Happy 4th Birthday Bryn!!

Bryn turned four this past week and what a celebration it has been. Lucky for Brynnie her birthday fell on a Wednesday so she got to celebrate for several days in a row. She woke up in the morning on her actual birthday to a breakfast of donuts and smoothies courtesy of her daddy. By the time I got home (with birthday balloons) from my early morning workout at the gym, Bryn was already decked out in her party dress...courtesy of Grandma.

Bryn got to ditch ballet that day and go out to lunch with Daddy for her birthday which was her main request. Bryn is a girl who loves to go out to lunch. Her first choice was Old MacDonalds...aka McDonalds. Gross. Remember just a few posts ago when I was thrilled that McDonalds finally would put Fish Bites in Happy Meals thus making my life so much easier? Yeah, that was short lived. No more fish bites and back to their usual inability to put a filet-o-fish in a Happy Meal again. Good-bye McDonalds. Forever. Good Riddance. Bryn changed her mind a the last minute and wanted to go to her VERY FAVORITE food joint...Taco Bell. She got a real treat and actually got to go inside and eat. She didn't even know that was possible. Ha ha. I am also happy to report that Taco Bell has a Kids Meal now so...yeah...no more McDonalds.

 

Look at those two cuties!!

Taco Bell is very vegetarian kid friendly!!

Bryn was excited to see one of her high school Big Buddies from Preschool at McDonalds too. Her Big Buddy came over to tell her Happy Birthday and give her a big hug. Bryn felt very cool to be hangin' with the high schoolers.

My dear friend Tiffany shares a birthday with Bryn... and Tiff, Tyler and I have spent countless hours hangin' at the Bell in Provo while in college so we texted Tiffany this Happy Birthday Greeting. We miss that girl.

There were tons of activities for the rest of the family that night so we didn't have Bryn's party that night but that didn't stop the celebrating. Aunt Kelley and Elle came over to wish Bryn a Happy Birthday and to drop off her present. Any day that Bryn gets to hang out with her Elle-Belle is a good one!!

Lucky for Brynnie the Young Women were doing cake decorating for their mutual activity that night so Reilly made a mini-birthday cake for Bryn along with the pink "pinkalicious" cupcakes she had already made for Bryn and for her French class.

Then on Friday Bryn got to bring treats to preschool for her birthday. Alas, gone are the days of bringing cupcakes to school anymore. So sad. Bryn brought "birthday cake" oreos and was pretty excited about that.

On Saturday we did Bryn's birthday activity. She wanted to go to the movies. We all went to see The Croods which I thought was a pretty cute movie. Bryn LOVED it. It is so nice that she can now finally sit through a movie and that the whole family can go together.

We made a quick stop at the toy store where Bryn picked out some magnetic wooden paper doll style dolls that she wanted.

Her birthday gifts from her brother and sisters were some new clothes for Petunia (her pink teddy bear) from Build-a-Bear.

Chillin' at the Food Court

 These two just split a ginormous Cinnabon cinnamon roll. Gross. (I hate cinnamon rolls and the smell of them. It hearkens back to the days of being a lunch helper in elementary school.) So this was a real BIRTHDAY TREAT. Bryn is CRAZY about cinnamon rolls. ;)

Then it was off to Walmart to pick out a "big girl bike"(her gift from Mommy and Daddy). She rode that thing all around Walmart...up and down the aisles as we got our other items...to the check-out... and out the door. Walmart annoys the !@#$ out of me every single time I go so this was a little pay back. :)

Then Sunday, after church, we had her family birthday dinner and cake. Yep, she was still riding that bike...around and around the kitchen.

Here are a few facts about Bryn at 4:

1.) Her best friends are Elle, Naomi, Rylynn, and Jackson. She talks about them all day long.

2.) When she grows up she is "going to marry Justin Bieber."

3.) Her favorite color is hot pink...not pink...HOT PINK.

4.) Her favorite shows are Tiger's Neighborhood and Curious George.

