Our Year In Pictures...Well most of it

Get ready for a picture overload. (: Also, the pictures start with this Christmas first because I forgot blogger loads them backwards.

Easter 2011

The kids had fun hunting for eggs at my dad's house.


This was the best I could do for Easter pictures before church on Sunday.


Parker won this huge chocolate bunny from his bus driver. He was pretty excited. (:

The rest of 2010

For anyone who may still be checking this blog, here are a few pictures of what we spent the last few months of 2010 doing...

Makenna turns Three

Our little princess is one year older. She has the funnest personality and gets prettier every day. She loves to dress up in her princess dress, play in the sandbox, and swing. She loves Dora and Diego. Probably her favorite thing is to play with Parker. I am so glad that she's in our family and that I get to be her mom.

Bet You Didn't Know....

That there was actually a giant duck and cow at the manger. That's how Makenna sees it anyway. Maybe she thought the baby Jesus needed a snuggle duck.(:

She's Two!

My little girl is two! And has been for a while now. I don't really have any babies anymore. A little tiny part of me is sad about it, but mostly I am really enjoying the stages my kids are in. On her birthday we had a fun day as a family playing at the pool (Makenna's favorite past time). Then the day after we had our family over for cake and ice cream. The cake. You need to know that my mom always made us AMAZING cakes. So, in my life long to quest to be like my mom, I decided that I have to make amazing cakes too. My idea this year was a flower. It was going to be great. Nope. It wasn't. And I tried and tried to make it look good and it just looked worse. And I cried. And I felt like I failed my mom; because I need therapy.(: Seriously who gets emotionally attached to a cake? And my sister saved the day (as usual) by baking me more cakes and helping me make a slightly less complicated one and telling me that if mom were here she'd say that it doesn't matter. She's right. My sister is more awesome than I can explain. She's my hero. And that is probably enough about that.

My baby. What to say about her. She's maddening and irresistible at the same time. She oozes personality and spunk. She's sweet and snugly. She's more gorgeous than I ever thought anyone could be. She has her daddy wrapped around her finger. He loves every minute of it. She's a silly, smiley, crazy baby. She loves the dog more than anyone else in the family. She loves yogurt and her "snuggle duck". She adores her brother and has to do everything he does. Something in me knows that she was kissed and cuddled and loved by my mom and that love followed her down from my mother's arms in heaven. She completes our family and brings us so much joy. When she wraps her arms around my neck and lays her head on my shoulder it's heaven.

Present help!

It's been a while since my last post. I've been busy. I'm still trying to figure out how to balance school, my family, and my church calling. Not to mention the vocal performance program has been intense to say the least. I am loving school, though. Anyway, since I really don't even have the time to blog right now, I'll make this quick. What should I get Makenna for her bithday? I seriously have no idea. Let me preface this by saying that Barbies, jewlery, nail polish and stuff like that are out for me. I'm funny about wanting Makenna to stay as far away from that super girlie stuff for as long as possible. I want her to be my little baby girl and I figure that those images of what makes you "pretty" will bombard her enough as she gets older. That's just my thing, totally OK if it's not yours. I also don't want just another run of the mill toy that will be broken or lost in a few weeks. Can anyone think of a fun gift that doesn't fall into those catergories? HELP!

Fun Stuff

We have had a fun and busy week! The kids got to go with their favorite auntie Mamie and Uncle Ammon(: to a birthday party at a little water park last Saturday. Jamie and Adam are so sweet to watch Parker and Makenna a lot for me and the kids just adore them. I tell Jamie that she saves my life on a regular basis and it's true. I'm lucky to have her and lucky that Adam shares her with me so much. Love you guys!
Then yesterday we took the kids to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house and to a FHE dinner and park trip with the Barnes family. The temple was gorgeous, I loved being there and felt the spirit just looking at it. The kids were, well, lets just say they weren't terrible. PS-We missed you, Danielle! Then we headed to the Barnes to play with cousins and the kids had lots of fun playing in the stream. Parker got thoroughly soaked but enjoyed every minute and Makenna even got in after a few minutes and liked it until she fell in.