A Picture is Worth a Thousand Memories...

I absolutely LOVE having a girl. I also absolutely LOVE that KARMINDY is MY LITTLE GIRL! She is such a special little lady and I am so proud to be her mom. I love Karmindy's spunk and zest for life. I also love her tender heart, willingness to love everyone and be everyone's friend, kind heart to animals,  creativity, obsession with Toy Story items, and her cute little pixie ears!! 

Lately, I have a been feeling a little sad that both my kids are growing up; especially since Karmindy is my only one really left at home with me during the day. I cant believe I have been a stay at home mom for the past 7 years!! It doesn't seem like it because the years have truly have flown by. The days and nights have been long but the years have and are really flying by.... It makes me cherish everyone moment! 

To help me cherish the moments, I love photographing my kids. I know I am not the greatest photographer but I like to pretend that I am. Capturing these tender times in their young lives delights me!

Something that I also delight in, is that I love dressing Karmindy in darling little outfits. There is a somewhat new website that features different "starter" companies that sell kids clothes. It is called Zulilly. I love it and I have purchased some of the cutest clothes for Karmindy off this website.  On this particular day, before preschool, I took Karmindy out on the front steps and took a few pictures of her in one of her new outfits. 

I love these pictures because they really capture her mischievousness and her cute little face. Even though the years are flying by, I don't think I will regret taking a few pictures of them. In fact, since I got my new camera for my birthday last year, I am approaching 4,000 pictures that I have taken of my kids! Wow!

Thanks for being such a great Sport, Little Sister and letting me take a million photos of you! 

I love you Karmindy, for you will always be my Super Cute/Super Sassy Little Lady!

Easter's Finest!

We have a tradition in our family that the kids get a brand-new Easter Outfit for Easter each year. The kids look forward to having something new to wear; especially something that is a little "lighter" and not so warm to wear to church. During the winter months in Northern Utah they wear heavy sweaters and tights, so I know they look forward to wearing the lighter fabrics. Kaleb and Karmindy weren't able to wear their New Easter Clothes for Easter since we were in Southern Utah that day but we let them wear their new duds the following week and I thought they looked darling! I am so proud of my kids and I think they are just so cute! Now if they would just stop growing.....

They are both growing up way too fast!!

More Easter Highlights!

 I couldn't fit all the pictures that I wanted in just one journal entry so I thought I would do two! The picture above is my kids with Grandma and Grandpa DeMille! Boy, they had a fun time spending the Easter Weekend with them. After all the kids went for an Easter Egg hunt in my Parents Orchard, we all came back into the house and my mom and dad gave them their Easter presents from them. My mom is such a fun Grandma and always tries to make the holidays fun for her Grand-kids. She takes great pride in going shopping for them and picking out special presents for each of her grandchildren whether it is for the holidays or their birthdays. She does a great job. For Easter this year, she made each one of her grand-kids their very own fleece blanket that matched a darling pillow. The blankets were a hit and my kids have really enjoying playing with their and cuddling up on the couch with their blankets and pillow that Grandma and Grandpa gave them!

My kids truly love visiting their Grandpa and Grandma DeMille. There is always plenty to do and cousins to play with. My kids love my mom's foam blocks and they love to build the biggest structures they can without the foam blocks crumbling. Kaleb went to work and built a structure that resembled the picture on the container. He was so proud!!! He had to hurry though, before cousin Karev knocked it down. Luckily, I was able to snap a  photo before the decimation began!

 My kids also love to go down to the Chicken Coup with Grandpa D and gather the eggs. Kaleb has enjoyed doing this with his Grandpa since he was a little boy. He loves it and I love seeing him bond with his Grandpa! I wish we lived closer so he could learn more about the Animals and outdoors. My dad really knows so much about gardening, and animals and I really wish that I knew more so I could pass the knowledge down to my kids!

It has been a tradition for me for the past two years to make Karmindy some sort of Easter/Spring Sun Dress. This year, while I was shopping at Hobby Lobby, I came across some darling fabric that already was smocked on top. I thought it would be so easy to whip Karmindy up a darling Sun Dress. She looks so cute in it and was proud to have something to wear to Grandma's House for the Family Picnic and Egg Hunt. I was really proud to be able to make something that my daughter enjoys wearing. I wish the picture was better quality because the print on the dress is more vibrant than the picture portrays!

