Easter.

This year our "Easter Photos" came from our own couch instead of my parents entry way. Which is where they've been taken for the last 6 years. I guess I could have gone over there and set my camera up and taken them just for the sake of tradition. But that's no fun if my parents aren't there. It was slightly chaotic, but I've come to expect that from remote control photos.

It's becoming very evident that Gus has a stopping point with his sisters. (And this might be my favorite photo in a long time)

He also got new top siders for church, but wore them for about 12 minutes and they rubbed a blister on his heel. So he refused to move. They seem like the most perfect church shoes to me. immobilizing.

I could eat these two up...

I hope your Easter was filled with lots of ham and cadbury eggs!

love love

super photogenic.

yesterday I took a small break from baking pie. I figured the kitchen could be flour free for a few hours. And then I noticed that my children were still in their church clothes and a photo was required. I mean I might have required it, but that doesn't mean it was successful.

Hey Gus, where's your nose?

Oh. right there?

Where's Ruby's nose?

I'm sure I could have photoshopped some heads around, changed a few things, but really this is our life. Gus shoves his finger in his nose and gets real mad when there isn't a ball to throw. Stella poses perfectly and tries to make sure everyone is looking the right direction. And Ruby, oh she is just pure feisty that one...
Happy Monday!

love love

just a post

a few things worth mentioning...

- itunes radio. I wasn't completely sold on it until we discovered the "Van Morrison" station. I can listen to it for hours and hours and never hear a song worth changing. Never.

-In Kevin and I's latest bed war, he sat straight up at about 3am and poked me in the eyeball. !!!!!! Then he laid back down as if nothing had happened. Seriously! who eye pokes in their sleep? So i kicked him in the shin and rolled over. When the sun rose, my eye was all blood shot and he wondered what had happened.

- I threw away all the sugar in the house, and it's not going so well. I'm an addict.

- Don't think that because the sun has started to shine that my obsessive hobby of knitting has gone by the way side. I've just switched to bigger projects. Like poufs. with rope. you can imagine the rope burns on my fingers...

- My sister announced she's having a baby! boy! in September. Naturally I started going through the boxes underneath my bed for maternity clothes. But they weren't there. Henry is almost 18 months old and my maternity clothes were still hanging in my closet. whyyyyyyyyyy......

-On my trusty "van morrison" radio station, crazy love came on as I was pulling Gus out of his high chair. He didn't wiggle out of my arms, instead he laid his head on my shoulder and patted my back as we danced in the kitchen. for the entire song. I know it's not a long song, but that kid never has much affection for me. But there he was dancing in the kitchen to crazy love covered in goldfish crumbs and maybe a few tears rolled down my cheeks. maybe.

- Today is Pi Day. and naturally it seems like my kind of day. As I sit pouring over a few different recipes and options to commemorate this glorious holiday, I just really love baking pie. and since all my pie pans have been delivered to grateful homes, it's time to purchase my yearly stash of pans. I go through about a dozen every year. Easily.

- Last week I made the most beautiful pie. Salted Caramel Apple. from four and twenty blackbirds, and it was the best way to spend the morning. It was just so much fun baking it. Early in the morning, with a clean kitchen and a good playlist going. I was in my moment and grove and it felt so nice. Especially when it all turned out.

-and worth noting, in my fifteen years of obsessive pie baking, I have never changed my pie crust recipe. never. I've been there when someone's tested a vodka recipe, or listen to people drone on and on about an all butter crust and read all about the reasons why you do it one way or another. There has never been a different crust in my pie pans. Its the same recipe my mom used, her mom used, and my great grandma used. It's trusty and good, and you shouldn't fix something that isn't broken. But I had an itch, and I changed it last week. I did a part butter, part shortening crust. It was good. It had a different flavor, a different feel, and now I can say I've tried something else. But it won't be replacing my crust. not really ever again.

