Memorial Day

We had the perfect Memorial Day this year -- an easygoing, lazy day with good food and friends. Mark's sister, Melissa, hosted us at her house and we all had great time. The kids loved the inflatable water slide in the back yard and the adults loved all of the good food and company. Thanks, Melissa and Mark for being great hosts!

Jungle Party

Millie had her first grade program -- Jungle Party Tonight! -- last week which was a pure delight! It was really adorable! The girls in her class were dressed as monkeys and needless to say, with Millie's passion for pretending to be various animals, she has wanted to wear her monkey costume on a daily basis ever since (it's now just deciding between the cat costume and the monkey costume).

Catch up . . .

As the end of the school year winds down, we've found our busy-ness picking up.

A few weeks ago, we enjoyed a visit from the wife and baby of a dear friend of mine from high school. I loved catching up with Rachel, and baby Ramsey charmed all of the girls in the McLaughlin family. It was so great to see them and to meet Ramsey. Old friends are like gold . . .

It was so nice to be pampered on Mother's Day this year. Mark really came through with a yummy dinner that I didn't even have to lift a finger to help with and some beautiful flowers I'm still enjoying. The girls spent the week putting together various Mother's Day surprises. This has to be my favorite thing about Mother's Day -- the little, special homemade gifts the girls make. I treasure them! Abby and her preschool class hosted a special Mother's Day brunch which was so much fun!

We also had a magical time (by the way, "magical" is one of Jane's favorite words these days -- she displays anything beautiful or sparkly saying, "Look! It's magical, it's perfect!") going to a drive-in movie as a family. Coming back from Dallas after Spring Break, we passed a drive-in movie theater and the girls asked what it was. Mark and I had so much fun relating various memories of drive-ins from our childhood, that the girls were infected with a desire to go. We found a drive-in here in the area and had such a great time! It was an enormous success with the girls. We loaded blankets and pillows in the back of the van and snuggled up with snacks and treats. Mark and I mostly had fun watching the girls' expressions. Jane would periodically get up off my lap to groove to the music. Millie watched with wide-eyed delight, and Abby kept saying things like, "I feel like we are watching this at home!"

A recent Jane-ism: She was playing with a little friend who puckered up and gave her a kiss. She willingly kissed him back and then said, "Thank you for the wonderful kiss, Tate!"

Easter

The girls posing on Easter morning in their Easter dresses

Millie showing off her loot from the Easter bunny

Jane on the hunt

Abby hunting for eggs at Aunt Melissa's after Easter dinner

Jane taking a break while hunting for eggs at Aunt Melissa's house

The whole gang of cousins

On the train at Herman Park with Grandma McLaughlin

Jane on the playground at Herman Park

The girls dying Easter eggs for FHE. Our neighbor gave Millie the cat costume from her garage sale and Millie has loved channeling her inner cat.

We had a really fun Easter this year spending time with Mark's sister and her family and Mark's parents who were in town. We especially appreciated Grandpa McLaughlin's retiling our bathroom while he was here! What a huge help! We love it!

A recent Jane-ism:

Jane: No, Mama, I don't want a change my diaper! It's dangerous!

Spring Break

We had a great Spring Break this past week -- highlights being that Daddy took some time off (so great!) and that we went to Dallas for a few days to visit my sister Jennifer and her family (so fun!). In Dallas, the girls loved their first trip to Chuck E Cheese's -- in Abby's words, "That was sooo much fun!" -- we had fun four-wheeling and dirt-biking, "swimming" in the hot tub, and playing the Wii. Thanks for being such great hosts, Jennifer and Matt! We had a great time!
Bathing beauties

Millie and Aunt Jenny

Abby and Daddy

Waiting for a ride

An Abby-ism:

Mommy: You are such beautiful, fun, smart, kind, and precious girls!

Abby: . . . and funny!

Through the Eyes of a Child

My friend Jess did this with her daughter so I thought I'd ask my girls the same questions and see what they said. Neither of them heard the other's answers.

Millie, 7
Abby, 4

What is something mom always says to you?
M: Pick up your shoes
A: Tell the truth

What makes mom happy?
M: When I pick up my things
A: When I tell the truth

What makes mom sad?
M: When I don't pick things up
A: When I don't tell the truth

(They both seem to have a one-track mind here!)

How does your mom make you laugh?
M: By dancing funny
A: Being funny

What was your mom like as a child?
M: Good and brave
A: She played in the snow

How old is your mom?
M: 34
A: 40 (excuse me?!)

How tall is your mom?
M: 10 feet
A: 4 feet

What is her favorite thing to watch on TV?
M: General Conference (unfortunately, it is not usually General Conference that I am watching on TV . . .)
A: The News

What does your mom do when you're not around?
M: Run errands
A: Play with Jane

If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
M: Art, 'cause you're good at art
A: I don't know

What is your mom really good at?
M: Writing (Dad told me)
A: Studying things on the computer

What is your mom not very good at?
M: Nothing (here's hoping she thinks this for a long time to come . . .)
A: Drawing pictures

What does your mom do for her job?
M: Get the girls and me dressed and doing our hair
A: Studying things for your ladies (anything to do with Relief Society is referred to as "my ladies")

What is your mom's favorite food?
M: Mashed potatoes -- it's mine, too
A: Rice

What makes you proud of your mom?
M: You're an excellent cooker
A: She does something fun for me

If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
M: Eloise (?)
A: A fire engine girl (????!)

What do you and your mom do together?
M: Spend time together in the morning before school
A: Play games like UNO

How are you and your mom the same?
M: We're in the same family
A: We like each other

How are you and your mom different?
M: We don't look the same. We don't have the same color hair or eyes and we're not the same age
A: You have blue eyes and I have brown eyes

How do you know your mom loves you?
M: You're kind to me
A: Because I'm funny and you are kind to me

What does your mom like most about your dad?
M: How he's funny -- he cracks you up!
A: Since he goes to work and tries to work hard for us

Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
M: a restaurant
A: to the playspace (the gym)

Millie turns 7!

We've had a busy week full of birthday celebrations for Miss Millie. She woke up on her birthday sooo excited (this is the girl who begins waiting with baited breath and planning for her birthday in the Fall). On the way to school that morning she said, "I like being 7!" When I asked her if it felt any different she said, "A little."

We had a family celebration on her actual birthday and then had her party this weekend -- a carnival party to be exact. It was a lot of fun albeit a little hectic (16 little people=a whole lot of craziness). They seemed to mostly just want to run around so after a few organized games, we opted for freeze tag and parachute games (with a sheet). I could have saved a lot of prep time if I'd only known. By far, the biggest hit of the party was the pie throwing contest (Daddy was a good sport to pose as the target). The kids thought it was hilarious, which it, in fact, was.

This week to celebrate Millie's birthday, I've been reading entries from her baby journal and it is amazing to see how her personality is so similar to that of when she was a baby. She has such a bright, sunny disposition. She loves to laugh and loves it when her mind is engaged. No one can ever be bored when she is around because she is a source of endless creative ideas for fun. She loves her sisters, her friends, and animals (she never gives up on trying to get us to get a pet). She is so capable, helpful (mostly), and observant, and she has such a pure, sensitive, loving heart. She is a never-ending source of joy and we feel so blessed to have her in our home. We love our Millie!