Sweet Party for a Sweet Girl

Summer loves so many things right now, but when I started thinking about what theme to do for her second birthday party, I settled on Strawberry Shortcake pretty quickly.  Red, Pink, Green and strawberries!!  What could be sweeter?!

Decorating is always so fun!  I loved how the banner/garland turned out...and my valentine hearts turned into strawberries...my glittery "2" on the other had was a bit of a disaster.

We did pizza for dinner, since it's one of the few foods that we are guaranteed she will eat every time!  I think by the time the night was over she had THREE pieces!!  She also thinks she is too big for her high chair and insists on sitting at the table with the big kids.

So grateful to have family close enough to come down for her party.  It makes me a little sad that my older kids missed out on living so close to cousins when they were younger!  Mom and Dad came down a day early and helped get everything ready (including fishing a piece of broken glass out of my foot!!  Thanks Dad!).

I was really happy with how the cake turned out (only next time I'll remember to take it out of the fridge a little earlier because it was a bit stiff).  Summer was sure happy to blow out her candles and have everybody sing to her (she had been talking about it for days--so sweet).

A great party for the sweetest little girl.  After she went to bed, the other kids stayed up way too late watching movies and playing video games while the adults hung out answering questions and laughing hysterically (sorry Jason--hehe).

Taking cuteness to a whole new level!

Our house is no stranger to cuteness!  I have four very cute kids.

 One of those kids has an adorable, very tiny, dwarf hamster.  What could be cuter than that?!

And then, as if that wasn't enough, this weekend, the cuteness in our house went into overload, when we picked up this little guy...Meet Oliver (Olley)!  So far he is the perfect little kitty...mostly because he loves to snuggle!!

It's True What They Say

While some days seem to last forever, the weeks, months and years fly by so quickly.  Children grow up, parents grow older and time just marches on.  Very philosophical, I know, but I've been feeling a little pensive these past few weeks.  When I stop and think that Jordan will only be home 3 more years before she'll be graduating and off to bigger...I mean HUGER things.  Even Summer who I just held in my arms what seems like a moment ago, is trying to run with the big kids and truly is only a couple years away from school herself.  Oh how it all goes by too quickly.
 

 

 Jordan.  She's not dating YET!!  But here she is at one of her friend's Quinceanera...with her dance "partner."  Jordan is finishing up 9th grade and her first year of seminary (which has been a bit of a challenge).  It's strange talking to her about boys, college, careers, and high school.  Gosh, could she really be turning 16 next year?!  Wow.

 This little gal isn't so little anymore!  She is super busy this spring with school volleyball, softball, homework...oh and all her shows;)  I really can't believe she is about to be a teenager!!

 

 
 And the boy.  Can you believe I just bought him new shoes and they were size SEVEN?!!  Pretty soon, he's going to be taller than all us girls!!  He went on a two night camp with his 5th grade class, he's going on an all day hike with cubs this weekend and he is spending a week at his friends house this summer!

Then the little one.  I think she started me down this road of realization about time flying by.  Yesterday I gave her her very first hair cut.  I had been wanting to cut it for a while, but when I finally did, it made me kind of sad.  She's almost 2...pretty soon she'll be off on her own like all the rest of them. 

 Before the hair cut...

      After...

What a journey this life is!  I am so grateful I get to spend it with these angels!!!

Tulip Festival 2016

If there was ever any doubt that my husband loves me, there isn't anymore.  He actually went with me and Summer to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Mount Vernon...and he took pictures...and Summer did not do well on the hour drive there or home.  

We had to walk through the dafadils to get to the tulips.  It was a long walk for Summer, but she did NOT want to be carried.  Thanks goodness it was a nice sunny day and there wasn't too much mud!

Tulips as far as the eye can see...well, not quite, but SO BEAUTIFUL!

Daddy and Summer

Mommy and Summer

Summer with the purple tulips...she would not smile.

 Looking for bees and smelling the flowers.

Summer stepped in some mud and wouldn't walk after that!  Here she is being carried by daddy in a position that didn't get his clothes all covered in mud...

Summer wouldn't pose with me, so I got one with the pink tulips of just me.

 More colorful tulips...and a baby who was DONE taking pictures!!

The whole place was so beautiful and we had gorgeous weather!  Can't wait to go again!!

