Dip-a-dee-doo

To say that Lizzie loves her some ketchup, would be an understatement. This little one like really, really, REALLY LOVES ketchup. We gave her the first taste of the red wonder in a bottle about a month ago, and ever since then, ketchup has been a staple on her plate. When the fridge opens, she runs and grabs the ketchup bottle and brings it to us.

Liz is seriously in Ketchup Heaven. Have a graham cracker? Add some ketchup. Some grapes? Dip them. Heck, even if you don't have anything, just drink it.

And, then, when you are done, the stuff doubles as paint! Bonus!

And, yes, I know the stuff is laced with sugar. But, I'm counting it as a vegi. The base is a tomato, and that counts as something, right?

So, lick away, Sweet Pea. Just try to avoid your clothes, and your hair, and your shoes, and your ears....

It' a ZOO out there...

If I'm being honest, Hogle Zoo is not my favorite place. I always leave feeling so bad for the animals.  Other zoos I've been to--San Diego and Seattle--seem so much more life-like. But, this zoo is the best we have, and my kids love it there, so I'm happy to take those little buggers to see the monkeys, elephants, and giraffes a few times a year. 

We decided to go to the zoo over the weekend on a whim. We certainly weren't planning on it, but Halle insisted that we "do something fun," so off we went. Our cousins Mikey and Lincoln, and Sam's brother Peter joined us on our "something fun."

Cute Lizzie, who napped a total of 5 minutes all day, loved it! She pointed to all the animals and said, "woof woof." She loved the carousel, and just by chance, she ended up on the lady bug. Quite fitting.

Halle, who desperately wanted to ride the dolphin, had to settle for a giraffe after "some old lady" perched herself onto Halle's favorite animal. Too bad. The rest of the time, Halle took pictures of every animal, insect and random thing she could find with her camera.

And, Chase, I must say, made us proud. He didn't run off--a first for him. He stayed by us the whole time, and we pointed out all the hiding animals to him after he kept saying, "My wanna see really bad!" (The English teacher in me knows that I need to correct his sentence structure. The mom in me is proud of his improving speech. Mom wins! For now, anyway.)

So, even though it was incredibly busy, we didn't lose any kids, we saw all of the animals, and we rode all 2 rides. A pretty good day. But, alas, an hour after we arrived home, Halle was already bored, and exclaimed, "there's nothing fun to do." Oh boy, entertaining her all summer is going to be a real treat.


Side note: Why are "Salt Lake's finest" (and by finest, I mean strangest) folks always hanging out at the zoo?

Month in Review

May, my favorite month, has arrived! But, somehow, I've failed to blog most of the events that kept us busy during April. So, here's an all-in-one post about our month.

We spent Easter in St. George, like we do most years. My kids can find so much joy in running around the golf course, and throwing rocks into a little lake. It's so nice to get away with just our little family. The kids are full-on TERRIBLE travelers, but once we arrive, it's easy sailing.

We went to the Tulip Festival with my parents on a Saturday after soccer games. It was insanely busy, but I was happy we went. It seems like other years are always rainy or cold, so we loved the sunshine and the flowers. Halle brought her good friend, Mallory, along. They are such cute friends.

Halle competed in her first dance competition. It was so much fun! The girls did great for their first time. It will be fun to watch them continue preforming this spring.

We ran into Dani and Isabel at the competition. It was so great to see them! It had been way too long.

So, on to May! Welcome! And, may this month be as completely busy, and fun as the last. Happy Spring!

In 7th Heaven!

Our sweet Halle turned 7 on April 2. To say that she was excited would be a bit of an understatement. The girl likes getting gifts more than anything in the entire world. To welcome Halle to a wonderful 7th year, we celebrated her birthday all weekend long.

We started with a small friend party at Color Me Mine. Halle LOVES to paint, and I HATE to clean up paint, so this was a perfect match. Halle & 5 of her besties painted little ceramic doodads. They had so much fun. And, me? Oh, I was a happy mama. I didn't have to do anything for the party! Hallelujah!

