Fairies and Princesses

This little gal just turned 3, (not 6, thank goodness!) We had a lot of fun celebrating the big day.

Festivities started with a fairy themed party.

This was her first party with friends... she got to invite 2 friends and 2 cousins. These little fairies danced, decorated fairy houses, and played.

When it was all over... she just needed a cuddle.

 February 8th was the actual day she turned 3...

 Her dad describes her as:

Inquisitive and charming. She loves to dance and sing and have fun. She has a great ability to focus and loves art. She is always concerned about her hair. She is very particular about what she wears. Mary wants to cuddle constantly. But she is just overwhelmingly sweet.

Dreams can come true. I am living one of mine with this little friend.

I would add that Mary loves her friends and family deeply, and is always asking about when she can see them next. She is nurturing and has an amazing imagination. She is sensitive. She is forgiving, she has a great memory, and she has a knack for making us laugh. Her facial expressions tell all. Mary loves story time, is attached to her baby she named India 24-7, and she loves gymnastics. Oh, and I can't forget the color P-I-N-K pink...  she "doesn't love any other colors".

I love this girl, she is growing up so fast. She did assure me the other day that we would still be best buddies even when she is a grown-up.

Twas a Merry Christmas 2011

Filled with lots of traditions...

Lots of Love

And MAGIC.

We are so lucky we have each other.

Happy New Year!

Milestone

Ashton Jack is almost 14 months old, and he is on the move... his first steps happened tonight. I can't believe my little man is walking, but I know how bad he wants to, so we are excited. He has perfected his army crawl over the past several months, but the bellies of his shirts have suffered, and now he is upright.

 

I am so proud of my son, it seems so silly, but I am understanding more and more what it feels like to see a child try and try and fail so many times, and then, finally, succeed.  Ashton helps me to see hope amid hard things, makes me giggle and be sillier than I thought I could, and screams an ear-piercing scream every time he wants to communicate with me.  I LOVE this strong, determined, and playful little boy. I LOVE the lessons I am learning each day. I LOVE CHRISTMAS time.

Kauai

Our first trip to the tropics, just the two of us. I would say that getting away from everything was the healthiest thing we have done in a long time. I was so anxious to leave my kids, but once I made it to the sand, sun, and waves, I had an easier time relaxing! After a pretty crazy year, including becoming parents to two, we took off to a much-needed vacation to paradise... here are a few shots of the beauty we found there.

This beach was called Secret Beach, you had to hike this steep, tiny trail to get there, we ended up sliding down the whole thing. It was pretty hilarious, my backside was covered in mud by the time we made it to the beach. There were just a few people at this beach (like 6) all spread out. We steered clear of the Secret Lava Pools where we found some nudest beach bathers (yuck!)

Just before we left Utah, my dad said, "Remember what I always say, Kauai is for lovers!" That phrase was a little awkward coming from my dad, but we joked about it the whole time. This sign seemed to fit right into our mantra for the trip!

We ran into a "winter storm" while we were there, meaning that it rained off and on every day, averaging 80-85 degrees with sunshine. Once we got home to snowy mountains, the storm didn't seem so bad.

We hiked 4 miles along the Napali Coast to another pristine beach our last day. The scenery was breathtaking, and we hiked through rain and sun. I have been dreaming of taking Jon here since I went with my family in 2005. He loved it and thought that this was the best day of the trip.

LOVE this beach... 15 miles of sand dunes backed by tropical lava cliffs, we called it "our beach" because we had to 4 wheel in the jeep to get there, only to find it pristinely void of ANYONE but us. SO cool!

We had a perfect mix of relaxation and adventure, and I came to appreciate God's creations even more. Hawaii is so beautiful! Happy 5 (and a half) years of marriage, graduation, 2 babies, and surviving 2011. We have learned and grown a lot this year. One thing we have learned is that we will definitely be going back to Kauai!

I haven't been found here, because I have been busy HERE!