The kids always get a little depressed when we have to leave Hurricane and return home. I love that they get to make good memories with their Grandparents for they truly enjoy visiting them and spending time with them. My parents always wonder if they have a good time but I don't have any doubt that they do. The Monday following the Easter Break, Kaleb came home with this Journal Entry that he wrote at school. It says, "I went to Saint George to see Grandma DeMille (Grandpa Too!). We went on the Four Wheelers to. We had an Easter Egg Hunt Too!!" 

I don't get Kaleb to reveal his feelings too often so it is a treat when he writes in his journal at school and brings the entries home for me to read. 

Our whole family enjoyed spending the weekend in Hurricane and I am so grateful to my parents and the parents and Grandparents they are to us! Thanks for a memorable Easter Holiday Mom and Dad!

Easter Weekend!!!

 I have fond memories of  Easter Weekend, when I was a child. A typical Easter was spent getting together with my dad's side of the family-Grandpa and Grandma DeMille and his siblings and cousins. We would all make yummy food to eat and then head to some place to enjoy the food and each others company. We would go to several places growing up but a few places that I remember was Kolob and Grafton, Utah. Grafton is one of the last remaining Ghost Towns in Southern Utah. We got permission to go on the property. I remember having a fun time exploring the old church and homes. I love anything to do with History!

As our family has grown, we have branched off and have done our own traditions. For the past two years we have gotten together with my parents and do a nice cookout (Friend Chicken, Baked Beans, Deviled Eggs, Pasta Salad, Potato Salad, Jello Salads, and Mom's awesome creme- filled Chocolate Cupcakes) and then an Easter Egg hunt for the kids in my parents Orchard. The kids, as well as, the adults all look forward to it. This year Kaleb and Amber, Kam and Tyler and us were the only ones able to make it to the get together. Karson had to work and Tiff wasn't able to come down. We missed them!

The kids and their stash. Grandma D puts money in some of the eggs. Kaleb announced/hinted at that he was going to find one with $50 in it! Hmmmm. I wonder if Grandma was in on that secret. I think not! Keep dreaming Kaleb! ;)

After lunch and egg hunts we all go for four wheeler rides either around the Church Farm property which is located just down the street from my parents home or in my dads pasture. This year we stayed close to home. The little/big kids look forward to going on Grandpas "Wheelers!" We all have a great time!

Easter Baskets

For the past two years, we have headed to Southern Utah to celebrate Easter. We look forward to getting away from the Snowy Northern Utah Weather and heading South to thaw out for a couple of days. I love going home and I always feel so rejuvenated when I get to go home and be around my family. Since we have made it an annual tradition to head south, the Easter Bunny comes on Thursday night and drops off the kids Easter Baskets so he doesn't have to make a special trip to Southern Utah. I am really glad that the Easter Bunny comes a little bit early because then when Easter Sunday rolls around we can focus a little more on what Easter is about- Our Savior, Jesus Christ.

This year the kids have been super excited for the Easter bunny to visit; especially Karmindy. She would talk about the Easter bunny non- stop and what he was going bring her on a daily basis. On Friday morning, I could hear the kids scramble from their rooms and search around the living room to find their treasures. I love the holidays and I truly enjoy watching my kids get so excited about the holidays. I loved listening to them converse with excitement about what they had gotten. They were so excited. 

The Easter bunny this year was very, very gracious and brought the kids one big gift. Kaleb loves Star Wars Legos (they are not cheap) and the Easter Bunny knew just what he would enjoy so he brought him a large ship to build. Karmindy got her very first bike! She was so excited and spent the morning riding it around the kitchen. The kids got some candy, play-doh filled eggs, coloring books and crayons, some little Velcro catching mitts and brand new sandals for spring. We were truly spoiled. The Easter bunny also left a few trinkets for Mom and Dad (Movies, Candy and Banana-grams, a Scrabble Type Game.) 

It was a fun morning spent together!!

Whip it Good!

For those of you who know me, know I love to cook and I also love to find great bargains! For the longest time, I have really wanted a Kitchen Aid mixer to make and bake yummy things for my family. There is a website called Freebies to Deals that feature new deals on a daily basis. On one particular Day in February, I saw an awesome deal online at this particular site for a Kitchen Aid Mixer. After talking to Mark about the great deal, he let me get it. I was so excited and ever since I have been enjoying my new kitchen toy! I even got some vinyl decals to bling it up a bit so it wasn't just boring white. I love the scrolls on the top!

