Baby Birds

ryan was working on our car and a bird kept flying really close to his head. he looks up in the tree and saw a birds nest with 3 baby birds and their mommy feeding them. it was really neat. you can see the nest through a window, and so elizabeth was very excited to see the baby birds. it was quite fascinating.

Happy Birthday D

let me tell you a few of my favorite things about my dad that have never changed. he is a marvelous inventor, that service can really teach so much about myself, he reminds me that laughing till you cry is necessary, he taught me how to be an incredible example, that spending time with family can never be replaced, that his belief in the Savior will never faulter. he is one of my very best friends.

another thing that over the years, i think we have learned as children of his, that he is so very hard to buy for. he always asks for a nice pair of church socks. he has a huge love for playing ping pong, and last summer his table gave out, so he hasn't been playing. we all went in on a nice sturdy table that will give him years of ping pong enjoyment. he was very surprised and loved it!
happy birthday D! i love you!

I Know That My Heavenly Father Loves Me

i have never had a calling outside of primary, and I'm currently the primary chorister and i truly love my calling. i love learning such fundamental gospel principles, and being constantly reminded of what is really important in our lives by the children. although today they had the wiggles, i was overwhelmed with how much i love the gospel and how much i love all the children in our ward.

Memorial Weekend

we thought what better way to spend friday night and saturday than overnight at the cabin.the girls each brought a friend, brylee and kyleah. even my cousin brody and his fiance casey were up there. it was quite cold, so we played a lot of games and ate lots of sugar. when the sun came out though, so did the frisbee, swinging, guitar playing and bebe gun fun. even the dogs were in heaven running around. as always we loved spending time up at the cabin.

Finger Food

it's so much better eating olives off your fingers!!

Yay!! Another Day With The Taintor's

i was so grateful for the time that we got with the taintor's. we spent friday afternoon at gardiner village. there was a couple baby alpaca's that the kids got to pet, and the kids loved it...and well, i'll admit, i wanted to sneak away with one of the alpaca's they were so cute!! there was also a petting zoo, and we couldn't pass it up! elizabeth had her first pony ride and couldn't wipe the smile off her face.





then in the evening we went to the turners again for dinner. adam and danielle made a heavenly meal! grandma chalmers even made it out, and then we stayed up and played games. we played the funniest game!!
you write a question, such as: what if holly was bald? then put the question back in the bowel and draw out a question, and answer the question you drew. then put that answer back in the bowel and draw another one and then put that with the question you have. i hope that made sense.
we were laughing so hard, i will share a few so you will understand why.
what if adam was pregnant? that would really strengthen my testimony.
what if janie had a red head baby? he would look at you and your head would blow up.
what if read really loved poncho? we would all be looking forward to the millennium where we will all be made perfect.
it was a really good night just playing games and laughing. i will miss the taintor's until their next visit.

I Love When The Taintor's Are In Town!

i can't tell you how much i truly miss the taintor's. i remember thinking three years in milwaukee wouldn't be that bad, but how my heart aches for them to be back home with us! i so look forward to their visits, and i feel selfish with their time, i want as much as i can get :)
we were able to spend a couple days with them. we decided what better activity than to take the kids to the salt lake temple and go to the visitor's center. the kids had a lot of fun just being together, and of course playing in the water outside.



later that evening, we went to the turners for dinner and sat around and visited.

Mommy & Elizabeth

elizabeth always makes my day so much brightener and my heart a little warmer :)

Push It To The Extreme

now these pictures didn't show the real muscle power behind this trip to the zoo. one of my best friends mary has a daughter that is about elizabeth's age, and triplets...and yes, her and i were up for an adventure! we took all the kids, and had a blast! even our leg muscles were screaming out for joy...or pain, i couldn't decide, haha. it was great and i can't wait to do it again!

Mother's Day

a mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. -washington irving

i'm so grateful for all the women that surrounded me and who inspired, taught and encouraged me. i hope to share my talents and compassion as a mother to elizabeth and all that are around me. in all the world, i enjoy being a mother the very most. it is my greatest joy to teach and love elizabeth.

Night Night

this is what happens when i'm not paying attention to elizabeth. we call her the toy traveler because she is always moving her toys around the house. today she decided to put a lot of her toys to sleep on our bedroom floor.

Race For The Cure

a couple of my dear friends, amity,and vicki have a friend that was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and they invited to get involved in race for the cure. i thought it would be a great idea, but i had no idea how it was going to effect me before hand. i can't even express how overwhelmed i was by my emotions throughout the walk. it was amazing how many people were there, over fifteen thousand people showed up, it was a river of people.
i felt such gratitude to be walking with such strong and confident women.
i was also shocked at how common breast cancer really is. i think when i thought breast cancer, i just pictured older women. i was taken back to see so many with young mothers walking as a survivor and as a memory of loved ones. it just kicked a bit of reality into me of the self awareness that i really need to be a part of, because breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women in the united states. it is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among nearly every racial and ethnic group. i made a commitment to be involved in this amazing race for the cure every year, and i seriously recommend it for all of you to get involved and raise awareness.

Building a Little Love

elizabeth loves building stacking this, no matter if they are pillows, towels, blankets, books, or blocks. when she does this, she tells me she is building a temple. which of course makes your heart melt. her favorite part of building with her legos is pushing it over.
she also is still getting to know our new addition poncho. poncho is very taken with elizabeth, he follows her where ever she goes. elizabeth is also giving him lots of hugs and kisses, and she continues to tell me that sugar would like poncho.

Tea Party...wait, I mean, Hot Coco Party

i think a lot of times i get busy doing things and end up not spending the time i wanted with elizabeth. i've had to remind myself lately that things like the laundry can wait...that sitting down and having a tea party with elizabeth is so so much more important, and fun. i love spending time with her doing little things that she loves. plus, she just lights up when i tell her how much i enjoy her hot coco that she made me. she always reminds me to blow on it, so i don't burn my mouth, she is such an angel.