1 A day with the Cousins

The Details

• WHO:
• Sarah with Allie & Kylie Schwartz
• Maren with Bailey, Emma, & Kate Stafford
• Abby with Laura, & Eden Beattie
  

• WHAT:
• Lunch @ Layton's Olive Garden, yes we took all SEVEN little girls
• No pictures, sorry we tried
• this is the last time we do it
  
• Play @ park while the babies & pregnant Abby nap
  
• Run through sprinklers @ Abby's house
• Tree House Children's Museum in Ogden

• WHY:
• Maren was up to do a ModBe party for Abby
• We love to be together
• Just Because
  

• WHEN:
• Friday, May 16th

Allie

Laura - - Emma - - Katie

- Bailey -

Laura & Emma - - Allie, Bailey, & Katie

Kylie would race to Abby's garden EVERY time I'd put her down.
She was determined to eat the dirt!

Emma & Allie loved the watering cans.


The Whole Crew: all 10 girls
we were only missing our youngest sister, Ellen
If you didn't know, Abby is expecting a BOY this September!!!
The first in our family (other than marriage)!

Kylie's favorite parts were the DRUMS and teh FISH tank

Creating Kites at the Museum


There were so many dress ups in all different theme rooms.

Abby was always finding a place to sit.

Aunt Julie gave my girls these cute outfits for their birthdays this month.

0 Mud Pies

Last Thursday evening I was working in my garden, moving strawberry starts, when Kylie came to investigate. I was trying to hurry to finish it up before Nate's first softball game of the season so I didn't pay much attention when she started 'feeling' the dirt. Within seconds she had started taste-testing the dirt and rocks. "Oh, well" I thought, it will clean up easy enough. I snapped a few quick pictures & continued with my work.

In a blink of an eye Kylie climbed INTO the garden & was COVERED in dirt!!
I had taken the tags of the outfit as I dressed her not even an hour before. I resisted my first instinct to panic & snapped a few more pictures. Then it was off to the BATHTUB.


from Left -> Right: Alyssa, Allie, Ray, & Kylie

0 Zoo season has begun

Last weekend we went to Rexburg (on Allie's Bday) mostly so that Nate could work on a scrap heap job. While the men worked hard, Maren & I played with the girls. We took lunch to a great park she had heard of..YES, it was awesome. Then we roamed the Idaho Falls Zoo.

1 Tulips don't last nearly as long as I'd like them to

I took these pictures over a week ago. Today I noticed today that the blooms are starting to shrivel. It is so sad that they will be completely gone in a day or two.

I get asked frequently where I got my bulbs...Sam's Club! And they have been great. I planted them 3 1/2 years ago when I was pregnant with Allie. It was snowing that day and I wasn't feeling very good. I grumbled the entire time I dug in the mud, but the effort was well worth it. I love how every spring they come up without any effort on my part. As soon as the snow melts back, they shoot right up.

0 Allie turns THREE!

We celebrated Allie's THIRD birthday in Rexburg at my parent's home 10 days ago. It was the first time we've celebrated with our Stafford cousins.

Allie's cake was PINK, of course, with a Strawberry Shortcake topper & a Crape Suzette doll, too.

Instead of getting her a 2-wheel bike, we caved & got the ROLLER SKATES she had been asking for. She loves them. Now we have to work on getting her to stay up when she's not on the carpet.

*NOTE: the bottom-left hand picture is of my youngest sister Ellen holding Kylie.
Aunti Elle was officially proposed to this past weekend (not really a surprise, sorry Stoddard), so we are dying to see the engagement ring!

0 Allie & Alysa

Alysa is our next-door neighbor & Allie's BESTFRIEND!
They are truly 2-peas-in-a-pod.

Lately I've been re-teaching myself how to braid hair.
With her hair in 2 braids, I like to think that Allie looks like I did as a child.

This weekend we took a trip to Rexburg for Nate to work on a scrap heap there. My sister Maren was having her big MODBE open house and I couldn't resist ordering another of these great suits (click HERE to see the one I got last month before Maren started selling) and a couple other things.
THESE SUITS ARE THE BEST I'VE EVER OWNED!!!
They cover, support, flatter, and last forever.

3 This just gives me Chills!!!!!

I can't breath when I watch this.
I get tingles from head to toe!
Of course the movie can't compare to the books, but...

Despite my initial worries that I'd only see Cedric when I looked at Edward...I think I will be just fine!

1 Catchy tune

Thanks Brandi!

4 Now how am I going to make it till August 2nd ?

I feel like I am finally able to breath out! Last (crazy) week I wrapped up everything I've been working on for the past 6 months. The biggest relief; I finished up 2 HUGE projects for the Center for Epidemiologic Studies that I've been working on non-stop since November. I also finished up teaching 2 sections of statistics 1040 for USU, one for math/stat department and the other through the distance ed department. Writing & then grading the exams is a GIANT job! In addition, I made a DVD for the ward Activity Days Mother-Daughter dinner last Wednesday. What a relief to have it all done!!! Now that the semester is over, I've taking it easy (relatively speaking) and hope do some of the things I've only dreamed of the past 6 months. I'm only going to be working 20 hours a week for the Epi Center - no teaching - this summer. YEAH! Bring on going to the park, the pool, wakeboarding, crafting, sewing, scrapbooking...and of course READING.

I fully admit I am a binge reader. I do not have the ability to stop reading a book once I start. Once the cover opens, I have a one track mind. I am an addict. Usually I don't eat or sleep much when I'm 'IN' a book. And in true addict fashion, I want the biggest fix I can get, a series! This is something Nate just doesn't understand in the least. He takes months to read a book, if he finished it at all. He gets EXTREMELY grumpy with me when don't want to "do" anything else and don't come to bed because I'm reading . So, between my work load, caring for the girls/home, and my spouse's disapproval, I haven't touched a book since the final Harry Potter installment came out last summer. (yes, I was a complete HP fan)

So, how did I celebrate checking everything off my 6-month "work to-do" list? I read an intense series of THREE 600+ pg/each novels, cover-to-cover in about 48 hours, of course. I've heard so many rave reviews about the Twilight series, but HAD to wait till I was working less than 50/hrs a week (not including full time mommy/homemaker responsibilities). This was my chance. I started at 9pm Thursday night & was done before midnight Saturday. AND that includes sleeping both nights (against my will), doing laundry/dishes/meals, and taking care of my family.

I LOVED the books. They were everything everyone told me they would be and more. I actually finished #2 (New Moon) Friday night, but had to wait till noon on Saturday to get book #3 (Eclipse), so in the down time I did housework and read EVERYTHING on the author's webpage. Boy does she have a lot! There are chapters she had to cut in the editing process & re-written chapters from other character's points of view. A reading addict's playland.

The real downer is that although I thought that there were only 3 books in the series, I found out half way through #2 that there will actually be a 4th book that won't be released till August 2nd. UGH!!!! I don't know if I can wait that long to see what happens with Bella & Edward! If you know of another great series (hopefully completed) please let me know. I need some distraction here.

Note: the movie for book #1 (Twilight) will be released Dec 12, just a few weeks after the next Harry Potter movie hits theators