Look Who's starting to Walk...

Our little 9-month-old Daphne has already started...there's no turning back now!

How to Make a Pinecone Birdfeeder

You will need:
-pine cone
-peanut butter
-birdseed
-wire or string

Step 1: Spread peanut butter all over pinecone.

Step 2: Roll pinecone in birdseed.
Step 3: Keep baby busy with blueberries and tofu.

Step 4: Sample the peanut butter.

Step 5: Hang bird feeder in a tree using wire or string.

Photo Shoot

I had a fun time snapping some pictures of Daphne yesterday. It is usually hard to get a still shot of her because she moves so much right now, but since she was mesmerized by Grandma's cat she cooperated! I just love how they turned out!

Fourth of July Weekend

We had a very fun weekend celebrating Independence Day. Saturday started with a local parade (nothing fancy, but the kids had fun), followed by a little swimming and World Cup viewing (Aaron's turning us all into soccer junkies!) Later that evening we headed up to a baseball complex in Manteca (a nearby community) for an awesome fireworks show. What made it so awesome was not just the fireworks, but the whole organized event. There were rides and bounce houses for the kids, live entertainment, batting cages, softball tournaments, etc. We had a great time. The next day (Sunday) was more low-key, but still a fun day. We dressed in red, white, and blue for church, I made a simple BBQ'd dinner, and we ended the evening going on a family bike-ride around the neighborhood while enjoying all the various front-yard firework shows put on by neighbors.

Watching her daddy at bat.

Oooooing and Awwwing over fireworks!

They fell asleep before we left the parking lot
(Truth be told...we were in the parking lot for quite a while trying to get out of that place!)

Patriotic girls!

The cake we made to go along with dinner.

Safe in my Arms

I had a little extra time with Grace tonight because Eve and Daphne feel asleep before we got through the whole bedtime routine. As I tucked Grace into her bed I tickled her arm while I sang her bedtime song. When I finished she said, "I wish you could do that forever." I replied, "Well I wish you could stay a little girl forever, so you could always be my little Grace and I could hold you in my arms...but someday you'll be a woman, and I guess that will be nice too because you'll be a wonderful woman." She then smiled at me and said, "Well, you can still hold me in your arms."

Me + 3 in S.D.

Last weekend I was adventurous and drove down to San Diego...just me and the girls. I gotta say that aside from my flat tire in Los Angeles on the way down, it all went very smoothly (and even the situation with the flat went pretty smoothly.) My little girls were such troopers...they were a joy to be with and I truly had so much fun on this mini vacation with them.
Our main purpose for going was to be at my niece Julia's baptism. Ever since finding out about it, Grace kept asking me if we could go be there for her cousin's special day. I knew that Aaron was scheduled for a REO conference that weekend, but the more I thought about it...I decided: "Why not?! I can do this!" When I told Aaron what I wanted to do I had his full support, and he even encouraged me to stay a little longer and make a little vacation out of it since I'd just be at home alone with them anyway. So, we did it and I am so glad we did! We drove down Friday afternoon, arriving very late that night. During our extended weekend we spent some time at the beach with cousins, attended the baptism, went to Julia's birthday party, went to church with and visited some more with family, and went to the San Diego Zoo (the four of us...me+girls). I also got to go out to dinner with my dear friend Charlotte and her husband Brady while the kids played at Angela's one of the nights. We headed home Tuesday morning on a newly patched tire (thanks to my wonderful father-in-law for taking it to get fixed once I arrived in San Diego on my temporary spare!) The girls kept Daphne entertained with "peek-a-boo" and the like, while we listened to Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Farm (book on CD) as I drove. I feel so blessed that it all went so well.

Daphne loved the beach! She giggled when I put her toes in the ocean and tried to eat a fist-full of sand upon sitting her down!

Grace with Julia and some other cousins on the baptism day.

The girls thought it was exciting to stay in a hotel. Here they are enjoying some early morning snuggles with Daphne.

Eve putting on a puppet show with her cousin Dallin.

They thought the monkeys were a crack-up.

This free-roaming peacock made them both a little nervous, but I made them pose for this picture anyway!

Daphne was a pure delight on this trip. She took her naps on the go, adapted to the change of scenery, and observed politely all of the interesting happenings over our four day adventure.

