Merry Christmas!

This is not the Christmas picture. But I think it shows a little personality on the part of my girls. Principessa #1 is looking at the quarter we paid her to smile. Bug-a-Boo is wondering when she can finally get up and leave. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

Birthday Fun

We were so happy to have Nunny come visit for Bug-a-Boo's birthday and Halloween. We had a great time trick-or-treating (on Saturday out here), shopping and eating. Thanks for coming NUNNY!

Dancing

Presents

Cake (and trick-or-treat sucker)

Trick-or-Treat

Tricking Nunny

Bumblebee Power

Bug-a-Boo's new bike

Seven years of marriage and I finally get a jack-o-lantern. Thanks Nunny for the encouragement! :)

Random

Random pictures of the Principessas

A picture of Principessa #1 on her first day of school

Bug-a-Boo looking cute

Dinosaurs and Cornbelly's

We went to Utah for about 24 hours one day toward the end of October. We packed a lot of fun into those few hours! We saw the dinosaurs at Thanksgiving Point. I think we could have spent half the day there. Good times with cousins!

Aunty Ange

Cousins & friends

Principessa #1's island

More cousins

Working on her island

We also went to Cornbelly's. They had so many fun things, but it was FREEZING! Next year we'll head there earlier in October to take full advantage of the warmer weather at the beginning of the month. The girls liked the cow train and the princess playground. They got to ride in Cinderella's carriage and on the horse pulling the carriage. They also got to dress up as their favorite princess. Although, as you'll see from the pictures, they were plump little princesses due to the cold weather!

The cow train with Uncle Jacob

Sleeping Beauty

Belle

Carriage

On the horse

Pumpkins

Animals on the loose

Principessa

So when we went to Yellowstone Park, we stopped in West Yellowstone and went to the Playmill Theater and saw Beauty and the Beast. Principessa #1 was able to go to a tea party with Belle before the show. She LOVED it!! She's constantly asking to have another tea party or to go see Belle. And perhaps as a direct result of her meeting a "real" princess, she insists on wearing a dress or skirt EVERYDAY so she can BE a princess. Some days, it migrates to a butterfly princess. The wings and crown are generally part of the outfit as well. I wonder if she'll still want to wear dresses when it's snowing outside...

Tea (lemonade) and cake

Learning to curtsy

Belle and Principessa

Butterfly Principessa

(Free art work at the local fair!)

Happy CAKE!

We have had quite a few birthday parties this summer between uncles and grandpa. Our cute little Bug-a-Boo decided that it wasn't Happy Birthday, it was Happy Cake. And she will keep saying Happy Cake until she gets cake... (She has QUITE the sweet tooth by the way. She's also constantly asking for chocolate.) Anyway, here are a couple of pictures of Principessa #1 and her 2 parties. Which she still mentions about every 3rd day.

Princess Cake

Elephant cupcakes cake at the zoo party
(with 2 of her friends)

Enjoying the treats!

Outdoor Adventures

Huckleberry picking - someone wasn't too happy about the prickly bushes

All the equipment necessary to pick and eat huckleberries
At one point, I felt like the mom in Blueberries for Sal ...

Paint Pots in Yellowstone National Park

Old Faithful - It didn't quite go high enough or long enough...

Maybe the wind had something to do with it.

Waiting for Old Faithful

Entertainment while waiting

Hacked

My hotmail and facebook accounts were hacked. Sorry for the junk email. I suggest everyone change your own passwords so this doesn't happen to you! It's terrible!!

Have you ever wondered what happens when...

you leave eggs to boil for over an hour??

The water evaporates, the eggs explode, and it makes a huge, stinky mess!!

KUDOS

Kudos to you TRJ!!

YOU DID IT!

We love you and are so proud of you!

A Note

Dear Mom:

I know sometimes you don't like Mother's Day. Sometimes that's because your kids do silly things. (They do silly things - not you.) You've done many a great thing.

I like Mother's Day because I get to remind you about all the wonderful things you have done. (Even though my Hallmark Card that says it best is sitting on my shelf, waiting for you to come pick it up.)

Mom, I love that you took me to the library when I was little. And even sometimes when I was bigger. I remember looking at the books. And loving them. I'm glad you let me get Strega Nona again! I like that you introduced me to Blueberries for Sal. And that you read to me Dr. Suess. What a great mom you are!

And Mom, thanks for letting me take piano lessons when I asked. And then helping me stick with it, even though I threw some major fits. It's was all worth it! (Right??)

Mostly, thanks for being there when I needed/need you. And for teaching me how to live the gospel. And for helping me to love the temple. Last, but certainly not least, thanks for showing me how to serve and love others. You do it SO well! (There's probably about ten thousand people that could back me up on that.)

So, on this Mother's Day, just in case you forgot already, YOU ARE A GREAT MOM!!

love,
me

PS - Note to self: take more pictures of Mom, even though she won't like it.

PPS - THANK YOU also to all my "other" mothers who have helped me through the years!

Fuzzy fluffy

Attitude + hair + fuzzy sweater = BAD COMBO

The sweater has been retired. In case anyone is wondering.

'Bout Time

Here's some fun and interesting things we've been doing the last few months!

Using lots and lots of Dora band-aids - just for fun

dressing up like a princess almost everyday and even going to a princess party

looking good

making a tent (yes, numero uno is wearing bug a boo's jacket)

playing in the snow (yes, she's licking the snowman's face)

(yes, she is eating the snowman's arm)

first time in the snow (officially)

visiting the fire station

dancing at a wedding (but only with the bride & groom or by herself)

dancing with daddy

snowmobiling w/grandpa, the uncles and Auntie
(and feeding the ducks and fish)