weekend review

You know those kinds of weekends where you do so much, but not really anything at the same time? Well that was our kind of weekend. Friday Eric did some work on our truck (we are putting it up for sale, that will get a post of its own, I'm sure.) while I did wifely duties like cook, watch Keeping up with the Kardashians, and taking care of the baby, ha!!
Saturday I got up and did an hour of spin, then ran a 5k. Ouchy! My new mom-body isn't used to that much action, ha ha! Eric and I actually ran the 5k with Mia. We ran that sucker in a whopping 38 minutes (ha ha). The bad news is: we are totally out of shape. The good news is: Eric totally understands why I need a jogging stroller now! And the extra good news is: We are going to start running together at least once a week!
Our little town had a kite festival, so after we got cleaned up we headed over to see what food vendors were there. I really wanted something deep fried :) We were so disappointed to find there were NO food vendors... I guess that's what we get for living in a little town. So we drove down main street and noticed there was a concert of some kind at the park. First thing we though of? Concert in the park = food vendors! So we parked, put Mia in the stroller and started walking through the park. We noticed in one corner there were adults dressed up in old Renaissance gear and fighting each other with fake swords. They were totally for real. Weirdest thing ever. And then we quickly realized the concert was totally some type of gospel music, which is great, just not what we were expecting. And there definitely weren't any food vendors, again. So we packed up and went to dairy queen for ice cream cones :) ha ha. All that hard work needed to be wasted on some ice cream :) So basically, our afternoon didn't go as planned! We spent that evening relaxing at home!
It has been SO long (at least 2 months) since we've had a weekend that we could just hangout at home! Despite the weird scenes at the park, it was just the weekend we needed to re coupe :)

just some randoms {4}

 Mia has discovered that dad's hair is perfect for pulling. It runs right through her fingers (unlike mom's) and she doesn't hear any complaining (unlike mom's) when she pulls it! Eric lays there and lets Mia go to town pulling his hair, and this seriously brings her nothing but pure joy! He is such a good sport because that girl has got quite the grip :)

 Mia put herself to sleep without the binky! This has only happened a couple times, so it has to be documented :) She only takes her bink when it's time to sleep which is nice! But she definitely needs that binky to put herself to sleep. (It looks like a disaster, but everything was strategically placed so that she would have something to touch/grab onto no matter where she reached. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to keep that baby entertained, ha ha!)

 

Baby bestie's dressed like baby ballers. And it's totally their dad's fault :)

 And another one because I'm pretty sure this is one of Eric's favorite pictures of his girls :) It's the mini Jordan outfit...

 photo: sweet wishes photography headband: little miss millie's boutique

Another sneak peek from Mia's 3 month photo shoot. Look at those eyes! Our baby has blue eyes! Eric and I both have hazel eyes so we are loving that hers are different!

Mia is just giving dad some loves. We have figured out that she rests her forehead against you when she's giving you some snuggles and loves. It's the sweetest thing :)

little letters

sweet wishes photography

Dear Mia, we had such a good sleep schedule goin'! You'd go down between 8:30-9 and sleep until 7. But every night has been a surprise this past week. Sometimes you wake up at 3, eat, go back to sleep. One night you were up at 11:30, 1, ate at 1:30 but didn't fall back into a deep sleep until 3:30. I got used to my sleep and I need it, ha ha! Are you having a growth spurt? Do you need to start eating rice cereal? Are you teething? This part of being a mom is hard! I have to make a decision on what will help you, and I want to make the right choice!
P.s. You're still cute as ever!

Dear Eric, I admire how dedicated you are to your job! Such a hard worker!!
P.s. Take those middle of the night work calls into a different room. Like I said before, I NEED my sleep. Love you!

Dear running, I really want to start training big time but I need a running buddy! I'm not very good at motivating myself. And I need a baby jogger. Definitely need that!

Dear money, why don't you just grow on a tree in my back yard? That way I can get a baby jogger! Such a simple solution to my problem :)

Dear readers blog friends, what do you think of the sneak peak picture from Mia's 3 month shoot? See why we call her our angel baby? She is perfect! I can't wait to see the rest! Even though she is over 4 months old now... ha ha!

Dear Mother's day, I am loving that I get to cash in on you! I definitely plan on being pampered (hint hint husband). But I really love that I'm a mom to the sweetest baby ever. Such a blessing to have her in my life! I'm excited to celebrate Father's day as well, because without Eric, there would be no precious Mia! I love my little family!

southwestern beef burritos {a recipe}

You guys... Eric and I are addicted to these burritos! When I made them the other night, Eric helped himself to seconds and said, "I don't know what it is, but I can't stop eating this!" True story, we have to make ourselves stop eating it, ha ha! As unappetizing as this dish looks while you're making it, it really is the best thing ever! I copied the recipe from my mom and I'm not sure where she got it, but I hope you'll give it a chance and love it as much as we do!

