Happy Birthday Victoria!!

 Victoria is 11 - can you believe that???

Victoria, you are the sweetest girls and we are so blessed to have you in our family.  It is so very hard to believe that you are growing up so fast and becoming a beautiful young lady.  One more year until you are in Young Women's!

Since you are very much into peace signs, we designed your cake this way.  It was Christianna's idea too.

 (Just realized that I never turned the cake around for you to see!)

Top 11 Reasons we love Victoria

(Thought it would be fun!)

1. You care so much about how others feel and try your best to make everyone feel happy and loved.
2. You are a HUGE helper when it comes to taking care of Christianna & Grant.
3. You are really good at playing the violin.
4. You are super SMART!
5. You love to go to church and follow your Savior, Jesus Christ. (The best you can!)
6. You are funny...especially when you dance.
7. You love to read.
8. You love to sing out loud in the car, house...or anywhere you are.
9. You look so cute when you get embarrassed, mostly when we are talking about a boy you like.
10. You are beautiful inside & out.
11. We have you in our family FOREVER!

 We invited the McConkie & Lyman families over for some cake & ice cream.  Unfortunately, the McConkie's were sick and couldn't make it.  But the Lyman's came!!! YAY!

 Ummm....Heather??

Trying to put words to your facial expression is just too much fun... haha!

 Uncle David & Aunt Heather with Christianna.

The Ice Queen Ballet Recital

Another year , another wonderful recital!  The story & costumes were fantastic!

Christianna was in both performances this year as a Heather Bell.  We saw a huge improvement compared to last year...she didn't have to watch the teachers on the side & she smiled the whole time!

The Ice queen is a story that follows Anika as she travels to save her friends & sisters from the evil Ice Queen...which she does & she wins the heart of the only guy in the show.  Awwwww! It was a great story & I didn't mind seeing it twice!

 She had a lot of support this year.  Both Grandma & Grandpa were able to come, along with Uncle David & Aunt Heather, not to mention we all were there too.  Christianna's friend, Mackenzie came to with her family.  So sweet! They brought her a card & flowers.  She also got a small bouquet from Chris.

 Ok -so this looks funny.  But it was the second time they "posed" so I could get a picture & he was talking!  HaHa!

 Interesting that the only one NOT doing a ballet pose...is the ballerina!

 Grant LOVED her flower. As we were taking the family picture, he kept trying to grab it & eat it. 



Cucumbers & Ruby

Seriously...I do not know why Christianna loves to do this...but she has to every time I slice cucumbers.  This time she included Ruby in cucumber festivites!

She then eats them.

(Waste not, want not.)

Happy Birthday Chris!!

Well, my love, another year older and wiser too! (Maybe?)

So I was thinking that I would share my top 10 memories of you as a

special birthday gift from me! 

They are in no particular order...except I am saving the best for last.

1. That one day I was at Stake Conference and Holly showed me some pictures you sent her while on your mission.  You were looking rather smokin' and that, I think, is when the tides started to shift for us. 
2. You cried tears of joy as you kissed me when each of our children were born.  So you just need to remember that we are excited, joyous & happy to be parents.
3. The first time I ever made a real Chinese feast..including cheese won tons...you thoroughly enjoyed it.  We could all tell from each and every "mmmmm" that you mmmm'd as you took each and every bite.
4. You are not afraid to show your emotions!  The mark of a true man.  It was especially memorable when you were interviewed for our Youth Conference Pioneer Trek a couple years ago.  You were answering a question about your feelings on the women's pull.  You answered by saying how proud of me you were and how you could see my strength.  That meant so much to me.
5. Even though it has kinda turned into a little joke between us...I love when you cook spaghetti for me on special occasions...you know, for Mother's Day & my birthday?  I just love when you cook!
6. A few years ago when I was making a cake for one of the girls, you asked when you would get a Barbie cake.  That very next birthday I told you I was making one, I even baked the cake in the bowl to really get you going.  Turns out I was just messing with you & that year I made that police themed cake, where we had all those blue officer toys surrounding that lego guy, trying to arrest him because he nabbed a lady's purse.  Remember?
7. Those rare occasions when you actually sing in the car with us...you always have to do it in some kind of funny voice.  Which reminds me of the first times we ever rode in a car together.  You asked me if I had to always sing...you felt it was just too loud.  I think it was just because it was such a foreign idea to you.  As with many things, you have grown accustomed to the steady flow of singing that happens in our car especially now that the girls sing too!  (I think they know more songs than me!)
8. Your ca-razy collection of 80's songs. Oh, how excited you get when you find more! Really? Need I say more?
9. The day you told me that you passed your academic tests to join the police department.  Yeah, I was floored.  I knew you were so excited to be a cop & I was a little scared...ok, more than I admitted.  You had said you were not the brightest in math so I thought - sweet, if he doesn't pass, it will be fine!  Well, the joke was on me...you did it.  I was very proud of you and I am still to this very day.  You love being a cop and now that you are finally on motors...let's just say, you are lucky to be able to fulfill you life's dreams. Not many people can say that!
10. Here it is...now, you KNOW I couldn't do my top 10 fav moments without this one!  It was late in the evening...we were at the grocery store, Target maybe...our favorite movie was The Mask of Zorro...as I came down the aisle to meet you, you started tapping with your feet the rhythms of the feet tapping in the beginning of that movie.  You had the biggest smile on your face & I laughed so SO VERY hard!

I know there are so many more wonderful memories that we have had together and there are many more to come.  I am just glad that I am the one who gets to share them with you!

Happy Birthday to my eternal flame!!

(Get it?)

Bathtime...with Minnie?

 As I was giving Grant his bath today, Minnie decided to "help." 

At first she was just sniffing around...then she licked his arm...and finally his head.  Apparently he tasted great because she just wouldn't stop.  I was laughing so hard, even harder when I saw his reaction.  Looks like he is thinking "Ah, really Mom?"

Don't worry - I did rewash him before he got out!

Meet...the bike.

It is official!  Chris has finally joined the ranks of the Motor Squad Elite!  To say he is excited, would be the BIGGEST understatement of the century.  This is a position he has dreamed of since before he was a cop...while he sat on his couch at home and watched episodes of CHIPS.

(He even took a picture of his new email signature!  I had to laugh at that one...I would post it too, if it didn't have all his contact information on it. Gotta love that man!)