Happy 2nd Birthday Arya!!!

Arya had a fun birthday party with Grandma and Grandpa this past Saturday. We let her sleep in until 10:30am and then played at home until the afternoon where we went to a fun local farm. Later that night we did cake and presents. She had a great day!

Baby chicks...

"Look mom, here's my sticker!" Arya loved this sticker and wouldn't stop showing it to people.

Picnic time

Hay ride....

"I think that is a real rooster!"

"Hay...How do you get outta here?"

"I made it!!!" Addy was crying because the maze was taking so long. She ran out so fast when she finally discovered the exit.

I know, I married a giant.

Arya loved this little dog that talks to her and moves it's body. She carries it around in the morning and night and it always has to be in its blanket.

Arya was thrilled to finally get a bike like her sister.

Good night!

September Idaho Ranch Vacation

Good Morning Pancakes

Arya woke up saying she wanted cakes for breakfast. I told her no, but Blake had another idea...pancakes. Every once in a while Blake gets crazy ideas when it comes to food combinations.

Pink Marshmellow...Chocolate Chip...Coconut...Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Eat up!

Yes You can have some Cookie dough

I told the girls they could have some cookie dough and after turning to the sink to wipe off my mixer I turned back around to this. Arya wasn't messin' around!!!

Do The Left

Blake and I were talking the other night about teaching Addy to read. He mentioned wanting to watch to see if she had any dyslexic tendencies, because I am hilariously dyslexic. In fact my mother swore to my father that I would never learn the difference between my b's and d's. My father had to constantly reassure her that, yes indeed I would learn and by the time I got into college I would be sure to know the difference.
SO in preparing for my Sunday School lesson I prepared a cardboard shield and put the letters C.T.R. on it. Addy was watching me so I explained to her what I was doing and what the letters stood for. Choose The Right.
Later Sunday evening we got the shield out to play with it and show it to Blake. I asked Addy to tell me what the shield stood for and she confidently replied: "Do The Left!" We both laughed and agreed that we probably would be raising a dyslexic child too!
I don't know if she really dyslexic or not but I thought the story was funny enough to tell and everyone else who knows me well can laugh and now understand why I sometime say and read things funny and most of the time backwards!

How my day would go so well if everything just went as I scheduled them!

But that is not how being a wife, mother, sister, daughter, active church member goes. I have to re-arrange me schedule multiple times during the day, heck what am I really talking about? There end of being no schedule at all. (Which is very hard for this need to check-off in the little box, kind of person.) When my kids fall asleep in the car on the ride to the grocery story so I can get dinner we end up getting cans of chili and corn for dinner that night instead of warm French bread, fresh fruit and a side of salad to go with that gourmet chili dinner.
But life isn’t about me. It’s about everyone. It’s about who I can help, how I raise my family out of love and not schedule exactness. It’s not about getting all the time in the world to myself to write the novel I’ve been daydreaming about getting to all week, it’s about writing down my ideas on mini scrap pieces of paper, the back of envelopes, and running to the computer saying, “Just a minute. Mommy will be right back to play tea set. I just have to get a real drink.” And go write down my thoughts.
It’s running, jumping, slipping, sliding, crying, laughing, and finding time to sit back and be an active part of your own life and not just watch it pass you by in a whirl wind of activities that you didn’t really want to do in the first place.
Life is about bettering oneself and helping others. I never would have consciously thought, “I’ll go be a part of a Dental Association! What a wonderful idea. I’ll go better the world one person at a time with only my desire to serve and supreme lack of dental knowledge.”
No, that is not how it started. How did I become a member? Well I’ll tell you and why I will be one for life… More to come!

The Sweet Faces of Innocence

Duke

Duke is one of our new residents. Cam moved in last month and is staying with us until the 15th of May. Once cowering and shaky Duke is now use to us and even loves Addy and Arya who follow him around screaming Dadog!

SURPRIZE

I don't think any other husband could top the Birthday surprise this year! After Blake picked us up from the airport after being a week in Utah, he explained to me in the car how there were no minivans left in Arizona like the one we wanted. And that Toyota takes a 3 month hiatus until they start making 2010's. Feeling a little disappointed and sad that Blake would have to endure more 2 hour commutes in the car without a/c I arrived home to this beauty in the driveway. No more needs to be said...me and the girls were elated!