Year 7

Dinner at Outback and grocery shopping at Walmart - still a super hot date after 7 years.
 

After Blayne brought me home flowers on Friday, Darek was ticked that Daddy hadn't gotten him anything. i told him that Dad got me flowers because we got married 7 years ago and we love each other. Darek spent the rest of the day saying he wanted to get married. He asked Mia if she would marry him and she said Yes - coincidentally we have this picture.
 

Spring

Saturday was the first day in about 6 months that the weather gave us a break and we could go outside. It was opening day at the zoo and we absolutely loved it.

Monkeys
 

Running from one animal to the next.
 

Easter
 

These sunglasses didn't come off all morning except for the last picture.
 

Must Love Dogs

Mia turned 2 two weeks ago and, although we had some camera malfunctions, it was such a great day. She had been asking for a "Princess Cake" for weeks and probably would have been content with that and nothing more.
 
 
-Mia is definitely a light in our house. She laughs and smiles all day long.
-She speaks amazingly well. When I put her to bed she says, "Bye Mom, see you soon!".
-Every time we get in the car (and regularly at home) she says, "I need a song." Or, "I need to dance." And she likes her music loud.
-She loves chocolate milk and drinks way too much of it.
-She is very independent. She has to open doors herself, she doesn't like to be carried, and she always has to put on her own shoes (she often tries to put on her own clothes, but will let me help with that).
-She always has so many "things" that she has to carry around the house, and her purse has come in very handy. Lately it's been the balloon Daddy got her for Valentines' Day (this has been so annoying because she seriously wants to take it everywhere), her princesses from her birthday cake, her FurReal friend (a little cat), and her horse from a gift Polly got her.
-She wears her boots all day long (it takes a tantrum to get them off). Even if she's not wearing anything else.
-She is a dream come true.

Also, Blayne got called to be in the branch presidency of the Spanish branch a few months ago. Mia's nursery leaders there (who don't speak any English), told me that she speaks Spanish very well. She tells them "Si", and always says she wants "mas" at snack time. What a hoot.

And, in completely unrelated news, we got a dog. I made the mistake of taking my kids to the animal shelter to "look" at the animals. Both the staff there and my kids were not going to let me leave without a pet. Having a puppy has been a HUGE pain. But my kids are in love with her, so what can you do?
 
 

In the Mud

About 20 minutes after playing in the snow, Mia got stuck in the mud. Her little boots really wouldn't come out. She just looked so sad.
 

Mia's favorite gift

 

This was our first Christmas in our own house and it was WONDERFUL.
Darek spent weeks worrying about whether his name would be on the naughty list or not.
There were many times when he was sure Mia's would be.

My family - Mom, Dad, Luke, Dan, Jeffery, and Jackson - all arrived on Christmas Eve. My sister Grace was with us too. Darek woke up at 5 am and ran into our room telling us that Santa had come (he had seen the presents down the hall). We kept him in our room until 8, got Mia, and the rest of my family was already up. The kids tore into their gifts. We had the breakfast casserole my mom makes every year along with cinnamon rolls. Darek and the boys spent the rest of the week playing video games.

We saw Santa weeks before. Darek knew what to do.
 

Mia wanted to see him, but from a safe distance.
 

My mom stayed with the kids and the rest of us went skiing. It was a BLAST. Other than my dad, none of us had really been. We took a lesson together and had so much fun. All of the boys picked it up like they'd been doing it for years. Blayne and Dan were speed demons, Luke and I were steady and sure. Blayne was hesitant to go at all, thinking this just wouldn't be his thing because he hates the cold. Within a few minutes, he was loving it and can't wait to go again.
 
 

We went to the library for story time yesterday. Haven't been since last year.
Darek sat quietly on my lap, Mia ran loudly around the room and then out of the room.
Darek whispered as we looked at the fish. Mia ran up and down the aisles yelling, "Here fishie, fishie, fishie!"
Darek slowly and conscientously chose which books he wanted. Mia indiscriminately threw one book after another off of the shelf and onto the floor. With Mia screaming in my arms and Darek walking quietly behind me, we left.
And I'm sure we'll go back. There's not much else to do in the winter.

Mia, at home, is the easiest child on the planet. She entertains herself all day long. She is charming and happy and independent.
She's still happy when we leave the house, but her independence means she runs everywhere except for where I am. She gets into everything. It makes me crazy.

Darek, at home, is ridiculously difficult. He is attached to my hip and wants me to do everything with him. He does not give me any breathing room.
When we leave the house, he's incredibly easy. He listens well and is entertained by what's going on around him. It's the best way for me to get some space.

Darned if you do and Darned if you don't...

After the library, we went to McDonald's. Darek and Mia were best buddies - she's too little to pull herself up in the play area, so he'd give her a boost and they'd laugh all the way down the slide.
 
 

But when Darek made a new friend, Mia was on her own.