-also, all three of my kids are burying each other in the sand box and i'm so grossed out. I hate sandboxes and would give a lot of things for my kids to hate them too. But cheers to the sunshine and Gus being able to play outside with the others, he's in heaven.

love love

rambling shenanigans

It feels like once every couple of days I send a text message to my mom and dad with my kids latest rambles. I'm so glad I do, because if I didn't immediately document this, people would think I'm making this up. I wish I could make this up. I'd write novels.
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Ruby praying: "Bless Grama Deb she can feel better, and bless gramps Trace he can... ... ... ... deal with grama Deb. And bless Hunter he will go on a mission already..."

Ruby: "Mom, I struggling. Cause my feet are so smelly that I can't even think about things. And I need to think about things to make me strong. But the smell gets in the way."
she is not kidding about that, they smell so terrible. 

Ruby: " I'm not feeling very beautiful today. That's why I'm having a hard time."

Ruby: after an all out brawl with Kevin, she was sent to bed early in a full blown tantrum. After Stella had gone to bed, Ruby snuck up to our room...
"Mom, Dad... I need to opologize. I sorry that I was mean and crying."
as Kevin tucked her into bed and said prayers with her... "ahhhhh, my bed feels so much better after I opologize."

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Lately my dad's favorite thing to do is stop by our house about 8pm. Just as the kids are winding down for bed, ya know quiet time. And when Grampa Trace comes over all hell breaks loose and I can't win. So it's not worth trying. This week, Grama Deb took a rest on the floor and Gus stomped on her head. Then Ruby wasn't paying attention and toppled right over her. There were cookies being thrown across the room and boxes of girls scout cookies inhaled. Gus was testing everyone's hand eye coordination by throwing balls out of your peripheral vision. Stella mostly snuggled, holding her own with sweetness. So basically everyday chaos, and then some.
But it did end in Ruby telling Grampa about her new favorite song. As we were anticipating a Katy Perry tune or Taylor Swift, we got a primary song. He sent his Son. I'm counting it as family home evening. (and it was really sweet listening to her sing it.)
As we were waiving goodbye on the front step, Ruby was examining this week's race car when she just got in the back seat with Grampa. Ya know for a spontaneous middle of the week sleep over. Casually.
Stella was a little sad that she didn't get to have a sleep over with Grampa, but was logical in that she had school the next morning. And I let her watch an extra show on TV. At about 10:30 I got a call from my mom. Ruby was coming home, sleepover's weren't her thing tonight.
The next morning I was taking Stella to school (Because my alarm clocks overslept due to there late night sneagians, we missed the bus.) This conversation happened in the backseat...

Stella: Ruby, why didn't you sleep at Grama's?
Ruby: I just missed you Stella...
Stella: But you also missed out on breakfast at Gramas, think about all the kinds of cereal you could have had... head shaking...
Ruby: Oh I didn't think about breakfast...

Seriously. It's hard not to spend your day laughing at these two.

love love

toe pick

We've had a fierce Olympic spirit at this household. Like it's streaming on all our iPad's, on our phones and I'm stocking the alerts on my phone. And of course the little girly girls in this household want to only watch figure skating. Obviously. We watch it a day later because primetime is way past little girls bedtimes.
After a few days of listening to them play "ice skater" down stairs, sliding across the tile floor with socks on, and spinning round and round; I decided it was time for real deal ice skating.
We headed to the olympic arena in Provo along with 4 million other people. You know how I feel about crowds. Not my thing. As Kevin, Hunter and I stared at the rink, the line for skates and the line for tickets we broke the news to two sad faced little girls. We weren't skating tonight. No freakin way.
So this morning we woke up still feeling inspired to ice skate. I called the school and Stella magically had an appointment in Provo, and we spent the morning ice skating.  With a total of 7 other people on the rink we spun around and worked out our toe picks. It was pretty fantastic.

I'm sure your surprised at Stella's choice of figure skater ensemble...

Stella could have skated for the entire day, Ruby liked the idea of skating all day, and Gus wanted nothing but to be on that ice rink. But seriously, he was so mad that he wasn't big enough to do it, and that we weren't willing enough to slide him around bent over the entire time. Kevin and I's backs are still aching.  If your thinking of ice skating, I highly recommend "small and tall" open skate. It's like toddler hour at the rink. For the win!

