May 2014

Highlights (unedited) from the merry month of May 2014...

Hazel just reading a book//our lemon tree in our front yard blew over (pretty sure it had a disease because it broke off flush with the ground and no roots came up) - thank goodness for kind and generous neighbors that came over with his chain saw and son to help us get rid of it//clara bandaging up our neighbor's injury//taking off my gel nails//black bean salsa for our cinco de maya party//homemade pinata for said party//the only decorations i managed for said party

hieroglyphic trail hike with my dad and gang - i love hiking and i love that my dad plans these hikes

playhouse location//first blueberry pie made from scratch for connie for our mother's day dinner//mother nature was so kind and let the evenings stay cool well into may, so we took full advantage//our fly infestation - gag - one day we noticed like 20+ flies in our window sill. that day we killed over 50. the next day i killed even more! there must have been a nest somewhere and thankfully, after that, they were done//pretty purple flowers//silly hazel//experimenting with kohlrabi - i made them into patties that i fried and they were pretty delicious

mother's day - i love my mother and i love being a mother

1st grade field trip with clara: butterfly wonderland

james goes to prom//my mom wore a crown and i told her i wouldn't post it on IG... but since no one really reads blogs anymore, i think i'm safe//snow cones//me intruding on James' evening//evidence of my pen hoarding problem - theses were all in my purse//CLARA LEARNED TO RIDE HER BIKE IN 30 SECONDS (pros of waiting 7 years to learn? she really had no desire, but i couldn't handle it anymore and said she needed to learn)//creative little minds//angela and i took my mom to dinner at the arrogant butcher and then to cirque de la symphony for our mother's day gift to her - it was fun and the performance was pretty cool. however, next time i wouldn't mind the shortened matinee version

clara survived a year of gym and had her performance, which was really cool to watch

clara made faces with our lunch (and then said, take a picture and send it to aunt rachel!)//hazel loves climbinb in things//costco//mel's yard (next best thing to living next to him? parents that live next to him)//sushi for james' graduation dinner//hazel put some ketchup on her eggs//i made amazing ice cream cookie sandwiches, but didn't exactly let the cookies cool before adding the ice cream so it melted all over the place//the girls liked them, but they froze their teeth//more food faces

one of my favorite days of the month: the last day of school (1st grade)!! - we ate homemade nutella fudgesicles after to celebrate 

the next day we went on an adventure to bushnell tank with angela and margo - it was so very beautiful down by the creek! clara found a fuzzy wuzzy caterpillar and i managed to do a pretty cute braid in her hair (something i don't really ever do). good day

donuts to celebrate summer//decided it was time for my first new fly swatter in over 10 years//clara reading to hazel and margo//homemade pizza//dinner outside//dinner with family - lots of people but something i cherish//hiking camelback with friends on memorial day weekend - hazel rode on jason's shoulders the entire time... and it's not that easy of a hike. jason was glad to be done. i was glad he came

i bought grout brushes for the girls for when they talk back, argue, etc. unfortunately (fortunately?) they think it's super fun//jason forgot to watch the hot dogs we were grilling//hazel decided to paint her nails while i was sleeping one morning//trying on our shoes at last chance when i told them not to move//lunch at st. francis//crazy hair//entertainer//oh, and the water blob i made for cousins. it was fun while it lasted

pool party with friends//mom's legs + silky blankie = slide//dancing with streamers//more dancing with streamers//a little progress on the playhouse

Aaaaaaand the rest of April

In the middle of April, Angela and I decided to go to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum. I had been before, but it was pretty hot when we went and so I thought April would be a good time of year to go. I decided most of the plants would still be green and blossoming. It ended up being a great time to go. It was really beautiful and the weather was just right. The only bummer was when Margo fell and landed on a cactus, getting little quills in her little hand.

April also brought Easter. We went to our neighborhood Easter egg hunt, the Easter pageant and egg hunts with cousins.

The night before Easter, we dyed eggs. Easter morning was fun and the kids were so excited to hunt for the dyed eggs in the front yard. We had hard boiled eggs for breakfast and someone found a double yoke, which I always think could be foreshadowing. ;)

And of course, I took plenty of pictures of my girls in their Easter dresses. In case you haven't noticed, I love having girls that I can dress alike for holidays. So fun. (And now we're only a few month away from Easter 2015...)

Back to April...

Remember that one time I got so close to catching up on my blog? Well, then I got pregnant. Enter: survival mode. Be a mom (barely), work (barely), eat (barely) and sleep (I did this one well). That's about all I could manage to accomplish. And then last week I miscarried. But that's a story for another day. For now, here I am, back to catching up on my blog. Only six months to go. We'll see if I can manage that before life strikes again.

