Mishmash

The past few weeks have been a good mix of some fun stuff. Now I know why my dear friend will publish "This week in pictures" posts every so often. Time has a way of sneaking off, and this past month has gone by pretty quick...so I guess instead of a week's worth of photos, I'll cover most of May instead. :)

Darius, Ben, Zach and I joined Clair's family for a swim party to celebrate Makenna's recent birthday. I had lots of fun making cute little fondant owls to top her cupcakes, and we got to watch Makenna jump off the diving board for the first time!

I made several cakes this month...this one was for my cousin, Anthony's, lovely wife for Mother's Day. They enjoyed Grandma's birthday cake so much that they had to have another, so Anthony got in touch with me and surprised his wife.

I love that Clair and I love the same baseball team! Most of the family was able to get together for a BBQ at Carrie & Bobby's place to celebrate Clair's birthday. We feasted on some good eats...Sanpete Turkey, homemade rolls, yummy salads, and pudding cake. There were some really happy tummies. :)

My lovely and extremely talented niece, Karissa, graduated from high school. I put together this cake as a nod to her talents as an artist. We joined her family for some lunch and cake and enjoyed a good visit with them.

This sweet little soul just turned 1! The boys and I drove up to James and Brooke's home in Idaho to celebrate Madison's birthday. I brought some pizza dough and sauce and we cooked up some pizza the night before, and enjoyed a little family BBQ the following day. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed a great party!



 

We've been wanting to get a dog, but it's just not in the cards for us right now. Lucky for us, we can get our puppy fix from Joy's sweet new friend, Ulli. The boys and I got to dog sit for him while Joy was at work. The boys love him (so long as he not chewing on them).

It's been a good month! I love my family, and it feels really good to live close to everyone again. There's a bunch of us, and there's always something going on, and I love that I'm not missing out on so much of it anymore. 





93 Years Young

This has to be one of the sweetest sights, and I believe it's why my Grandma Ruth is still with us. I think she wonders why she's still around and what's left for her to do in life, but holding one more great grandchild (a deliciously cute one at that) seems as good a reason as any for her to stick around.

Yesterday Grandma was surrounded by a good deal of her family and celebrated her 93rd birthday. She told me only a few days earlier that she thought she would be alone for her birthday....fat chance. Even I was surprised by how good a turnout there was. I think the last time I saw so many of my cousins was three years earlier at Grandma's 90th birthday party. As my dad mentioned to me later that night, it's always good for family to be able to come together for something other than a funeral.

Usually for Grandma's birthday, my parents would take her to lunch and plant flowers. Since they couldn't be with us, I thought it would be nice for us to do the same for Grandma. We had a little potluck lunch her house, and later several of us pitched in and filled the flowerbeds with what will hopefully be some beautiful flowers in a couple of weeks. Grandma's face lit up when she found out they were all planted.

Even though Grandma has a difficult time hearing anything in a group setting, I could see the happiness on her face as she was greeted by family and watched the celebration. These past few birthdays of hers have been especially sweet, and I'm grateful for each one. I know Grandma's time is running out, as she often likes to remind me, and her birthday is a great opportunity for her family to let her know how much she's loved in a big way.

My heart lifts each time I walk in the door and find Grandma there to greet me with the most loving and genuine smile, and it sinks whenever it's time to leave her. Life at her age is precious, and I'm reminded of that during each of our visits.

I love this woman so very much!

Snugly Friends

I'm nervous and excited to officially role out my little home business, Snugly Friends. I've been working on a new blog to dedicate to the business and appreciate the feedback while I've been getting it ready. Please feel free to keep that feedback coming!

I have been fortunate to have many of you refer my little Snugly Friends to your friends, family, and acquaintances. I SO very much appreciate you helping to spread the word and for the business. Thank you! Please feel free to visit my new blog or pass along the address to anyone that would like to order a friend. (www.snuglyfriends.blogspot.com)

I'll be working to build up my stock of SF in the upcoming months, and get my "business feet" underneath me. I've got a few more friends on the way that will be added as I get them finished, so check back periodically.

I have been asking for a lot of advice over the past few months and I appreciate those of you that I've been inundating with all things related to my critters. I can't express how much I appreciate all the feedback and support! I wouldn't be this far without all your help, so a huge "Thank You!" to each of you!

Snow in the AM, Surf in the PM

Thursday morning we woke up to rain, freezing rain, snow, then a small blizzard as we carefully made our way to the airport. Fast forward a few hours and by noon we were landing in San Diego and a couple hours later we were sitting on Pacific Beach eating fish tacos, watching the boys play in the sand and ocean. Life can be pretty awesome in moments like those.