5.) Her favorite foods are bananas (She can eat a whole bunch in one sitting...we have to limit her.),
     macaroni and cheese, and chips and salsa. This girl can pound chips and HOT salsa like
     nobody's business.

6.) She wants to be a model (thanks Reilly) and a mom when she grows up.

7.) Her favorite phrase is "Well..that's awkward" which she never uses in the proper way or
     at the proper time and has us all in hysterics whenever she says it.

8.) She made up a song that she sings to me every morning. It goes like this "Crack of Good Morning
     to you Mommy!! Crack of Good Morning to You!!"

9.) She is EXTREMELY polite.

10.) She loves to give lots of hugs and kisses which we all happily receive.

Happy Birthday Brynnie!! You are one TERRIFIC kid. We love you lots!!

Book Reviews


Here are a couple of books that I have read. Both were interesting. I would recommend both of these books but be warned that The River of Doubt is a little drier and may appeal more to the historian or naturalist.

This book was recommended to me by my sister, Stacey. She read it with her book club about a year ago. I have had this book waiting but I have needed to be in the right mood to read it. About 2 weeks ago I dove in. I am still not sure I was in the right mood for this non-fiction, historical account of Theodore Roosevelt and his trip down the River of Doubt; an uncharted tributary of the Amazon in 1913.

From Goodreads:

"At once an incredible adventure narrative and a penetrating biographical portrait, The River of Doubt is the true story of Theodore Roosevelt’s harrowing exploration of one of the most dangerous rivers on earth."

I can't say I loved this book but I can't say that I didn't like it either. This account of Roosevelt's exploration of the River of Doubt in the Brazilian rain forest was, at times, thoroughly fascinating and, at other times, extremely slow-moving and tedious. I enjoyed learning more about our rather colorful 26th President of the United States. The book has inspired me to learn more about Theodore Roosevelt and several of the other of his company who made this inspiring journey.

Let's face it. Roosevelt is fascinating. I loved *watching* him in each new situation and/or obstacle  and wondering how he would handle it. He always displayed great leadership qualities and strength of character. I especially loved learning about his relationship with his son, Kermit, and their father-son dynamic. What I loved most in Miller's book was also the problem with the book. I, unfortunately, found the back story...relationships, personal and family history, politics etc...much more interesting than the actual story of the exploration of this tributary in the South American rain forest and the brutal conditions faced by their party.

All in all, I am glad that I read this book and learned more about this part of the world and the individuals involved in this formidable adventure but I HATED all the tangents that the author went off on describing all the floral, fauna, and ecology in minute detail. That slowed down the book and made parts of it much less interesting and appealing. But if you would like a glimpse of Theodore Roosevelt: the explorer, naturalist, leader and father you will enjoy this book. There is no doubting the Roosevelt charisma. Plus, I do feel smarter for reading it.

My Rating: Okay...at times great.

This book was recommended to me by a member of my book club. I have to admit that I had a hard time believing that this book was written by the same author as Ender's Game. That little fact continued to pop into my mind all throughout reading this book. How in the world is this the same author?

I really enjoyed this book especially as I am currently reading the Old Testament. This story, while not adhering completely to the Biblical account, did make the people, places, and time come alive for me.

From Goodreads:

"Sarai was a child of ten years, wise for her age but not yet a woman, when she first met Abram. He appeared before her in her father's house, filthy from the desert, tired and thirsty. But as the dirt of travel was washed from his body, the sight of him filled her heart. And when Abram promises Sarai to return in ten years to take her for his wife, her fate was sealed.

Abram kept his promise, and Sarai kept hers they were wed, and so joined the royal house of Ur with the high priesthood of the Hebrews. So began a lifetime of great joy together, and greater peril: and with the blessing of their God, a great nation would be built around the core of their love."

