Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Brimhall Family! Well, most of us anyway. Kate begs to differ....

For Your Entertainment

Why is it SOOOOO hard to get a good Christmas picture? Because you have kids like mine!

Star Wars Wall Art

Welcome to NatSprat! Are you here looking for these Star Wars Minimalist Prints? You can find them in my etsy shop HERE! It's only $15 for all 5! That's only $3 each! If you only want  a few of them, let me know which ones you want and I will be happy to do a custom listing for you. :) Thanks so much!


R2D2

LUKE

CHEWY

DARTH VADER

C3PO

Christmas Spirit

I know I have been posting a lot this week...apparently I have a lot to say! I was preparing my lesson for Sunday and came across this video clip from Mormon Messages. It's a beautiful little clip about keeping Christ in Christmas....it really touched my heart and I'm sure it will touch yours, too. It's just too good not to share!

Wanna-be crafty

I'm not necessarily a crafty person. I have always wanted to be...it has to be in my genes somewhere because my mom is overflowing with it. I LOOOOVE reading crafty blogs, though. Some of you probably follow Make It and Love It. If not, you should. It has all sorts of really cute ideas that are inexpensive and easy to do. Today I caught the crafty bug from reading her blog and she had this post on making hair clips and headbands out of vinyl. For anyone who knows me you know I LOOOOOOVE hair pretties! I drooled and drooled and whined and cried over this blog...I don't have any vinyl. So, I decided to go to the Goodwill box and see what kind of stuff I had in there. I had some belts that were HOT in 2005...not so hot now. So I decided I would try to cut them up and use them instead of vinyl. And by golly, it worked! I wasted almost 5 hours making these puppies. Can you say SUPER CUTE HOMEMADE FROM THE HEART CHRISTMAS PRESENTS??? :) (BTW...pretend you are surprised if you get some of these in the mail from me...)


Then I had this leftover piece of belt that was too cute to just throw away. So I made it into a headband! I just added some of the little flowers I made from the belt, and it turned out like this...


I am pretty proud of myself. My fingers are sore from glue gun burns, but it was totally worth it! Now...I have to go clean up my mess. Sigh. Now that you are feeling inspired...go make some hair pretties!

Faded Glory

I don't know if anyone keeps up with my photography blog...but here are some pictures I did this week! And soon to come, our family picture. Well, the kid's family picture anyway...I took like thirty pictures and Kate was crying in EVERY.SINGLE.ONE. Go figure!

November update

Hola, mis amigos! ¿Puedes creer que ya Diciembre? Yo no puede. Pero las cosas van bien aquí con la familia Brimhall! Mi español viene muy bien, también. Estoy amando trabajando con los jóvenes mujeres! La vida es buena. :)

We had our first temple trip, and I had all 4 of my girls go! The closest Temple to us is the Albuquerque Temple which is 4 hours away. They drove with us in our van and it was fabulous! I really enjoyed getting to know them. They are sweet, wonderful girls! It was so neat to see their eyes light up when we went into the temple. They said they felt like they were in heaven with angels. It was their first time, and I am so blessed that I got to be there for it. They were so beautiful all dressed in white, I hope it was a time they will never forget.

"The temple is concerned with things of immortality. It is a bridge between this life and the next. All of the ordinances that take place in the house of the Lord are expressions of our belief in the immortality of the human soul." Gordon B. Hinkley

It was so nice to get to go back to where Michael and I were married. It really put things back into perspective for me. There is just something about being there, in such a beautiful place...all dressed in white. It feels like home. Not like...house home, like home from a place you almost remember. It's so peaceful and reverent. I love it.

We had a nice Thanksgiving! We went up to the mountains with my family and the Petersons to get a Christmas tree. It had snowed a lot a few days before so it was kind of a scary drive! I white knuckled it most of the way. But it was BEAUTIFUL!!! It was a winter wonderland. We found a good tree and had a fun time playing in the snow and drinking hot chocolate. Then we went to my in-laws for Thanksgiving Dinner and had a DELISH meal and the best chocolate silk pie I've ever had. (Thanks, Kathy!) Then we went to my parent's house that evening for pie. It was a wonderful holiday!

