i love getting fun things in the mail......

and so do my children.

the orange one

she loves this orange spoon.




she wants to eat spaghetti with it, sandwiches, everything!



she loves everything that's orange.

especially this spoon!

our visit with uncle kyle

tonight we met up with uncle kyle, my brother. we went to a mongolian grill. it was delish.



he lives in california, right on the beach. he told us about his morning routine of long boarding to the coffee shop to pick up the newspaper and a coffee, sitting on the beach, reading his paper. he told us how he can hear the waves at night out his bedroom window. what a life!


we love our uncle kyle so much. we miss him.

her backpack

she is starting preschool soon. we went shopping for a back pack.



she wanted the ginormous princess one.





i couldnt say no.
i said 'what the heck'.




she is happy and so excited.

early to rise

i have been waking up at 6 a.m. in hopes that my days would be off to a smoother start. it hasn't really been hard to wake up that early, i quite enjoy it. my kids are still in bed, sometimes for 10 min, sometimes an hour, but it is nice to have that time alone to prepare for the day. whether i read my scriptures and have a quiet prayer, take a shower, work out to a dvd, or just lay in bed, i love that time.

i love the orange glow of the morning.

i love to hear the doves rhythmic cooing sounds out my window.

i love to hear callie chattering or singing to herself when she wakes up.

i love to be the one to great my children when they wake up, sometimes with a warm breakfast.

on this morning, i wandered out into the backyard in my mu mu. i enjoyed the cooler air, the sun, the grass on my feet, my bowl of blueberries.

i love mornings.

snack happy

i decided to bring back the muffin tin snack tray. my kids seem to be hungry all day, and as a result i feel like im in the kitchen all day preparing food. we did this awhile back when addie was a wee one. dont know why i havent done it more often. i can put it in the fridge when they are done and pull it out again when they want a snack.

addie will be starting preschool here soon! yay! i found these great lunch and snack bags at

RickRackQueen.etsy.com. perfect to put her snack into for school! just got them in the mail and so excited about them!

they are all made of oilcloth and have a velcro closer. when you are done using, you just rinse them with hot, soapy water, hang to dry and can reuse them. so great! hoping i can cut back on buying ziplocs. and they are super cute!

you can also use the snack bags to put your ice packs in for your lunch, or use them for other supplies like hand wipes, or take on picnics. the possibilities are endless.

heres to a happy snack!!!

25 weeks along,

and looking and feeling full term.

this pregnancy has been....hard for me. different. it feels as if im having my first. maybe its because its a boy? i dont know. i feel way more overwhelmed with this pregnancy, way more emotional, way more tired, way more scared, for some reason. it may have to do with my massive 'to do' list that needs to be done before this baby comes. little things like, get callie off the passie, move the girls into the same room, paint my house, clean house (like every drawer and shelf) , get his room ready and all the baby things ready, buy a swing, sling, get a NAME already!!
silly little things like that, but big things at the same time.



i am worried about them too, the girls. callie needs so much attention and watching over. she is mischievous. addie will be in preschool though. and i know she will be such a good helper for me. she has that little mother inside her that most girls her age have.


all in all, im anxious. and excited. and scared. as mentioned many times before. but i have a hope, and a little piece of me says , you can do it! dont just let yourself give up! give it all you got, to the very last breath!


i think i can
i think i can
i think i can
i think i can

colorado- Part 4- swimming in ice water

i changed the girls into grungy clothes and let the men take them into the very cool creek. it was peaceful, and refreshing. the water was clear and freezing. but it didn't seem to bother the girls much. by the end of it, they were wet from head to toe. and addie was covered in mosquito bites from head to toe. they love her, her blood is just too sweet.

we hope to go back next year and enjoy it all over again!
good bye colorado.............

for now.

colorado- Part 3- silverton

we headed to silverton on wed, callies official birthday. silverton was the cutest little town. its nestled in a valley with green mountains all around. the houses, well i should call them cottages, are so quaint and adorable. i was envious of one particular lady who was mowing her grass in front of her pale blue cottage, with children playing in the back in an awesome tree house. it was adorable.