I really liked the book. It reminded me a lot of The Red Tent which I also enjoyed. What I particularly enjoyed was learning more about that time period and what life might have been like for a woman living then. Orson Scott Card is still not one of my favorite authors...but this is the first book in a series and I look forward to reading the other two books.

My Rating: Good

This series was also recommended to me by my sister, Stacey. I didn't love the first book in the series, The Golden Compass, but I liked this one, the 2nd in the series, much more.

From Goodreads:

"Here is the highly anticipated second installment of Philip Pullman's epic fantasy trilogy, begun with the critically acclaimed The Golden Compass. Lyra and Will, her new found friend, tumble separately into the strange tropical otherworld of Cittàgazze, "the city of magpies," where adults are curiously absent and children run wild. Here their lives become inextricably entwined when Lyra's alethiometer gives her a simple command: find Will's father. Their search is plagued with obstacles--some familiar and some horribly new and unfathomable--but it eventually brings them closer to Will's father and to the Subtle Knife, a deadly, magical, ancient tool that cuts windows between worlds. Through it all, Will and Lyra find themselves hurtling toward the center of a fierce battle against a force so awesome that leagues of mortals, witches, beasts, and spirits from every world are uniting in fear and anger against it."

I think I liked this book better because we already kind of understand this Universe and the inhabitants. It was much more engaging. We could get on with the story and the characters were better developed. I particularly enjoyed the addition of the character of Will. He added interest and depth to the story.

In this 2nd installment, the storyline is building, worlds are colliding, and characters are deepening. So while I still don't think these are children's books and I still think they are over-rated...I will probably read the 3rd one just to see how it all turns out in the end.

My Rating: Okay. This one was better than the first.

Easter 2013

Hey Hey It's Spring Break and the weather is LOVELY!! That almost never happens here. Seriously. I am really thankful that we aren't going anywhere...except the lake. I am glad with our little jaunts to Utah and Yakima the past few weeks that we are now just able to hang out and enjoy...and spring clean. Woohoo.

Easter came and went and it was an absolutely gorgeous and highly enjoyable one. The day was sunny and warm. Perfection.

The night before Tyler and the two little girls had a great time dyeing Easter Eggs. I was thrilled with the nice weather and that this little project could be done outside in the back yard. Woohoo.

We had a leisurely Easter morning this year due to our late start church and were able to enjoy a delicious breakfast and see what the Easter Bunny left for the kids.

Kid #1

Some of the older kids do not like these early morning pictures but... guess what?  It's tradition and I think they are cute!!

Kid #2

Kid #3

Kid #4

We even had time to have a mini-FHE all about the Savior and the gratitude we feel for His Atonement and Resurrection. That got us off on a great start and we looked forward to heading to  church.

This year was a non-coordinating year. Boo hoo for Mom. Nobody wanted to be matchy-matchy. Not even Ailey and Bryn. Correction...Bryn wanted to match but Ailey didn't. They all looked pretty darn cute anyway.

After Church we headed directly to the lake to meet up with family for an Easter Egg Hunt and Feast. Again...the weather was perfection. The ice is gone and the water looked beautiful. Everyone was hanging out outside and soaking in that sunshine.

Even my Grandma was enjoying the sunshine. It is hard to believe that in about a month she turns 90. It probably doesn't feel like it was that long ago when SHE was the excited little girl running around hunting Easter eggs at the lake with her sisters. Her dad, my Grandpa Miley, put on a world class Easter egg hunt. I remember hunting Easter eggs with my cousins that he would hide. He did such a great job that sometimes we wouldn't find one or two until the summer. What a awesome surprise when you would come upon an Easter egg in July. A fun...yet super smelly surprise.  My Grandma said that it was REALLY hard to believe that her little kids are now the Grandmas and Grandpas. I am sure that is true. Time...it's passage is beautiful and yet so melancholy. As I watched her smile to herself I just knew that she was hearing other voices and laughter and remembering Easters past. I love her.

All the little kids were super excited to head out and get started. We could barely contain them in the kitchen while the dads and big kids hid the eggs.

