play date with britt and her cuties...

when i was a teenager there was one family that i babysat regularly for years. they are my second family, and i love them dearly. the little girl i babysat isn't so little anymore! britt is now a mommy of two beautiful children, emery and van. we were lucky to get to see them the other day and spend the afternoon playing. they recently moved here, so hopefully we'll get to see them more often!

spring fling

last night we headed to the spring fling at mia's school. mia was SO excited to go, and she seemed so big to me running off with all her friends and leaving us in the dust. we had a lot of fun playing games and eating junk. there were tons of awesome gift baskets being raffled off for the school fundraiser. unfortunately we didn't win anything. maybe next year!

i had to include this picture because this is george's new "smile." i keep trying to teach him how to smile naturally, and he insists that he is!

my baby is six!!!

it's hard for me to believe that mia is six years old! but on the other hand i can hardly remember life without her. she is an amazing daughter. she is smart, funny, gentle, sweet, stubborn, friendly, playful, imaginative and so much more. she brightens my whole world.

mia had a GREAT birthday! she was remembered by lots of friends and family. she started off the day with me singing every birthday song i know to her while she was in bed. she then had a pancake shaped like a 6 for breakfast. then i came to her school to be a mommy helper and to bring treats to her class. after school i took her, kate, lizzie and george to go bowling and then back to our house for hannah montana cake. then we went to bj's for dinner with both sets of grandparents. it was a busy, sugar-filled day! and mia was the star!

mia and kate found a flower growing out of the rocks. i think it bloomed just for mia.

mia's family b-day party

2 days before mia's actual birthday we had a family party at our house. for dinner mia requested ribs, stuffed potatoes, baked beans, corn on the cob and fruit. she got lots of great presents and had a lot of fun with both sets of grandparents, her aunt jamie and uncle tyler. jamie brought her boyfriend, josh, along too, and it was fun to get to know him better.

a nightgown from aunt linnie...

earrings from george...

bendaroos from grandma jill and papa steve...

new cowgirl boots from grandma jill and papa steve...

a new church dress from grandma dolores and papa george...

with a matching dress for thunder!!!

granddad howard's funeral

russ's granddad howard passed away on april 12 at the age of 89, one month shy of his 90th birthday. howard was a character for sure. he was a socialite that loved to be around people and was always telling stories. while his health was good he had a daily ritual of meeting his friends for coffee every morning, which drove russ's grandmom crazy since it is against the word of wisdom. but he was a convert to the mormon faith, and he never wanted to give up his coffee or iced tea. howard loved to figure out how everyone was related to each other, which is a long standing family joke. fortunately i was able to know howard while his mind was still sharp; however, mia and george have only ever known him since he needed nursing care. it was definitely time for him to move on from this life as his mind and body were both failing him. we were able to go to his funeral in richfield, utah, and it was so fun to see most of russ's family. i really love all his aunts, uncles and cousins.

this is the home that russ's mom grew up in in circleville, utah. a woman came out while we were taking pictures, so we were able to chat with her for awhile about the house and it's history.

this is russ's maternal grandparent's grave. russ was very close to these grandparents, and we tell the kids stories of them often.

this picture was taken by big rock candy mountain. the photo doesn't do it justice, but these mountains are candy yellow!

russ and several of his cousins were pall bearers

we tried to get a group shot of the family. there were a few that got away before this picture was snapped, but this is most of russ's aunts, uncles and cousins.

dance, dance, dance!

for the past 8 months, mia has been taking dance from our friend, miss amy, in her home. it has been a great experience for her to make new friends and learn fun things from her teacher. mia always looks forward to dance days. here are a few pictures of her and her class...

george's thinkin' spot

i came in the backyard to find george perched in this little butterfly tree. he says it's his thinkin' spot. i wonder what a 3 year old thinks about...