In A Nutshell

I love Easter. It signifies newness and growth, spring and warmth, the Savior and His love for all of us. We spend a huge amount of Easter completing favorite traditions, some of which have been passed down for decades. Easter had a lot of activities packed into just a few days. Here are a few highlights centered around the things we did. I hope the pictures reflect to you the moments I hold so dear. Enjoy!

This year, the children had to wear their new Easter clothes the week before Easter because Easter Sunday fell on General Conference Sunday. It was a little chilly out for Izzy in her sleeveless dress, and the flowers were not quite up to par in Mom's yard. But nevertheless, we donned our new duds and took some great pics. Seriously, how cute are my kids? No really. I'm loving their new Easter clothes. One of MY favorite parts of Easter is the kids in their adorable outfits! Another one of the Easter traditions.

Undoubtedly, the most important tradition for our family in preparation for Easter is the pasta making. This skill was passed from Great Grandma Rose to Grandma Lisa and now to her kids and grand kids. Everything is made from scratch. The freshly made sauce simmers for days, making mouths water every time we enter Mom's kitchen. The meatballs are rolled into perfectly round balls (and yes, I'm every bit as anal as my mother at ensuring this) and fried in time to soak in the tomato sauce over night. The dough is kneaded to consistency, or at least attempted to...Scott and his Popeye arms make this a bit challenging. And the day of Easter, the pasta is cut and pressed into noodles and ravioli. The fourth generation (izzy and bones) now love taking part in this tradition and eagerly agree to help with whatever chores are asked of them, as long as a little dough ball for eating is given as payment.

Another wonderful part of the festivites leading up to Easter is the dying of the Easter eggs. This year, all five babies were able to participate. There were no major catastrophies, only a few broken eggs, one minor dye spill, and several colored fingers. All in all, a great time for everyone!

We started off Easter Morning by following clues that lead to Izzy's Easter basket. Wouldn't you know it? That silly bunny hid her basket right in the shower! Then we went over to Grandma and Grandpa's for the annual Easter hunt. Izzy is getting to be quite the expert at finding eggs. And Bones, well Bones just likes to eat them! Family came over that night for Easter dinner. It was a wonderful couple of days of family, fun, and traditions. See you next year!

A Last Ditch Effort

Look people. Give me a break. I may be nine and a half months old and a little slow on the whole crawling scenario, but I have an excuse. I have a whole lot of girth to carry around with me. At nine and a half months, I'm weighing in at an astounding 24 lbs. As you can obviously understand, this makes traveling from point A to point B rather laborious. Up unitl now, I've managed my movement tactics by simply rolling everywhere. I think it's worked out fine. Mom seems to think differently. She's concerned that I haven't met my milestones appropriately. And so, to appease her every stressing mind, I've given this crawling bit my best effort. I'm not guaranteeing to stick to it, but for her, I'll try. One arm in front of the other, or, whatever...

Round one went pretty well. I'm a little on the slow side, but I'll get it. Mom's phone is a great motivator.

I gotta take a break.

Ok. Here's my second try. I mean ya, I'm getting the gist of the whole thing, but look at my cheeks man! I'm roastin like a toasted cheeser! This crawling business is a lot harder than it appears. No wonder I've been putting it off for so long. I like being carried around much better. Easier on the heart. But Mom will never go for that now that she's seen me at work. Busted!

That's it. I'm spent. Maybe tomorrow I'll try again. Maybe.

Home Away From Home

We LOVE St. George. In fact, if we weren't so very attached to our family here, we'd move there in a heartbeat. I have loved St. George since my early teens, when I'd go down and tear up the town with one of my best friends, Lindsey. It holds a very special spot in my heart. And, for me, driving into St. George feels like a coming home of sorts. Naturally, I'd want to share this feeling with my family. My aunt and uncle have a condo there. My grandpa lives there. And, Scott has friends who own a house there. Not to mention, Brooke's in-laws have a home in St. George as well. We have plenty of places to stay, and not enough time to get away! But, our two families managed to sneak away for a long weekend and had a wonderful time. Here is just a few pictures of our excursions while there.

