March Moments

We are already nearly through March, and it's been a busy month with daily doings, young women activities, and some fun things. We are looking forward to having a 13 year old tomorrow! And also, Derek and Amy's family are visiting us for the last week of this month and we are so excited. We have had quite a bit of rain but soak up the sun when it does shine through.

Here's just a few moments and fun things that we have done so far this month.

For the entire month of February, I took charge of our ward service project and collected items for the Care Closet (hygiene items) for an amazing organization, Vine Maple Place. They help single parent families get back on their feet and teach them skills to help them be successful in life. Our ward family was incredible and donated so many items. Some even donated money and I took some young women with me shopping and then out for some ice cream. Then we took all the items to drop them off. They were so grateful, and we got to see how bare their Care Closet was and it was great to see our efforts making a difference.

On the first weekend of March, I got to attend our Stake Relief Society Retreat. It was Thursday evening to Saturday. I decided to go up on Friday morning so I wasn't away for too long so Nate didn't have to take off too much work and also, so I only had one night of not great sleep. It was incredible! It was amazing to get to know those sisters in my ward better and connect with them more and also get to know new sisters in our stake. I rode up with Boni and the car ride wasn't long enough. We could have talked for way longer. :) It was such a fun ride. When we arrived, there were some different options for classes and activities. I ended up making some cards, doing some of a rope's course (I wish I could have done more!), and then listened to part of a class on walking the path of life with Jesus. After lunch, we did a painting class which was highly entertaining, and our table was the rowdy one. We painted our own version of the Sacred Grove. We had some free time after this and some sisters in our ward all got together and played mini golf. Then we had dinner and then had a wonderful testimony meeting. It was sweet to hear the testimonies in English and Spanish. Then afterwards we had such a fun dance party. The Spanish sisters know how to dance and party! I had fun dancing with and visiting with the young women president in another ward. I ended up staying up really late visiting with Anna and Carey and helping Anna tie some bracelets. We stayed up pretty late visiting which was good since I really didn't get any sleep. There was a lot of snoring and just a new place, so I didn't sleep much. In the morning, we had group scripture study, went on a nature walk, and had a wonderful devotional about sisterhood and being one. It was truly so sweet as we stood hand in hand connected to each other and all striving to grow closer to Christ. We had some ward time, and our ward decided to have a discussion about reaching out and personally inviting other ladies in our ward to things and just ministering and helping our ward young women be more united. We had lunch and cleaned up and then it was time to head home. It was another wonderful visit, this time with Carey and learning more about her life story. I loved connecting with some amazing women that are in our stake and my ward. It was a wonderful experience! 

One day Baylor stayed home from school and wasn't feeling well. After lunch, I created some math worksheets for her where she had to use legos to figure out the problems. She really enjoyed it!

Paige went to her first school dance and had so much fun! She went with a couple of her good friends and they had a blast.

Paige loves to do McCall's hair and does an amazing job. McCall is tolerant mostly because she gets to watch shows on Paige's computer while it gets done. Her cute face just melts me even if doing hair is a bit of a torture. :)

I have continued to do my Ladies of the Lake gatherings once a month and for March, a group of us went to the temple for our Stake Relief Society Temple Day. I go to the temple often with the youth and do baptisms. It was sweet to do an endowment session.

We are so happy it is finally spring! I'm loving the spring flowers in my yard and can't wait for them all to grow more and for more days out in the sun.

Our combined activity for the month was going to ride go-karts and we had so much fun.

Now to end our month with lots of fun celebrations and time with family!

Home Edit & New Rooms

We made some big changes over our long weekend for President's Day break and we did some major cleaning and organizing. Paige has been wanting her own room for awhile now. She even had me sign a contract saying she would get her own room before the end of this school year. :) Well, her dreams came true and we made the big switch. McCall out of the crib and into a big girl bed (Now if I call her my baby, she says "No. Big Girl!") and Paige got her dream of a new room fit with a queen sized bed. She would have gone smaller, but the deal was that her room is the guest bedroom. So whenever we have guests stay overnight, she gets kicked out of her room and the guests get her room. We ended up making the switch a little earlier since Derek and Amy are coming mid-March, and I wanted them to have a nice room to sleep in.