Brynnie was super speedy!! It was hard to get a picture of her. This was all I got. Video worked much better. Remember last year when she didn't get it and she and Elle just stood there at the Easter egg hunt in Palouse and only collected about 2 eggs a piece? Well she got it this year!! Check out that basket!!

Cousins after the egg hunt. They are getting so big!!

Elle and Bryn...weren't they just born? ;)

River, Gavin, Elle and Bryn

Then it was time to dance off some of that delicious dinner and all that chocolate. The kids filmed video after video of themselves doing the Harlem Shake. It was hilarious.

Here they are watching themselves. Ha ha.

For Grace who asked me to put these on my blog. I happily oblige!! :)

See below: (these were all filmed with the Harlem Shake App and it doesn't do the best job but oh well.)

Reilly goes first:



Grace goes first:



Bryn goes first:



Ailey goes first:

This picture is a little weird with the lighting and all that sunshine streaming in... but I love it!!

Happy Easter!!

Updates

What a busy week and weekend we have had!! I've given up trying to do a separate post for each event and am just going to do one big update post.

I.) 

First up, Patriarchal Blessing Part Deux. I will tell you the things that I would want to know myself after reading my last post. It went REALLY WELL. Huge thanks and big hugs to my friend Lucy!! She saved the day; Reilly's nerves; and my sanity. This sweet friend read my post and called her father-in-law who is a patriarch and got some information and insight for us. We received the most wonderful email that was 100 % a calming balm to all involved and was an absolute answer to prayer. Lucy's email took away all anxiety and irritation and just left Reilly and all of us RELAXED about the re-do. It takes a village to raise kids and, in particular to parent teens, and I am grateful for my wonderful friend and all that she did to bring peace to our household. THANK YOU!!

It turns out things like this do happen (all kind of things can be redone if records are lost) although it is rare. Many safeguards are put into place so that things like this do not happen. Our poor patriarch felt horrible. He thinks the record of her blessing fell through the cracks somehow due to transcription error. He was changing typists at the time and it was some how lost. He also hasn't upgraded to the new digital system and that could have played a part. What ever the reason; it happened, and it needed to be redone. Reilly was very worried about the re-do. "It'll be like the book of Lehi!!" she wailed. "You can't do it again!!" She was worried that it would be a testimony breaker. Either it would be exactly the same thus meaning they are all basically the same and he just repeats the same thing every time OR it would be completely different thus rocking her testimony that way. (I am not gonna to lie. We were a little concerned too.). Lucy's father-in-law said that the re-do would most likely be similar to her previous blessing but with some new added insight. That counsel was right on the mark. That is totally what happened.  Big thanks and hugs to Lucy's father-in-law who took the time to provide comfort and counsel to a teen and her family that he has never met and in another state. What a blessing his words and insight were.

Her new patriarchal blessing was similar but not the same. There were parts that I was like "oh yeah, I remember that." This blessing was much more detailed and in depth. There were new insights that added and built upon her previous blessing. What was extra special were a few little things that the Lord included so that Reilly would know that he knew her personally and those were priceless. The first being a reference to something we had discussed in the car not ten minutes before arriving at the patriarch's house. This subject was not necessarily of a spiritual nature but yet the Lord referenced it in her blessing. Chills. Then a direct reference to a funny little thing our family says to one another...not anything anyone else would know...just a little part of our family culture. Quoted and referenced. The Spirit was so strong in those particular moments. Reilly came away from it feeling known and loved personally by her Father in Heaven...priceless.  So who knows why all this happened? Perhaps the Lord wanted Reilly to know something more... What I know even more than I did before is that we have a Father in heaven who knows us personally, as individuals, and that He loves us. And...I stand by my previous statement to Reilly: "Hey!! Lucky you!! Two for the price of one!!"