The Best I could do (Easter 2016)

These days it's getting harder and harder to force everyone to go along with what Mom wants....everyone is busy...and everyone has there own opinions.  So this Easter didn't come together as it has in years past:

The outfits:

My older girls are long past matching dresses, but normally I can at least coordinate them or at the very least pick something from their closet that looks spring-like.  My plan was to get the older girls white dresses (which was impossible to find since they are picky about what they'll wear), and then I had a light pink and white dress for Summer.  Well Easter morning came dark and rainy and Summer's dress was just too bare for that kind of weather and since I never found white dresses for the older girls, they just picked out what they wanted to wear.  Tyson did wear the tie I picked out (which you can't even see in the picture) and they did pose for a picture...well all except Summer--geesh.  (And we tried for about half an hour to teach Tyson how to hold Summer so it looked nice, but obviously we were not successful)

The baskets:

Somehow I managed completely unbalanced baskets this year.  Usually I try to be fare...didn't work out so well this year.  And somehow I only bought one solid chocolate bunny.  And Jordan didn't hunt for eggs so she got way less candy than everyone else.  And Summer tried to unwrap and eat all the foil eggs, claiming Kya's basket as her own!!

The dinner:

This was actually the part that was perfection!!  I made cheesy, bacon, potatoes in the crock pot which were so yummy and then my ham in the oven, with asparagus.  So good!

Let's hope I can get my act together for next Easter...

Modge Podge

Our mid-winter break this year was a modge podge kind of trip:

First we headed to Portland to see our friend that moved away...this was planned as a b-day present for Jordan, but it was really a treat for all the kids! (4.5 hr drive)

Jordan with Emily

 Jordan with Kyla

 

 Kya with Lynelle

Somehow no pictures of Tyson with Dylan...

Then Mike, Summer and I headed down to Salem to visit Mike's old roommate from BYU...who we hadn't seen since Jordan was a tiny baby.  It was nice to see him, his wife and their 3 adorable little kids. (1 hr there + 1 hr back = 2 hr drive)

Mike with Stan...we realized when we were visiting that they have been friends for over 20 years!!!(although they haven't seen each other for almost 15!)

Then we grabbed the kids and headed up to The Great Wolf Lodge.  Lots of swimming!! (3 hr drive)

With their wolf ears:)

We were in love with this amazing king-sized log bed!!

SWIMMING!!

After coming home for one day (2 hr drive), Kya, Tyson, Summer and I headed up to Canada to see Becca in The Whiz (Jordan was snow camping with the youth so she couldn't come...although they ended up coming home early because of poor weather conditions, so she could have come after all--hmph.) (2 hr drive)

The kids reminded me that I promised next time we drove to Canada, we could stop at Edaleen Dairy...even though it was POURING rain!

Mom made me a new afghan and I LOVE it!

Here's Jordan snow-caving

Now we are home and the kids are back to school tomorrow. (2 hr drive)

Is that really 15.5 hrs of driving?!  Oh and Summer, Jordan, Mom and Dad all were sick somewhere along the way...luckily just with a head cold and not the stomach flu!

Jordan at 15

Here's a little about Jordan at 15...

She is all about her friends!  Every minute she has free, she wants to be out with her friends. 

 She is adventurous.  She doesn't want to just sit around...she wants to go do as many things as she can...like building and sleeping in snow caves this weekend! 

She is on the homestretch of her braces wearing days, and somehow she has been the most beautiful "brace face" ever!!

She is smart.  This is her first year of high school classes, and she is starting to see a little heavier work load, but she seems to be handling it very well.  She is working hard and still keeping her grades up. 

She hates getting up for Seminary.  I can't really blame her since she has to get up at 5am!  But it's a real struggle.

She is about to start Driver's Ed!!  This is one I am definitely NOT excited about--she's way too young!

She loves shopping.  Wonder where she gets that one:)

She loves music...especially blaring it up in her room while she cleans or gets ready.

She loves to dance.  I think she would take a dance class every. single. day. if we let her!

She is anxious for more and more independence.  I can really see how the next few years are going to be a challenge to find the right amount of freedom to give her and trying to stay sane in the process. 

I am so grateful to have Jordan as a part of our family.  The two of us battle on rules and what not, but she is my buddy and I love her so much and miss her like crazy when she's not here.  She is beautiful, smart, and hilarious all at the same time...and she's mine...although most of the time she thinks she is "hers", I feel like she's still mine for a couple more years at least!

This year on her birthday, the weather was gorgeous (which NEVER happens, even when we lived in California).  We hung out in the backyard after school, opening presents and talking until her friends came to take her out (to Cafe Rio--jealous!).  Now we need the next year to slow way down so we can prepare ourselves for "sweet SIXTEEN"!!!