Once upon a time...my girl turned 9

I told Jenna that I could do a small friend party, or we could spend her birthday doing whatever she wanted. I was really crossing fingers for the no party scenario--and thankfully, my wish was granted! :)

We started Jenna's birthday adventures at the nail salon. She has REALLY wanted to go there and sit in the cute chairs and eat snacks while watching a movie. I'm sure she wanted her nails done in there somewhere too. :) After a long look at the wall for just the right color, she settled in for her show and to be pampered...and since she was there, I decided I better get a pedicure too. :)

Je




After our pedicures, we headed shopping--just did some browsing and picked up a thing or two. :)


We did her official birthday pictures and then headed to TCBY for some frozen yogurt--I loved sitting and chatting with my girl and seeing the crazy combo she came up with. :)


There are also the beloved presents...
Brandon's family has a tradition of doing this thing called heavy, heavy hangs...where you tap the gifts on the person's head and give them three guesses as to what they will do with it before they're dead (yes, that does sound rather morbid...) --eat it, wear it, or play with it. I still do not fully understand this tradition after 10 years of being married,but the kids think it's funny so it carries on. :)




We got real classy here with the wrapping--that's the latest line of wrapping we offer, in our newest bath towel collection.


She got some new American Girl clothes,,,




All the kids get so excited about watching every card and gift be opened. I had the part the sea a few times so I could get some pictures, but the excitement is contagious and birthdays so much fun! :)


HAPPY 9TH baby girl! :)

Once upon a time...it was late Spring

It poured and poured and poured. It rained buckets. some would say--others, like us, would say it rained lakes. When the skies had parted and the sun shone, we attended a picnic for some friends at a local park.  There was water everywhere. So much water, in fact, that it had literally made a lake where there was none before. We scolded the kids and told them to stay out of it--but the warnings fell on deaf ears and the pleadings to PLEASE just get their feet wet turned into full on running through the water with soaked clothes, filling the air with laughter and squeals of delight.

It. was. magical. It was everything that comes with the perfection of the golden evening hour, wrapped in all that's beautiful about childhood and spontaneity. And yes, the naysayers will tell us there were dangerous snakes and chiggers and all sorts of creeping things that could have harmed our children. I don't doubt that. But for that day, it felt rather liberating to just let the kids be kids--to let go of worry and embrace happiness.

I think parenting should be filled with many more days like this...

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

GENERAL CONFERENCE!

I seriously adore this weekend, that happens every 6 months. It is a weekend of inspiration, answer to prayers, uplifting speakers, tears, laughter, and some really great memories.

But it has difficulties--with small kids, and trying to squeeze in 8 hours of listening.

Honesty moment--it's not usually successful.

This year I tried to break it down a little better and incorporated some ideas from several people.

1st session we did our traditional bingo with treats, and as the bingo words were said, they got a treat to put on the space...




Once the bingo cards were filled, certain people fell asleep. I can't blame 'em...it had been a busy week. But still...it was too cute to NOT take a picture of. :)


My adorable little note-taker!


2nd session we had them look through magazines and cut out pictures of things that were talked about. They loved this one!







And dang it, a 2 year old with scissors has never looked cuter. :)






The only bummer was that he thought we should have sweet treats for this session too. :) So he sneaked into the kitchen to find them.


(Spencer routinely marches to a beat of his own drummer, and really just made his own collage of pictures he liked. ;)










Sunday morning we did cinnamon rolls for breakfast--which were super yummy.



Our activity for this session was to have the kids pick 4-5 words, and as the speaker said their word, they would put a check by it. Whenever the choir sang, we would get up and go to our conference store to get a snack with their points. They could use them all up, or save them for a bigger snack.







Don't you love how Spencer put Amen? A guaranteed check each talk. lol



--after a snack break--happy as can be.




And our final conference session we had the kids cut out the picture of who was speaking and then write one  thing the speaker talked about. This one kind of backfired, because there weren't a lot of apostles speaking in the last session--which I didn't realize at the time--and so they ended up drawing their faces instead. But all was good...






