Oh, The Things That We Do :-)

Well, girls, I went golfing again today. And it was freezing cold, and it was raining, and I was so horrible on a couple of the holes that I actually quit counting how many strokes that I had taken...I was only half-way horrible on the rest of the holes, but I'm still not going to share my scores:-), yet it was worth it because I had three uninterrupted (well, rarely interrupted) hours of time with Sean. If you would have asked me two years ago if I would ever take up golf, I would have laughed and said maybe in thirty years or so when Sean retired, yet here I am finding myself trying to book time with our babysitter in order to go golfing with Sean! So, again, I am gettimg OLD!! But who knows, maybe if I put my mind to it I can become a pro, right! Um, no...I think next time we go, we will take Taylee, though. She has gone with Sean a couple of times this spring and she loves it. Bryns will have to wait until next year. I don't think she would truly appreciate such a complex sport! Get the ball in the hole, right? JK. She is just too much of a wiggle worm. Eventually, I am sure that we will make it a family sport all the time, but not yet. I want my three hours with Sean to myself as often as I can. I have to share him too much as it is. And if it means that I have to take up golf in order to get some good one-on-one time, than I will! :-)

Brynlee's 1st Birthday

This last year has flown by! Brynlee is a year old! For her birthday I had planned on taking the girls to the zoo with my sister Skye and her little boy Asher, but this silly Idaho weather did not cooperate and it has been freezing for the past couple days. So we took the kids to the zoo on Tuesday. We talked my mom and aunt Deann into going with us and we had a blast. Taylee ran from exhibit to exhibit. I was very grateful to have some extra hands to push Brynlee's stroller so I could chase after Taylee and take the extra time to talk about the animals with her. So, thank you to those who were there!

Bryn's birthday was pretty mellow, but it was perfect for a one-year-old. We centered all the meals around her favorite meals (pancakes and then pizza---she loves the sauce, she would drink it if I let her:) and had a small party that night for grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins. Thank you to everyone who was able to come. Each of you added so much to the party. I added some pictures of the best part of the night, the cake. It started out where she about lit her hat on fire when she flipped the band and shot it toward the candle.

And then my sweet little girl dove into her chocolate cupcake and ice-cream. I literally had to hold her arms back while we got a bib on her and got the cameras ready. She was ready for that chocolate! Mommy's little girl!

And I have to put a special thank you out there to a certain aunt that I love (not Skye this time) who convinced Bryns to not only pat her head with her frosting-covered hands, but to also rub that frosting ALL over. But, what would a 1st birthday be without a frosting covered baby, right?

It was a wonderful birthday, and it was a good reminder of how lucky I am to have such beautiful sweethearts for little girls, I have an amazing husband who treats me like a queen and loves being a daddy, and I have a wonderful extended family who are always supportive of me and my family. Thanks to everyone!

I am OLD!

Yesterday I awoke to a beautiful text message from a certain sister reminding me that I was now OVER a quarter of a century old. I am now closer to being thirty than I was to being twenty. And while this makes me sad, I would not go back.
Sean was a sweetheart and made the girls and I pancakes, and he even attempted to make animal pancakes (which are Taylee's favorites...bunnies, bears, and mickey mouse). We then headed to Idaho Falls to drop off phones at the store up there. Sean then took us all out to lunch, which is always an escapade in itself, and then we headed up to Bear World. And while the admission prices are high enough to make me physically nauseated, it was still a lot of fun. Plus, the admission price now includes the little amusement rides, so it almost made it worth the price. Taylee and Brynlee were so excited to drive through the park and see the elk, buffalo, and bears. We finally spotted one of the wolves that are there, except, it was a little disturbing because it only had ONE eye. I didn't know what to tell Taylee when she asked about it.

The girls got to see the bear cubs, but I think they just liked the fence, cuz they just sat there and giggled at each other as they bounced up and down against it.

Taylee got to go on the little rides. This was her first time on rides like these and she was grinning from ear to ear the entire time. But I'm not sure who had more fun...her or Sean!

There is also the cutest little petting zoo there. There are chickens, goats, deer, and a HUGE pot-bellied pig. They had a two week old white lamb that followed Taylee around the whole time. Taylee was so sad when we had to leave it.

It was a great birthday. And despite feeling pretty old, and always being reminded of it by a certain loving sister, again I would not go back. Sometimes I see these new fashions that are coming out and I think, "No way!" and then I find myself shopping in the 'grandma section' as I use to call it. And even though I still listen to Z103, I find myself changing the station more than I use to. I just don't like some of the songs that are now hits. So, yes I am getting old. But, oh well. I'll take it with a smile.

Mother's Day

I had the best Mother's Day. Sean was so sweet and made sure that I got flowers and cards from the girls. But it just seemed that throughout the day, my girls were constantly reminding me of why I love being a mom.

Taylee got to sing with the Primary in Sacrament meeting, and she was right in the front row with a huge smile on her face the whole time...she really did not know the words, but thats ok, she was just so cute and all I could do was smile back at her. And then she got to give her first talk in Primary. All week she has been telling us that she gets to talk into the microphone. She has been so excited. I got a little worried when I was sitting with her because both of the other kids from her class were scared and their parents ended up doing the scripture and prayer for them. I leaned over to Taylee and asked her if she was ready, and she got that beautiful smile on her face and said, "Of course, mommy." And she was. She did such a good job.

But it gets even better.

When we got home from church, Sean's dad had followed us so that he could tell Taylee what a good job she had done (for anyone who does not know, my in-laws live in the same ward as we do so they were able to sneak in and watch Taylee too), well my little sweetheart had gotten a treat bag in sunbeams, and she pulled out one of her candies and gave it to her grandpa and told him to share it with grandma for coming to wach her. And then she gave another candy to Sean and said "thank-you for watching me," and then she had a small Hershey' bar and she brought it to me and said, "Here mommy, this is your favorite. Thank-you for helping me." By then I was tearing up and just had to give her a hug. I was so proud of her.

And then to top off the wonderful day, Brynlee took her first 'longer' set of steps. She has been taking a step here and there, but at Mom's house, she took about six steps in a row. (Skye and Mom are witnesses). Both girls were just wonderful and I can't say it enough...I love being a mom!

My Two Angels

I just love my two little angels! They are both so happy all the time. We just got a trampoline a couple weeks ago and both girls love it. Brynlee says "Bow, Bow" for bounce and gets so excited when she sees it, and Taylee can't get enough jumping. She would probably live on the trampoline if I let her. Here are a couple videos of the two girls playing together. They get along so well. In fact, Taylee is always telling me that Brynlee is her best friend. I just hope that it will always be that way!

Yes, that is Bryns giggling and chattering during the video!

They love this little car. Brynlee will push Taylee on it. Taylee will push Bryns on it. They give rides to their stuffed animals. It is definatelytheir favorite toy.

School is Out!

Well, girls, I turned in my last final (which was take-home) this morning, after staying up all night to finish it. Typical me, huh? But, now I can say that this semester is really and truly done. And despite the fact that I was completely exhausted this morning, it seemed that as soon as that last test left my hand I became filled with energy, ready to take on all the tasks that I have been putting off, like blogging, not to mention cleaning, cooking, and setting up the Vinyl Accentz website. Hopefully, this awesome energy will last the entire summer, because there are so many things that I want to do with everyone.