My Shopping Buddy

I've always wished for a child that loved to shop...and I've gotten it.  Tonight Elizabeth and I went out to make some returns.  After each stop she'd beg for "just one more store"!  It helps when you can hang off the end of the cart with your body as parallel to the floor as possible...to help your cape catch the "wind".  

Most of my life I spend worried that I'm not coming through as a mother...but on a night like tonight when I take my girl out...skirt, tennis shoes, cape and all...and manage to smile back at the other customers who's attention we can't help but grab...I feel like a pretty good mom.  

Bath Time

Aaron is 5 months old today!  He looks more and more like "one of our kids" the more chubby he gets!  Just in the last week or so he's "found" his toes.  

This is how Aaron looks most of the time...mouth open...in mid-sentence.  He can run a pretty continuous stream of happy babble.  Especially during family prayer at night when the ruckus quiets and he can finally be heard!

 

 If I could freeze him at this age...I'd do it in a heart beat!
He's become such a happy, sweet, lovable big guy!

Celebrating Our Girl

We all dressed-up for the birthday party.  Daddy announced us as we can down the stairs in "royal fashion".  I even found an old bride's maid dress to wear.  We had a fancy dinner with china and crystal.  

We played "Find the Pea under the Mattress".  (Using three pillows and a small ball.)  Elizabeth, in true princess style, sat on the pillows until she could guess which one it was under. (See bottom left corner.)  Joshua marched in next and surprised with his prowess with the sword...poking and prodding the pillows to victory.  =)  

Next was our "Pin the Kiss on the Frog" game.  I'd initially planned to cut out little lips shapes, but when Nathan asked (mortified) if I was going to make them kiss the poster with lipstick on...I knew that was the better plan!  I think the picture one up from the bottom on the left is prime for blackmailing in the years to come.  =)  

We finished the night off with the castle cake and a daddy-daughter dance.  

The honest truth is that Elizabeth has been a bit taxing for all of us the last few weeks, and it's been a really great thing to have a positive reason to focus on her and show her a little extra love!  What would we do without our girl?!

Birthday Girl

 

Our Elizabeth turns 3!

Preparations are Half the Fun

One thing I've learned in this family is that birthday preparations are at least half of the fun...for both the family and the person we're celebrating.  It's the scheming and work we do together to create the "moment" we remember most fondly later.  So, I've tried to become less "up-tight" about the end product...and include the family more in the creating.  The night before Elizabeth's birthday we had an hour or so to get ready...

  

Nathan and Joshua had "crepe paper duty".
Nathan decided to do a chain-link design...taping small pieces of it into "links" and then connecting them together.  Thankfully Greg helped him realize relatively quickly that that could take a while, so they compromised.  =)

(We go through a lot of blue painter's tape on birthdays!)

Elizabeth created the invitations.  (Yes, those are 3x5 cards.)  =)

Nathan addressed the envelopes.  He and Joshua gave each person a royal name.  The ones I remember are:  

Sir Nathaniel -- General of Griffendor's Castle

Sir Joshua --Knight of Zelda's Kingdom

Lady Elizabeth -- Princess of the Party

And...Greg wrote his own:

 

 Elizabeth delivered them to each of our pillows.

Aaron helped with making frosting.  =)

I had showed Greg the things I'd gotten to decorate the cake...and while I fed Aaron he decorated it for me!  It's definitely becoming tradition that Daddy does the cake!

Greg drew our "Pin the Kiss on the Frog" poster.

Our Princess Castle Cake 

Story Time for The Princess

 

The week before Elizabeth's birthday we were trying to figure out what to do for our little "family party".  We decided to do a Princess Party.  But, we realized that none of our children have seen any of the "old-fashioned" Disney princess movies.  We went to the library to check-out what we could...to get everyone "educated" for the occasion.  Nathan and Joshua were at least as intrigued about the stories as Elizabeth.  And, before bed they'd get "dibs" on who would read Elizabeth the princess story for the night.

Starting Solids

Aaron's first tries on solid foods...

...have involved a lot of concerned faces...spit foods...

 

 and way too much help (amusement) from the "peanut gallery"!

"Chicks Adore Me"

Easter Morning

On Easter's eve while we're sleeping,
the Easter Bunny makes a hill for us to roll our eggs down.  =)

Nathan and Joshua with their new Lego crash cars.

Easter Eggs

 

Joshua found the Harry Potter glasses we got at Halloween, and for all of Easter weekend wore them as if they were really his by necessity. 

Gone Bowling

 

Greg had the Friday of Spring Break off for "Good Friday".  So, we finished off the week with a trip to the bowling alley.  Greg scored an amazing 178, and the rest of us realized how much harder real bowling is than playing it on the Wii.  =)

A Little Glow

 

 

When Grandparents come to visit, it's always hard to see them go.  They "refresh" my perspective on my children, helping me see again the good and lovable in each one.  Life seems to have a little "glow" when we get to share it together.  Thanks, Mom and Dad, for another great visit!

Around the House

 

Cooking with Grandma, Wii with Grandpa, and Yard Work with Everyone!
So good to have some time to "just be regular" together!

Night Out on the Town

 

Dinner at Wendy's and miniature golfing. 

Several hole in ones, a little girl that climbed every rock, and sweet baby in his stroller looking on, and most eventfully...balls to be fished out of water hazards that got "accidentally" hit in more times than we'd like to remember!

Henry Ford Museum

 

Monday we explored the Henry Ford Museum.  Some of our favorite parts were the huge trains, the presidential motorcade cars, the hands-on car repair shop, paper airplane making and flying, and the assembly line.  We always love a good museum, but this day was especially great for all of us!  Grandpa is so interested and curious and Grandma gets in and makes it fun!

General Conference Weekend

This year we had an awesome Spring Break and Grandpa and Grandma Visit all wrapped all into one!  We started out with a weekend at home watching General Conference and playing in the yard between sessions. 

March Madness

 

Another great "March Madness" season has come and gone.  For a family activity we each filled out the brackets...even Elizabeth this year.  We anxiously followed the first couple rounds and then remembered why we usually don't end up watching the final games...we're too mad about how horribly we fare on our "Family Bracketology" competition!  Thankfully this year some of us (we won't mention names) re-rallied for a respectable finish.  =)  Mostly it's just fun to have something we're all invested in and "following" to talk over at the dinner table each evening all month long!