Sock...Puppet!

Viv Waking Daddy with a Kiss

Happy 2nd Birthday Vivian Violet

Viv, I can't believe you are already two! Your second birthday party was full of lots of great friends who love you and lots of fun. Your final words when leaving the party to go home were, "I don't want the fun day to end!" Viv, we love you. You are everything wonderful and joyful about life for us. You bring us so much happiness and and so many laughs. There isn't a day that goes by that we are not thankful that we get to have you in our home. Happy Birthday. We love you!

First Pigtails!

So Viv's hair is FINALLY long enough. SO ADORABLE! I LOVE IT!

Like Father Like Daughter

Viv sporting Daddy's A's hat. He's brainwashing her early.

Easter Dinner with the Rodgers and Millers

I am so grateful for people like the Rodgers who take in those of us who don't have family around.  So many wonderful people here in California have become like family to us and the Rodgers were some of the first to welcome us here.  We were so happy for the invitation to have Easter dinner with them.  Great company and Janna's always-amazing culinary fare.

Easter Photos

Mary Wheeler was kind enough to host all of the kids in the ward for an Easter egg hunt. Viv loved it!

Easter Morning Photos

Easter Eggs

Saturday our good friends the McKeowns came over to help us color Easter eggs. It was so fun! I LOVE how excited kids get for holiday traditions. I've decided that holidays are exponentially more enjoyable with each child you add to the mix.

**Ever wonder who actually PLAYS those match games printed on the Easter egg dye cartons? Grace McKeown, that's who!

A Few of My Favorite Things!

Viv's expansive duck collection (partially shown here) numbering around 8 strong (and growing) and always found within a 10 foot radius of their owner.





















Rain boots so great that they make you pull funny faces and long for puddles to splash in even on the sunniest of days. She has insisted on wearing these almost every day since we brought them home from Target, eyes always open for water to splash in!





















New spring dresses that ooze with the warm sunshine to come!

Dot Cake

I made this cake for Enrichment and I really like the concept. It's so fun and cheery. I think I may experiment with it for Viv's b-day cake! I found the idea for it here: http://inchmark.squarespace.com/inchmark/2009/1/28/making-a-dot-cake.html
Fairly easy and lots of fun to make!

Coming Home to One Happy Viv

My favorite thing about coming home from Mexico was seeing Viv again. Her reaction to our being back was priceless. I had been told by so many people that I shouldn't be surprised if, upon returning home from a week away, Vivian wouldn't come near me, let alone be excited I was back. While this made me a little hesitant to leave her, in the end, the thought of a much-needed break on th beach in Mexico seemed worth the risk. However, Viv totally suprised us! As we waited on the airport curb for my mom and Viv to pick us up, I began to feel a little nervous and preemtively sad that Viv wouldn't be anywhere near as excited to see me as I would be to finally see her. My mom pulls up and opens the door and the first thing I hear are Viv's eager squeals of delight, "Mommy! Daddy! (laugh, laugh) Mommy and Daddy not in Mexico! (squeal, squeal)." We got in the car and she could barely keep herself from jumping right out of her carseat into our laps. She had a perma-grin and couldn't stop joyously reminding us of the fact that we were home! It had to be one of the happiest moments I've had in a long time. I love this little girl! Consistently pleasantly surprising me with her capacity for sheer joy at life's little pleasures. She was equally happy to get her jewelry-containing rainbow purse we brought back as her souvenir.