I have to say that this was by far my FAVORITE Conference weekend ever! Many times we have told ourselves we will try for one session each day with the kids and watch the rest later. And that has been fine--but we never get caught up until we read it from the magazine later on. However, there is something so special about watching this firsthand. I loved the spirit we had in our home all weekend. I loved watching the kids get excited about each session. I LOVED taking my own notes (which almost never gets to happen any more!) It was truly one of the most powerful experiences I have had in a long time.

I am grateful for Conference weekend--for the chance to listen to a Prophet, apostles, and men and women called of God. And I am grateful to be reminded how specifically my Heavenly Father knows me. I was renewed and given many answer to questions and concerns I had, and felt the spirit so strong...and am counting down till Conference Weekend comes 'round again... :)

Mother / Son Knight

I absolutely LOVE so many things about Chick-fil-a. For starters, their food is scrumdiddlyumptious, and their family activies amazing. :) I took the boys to the Mother / Son Knight--a Knight themed night for mom's and their boys. We arrived and were seated by the Knight in Shining armor, and given menus to order from. Classy fast food, if I've ever seen it!  :)



They had candles adorning the tables...


and "royal" flags hanging...


And we were serenaded by beautiful live harp music.Most peaceful Chick-fil-a meal ever!


We got cute goody bags when we were seated with all of our utensils and napkids..


And after our meal, we got some free ice cream and my 3 knights got to go play in the kiddie playground. :)






I love the chance I get to spend with these little guys--I never pictured myself having so many boys. This has definitely been a detour from the life I envisioned. But I love them all and the unique personalities they bring to our family. I truly am blessed.

You call yourself my 9 year old baby girl...

And I have to agree...


Dear Jenna,

9. Wow. 9 years. For some reason that just seems so much older than 8. You are officially in your last year in single digits...I just cannot believe it. Or maybe I can't believe that I am old enough now to HAVE a 9 year old. :) But either way, here we stand. Crossing 8th Avenue and turning onto 9th, with a whole new part of the city of life you've never seen.

For 9 years I have had you to bless my life. Gosh, I feel so lucky. At 9 you are the BIGGEST helper, and the biggest tantrum thrower, sometimes in the same 5 minutes. :) You ADORE accessories, bright colors, and themes. For several weeks now,you have chosen a theme of outfits, something new each day--and even though nobody else in the school is dressing to a specific theme, YOU are. I love that you are still okay to be YOU...however unique that is. :)

You love fresh fruit--apples are a daily after school choice for you, and for your birthday breakfast you chose blackberries (AND doughnuts). Yes, you also have a major sweet tooth. And you will never turn down pizza. You LOVE to be noticed and celebrated--you even asked if we had a party if you could announce to everyone there that because it was your birthday, they needed to treat you special. It made me chuckle, but in a sense I get it. Birthdays are a big deal... :)

I remember the day you were born as though it were yesterday...you were so teeny and sweet. You had a head full of hair, and that's never changed. :) All of the nurses were so jealous of the perfect strawberry blonde color that covered your head. I remember feeling like I just never wanted to set you down. I loved snuggling your body against mine, and feeling like I wished time could stand still. I still feel that way--as I lay next to you and snuggle you in your bed, listening about your day or the book you're reading. You're bigger now, but the feeling is still the same. I still stare at your beautiful hair, and wrap my arms around you, and want time to stand still. I want to freeze that perfect moment and stop time from ticking. I want to protect you from the cruelty of the world, and make you feel so loved and celebrated. I want to freeze the incredible innocence that exists in you. I want your belief in the things that make life magical, to always remain--

I have tried for years to figure out what you would be like when you got older, and as you're growing I realize that it's a puzzle I will likely never be able to figure out on my own. I learn about and FROM you constantly. And even though you don't have the same love of spelling like I did in 3rd grade, and your sense of style is often incredibly different from mine, and your definition of a "clean room" is not in any dictionary I would write, I find we're similar in many things too...things like our frustration with Math, just wanting a little something sweet after each meal. our love of reading, and feeling immense sadness when others don't want to be our friend for one reason or another. It has been an incredibly rewarding journey watching you grow and learning who you are...