Both Kaleb and Karmindy really enjoy getting in the kitchen and making things with mom. Karmindy especially enjoys helping me make treats while Kaleb is away at school. I love cooking with my kids and spending time with them in the kitchen!! 

Angry Bird Fanatic

Kaleb truly loves the Game, "Angry Birds!" Since his Birthday Party back  in January there isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't ask to play the game on either Mark's or my phone. He Loves the game and I think  he clearly has an obsession. For his Birthday Party this year, I made each of his birthday guests a Make and Take Angry Birds game that they could take home to play with. I must have made a 100 of those little green and red pom pom birds. Ok, not really 100 but it felt like that. I did make quite a few yarn pom poms by hand though. I had a few sets left over from Kaleb's Birthday party so I packed them all up and gave them to my Sweet Little Guy to play with in his room. He loves having his own LIVE Angry Birds Game that he can play with. One night before bed, I found him in his room setting up his Angry Bird Game and just had to document a picture of him and his Angry Bird Collection. Kaleb truly is growing up to be quite a BOY! He isn't so little anymore!  Which makes me heart hurt a little. He is on his way to what feels like most days a TEENAGER! I love you Kaleb! You truly are a wonderful son and I am so proud of you....even if you do have a little obsession with Angry Birds! 

Spring Fever...

I don't know what it is about Spring Time, but usually when Spring rolls around I get the urge to craft or sew. Over the past two weeks I have done both! Since I have absolutely zero Easter decorations, I completed two projects over the past two weeks. The first one was a Egg Garland. You use Paint chip samples and cut out ovals to represent eggs and then string them together. My garland turned out great and I was so excited to display it along my fire place mantle.

I had quite the ordeal making my Egg Garland because I first cut out my ovals they were really crooked and I hated them. Luckily I had a friend who had a Coluzzle cutting pattern and I ended up going back and re-cutting them. It took a lot of time but the perfectionist in me wanted to do it right.

Also, when it came to picking out my paint sample chips, I headed to Home Depot with the kids. It is always an adventure when I take my kids out in public. While gathering a huge stack of paint samples and putting them in my purse, Kaleb in a very loud voice says to me, "MOM, WHY ARE YOU TAKING THOSE? WHY ARE YOU PUTTING THEM IN YOUR PURSE? YOU ARE STEALING THOSE MOM!"

I quickly told him that I wasn't stealing them because they were free!!! However, I had several other customers check out my stack of paint chips and give me a funny look. I felt extremely guilty the remainder of the time we were in the store!!!

I promise that I don't steal- PAINT CHIP SAMPLES ARE FREE!!! :)

(just in case you needed to be reminded)

Needless to say my Egg Garland was almost a free craft (thank you Home Depot paint department) minus the cost for the ribbon to string it up with!

The next project I completed was some cute Easter Wood Blocks. There are a couple of gals in my neighborhood that put together a craft night every month. For the month of March we did this craft.

I was really proud of how mine turned out and it is proudly being displayed on my Piano!

My last craft came about as I was looking for ribbon for my Egg Garland. I was at Hobby Lobby and they had their cute Easter Fabric for 30% off. I couldn't resist and bought a yard to make Karmindy a cute little Easter/Spring Sun Dress!

Here is my cute little spring chick modeling her new halter maxi dress. I think she may have a future in modeling! What do you think?

 Cheese-tastic!

 Work it Girl!

Attitude!

A LOVE For All things "TOY STORY!"

Karmindy has quite the love for all things Toy Story. It has become more apparent this year of her liking for Toy Story toys when she started Pre-School and one of her cute little classmates and friends (Grace VanLeeuwen) has the same love for Toy Story Memorabilia. Since the very first few weeks of class, Karmindy and Grace have formed an instant friendship and a dare I say love for each other through their cute little obsession with Toy Story Toys, books, etc. Grace's mom, who is also Karmindy's preschool teacher this year, gets to see their cute little interaction on a daily basis. They both love Toy Story so much and can both be found playing with the Toys, dressing up and acting things out together during play time in class.

I love seeing these two girls play together and it is a joy to watch their friendship form over something the two of them both clearly LOVE!

After our recent visit to Walt Disney World Karmindy came home with two Souvenirs/Friends that she hasn't let leave her side since that trip.... Woody and Jessie.

Karmindy has played with these toys since she got them Back in January and LOVES THEM!!

I love my little girl and her cute little obsession and Love for All Things TOY STORY!!!