Oh! And we got a wood stove installed in the house. I love it! I was really nervous to sleep the first night with a fire going. I'm terrified of fire. But, Michael assured me there was nothing to worry about and it seems to be working great. I love the feel of wood burning heat...it warms you to the very soul. :) And there's nothing like sitting on the couch on a cold day watching the glow of the fire.


I finally got out my camera again...so many pretty things to take pictures of now!


So...all in all things are going great! I love this Christmas Season!!!

WOW.

Oh my gosh, I've definitely had the change of heart I've been praying for. I'm learning so much about this branch. I don't even know where to start! I mean, some of these people drive an hour to church. AN HOUR! And that's just one way! Now THAT'S dedication. WOW. So many of them are converts, so they don't know how to lead, or fulfill callings. Their culture is SO laid back, it's just so different! Church usually starts 15 minutes or more late. Kids are running up and down the isles, up to the pulpit and playing on the stairs, crawling under the benches and the parents don't even care! It's crazy! But it's because they feel like everyone is family, so nobody will be offended. And, if they can't come to church, they don't bother to get a substitute, not to be mean, but just because it doesn't even cross their mind! Part of our calling is to show and teach them how to be leaders. How to be responsible. How to sit reverently during sacrament meeting and classes. They are used to going to church for an hour (once in a while) and listening to a sermon and then going home. So this whole 3 hours of church and having responsibility is totally new to them. WOW!!! I mean, I just never thought of these things! Oh, how I have taken church for granted until now!

So far, as of my first Sunday as Y.W. President, I have 4 girls. From what I know about them so far, it sounds like their lives have been hard. Illegal immigrant parents...alcoholic parents...abuse...just, WOW. Two of them get a ride to church every Sunday with a Brother from the ward. I'm so proud of them! I look at these girls and I think of how their lives can change and be blessed with the gospel and knowing that they really are Daughters of a Heavenly Father who knows them and loves them and is always there for them. They were "raised" Catholic, (well, on Easter anyway) so they are very superstitious. I'll have to work on that, too. There hasn't been a Y.W. President in this branch yet that I know of, so I am starting completely from scratch. There is no usual 3 inch binder FULL of useful leadership information or records about the girls, you know...their phone numbers and addresses and birthdays...NADA. They don't know about mutual, or Personal Progress, they don't even have a lesson manual! I don't know how on earth they've survived thus far. But I feel so inspired and honored to get to be the one to get this ball rolling. I have 2 years to get this program structured, organized, and to get the flame lit in their testimonies. I asked them, "So, what do you know about the gospel of Jesus Christ?" And their reply was, "What's the gospel?" (GASP!) This is going to be a lot of work. But I'm excited to do it. I know I'm meant to do it now. OH!!! And Michael, "bless his heart" told President Valdez that I don't want to play the piano. I wish he would have said that I "CAN'T" play the piano...but whatever. I'm just so relieved! Anyway...I think everything is going to be okay. :)

Shoot. Me. Now.

Oh my gosh, will someone PLEASE pinch me and wake me up. I have just been called to be the Young Womens President AND ward pianist in the SPANISH BRANCH. That's right...the Spanish branch. This would be great an all accept for 2 big factors.

