been our most athletic child, so it's been fun watching him develop "an arm."
*March was a month full of sickness and rashes for the kids.
*Will's first Pinewood Derby was this month. He worked on his car with Eric and Bapa and was so excited for race day. He kept losing race after race. Later we found out graphite was never added to his wheels. Slight oversight.
*Abby has some darling friends and when they come over there's never a dull moment!
*These two littles of mine are making progress in the "How to Get Along" department.
*For St. Patrick's Day, the day we left for So Cal, the leprechauns painted mustaches on the kids during the night and left their marks on/in our bathroom!

Magic

What made Evy go from this:



to this?



The answer would be bubbles. I absolutely love bubbles. Not the bubbly egg kind of bubbles on the back of a Surinam toad. No, those make me want to jump out of my skin. Instead, I love the colorful spheres that hover in the air. And I love watching my kids having fun with their bubbles. They have a magical quality to them. So magical that they can make a sick little girl come alive.

I may or may not have taken 247 pictures during their bubble play. Here are many pics from the kids' inaugural bubble exploration of the year:







(above is my fave)

February

*Every Saturday morning we like to have a dance party before we start our chores. "Party Rocking" was blasting, so Ezra took it upon himself to dress up in this outfit. Sort of beat boy-ish? (It was fun to have Nana, Bapa, and Aunt Chelsea join us, too!)

*We went with the extended family to an ice skating rink. Our kiddos had never ice skated before, and Eric and I hadn't ice skated for a mere 17 years. I'm glad I never fell because I don't think my body could've handled it. I'm getting old!

*Ahhh, yes. Life with an eight year-old cub scout. In a baby swing. Very nice.

*To keep tradition we dipped strawberries in melted chocolate goodness on Valentine's Day.

*I can't resist dressing up my animals. The poor little puppy was so tired she didn't even flinch when I turned her into Harry Potter. She loves to curl up on the bench seat while Evy crafts away in some sort of dress-up.

*Lynn, Val, and Chelsea came to visit, and we were lucky to host them this time. I couldn't resist this shot of Evy in pure cosmetic heaven with her aunt and nana.

*Did I mention "poor little puppy" earlier? Forget that. Most of the time she is a hellion on four legs. Can you tell? (I do love her very much!)

January

Clockwise:

*January was a very big month for Abby as she made her way into the double-digits by turning 10. I’m so glad she’s a part of my family!

*Little Liesel joined our family. For the first couple of days, she was so meek and mild. That has all changed! Let's just say that Meg in her puppyhood days did about $1000 in damage. Liesel is well on her way.

*I took this picture of Evelyn during an impromptu photo shoot with my new lens. My new lens is da bomb.

*Ezra had a field trip to our local fire station. I wanted to slide down the pole with him, but he wouldn’t have any of that. Also, he avoids the camera like the plague, so if I have to catch his in image in a reflection that’s what I’ll do!

*January has been unseasonably warm. We have been able to play outside a ton. I’ve loved watching the games these kiddos make up. Evy and her good friend Tally dress up as princesses. Ezra dresses up in his knight costume from two Halloweens ago. Liesel becomes the dragon. Ezra proceeds to save the princesses from the dragon and tries, to no avail, to catch the dragon. Rinse and repeat.

*For Abby’s 10th soiree, she and I sewed these cute garlands to hang throughout the kitchen in the shape of a canopy. We also strung Chinese lanterns. These decorations added so much color to the normally drab January. (Yes, she has fake nails on, and Eric put them on for her!)

*We did happen to get snow once or twice in January. Imagine that. We’ve all had fun playing in the cold stuff when it does decide to show up in our neighborhood. Abby and Will like to form teams with the neighbor kids and have snowball fights. Ezra tries to join in. Evy prefers to be pulled around on our neighbor’s Finnish sled. I like to follow them around with my camera and then put it down for some playtime for me, too.

December

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*A definite highlight was playing with our Playmobil nativity set. I was surprised at how much the littles chose to play with this toy.
*We are blessed to have little friends two doors down on either side of us. It has truly been an answer to prayer.

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*One of Evy's last naps. She gave them up this month. It has been hard to see those naps go!
*I snapped this picture on our way out the door to church. Every year I feel the need to document them in their Christmas clothes. I told myself I wouldn't stress over how they acted when trying to get a decent pic! They actually were pretty cooperative.
*We hosted a combined Bishopric FHE with a Christmas Minute-to-Win-It theme. So fun!

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*Through Nana Beth's generosity, we purchased a family pass to the new and improved Natural History Museum. We've already been three times!
*It wouldn't be December without making graham cracker houses. This photo also shows the close relationship Ezra and Will have developed over the past few months.
*We like to use a cookie press to make cookies for Santa. I have a fond memory of us all crowded around our little kitchen table making these cookies and memories.