Rip-roarin' and ready to go! The kids were so happy to be outside in the sunshine! This was a porch swing outside of the house we stayed in, and the kids loved playing on it. Bring on the fun St. George!

The fountains in St. George are one of our favorite spots to play. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate so well. The people that were there enjoying a little peace and quiet were bundled up in hoodies and blankets. Now really. It wasn't THAT cold! I suppose we're just used to the winter weather up North...tough skin! Anyhow, the kids were fearless as always, and jumped right in the water. I'm sure everyone there thought we were terrible parents for letting our kids play. Let them judge...I DON'T CARE:) All I care about is the fact that the kids had a terrific time, cold or not.

Izzy would have stayed in the pool the ENTIRE trip had we let her. The girl is part fish. She has absolutely no fear and loves to swim with her water wings, back and forth, the length of the pool. I love that she is independent enough to do this. Scott is so good about playing with the kids and they squeal in delight when he throws them up into the air and catches them for a splash landing. Even I got in the pool to play this trip. (Sorry, no pictures of that event...they're in my 'adult only' folder:) Plus, this was Jacer Man's first time in the pool. From the look of things, I'd say we have another water baby on our hands. The pool definitely made the trip!

We'll be back St. George. We LOVE you!

That Which I Love

I'm in a really good mood today. Don't ask me why. There is nothing special about the day. We've had the usual morning at home. I've been cooking, cleaning, straightening, bathing, dressing, changing, wiping, scrubbing, feeding, showering, and entertaining, just the same as I do every morning. Typically by now, 10 a.m., I am ready to throw in the towel, crawl back in bed, and pull the covers up while Jace snoozes. But, not today. Today, I am sitting on my bed, my made bed, looking out my window at the beautiful spring morning. I love the sun. It's healing. It makes me happy. And this got me thinking about the things I love today. I'll list a few for you, for me, for...whoever.

I love Jace's stinky, slobbery, morning breath, kisses. Nobody lays a wet one on me like Jace.
I love that Izzy cuddles next to me in the morning when she is still drowsy with sleep. She drapes her legs over mine and we lay there tangled while she tells me about last nights dreams.
I love that my husband shuts the window before he leaves to work because he knows the sounds of the chirping birds ANNOY me at six in the morning.
I love the sun. I love everything about it. The heat, the sweat, the sunburn, the summer.
I love my lotion. It smells like apples. It makes me feel sweet. ('Feel' being the operative word)
I love that my grandma, Izzy's great grandma, comes to get her every Thursday for dance class.
I love that when I got into the shower this morning that the soap scum build up that has been forming in our 'luxury' shower had been scrubbed away...by my husband.
I love that Jace went down for his nap this morning without a fight.
I love the way Izzy plays with her brother. She is his biggest fan, and he hers.
I love my new blue toe nail polish. It's rockin!
I love that my hair was done yesterday so that today all I had to do was rat and spray. Easy peasy.
I love my new book, 'The Girl Who Played With Fire." It's the second book in a trilogy. Lovin it.
I love that the book I'm in the process of writing has not played out in my mind fully. This way, it is a surprise to me as well as to those who are reading along with me.
I love that my sister tells me every insignificant detail in her life. What's on the calender for the next 9 months, how she needs to get a lunch box for Gabe to take lunch to school in, her need to start on girls camp crafts/ideas, her frustrations, her kids problems, her problems, and everything in between. It makes me feel important.
I love my parents. I love that my mom takes an active role in my kids lives and calls everyday to ask how they are. I love that my dad invited us over for Chinese food without any prompting from my mom. I love that my mom thinks I'm better than I really am. I love that my dad tells bedtime stories to Izzy that take me back to a time I remember well. A very happy time.
I love my house. It's not big. It's not small. It's perfect for us.
I love that Izzy reminds me everyday to read scriptures to her.
I love that Scott will drop anything, anytime, to meet my needs. He is selfless, he is kind, he is generous, and I am deeply in love with him.
I'm learning to love myself a little more everyday.
I love my Savior. I love that he has provided for me all the things of which I speak.

I pretty much love my life today. Just wanted you to know....