1. I DON'T SPEAK SPANISH

2. I DON'T PLAY PIANO

Okay, that's not true. I can say my colors and count to 20 in Spanish, (Thank you, Sesame Street) and I can play piano. If it's only the right hand and it must be in the key of C. So, I would like to find whoever lied and told the Branch President that I can play the piano and give them a good smack. As for the Young Womens President...it would be great accept for that I have no teachers, counselors or anything. It's just me, myself, I and the girls. This puts me in charge of EVERYTHING. Mutual, Sunday classes, girls camp, all of the other things like Personal Progress and Night of Excellence and New Beginnings...(HELP!). The branch is TINY...like, 40 people at most. Including in-actives. So, there isn't anyone to call to help me! The Primary is the same way. There is the Primary President. She is also the teacher. On my first Sunday there, I was the primary pianist (it was horrible) the music leader, the nursery leader AND the Sunbeam teacher all in one day! I taught Sunbeams while letting the babies play on the other side of the room. By the end of class they were all coloring together and eating cookies. I am trying SO hard to not have a bad attitude about all this. But it's so hard when I don't know what anyone is saying...I feel like I have to do everything because people won't come to church or fulfill their callings. And, I know it's not the, "We feel so strongly by the power of the Holy Ghost that you should be called to these callings"...it's actually, "We're desperate and we don't have anyone else to do it." If I knew I was called by God, it would be different. Plus...how can I go to meetings like BYC and Correlation meetings and stuff...I won't know what the heck anyone is saying!!! (shoot me now.)

I won't lie. I have been tempted to start licking public restrooms and drinking fountains in hopes of getting sick every week. The better side of my conscience always wins. "Natalie...God is watching you. Is this what Jesus would do? The Lord looketh on the heart." SIGH. All I can do is pray for a change of heart. And a miracle of the gift of suddenly knowing how to play piano. And be fluent in Spanish.

I tried, I really did. I went to my parents house (they have a piano) and I got out the hymn book and I played for 5 hours straight. I tried every song in the song book hoping that there would be at least one I could play. Nope. Nada. I ended up just crying for the last 4 hours. How am I supposed to get up there in front of everyone and make a fool of myself? EVERY SINGLE SUNDAY. THREE TIMES PER SUNDAY. That's a lot of humiliation for a girl who is already on anti-depressants.

If God helped Moses part the Red Sea... and Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead...stuff like that...I hope He can work a miracle for me, too.

S.O.S.

Dear Husbands,

If there are any of you out there reading this, I would like to take the opportunity to help your marriage. Your wife will think you are the most wonderful husband in the entire UNIVERSE.

First, if you come home and the house is a disaster, your wife's hair is a mess, she's not wearing makeup, dinner isn't ready yet, and she looks like she is about to kill something this does not mean she is PMS-ing and you should run and hide yourself in your office until it's time to say family prayer and go to bed. This does not mean you should be cranky and frustrated with her for not keeping up with the house, and don't be offended when all she can manage to throw together is grilled cheese and tomato soup. This, in all reality, is a wife's S.O.S. This means she is in desperate need of your help. She has had a long frustrating day, hasn't even had the opportunity to get to take a shower or do anything for herself and she is about to break. Instead of being annoyed at her, try saying, "Honey, it looks like you've had a rough day. Is there something I can help you with?" She will probably break into tears and run into your arms and ask you to hold her and she will thank you over and over.

Second. After the kids are in bed and she's got a pile of laundry on the couch (that YOU took out of the dryer and threw there), is cleaning up from dinner, doing the dishes and trying to straighten up the house all at the same time, (Yes, it is possible. We wives call it multi-tasking) this is not the time for you to stand in the kitchen and watch with a blank stare like, "What? Um, it's bed time. Why aren't you going to bed?" Let me tell you something. Some times the ONLY time we can get the house back in order is AFTER the kids are in bed.

Third. When your wife is scrubbing the dried tomato soup from the counter and you can tell something is bothering her and she admits that she is frustrated and tired and really could use some help, you don't stand there dumbfounded and then say, "Well, I'm going to bed." That usually causes tears after you close the bedroom door.

Please enjoy and USE the tips I've just given. You have no idea how much it will mean to your wife.

