Merry Merry, Warm Fuzzies

Wishing lots of merries and warm fuzzies.....

From one crazy house to another...

The Call

Ring Ring

Me: "Hi!"

Rob:"Hey! I just wanted to tell you that in a couple of weeks on Dec. 4, I'm going to Colorado Springs for the day."

Me: "Just for the day? Phew! Say hello to the beautiful Springs for me." (We lived there for two years, before moving to Denver.)

Rob: "Okay, see ya later."

Me: "Bye."

A couple of hours later...

Ring Ring

Me: "Hi again."

Rob: "Hi."

"So I have a crazy idea."

Me: "Ok."

Rob: "I have enough miles for another ticket, why don't you come and we'll spend the weekend with friends in Denver."

Jamie: **Gasp!**

"What! Really!"

"Hmmm. What are we going to do with the kids?"

Rob: "I don't know, but you have to decide now because they are booking my ticket."


Christmas came early for me this year.

I spent an entire weekend reuniting with some dear Colorado friends. They're not just any friends. They are my Colorado family. I first met these ladies when Parker was 22 months old. We would meet at the park and talk for hours. We raised our children together. We swapped discipline strategies. We swapped recipes. We swapped kids.

Thanks Becca for the great pics.:)

They helped me after I had my babies. They loved my babies. Lexi is claimed as a future wife to several boys. Now Aliyah is sworn to several boys. We formed an amazing preschool for our oldest two children. We escaped on girl's nights and girl's over-nighters together. We laughed until we cried. Sometimes we just laughed. Sometimes we just cried.

After my washing machine malfunctioned pouring water onto the floor and down the stairs and then causing my ceiling below to completely cave in, my dear friends came and rescued my sweet children from a frantic mom. But not without leaving me with a carpet cleaner and dinner for the night. At 1 am the day we were moving from Colorado to Utah, my beloved friend was keeping me company and scrubbing my refrigerator.

Expressed well by my friend Becca with these words: "The planets align, there is an eclipse, and miraculously people land in your life whom you bond with on so many levels."

We, once again, were able to bond and talk for hours. We missed those who weren't with us. We swapped stories. They loved my baby.

My lovely Aliyah was well loved and cared for.


We giggled in Christmas aprons.

We were also amazing dorks in Christmas aprons.

Many thanks to Rob's kind mom and our great friends for helping us with our kids making our get-away possible. A big thank you to my dear Colorado family for stopping their lives for an enitre weekend for me and for rejuvenating my spirits and making me feel so loved.

Lucky

Lucky for me....



I have this good lookin' guy for my fantastic husband.

And amazing father to our lovely children.

Happy Birthday Rob! Here's to many more years of being lucky....

Bit of Heaven

A mother's love is limitless. Words cannot express the love a mother has for her family.

(Many thanks to my kind sis-in-law for the amazing pics.)

When I was pregnant with Lexi, like other mothers, I worried. I wondered how on earth my heart and soul was capable of loving another child like I loved my first.

With each birth, somehow, my capacity to love grew. Amazingly, I was able to love each new baby as much as the first. A new space developed in my soul to adore another child.

Aliyah has been no exception. I look at her daily and say out loud, "How did I get so lucky?"

She is an amazing little soul. The love that she has brought with her gives me a glimpse of what heaven is like.

We have a little bit of heaven in our own home. Love and feelings that I wish I could bottle up and set on my shelves next to my home bottled pears, grape juice, and applesauce.

The first time I gave Aliyah a sponge bath, I cried. I was overcome with feelings of gratitude. Gratitude towards my Father in heaven for allowing this perfect, healthy soul to come into my family. Gratitude for the love that she created in our home. Thankful that I get to be her mother.

Aliyah wore this precious dress on her blessing day. This dress was handmade by her great-grandma Alta. Her Grandma Marie wore it. Her Aunt CarrieLyn and cousin Sophie wore it. Lexi even wore it.

A precious dress for a very precious spirit.

Thank you my lovely little Aliyah for giving us a taste of heaven.

