Some more maygrams (the possibilities for instagram-word-blending are endless)

A few of our latest moments include:

- Mila's first trip to the dentist
- A dinner out way past our curfew
- Sophia bribing me to pick at her feet with tweezers while she reads to me... she loves having her feet touched!
- Twin day with cute friend Kate
- Our backyard slide coming back in business for the summer until it breaks for good--- at which point we'll debate getting a new one at full price or waiting 'till the end of the summer to get it half off.  Decisions....
- A family game night
- Baking... baking... baking.... mostly my favorite whole wheat cookies and my first batch of whole wheat cinnamon rolls.
- All with my NEW lovely 6 qt kitchenaid with the gorgeous shiny bowl and cool curled edge... sometimes it's exciting when things break. I had no choice.  I had to get it.
- The last of my birthday celebrations with Ross at one of our favorite restaurants-- Roys.
- And a happy me after a birthday massage.... ahhhhh...
- Some daddy/Finn skateboarding time
- And a possibly line-crossing picture of me and Ross on our 9 year anniversary.

I remember the days when I would be posting the pictures from our memorial day weekend right now, instead of all of the day-to day before that.... but when I skip, I never  come back.  And I need this stuff in print some day to make it worth all the obnoxious snapshots.

Sisters

There are plenty of fights and fits--- maybe even some sibling rivalry already :/.  But there are far more moments like this one.  These girls love and take care of each other and I can only imagine what their relationship will be like when they're older and have bigger dilemmas to tag-team than tying laces. Sisters are the best.

Sophia

Dear Sophia,

I don't think it was an accident that Heavenly Father sent you to us first.  I'm certain that you have always had this angelic personality of yours, and that you would have volunteered to come to us before your brother and sister, to be the guinea pig-- to let us test out all of our parenting mistakes-- and to help us become better for the rest of them.  Because a: you can handle it, and b:  that is exactly what you do.  You sacrifice yourself for others.  It's as natural to you as breathing.

I think you knew you were signing up to be the example.  It is so comforting to me to know that you will carve out the first path, with a conscience the size of the Pacific and such a desire for good.  Everyone who gets to be around you is lucky.  Every single one of us.

You think of everyone around you... and are the first to stick up for a friend who needs it, or remind a kid who's into trouble ... that there are consequences.  :)  It crushes you a little when they wave you off and don't want your help... some have even said mean things to you. (When you're begging them off the black top because that's what the yard duty announced etc..)   "Mom, I didn't know what to do-- I just didn't want them to get in trouble but they told me I was weird and to go away." It doesn't phase you though. Your desire to help others is bigger than your desire to protect your ego and I think that makes you a 6-year-old hero.

You give and give and give.  I give you a treat in your lunch--- and you list the kids at lunch you shared it with.  You get a treat at church, and you save half for Mila.  If one half was bigger... you'd probably give it to her.  If Mila pulls your hair and puts me over the edge so that I have to drag her off to time-out, your heart aches for her.. and you insist your head doesn't hurt anymore, and that she should come out.  Then you run around the house trying to find things that will make her happy. Your capacity for forgiveness is infinite.

But do not be mistaken.  You are no doormat.  You are just like your father.  You are sweet and generous every day of your life.  But you are confident.  You are confident in your place in this family and your place in this huge world as a daughter of God.  When it matters, you do not bend and you can be FIERCE when it comes to defending friends, family, beliefs, or morals ... all the things that really matter.

I live in awe of you.  Your dimples and your eyes as blue and big as the sky.  Thank you, thank you, thank you for being mine.

Love,
Mom

Second Half of April in Instagrams (a little behind)

Hmm... anything noteworthy?

- we played outside

- we painted some nails

- I went for some runs and took pictures of my shoes to make myself feel good.

- we gave some baths

- we watched Phil Phillips and fast-forwarded the rest

- we rode our bikes before May hit with some premature triple digits

- we played at the park

- I made homemade hamburger buns

- I practiced my Katniss braid on Sophia

- SHE LOST HER SECOND TOOTH!

-And got sick :(

- Finn let me hold him a little less than the month before

-Sophia read a little more than the month before

- Mila was just as wild and crazy as ever.

A sort of 5 minute prom shoot

MAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!

 

 

This is Mary.... one of our favorite babysitters and generally just a girl I absolutely adore... 

She went to prom the other night and ended up meeting at a house in my neighborhood beforehand... so we thought-- let's take a few pictures!