Guess what, we have 2 new additions to the Brimhall family household! Meet Luke and Leia. Luke is Aaron's and Leia is Whitney's. They picked them out on their own! I've been wanting a dog forever. Michael has decided he doesn't want a dog, but he said cats were okay. I didn't really like cats before...they shed...their litter boxes stink...they claw and scratch. But my mind is forever changed. These are the sweetest little kittens in the WHOLE world. I'm not even kidding. They are purrrrrrfect. They are very affectionate and patient with the kids. The cutest thing is that these two are inseparable! When they sleep, the not only snuggle, they literally put their arms around eachother. I had no idea cats could be such good friends! I took this picture when they were taking a cat nap. I didn't even pose them or anything! Isn't it cute!?!

The orange one is Luke..

and this one is Leia.

I'm just hoping it doesn't turn into anything like THIS....

Okay, just kidding. They aren't brother and sister. We're still getting them neutered and spayed, though. ;) But the picture was so good...I couldn't resist.

Sweet Seven

My Whitney is 7! How can this be!?! She is growing up so fast. A little too fast for me. But, I was blessed with the BEST daughter I could ever ask for. She is absolutely incredible. Whenever I wonder if God really loves me, all I have to do is look at her and I KNOW that He does. There have been several times when she has been close to dying, and I know she has a very important purpose here on Earth and I have seen miracles through her. I have been blessed with an angel on earth. She is sensitive, smart, sweet, funny, compassionate, silly, talented, forgiving, patient, beautiful...every good adjective you can think of. I really don't know what I ever did to deserve her, but I am so grateful that she is part of my life and my Eternal family. She loves to tell jokes, sing, draw, read, and has a deep love of her Savior and knowledge of the gospel. Man, I love that girl! Happy Birthday, my sweet Whitney! I love you!

Um....July through September?

I am the most horrible blogger in the world. But you already know that. Now, on to the next subject.

Aaron turned 4 on July 30th....WOW! He is one solid little man. He loves Star Wars, Transformers and Bear Grylls (the guy on Man vs. Wild) He is usually outside playing in the dirt, pretending to build a fire, and we have had to stop him from trying to eat bugs. He is all boy, no doubt about it. I have to tuck him in every night, and he is still inseparable from his stuffed puppy. His other prized possession is a stick that he found outside which he carries around in his pocket, he is convinced it is his pocket knife. The boy is a riot! He'll make a FANTASTIC scout some day!


Whitney started school on August 16th. She is doing great! We met her teacher in Alamosa for DIEBEL testing, and she is just flying along! I love K12 so far, I can't get over how well structured it is, it's exactly what I was looking for. I love that they sent all her books, supplies, and even her own personal computer for her...I just can't say enough good things about K12! Our division of K12 is actually called Colorado Virtual Academy, or COVA. Most states have their division of K12, and it's usually free. If you're ever thinking about homeschooling, K12 is absolutely the way to go!!! They even have field trips...our first one was 2 weeks ago, and we all met at the Pueblo zoo. That will have to be another post though, I actually took pictures. :)

Next subject of discussion, my Dad ran another marathon last week, and we got to be there to cheer him on at the end, it was so great! It was in Colorado Springs. The weather was BEAUTIFUL, and the energy there was incredible! He was amazing, as always. It was awesome to be there to support him and cheer him on. Aaron yelled out, "Do Drandpa!" As he ran by...


And, it's been a long time since I posted anything about Kate. She's getting so big! Okay, that's a lie. I don't think she's growing at all. But, she's still cute! :)

ToothLESS

Sometimes life sends you a giant wake up call. "HEY, YOU! YEAH, I'M TALKING TO YOU! YOU'RE OOOOOOOOLD!" And, then you hang your head and cry for a moment. My wake up call is that Whitney lost her first tooth. I know most 6 almost 7 year olds have already lost a few teeth by now...so we've been waiting for this day for a long time. She was more anxious than I was, of course. She has been working on this tooth for months! Finally, it was just hanging there so we got out the dental floss. That poor girl. I gingerly tied it around her tooth, recalling the days when my dad used to yank my teeth...I was so scared! Then, "pop", my tooth would be out and I wouldn't even have known accept for my dad's "Here you go, Noot Scoot!". So, I figured I could do the same for Whitney. No big deal right? In just a few seconds, her fear would be over and she'd be holding her very first tooth. WRONG. It took 7 yanks for that tooth to come out! Each time was followed by, "Okay, this is the last one, let's try again! One...two...three!" "OOOOOWWWWWW!" After the 6th time I finally bribed her with a Barbie doll of her choice for one more try. She got up the courage and finally, it flew out. We couldn't find it at first...but when we did, her tears of pain and fear turned to tears of joy and my tears started up. She looked adorable. :) So...I am now the proud parent of a toothless...well, one toothLESS child. And...I AM OLD.

