Perfect Day

I can't even believe how beautiful this day was (I'm more than a week late getting this post out...better late than never?) It was windy, breezy, sunny and any other word ending in "y" you can use to describe basically what I'll always look back on as a perfect day. Mom, you can't ever move cause your backyard is too perfect for these impromptu baseball games with the family. Here are some pictures...

It began with a brisk 5K in the morning (ha, ha!)


Next was group lessons over at Mom's where Meagan and Ellie had fun dressing up. I was happy this kept them occupied. Normally they tear through the house searching every bathroom and room for lotion, makeup, perfume, etc...


Jonah playing in the tree house...more like just sitting there, too scared to budge an inch for fear of falling.


And then because all the cousins hang out after group lessons for a while, this ball game ensued...

"Which way is first?"

"Alright, here I go!"

Hi five with Emma

Pres-dawg! you look like a pro!

Even the big boys had a good time.

Bag Tag

Elizabeth, knowing how well I enjoy these little gimmicks, has "bag tagged" me. Normally I might be stubborn and refuse, but I have an ulterior motive this time which serves not only to get back at Elizabeth for the embarrassing mess you're about to see but to right the wrong in this picture...


So, Elizabeth here's the deal...Josh bought me a Coach bag for my birthday knowing I needed a new bag and wanting me to have something nice, but also knowing that I'd never in a million years spend quite so much of our tax refund on a new bag. It was a sweet gesture but the purse wasn't exactly the right fit. Here's where you come in...help me find the perfect bag! I thought maybe you could even dedicate a whole post on Style Picnic for me. I'll send you details later if you're up for it.

And now for the tally...

water bottle
smelly Bath & Body Works lotion
Ellie's purse
Land Before Time
birthday card from Em (I love the lotion by the way, em!)
J.Crew credit card holder (thanks Elizabeth)
an assortment of toys including Lehi
snacks
pen
brown crayon
earphones for the gym
gum
diapers...but no wipes (that's gonna be messy)
costco receipt
dentist receipt
grocery list
wallet
some random socks that don't make a pair
tampon
pad
toothbrush
checkbook
phone (finally)
charlotte's snotty tissue
...and a bunch of other junk that I couldn't help throwing out before posting

Karolina, I dedicate this post to you. Your gift has served me well this past year...so well that the edges are worn, the wire protruding and it's time to say, "Farewell, lovely pink and navy polk-a-dot J.Crew bag! You'll be greatly missed!"

I bag tag Joni, Erika, Emily and because I'm quite certain yours will be clean, Mom Greer.

A Four Year Old's Perspective of the Atonement

During Family Home Evening last night Jonah was giving the prayer which recently has gone from "Heavenly Father, bless this day, in the name of Jesus Christ" to something a little more substantial like...

"Heavenly Father, bless this day, bless that Jesus can die, bless that we all can die, and help us to be zerrected..."

Again, I'm amazed at their simple minds. It's why I always loved being in primary. When life starts getting too complicated I should just listen to my kids a bit more!

Warning!

This is not for the feint of stomach, but too funny and memorable to pass up. I realize I may even lose a reader or two (so there go you all!), but Charlotte may get a laugh out of it one day and so I proceed...

Notice the unleashed diaper in the background. Try not to notice the smudges on her mouth...yuck!

I'd cry too if I found myself in this poopy predicament...

Feeling much better...

And looking much cuter.

Liberties, eh?

While I'm not sure I would have consented to the liberties you took with your choice of photos, Josh, I will let it slide for the beautiful comments you made. Thanks for making my birthday special as always.

Querida

Querida

Josh, here - taking some liberties with Amy's blog.

Whenever we have friends over, someone undoubtedly asks, "How did you two meet?" This always provides me with an opportunity to explain some of my favorite things about Amy.

While it is true that Amy and I attended the same high school it is also true that we can never remember speaking to one another during school. Now this could result from our drastic social situations (Amy and her friends were some of the most popular in the school - me, not so much), or by the off chance that we failed to cross paths during our adolescent years. Regardless of the real reasons, we never did anything together until I returned from my mission and Amy returned from BYU.

After we began running with the same crowd, I finally realized that this was the girl from me and I rustled up the courage to ask her out. I started noticing some special things about Amy. First, she was brilliant. When we first started dating Amy lived in Queen Creek. I was extremely nervous about picking her up as I was concerned about the conversations in the hour drive to Phoenix. However, this was not a problem. She had some much to say and was completely at ease. She has the incredible capacity and desire to learn and grow.

Second, she was beautiful. Our first date she wore and red sweater and black pants. She has deep blue eyes that seem to jump when she is talking about something she's interested in. Fortunately for our daughters, Amy has passed this trait to Charlotte and Ellie.

Third, Amy is passionate. Whether it is music, are children, or occasionally me, Amy is passionate about life. She eagerly seeks for new adventures and experiences. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Amy breaks down difficult tasks or assignments and always finds a way to make things work.

After that first date, I was hooked. I have been ever since. Through the past several years, I have learned to love and cherish the spark that she brings to our family and to all those around her.

Thank you for all you do. Happy Birthday, Querida!

Josh

Meet Handsome...

...also known as Maxsome, also know as Mason. Really his name is Hampton, but every day Jonah goes through a few variations of this before finally asking, "What's his name, Mom?" I'm not sure what's so tricky about it.

Josh bought this Beta for his nursery class lesson, which was "I can be thankful for fish." Next week's lesson is "I can be thankful for bugs." I don't know why but that just makes me laugh. I want to be two. Life is so simple when you're two.

Anyway, I was a little leery to let Josh buy the fish because of the very strict "No Pets" policy in our home, but I figured how bad can it be? So now we're all just concentrating really hard on not letting Handsome die.