So, that is why Sarah is so sweet...

Okay, so I think I might need to be a little concerned. Anyone who has been to any social events recently where food has been involved will understand my dilemma. My beautiful, charming, 2-year old daughter has been body-snatched by none other than...the Cookie Monster. That can be my only explanation for the endless pit she becomes anytime a food substance with a sugar content higher than Cheerios is placed within her general presence. This morning we went to Brooke Perkins 4th birthday party at the park, and my daughter NEVER LEFT THE FOOD the whole 2 hours we were there. No, seriously. A whole park and even her bike were at her disposal, but she was more interested in being a garbage disposal--taking down 2-3 cupcakes (not to mention the frosting off of about 5 others), 3 Otterpops, and more handfuls of a cookie/pretzel/goldfish mix than I could count. And you should have seen her face when I finally put my foot down and stopped Gwen from giving her a 3rd Otterpop! You would think Gwen had kicked her in the face. Poor Gwen, she had to run away just to avoid looking at Sarah's puppy dog pout. (By the way, Sarah ended up getting her 3rd Otterpop by shmoozing up to some of Hilari's unsuspecting children. Sorry Emily and Natalie!) I really do feed my child, I promise!



Maybe other parents have this problem as well, but for the moms who saw my petite little munchkin go at it today (or at last week's Girls' night or at the Ward party on Friday, etc.), it is awe-inspiring, to say the least. Sarah never really had sugar before she turned 1, and Aaron hardly had any sugar at all before he was 2. We rarely even keep sweets in the house. And to think, my girlfriends used to give me a hard time about being such a sugar-Nazi, and of course, this is what I get. Hmmm...maybe they were right.

"Birthday....to you...." =)

Here's a fun clip of us singing to Sarah for her birthday!

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

So all day yesterday as we were driving around in the car, Sarah would randomly break out singing, "Birthday...to you....Birthday.....to you...." at the top of her lungs with a gigantic 2 year-old grin on her face. And if you ask her how old she is now, she'll proudly tell you she's a whopping "Two!" Ya think she knew it was her birthday?

Well, yes, yesterday was Sarah's 2nd birthday, and even though I think 2 is a little young to have a full party, we couldn't help but celebrate at least a little! Since I had to work yesterday (her actual birthday), Kjer (Aaron and Sarah's babysitter extraordinaire), really made sure that Sarah had a special day, from a homemade crown and fun birthday hat, to a picnic in the backyard. After preschool, Jon joined us and we all headed to the park until the almost 90 degree sun chased us away and we decided to go do a little birthday shopping for Sarah. Unfortunately, we're still a little undecided on what to get her (do we go with a trike where she can actually reach the pedals or do we go with the dress-up clothes?), so after about 45 minutes of playing in the toy section of Walmart, we left empty-handed. Don't fear, Sarah, you'll still get something great, even if it's not on your actual b-day!

Because Jon was off today, too, (it's good to be married to a teacher!), we decided to really celebrate Sarah's birthday today, so I made super-yummy cupcakes, invited all the friends, and we headed to a nearby(ish) (nothing is too close out here) McDonald's with a fabulous play area. Despite my overall aversion to MickeyD's, everyone still had a great time, especially the kids, who even after more than an hour had to be torn from the play area. Sarah loved all the attention, the presents (including a fabulous crown and wand from Kjer!), and the cupcakes. Overall, I think Sarah's 2nd birthday was a HUGE success. Happy Birthday Princess!

Mommy's Little Girl

Sarah with her cupcake and birthday loot.

Is that the face of an angel, or what?

All dressed up, and I'm sure she'll think of someplace to go! (Although I may be able to blackmail her with this picture when she's a 'tweener!)

What's Your Personality?

Hey everyone,
Gwen sent me this link to a fun personality quiz. I've taken a lot of these in the past (I used to administer them a lot for my job as a College and Career Specialist in California), but I always think it's fun to get to know yourself a little better. It's a pretty simple test, of course, but I thought my outcome, at least, sounded a lot like me. I'd be interested to hear what other people came out as. If you do the quiz, leave a comment on my blog and let us know!