It all started a week or so before our long weekend. We have a closet that had some toys and some towels and other odds and ends. I took everything out and made some room for more toy storage and moved towels into the bathroom and moved some toys from the bedrooms into here. I love these storage bins from Walmart. I had Paige help me with labels that go on the shelf right under each bin. We also had to get a mattress. We decided to go through Facebook Marketplace. We found one with the frame that was perfect. I went with Dale, and it turned into a bit of an ordeal. We had to wait 45 minutes for the guy to show up. Dale and I worked together and tied the mattress to the top of the van. We only got a few minutes away and the top half of the mattress came untied and swung backwards. So we had to pull over and adjust and Dale ended up sitting in the back seat hold onto the straps to keep it on. We got home and realized that the frame was queen sized but the mattress was only a full. Nate contacted the guy, and he was kind enough to give us some of our money back. Nate found a queen online again, and Nate and Dale went the next day to pick it up and it worked out great.

McCall had her last night in her crib! It makes me sad knowing she may be my last one in a crib, but she is getting so big and growing so fast. She never tried to crawl out of her crib so she could have lasted longer in it but Paige was ready for the change.

She was so tiny in the big crib at one point! This crib has been amazing for us! We bought it from Sue Anderson all those years ago right before we had Paige. It's been a bed and a safe place for all three of my girls. It was sad to wrap it up and put it up in the garage. A miracle will be the only reason we pull it out again for our own use.

Saturday was the big clean out and home edit. Paige said the week before, school was the longest week of her life because she was so excited for this change. Our house was a DISASTER! Margaret walked in and said she had never seen our house like that before. There were messes like this one in every single room in our house. We pulled everything out of the girl's rooms and went through it all. We got rid of so much stuff and the girls were amazing at letting go of lot of things and really helping with putting things in bins and going to the store so we could get some shelving to put in the closet.

Progress was slowly made, and I got both rooms pretty deep cleaned before putting stuff back in.

Their rooms look amazing and so organized! It is truly wonderful! Paige had so much fun picking out details and furnishings she wanted in her room. She loved organizing her own space and has spent so much time in her little oasis. The first night she said she felt like she was in a hotel. It has been a wonderful change for her and she loves her own little space and piece of heaven in our home.

Baylor and McCall's room also looks so nice and organized. They have a lot of toys in their room so it took a lot of organizing. We added shelving on the one side. We got rid of entire bin that held dress up things. I love their bookshelf. They have their own little reading nook and bins of toys that they access daily. All the girls now know where everything goes and we have really been great when they get one thing out and are done with it, they put in away before getting out the next thing. When everything has a place and is organized it makes life so much easier and keeps my house so much cleaner. And the fact that the girls helped with the process has helped them take ownership in it all.

Baylor loves the top bunk, and it has been an adjustment for McCall being in a bed she can get in and out of. She loves her bed but staying in it has had its moments. Quite a few nights, I have laid next to her until she falls asleep. We have gotten to the point since she can't open the door, that we get her into bed and then just shut the door and let her do her thing until she falls asleep. One night she fell out of bed. I'm not sure how that happened since there is only about a foot gap at the end of the bed. One morning, I found her lying on the floor with her head partially under the bunk bed. One morning, in the wee hours, she woke up and ran into her closet door. Oh, what an adventure! She does really good some nights, and other nights are interesting. I know with time, she will adjust. Baylor and McCall love sharing a room and are doing wonderful together.

It was one big project but so worth it!

Love Day

Happy Valentine's Day! I really love holidays and a reason to celebrate love, have some fun, and embrace traditions.

The girls woke up to some fun gifts and candy.

Paige and Baylor were excited to see McCall's reaction so we had to wake her up a little early so she could see all her goodies before we took her sisters to school. I'm pretty sure she just had candy for breakfast.... :)

I had little sprinkles of love notes all over the house from Nate. He's the sweetest and knows how to make me smile.

The girls love the tradition of candy all down the hallway to wake up to. We had pink, heart-shaped pancakes. I'm not as good as my mom in making shaped pancakes. These two that I have a picture of were my best ones. The other ones her lumpy. Baylor even told me to call gradma (my mom) to get lessons. :)

Another favorite tradition is a heart on their door leading  up to Valentine's Day. (Nate writes on half and I write on half.)

Things we love about Paige:

• I love your sense of adventure to try new things......sometimes.
• I love that you love books and you are always finding new ones to read.
• I love how confident in yourself you have become.
• I love the fun activities and games you come up with for your sisters.
• I love how creative you are.
• You are the best gift giver and gift wrapper.
• I love your kindness.
• I love how brave you are becoming.
• I love how loyal you are to friends and family.
• I love watching you compete especially in gymnastics. You are SO graceful!
• I love you determination to being better and improving yourself.
• I love your desire to read the scriptures, improve, and be your best self.
• I love you! Love, Dad
• Happy Valentines Day! We love you!

