Easter 2022

Easter came and went. Much like every other day this Spring, the weather was off and on. It was definitely off for the Easter Egg hunt, as it was a chilly hunt, but that doesn't matter because we were so excited to be here for it this year! We had to divide and conquer, and we had so much fun! Kaysville gives good candy, and the Reese's Sof grabbed were plentiful.  

The girls had a good haul. Here's Claire posing again :).

We went to Get Air and I was laughing pretty hard seeing the girls get stuck in this sinkhole.

It wouldn't be a true Easter weekend without a little Dance Dance action.

Sunday was a beautiful day! The girls woke so excited to see what the Easter Bunny had brought them, and they were so cute during church. They knew the true meaning of Easter, and while I'm not sure they fully grasp everything about it, they know it is our Savior, the one who sacrificed all and rose above, who we truly celebrate. 

Happy Easter from Miss Quincey who celebrated at home in her jammies :).

And I am grateful for Him every day.

Sofia the 7 year old!

 We have a 7 year old. How and when?! She had the best day and was grinning from ear to ear all week. 

We surprised her with her very own mountain bike, and her reaction to it was so cute!

Sofia was the luckiest 1st Grader! The whole grade went to the Loveland Living Aquarium down in Sandy, and she was beyond thrilled to have her Daddy go as a chaperone. I think Greg even had fun too :). It is so fun for Greg to not be as busy in April with his new(ish) job. He's able to stay home more often on fun days for the girls. He got to follow Sof and 2 of her friends around as they explored the aquarium. I was slightly jealous, but it's good for Greg to be able to do these things with Sof. 

Side by side, there is no doubt that he is her Daddy. They have the same smile :).

Sof chose to go out to eat at Pizza Pie Cafe for dinner. It was her birthday, so she ate for free. Holla! Both girls love this place, and it's relatively cheap to feed all of us, so no one was complaining. Good choice Sof :)

They brought the yummiest Pazookie Greg and I have ever had, and that is not a joke! You know when Greg says, "Oooo" after a bite, that it's Goooood! My mouth is watering just typing about it. We will be going back again pronto!

And because it's hilarious, here is Sof flipping me off. She hasn't learned quite yet not to use this finger very often. But, it made me laugh, so here it is for the world to enjoy. 

Also, we are still working on Sof trying new food. She went to the Salad Bar and brought back this bowl of yummy fruit. What she hadn't realized (yet) was that she had mixed pickled peppers with her mandarin oranges. The juices had mixed and she ate them without a problem. Baby steps, but we're getting there people!

Sof requested a Peep cake, and this is the result. We were all so stuffed from Pizza Pie Cafe, that we opted to save this cake to share with her friends the next day at her party.

Friday's around here are early out, and Sof was so excited for her friend party! The day dawned pretty chilly and rainy, so it's lucky I had planned to have her party in our Church gym, to give the kids plenty of room to run around.

A quick photo of this little nuggest, just to show how big she is getting!

It's not until everyone showed up that I really realized how many kids Sof invited. 18. She invited 18 kids. Why do I do the things I do? And with a newborn? We will never know. 

We played Pin the Face on the Peep. It was cute. I let everyone draw their own faces.

Baya came and was in baby heaven.

Luckily Tiff was there to hold Quincey while I wrangled 18 kids. I'm so glad she was there before Greg stubbornly refused to come and help. He chose to work instead. He didn't support me throwing Sof a party and I guess that was his way of boycotting my decision. Bless his heart.

The biggest party ever. She got so many presents!

The yummiest cake ever! It was quickly devoured with none left.

Sofia had so much fun! And it was fun to have her friends and cousins get together to celebrate and enjoy the day. She is one loved little girly.

But, there is no way she is having a party to quite this magnitude next year. Sorry Sof, I love you, but it's not going to happen :).

Happy Birthday to our big 7 year old! We sure do love you.