On Sunday, we had two parties for our cute girl. In between conference sessions we went to my parents house for a Easter egg hunt/birthday party, and later that evening, Sam's family came over to a little Halle party. I made an attempt at a Nothing Bundt Cakes cake for each party, and I think they turned out pretty cute.

Finally, the big day arrived on Monday. Halle was so thrilled to go to school and be the birthday girl. She walked around with a little extra bounce in her step!

We absolutely adore Halle. I don't know what I'd do without her. She is an amazing big sister. I depend on Halle so much during the day. WE LOVE THIS GIRL!

Facts of Life

Fact -- Some days, like today, I consider sprucing up my resume, and looking for a teaching job. I used to be under the impression that a stay-at-home moms had the easiest job ever. False. I am more exhausted now at the end of the day than when I worked long hours. But, they--whoever "they" are--say that I'm making a difference for my kids. We'll see...

Fact -- 13 days until Halle's 7th birthday. We've been counting down for some 50 days.

Fact -- When Halle was 3, we told her she could get a dog when she was 7. Uh oh! My genius husband though, has now decided that we can get a dog at any point within the 7th year. Probably. Maybe. We'll see.

Fact -- Going to church is exhausting. Chase is--by far--the loudest kid in the chapel. I wish our ward had more little kids to drown out the noise from our row.

Fact -- Sam turned 35 a week or so ago. I still remember when my parents were 35. Crazy.

Fact -- Kids, I think, are cold-blooded. Why else can they hang out in the backyard and turn on the water in 60 degree weather? Halle wanted to put on her swimsuit the other day. Ummmm... I'd say yes, but the neighbors would talk.

Fact -- Chase is over 3, and he finally sleeps in his own bed. Pathetic, I know.

Fact -- He thinks mommy and daddy should sleep in there with him. We don't. Mostly.

Fact -- Now Lizzie is in with us. Goodness, we need more bedrooms.

Fact -- When Lizzie plays peek-a-boo, she covers her ears instead of her eyes. I'd correct her, but it's adorable.

Fact -- I love blogging, but somehow, loading pictures & writing something genius seems like a lot of work.

Fact -- I'm going to do better.

I Believe

I don't usually take the time to write my testimony down. I have a testimony, but with kids, and everyday life, putting it down on paper doesn't seem to happen. Thanks to Dawn, who did something similar on her blog, I am going to share my beliefs on my blog. Someday, if I ever remember to turn this blog into a book, I will be grateful that I did this.

All week I have been thinking about the Atonement. On Sunday, we were talking in Young Women's about the suffering that Christ did for each of us. For ME. For YOU. At some point during Chist's time in Gethsemane, He was thinking about me. I find that so amazing and overwhelming in this world of so many people. It's easy to feel lost in a sea of others, but we have someone in Christ who knows exactly what we feel, and can relate like no one else can.

Nearly two weeks ago, Sam's amazing grandmother, Pauline Pace, suddenly passed away. She lived 92 great years. Although a sad time, it was great to know of eternal families. It is wonderful to know that we will be able to be together forever if we choose to do the right things here on Earth.

Being a member of the church is the greatest blessing. I am so thankful that I have the knowledge of our Savior. Thanks to my faith in Christ, I am able to endure trials. I hope to live my life in such a way that pleases Him.

Wonderful Wednesdays

When many parents see their children's future, they may hope they grow up to become a doctor or lawyer or professional basketball player. At our house, however, we realize that Chase's dream is to grow up to become the garbage truck driver. There is absolutely nothing cooler than watching "Stinky" (the garbage truck) come to our house each Wednesday morning.

We wake up early & Chase rushes to the window to watch the garbage truck do his rounds. Usually, Chase is just in his undies pressed up against the window watching as Stinky goes from house to house. It is ultimate excitement.

As of late, Lizzie has gotten in on the excitement. Chase puts her stool by the window, just like a good big brother, and the two of them stare out the window until the garbage truck turns the corner.

It is moments like these, when I realize that kids have life figured out. Life is about simple moments, and watching the garbage truck is about as simple--and cool--as it gets.