Black Thumbs and Evil Ants

It's been a while since I posted. I guess it's time for an update, eh?

Well, I started a garden! FOUR times, actually. The first time, I used an idiot proof indoor green house. Guaranteed to grow, it says so right on the box. Nope. I killed them. They started to grow beautifully, and I thought they were ready for the sun. I forgot to take off the lid, and they got baked. Poor little babies.

But, that week I grew a beautiful onion in the fridge. (Not on purpose, unfortunately.)

I was determined, went and bought another greenhouse and more seeds and started again. Cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, carrots, broccoli, and baby pumpkins. They grew beautifully, I didn't put them in the sun until they were a little bigger than the previous attempt, and they kept growing and growing! I was so excited!

My dad and I have started these square foot gardens...so we built boxes together and made the dirt mixture together. It was a lot of fun and a great bonding experience!


I planted them outside in my 4' x 4' garden box. It was great! I did a happy dance. The next morning I went to check on my little baby plant garden, and ALL of the plants were gone. I did see red ants exiting the premises with chunks of green leaves in their dirty, EVIL little chompers. The ants ate my second garden. They looked just like this, I promise.


The third garden...I went ahead and bought plants from Walmart. Time was running out and I had already wasted a month trying to grow plants inside. The growing season here is really short so I was desperate.


I figured maybe they were too big for the ants. The ants left them alone, but a terrible wind storm came through the valley! I heard we had upwards of 75mph winds, and I believe it! Shingles from houses were gone, trees down, signs blown over....and my poor little garden blew away. I'm not kidding. There were holes left where the plants were! I didn't take any pictures because I was too busy crying.

Pretend she has brunette hair and green eyes. The red lipstick and fancy nails stay.

The fourth garden seems to be doing okay. I put cayenne pepper all over it and the ants seem to be leaving it alone. I have tomatoes, peppers, squash, zucchini, sugar snap peas, strawberries, baby pumpkins and cucumbers growing. I'm sure I'll jinx them now that I'm typing this and there will be a deep freeze tonight, or a plague of locusts...but I'm so proud of my little garden. I'll have to take a picture of it now!

Lesson Learned!

I started a new blog. Here's the story. You know how I got a new camera for Mother's Day? Well, since then I have learned a lot of things. In my eyes, I feel like I learned the hard way. I was an idiot, and posted some of my pictures on facebook. Pictures I thought were beautiful and I did a great job with. I think ignorance is bliss, and although I like it that way because it hurts less, I'll never learn and grow. Anyways, what I wasn't expecting were photography friends and family who honestly felt they were helping me by critiquing my pictures. Oh boy. It hurt! I was taken completely by surprise and cried pretty much all day. I even contemplated listing my camera on ebay. I realized I wasn't a good photographer. So sad. But...after some good friends who knew how to comfort me I have decided NOT to throw in the towel and keep trying. I'll get better. I did learn some useful things though.

1. If you put a watermark, it is like...coming out of the closet and declaring, "I am a professional photographer and I want you to pay me to take your pictures. I am awesome." Oops! I thought it was to keep people from stealing your pictures. So...I'm sorry if I offended anyone by watermarking my pictures, I am NOT competition and I will not charge anyone for taking their pictures. That being said, I will continue to put atleast my name on my pictures so nobody steals them.

