Stinkin' Cute Kitties


These Hello Kitty pops are too stinkin' cute! Wish I knew how to make these for Eva's Hello Kitty bday party back in December. I love Bakerella, she is so creative!

Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!


I want this skirt for Eva! I've been eyeing these beautiful skirts for a long time and if we don't win one, I'll probably just have to break down and sew one.


Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Gearin' Up




The kiddos were getting dressed to fight dragons. As Eva says, "Fight them, eat them!"

Inauguration Party






Although we didn't have the pleasure of going to Washington DC to watch in the inauguration in person, we did catch coverage of it all day. That evening, Dan and Polly had an inauguration party. Polly's menu included all things American, like apple pie, hamburgers, and potato salad!

Simple Pleasures


These little beauties came off of my rose bush. That in itself is a miracle, since I don't have a green thumb!

Ashton's Birthday Party





We celebrated Ashton's birthday party at Pump It Up in January. Ashton and his sister Brooke are good friends of Andrew and Eva. Their mom Gloria is a good friend of mine, so we always have a good time together.

Cabin in Payson



We have only been to the cabin a few times over the past year. Unfortunately we only went once while there was snow over New Year's. While there, we only remembered to take the camera out one time-- the night we arrived, so here are our only few pictures of the kids playing in the snow on the back deck.

Puppet Theater





Phoenix has a really fantastic puppet company and they put on awesome performances. We attended the Cinderella show in late December with Ashton, Brooke, and Maddy. The kids dressed up like Cinderella and Prince Charming.

Fifth Anniversary


Justin and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary in December (we've been together for over 8 years). We went out for sushi and a movie-- two things we NEVER do anymore, so it was a real treat. Grandma and Grandpa watched the kids, and apparently they all had a blast too! Here's a picture of Justin and I that night before leaving. We have practically no pictures of the two of us anymore, mostly because we delete the ones we do have because they don't turn out very well. This picture isn't great, but at least we're both smiling and looking at the camera!

Andrew is 4 Today!

My dear, sweet little Andrew turns four today. He's so big, and yet still so little. It feels like he's been in my life forever, but these four years have also moved very fast.

Here are just four things I love about Andrew:

I love Andrew's gentle ways. He shows so much kindness for others around him, especially to his sister. He has been a wonderful role model to Eva, showing her how to share, take turns, and be sympathetic to others.

I love Andrew's fierce determination. He can be so persistent in seeking what he wants. I hope we can nurture and also harness this trait so that he can use it in productive ways and to his advantage as he gets older.

I love Andrew's love of learning. This boy loves books, computers, and science. I am so thankful that Andrew has taken of love of reading (from me), and he enjoys practically every book we own (probably over 300 children's books). He always looks forward to books during his quiet time and before bed. He also really enjoys computers and learning about them. We recently enrolled him in a computer class, and he is just thrilled with it. But, even better is Andrew's sense of curiosity. He wants to learn how things work and wants to understand the mechanics of things like his watch, the computer, his Spiderman birthday card that talks (thanks Kiera and Mia for that!).

I love Andrew's love for mommy. He still loves to cuddle and sits on my lap anytime I ask him. He still makes beautiful cooing sounds when I snuggle with him and tell him I love him. I also love that he's starting to become more independent, thanks to his time at preschool (and the great teachers there). It's so fun to watch him learn to make friends and to play so well with the other children at school.