Here's the link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/whatamilike/index.shtml

Here's what I came out as:
Provider:

• Warm, caring people who value order and tradition
• Loyal workers who follow through on commitments
• Think of themselves as sympathetic, easy-going and steady
• They don't feel comfortable with radical change

More about Providers:

• Providers like to make plans with other people and then to work with them towards achievable goals in a fun, harmonious environment. They support people that are important to them and respect their individuality.
• Providers have traditional values and support order and responsible behaviour. They enjoy social events, particularly family celebrations, and often help plan them.
• Providers work hard to avoid conflict, but they will state their beliefs when they think it is suitable.
• In situations where they can't use their talents or are unappreciated, Providers may doubt their abilities and focus solely on the needs of other people. Under extreme stress, Providers may withdraw completely and become excessively critical of themselves and others.
• Providers prefer warm, face-to-face communication and often express their ideas by telling stories from their own lives.
• Providers are often drawn to jobs in education, health care or religion.

Hilari's Birthday--Through my eyes

Hilari's birthday week was fun for us all. Here are some pics to prove it! Happy Birthday, Hil!

Hilari's family gathering around the cake!

All the girls--Hil, Gwen, me, Rebekah--and Hil's new toy!

The Girls and the Guys--"Happy Birthday, Hilari!"

Girls' Night/Birthday Party at Pei Wei

Outside of Barnes and Nobles--a little post-dinner window shopping

It's Good to Be Me

Happy 30th Birthday to Hil! I'm sure Hil will post all the juicy details of her party-filled week, so I'll let you read her blog for all that. But I have to admit, it's nice to no longer be the only girl in our group over 30. It's weird, but even though I'm 3 years older than most of the girls in the group (and substantially older than some of the others!), I've always just considered myself the same age as all of them (even the 26-year olds.) Could that be because I have younger children than most of them, or because I got married later than most of them? I don't know. Maybe it's because I still find myself learning from all of them so much that it's hard to consider myself older than them. I know...it's simply my eternal youth that makes my age seem so insubstantial. =) Yeah, right. If only that were the case!

Well, whatever it is, I love my age, my friends, and my life in general. As I sit here writing this with my sweet Sarah on my lap, who is alternately giving me kisses and force-feeding me bites of her Cheerios, and Aaron in the background excitedly playing with his trains, I can't help but be struck by how special my life is. I have two amazingly sweet children, I have a husband and marriage that defy most fairytales, and I have a circle of friends that is truly an extension of my family, and I have an extended family on both sides that is truly a circle of friends. I have always had more than enough--without having too much to appreciate what I have. As busy as I get between work, church, family, and life, I love everything I do. And I have the Gospel in my life and in my home, which not only has contibuted to all the above mentioned blessings, but also helps me keep an eternal perspective whenever life does seem a little overwhelming. I feel very blessed and very grateful. Sorry if I seem to have rambled or if I seem at all braggy in this post, but my heart feels very full today. It really is good to be me. =)

April Kids

Semi-Annual Intercession Conference BBQ!

Happy Birthday James!

Fabulous Conference Weekend

What a fun weekend! Not only was it Conference weekend, always a favorite in our home (bonus: I don't have to do anything for Primary!), but we started by celebrating the arrival of Cary's newest little one (her fourth), James David Brown. We got to enjoy Jennifer's visit, as well, as she spent the week being Cary's personal angel and helping her take care of anything and everything during her final week before James' arrival. We visited Cary in the hospital Friday night, and, of course, she looked completely radiant, unlike myself after childbirth where I resemble something out of a Stephen King novel for quite some time. Oh, well. That is why she has 4 children and I only have 2--I can only endure so much pain and humiliation. (I guess it helps that her children literally slide right out of her without even pushing. Way to go, James.)

Conference was, as always, a delight, and we loved being able to sustain Pres. Monson during the Solemn Assembly. I was priviliged to actually be in the Tabernacle for the Solemn Assembly when Pres. Hinckley was sustained, which was an amazing and spiritual experience, but I have to admit that the Spirit was undiminished by the fact that I could only participate via my television this time.

Today we also enjoyed our 12th Semi-Annual Intercession Conference BBQ, (yes, that's an official title), a twice-yearly tradition that Jon and I began the first conference of our marriage back in October of 2002. The "Bring Your Own Meat and Any Side Dish to Share" open invitation ensures that there is plenty of good eats to go around. Some years we've had as many as 30+ people attending. This year we enjoyed the company of the Roses, Howards, Harmons, and Trevor and Chelsey Howard--with kids, our total was 25! (We missed the Browns, Dunns, and Lees, who would have made our total 42!)

I'm posting some pics of all our fun adventures this week--hope you enjoy!

Vegas Pics!

Here's our Vegas pics, as promised. Jen's in town right now to help Cary get ready for the new baby, which should be joining our family any minute! Cary's at the hospital as I write this, so hopefully we'll here some good news real soon! Updates to come!

Las Vegas Pictures!