Jason is obsessed with Henry Weinharts (I told him if we have a boy we're name him Henry - he didn't object) <> Conference weekend - a giant bag of popcorn and Princess Layla (Lamar's dog) made these girls so very happy <> Headed to Grandpa's Father Daughter campout (I got to stay home alone - I cleaned my entire house and it felt great) <> Hazel's new obsession: looking at batteries (even six months later, she will take battery operated toys to my mom and ask for a screw driver because she wants to see the batteries - I really think this girls' mind is a replica of Uncle Daniel's) <> Home from the campout <> Swimming - still too cold in my opinion, but not for the kids <> I bought a grapevine and it sat in that poor box for over a month (maybe two?) before I planted it, but it never died (until six months later when the tortoises we let stay in our backyard for a few weeks ate it) <> It's always a happy day when last minute meals get thrown together and they are super easy and taste great (baked pasta, watermelon, green beans and bread made from frozen dough) <> Aebleskivers for Conference morning <> And little Miss Destructive/Curious got into my purse... can you tell?

Sister love <> We live really close to a small airport and every now and then they fly these HUGE old war bombers around. They are so loud and it feels like you're in a war move. One time, it was so low to the ground I thought it might land on us (I didn't get a picture of that one) <> Blue lips from egg whoppers <> First attempt at gnocci (meh, probably wouldn't make it again) <> Someone helping with the pineapple <> One night I got home from work late and the kids had eaten at my mom's, so we put the kids to bed and Jason and I had dinner alone after. It was really fun and I decided we should do that more often (of course we haven't, wah wah) <> Hot chocolate on a cloudy, rainy April day <> I finally got caught up on laundry and decided we have way too many clothes.

Hazel

Playing with friends: bubbles and donuts, do you need anything else?

Rodney is helping us with a project so him and Connie have been here often this spring <> Delicious strawberry salad <> Delicious potato bread <> One night on our way home from Kevin's, we saw a firework show and pulled over to watch - it was pretty good <> Gourmet dinner at Costco <> My first experience with Sweet Tooth Fairy cookies (which were delicious) <> And my new favorite late night snack: strawberries with Nutella (I remember buying Nutella when we were first married and thinking it was so gross. I couldn't find out why everyone raved about it. Then I tried it again and I'm not sure if my hormones have changed, but it's delicious now and I love it).

ASU baseball game with Dan and Karen. It was the last game played in Packer Stadium. Also, Hazel does the pitchfork to tell people how old she is, so she was a pro at cheering and all the old people loved it.

Homework on the nook <> Date night with Clara - we ate dinner and went shopping (and Clara pretended to be a mannequin) - this makes me excited for future dates <> Homework outside <> Final Let's Play Music performance where Clara played the song she composed <> Kathryn's girls were with my mom, so they all got to come to the recital <> Gym rehearsal <> Clara had never had a pop tart and really wanted to try one (I think they're disgusting) so I bought some and here she is enjoying her first pop tart.

Margo came over a few times to play. One time the girls helped me water the garden and get the food out (including my Barbie carrots) and another they mixed chalk with water and made a giant blue mess. But they had so much fun!

More Hazel... playing in the water spiraled out of control and first she got her clothes soaking wet and then she undressed and took a bath <> My girls love eating raw carrots - they even peel them themselves <> Experimenting with soap, eggs, pepper, grapefruit and water <> Dipping red peppers into green smoothies - why not? <> Modeling my mini strawberry pies <> Hazel sleeping - she comes into our room way too often but I do love staring at her <> Skateboarding <> Helping me make fruit snacks (they were, by the way, disgusting) <> She couldn't resist the temptation and made Kool-aid (by dumping the entire packet, no sugar, into a tiny cup of water) <> Making the strawberry pies <> Hazel fell off her scooter into the stucco wall and scraped up her poor nose and face. She really wanted a band-aid on it. And of course it made me laugh (not that she was hurt, just the band-aid). 

Hazel, her silly faces and the irrigation. She can't help but get wet whenever there is water around. She loves water.

Lamar needed some help with taxes. I was busy but he said he'd make it worth my time. I was skeptical at first but he colored my hair, did my girls' nails and did gel nails on my fingers and toes. It was really nice to be pampered during such a busy time.

March 2014 - All At Once!

The Phoenix Marathon was on March 1. Ironically, the Phoenix Marathon begins in and finishes in Mesa. This year Ryan ran the full and Lilly ran the half. We went to to show them support. The night before my girls slept at Angela's and the race path went pretty close to her house. After we picked up my mom, trying to make our way to Angela's was rather tricky. But we made it... and then we just had to make our way to the race which wasn't quite as tricky, but we had to go pretty far out of the way. We watched Lilly finish and then went to go get breakfast while we waited for Ryan. We got back just in time to hear them announce Ryan's name (mispronouncing Melzer) and see him cross the finish line. I'm so proud of these siblings of mine. I've never had much of a desire to run in a long distance race, but standing at the finish line and watching the sense of accomplishment and pride on the racer's faces made me think maybe I would like that. It really was a cool experience. That day it also rained. A LOT. My girls had fun playing in the rain and we were all so grateful for the moisture. It had been several months since the last recorded rainfall. I made potato soup, bread sticks and chocolate covered strawberries for dinner. I love soup on a rainy day. The culture celebration for the new Gilbert Temple was that night and it rained and rained and rained the whole time. I laughed a little that after so long of not having rain, we had rain on a day with a lot of big events around the valley, but I didn't hear any complaints. 

