Birthday & Valentines

Anton was out of town on my birthday this year, and I had to work so I went into my birthday thinking it was just going to be another day in the life of a Mom. But, it ended up being a really fun day thanks to so many people making me feel special. I walked into work and my cute co-workers had tied balloons to my chair...who knew getting balloons as an adult could make you feel so special?! They also bought a cake and a sweet gift. I work with some pretty remarkable people. That day I also went to lunch with Emily, Nate and my parents for my birthday lunch. Anna and Jake couldn't make it, but we didn't want to push it off for fear of it not happening, which I am glad we didn't cancel because it was so much fun. 

Later that night, I hosted my monthly dinner club. I made my favorite chocolate cake from scratch, and they were in charge of bringing all the delicious food! It was a fun birthday after all!! 

Like I mentioned before, Lilly has been wanting to cook lately. This particular day I just really really really didn't want to make a mess in the kitchen and cook something. So, I casually asked her if she wanted to make a yummy drink instead, with hopes of her saying yes...and she did! We went to the store and bought the smoothie mix, and she made herself a smoothie! Win win!

Getting ready for valentines. I love this picture of Lilly. She is so sweet.

I worked on Valentines Day, but I was still able to go and help out in the girls classes. I was in charge of Lilly's class party, and ended up having a lot of parents come to help out so I went to Claire's class to help because they were short of parent volunteers. I love going into their classrooms - it is one of my favorite things. How cute are their mailboxes?!

We have a lady at work that does the most darling balloon animals. She has some serious talent! She was taking orders for these cute little balloon animals that were attached to candy cups so I ordered one for each of the girls. The little alien guy even lit up! He was perfect for Claire. The girls loved it, and I loved that I didn't need to come up with something clever for Valentines Day - it was so easy, and the girls loved them!

My mom and I went shopping for my birthday and went to the most darling boutique. When we were checking out, we saw these darling stuffed animals. My kids need a new stuffed animal like they need a hole in the head. BUT, these were just too cute and the funny looking Ostrich just screamed "Claire", so my mom bought it for Claire and I bought the little owl for Lilly. They loved them!

Claire thinks you need to remove your shirt when doing arm wrestles. Yikes!!

Last of Hawaii

On our way to the Luau at the Grand Wailea! The girls didn't really know what to expect, and Anton wasn't too thrilled about going (surprise, surprise!), but in the end this was a highlight of the trip for everyone...including Anton. It was incredible. The food, the setting, the entertainment...it was all incredible. I had seen this Luau before, but Anton had never been to one so he didn't have really any idea what it would be like. I am so glad he loved it! It was really fun to see a little more of the Hawaiian culture. Such a wonderful night. It was fitting that it was our last night in beautiful Maui!

Saying goodbye to their favorite kitty cat was a little hard on these two. I am sure Pumpkin has missed them...at least that's what I tell them when they ask or talk about Pumpkin!

On our last day there, we woke up and immediately went to the beach for one last snorkeling trip and soak in the pool. Then, we headed up to pack up and shower. We had some time to kill in between check out and my parents flight, so my dad took us to this old church in Makenna. Along with the church, there is a really old cemetery. It was such a beautiful setting. It was so quiet and peaceful. I had to take a minute to soak it all in, knowing it would be another 6 years until this trip happened again. I got a little emotional as our time there came to an end. It was a little slice of heaven. I am beyond grateful and blessed to have the parents I do. Not only are they my parents, but they are my friends. And they are Anton's friends. We laughed all day, every single day. It was so good for all of us to be together, and like I mentioned before, to get re connected....and for the girls to get that time with their Nana & Papa is priceless. We love spending time with my parents, and I don't think there was a better place to spend this precious time, than in beautiful Maui. 

Hawaii continued...

Coconuts in Kihei...oh my heavens. We went here twice it was so good. The fish tacos, unreal. The fish & chips, some of the very best I've ever had. Such a fun place!

