~Happy 28th To Me!~

This year my birthday fell on Memorial Day, which means everyone was on Holiday!  Fabulous!  We started out the morning with backwards birthday gifts and the kids were so excited.  Then we quickly got dressed and headed over to our wards Memorial Day breakfast.

The rest of the day was spent running errands, going to lunch at Noodles & Company, visiting graduation parties for youth in our ward, and then a fun barbecue dinner with the Welches.  It was a wonderful day and I felt very loved and very spoiled, though we didn't take any pictures!  It's okay.  I have plenty of pictures of me.  :-)  

Happy 28th Birthday to me!  

I can only imagine what adventures the new year holds in store. 

~Super Sisters~

I love it when my kids all play happily together.  I also love when the big kids include Cordy in their games.  She didn't really want to for a while, but it seems like around 18 months something clicked and she just wanted to be apart of everything!  On this particular morning Cordy even let Elyssa dress her up in her old Super girl costume.  I thought it was adorable.

Alec has always been very patient and loving with Cordy, but it has taken Elyssa a bit more effort to appreciate Cordy.  I'm so glad to see them playing happily together.  This next year Alec will be gone at school all day long so it will be just the two of them.  It makes me happy to see them learning how to play together.  

I hope and pray that they can be best of friends over the years.

~Season's First Pickings~

A few years back my cousin's gave me a few small strawberry plant starters when they were passing through Iowa.  We planted them and though the plants grew and multiplied ten times over, we didn't get a very big crop until this year.  It was awesome!  We were so excited to fill an entire bowl with strawberries from our very own backyard!

These things hull themselves and practically melt in your mouth.  They were so juicy and sweet and we gobbled them down fast.

Little did we know that we would have bowls even bigger than this full of strawberries over the next few weeks.  Our crops finally arrived!  What a wonderful way to kick off summer break.  :-)

~Alec's Preschool Graduation~

The end of the school year came so fast!  We went out of town and before I knew it, it was time to say goodbye to friends and end the preschool year.  This would be Alec's final year of preschool, with graduation and everything.   Where did the time go?  Didn't we just start this preschool year?

Alec had never been much of a performer in large audiences, but he stood up in the front with the rest of his class, and for that I was proud.

They sang songs, shared rhymes, and then got their preschool graduation certificates from their teachers before heading down to their classroom to show us different games and centers they worked on throughout the year.  It was fun!

Alec was lucky enough to have Mrs. Lynch again this year along with a new helper teacher, Mrs. Fetch.  Both women are wonderful and were perfect teachers for Alec.  I seriously couldn't have asked for better and wish he could have them as his teachers for the next 4 years!  Though you can't tell from the picture, Alec really liked both of his teachers and had a great respect for their opinions.  He just gets shy in the big crowds.  

Alec's very best preschool this year was Jack, hands down!  Alec and Jack played pirates all the time and frequently would gift their artwork to each other.  I found many a picture in Alec's backpack that said "TO: ALEC, FROM: JACK" and it always made me smile to see him making his own good friend.

It was a great year for Alec.  It's always neat to see your kids grow and learn new exciting things.  Alec is a bright boy with so much to share.  I love you more than all the stars in the sky, Mr. Alec!

~Elyssa's Last Day of Preschool~

Her first exciting year of preschool came to a startling close.  Going out of town for two weeks at the beginning of May threw us off and it seemed like all of the sudden the school year was over!  Where did all the time go?  And when did she get so big? 

Elyssa's teachers this year were Mrs. O'Toole and Mrs. Voung.  They were great teachers and Elyssa loved them both.  

One of Elyssa's good friends from church, Hailey, was also in her preschool class.  Hailey was moving away literally minutes after school got out.  They gave each other big goodbye hugs and I must admit it was hard not to shed a tear or two.

Elyssa's very best school friend this year had to be Reese.  I heard about Reese ALL THE TIME!  I sometimes felt like Elyssa practically worshipped the ground Reese walked on.  It was fun to see her make her very own friend for the first time without any input or help from me.  Sadly for Elyssa, Reese has moved across town and is not likely to be in the same class next year, but these two little ladies were practically inseparable at preschool this last year.  