Daniel and Ashley in town ::: sisters on scooters ::: wild child ::: little Miss Studios ::: I ate my first Sprinkles cupcake (and didn't think it was that great - I prefer my homemade cupcakes) ::: Clara helping with dinner - Hazel said, "Good job sissy for not cutting your fingers off" ::: Hazel and her friend snuck behind the chair and were pulling every single piece of paper of multiple sticky note pads ::: Angela, Beth, Violet, Margo and Ames came over for lunch and Hazel got a bit muddy

My mom does a cousins sleepover once a month. I LOVE it so much. There's nothing like having a night where you don't have to pay a babysitter and you don't have to be home by a certain time AND you get to sleep in. It's awesome. One night we got to my mom's a little early and Clara and Hazel were catching rolly pollies in the yard. I love my bug-loving Clara. They also found the butterfly pictured and Clara was going to take it home but at the last second decided to let Elsa take it. She's old enough now that I don't make her be nice, so it always makes me happy to see her choose that and see her recognize the joy it brings her.

Hazel running (when the weather is nice, we walk/run/jog/shuffle a lot and every now and then she decided she doesn't like the stroller) ::: Elsa and Clara missing their top teeth together ::: vegetables are so pretty!! (and delicious sauteed with noodles) ::: Jason has a mild obsession with Henry Weinhard soda - I told him we're going to name our first boy Henry (because I actually do love that name) ::: orange trees are so pretty ::: family piano practice ::: Clara was insistent that she do everything at Target when she used her own money to buy something ::: and Hazel was insistent she ride on the bottom of the cart ::: Karen gave me some preserved lemons and I made chicken with them and it was delicious. I liked it so much I made six more jars or lemons ::: Clara still loves to hold my hand

Margo turned 2 in March and she had a art party. Hazel had a party with her ice cream cone.

Crazy bed head ::: pizza popper things I made that were delicious ::: sisters conversing in the windowsill ::: I bought a grape vine and it sat in this box unplanted for months. I finally planted it and so far, it's still alive! ::: a princess and her rings ::: we hadn't had asparagus for a while and it turns out Hazel LOVES it ::: I started playing wally ball and I kept breaking blood vessels in my thumb. I loved going and it was seriously good therapy for my wrists that hurt when I work too much. Unfortunately, I didn't go in the summer, but am hoping to start back up soon. ::: March madness at Kevin and Chrystie's... boys ::: Clara pretending Hazel is the horse - ha ha.

I got a new roll recipe from Kathryn. It is SO good! I decided to make them for the missionaries and clearly my bowl wasn't big enough. But I had enough to make a ton of rolls and I used the leftover dough to make cinnamon rolls for Sunday morning. Both were delicious. It's my new favorite roll recipe.

Clara got to spend the night with Lucy and Elsa the first night of Spring Break. It was Sunday and I figured it'd be about a 1.5 mile walk to their house, so we decided to go on a family "stroll", Clara's suitcase and all. Turns out it's over 2 miles each way and took us a LOT longer than we thought. But it was really fun and the weather was nice so I'm not promising we won't ever do it again. ;)

Lucy and Elsa got to spend a day with us for Spring Break. They painted rocks and explored in the backyard. Later that week, Lucy, Elsa, Leta and Annie went to the park with us while Ryan and Kathryn went to a wedding. After that, I went to a gardening class with Kathryn and my mom. I really liked it, but I feel like life is busy enough without a garden. Maybe when work slows down.

Another day of Spring Break, we went exploring in the mountains with Angela, Margo and Lilly. We found a cabin, saw beautiful scenery, found sand, had a picnic, played in a little patch of snow and drove my car where a minivan doesn't belong. :) I love the mountains and exploring. It was a fun day.

giant laundry basket (aka guest bed) ::: bags are packed ::: we got to go to quite a few of Jason's basketball games. I'm glad there were other kids to play with and that I had someone to visit with. ::: Hazel helping me stir ::: often we'll go out each quarter for Clara's good efforts, but this time she wanted me to make pasta, so I did. We threw in some Martinelli's and had a fancy dinner. ::: snack time on the grass - cookies, milk and mini lemon meringue pies that were way too tart ::: a flower on our pomegranate tree - yay!

Clara made lunch ::: Hazel acted like she was one playing in the toilet paper ::: just my cute girls ::: home from "work" and doing my more important work ::: I laugh every time anyone gets in these ninja costumes ::: Hazel jumping on the tables ::: Hazel wanted to fill out her own tithing slip and did. She's in this phase where her writing looks like Hebrew and makes me laugh ::: My van became a part of the 100K miles club!

Goodness I love these two little sweet girls so very much. I especially love Clara' obedience of being still and smiling in the picture and Hazel's wild personality and the expressions she can go through from picture to picture. I also love that they love each other. They fight, but usually they don't. They are also always comforting each other and worrying about each other. I'm glad they have each other.

And that wraps up March. I'm not even going to take the time to proofread...