II.) Reilly's high school dance team goes to State

Photo Credit: Keith Currie

(Reilly is in the 3rd Row down and the 2nd girl from the left)

Not only are these girls cute; they are SUPER TALENTED!! Lucy's email came just in time for Reilly to read it Friday afternoon before she boarded the bus to Yakima, WA. Perfect timing. This was Reilly's first school trip and it was exciting. She had a ball!!

Tyler, the kids, and I left early Saturday morning to drive to Yakima which is about 3 hours away. We had never been there before so we had fun exploring and seeing the beautiful Mount Adams (one of the circle of fire volcanos) before Reilly was scheduled to dance. I found some great stuff for Sisters Creed while there. (Bonus!!) We also made a stop at Miner's which is famous and a must stop if you are in Yakima.

Huge burgers, enormous grilled cheese, gargantuan fish sandwiches. They have been in business since 1948 and are quite the fixture in town. There were tons of cars lined up. Big is the key word here...and good!

We had fun bumming around town for a few hours and then we headed to the Sun Dome to watch the competition. Reilly's high school competed in Hip Hop and Pom. They did a great job!! It was fun to be decked out in her school's colors and cheering the girls on.

These guys did a great job being cheerleaders and supporting their sister even though it was a LONG DAY of sitting and watching. Our girls just did a fantastic job!! It is so neat to see them achieve this goal after a crazy year with a crazy coach. The assistant coach who stepped into the coach's role has done an OUTSTANDING JOB!!

A professional photographer has taken some great action shots so I will refrain from posting my sad attempts. Once I pick and purchase the ones I want I will post them on the blog. I will also post Tyler's recording of Reilly dancing. THAT GIRL IS GOOD!!

We had a lot of fun learning about the highly competitive world of high school dance and drill. Who knew? Our girls ended up placing 5th in Pom and 7th in Hip Hop. (You had to place at least 4th to get a trophy.) That was out of, I believe, 20 teams. They really did fantastic!! Their pom routine was AWESOME!!

III.) Jazz Band 

Kameron had the privilege of performing with middle school students at a Java and Jazz Night at the middle school. Kids from several different elementary schools were picked to participate in this special jazz band. Kameron attended jazz band practice at the middle school in addition to his regular elementary band. Wow. I was truly impressed. They sounded REALLY GOOD!! Not only that but Kam was having a GREAT TIME!! He is definitely JAZZED about JAZZ BAND!! And...about middle school next year. I am glad that he had such a great experience. All the kids from our elementary school that participated wore their jazz band shirts to school the next day (including the girl) which impressed the heck out of Kameron!! Several kids from our stake participated as did Kameron's best friend, Jonathon, so it turned out to be a really fun experience for him.

Kameron and his best friend since 1st grade, Jonathon. These are two of the nicest, kindest, funniest boys you will ever meet. Such good kids!! Look at those sweet innocent faces...about to be thrown to the wolves of middle school.

Kam with his best church buddy Matt. These two are the best of friends and yet the fiercest competitors as they vie for the love and attention of the cutest girl in the ward like nobody's business!! Matt goes to a different elementary school so they are excited to go to middle school together next year. Their buddy Chad was also in the jazz band (and his sister played the piano and did a fabulous job.) Chad goes to yet another elementary school!! It was fun for this band to bring all these kids together.

IV.) Reilly's Spring Choir Concert

Again...I will post some video later. Reilly's Symphonic choir did an outstanding job at their choir concert last week!! I may be biased but I think they were hands down the best. Reilly particularly loved a song they sang called "David's Lamentation" about King David and the loss of his son Absalom. She told me that she can barely sing it because she can feel the Spirit so strongly.  I was excited to hear it. She was right. Brought tears to my eyes...and I seriously had to muffle a sob. Wow. They are going to sing that song in competition. They are going to do really well. Reilly said that all the LDS kids just love that song. Guess what I love? The fact that my kid knows who King David and Absalom are and were...even before learning this song in choir. Sweet.