Things we love about Baylor:

• I love your smile and your eyes when you do.
• I love playing games with you.... when you don't cheat.
• I love how you are a trickster, like me (from Dad).
• I love how quick you are to help and do your chores.
• I love your silliness and humor.
• I love the twinkle in your eyes and your cute freckles and smile. Your smile lights up a room!
• I love your big hugs.....even though they are rare.
• I love how much you love to be outside and go on adventures.
• I love watching you learn new things like reading.
• I love your desire to help cook, set the table, and make food especially cookies.
• I love how you create things with your imagination, like artwork and for building.
• I love that you are always quick to remind me to read our scripture question before bed.
• I love you! Love, Dad
• Happy Valentine's Day! We love you!

Things we love about McCall:

• I love when you hide under a blanket.
• I love reading books to you.
• I love watching you learn and grow.
• I love the cute and funny faces you make.
• I love when you say "It's okay!"
• I love how much you love to play in the water.
• I love when you sing and dance.
• I love that you are my little helper especially with cookies.
• I love how you check on others when they get hurt.
• I love when you fall asleep when I'm holding you.
• I love how you enjoy/love being outside.
• I love that way you say "Hold you!" when you want to be picked up. How can I resist?
• I love you! Love, Dad
• Happy Valentine's Day! We love you!

Baylor made the sweetest cards for everyone and Paige made these really cute surprise boxes with sweet notes from all the girls and from her. She also gave Nate and I our favorite candy bars.

Reasons why the girls love Dad:

• He buys me stuff at the outlet.
• He plays games with me.
• He helps me.
• He is nice.
• He goes to the outlet with me.
• He rubs my back.
• He is loving.
• He loves the outdoors.
• He works hard for us.
• He is an amazing dad!
• "I love you so much! You are the best dad in the entire world and I wouldn't trade you for anything. I love how you love your family, the gospel, and you also have many other extraordinary qualities. Love ya, Paige"

Reasons why the girls love Mom:

• She takes me to school.
• She helps me.
• She does art with me.
• She plays games with me.
• She makes me food.
• She cares for me.
• She rubs my back.
• She is kind.
• She cooks amazing food.
• She loves being in nature.
• She is an amazing mom!
• "I love you so much! You are the best mom in the entire world and I wouldn't trade you for anything. I love your love for the gospel, your family, and you have so many likeable attributes. Love ya, Paige"

It was a morning filled with love for each other! I spent the day making some delicious treats to deliver to some family and friends. I was able to visit with Anna for about a half an hour before I had to get the girls from school. Baylor had so much fun with her Valentine's day party at school and came home with lots of little treats and sweet notes. We had our traditional dinner of spaghetti, pink Jell-o, heart shaped cheesy bread, and salad. It was a wonderful day!

 

Snow Days

We had our first snow of the winter and it lasted days! Baylor was for sure the most excited about it all. It all started Saturday but didn't stick much. By the time Baylor and McCall got all bundled up in their snow clothes, they lasted about 5 minutes because the snow changed to rain. Bummer! They looked super cute though!

The forecast was snow off and on for the rest of the week so the bin of snow clothes stayed in the house and we were ready for whatever mother nature threw our way. Sunday we got quite a bit of snow so these two had fun out in it for a bit before church. 

Then Monday was our first offical snow day with no school. It looked like by afternoon that a lot of it would melt away so we started our day right after breakfast to enjoy all the fun the snow had to offer. We first went to Lake Meridian Park to go sledding. The girls all loved it. Paige didn't last as long and Pops was kind enough to walk over and get her. She was still recovering from sickness and her body didn't quite have as much stamina as usual. I wasn't sure how McCall would do but she loved everything about it. She only went down with other people but I got the cutest video of her sledding down with me as she had her hands up in the air. Baylor was happy to go down as many times as she could and would take turns going by herself and then with McCall.

We made a quick stop at Nona and Pops and had some snow ball fun.

Then Baylor and I made a snowman and Baylor loved putting it all together. I made a snowball and got watercolor paints which McCall loved for a bit and Baylor decided to give her snow women some makeup. 

Then we all enjoyed some snow cones made with real snow!