Fall is....

Colorful leaves...

Pumpkins.....

Caramel apples .......

AND spud nuts at Grandma Marie's.......Yum!

More pumpkins.....

Fall is.........good.

sTyLiN'

There's no doubt about it.
Like other kids, my kiddos have their own unique style.

I'm not going to lie. It used to bother me. I would try to talk them into changing, or suggest something else to wear.

Not anymore. (Ok, maybe just sometimes.)

There are some occasions and 30 degree weather days where I do step in with some guidance. But for the most part, I smile and let them show off their individuality.

Dylan, Dylan, Dylan.

You ROCK!

Thanks to 'crazy sock' day at school, my kids got to really shine.

(Lexi's saying, "Mom, hurry! I can't hold this pose for very long!)

Hold onto your individuality, my dear children. Hold on.

Highlights of the birthday girl...

Lex has had a great year....


She is participating in a Spanish Immersion program at school and loving it!

She performed in her first dance recital.

And she lost her very first tooth!

Here's to another fabulous year, dear Alexia!

Sparkle and Spice

We've enjoyed 7 years of sparkle and spice because of this lovely lady.....


Alexia loves to plan. So it's no surprise she had big plans for her birthday.

Lexi's birthday adventures started with a trip to stuff her own pet at a Build A Bear like place (only cheaper!).

Then I took her and a friend to a local cosmetology school to get their nails and toe nails done.
Eight bucks for a birthday party! No planning, prep work, or clean up on my end. This I can handle!

With fancy fingernails and toe nails, the girls had a backyard tea party.

Lexi requested and helped me create her pumpkin cake.

(She loves this headband and wears it nearly everyday....even if it doesn't match!)

A Donigan birthday isn't complete with out a silly string war in the back yard and popping love message balloons!

My favorite love message to Alexia this year was from Parker.

"Lexi is so enthusiastic about things she is so excited she just loves surprises she's so awsome."

We love our Lexi Lu!

Big Hunk

The kids made a surprise for Rob upon his return from a business trip.

They lovingly greeted him with nerf guns in true Donigan style.......

Remember this pic? We train them young.

Then they presented him with this....

Dear Dad,
We missed you Rolo. Kit Kat we Skor'd two have you as a dad! You bring us Almond Joy! We love you Big Hunk!

Love,

Parker, Lexi, and Dylan

The tasty gift was well received. :)

Bundle of Love

My lovely sis-in-law captured my precious baby girl with these tender pictures.

I am so in love.

2 months!

My baby is 2 months! It's amazing how time flies (even with sleep deprivation).

Aliyah's stats:
weight--9lbs 13 oz (30%)
length--21 1/2 in (20%)
head circumference--15in (40%)

Happy Friday!

Wishing you a weekend filled with many smiles!

Painted Lady

I found a steal-of-a-deal on a little butterfly pavilion. So we sent in for our cup of larvae......(doesn't that seem bizarre, a cup of larvae?) to house some fluttery friends in our pavilion.

Only one of the little larvae (out of 5) survived but became GInormous in no time.

Before we knew it, our little friend was hanging upside down ready for her next phase in life.


We kept watching, and watching to see the cocoon transformation occur. Days went by......

All of the sudden BAM!

Our little friend was suddenly in her cocoon!


We again, kept watching and watching..............Days went by....

And again, BAM!

She was suddenly a butterfly!



It was amazing how when it was time for a change, it was instant!

Then it came time to bid our farewell to our new fluttery friend.

At first, our Painted Lady wasn't sure how to get out of her pavilion.

She eventually figured it out and flew into our tree and into her new world.

We loved our science fun and learned some interesting things about our Painted Lady.

Did you know?

*Painted Ladies have 10,000 eyes

*They only live 2-4 weeks, yet can travel as far as 1,000 miles

*They can lay up to 500 eggs (whoa Nelly!)

Such an amazing process to watch! A caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly! We'll send for new friends in the spring in hopes for even more Painted Ladies to transform!