2. Photographers are feisty. They don't like other photographers. They don't like competition. It's brutal out there! They will try to tear you down and make you feel worthless and talentless and humiliated. Seriously...they could make a reality TV show about it. This will be hard for me because I'm really sensitive. I'll try to use it as a good thing...gotta toughen up this skin, ya know?

3. If you tell one person you'd love advice or input on your pictures, you are inadvertently opening it up to the entire photography world, and they will speak their mind. So...lesson learned, prepare for a flood, or don't ask for help where people can see it.

Anyway...I learned a lot. If you are interested in the new blog, it's

PictureAlmostPerfect.Blogspot.com

Pinata Instructions

(Before you read this...put your brain in Martha Stewart voice mode! It makes it much funner!)

Hello and welcome to the second part of cheap birthday party decorations! I'm going to try to show you how to make a cheap and SUPER EASY pinata! (Wait...Martha wouldn't say "super easy"...) No paper mache mess or balloons or letting it dry for days. I made this entire pinata in about an hour! You will need:

A large bowl (If you want yours to be a circle. Mine was about 14" wide)
A smaller bowl about half the size of the large bowl
Cardboard- I just cut up an old cardboard box.
Crepe paper- It looks better with several colors. I got a roll of pink, yellow, red, and orange.
Glue gun- Have it heating up when you start.
Glue stick or a scrapbooking tape dispenser
Scissors
Candy-I just went and got some bags from Dollar Tree for cheap!
Gift ribbon- You know....the kind you wrap around gifts and make the ends all curly?
Tape
A box cutter
A ruler
2 pieces of 12 x 12 cardstock or scrapbook paper.

Okay. First step. Take your bowl and trace it to make 2 separate circles.

Then, you take your box cutter and CAREFULLY cut out the circles. Thanks to Photoshop, I was able to erase all of the blood from my accident! Just kidding, just kidding. It didn't bleed.

Cut out 4 inch wide strips to glue around the edge of the circle. Make sure they're even and straight.

Glue the strip around the edge of one of the circles with the glue gun. Make sure if there is any sort of print on the cardboard that it goes on the inside.

Then, glue the other circle to the piece you just made.

With your box cutter, CAREFULLY cut out a 3 sided opening to put the candy into. Mine was about 2 1/2 inches wide by 3 inches long.

Now comes the fun part. take your glue stick or scrapbooking glue, and run it along the side. Take your crepe paper and stick it to the glue, and trim the ends so it doesn't hang over the edge. Then, snip the edge of the crepe paper to make it nice and frilly. Do this all the way around the edge of the pinata. Ole!

You will do pretty much the same thing to the front, and back... just in a circle. Do this until you fill it about half way to the middle. Then, you'll take your 12x12 piece of paper and trace the smaller bowl. Cut out the circle.

Glue the circle you just cut out to the top of the pinata. Do the same for the back of the pinata.

Then, you can decorate it however you want! I just printed out a big number 1 and stuck it to the front with mounting foam tape to make it stand out. I also did the frill thing around the back of the 1.
At the top of the pinata, poke 2 holes about 3 inches apart. Thread a really long piece of gift ribbon through the holes until both ends come out of the trap door. Tie the ends together in a knot, that way your pinata has a handle to hold it by.

Then, fill it with candy. Make sure you eat all the good stuff before you put it in. The kids will never know. :) When you're done filling it, poke a hole in the middle of the "trap door". Sorry, I kind of forgot to take a picture of this part, but it's not hard. You will cut out about twice as many strips of gift ribbon as there will be kids. I did mine about 2 feet long. Thread them all through the hole.

Now, you have two options. This can either be a "beat the crud out of it pinata", or a pull string pinata. With a pull string pinata, there is no violence or crying because one kid hit the other kid with the stick while he was blindfolded. With a pull string pinata, instead of taping all the ribbons inside the pinata, you will only tape ONE string inside of the trap door. If you want, you can tie some knots in that ribbon, too...it will make it harder to pull it out. Then, you close the trap door. You can tape it closed with a piece of tape if you want, I didn't even bother taping mine. It just depends how heavy your candy is, I guess.


