Thanks So Much!

These beautiful girls threw the most wonderful baby shower for me a few days ago! Everything was so perfect! It was a blue elephant theme and brunch was served and games were played. The food was so good and fresh and I felt so lucky to have this support group of women who were there to show me that they already love my baby boy.
These aren't easy times for anyone that I know. And all during this pregnancy, it has really been a strength to me when friends and family have let me know in one way or another that they have been thinking about me and our family. Whether it has been through phone calls, messages, meals, treats left at the door or just your friendship. I have received quite a few gifts during this time that will always be special to me because they have been made with loving hands. Thank you so much! As I thought of these gifts and looked around the room at each person at the baby shower, it occurred to me that all of these ladies had made a sacrifice for me and my baby and I feel so grateful. None of these sacrifices have come with any expectation of repayment. How could I? I truly have been showered with love. Thank you all so much! Special thanks to Brooke, Kerin, and Michelle for providing the shower to help me realize how lucky I am!

Amelia Bedelia would be so proud!

Some of my favorite books from around the 2nd grade era were the books about Amelia Bedelia. Everything she did was so ridiculous and funny, and amazingly, no matter how much of a mess she got herself into, everything magically worked out for her. She was also a wonderful cook, and could always patch things up with just about anyone or anything with her culinary treats.
Almost every year around Easter, I have memories of going on a picnic. It's always fun to pick a fun location and pack the food. My Mother has always tried to bring something homemade for the picnic and this reminds me of Amelia Bedelia because in one of her books, she pulls a lemon meringue pie out of a picnic basket while camping. Haha!
This year, Mckinley was so excited for us to go on a picnic, but the weather has been so cold that I thought the right day would never come. It caught us off guard when it did. I made some tuna fish sandwiches, we mixed up kool aid, and brought some cookies and chips to the park. We ate on a blanket and enjoyed the day and the sunshine.
I made these folding picnic placemats for Easter, and really like how they turned out. You can pack all your utensils and a plate and roll it up into a cute little bundle. There is even a little slot for a napkin and a straw. Amelia Bedelia, these are for you.

Thinking Blue Thoughts

If it's possible for 9 months to sneak up on anyone, I'd say it definitely has on me. I can't believe it's almost time for our little boy to come! I'm so excited. I still need to pack a hospital bag but... At the back of my mind for the whole pregnancy have been little flickers of thought about this new little person that I'll get to meet soon. I wonder all the time what he will be like, his temperament and personality, will he have red hair like his dad(or no hair, like the girls) I can't wait to see him for the first time after we have been together already for 9 months. It feels like this will be almost like having my first baby because he is a boy and I've been thinking about how different boys are from girls. Today as I'm at work away from everything at home, I'm taking the time to bring some of these little thoughts forward. I love him already. Come soon, Little Boy!

Easter Parade!

Wow, I'm posting this late. Happy Easter! I have been wanting to post pictures of these cute little princesses wearing their Easter bests. However, on Easter Sunday, Dolce woke up with the throw up flu...again! And so she stayed home from church that day and didn't get to wear her new dress. Then, last Friday, she had another seizure and we were worried about tiring her out too much and so I still don't have a picture of my beautiful Easter girls in their dresses. I loved the cheeriness of yellow for both dresses this year, and after watching the royal wedding of Prince William and Princess Kate, I think it was a lovely choice. If yellow is good enough for the Queen of England, it should be perfect for my little Angels too! Haha! I am at the end of my pregnancy, and wanted a cute skirt to wear on Easter Sunday. I knew just the one I wanted and was so excited. But then when I tried on the cute skirt, I felt so ugly and huge, that I decided against buying it, and opted to make this one instead. We also had an Easter Egg hunt and the girls loved finding all the little surprises. Dolce was so funny, eating as she went from treat to treat. We love this tradition. There will still be some pictures coming of Dolce wearing her pretty Easter Dress. She's been a sick girl and we haven't had her outside much after her seizure, but things are warming up and she is finally beginning to get better and put on some much needed weight. We will keep you posted.

April!

Winter seems to be losing the battle. Isn't April an interesting and changing month? I read in a new book I received for my birthday that April's Theme is resurrection and the reminders for us are everywhere this month as the world reawakens from winters sleep. I plan to take a little walk outside every day this month in hopes of keeping this idea in mind. Every day of April is different. Yesterday it was so warm, we should have been wearing sunscreen and today it has been raining and overcast all day. But, the world is awakening, and winter is losing. What beautiful reminders.

Mullet Piggies!

On General Conference Sunday we had such a lazy, but fulfilling day. When the broadcasts were over, Mckinley fixed my hair. (And told me that Daddy wouldn't marry me if my hair wasn't fixed. Ha! Too Late!) And I put Dolces hair into pigtails. Her hair is longer in the back than on top and so when we showed Daddy, he said they were Mullet Piggies. We laughed and of course couldn't resist snapping a picture. She's onto the game now though and she is not falling for getting her hair fixed without a fight anytime soon, so we have to be content with her lovely hair that has a strong resemblance to velcro in the morning. We love these little girls!

A chef in the making

After a long break from the movie Ratatouille, Kinley watched it one day and her need to create was given a new venue. She watched it several times in one day and after she had had her fill, she turned it off and told me two things:
1) That's it's really OK to have Rats in your house. (Which I adamantly disagreed with.) and
2) That she is a chef and was going to make some things.
Since that day, she has made breakfast in bed for David and me several times. The first time was such a surprise. She had mixed 2 different types of cereal together, and had clearly stirred it to perfection, and brought it to us on a serving tray that we have no idea how she got a hold of because it was in a very high cupboard. She said she didn't know how to pour the milk, so she gave it to us dry. It was very delicious, nonetheless, and she was so proud as we were eating it. The moment was short lived, however, when we heard the little sister waking up and Kinley frantically ran downstairs to put Dolces breakfast together. She came back with a roll she had found and Dolce very happily snarfed it up. The sweetest part was that Mckinley had completely forgotten to make anything for herself. When I asked her what she was going to have for breakfast, she smiled shyly and said, "I'll just have some of yours, Mommy."
The discoveries continued in the playroom when Mckinley began making 5 star dishes out of socks from the sock matching box. She was absolutely thrilled when her Daddy stuffed an entire sock into his mouth and told her how yummy it was.
As I've been reading a book called Simple Abundance, one recommendation has been to implement a weekly soup night throughout the winter. The idea is to enjoy the entire process of making different comforting soups. I must say that with my little girls help, I have enjoyed this cooking ritual so much. I have paid closer attention to the bright colors of vegetables, the smells as the flavors blend together, even the warmth of standing by the stove cooking, when the weather outside has been so chilly. Our next venture for the month of April is going to be implementing a bread making day once a week together. Banana bread first!