It was such a fun snow day! The next day the girls also didn't have school and they spent a few hours out with the neighbors in the snow. Nate and I have enjoyed some walks down our street while the big fluffy snowflakes were falling which was wonderful. The girls didn't have school on Wednesday and had a late start today. Our school district is quick to cancel school which I'm not a fan of mostly because it eats into my summer break, but we have enjoyed our days off and some fun in the snow.

 

January

Onto a new year and new adventures. We already have some really fun vacations planned and we are excited for what this year will bring for our little family. January has actually gone by pretty fast though I'm tired of the cold. The first full week of January we had super nice weather and it was magical and I thought we were going to have a warm winter but then the next week, it all changed and it's been so cold since. It has been really sunny for here which makes it a little harder for me because I see the sun shining and I want to be outside but then I go outside and think to myself, "Nevermind!"

That one week of warm weather was glorious. On one of the super nice days, it got up into the 50s and I went on a walk with a friend on the Soos Creek trail and then McCall and I spent some time in the backyard soaking up the sun. She played in her little car and in the playhouse, I drew with chalk with her and I also got some yard work done and cleaned up the backyard a litte more.

McCall had to wear her sling until the 21st of January so wearing a jacket is pretty tricky but she got good a holding her arm to her stomach and playing with one hand out and one hand from under her jacket.

My spring flowers are starting to pop which makes me SO happy!

Paige had a couple of gymnstic meets in January and finished up the season. She is sad for it be over and wished it was all year. 

The week of the Varsity Meet, Baylor got sick and then McCall so it was lot of nights with not very much sleep and Baylor in our room to keep Paige healthy so she could compete at her last meet. With McCall being sick, she would take naps and fall asleep and one time she even fell asleep on the table.

Paige's varsity meet! The judge was harder in this meet than any other judge she has had so her score wasn't her best but she did so good and this season she improved and even landed her cartwheel on the beam which was amazing and she was so proud of herself.

I got to go on a late night temple trip with the young women which was wonderful! Our first of the year and lots more to come.

The rest of January was spent busy with school, gymgnastic practice and meets, young women activities, and just living life in the cold. We are so ready for spring! Nate and I worked on cleaning out the garage one Saturday which was nice. Another Saturday we did our first Get Out Pass activity and spent quite a bit of time at Family Fun Center playing games in their arcade. We have been watching Beast Games and the girls love it and always look forward to Thursdays. I love our little family!

 

Christmas Visitors

 We had a wonderful two weeks with my parent as we celebrated Christmas. They came a week before the girl's were out of school so that they could watch Paige in a gymnastics meet. Grandma and Poppy arrived Monday evening and then Tuesday the adventures began. While Paige and Baylor were at school, I took my parents and McCall and we went and wrapped presents for the Forgotten Children's Fund. This was my third time going this year and it's always a great experience. It's fun to "shop" for kids in need and think about what they would love and then wrapping the presents and imagining the joy they will have on Christmas. 

Then that evening after dinner, we drove around with some hot chocolate to enjoy and looked at Christmas lights close to us. We found some pretty amazing ones!

Wednesday we spent the day at home and I made different kinds of cookies to take to our youth activity tonight. Then we got to go to Paige's gymnastics meet. She did amazing! She was so close to landing her cartwheel on the beam and then she did the floor routine for the very first time and was incredible. She is so graceful and I love watching her compete!

Thursday my parents had another day at our house. I prepared for art and then went and taught Baylor's class art in the afternoon. McCall had an early morning and ended up falling asleep early during the day. She is still adjusting to no naps and she randomly falls asleep on occassion and it really is the cutest thing even though it means she will be up late that night. After dinner, we watched the Survivor finale to end our day.

Friday, while the girls were at school, my parents, McCall, and I spent the day at the church helping set up for the ward Christmas party. Anna did amazing with the paintings and it all turned out so good. It was fun to help and gave us something to do for the day.

We enjoyed the party that evening. We had an excellent dinner and the Grinch even showed up and was so entertaining. Nate took Baylor and McCall home a little early before picture time since they were tired and ready to be home.

Saturday, Nate and I went to the temple while my parents took the girls to the Family History Discovery Center. They had a wonderful time until the very end and McCall fell from a chair and they couldn't really comfort her or get her to stop crying. They were waiting in the waiting room when we got out of the temple. McCall was still crying and I knew this was a different cry than normal. I asked where her owie was and she pointed to her shoulder. I took her outside to try and calm her and my immediate thoughts were that she broke her collarbone. We went to Desert Book and she kept crying. We already bought tickets to see the lights at Bellevue Botanical Gardens and so we were trying to decide what to do. We were in two cars which was a blessing so Nate took McCall so he could take her to the ER back home and I drove the other car and the rest of us got some dinner and saw the amazing light display.