Southwestern Beef Burrito

1lb Beef (I use left over roast)

1 Small onion

1/2 Garlic clove

1 can (15 oz) Enchilada sauce

1-2 cans Green chile's (I use 1 large can, I think it's 7 ounces)

1 can (15 oz) Petite diced tomatoes 

1 tsp Salt (I don't add the salt)

1/4 tsp Pepper

2 tbls Flour

1/4 cup Cold water

Cook meat (or reheat if you're using left over meat, and I highly recommend using left over roast) with onion and garlic until onion is tender. Add rest of ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes.

Super easy, right?! We use the tortillas from Costco (pretty sure you can find them at Walmart) that you cook on a griddle. Spoon the beef mixture on tortilla, wrap it up like a burrito, and spoon a little on top of the tortilla. We throw on cheese, fresh tomatoes and avocados. Eric likes to add sour cream to his as well. And the left overs taste just as amazing! This is easily one of our favorite meals!

two things

1. Are you following me on Bloglovin?! Am I following you? Leave me your link in the comments!

2. I'm excited to start my own version of hair posts! Until then, enjoy this video from blogher :) Since I posted a video on how to style bangs last time, I chose the video on how to hide them!


Enter the sweepstakes here. Good luck!!
Prizes & Promotions page on Blogher.com
 Sweeps Rules (4/24-4/30)

scenes from Eric's birthday

• Our blue-eyed beauty was the BEST little helper while I baked :) I actually really hate baking but it was kinda fun to see how interested Mia was in everything I did. Maybe I'll enjoy it a little more with her around? 
• Eric's favorite... German chocolate cake. I never make the cake from scratch but I always make the frosting from scratch. And I'm proud to say this is the first year (5 years of making him cakes) that I got it right the first try! Mia must be my good luck charm ;)  
• I realize I have pretty small feet... but that's a card that Mia and I made for daddy ;)
• We have been so fortunate each time we move to make some pretty amazing friends! I threw together a little surprise "birthday party" at Dairy Queen for Eric. What can I say? The man loves his blizzards! When we got there, I told Eric I wanted to go eat inside. He was a little irritated because he just wanted to take it home. When we parked he was complaining about how full the parking lot looked so he told me to go check inside and see if there was even a table to sit at. I laughed and told him of course there were tables. He asked me a second time to go check, and I told him no! His reply? "YOU'RE DRIVIN' ME BONKERS!" Ha! And thennnnnn we walk inside and see all of our friends :) It took him about 60 seconds to put it together and then he gave me a pretty sheepish grin and told me I got him good!
• Did I mention that we celebrated Eric's birthday all week? We went to dinner at a hibachi steak house another night! Pretty sure we couldn't even eat half of what was on our plate!
•  I think this birthday was pretty special for Eric. His first one as a family of 3!
• Not pictured: I kicked off Eric's birthday week with a lemon butter cake. I posted the picture on instagram, but you can find the recipe here. We loved it!

happy 4 months to my love bug

Our angel baby is 4 months old as of yesterday! Aaahh... time just keeps flying by! Even though we love watching her grow, sometimes I think it's not fair that she is growing SO fast! Hasn't someone invented the "pause" button yet?!

- Mia rolled from her back to her tummy for the first (and only) time on March 20th.
- She rolled from her tummy to her back April 6th and hasn't stopped since! She kind of dives onto her face and then rolls over, ha ha! Tummy time rarely happens now that she's discovered how to get out of it :)
- Mia giggles/laughs all the time now and it's the BEST sound in the world!!
- She's got this new thing where she prefers to be burped standing up. Whatever works, I guess? But the nice thing is that she pretty much burps on her own now. I hardly ever have to smack pat her back anymore and that's super nice!
- Bath time is still Mia's favorite! I can't wait to take her swimming all the time this summer :)
- Mia is still wearing 0-3 month clothes, but she is almost to long for them. She also wears 3 month clothes but I have to safety pin some of the bottoms so that they will stay up around her waist, ha!
- She is also wearing size 1 diapers.
- Mia weighs 12.3 lbs and is 24 1/2 in long! Baby girl is long and skinny and perfect in every way :)
- We aren't sure where she picked this up, but Mia loves to growl! It really is the funniest thing!  

Oops, mommy cut daddy's head off!

Mia is so happy, smiley and talkative all the time! She really makes being a mom and dad easy and fun! We are SO in love with our baby girl! We thank God for her multiple times throughout the day, every single day.

 

twenty *cough* seven *gasp*

Happy Birthday to the man who loves his wifey more than anything, and would do anything for her!

Happy Birthday to the man who as soon as we brought our daughter home from the hospital, snuggled her on the couch, cried, and told me you'd been waiting your life for that moment. (And also made me swear that I wouldn't tell anyone you cried. Oops!)

Happy Birthday to the man who loves his guns almost as much as he loves his family!

(yes, he is a crazy person in this picture... but the red eye is making him look even crazier.)