we rented a surrey bike. the girls loved it! meanwhile me and mark were huffing ,puffing (and bellies contracting) behind them, pedaling up and down the hills at over 9,000 ft. elevation.

but seeing their faces, and hearing them cheer us on made it all worth while.




we got to see the train that comes through the town, and addie dreamed of riding on it like the polar express.



we stopped by the candy shop to pick a few goodies to take home. i have never in my life seen a bigger peanut butter cup! (in the bottom right corner)



after we ate lunch at one of the quaint cafes, we ended our little trip with a treat at the ice cream shop.


cotton candy for them, black walnut for me, and double brownie fudge for mark. :) hey! we had to get some nourishment back from that surrey workout!:)


it was a wonderful way to spend a day.

colorado- Part 2- flower picking

we picked flowers right outside our front door almost everyday. and there were plenty of them.

and what did we do with all those flowers? we made flower crowns. they loved them and were so proud of their work.

i love my little flower princess'.

colorado- Part 1- can it be any more beautiful?

my dads side of the family had a reunion in durango colorado. i never believed that a place so beautiful existed. as we were driving in the mountains to our destination i was literally in awe at the beauty. can it get any greener? can the mountains get higher? can the wildflowers be any more plentiful and bright? me and mark started dreaming of retiring there, someday. oh, it was gorgeous!

we stayed at the Cascade Lodge, a cabin built in the 1920s. it was situated just perfectly on its own little rolling hill with wildflowers aplenty for my wee ones to pick. they must have picked a gazillion. the lodge, we found out, had mice, little babies. of course all the little girls thought they were the cutest things ever. that's what you get for watching Cinderella way too many times.

beautiful

blowing out of the candles

callies celebration

we partied at mimi and papas house, in the backyard.

the guest list:

mimi

papa

uncle kevo (kevin)

aunt faif (faith)
cousin ellery

mommy

daddy

and sissy, (addie)

addie would ask callie if she could unwrap the gifts, and callie would just hand her the present and say, "ya!".

she galloped around the yard in her new dress ups and horsey. adorable little gal, if you ask me.

WE LOVE YOU CALLIE!


callie you are such a joy. you have the sweetest most kissable face. you are so precious to us. you are a feisty one, and i say you are getting me prepped for this baby boy that is on the way. you love your sister so much and love to play with her.

some things about you:

*you talk so well. something new comes out of your mouth every day.

*you love shoes and always are parading around the house in two different shoes. usually heels.
*you love to eat, man can you eat! you love pizza, cereal, waffles, and chocolate.

*you don't like the sprinklers, but love the pool.

*you love your papa so much.

*you love to read. you pretend to read books to yourself all the time and i love it.

*you aren't potty trained, you are still in a crib(even though you can climb out yourself) and you love your passy. all things in due time.

*you finally like nursery, yay!

*you love to color, and eat playdoh.

*you are so forgiving.

*you have the blondest hair and everyone wonders where you got it. its from your daddy.

*you are fearless.

*you can almost sing all the ABC's.

*you love to do anything your sister does.

*i love it when you sing. so adorable. melts my heart every time, especially when you sing I Am a Child of God.

We Love You Miss Callie Mae! Happy Birthday!

*blowing out the candles on the cake video, coming up.

swimming in the shade of the lemon tree

i slathered the girls up with sunscreen and we headed out into the 116 degree heat. i pulled a chair up to the pool and sat under the lemon tree with my legs dipped in the somewhat refreshing hose water.

we ate homemade popcicles and frozen grapes, and i guzzled a full jug of ice water.


callie turns 2 next week. as all mothers say, i cant believe how fast my little ones are growing. too fast.

we are headed to colorado to beat this nasty heat. its a walker family reunion. cant wait to breath in that fresh air and see the beauty.



***up next, callies celebration, along with some colorado nature walks.