Now for the fun! We did it inside, and my Dad just held the pinata by the handle and stood on a chair. It was so fun to see the kids disappointed faces as their string pulled right out of the pinata...mwahahaha! It was even MORE fun to see the trap door open when the right string was pulled and candy spill out everywhere. The kids went crazy! LOVE LOVE LOVED IT!


And that, my friends, is how to do a cheap, easy pinata! I got the crepe paper, ribbon and candy all at the Dollar Tree. GRAND TOTAL: $7! Not bad, eh?

Tissue Paper Flowers

Here is the first edition of the birthday party decoration series! Okay...there will only be 2. But the first one is really easy. They are all made out of tissue paper. I think I only ended up spending about $25total for the entire party. That's feeding 16 people, too. Maybe $7 for the decorations total?




These are HUGE TISSUE PAPER FLOWERS that are super easy to make. You can make them all one color, or change it up with several colors. We did red, orange, yellow and hot pink as our color theme. Like...a cute fiesta! Thanks to Martha Stewart for the great idea and easy instructions!

*I should note that for the center of my flower, I just made a smaller version of the flower using only one color of tissue paper and glued it to the middle. And I didn't puff the whole thing into a circle, it was flat on the back so I could hang it on the wall. *

Also, a cheap meal idea when you're feeding lots of people, a nacho buffet! (Joke time...what do you call a buffet that isn't yours? A nacho buffet. Get it? Not yo buffet? Har har harrrr) I bought a big thing of nacho cheese (like you'd find in a #10 can at Sam's Club. I got mine at Walmart), a few bags of tortilla chips, and then in smaller bowls I had toppings like olives, jalapenos, taco meat, sour cream, and green onions. It was a huge hit! I put the cheese in the crock pot to keep it warm, and the chips in a huge yellow plastic bucket and let them at it. It was a huge hit! Even the kids loved it. :)



As for drinks, a fun drink is BRAZILIAN LIMEADE. Sooooo good!

First Run

For Mothers Day, Michael got me a new Canon Rebel! Seriously, BEST Mother's Day EVER! I have been drooling over cameras for a long time now, all I have is a point and shoot. I seriously started crying when I saw what he got for me! I am still in shock. Just looking over the manual that came with it is overwhelming, there is so much to learn and remember when it comes to "real" photography. I think it's going to take lots and lots of practice to get it right! Ethan came over to play today, and he was so patient with me...bless his heart. He was a great subject, though! Here are a few from my first run with the Rebel!

birthday girl

My sweet little Kate turned 1 yesterday! We had a birthday party for her on Monday, and I threw a little fiesta since she was born on Cinco de Mayo. It was a lot of fun! We had a nacho buffet, (Which reminds me of a joke...what do you call a buffet that's not yours??? Nacho buffet! Get it? Not yo' buffet) Anyway, My family, Michael's parents and my sister-in-law and her family came so we had a full house! I made a pinata for the kids, (which I'll do an entry about soon, they are SO easy to make! Not the messy paper mache kind.) And I made the cutest fiesta decorations out of tissue paper. thank you, Martha Stewart. Again...another entry about that later!

Kate is such a cute and spunky little kid, we just love her! She walks around now, like she owns the place. She still seems too small to be walking, maybe because she's still wearing 6-9 month clothes! But such a little package brings such big joy! She says a few words, "Da" which is "Dad", "bay-tee" which is "blankie", "uh-oh", and "ttttttt" which is "eat". I still haven't gotten her to say "Mom"...*sniff sniff* but, I know she loves me by the way she starts jumping in her crib first thing in the morning and the look in her eyes. She adores big brother and sister and think they are the funniest people in the world. Her favorite toys are my keys and my cell phone, and her favorite food is graham crackers. Ahhhhh, I love this little girl!!!