"Hoppy" Holidays

10 things to do when school is cancelled.
1-Take Christmas pictures.

2-Bribe smiles with candy canes & hope that your best group shot doesn't have the youngest child's fingers in her mouth.

3. Play with your pets. Take pictures of them too.

4. Give up the photo session once you hit nap time whether you have a perfect picture or not.

5. Take a cue from the bunny & watch the pretty snow out the window.
6. Build a fort with blankets.
7. Read books.
8. Drink hot chocolate.
9. Hide the marshmallows so they last more than 1 day.
10.Update your blog & show the kids how darn cute they are!

Merry Christmas!

Basket Case

When the baby was a newborn, we took a few shots of her in this basket:

She was so tiny!

Well, today they got the basket down & decided to play in it.

Still a fun photo prop, but it looks smaller now that she's bigger.

She's not the only basketcase either!

If you want to hear a funny sketch about hot air balloon baskets, check out Ryan Hamilton.

BE THE GOOD in the world

Miss H had 2 REALLY FABULOUS teachers last year who were young moms that job-shared. One of them died in a car accident this month. I have been so sad & lay awake at night thinking, "What can I do to help her family?"
At her funeral, they talked about how she like and lived this:

So last week, we got a group of her students together & took a picture of them with that quote. It is a good reminder to all of us to BE THE GOOD. To be kind & make a difference in the world by serving others. I hope by giving the picture to her husband, her family will know what a difference she made and that she's remembered with love.
When I think of her, it inspires me to be a better mom and enjoy more fully the gifts I have in life.
I'm thankful for a great husband who built this cute playhouse.

He gave me sweet kids to play in it too!

Our lil' guy is now 5. He makes friends wherever he goes.

He's a joy!

I love how Miss H adds flair to everything.

I am thankful for these smiles.


I am thankful for beautiful fall.


Cute costumes.

Our pilot:

We no longer say, "D WANTS to be a pilot." We now just say, "he's going to BE a pilot." He helped so much w/ the 5 yr old airplane party, making a list of different single props for the game "pin the propeller on the prop plane". He recently taught me about ailerons. Wow.
Happy Fall!
And remember to
BElieve THEre is GOOD in the world.

Back to school

OK- several posts at once to catch up the blog...

1st day of school 2013.

Our lil'Stinker is aboard the preschool bus.

Handsome Hubby is making a lot of progress on the playhouse.

It's been a fun project from his "by 40" list.

Miss H's 7th B-day

These cute kids don't stop growing!

Our adorable Miss H turned 7!

She took a friend miniature golfing. It had an Eiffel Tower- perfect for a fancy adventure!
Her favorite gift was a real bunny!

Travel Log- DC

Then we saw Lincoln again in DC.


My parents and sister live there. Here's G'ma on a Sunday walk:


We went to lots of fun parks.

One park had paddle boats. We were hoping that racing them would induce my sister's labor.

We did meet the baby that week- she's a cutie! And I was able to watch her birth. It was an amazing experience.


Good thing my kids are awesome travelers. We logged a lot of miles this summer & had a lot of fun.

Travel Log- S Dakota

In addition to our 4th of July trip, we also saw Rushmore with my husband's family.

I hadn't seen the Black Hills since I was a child. It was a fun destination.

Joys of July

Happy 4th of July!

We played w/ cousins, water, and sand!

We visited the temple in Nauvoo, Illinois.

We love the temple.

And D is now 10!