It was a great morning pretending to be graceful athletes, Stella has asked a hundred times what sports she can do to get into the olympics. I love the idea of her dreaming and being able to support those dreams as her mom. It's pretty awesome. 

love love

Month 72

I finally took my SD card out of my camera and started looking at the last few weeks worth of photos. I stumbled upon this one of our birthday girl, and it does nothing but bring complete joy to my heart. These last few weeks have been what feels like  a roller coaster ride combined with a game of dodge ball. To say it's been exhausting is an understatement. But this moment when I snapped this photo, my little girl was turning 6 years old. Unwrapping presents and deciding on a breakfast, dancing around to the birthday song.

She is everything good in this world wrapped up in the most beautiful package. She is kind and loving in a way that is purely innate. She is emotional and delightful and exhausting in all the same motions. I love nothing more in this world than being her mother. I'm supposed to teach her how to be the best person she can be, when really she is teaching me that. And she always has been.
I love you Stella June.
Happy Birthday!

love love
mom

Happy Halloween!

Ok, so Halloween was last week, but whatever. We are still trying to come down from the sugar high... It's been a doozy.

The Incredibles.
Stella convinced Ruby to be Dash and not Violet, because you can't have two Violets. Obviously.

and then we had a dragon. Who was the cutest wobbly dragon I ever did see... lets pretend he's not holding a hairbrush ok? He likes to throw it really hard across the room.

Thank goodness we survived another Halloween...
love love

Say Cheese

Before Kevin and I were sealed we had a few family photos taken. I mean if I'm going to go through all the trouble of making sure everyone is dressed in their very best and showered, I should have it documented to say the least.
I got all the photos back last week and as it turns out, those kids of mine are pretty freakin' cute.

I'm so glad I have this beautiful day captured; it just makes me so happy. The problem is now deciding which ones I love the most.

love love

A Paint Out

Every year the town of Jackson puts on a "Paint Out" during the Fall Festival. I pretty much invited myself and my three small children to intrude on my mom's weekend at the barn so we could all attend together. I'm not sure this is a super kid thing to do, but I did it anyway. And while I was at it, I sent my husband hunting with his dad so it could really be enjoyed. (Not that I wouldn't want Kevin to join us, and he really would have enjoyed the paint out, but a weekend with no husbands is pretty awesome. You don't have to have meat at the dinner table.)
The paint out is an invitation only event where 30 artists set up in the square of Jackson. They then have 90 minutes to paint or sculpt whatever they wish. And when the clock runs out the art work is auctioned off right then and there. We arrived about 3 minutes before the gun went off and it was fantastic. To watch these incredible artists of all different mediums go from start to finish was so neat. And to watch Stella's light up as she watched them paint was even more fun. Ruby's attention span wasn't long enough, so Grandma Deb and June scoped out everything while I stayed with the Gus and Ruby. It worked out pretty nicely.

Oh the amount of paint this guys was using. His assistant was scooping it out of gallon buckets with an ice cream scoop. I was seriously dying over this painting. So rad. Ok, and that little boy, I think he is pretty rad too.

After the kids attention span wore off I took them to the bubbles while Deb continued to watch the painters progression. It was pretty funny watching the girls try to blow the bubbles instead of drag the rope around. I think I will need to youtube a few videos and play outside while the sun is still shining to help them figure it out. 

As the clock was ticking closer to the 90 minute mark we headed back over to Amy Ringholz. We had been watching her from the beginning and her graffiti style was so fun. The girls were in heaven. They patiently watched her paint in front of all the crowds of people. I guess a huge benefit of being small. 

It was probably the most fun to watch her look at Ruby and then immediately paint the foxes eyes green and gold. Coincidence? Maybe, but I'm choosing to think she was inspired by Miss Red Dress.

After the paint out ended, we wandered the farmers market, ate some more snacks and snuggled in back at the barn with a few skeins of yarn. You can't completely blame me for uninviting Kevin can you?

Thanks Mom for letting my junk show tag along, it was fantastic. Seriously.

love love