What did you do today?

This.
This is what I did today.

Only three more loads to go before it starts all over again tomorrow........

I'm in love with my Beau!

Was it one year ago that I was THIS pregnant?

Has it only been one year since beautiful Beau came to our little family?
The baby-without-a-name-because-mom-and-dad-couldn't-agree-on-one...

...at least for a day.
Then you were Beau Charles, but who were we kidding? Of course you were always Beau, look at that face!The moment I saw you, I was smitten. The night after you were born, daddy went home to be with the other kids. I had to call him to tell him I was madly in love with you. My precious little baby.
Your brother and sisters adore you...

So does your twin, ...er, your daddy. You are growing up WAY too fast, my dear!You're the happiest kid I ever met...and a serious thinker, too. Not to mention, a darling little dracula...I just want to kiss your cheeks all day long.Colin finally has someone to pass all his "boy wisdom" to...how to play ball, all about pirates, and how to pee standing up. It's exhausting being this cute all the time.You went from a little bird to a little man so quickly...

I am loving you more every day!Beau really does mean handsome. Happy Birthday, baby boy!

Somewhere over the rainbow...

I looked out the window and what did I see?I'll take this treasure over a pot of gold any day...

The follow up...

Last week was one big party. Emma's birthday was Thursday and we did our family thing -we met her at school for lunch, had her favorite spaghetti dinner, gave gifts, played outside games, watched part of a movie, and had some family visitors. She got some cool things from Dad, Mom, and the other kids. Lucky girl. She even got a skirt made by Mom... Friday, she had her friend party. The theme was "Bedtime Stories", so of course she had to have a bed cake...

Since she's such a friendly kid, it was really hard to narrow down the guest list. So, we went with her Girl Scout troop and her Primary class. That way, we only had 14 guests...plus our kids...19 kids altogether. The more the merrier, right? Look at all those cuties...

We started out with a pinata full of fun things. Thanks Kirk, Kito, and Avonlea for bringing such a cool pinata!!
Then Emma got hooked up! Her friends brought some great gifts, and Camri couldn't wait to see which ones she liked the best :)
After the fun and games, we turned on "Bedtime Stories". We borrowed Grandpa's projector, set up a screen and watched it outside. The kids came in their pajamas, and we put out blankets and pillows. It was our own little bedtime story...

We took a little break for cake and ice cream. I'm sure the parents loved picking up their kids at 10:00 p.m. full of sugar. Sorry Moms and Dads. But we sure had a fun time!
Fun party, fun friends. Can't wait until the next one!

Emma-licious is 7...

Emma dear, I love you,

You are my little girl...

You came just seven years ago,

And brightened up my world...


Your teeny little self

Was very strong-willed from the start...

But you have a special way

Of getting into people's hearts.

There's never a dull moment,

When my Emma-lu is near,

You're one of my six best friends,

And I'm so glad you're here.

Your daddy, brothers, sisters,

Love you so much, too...

Everyone around for miles,

Loves you 'cause you're you...

So, here's to being seven,
I have one more thing to say,
Please slow down from growing up,
And have a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Love, Mom

Grandma Wonderful is 80!

Saturday, we got together with a whole bunch of family to celebrate Grandma's 80th birthday. The first time I met Grandma, it was at a family dinner after Joe got home from his mission. I sat by her at dinner and she introduced herself to me as "Grandma Wonderful". Let me tell you, the name fits.

All of her children were there and much of her posterity. Family and friends filled up the cultural hall at the church, and it was a day to remember. This party has been in the works for about a year now, and Grandma never even suspected. She told me that this is what heaven must be like. Surrounded by the ones you love the most. I agree.

Lots of people helped, but Candisse and Rachelle were the main masterminds behind the day:

Of course, Joe jumped in as MC. He loves a good microphone...

Beau fell asleep....right before Grandma got there and we all yelled "Surprise!"...

Grandma WAS surprised. They had to grab a chair so she could sit as soon as she walked in the door.

Koko and Emma performed a lip sync to "Quando, quando, quando" by Michael Buble...Of course, he was invited...

Here's Grandma with her four girls and one boy (plus spouses)... What a great family!

Here's a group shot of the grandkids...

Here's a group shot of the great-grandkids...

Grandma, you did good! We love you so much...

Here is a slide show I put together to celebrate Grandma's life. Although it doesn't even scratch the surface of the goodness she has added to this world....

Happy Birthday, Grandma Tiki!

Bye Allison...

It's no secret that we are American Idol geeks at our house. It's fun to watch with the kids and we pick our favorites pretty early on.

Tuesday, we watched the top four sing. Adam was good, Danny was good (except his last note, dawg), Allison was amazing, and Kris was....eh. Then the duets came. Danny and Kris were ok, but not my favorite. Adam and Allison sang and it looked like they were on tour together... it was incredible!!

This is my totally biased opinion. I am aware there are Kris fans out there, I'm just not one of them.

On Wednesday, imagine my surprise when Kris was the first one to stay. "Oh, man", I thought, "Danny's going home, but I really like him!" Oh no, he stayed. Allison left.

I was surprised and a little bummed. I looked over at Colin because I knew she was his favorite. He was crying...and not just a little. Poor little guy was sitting there with tears streaming down his face, sobbing silently. I asked him if he was okay and the dam broke. He started bawling and saying, "I'm just going to miss Allison so much!!" It took some time, but we explained we would see her on the finale and he seemed to feel better about things. He's a sensitive little guy and was sad that Allison was sad. I must say, I was a little surprised at the magnitude of his reaction.

But...

There's an intensifying power about music. It magnifies every emotion. His attachment to her was because of music. That makes breaking up so hard to do.

So, hang in there little buddy. There's always Season 9...

Spring has (finally) sprung...

Our tulips are up, the kids don't want to be inside (and neither does mom), sweaters are put away, flip-flops are everywhere.......it's finally Spring. I guess technically it's been Spring for a while, but I guess the snow and cold weather had me a little confused. I am loving this time of year!

Last weekend, we grabbed some KFC (and K-grilled-C) and headed to the park. We lived by this park when we were first married and came here all the time. We'd walk the trail or play tennis or just go see the river. We even took some engagement photos there. It was fun to go back with the kids and enjoy the kid part of the park. Joe took Colin on a little Father-Son bonding walk while the girls played.

I love this shot. Colin adores his dad!When the boys got back, we joined them for a walk along the trail. They loved the river and the Daddy's Nature Tour, which had a little bit of truth and a lot of fiction. Back to the playground for some more fun...Camri kept saying "Girl Power!!!" right as we took all our pictures...That's her version of saying cheese...It was a good day to go the park!

A few days later, my wonderful neighbor told me that he was planting his garden. Every year, he gives us the best tomatoes, green peppers, and squash, and every year we look forward to the harvest. This year, he offered to house and raise four tomato plants, chosen and planted by Koko, Emma, Colin, and Camri. So I took the kids to pick out their tomato plants. Koko got a Big Girl, Colin got a Beef Steak, Emma and Camri got Cherry tomato plants.

His yard is amazing and he had everything ready for us to plant - soil was ready, cages in place and drip hoses ready to go.

He taught about soil and water and sun while they planted....He showed them around the rest of his garden...And even let Camri turn the water on so they could see how it worked...

We are so lucky to have such great friends right next door - everyone should have neighbors like these!!