{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Summer Solstice Evening!

We had dinner by the sea, and enjoyed the increasing evening light!

I hope your summer started lovely yesterday!!

~

Father's Day pictures coming soon!!

A YEAR! Oh my!!

Can you guess what we woke to?

I know it is completely unbelievable, but Leili is a year today!!! HERE is proof! We still have cake to go tonight but here are a few birthday pictures! The customary 1st birthday wake up! She LOVED it!!

Birthday crown and gifts!

Loving her OWN baby (Fern is thankful!)!!

AND... we turned her car seat around to go to church!! She was so excited!!

What a smile! I just LOVE this gal! What a blessing she is!

Retro? Vintage?

Leili is not the only gal running around here in her mama's old clothes!! Here is sweet Fern wearing a couple of my outfits that my mom made me way back when!! :)

Vintage is in, right!?

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Book Review & Another!

So I have been on the waiting list for this one at the library for a while and then finally it was my turn!!! So this is what I read this week (it is pretty short and written well so it only took a couple days)! IT WAS SO GOOD! I think everyone should read it! I wish I could talk several people into reading it, not only because it has really good information but also because I would love to talk to some one about it and have a comrade! So if you read it CALL ME!!! :) This book was so good that I would buy this for our family library.

It has given me new insight and perspective when my kids (particularly Jake, he's more sensitive), have a downward spiraling day. We really truly are what we eat, and let me tell you I don't want to be alot of what is out there!!! So go read it!! :)

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And for the "another", some of my friends are reading Radical Homemakers, at first glimpse I was a little leery of (and the cover art does leave something to be desired) but now after "hearing" some of their discussion and reading the introduction to the book online I AM HOOKED! Now if only my library would have something so... radical, or if it was not a bit of a $$ book! But I WILL READ IT!

~

So there is a little food for thought for you all, oh and Dan bought me a book at the used book store - Anna Karenina. I am a little intimidated by it but I am looking forward to it!

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Strawberries!

Ok, Rima won! Her post was up first! :)

My friend Rima was in our neck of the woods and invited us to met her and the girls for a little berry picking!

She is imagining all the yummy-ness!Every one's hands were a little colored!And our tummies a little fuller!

I promise Jake was with us, but he was always about a mile ahead of us! Rima got a shot of him though so scoot over there!!

I have found a couple new blogs to spend time (because I have soooo much extra), reading!! :) With all that has happened over the last few months I have kind of lost my self in the grieving and uproar, I am trying to re-center myself as much as possible in my new (not permanent) surroundings. Not an easy task, but I enjoy seeing how other mamas find the beauty and simplicity in life so one blog is A Non-Disposable Life and the other Plain and Joyful Living. And of course you will find me stopping in on Soule Mama most mornings for just that little bit of beauty and inspiration!

:)

So at the same time I did our anniversary post I also started a post with a video of Leili walking and dancing. But blogger is still having problems with my video, so hopefully it will come! :) Until then here are a few cute Leili pictures, I have more to blog about but this is what I wanted to blog about today!! :)The other day I set Leili up with a bowl of water, a spoon, pacifier, measuring cup, and I got almost a half hour of busy baby!!! She was so happy and plenty wet! :) As long as she is outside she is pretty happy, add water or dirt even better, all of them and watch out!!! :)
Look at this cutie, mom was just playing in the car while we waited for dad!

Fern got in on the action too! :)

Look at this chunk!! This is Koa or new cousin, we got to babysit he and Novella while Mary and Ryan went to Mary's high school reunion. Leili loves to hug and kiss Koa, Koa thinks she should be more gentle! :)

12 YEARS!!!

Well here we are again! Our anniversary!

Last night we got to go out on "hot date night" as Dan calls it, Daddy was our gracious (and free) babysiter! We went out to an Indian restaurant that is known for their food but not their ambiance, you can't have everything right! The food was AMAZING and then we had desert (cobbler from Claim Jumper), at the beach. We had adult conversation and did not have to spell a single word...bliss! Oh and I only had to share my food with Dan, double bliss!! :)

Dan and I reflected on how different we are than 12 years ago, we were young, most people did not think we would last. But we both grew up and grew together, thanks impart to Dan's willingness to learn about all the crazy things I learn about, and his easygoing nature. And the blessing of having Heavenly Father as the third member of our marriage. There have been bumps, and skinned knees but we have come out better for it. One of the bet pieces of marriage advice we have held onto is, "the storm is around us not between us" thanks Malia and Bishop!!

I love you Dan! XO

Adventures!

It seems lately that I don't get here often enough, I have all these ideas for post swarm through my head. But by the time I get here I have so much to share that I just overflow with pictures and few words. Hmm, I guess I will have to re-think how I blog... Where else would we go on an adventure? The beach, and not just any beach "Grandma's Beach". These are the rocks I played on as a kid and I am glad that my kids can play here too!
It is really hard to get picture of the front side of these boys, they are always going! So here are their cute backsides! :)

Could there be a cuter backside!!!! I love these rash guards with SPF, that much less slathering that I have to do!!

Leili's first long walk to the water...

I wish I could read her mind!!

She liked the rocks... she is mine...

but she was a little surprised when the water came. It ended in tears, I think all of my kids first dips have.

Look how tall he is getting, Riley is not a little kid any more. Sigh, what is a mama ti do?

I could just live here...and I might just park us right here all summer. I'll have to get a cabana, I have already been sunburned too many times...

I know bad picture, but the flower fields are blooming and I LOVE when they do this. It is the American flag in flowers!! So cool! They did it the first time right after Sept. 11.

The kids got to ride the carousel for a FHE activity. Leili was not so sure of it at first but has decided she likes it! It is right outside from lenscrafters where I got new glasses, and unfortunately I have been back several times getting adjustments so every time we go Leili points at the carousel and throws herself towards it! She loves to point at things she wants... just watch out if she does not get it!!

Monkey see monkey do... especially if it has to do with mama holding someone else!!

Leili spends a good amount of time on my back (last night even while I ran the bases after a home run in kickball), and lately she is all about the baby doll. So of course she likes to mix the too!

So you know I have nothing to do so the girls and I went on a road trip. We went to Grandma J.'s to just escape life for a little bit.

After it was freezing and snowing the first couple of days it turned nice. Leili is happiest outside!

Eating dirt...

Fern had fun "hiding" behind this rug and then bursting out! Leili would laugh so hard!!

Leili is looking forward to running...

The girls enjoyed Grandma's GIANT tub! Leili thought all the baby ducks where for her.

On the way home we pit stoped in St. George. It is my favorite pit stop, they have clean bathrooms too!! The rest of the ride home was pretty abysmal... at best.

With moving troops last fall, moving troops this winter and all Riley finally got his Wolf patch! He finished it two troops ago and almost two years ago but at least he has it now. Now I guess I should get it on his shirt! :)

Look at my cute bear!! :)

And how could I resist!!!