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*A full 360 here: I used to do this project with my third graders. It's a faux stained glass. This year I decided on the spur of the moment to do it with all four kiddos, and it was SO MUCH FUN! Can you tell which one is Evy's?
*Along with many other families it seemed, we decided to visit Temple Square on Christmas Eve. We all oohed and aahed at the impact this statue made on the reflection pond.

November

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*I made a fall-themed texture box for the littles. They loved it, so I think I may make another one soon.
*My dad worked his talent of diagnosing and fixing car problems while we were visiting, saving us a good $200 in labor repairs.

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*Ez getting reacquainted with the snow.
*Evidence of two littles getting along and enjoying the out-of-doors.
*Sweet Blake organizing the garage for Eric. We loved having him stay with us.

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*Finally—wide open spaces. Our family was in heaven on my parents’ five acres in Nor Cal.
*Big and little kids enjoying the push car thingy from the train museum.

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*This cute little ball of energy turned three.
*Traditionally, we visit the salmon ladder whenever we’re in Nor Cal for Thanksgiving. Lots of memories of this place dating back to when I was little.
*We broke up the long drive back from Cali by stopping at our favorite park along the way. We ate lunch on the merry-go-round and then Eric gave the kids rides.

October

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• When checking on the boys before going to bed one night, I found this cuteness. Will has been such a great big brother to Ezra.
• After our annual tradition of going to see witches at a nearby village/shopping center, we came home and did light drawings with the camera.

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• Each year for Halloween we add dry ice to our drinks for a little extra ambiance!
• Our block party was a blast this year. Abby dressed as Hermione, and I think she fit the part well.
• Abby and I dipped leaves into wax to preserve them earlier in the month.

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• We’ve been lucky to have our cousin, Blake, stay with us. The kids have loved getting scooter rides.
• The beloved Halloween package from my parents arrived. I especially liked my Martha Stewart doily punch.
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• Ezra turned five. We celebrated by going to the aquarium and taking a “spooky” boat ride down a river.
• A new tradition this year was having Eric draw on the kids’ portraits each Sunday night. They loved it!
• We had the most beautiful fall here. Gorgeous weather. Gorgeous colors.

Picking Pumpkins

This afternoon I hit my limit of Ez asking when we would go get our pumpkins. I promptly took the kids down the street to our local pumpkin patch/yard. I like knowing I'm helping a local business, and the kids loves dragging the wagon down the street to find their orange treasures. I think the process of choosing only took about 45 minutes this year, and I actually enjoyed it because the weather and light were so beautiful. The kiddos were also in good spirits, too. Can I get a THANK GOODNESS?


I love our little local pumpkin dealer!


She's headed for stardom.


LOVE Will's face in this pic.


So the exposure turned out terribly, but I don't care. I love this one!


Hello, my pretty.


Evy was happy as a clam.


This pic sums up my life with Will right now.


I love how a spider lurks in the background while Ezra's shirt reads, "Danger is my business."


Umm, I have to admit--she's pretty cute!


I love how Ezra's big smile makes his eyes all squinty.

September

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*On a hike with the littles, Ashleigh and I came across a male and female moose close to the trail. At one point, we were only about 10 feet away.
*I saw this round stingray at Bolsa Chica Wetlands and thought it was so cool to see one in the wild.

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*While gardening we found this gargantuan caterpillar. It turns out it is the larva of a sphinx moth.
*Olga the Steller Sea Eagle stole the show at the zoo. To see this large eagle up close and personal was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. All the kiddos talked about her for days.
*I saw this colorful and fuzzy caterpillar on a trail near the middle Provo River. So cool!

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*Date night with Eric fly fishing is always fun. I love the look on his face.
*For me this would be the ride from you-know-where, but Eric is always great about taking Abby on it each year when we go to the state fair.

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*Evy started tap and ballet. Her teacher is darling, and who wouldn't love the hot pink dance floor?
*The day finally came when Ezra started his second year of preschool. Eric helped Ezra fill out a questionnaire.
*I went to my first pack meeting and fell in love with scouts. It was rewarding to see Will receive his Bobcat as well.

Annual Fall Drive

The annual fall drive did not disappoint this year in the way of colors and vibrancy. The magnitude of the beauty in the canyons was just breathtaking. Listening to the afternoon session of Conference did not disappoint either. What did disappoint was my children's totally bad behavior the entire day! I could go on and on, but I won't. To make myself feel better, I'm going to dwell on the good shots of the day and remember how it felt to play with my new lens. (Oh yeah, these pics were taken on a drive through BCC, down into Heber, and then into Provo Canyon.)

Warning: Lots of photos ahead.















This look should have given me all the clues I needed about what was ahead.



Okay, this last photo wasn't on the fall drive, but her hair looked so cute I had to add the pic in!