Ross was gone to the Laker game and I was in the middle of making bread and Finn was in his highchair so we had like 4 and a half minutes.... but when you have skin like peach yogurt and Sid (our friend the make-up genius) does your makeup and gives you extra eyelashes--- four and a half minutes is all you need.

Love you Mary.

Californians For a Cure

I had a really bad experience on this blog when I did a post about something political once... so I usually try and stay clear.  But my friend Missy is working hard to get the word out about Prop 29, and sent us these darling t-shirts...

A YES vote would add $1 to the price of a pack of cigarettes and "These additional revenues would be dedicated to fund cancer and tobacco-related disease research and tobacco prevention and cessation programs."  


Sounds like a good place to get more money for cancer research to me.

Do some reading up on it so you're ready to vote!  Missy has this great blog dedicated to it... 

The years keep FLYING by. Ha.

I'm 31 today and my birthday wish is that if someone threw me in the air and my shirt bounced up like Finn's, my tummy would look a little more like his, (minus the herniated belly button) and a little less like that huge kid in the air used to be tucked inSIDE of it.

(I'm kidding, I'm not that vain, I have lots more wishes...)

BUT--- it was so worth it.  Even with that aftermath.  I can't believe I'm 31, married for 9 years, with three kids... one of them coming up on 7.   It's all far far too grown up for the way I feel.  I feel like I can almost remember being that kid in the air.  Seriously.  How do we just keep getting oldeeeeerrrrrrr?

Ross would say "it's better than the alternative"-- and he's right.  And I am so grateful for one more year.

We lost my dad two years ago today, and if he were alive, he would tell me something outrageously fabulous about myself----- he'd lie, but he'd believe it, and so he'd almost have me convinced.  And I'd definitely stand a little taller afterwards.  He was so good at that.  

Then he'd tell the girls how they are more beautiful than the ocean and that they are worth more than all the money in the world and that they'd better find boys someday that know it.  

Then he'd go on and on about how huge and muscular Finn is, and how he can already tell he's going to be a professional athlete, or President of the United States, or super hero.  And then he'd stop himself and look at Ross and say... nope, he'll be like his daddy, this man is a saint.  He's going to put all that strength into doing good like his daddy.  Serving the Lord, being kind to people,  and being there for his kids...

I can hear it all.  I still miss him tons, and while two years ago, today was a very sad day,  I'm glad that I can forever share share my birthday with his memory.

My Wild One

Mila,

Mila Mila Mila. You're four and a half this month and you are a ball of FIRE.  You are silly and wild and confident.  You are full of passion and have so much love inside you don't even know what to do with it. When you're cheerful, you love to snuggle and give kisses and sing "I love you"s through the house.  You love to make your brother laugh, and play pretend with your sister, and find ways to serve me and prove to me that you're getting older every day.

But you are intense and dramatic and haven't yet figured out how to manage your anger or frustration.  And you do get frustrated....  a lot.  These days, our home sees a lot of fits.... and it's not easy.  I won't lie, I am beside myself at some point of every day right now, desperate for answers on how to best deal with you when you can't have what you want.  Because that's the problem...

You WANT what you want.

.... but Mila, when you do.... mature a bit and figure out how to reign yourself in and think a bit before you react...

When you take all of that persistence and those high expectations and use them to get yourself more than chocolate chips for breakfast....

YOU will be unstoppable.  You will not let people take advantage of you or be unkind to you.  You know who you are and don't care what people think of you and while I wish you cared what WE think.... for now... I will let that go,  for the glimmer of hope that you might hang on to this trait through high school--- when everyone's following each other off the cliff and you're shaking your head in annoyance and yanking friends back because you KNOW what you want.

You are strong and smart and so beautiful.  I hope I can keep up with you darling girl.

xo Mom

6th Street Design Home Tour

So this was kind of fun.  I got an email from Kirsten over at 6th Street Design asking if she could feature my home last week on her blog during her feature friday.  I felt a little silly gathering photos for her since I feel like there are a million things I'd love to do/add/change with the time and budget.  And I never feel like any room is "done" of course.  But of course I was flattered she asked! and it was fun to see my home on her darling blog.

So if you haven't seen enough from me over-sharing on my own blog....

 Check it out. 

These collages are driving me nuts because I messed up my sizing somewhere along the way and now they're all blurry and low res.  But I can't handle taking the time to fix it now.  Forgive the blur.