Happy Birthday Sadie!

Today is Sadie's second birthday! We can't believe she is already 2 years old, it seems like just yesterday that we were in Tuscon to meet her for the first time. I volunteered to take the "late shift" so Troy and Nancee could get a break. I remember she was sleeping in her carrier right next to me, and she would make all these little gurgles and funny baby noises. Every time she made a noise I would wake up, so I pretty much got no sleep and I got a little taste of what new Moms must go through every night.

Me and Sadie 

Sadie has grown a full head of hair since then, and she even lets people fix it for her sometimes. The expressions that she makes remind me a lot of Mallory.

Sadie is very independent, she is not concerned as much about what other people are doing. She likes to entertain herself. Some of her favorite things to do include playing with her dog, Kayla and mastering apps on the iphone and ipad. Its so cute how she already knows how to swipe her fingers across the screen like a pro. Sadie likes to read books, she loves to race around outside and jump on the trampoline.

Mom says Sadie is one of the easiest babies to put to sleep. As soon as she is laid down in her crib she snuggles up with her blanket and goes right down.

Sadie and Uncle Barratt
Sadie's talking has really taken off in the last few months. Some of her favorite words are ipad, bye-bye, doggie and milk. She also enjoys copying what others say. One of Sadies favorite new things is to chew gum as much as possible. She doesn't swallow it either, she has learned to spit it out! 

Sadie adores her big sister and likes to imitate the things that Erica does. But, she doesn't take a lot of guff and she is not afraid to defend herself when necessary.

We love you Sadie and we hope you have had a wonderful birthday!

 ***Sadie's birthday marks the final birthday blog post. I started with Nathan in March 2011, and we have now done a full year of birthdays--over 30 of them!**

February Trip

Mom and Dad decided to escape the cold and go south for about 10 days this month. They went first to Tuscon, to help tend Sadie and Erica while Nancee and Troy represented Live-Right in Taiwan. 

 You can tell Mom was babysitting, because both girls have their hair done in every picture. 

 Erica's expression is awesome. I remember Mom used to do my hair when I was little and when I whined or moaned she would tell me, "Beauty is pain". I imagine she and Erica are having a similar moment in the above picture. :) 

Nancee had arranged for lots of activities to keep the girls occupied, including gymnastics and daycare. 

 So... Mom and Dad were looking forward to some nice warm winter weather, and while it was 40 degrees in Idaho, they woke up to SNOW in Tuscon! I guess the bad weather followed them there. 

 Erica was pretty excited about it though. 

 A few days later, they would be at the beach in California, and Erica is less than excited. 

On their way to California, Mom and Dad took the girls to Phoenix for a sleepover with the cousins, Lincoln and Logan. Everyone was very excited about the new trampoline. 

 The girls were troopers on the VERY long 7 hour car ride over to California to meet up with their parents. 

They were very happy to be reunited with their Mommy and Daddy. 

 Troy and Nancee had just been on a plane for about 24 hours straight. They were exhausted. 

Uncle Barratt helped to keep the girls occupied. 

Sierra and Tutu

 Brayden is looking more and more like his Dad, especially with his new haircut. 

Mom and Dad had a great time down south and they miss everyone already. They are excited for the kids to come up to Idaho this July. 

Nolan likes this straw.

Happy Birthday Kristin!

Today is Kristin's birthday! Wait... thats not Kristin... its actually Martha Stewart, but its easy to understand why I would make that mistake. Kristin is known to be the "Martha" of our family. She is absolutely gifted when it comes to cooking, baking, and canning. It is a literal "treat" anytime we get to visit with Kristin, because homemade cinnamon rolls, pies and doughnuts are just around the corner. Kristin also does excellent sewing and crafting projects. Mary has been the recipient of many darling outfits that Kristin has made from scratch. Once Kristin tried to teach me how to sew a pair of pajama pants, and she also taught me to knit one year when I visited their family for Christmas. She also enjoys maintaining her impressive garden when the rotten Rochester weather permits...

Even though its no secret that Kristin is truly a domestic diva, she would never call herself that. She is so down to earth and humble about everything. She will be the first one to roll up her sleeves and pitch in when work needs to be done. She is outdoorsy, likes to go on walks with the kids, knows how to fly-fish, and she isn't scared to shoot a gun! I think she would have made an excellent pioneer. 

Kristin is a very talented musician as well. I just love hearing her play the violin, and to watch how intense she gets when she plays is also very cool. She has encouraged musicality within her own family, and now they are at a point where they can have family concerts together. Kristin has had the chance to play professionally and teach lessons as well. Even though she loves playing the violin, she has had to make some difficult choices in the past which required her to take some breaks from playing in order to take care of her family. She still practices often and is keeping her skills up, though. 

Usually I think its unfortunate when a person has to share their birthday with a major holiday, but I think its fitting that Kristin's birthday falls on Valentines Day. I say this because Kristin is seriously one of the most loving people you will ever encounter. She is brimming with love not only for her own family, but for her extended family and her neighbors! Kristin has always been very warm and accepting of me personally. She has a hug and a smile for anyone who needs it, and she is genuinely interested in what the other person has to say. 

These kids are so lucky to have such an awesome Mom like Kristin! 

Kristin lives her life each day lovingly devoted to her family. She is an absolutely wonderful mother to her 5 kids, and a sweet wife to Spencer. They are very loving and affectionate with each other, too. (I had to search to find pictures where they weren't kissing!)

 Kristin, we are inspired by how hard you work and all of the talent that you have. You make people around you feel better because of your warm spirit. You are a wonderful mother and wife. We are so happy that you're a part of our family. We love you!