Me and my date for the concert

We have another singer and dancer on our hands. Ailey is now participating in a children's choir that meets after school on Fridays. They get to sing and dance and she LOVES IT!! Where did these girls come from? Tyler and I would rather die than sing and dance for an audience. They must be some crazy genetic throw back. Bryn is just like her sisters in this regard as well. Ailey loved the whole concert especially the show choir. She said... "Now I would pay to see a show like that!!" How do we share DNA?

Ailey looking forward to her time on the stage!!

V.) Just I thought we were done with McDonalds



For you poor suckers who have been reading this blog from the beginning you know of my abject  loathing of McDonalds. I hate it. I loathe it. It is revolting. I had completely stricken it from our lives when they refused to be accommodating with their filet-o-fish and Happy Meals. (Anyone remember that rant?) My kids don't eat any kind of beef, pork, or poultry but they do eat fish. McDonalds REFUSED to substitute a fish filet into the stinkin' happy meals...even if I was willing to pay extra... which I was...all for the joy of a happy meal and a cheap toy. They wouldn't do it. So on the rare occasion that I would weaken and let our kids eat there I would have to buy 3 happy meals (this was before Bryn was born) and three filet-o-fish...chuck the three hamburgers in the trash and replace them with the fish sandwiches. It was lame and expensive. By the time Bryn was born McDonalds was but a distant memory. Last week my visiting teaching partner and I visited with one of our visiting teachees at where? McDonalds. It might become a regular thing with this particular individual. As it happened Bryn didn't have preschool that day so she was along for the ride and lunch. I don't think Bryn has ever had a Happy Meal before. I don't even think she knew they existed. Guess what McDonalds will now put in a Happy Meal? Their weird fish bites. Guess who was REALLY EXCITED?

Not only did she find out that Happy Meals exist, she got to HAVE one AND she got to actually go inside McDonalds and eat INSIDE!! Unheard of... A picture was necessary.

So yeah...that's the latest.

Anyone? Anyone?

We've got a WEIRD situation around here...WEIRDEST OF THE WEIRD. So...Reilly got her Patriarchal Blessing in November. The sweet, yet ancient, Patriarch said it would arrive in the mail in about a week or so. Thanksgiving comes and goes. Blessing never arrives. Christmas comes and goes. Nada. Reilly calls the Patriarch who says she should have received it and that she should try going online to lds.org and requesting a copy. Lds.org says they don't have it in their system yet. Reilly keeps checking...and checking...nothing. A few more months roll around...more calls to the Patriarch...talks with the bishop...calls to SLC. Nothing.

Then last night after Kameron's wonderous Jazz Band Concert we walk in the door to hysteria. The Patriarch has called and Reilly's blessing is LOST. GONE. DOES NOT EXIST. POOF. NADA. NO RECORD. Ergo, Reilly is scheduled to receive her SECOND patriarchal blessing Sunday night. HUH???

So here is my query...has anyone ever heard of something like this happening before? Please de-lurk, come forth, leave a comment, email whatever. Please tell me that some one out there has "heard of something like this happening?" It happened to a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend. Your brother's cousin's uncle's neighbor's home teacher's old mission companion's kid had this happen to them...you know...a SECOND PATRIARCHAL BLESSING?!

I'm begging you. My kid's HYSTERICAL. Then realize that she is 16, dramatic, and OH YEAH it's REILLY... then times hysterical by a kajillion. Good times.

She thinks she's a freak? Is she?

(Let it be noted that the opening mouth gaping of her parents did not help. The asking of her father if he had ever heard of anything like this happening in his entire lifetime of church activity and his reply of no...did not help. Her mother's cheery "Hey!! Lucky you!! You get two for the price of one!!" brought forth a scream of rage the likes of which could've been heard in another galaxy and said mother had to dodge frothing daughter and make a run for it. No joke.)

Help!!

 Kameron Johnson SUPERSTAR!!