I have enjoyed watching you embrace the Savior's love. That has truly been one of my greatest joys in you. Yes, there are times you have had to choose, right or wrong. And that hasn't always been easy, or perfect. There is never the expectation that it would be...but I watch as you change things and try to make wrongs, right, I am amazed at your understanding of the concept of repentance and forgiveness, and choosing the better part. I love seeing you get excited about the scriptures. I remember vividly a morning a few months ago. I let everyone sleep in, with plans to take you to school later in the morning. I was enjoying those few extra quiet minutes in bed reading my scriptures and writing in my journal, when you came in. You immediately turned around and ran to your room, coming back with your own journal and scriptures. There we sat, together, studying next to each other in my bed. It was such a sweet, tender memory for me. My heart swelled with pride in who you are becoming.

So often people will ask me where you came from. My dark brown hair is a stark contrast from your beautiful blonde locks. And no matter how many people wonder, I always know that you are my girl. And you always will be.

Jenna, I want you to know I am the luckiest mom in the world to have you. 9 years you have blessed my life. 9 wonderful, sometimes frustrating, but awesome years. May today be everything you're hoping for--and may this year be your very best.

Love, Mom

So, can I show you our toy room??

Well, almost 2 full years after moving in, I think it's about time to share pictures of our toy room.

I love being in this room. It really makes me so, so happy...there is a lot of hard work and CHOICES in this room--oh, the debates I had--over art work, curtains, toy bins, pillows...etc. And it's the kind of space that even if nobody else likes, I am content. :)

So, here's a little tour... :)

To your right...


And to the left...

(quick note...the cornice above the windows to the right...yep, Brandon and I built those! It was a figure it out ourselves DIY and cost us about $11 for both windows, thanks to some free crown molding we were given, and leftover paint from our garage that matches all the trim in our house. I LOVE them. They really changed how this room feels, and I especially love that you see them from the front door--they just make a statement... :)
'

Okay--let's break it down. Here we are...back to our main storage bench area. I wish I could transport each of you here to see these pillows in person. They are the cutest pillows! And they match the print colors perfectly. The print is from Sarah Jane Studios and I adore it. I actually adore all her prints. I saved and saved to buy this, because after looking at it forever and a day, and trying to find something else to put up, I kept coming back to this. I have never regretted it...it makes my heart so happy.


I have had several people ask how I made our bench area...so here are the details.
We bought 2 Expedit shelves from Ikea for either end.

The seating area was a tough one. I had originally wanted to put another Expedit shelf, laid down. But it made the room feel tight because it was longer than what we ended up with. And it also felt busy to me. I was browsing Ikea one day and BAM, in the AS-IS section (which is a little piece of heaven, FYI) there were these 2 wall cabinets.They were $77 each--but in the as-is section for $6 EACH! YES, my friends, SIX BUCKS!

I adore these...for many reasons. (have I used adore too much? Is that possible? :) 

Because they are wall cabinets, they have a slow close feature. And this makes opening them a little harder for tiny fingers. So it's the perfect place to stash our board games. 

And the "leather" bench? I cut a board to size, and put some foam on, and then upholstered it with "faux" leather (bought with a 50% off coupon!) :) I originally had fabric, but little hands and big messes made me realize I really needed something I could wipe down easily! This has been great and worn so well!



I wanted a mix of textures...so I got some heavy duty plastic baskets from Target. (you can see them here:)

And the fabric cubes were a tough call--I searched high and low for something else, and couldn't find what I wanted. This ended up fitting the bill and were a stellar deal on sale.






I LOVE my toy labels--made by my talented friend, Charlotte.

Okay, let's switch gears...our fireplace (yep, there is a fireplace behind those books)  was a major source of frustration. It was almost impossible to find the right thing to hang above. I am pretty sure I bought about 20-30 different pieces to hang there, and ended up returning them. Then one day a few weeks ago, I happened upon these framed art pieces at Lowes, of all places...and on clearance. The colors were exactly what I wanted...and I snatched them up. Perhaps it's not the perfect solution, but I love them and they will work for now!

And I ordered a personalized picture from Charlotte as well--she took pictures of my kids and then worked them into a picture. That's Jenna's exact swimsuit, and she even included her American Girl doll, and I just adore all the other details that make this picture so personal and special.



Still with me?

There is a little window in the wall, off of the kitchen, and I love the look through....



p.s. the curtains, I made from a clearance fabric that I always regret not buying more of. I have so many more things I would use it for... ;)


So there ya have it! Our play space...finished as it will ever be in this house...and full of things I love. :)