It's kind of amazing to see how much she has changed over just the school year.  She is such a little model, posing for the camera any time she gets.  She has grown in so many ways.  It's so exciting for me to see how much she loves to learn and thrive in social experiences.  

I love you to the moon and beyond, Little Miss Lyssa Lou!

~Mothers Day 2012~

The day after I got home from Utah with the munchkins was Mothers Day.  Despite not having the kids there to help ahead of time, Nick did an awesome job of making sure the day was not forgotten.  He made breakfast in the morning, had flowers for me on the table, and even made dinner after church.  He  "helped" the kids pick out a few presents for me and they were so excited to give them to me.

Elyssa was really excited about my new apron and my my lotions. 

 I loved it all, but not nearly as much as I love being the mother of my three little munchkins. They mean the world to me and I thank my Heavenly Father every day that I have the chance to be their mother.   

~Visiting Grandma Joan~

On our long trip home we made an overnight stop in Denver to visit with my sweet Grandma Joan, Uncle Scott, and my cousins Sami and Dani. My parents were on their way to visit for the weekend as well so we all caravanned along. It was great to get to see everyone, hug my Grandma, and see my beautiful, growing up cousins!!! 

The kids were tired and cranky from the long day in the car, but Elyssa (being the charmer that she is) made friends with Scott, Sami and Dani pretty quickly.  They had fun writing a story together and drawing pictures on Grandma's note pads.  

The next morning we headed out bright and early to complete our trip.  I was so happy that I got to see everyone, even if our visit was brief.  Love you, Grandma!!!

~The Long Road Home~

After my Circle of Sisters reunion I spent another week with my mom in Utah while Nick flew back to reality in Iowa.  We had fun, relaxing, playing and spending quality time with my parents.  My darling Aunt Bonnie graciously offered to drive back to Iowa with me at the end of the week.  She was sooo helpful and thought almost everything Cordy did was adorable.  :-) 

This is how we roadtrip... water bottles, snacks, pillows, DVD players and lovies.  My kids have it soooo good. 

We even made a stop at McDonalds for the munchkins to get out and play at the play area and eat nasty chicken nuggets.  I'm never that nice when I'm road-tripping alone.  (The first day Grandma Shannon and Grandpa Steve were with us so they could visit Grandma Joan for the weekend in Colorado.)

Vanilla Coke in a bottle... wish I could find the stuff in Iowa!  I rarely drink pop, but this is the stuff that keeps me going on a road trip.

When we finally made it home to Iowa on the second day the kids were soooo happy to see Nick.  Bonnie was exhausted and I was ready to sleep for days.  Thank goodness Nick was there to bath munchkins and help unload the car.   

Bonnie was such a huge help the entire way home.  She bought us treats, made fun of the Wyoming and Nebraska "scenery" with me, told me stories, handed out snacks, entertained little people, and made me laugh.  It was great!  Thanks Bonnie!

~Circle of Sisters Reunion 2012~

(Melissa, Me, Nicole, Heather, Michelle, Janie, Andrea)

After much emailing back and forth over the winter and early spring, we decided to have our Circle of Sisters Reunion in May.  Only a few short days later I found out my little brother was getting married the same week.  I was thrilled when it was decided they would have the reunion in Utah at Heather's parents gorgeous house in Draper so I could split my weekend between the two exciting events.  

I was so excited to see my girls!  It's been 8 years since we spent our summer together in Romania, but in some ways it feels like so much longer.  Our lives have changed so drastically yet we still manage to keep in touch and support and love each other on a regular basis.  I was sad that some of my gals weren't able to be there (Amber, Marci, Jenn) but I was still so excited to spend a weekend with these six beautiful ladies! 

It seems like most of our time was spend eating, relaxing, laughing, talking, and playing Just Dance on the Wii.  Good times had by all!