Eve's Graduation

Eve recently graduated from preschool...with a ceremony and everything! When they called her name to receive her "diploma" either she wasn't paying attention or else was just feeling unsure of what to do and remained in her chair until a few moments passed, her name was called again, and a teacher directed her out of her chair. Triggered by her nervousness, she immediately put her thumb in her mouth and walked up to accept her certificate. There were some audible "awww"s as she hesitantly made her way over to her teacher. Her teacher said she was proud of Eve for "growing into her own" this year since she started out the school year with hardly ever speaking at school. On the first day of school she wouldn't even tell them her name and days passed before anyone could get a smile out of her. By the end of the school year she had a few friends that she looked forward seeing each school day, and loved her teacher Miss Sandy. Her favorite place in the classroom was the book corner, were I would often find her when I came to pick her up.

She still says she's not sure if she's ready for kindergarten, but I think she'll rise to the occasion. She's absolutely ready academically; she just has a hard time being away from home, out of her comfortable surroundings. I'm not sure if I'm ready to have her away from home, out of her comfortable surroundings! She'll be fine...we both will. I sure love our sweet little Eve.

Campout

For Memorial Day weekend we had planned to go camping in the mountains. Unfortunately we had to cancel our plans due to seven inches of snow at the campground (at the end of May...hello?!) The girls had been so looking forward to the trip that we decided to camp anyway...in the backyard! It was so much fun. We pitched our tent on the lawn, ate dinner outside, made s'mores via the BBQ, and slept zipped up in our cozy sleeping bags. I'll tell you what...the food prep, bathroom trips, packing, and travel were a breeze! All the conveniences of home, with the excitement of sleeping in a tent (once the door was zipped up, we could have been anywhere, since all we could see were the stars through the opening at the top.) I highly recommend it!

The girls enjoying the tent.

BBQing our marshmallows

Just One of the Girls

Daphne is such a go-with-the-flow kind of girl. Somehow she manages to stay cheerful almost all the time with practically no day-time sleep (I don't know what this child has against naps...luckily she sleeps marvelously at night.) She patiently endures while her sisters treat her like a living doll; giggles along with them when they put hats or scarves on her head or sunglasses on her face; and squeals delightfully as they dance around her like a maypole. There is usually a sister in her face kissing and conversing, dressing her for the day, constantly trying to hold her, or piling stuffed animals and blankets on top of her! This might explain why she is already a brilliant crawler (either she is trying to get away from, or trying to keep up with the other girls!) She truley lights up when her sisters are around and wants to participate in their games and giggle-fests...I love it!

Planning for her Future...

Here is the conversation Grace and I just had at dinner:

G: I'd like to marry Juan when I grow up.

M: Oh yeah, why Juan?

G: Well, he's funny...and I think the kids will like that.

M: The kids?

G: Yes, the children we will have.

Paradise

Yesterday we took the most fantastic day trip ever! It really was perfect. We drove out to the coast to Bean Hollow State Beach (between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay.) After a picnic lunch, we set off on a family-friendly hike overlooking the ocean. The girls were such great sports as we tested their endurance going up and down trails, rock climbing, and exploring secluded beaches and tide pools. It was quite an adventure. After a couple hours of hiking, we spent some time at the pebble-covered beach at the end of the trail. It was amazing...instead of sand, the beach was bejeweled with tiny ocean-polish stones in a variety of colors and finishes. I had never seen anything like it...it was truly beautiful. I felt invigorated as I picked up handfuls of the pebbles and let them sift between my fingers...it was therapeutic, especially with the sound of the ocean ebbing and flowing in the background. Add on sitting next to my dream man holding a happy baby, and the sound of my children laughing...and it was paradise! On the way home we stopped at a delicious pupusaria in Oakland (pupusas are what Aaron ate everyday as a missionary in El Salvador...definitely a favorite of our family!) We had a quiet drive home as the girls fell asleep almost instantly after getting buckled in their seats. As we drove I looked in the backseat at the exhausted but happy faces, and at the profile of my handsome husband in the driver's seat. With the sound of the ocean still singing in my ears, I concluded: I could not have asked for a better day.

Easter Sunday

After a wonderful day of peaceful relaxing and watching General Conference as a family, we headed to Aaron's parents' home Sunday evening for a fabulous dinner and exciting egg hunt in the rain. The girls had fun collecting eggs and didn't seem to mind getting wet, so long as it meant candy! We also enjoyed playing games after dinner: Grandma lead the girls in Crazy 8's and Go Fish, while the rest of us played one of our favorites, "Ticket to Ride." It was a great day, and an especially nice way to kick off our week-long spring break!