Spring Break 2022

The girls had Spring Break the first week in April. There were still a few family members in Southern Utah who hadn't met Quincey, so we loaded up and headed South. It was my first solo trip with all 3 girls and I was slightly nervous, but Quincey traveled like a dream. She didn't make a peep and happily slept/watched her crazy sisters the whole time. She was 5 weeks old and continued to be the best babe ever. She continues to amaze and delight me at every turn.

Locked and loaded!

We made it! Her first time in Cedar City.

Quincey was a whopping 5 weeks before meeting Grandpa Todd.

Giving gifts is my Mom's love language - she loves to shop for and give them. She always jumps at an opportunity to give a gift early, so the day we arrived in Cedar, Sofi was able to open her birthday gift from Grandma Jan. She was beyond excited to finally get a smart watch.

I'm so glad these two have each other.

Quincey also got to meet her Great Grandma Jolley. My Grandma loves babies, and it was so sweet to sit and watch her hold and sing to Quincey. I really wish we were able to visit more often.

My Grandma's recliner has a button that moves it up and down. Claire was having the time of her life sitting my grandma back then up again. I was dying as my Grandma started to recline while reading Claire a book and didn't skip a beat.

Meanwhile in Kaysville, Greg is having the best time watching this guy grind the Quakie stump...

It was the week of birthday's. We had fun being able to celebrate Aunt Shelby's 15th birthday with everyone.

Here we are while my mom is telling "Heidi" happy birthday. Poor Shelby gets called Heidi more than her own name. I was dying! Shelby doesn't even notice it anymore.

Ice Cream cake is a tradition in my family. Grandpa Todd is here teaching Claire the finer points of snitching the chocolate crumbs off the top.

Sleeping in the Princess bed.

True to tradition, we spent an afternoon in St. George. It's always fun to have my mom tag along - it doesn't happen very often. It was an absolute beautiful day. Not too hot, and the girls had a blast playing in the water by the Tabernacle. It wasn't super crowded either, much to my surprise. 

The was the warmest day Quincey had ever experienced. She was content to bubble in her sleep while covered in her carseat. It still floors me how content she is in that thing.

Oh Claire.

This is what happens when I tell the girls to pose for a picture.

I love that the carousel is free for kids and $1 for adults. 

Taking a break with the Quince. It was so fun to finally be able to let her lounge in a onesie. I love seeing her newborn nakie legs!

Proof we were there.

Oh Claire. This story needs to be remembered. 
She and Sofi were running around the patio with their towels pretending to be superheroes. I was feeding Quincey and otherwise engaged while out of the corner of my eye, I see Claire is over by a big planter sticking her hands in the flowers and I didn't think anything of it. When it came time to clean up, I got everything packed and realized I couldn't find my keys or phone. I had let Sofi use my keys earlier to go get a snack in the car and I couldn't remember if she had given them back to me or not. I kid you not, 20 minutes of searching and lecturing poor Sofi on putting things back where you find them, Claire comes trotting over after playing and overhears me talking about my keys or phone. Before I know it, Claire has run across the patio to the big planter, and was carrying back my keys and phone. The little stinker had stashed them in a very public place! Luckily no one had noticed and we were around very honest people. Oh Claire, nothing gets past her. When she hid my phone and keys, she knew exactly what she was doing. The best part is that this situation didn't even surprise me. Claire does random stuff like this all the time, that I didn't exactly know what to do. I was mad at her for taking the 2 most valuable things I had/needed, but at the same time I was proud of her for remembering where she put them. I'm not always able to do that. Kudos Claire, Kudos.

We have a Temple challenge in Primary this year to see how many temples the kids can get to. It was so fun to be able to check on the progress of the St. George temple and to travel out to where the Washington Temple was being built. I had absolutely no idea that that area was as populated as it is. I was floored! None of that was there 15 years ago. Oh how things have changed.

Whenever we are in St George, it has become tradition to stop at Yogurtland for a froyo. The girls love it, and so do I. Here Claire is sunning on the nasty cement after being the first to finish her coconut frozen yogurt. She loves it and has yet to get a different flavor.

