Easter

Took me a while, but I actually found matching dresses that I also liked and they didn't cost a lot of money either.  I almost thought I was going to have to sew them- but I got lucky!

Happy Easter!

Maija- 7

Brielle- 6

Little Man Levi- 3 (Oh did I mention this boy is potty trained?  Wahoo!)

Greta- 14 months

Lucky Me

SIX

Can't believe this 6 lb baby girl is already 6!  She brings lots of energy to our house.  Brielle is curious and adventurous.  She is awesome in school and is reading wonderfully. 

Brielle was so lucky to have her cousins here for her birthday.  We had a Hawaiian Luau with Hawaiian Haystacks, smoothies and grass skirts!

Wicked

We surprised the girls with Wicked tickets over spring break.  They were so excited!  They loved every minute of the show (even though they didn't quite understand it all...)  We even got to meet Elphaba at the stage door after the show....she wasn't green anymore.  Both the girls have been singing Wicked music non-stop since we came home.  And, yes, I am brainwashing my children into loving musicals.  Its my right as a mommy, right?

Toothless girls

Cinderella

In December Maija came to me and wanted to try out for a local theater company's production.  I helped her pick a song (You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile) and a monologue (from How to Train Your Dragon).  I also explained to her that most people try out a lot of times before they get cast in a show.  She still wanted to do it and she did fabulously at her audition.  She ended up being cast as Young Cinderella.  Rehearsals were tiring and seemed like too often- but she behaved so well and was so grown up about it.  She had 9 performances over 3 weeks.  She was so awesome!  I had so many people from the cast come tell me how polite and poised she was.  How well she takes direction and that they could not believe that this was her first production. 

It was so much fun to watch her grow through this experience.  She learned a lot, made a lot of friends and even improved in her schoolwork.  She can't wait to do it again. She did some special performances for elementary schools and her class was able to come watch.  She got the biggest cheer of the show and she was excited all day! She couldn't stop smiling and she kept saying "That was a-MAZE-ing!" I enjoyed spending time with her and helping out with her costume changes during the performances.  It was a lot of fun to be there with her and get to know the other cast members.  I can probably wait a little while before another show...Its a lot to take on when there are 3 other little ones at home and Dad works nights.  But I am so happy she had this opportunity and no doubt you will all be seeing more of Maija on stage!

Young Cinderella costume

Villager costume

Flower girl costume

So lucky her cousins came to visit and got to see her perform!

Cancun!

Ben took me to Cancun for a week for my Christmas present!  Huge THANK YOU to Aunt Kaylee for coming down to babysit/taxi for a whole week.
We really enjoyed the Mayan ruins.  We had an LDS tour company and there was a lot of interesting symbolism. 

Chichen Itza

Tulum



We also did a lot of snorkeling.  Lots of fun to see the sea life.  Our favorite was Akumal- where we got to swim with the sea turtles! 

We stayed at the JW Marriott and had a wonderful time.  The ocean was beautiful.  We enjoyed our time away but constantly found things that we knew our kids would love.  Next time its a family trip!