We Can Be Spontaneous

When I was a kid, my mom would load us up and head to St. George, usually in the Spring months, just for fun. My dad would accompany us sometimes, but he often had farm work to attend to. I remember exploring ghost towns, hiking red rock, and comparing my own feet to dinosaur footprints. Good times. That must have ingrained in me a love for Utah's Dixie, because every Spring, I get an itching to head south. I've been wanting to go for about a month now, so when Nick came home from work last Wednesday and asked if I wanted to go to St. George the next day, well, there was no question.

I was not so great at being the photographer...and I just realized that I didn't get a decent photo of Ellie at all... whoops! But here are a few to document our little trip.

We enjoyed warm weather - no jackets! short sleeves! - and daffodils and blossoms on the trees. We swam in the hotel pool, visited Brigham Young's house, went shopping, and ate good food. We played at a park and went for a walk along the Virgin River.

We ate Nielsen's Frozen Custard, a favorite stop.
Maren got in a fight with a thorny bush. The bush won.

We visited the Jacob Hamblin home.

It was a really good time! It is always nice to not have the stress of daily life and get away for awhile, and just be with my little family. Good times.

Missy Maren

Sorry for the delay... my only excuse (and I think it's a good one) is that we've been sick around here. I got the flu, and got it bad. My kids picked it up and I've been dealing with a VERY whiny and clingy baby, which is no fun for anyone. Finally, everyone seems somewhat healthy again, yeah!

I can't do a post without photos, so here are some gems of my little Missy. I took photos of Ellie and Everett because they had their birthdays, but I couldn't leave Maren out - she needs a new photo on the wall too.

What a sweetheart!

My Boy

I know you are all shocked - this is my third post this week. It can happen sometimes. This just means you can't really expect anything more of me for a few days at least ;). I just couldn't wait to share these sweet photos of my boy:

This little guy is 21 lbs. (23%) and 28 inches (5.5%).

Short and sweet.

Fancy

The first couple years Nick and were married, we went out for Valentines just like the other millions of couples. And it was nice. Well, we had kids and things change. We decided to exchange our nice evening out for a nice evening IN. And thus, a tradition was born.We made a fancy dinner, pulled out the tablecloth and china, and had a delightful candlelight dinner with our children. They thought it was pretty cool to have a fancy dinner. Nick and I get all excited about the food (any surprise there?) and have been talking about and planning the menu for weeks. This is what we came up with this year:

* Spinach salad, french bread

* Almond-encrusted smoked salmon, rosemary-garlic roasted red potatoes, glazed carrots

* Boysenberry Italian soda*Nick's raspberry swirl cheesecake (oh, baby)Everything was so tasty! I really love this tradition.

Oh, and my sweet Valentine surprised me with flowers and a card. And bonus points to him for buying me a potted plant - he knows me well.

The Party and Bonus Material

First of all, the party... I made my Mr. Bug a buggy cake. I think it turned out pretty silly (and gross) looking, but here it is:When Everett was a newborn, I would call him Buggaboo. I know, cheesy, but true. The girls and I would sing "Bugga Buggaboo, we love you". You know, like to the Scooby Doo song? Well, it stuck. So, now I call him Bug, and the girls often call him Bugga. There you have it.

Anyway, Everett had his very own cake too, which he didn't know quite what to do with: He delicately picked at it with one finger for awhile and then eventually dove in head first. And then there were presents.
Now for the bonus material. I know, you're excited, right?

Nick and I are still trying to lose weight, don't give up on us just yet. We have both been fluctuating by a few pounds. At our lowest, we had lost a total of 10.5 pounds. Truthfully, I've lost a bit of motivation to keep losing because I am already within my goal weight range (hooray!!!!). Although, a few extra pounds lost certainly wouldn't hurt.

Speaking of losing weight, the girls and I decorated some Valentine cookies the other day.

Mmmmm...they were so good.

This morning my kids woke up to some Valentines from Nick and I. They got a book and a little baggy of Hershey's kisses (which they have mostly devoured already). Tonight we will be having our traditional Valentine's Day dinner by candlelight. Fun stuff!

One

We have a new one of these around our house:Do you know what that means? That means my baby is ONE. Time goes by way too quickly.

My mom makes a Raggedy Ann or Raggedy Andy for each grandchild for their first birthday. Pretty cool tradition, eh? Kind of makes you want to be a part of my family, huh? :)

Warren Everett,

Happy Birthday, my boy! We are so happy to have you in our family! Thank you for all the smiles and giggles. Thanks for not squealling too much when your biggest sister is constantly carrying you around and your not so big sister tries to carry you around. You are one handsome little man and we love watching you grow. You love playing with balls and throwing them. Actually, you love anything you can throw, especially if it makes noise. You are starting to walk and are determined to figure it out. You play for long periods of time all by yourself, completely content to explore and do your own thing. You love it when your sisters play with you and save your biggest laughs for them. Mr. E (or bug, or bugga, or Mister) we all love you very much!

Love,

your Mama

A Little Sunshine

Today the girls and I entertained ourselves by making these happy little flowers.
Just looking at them makes me happy. An easy craft from familyfun.com.

Ellie and I also made some snowflakes - nothing makes my girls happier than some paper and scissors.

Some photos of my Maren:

Do you see a pattern here? Too cute.