We had so much fun in Cedar. For some reason, it always feels warmed down there in the Spring time. I couldn't believe how well Quincey traveled everywhere we went, and it was so fun to take her to meet Family. We love Southern Utah, and it is always so fun for us to spend time there. But, we also love Greggy, so it's also fun to be able to come back home to be with him.

Spring Break 2022 was one for the books!

March Recap pt. 2

The weather in March was so weird. There was snow on the mountains, but the girls were playing on the tramp in their swimsuits. Then the next day it would hail like crazy. Mother Nature sure couldn't make up her mind, we just about had it all. But, my love for Spring continued, no matter the weather. There's something special about watching the world wake back up after a long, cold Winter.

I've been feeding a picky eater for so long, that it threw me for a loop when Claire requested to got Taco Time. We've lived in Kaysville for 4.5 years, and we have never been to Taco Time. I know, I know. So, I dropped Sofia off for dance and got Claire a taco. Behold my amazement as she downs the whole thing. I was stunned. Elated. Intrigued. And downright floored that a kid could eat like this. Bless all of our hearts. Feeding Claire brings me joy. Probably because she doesn't complain. It's kind of amazing.

I love her newborn tinyness.

Greg took it upon himself to prune this tree. He hates it, so he does what he can to help it. I think he had a little too much fun.

Poor Claire has missed her Grandma ad Grandpa while they have been on their mission. She's also missed visiting their house and playing with their toys. I took her over one day while Greg stayed home with the other girls, and it was fun to have some uninterrupted one-on-one time with her while she played to her hearts content in the play room, and overindulged from Grandpa's treat drawer. It was crazy to think that it had been 4 months since we've been there. Time sure flies when In-laws are on their mission.

For months, Claire has been so funny when it comes to posing for a picture. I have no idea where she learned how to do this, but I'm so glad I caught her in action. She sure knows what she's doing. Work it Clairey babe!

She's starting to look blonde.

So many unflattering things about this picture. Laundry everywhere, I (probably) smell like bad milk, my giant bra hanging on the closet, no makeup, but I don't care. I love it. And I love that Claire snapped it for me.

Thank you Google for this adorable flashback to 2.5 year old Sofi. This was the first day we took Claire to church. They don't joke when they tell you not to blink. Now Sofi is a sassy almost 7 year old.

My beautiful babe!

It was Claire's turn to bring the bucket home and fill it with items that start with the letter 'X.' Not sure how she ended up with the hardest letter in the alphabet, but by the time I dropped her off to school, I was thinking of words with an 'X' in them for the rest of the day. Here she is posing, again. :)

The cutest little baby feet.

Quincey in all of her newborn, squishy perfection.

Sun's out, funs out.

This picture makes me so happy. If I ever needed a lesson about God's Timing, having my 3rd baby was it. If I could go back and tell myself that the wait would all be worth it, I would. I sat in the shade and hugged my sweet baby while I watched my older girls play. Heavenly Father knew me so much better than I knew myself. He knew I would need the gap and bigger age difference than I thought I needed. He knew I would need to grow and develop better patience so that I could adequately love this little girly as much as I've been able to.

Claire is hilarious. I hope she stays this way forever.

Our tree has been dying more and more the last couple of years. The time finally came for us to cut it down, and I may have had a little too much fun. Sofi was inside crying while I yielded the smallest chainsaw I've ever used. Regardless, it did the job and our house was saved from a potential tree landing on it in the next windstorm.

Greg in his element.

While pregnant with Quincey, I had the inkling that she would resemble Sofi. This is the first picture where they are starting to look more alike. I love it when I'm right :).

1 month old!

Looking at this picture, it's a wonder Claire has made it this far.

Proof that Sofi can beat Claire up too, every once in a while :).

There was this hailstorm ...

And the most beautiful double rainbow after.

One more of Claire and Mittens. I can't help myself.

They're both working it. I'm surrounded by models.