We did make it out to Cafe Rio and spent a little time shopping at the new mall in downtown SLC.  It all went by sooooo fast and I was sad to say goodbye as we all headed back to our regular lives.

I love you to bits, ladies, and wish you all lived around the corner.  :-)  

~Diamond Fork Hot Springs~

 Some traditions are healthy, and this is surely one of them. 

 Every year when we drive out to Utah we go on a hike, usually up Diamond Fork Canyon to the hot springs.  It's a pretty nice even trail up a canyon, four miles round trip.  The first year we did it both big kids needed lots of motivating.  I did too since I was 7 months pregnant with bulging leg veins.  Yuck.  The next time around it was much more enjoyable for me, even though I ended up carrying a sleeping Elyssa for close to a mile.  This time we went with a nice big group full of happy child motivators.  The kids did great!  Elyssa still ended up being carrying, but only because she knew Michael would do it.  Alec was a trooper the entire time and kept talking about how much bigger and stronger he was this time around.  I was so proud.   

The hot springs were nice and hot just as you expect and the kids had a blast until they got out in the chilly early May air.  I decided to sit this one out so at least one of us would be dry enough to help the kids.  I still had fun hiking around, taking pictures.  We all had a great time. 

~Liz and Rob's Reception~

This was a beautiful reception.  I've never seen anything quite like it and was thoroughly impressed. So many perfect little details, all in wonderful spring weather.  The crepe bar pretty much blew my mind.  Delicious!!!!!  To start the party off we did the standard obligatory photos.

The Starks and Hoffman Clan.

 Rob and Liz with their lovely parents.

The Starks Family Wedding Party.

The Bridesmaids.

The very handsome groomsmen, etc? 

Liz with the little Ladies.

The original fabulous five!  This is currently one of my favorite photos.... mostly because it is of four of my very favorite people that I unconditionally love and adore.  Now on to the party!  

 Then it was time to shake things up a bit.  Robert and Liz performed a few songs for their guests.  It was rowdy, exciting, and reminded me just how perfect they are for each other.  I loved it!

 As the night went on the cake was cut and much dancing ensued.  I wasn't in much of a dancing dress, and the littles were pretty much exhausted from the day so I helped gather them up for Nick to take them home to bed.  Then I helped clean up and load the presents all the while enjoying the sights and sounds of merry making.

Before heading out with my parents I gave Robert one last hug and kiss.  I adore my little brother.  Of all of the five siblings we are the closest in age and I really feel like I got to grow up with him.  He has to be one of the nicest, most kind hearted people I've ever known.    

I love him dearly and I'm so glad he has found his Liz, a woman who is so lovely, kind, generous, beautiful and good for him.
I wish them both love, happiness, and joy from the very bottom of my heart.
Congratulations!

~The Courthouse Wedding~

The menfolk met us at the courthouse with a picnic lunch.  Then we headed in and up for the ultimate event!

It was a tight squeeze with the many of us in attendance, but we were all so happy to be there.  

It was a brief, lovely affair, wedding two people that we all love and adore.  No one could help but smile. :-)

Presenting the lovely Mr and Mrs Starks!!

~Wedding Day Preperations~

This handsome brother of mine may have woken up single, but by mid-afternoon he was going to be hitched!

I really don't have much clue what the guys did, but all the girls piled into cars and headed north to Salt Lake to get our hair done at a salon.  I was told over and over how much hair I have.  Nothing new there. 

 I was really impressed with the gal that did my hair.  I have no clue how she did it, but I loved it and it stayed all day long.  I got a fist full of bobby pins out it too.  ;-) 

  Elyssa was so very patient having her hair curled and pinned.  She didn't move a muscle!  In fact I think she may have even fallen asleep in the chair so I started slipping bites of chocolate to her.  Yumm.

Me and my beautiful sister, ready to put on our dresses and do whatever was needed.  My mom did a great job sewing together bridesmaids bouquets.  I decided it was really fun to be a sister of the groom.  All the fun without the stress!  :-)