One of our very favorite things about this trip was having Anton around 24/7. The girls and I loved it. Just to have him around, and not stressed with the everyday work problems was priceless. 

On Sunday, after church and the most divine Sunday Brunch at the Four Seasons we thought we would do the road to Hana, but the weather was a little crappy on that side of the Island, so we decided to stop and see some big waves and turn around. We got out of the car to see the waves, and saw a group of people on the beach below. Come to find out, they were down there because there were 40 or so great big sea turtles on the beach. It was incredible! We walked down there to see them, and while we were there, there was a great big seal on the beach too! I guess the turtles come there every evening because it is a quiet beach (it's one that actually closes to the public), and they can rest there without being disturbed. They had some volunteers there, that kind of direct people, just so they don't get too close to the turtles, which was good. The turtles are always there, but the seal was just a surprise! Good timing!

The next day we went on our Whale Watching tour!! Whales are such amazing creatures. They are so graceful for being SO enormous. Right off the bat, there were two whales that came out of the water. Then, one went right under our boat. I bet we saw 10 whales that day. Lilly loved it, and Claire was totally in her element. They both loved every moment. One of the guides had the girls help her drop the microphone into the water, so we could hear the sounds of the whales. Not only was the sound they make absolutely incredible, the girls thought they were pretty darn cool for being her helpers. 

We found snorkeling gear for the girls a few months ago, and I am glad we brought them! After a few days of crazy waves, we woke up one morning and the waves were gone! That meant calm clear water for snorkeling. Lilly was the most fantastic little snorkeler. I was a little nervous about her not having a life jacket, but it didn't even phase her. My dad and I stayed with her the entire time. We saw lots of colorful fish and an eel, but no turtle. Bummer! But, she went around the entire reef, and back again which was really impressive. On the way back however, she did get tired and she kind of started making me nervous. Thankfully by then we were pretty close to shore. Just goes to show how quickly you can wear yourself out in the water. Claire tried snorkeling too! She was timid at first (like always), but once she started seeing fish she became a big fan! She even made it to the tip of the reef with Anton. I can't even being to describe how fun it is to start doing these things with them. To see the excitement, and to experience these things with them is SO fun. It's these memories that we will never forget! 

Hawaii!!

Oh my goodness. Easily one of the best trips we have had, was this trip to Hawaii! Every single thing was perfect. I love this trip for many reasons, but the main reason is the one on one time we get to spend with my parents. It is so fun to reconnect and get uninterrupted time together. We created memories that will last us a life time. I am so thankful for the time generosity of my parents, and for this trip. It was So Much Fun. We still talk about it constantly! 

My cute Mom surprised the girls with lie's, and as you can tell, they were so excited! Once they picked us up, we headed straight to the Condo and had lunch then the girls couldn't wait to go to the beach. So, we did exactly that! As soon as we got to the Condo, my parents told Anton and I to go check out our room. They had given us a gift certificate to Ruth Chris, and told us to make reservations and they would stay with the girls. What a treat!!!

Clairey bear LOVED being with her Papa non stop. Every time we went to the beach, she wanted to sit between her two favorite guys. I loved it. 

Oh how my girls loved "pumpkin". Pumpkin was the neighbor cat that loved people, and the girls loved her/him. We still don't know what that cats real name was, or if it was a girl or boy...but they girls decided on Pumpkin. So, Pumpkin got daily loves from everyone but me!

Is there anything better than the beach? In Hawaii? I think not. The first few days the waves were really big, which was quite unusual. Because of that though, Anton was able to do a lot of body surfing which he loved. My Dad bought the girls some boogie boards too, so they got to play in the waves with those. Each day we were there, the girls got more and more brave and would go out further each time. Lilly came out into the waves with me, but we couldn't get Claire out there. She liked to stay pretty close to the beach. One day, unfortunately, Anton and my dad were out body surfing and my dad didn't duck under a wave deep enough, so he got tumbled around and really really really hurt his bad hip. He really couldn't walk. It broke my heart, and it made all of us so sad for him. Still today, he is having a hard time walking. In fact, I think he went to the doctor today - and we've been home for well over a month. It is so sad to see those things start happening to my parents. I am glad it didn't ruin his trip though. After a day or so, he was able to get in the water again and was able to play golf...which made us all happy!

