Rebecca's Haps





Rebecca has a new bed!  We finally graduated her into a twin and she is sleeping MUCH better.  She loved taking a special trip to Target to pick our her very own sheets and blanket.  We got her a memory foam mattress from Walmart, and can I just say that I now know what kind of bed I want next!  Sooo comfy!

 Rebecca got to dance in her second ballet recital.  She was so beautiful, and she had such wonderful, dramatic curtsies.  I was super impressed with the HUGE change in how all of the girls performed.

 Steven wanted to show off some ninja moves after the show.

 

Rainy Day Fun

We did not get very much rain this past winter, but we did have a good day or two with a ton.  The kids had a blast jumping in the enormous puddles it left on our back patio.  They were also riding their bikes and cars through it.  So much fun!!!

Beautiful Ballerinas

The BYU ballet company did a show in Glendale recently.  The theme was "Princesses and Fairytales."  How perfect is that?!  One of the moms in our ballet class gave me the final push I needed to take Rebecca and my niece Anna.  It was so perfect.  The girls got to make wands and bracelets, eat delectable (as Rebecca would say) goodies, and even meet the ballerinas!  For some reason, my dramatic little girl gets very shy around anyone she is excited to meet (Disney princesses, ballet princesses, etc.), so I am, unfortunately, in several of the pictures to help her be in them.  What we won't do for our kids, right?

 

  During intermission, the let all the kids come and dance on the stage!  Rebecca was too shy (what?!) to join them, but then really wanted to hop up and show me fist position as soon as they were finished.  She is so funny!  She does love her ballet positions, though.  I am constantly hearing, "Mom, loo-ook!  Which one am I doing?"  She likes to quiz me, haha.  I love it! 

 What a special night!  The girls were all really excited, too, because Cinderella's fairy godmother's costume was so much like theirs!  Thank you, Jacquie, for convincing me to go--so special and so perfect!

Valentine Fun

Growing up, it was a tradition among us and our cousins to make Valentines with our pictures on them to send to each other.  I remember how much fun it was to make them, and even more fun to receive the special cards as Valentine's Day approached.  This is something we have loved doing with our kids and their cousins, as well.  They really have a lot of fun choosing which pictures to use and decorating each card.

 One day I took my two younger kids to pick donuts as a special treat.  Check out the awesome V-Day one Rebecca picked!

 We also got to enjoy a special trip to the mall with Grandma and she treated these cute kids to an awesome train ride!

 Steven had school off on Valentine's Day, so we decided to take advantage of the time together and visited Aunt Alison for lunch.  She has such fun things in her office!  It was a really special treat to go see her.  :)

 For dinner I made heart shaped pancakes (just now realizing that shaped pancakes are our holiday meal of choice, haha).  For dessert we decorated cookies with pink and purple frosting and Valentine candy.  We loved having a special meal together, and the kids loved their little presents.  Their favorite one was glow sticks.  After dinner we lit them up, turned off the lights, and had a glow-in-the-dark dance party.  Definitely a repeat activity, for sure! 

Birthday Bashes

In January we got to celebrate my awesome parents during their shared birthday week.  As an added bonus, Nathan got to come for a visit for a couple days!  We all loved being together.

 Cheralyn made an INCREDIBLE cake for the adults, and the kids sure loved their yummy cupcakes, too!

 A few days later my cousin Sara came to visit and we got to celebrate her cute little girl's birthday together.  These kids sure do love getting to be together!  We can't wait to see them again soon!  :)

Newport Beach

Right after Christmas we got to have our annual King Family Newport Beach trip.  So perfect, thank you Grandma and Grandpa!  We kicked off the week by celebrating Adam's and Anna's birthdays.  After that we filled our time with lots of trips to the beautiful pool, fun games, adult visiting after kid bedtime, and multiple beach days (of course!).  There was even a Disneyland day!!!  Thank you to Grandpa for taking my 2 older kids so that their sick mommy could have a quiet day and know they were safe and having the time of their life.

 Even though it was January, the beach was so perfect--sunny and warm!  That's right, all you snow-dwellers--California rocks!

 The kids found a sea star hiding in one of those rocks!

 Adam built a totally fun hole for the kids.  Can't you tell they loved it?!

Her cute little bum reminds me of the old "Winnie the Pooh
and the Honey Tree" movie where Pooh Bear gets stuck
leaving Rabbit's house, hehe.

 Of course, all the guys had some great football games in the sand.

Newport Beach highlight of the week: Trisha is having a baby, too!!!  We are both having boys in August--so close to each other, in fact, that I would not be at all surprised if they came on the same day!  Hooray for more cousins!!!

Awesome Elders

Our ward has been seriously blessed with some amazing missionaries.  We will always credit Elder Ford (left) with teaching Rebecca to love, instead of fear, Elders.  And let's just say that I really hope Elder Neilson (right) and my niece will run into each other at BYU.