Kameron is having some wonderful experiences lately. He is knocking it out of the park in doing GREAT things!! First things first...we are now a 4 temple recommend family. Kameron is so excited to go to the temple. He has his first youth temple trip tomorrow evening and he cannot wait. His excitement and enthusiasm is such a great motivator for all of us.

Second, last week our stake had a special priesthood meeting for all the men and young men in the stake. Kameron was super excited to go to this "Man Meeting" with his dad for the first time. Well, two hours before the meeting Kameron got a call from President Frederickson, a member of our Stake Presidency. He called to ask Kameron TO SPEAK at this meeting!! He said that he had heard about a talk Kameron had given in Sacrament meeting a few months before on being honest in your dealings with your fellow men and wondered if Kameron would be willing to give that same talk at the Priesthood meeting that night. We were all crowded around Kameron while he was on the phone wondering what was going on when Kameron calmly and cooly said "Sure, I'd be happy to speak tonight." We were in SHOCK!! (I personally would've come up with an excuse REAL FAST.) Not this kid. He truly feels he has a duty to honor his priesthood and do the right thing and he DOES IT!! We are overcome with gratitude for such a great kid!!

Tyler said that Kameron did a great job and was the only speaker at this meeting who wasn't a member of the Stake Presidency!!  He spoke to a HUGE group...all the men and boys in our stake. Who is this kid? Is this the same boy who attended barely a day of nursery and cried the entire time? Is this the same boy who spent 2 years of Sunbeams sniffling on the lap of his teacher? He is really maturing into such a spectacular young man!!

Third, he signed up to join the Jazz Band at school (this was in addition to regular band.) Jazz band practice is held on Wednesdays after school at the Middle School. He loves it and is doing great on the trumpet!! He has a concert at the Middle school tonight. We can't wait to hear him blow that horn!!

Kameron...you are a stud and a great example to your family!! We love you very much!!

Party-Time! Excellent!

It's been quite the party central around here this weekend. Lots going on. St. Patrick's Day...Birthdays...work parties...you name it we celebrated it.

Friday kicked things off when my Mom and I attended party number one:

It was a Farm Chicks Vendor Event that was held at one of my very favorite places...Sweet Frostings. It was fun to see so many of our vendor friends, Serena of Farm Chicks, and my friend Judy who is a co-owner of Sweet Frostings which happens to be the BEST bakery and makes cupcakes, cakes and other treats that are TO DIE FOR.

After this event we headed over to my friend Michele's GRAND OPENING of her two stores: The Coop and The Nesting Box (one is a scrapbooking store and one carries vintage items.) Both are super cute!! Many friends were there to wish her well and so the party continued. :)

Then my Mom and I headed over to my favorite restaurant Chaps owned by our sweet friend Celeste. It's so fun to have friends that have all kinds of great businesses for us to frequent. We had dinner and strategized about our business and up coming vintage sales.

The Birthday Girls

Then on Saturday we celebrated Stacey and Kelley's birthdays with a girls night at another favorite restaurant Luna's. It's hard to believe my sisters are 35 and 38!! Old ladies!! Dinner was delicious and it was fun to laugh and catch up.

 

Birthday Girl #1

Birthday Girl #2

It sucks having Jordi so far away for Sister Nights and dinners like this...but hopefully not for too much longer. Once she finishes up that Nursing degree she will be headed back this way. We can't wait!!

Then it was St. Patrick's Day which is wholeheartedly celebrated around here as we have Irish Miley blood in our veins and Tyler has some Irish blood as well. The kids tried to catch a leprechaun, we all wore green to church, and then came back home for our delicious St. Paddy's Day feast.

There were festive hats, good food, an Irish dance party (oh yeah) and the traditional viewing of Darby O' Gill and the Little People... a show which traumatized me as a child but is very much enjoyed by our kids. I watched it in elementary school one time and that banshee was CREEPY!! It took me years to recover!! But Sean Connery is HOT!! ;)

We had a great weekend partying it up!! Hope you did too.