We spent the rest of the weekend dodging the cold and enjoyed a super relaxing weekend enjoying the beach and sunshine. It was an awesome mini vaca.

After spending our first night in San Diego, we headed North a bit and stayed the following three nights in Dana Point across from Doheny State Beach. We were spoiled with a short walk to the beach and visited every day. The waves were big and loud and had a way of delivering instant relaxation.

If our little trip wasn't already great, I got the added bonus of visiting with my friend and previous roommate from my CT days. Crystal and her son Luke live in the town next to Dana Point and I got lots of face time with her. Our visit was long overdue, 7+ years. It was awesome to see her. We enjoyed a little girl time over drinks Friday night, met up at her place for a BBQ on Saturday followed up by a bonfire on the beach in her neighborhood, and on Sunday she and Luke came and hung out with us at the hotel pool, visited the beach, and joined us for dinner to finish up the weekend.

We're already planning a return trip in July, this time for a little camping trip to celebrate Crystal and Luke's birthdays. It was great to see my friend and her son, and great to have some family time with Darius and the boys. To come home relaxed from a trip is always a good sign that we did it right.

"High Five, Who's Five!?!"

"When I'm a big kid...." It's becoming a daily comment of Ben and Zach. They're already craving for the things to come as they get older, and they made a big step towards those musings this past week when they turned five.

Five?! Really?

We had planned to throw them a little party, but unfortunately the boys and I all came down with a stomach bug during the days leading up to their birthday, so we opted for a little family day instead. I think it was pretty awesome day by their standards.

They started out with some gifts, followed up by toast. Joy brought them some costumes to dress up in and lots of books, including their first copy of Dr. Seuss' Happy Birthday to You!

 

 We lucked up and had gorgeous weather. It was definitely a day to enjoy the outdoors. After presents, breakfast, and cake frosting/decorating, we got ready and headed out to City Creek. We gave the boys a little birthday spending money and let them pick out whatever they wanted. Ben was thrilled to find a Zurg Blaster at the Disney Store. He first saw it at a store in Downtown Disney while we were in Florida and begged me for the better part of an hour for it. Needless to say, he was thrilled at the chance to get his paws on it. The boys got some playtime in at the kids dino play area, and after exchanging some clothes for them and a visit to the fountains, we headed out.

Zach opted to spend his loot at Toys R Us and thoroughly visited nearly every aisle, pausing and ogling over the toys that were all naturally outside his means. He finally made his picks after a little nudging, and on we went to enjoy the sunshine at Liberty Park. It was SO nice outside, and the boys had fun playing and chatting it up with the other kids and parents on the playground.

The boys have only been to an Arctic Circle once before, but when we passed one on the way to the park, they decided that's where they wanted to go for lunch. Maybe it had something to do with the creepy, buggy-eyed Spring creatures they wanted with their meals. I almost feel bad to admit that they quickly found their way to the trash can...almost!

I got extremely lazy this year with their cake and went the easy route with an edible image, slapped it on their cake and called it good. I promised myself after last year's cake drama that I wouldn't spend hours working on their cake(s) this year. I only have a mild case of guilt, and I think that's pretty good for me.

Since the boys' bellies were still a little off from their 24-hr bugs, they didn't have appetites and didn't hound us for birthday cake. We were able to hold off until late in the evening and had some special visitors join us for the blowing out of the candles. Bobby, Carrie and Archer (we felt incredibly lucky he came too) got their first chance to join us for the boys' birthday and it's definitely time they got a turn. We loved that they came to celebrate with us.

Ok, so what's the trick to getting a great cake/burning candles shot? I have yet to get a really good one, and I'd like to figure it out before next year. Tips anyone?

I haven't allowed myself much time to contemplate this milestone. I'm kinda glad I've avoided it too. I can only think about it in small doses. I'm happy for what's to come for them and (as hard as it sometimes) their increasing need for more independence. I don't openly admit it to many, but halfway through the night the boys still find their way to our bed. Ben usually seeks out Darius and Zach finds me. I know it's not going to last much longer and that makes me very sad. Even with elbows and feet to the face, I never sleep as sound until one of my snuggle bugs is cuddled up next to me.

The boys recently got bunk beds and on most nights they sleep (half the night) together on the top bunk. Last night Ben was laying quietly next to a sleeping Zach, and I could just see the wheels turning in his head. I knew sleep wasn't visiting him anytime soon, so I invited him to get up and join me for a little while. He was full of questions and asked me if he was still five. I told him yes. He asked me what would happen if he wasn't five anymore. I told him after he was all done being five, he'd be six.

I'm happy that's still a year away.