I got dropped off the ER after two hours and Nate was still waiting in the waiting room. They went through triage and I guess it was pretty traumatic for McCall. She cuddled with me the rest of the evening while we waited to get called back. It was so busy that we didn't even get put in a room but just on a bed in the hallway. The doctor looked at her and checked all her arm and by her reactions thought it was her shoulder or collarbone. We did the X-ray which she did amazing with and then she fell asleep soon after while we waited some more. The doctor confirmed what I thought and she fractured her right collarbone. We got a cute, tiny sling for her to wear and she was a trooper through it all.

Sunday was our Christmas service. Sacrament meeting was wonderful and Baylor even got to sing with the primary. McCall fell asleep pretty much as soon as we sat down. The long night and emotions from the day before got to her. She has done so well with dealing with the sling! We watched the Seahawks game in the evening to end our day.

Monday's adventure was going to the movie theater to see Moana 2. Nate stayed home with McCall but the rest of us went and enjoyed a great movie. We haven't gone to a movie since 2021 so it was a fun treat.

Merry Christmas Eve! I love Christmas Eve just as much or maybe even a little more than Christmas Day. There is so much joy and anticipation in this day and I love the fun traditions we do on Christmas Eve.

This year, the rain took a break so we enjoyed a family walk in the forest across the street from us. We took a few gnome ornaments and Paige and Baylor hung them along the trail.

Then I took my parents and we went and saw the wreaths on the graves at Tahoma National Cemetery.

Next was making some cookies for Santa and I had some great helpers.

McCall fell asleep right before we were going to Nona and Pop's house and so she had a nap right under the Christmas tree. Her little angelic face got so many kisses as she snoozed away.

Sandwich time!

And lighting our annual Santa candle.

Then it was present time. Some favorite moments from the night were McCall loving herself in the mirror that she got from Nona and Baylor's excitement when opening presents.

Eggnog toast!

Then it was back home for Christmas jammies, getting everything ready for Santa, and then off to bed with such excitment for tomorrow!

Christmas morning was filled with excitment and fun! Christmas is so joyous with kids especially with Baylor who is truly the best person to watch open presents because she shows how she feels on her face when she opens a gift.

Paige was so happy with her gifts and she is truly the best gift giver!

McCall got this candy in her stocking and she was content. She opened maybe two presents and then was done. She had no interest in opening presents and didn't really understand that toys and fun things were under all that wrapping paper. Eventually Paige convinced to try and open some more to get toys and then she picked a gift that had clothes and when she opened it exclaimed, "No! I want toys!" and threw the clothes to the side. :)

It was a fun morning filled with happiness and some delicious cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

I got a gift that has been on my wish list for a few years- a paddle board! I told the girls we are going to the lake every day this summer. :)

The girls were loved so much this year and got some many fun things!

Oh how I love these sweet faces!

Nate and I's haul this year!

We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas dinner with my parents and Nate's parents which was a special treat. It was a great way to end our Christmas. Here's our Santa candle at the end of the day.

Thursday was kind of a catch up day. We did some grocery shopping in the morning and then we were going to go to the Kent Historical Museum but it was closed so we all went to the Goodwill Outlet. The rest of the day was spent playing with Christmas gifts and lego building.

Friday we borrowed Nona and Pop's van and took an adventure up to Seattle.

We went to the Sheraton Grand Hotel to see their gingerbread display. It is a free event and even though there aren't very many to look at, they are INCREDIBLE! The details were amazing and the theme this year was around the world.

We walked around the streets of Seattle a bit as we wandered back to our car.

Then we went to Alderwood Mall and had some lunch at Shake Shack which was so good. Then we wandered through the mall and bought some things at the Giving Machine.

We ended our day spending lots of quality time with the Smith side and cousins. We hade lots of eggrolls for dinner and Nate and I did donuts for dessert.

Our last day with Grandma and Poppy, we went swimming at the aquatic center. Carly joined us for this outing. We enjoyed a wonderful family dinner before we all went to the airport to drop them off.

It was a wonderful visit even with not the greatest weather and our car situation wasn't the best case scenario. We made the most of it and enjoyed time with them and loved this wonderful Christmas season!