The passing years

Another year has come and gone as we chronicle the time spent as married-people.

Nine years. Whew- that makes me feel old.

We woke up to a note on our bathroom mirror:

 And a breakfast ready to be eaten in bed:

My cute Grapes wanted to skip school so she could celebrate with us all day long.
 Sadly we made her go to school. We also saved our own celebrations for our upcoming trip to Chicago.  (I'm just glad the conference The Doctor gets to attend is in a fun city. If our trip was to Phoenix, I would have been a little put out)

But here's a hooray and a huzzah for being married to a fabulous man. I truly think we were MFEO. (made for each other! If you haven't seen Sleepless Seattle in a while, go see it again!) I think I was like  that wordy little girl when I was younger. (only maybe not so wreckless about sending friends across the country in a plane....)

Buh-Caw!!

Sometimes I catch myself lingering in the moments.

 You know, right? The moments when, unexpectedly, time slows and your senses go into hyper-observation mode. And in that brief moment you get to just notice something wonderful. Something so sweet and brilliant and delicious you really could just eat it. Something that takes your breath away and makes you wish terribly hard that life had a pause button. 

Like watching my kids play together. Or laughing with them about something so very silly and childish. (like stinky bum burps) Or noticing that they're growing up to be these delightful human beings who hold doors for ladies and help haul groceries in without being asked and kiss their momma with sloppy peanut butter kisses and hug with sticky goo fingers.

And the moments never last long enough or stick in my memory well enough.

Please forgive me for sharing a few of them with you.

ps. 'Buh-Caw' is Pencil's angry bird's/alter ego noise. It tends to pop up at the most unexcpected times. Like when we're making silly faces (covered in milk) for the camera.

DIY for beginners...

Begin: Garage sale TV Cabinet
Step 1: get the beast home... make quick trip to house to drop off back seat of the van and rearrange kids, cram giant thing into the back of said van and drive home with the hatch-back wide open (at about 5 miles-per-hour) wait for husband to get home because giant thing is too heavy and too wedged in the car to get out alone.
Wait 4 days to put back seat back into the van and complicate every driving trip in the mean-time.

And it's April

Have you ever looked at the date and just been shocked that more time has passed that you thought possible?

That's been me this whole month! In my head it is still somewhere Mid-March. Mid- March!

But no, here we are, three-fourths of the way through April already

 and my head has been just reeling in the attempts to catch up.

 Sockie's preschool class took a field trip to the rose gardens. It was so fun to enjoy the beauty of being outside in pleasant weather. (it's 95-ish today! The great heat is headed in and I'm not excited!) This park is beautiful and we love visiting. The kids fed ducks and chased pidgeons. We snacked and played on the playground. It is the luxury part of the desert.

And, Roses!!

Brainwashing in action

I may or may not be guilty of brainwashing this little monkey into believing EVERY sport or sport-like thing he sees anywhere is a BYU sport. (Really, it may be partially due to the fact that his dad only has time to watch sports on occasion, so it VERY often is a game that includes our Alma Mater) It may also be due to the fact that the only fight song I know is the one I learned with my roommates my freshman year.

But the fact remains, that no matter who is playing, or what is being played, he will instantly holler, "Coo-dohs! Go, Coo-dohs!" It is simultaneously hilarious and humiliating. (Try being in the giant TV section of Target with a handful of random shoppers (read: men) and have your 2-year-old shout "BYU Coo-dohs!"  at the top of his lungs when two NFL teams are bashing one another. Awkward.)

So, for your viewing pleasure:
(And if you don't care for that school, as I know some of my family members are wont to claim, you still might like the video because he's so cute singing 'phone' instead of 'foe' or 'high in the bwooo' or "BYU coo-dohs." It's a delight, I promise!)

Eeesss-toh

Easter tidings to you!
 At the Whiting house, Saturday Easter festivities were full of the regular old egg dying, chocolate scarfing, and Chinese food eating. (We're not really fans of Ham or cheesy 'tatoes at this house, and by  'we' I mean my three monkeys) Sunday Easter was celebrating Christ at church and resting peacefully at home for the rest of the Sabbath. (while slightly sugared-up)

Commence photographic evidence: