Fishing...

... for goldfish.



Letting go of control is definitely in the top three hardest things about being a parent. At least for now I control mostly what my kids wear and eat, when and how much they sleep, what they watch on tv, the language and music they hear and the things they learn, but every now and then I have to let go.

Jack, for instance, loves making messes - today he reached and whined and sprinted for this puddle repeatedly until finally I let him have at it, and what do you know... It was super rewarding for all parties involved. I should probably let go in the mess department a little more often.


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Happy campers

How lucky am I?


It's just a pity that moments like these don't last longer. Jack was so content to lay back on my leg and eat some cereal while I read a book. It was a summer miracle!

It's just that kind of a day...

...when we sit outside and eat popsicles,


and beautify the driveway. Welcome back sunshine - we missed you!

Happy Easter and Spring and all

(Just focus on my cute kids in this photo - I'm only including one with me because it happens so seldom (obviously for good reason) and to prove I was there )

Today was all about flowers for us. We spent a couple hours "walking" on a lovely path near our house. We stopped approximately every ten feet and discovered all kinds of plant life emerging out of the forest floor that is still covered with the brown-black leaves from last fall.

Behold the star flower...

The harvest also included specimens of purplish-pink flowers, grape cluster flowers, umbrella leaves, bell flowers, butterfly flowers, purple flowers, heart leaf and my favorite "dandy flowers" - more commonly known as the dandelion.

I can't help but smile at how excited she gets about seeing a dandelion. The other day she picked a handful of them from our friend's yard, 4 to be exact, "one for dad, one for mom, one for me and one for jack!" She clutched them protectively as we drove home, then we put them in some water - I love seeing them on the counter - they make me smile. I love what they represent - an all too common piece of beauty that is so common we often take it for granted.

(Look out mini tangent ahead)
A couple weeks ago we went to Utah for a visit - it was the best trip we've had in a long while - it wasn't a Christmas break full of presents and parties, we didn't "do" anything, no jaunts to lake powell or disneyland or the moon - just a whole three weeks of ordinary days spent with family and friends, people we love (and one we haven't seen in years). we had meals together, ate frozen yogurt, did our grocery shopping, talked, made a few attempts to craft together, but mostly we just coexisted side by side in our daily routines - it was so ordinary and so special, just like the dandy flower is to me.

So Happy Spring to one and all - I hope the sun is shining in your neighborhood like it was in ours today, I hope that the grass is turning green and there are buds on the trees, I hope the star flowers and umbrella leaves are pushing their way through the undergrowth and I hope that will help us all remember our Savior and the hope that He provides for all of us to overcome the winter of our lives. Happy Easter!

Best Girls Night Ever!

Ok so I've had a lot of super fantastic girls nights but this one ranks WAY up at the top. This fun crew of moms and daughters went to tangled last night - we laughed and someone might have almost cried and ate movie snacks to our hearts content.

It was a smashing success!





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my iPhone

Can she really be 3?

Time for a little tribute to my girl, now 3 years old!
(Yes it's true - we had a grand old party and the only picture I took was of the cake - ha! It is the part Bel was most preoccupied with - her favorite conversation topic the last 2 months has been "what kind of cake should i have?" when the day finally came, she made it with me, ate the batter with me of course and as soon as I put it in the oven proceeded to ask me if it was done every 30 seconds, then every minute, until I very sternly told her not to ask me again it will be done when you hear a loud beeping noise that doesn't stop. And you can bet she excitedly came running to find me when the timer went off. Then she watched me frost it, told me how to do it, chose and put the candles on herself. It was an incredibly sweet and satisfying twist on the story of the Little Red Hen.)

She did party with her dear friends and even our sweet McClure boys who landed a few hours away from us in ohio (thanks for making the drive!!!)

Since I don't have any fantastic photos to share I will dazzle you with a dose of Bel's humor and toddler logic...

Bel's solution to any problem these days is "just pretend mom"

Exhibit 1 :

Mom - Bel did you clean up your toys?
Bel - yep
Mom - really? I still see them all over the floor
Bel - just pretend mom

Exhibit 2 :

Mom - Bel will you go potty please?
Bel - no, pretend I'm ariel
Mom - ok, but ariel still has to go potty too
Bel - nope because ariel has a tail and no bum

a few other gems from my genius little girl...

i can cuz i'm big (this everyday in every variation - and don't try to tell her she can't or she's not big)

can i go to nursery yet? (that's right, cried every time we dropped her off for the last 18 months and now that she's the only kid in nursery, she's decided it's pretty fun)

girls go pee and boys go poo (this as she's taking a poop herself)

i'm not hearing this, i don't want to hear this (calmly and matter of factly as she walks away from me explaining my latest disciplinary action on her)

Power of Life! (this at the top of her lungs while pumping her fist into the air - I have no idea where this came from - anyone? anyone?)

It is interesting for me to think back on the past 3 years - Belén was born a short 10 weeks before Ryan and I moved away from family, friends and familiarity. I was trying to work from home, Ryan was putting in a shload of work hours that summer, followed by a demanding school schedule starting in the fall and the major life changes just came in a big bundle. It was the begining of our grand family adventure and there have been a lot of hard moments, a lot of struggle, confusion, stress and loneliness. There were definitely times when having Bel was the hard part, she was the challenge of the day (or night) but mostly... she is what saved me. She has been my companion when Ryan couldn't be, she has come to love and appreciate him almost as much as me, she enjoys the foods and activities I do, she has gotten me out of my comfort zone, she has sung and danced with me, she has made me laugh at crucial moments, she has talked to me when I needed conversation, she has taught me dozens of valuable life lessons, in short - she has been my most needed friend and companion - and for that (and so many other reasons) I will always love my Bel.

one whole year

Exactly a year ago this minute I was holding my fresh, still purple newborn son in my arms and I couldn't resist the urge to dedicate this minute to him.

Today he scoots, growls, smiles, laughs, makes all of us laugh, loves bel, baths, bubbles and eating everything we will give him (except peaches), he loves playing the piano and guitar or listening to his dad play guitar, he is a champion napper, not a huge fan of strangers, digs riding in shopping carts with his sister and will crumble into tears and bury his face on the floor if you tell him no or take something away from him. He has added new depth and excitement to our little family dynamic and we love him like crazy!

Happy Birthday Jack!