My cute niece Amelia flew over from BYU Hawaii. It was such a blast having her!! The girls just loved her, and the feelings were mutual. She was so funny, and the way she would tease my dad was hilarious. It was so good for the girls and Anton to really get to know her. Love that cute girl.

Condos, pool, beach...all right there. I would lay at the pool, and look at the beach/ocean. Honestly, it is heaven there. This is my screensaver on my phone now :)

January 2017

Come January, we are all really sick of Winter and being cooped up. This particular Saturday, the weather was fairly good so we bundled up and decided to walk up to the Library. I love how Claire made sure she had her hat and glasses for the walk. 

This picture of Lilly breaks my heart. I know before this happened, I got really mad at her. Probably over something dumb like not practicing her piano. She is such a sweet little girl, and is such a good person. I need to remember that more often. Sometimes I get so focused on the things she needs to improve, and I forget to focus on the things she is remarkable at.  

Getting ready for Hawaii! 

Lilly has really wanted to start cooking. This particular day, she wanted to make a dessert and I really didn't want to since it was just another mess to clean up and because we are trying to be better about having sweets around. Anyway, she decided to roast marshmallows over the stove and drizzle them with melted chocolate. Well done Lilly bug!

Claire has lots of friends at school. Most of them happen to be boys. Her little friend Beckham gave her this cute stuffed animal. I thought that was so cute, and so funny! They also talk on the phone from time to time. 

Lilly's class had book reports due on Historical figures. Lilly chose to do hers on Sitting Bull. They had to read a book on their person, and then they did a time line and a poster with all their information. The teacher invited parents and other classes to come and view their reports. When you got there each student had an iPad and headphones, and you would hold the iPad up to the picture of the student and then the screen would become interactive and it would be a recording of the student telling about their person. It was filmed in front of a green screen, so it looked like Lilly was standing in a field with buffalo. It was SO amazing and SO well done! Parents were blown away. It's amazing the technology the kids have in their classrooms. I love it. It makes learning so fun for them. 

Christmas Break

I love love love Christmas Break. I love not having a schedule, I love that my kids are happy and content, I love spending time with family....I just love it. It was fun to take Lilly to the ward and go play basketball. She always has a great time trying to beat Anton! 

Claire really needed a haircut. Her hair is kind of thin, so it looks better when it is short. But, she didn't want it short. I felt like a terrible Mom because when the girl asked me how to do it, I told her short even though Claire didn't want it. In the end, she loved it and it looked so adorable.

We have missed the Hansen's like crazy! It was so so so fun to see them and have them play for a few hours. Brook and I ate lunch together and just caught up on everything. I am grateful for their friendship, and even though they are a thousand miles away it was like we didn't skip a beat. Thats the sign of a good friend! 

The highlight of the Christmas break was having the Leonards come and stay with us. We always have the best time with them. The girls really wanted to do something out of the American Girl Doll magazine. Even though I really didn't want to bother with the mess, I am glad I let them do it. It's about creating memories, and I know they will remember this! These two are the cutest little cousins...

The kids really wanted to go sledding, and thankfully we got a whole bunch of fresh snow just in time! The girls also got a new tube for Christmas that they really wanted to try out. I love the hill we go to, and the kids always have a blast. It also fun to watch them - lots of laughs at their expense! Lilly really wanted her best friend Blake to come with us one day, and I was glad he came. It was good for Truman to have someone to hang with, and Lilly loved having her favorite friend hanging with her favorite cousins!

We had to fit in Temple Square, even though Anton was a little down the idea. It was snowing, and so cold, but I am glad we went. Temple Square is just so beautiful.