Happy Birthday to the sweetest, most hard headed, hottest, hardest worker, best hubs and dad in the world. Mia and I are so lucky to call you ours!

why?

Have you ever heard of Kennecot mine? It's a copper mine in northern Utah that is SO large you can see it from space. Eric has always thought that would be the place to work (as an electrician). Not necessarily his dream job, but if he could have picked anywhere to work, Kennecot would be his number one choice. He got a phone call from them a few months ago and did a phone interview. Eric was so surprised but way excited that they would even think about hiring him! But when they offered him a job, Eric was even more surprised that he was turning it down. We couldn't figure out why, but it just didn't feel right to accept the offer. Kennecot proceeded to call 3 other times with offers to come work for them. Each time we still felt like "no" was the right answer.

via

Last week a giant mudslide wiped out a huge chunk of the mountain side and covered 2/3 of the pit. Thankfully they predicted a slide was coming so they shut down the mine and no one was present to be injured. But how long will the mine be shut down? How long before the employees can start working again? What if Eric had accepted the job offer? We would have moved (which is ridiculously costly) just to be out of work. I mean.... yikes! We prayed and prayed about taking that job and we were disappointed when we were prompted to say no. Ask me if I'm disappointed now, ha! Our prayers were answered and we were lucky enough to see why the Lord was warning us that this wasn't the right choice for our family! 

Although our prayers are always answered (even if it's not the answer we are hoping for), we usually don't get to see the the consequences that could have been until much further down the road, if at all. It is so easy to ask why? Why me? Why this, why that?! As we all heard the horrific news about the bombings in Boston, I know I was asking why, as I'm sure the rest of the nation was. As I saw the picture of a missing young girl circulating instagram and facebook two nights ago, I asked why?! That young girl was found, but an 8 year old boy that was killed in the bombing won't be reunited with his family in this life time. Why?! God gave us our free agency. He helps us when He can, but it is not God's place to intervene. Nature must take it's course. We have to choose good or evil. God would cease to be God if He made that decision for us. But God will never stop loving us! If we ask (and usually when we think we don't want it) He will comfort us in ways that we least expect it. It breaks my heart that evil people strive to ruin the lives of perfect strangers. It breaks my heart that I will have to fear for my daughter's life every single time she steps outside of our home. It ticks me off that I can't just have the perfect life, perfect job and live in the perfect city (HA!) but I know that if I put all of my faith in Heavenly Father, I will make it through the craziness of this world and live a happy life.

via the talented Becca

my trendy tot {hair talk}

When I found out I was pregnant, I would day dream daily about having a little girl. I'd picture what it would be like to have a real, live baby doll and play dress up with her daily :) I imagined all of the ridiculous hair bows and flowers the size of her head I'd make her wear (as I'm sure Eric day dreamed about having a boy and all of the hats he'd buy for him, ha ha).
I've surprised myself by actually preferring the small bows/flowers for Mia! I just think my daughter is so gorgeous that I don't want a big flower taking away from the focus on my baby's face, ha ha!

But as you can see... from day one I always have something on her head! Whether it's a headband from Miss Millie's Boutique, or a mini Jordan beanie (for Eric's sake of course) the fun never ends when adding accessories to Mia :)
The down side is that I don't have a lot of support from my family. Daddy (Eric) rips off the headbands anytime he thinks he can get away with it. Mia's grandma (Eric's mom) teases me about the headbands. Once, after we went out to lunch, my mother in law pointed out how shocked she was that Mia didn't have anything on her head! Ha! And Mia's other grandma (my mom) calls them "brain squeezers" and takes them off as soon as she sees Mia. *sigh* No one understands the price that comes with being a real, live baby doll. Luckily, Mia seems to be on the same page as me and doesn't mind the accessories ;)

p.s. Linking up with Megan and Kelly for Trendy Tot Tuesday!

announcing...

I just realized I never shared Mia's birth announcement!

the front

the back

Thank goodness for Sharley Cotter Photography! Not only did she take the most precious newborn pictures of Mia, but these announcements just wouldn't have happened without Sharley! She would text or email almost daily asking what design I'd like for the announcements. Which pictures should we use? Details on Mia's birth, etc. I was so overwhelmed and practically brain dead (the nurses at the hospital told Eric that he had to remember all the details because it would be awhile before my brain would be able to hold on to information again... those babies take a lot outta mommies!) for the first month of Mia's life! Birth announcements were the last thing on my mind so I am incredibly grateful for Sharley! She was on top of getting the info she needed out of me, and designed the most beautiful announcements! I will forever be in love with these :)

P.S. I realize I still owe some of you announcements and thank you cards. I'm sorry it's taken me so long, but I promise I haven't forgotten! I am still SO thankful for all the love, spoils and support I've received from my wonderful blog land friends!

currently...

Loving: that I accidentally matched Mia yesterday. I even had gold sandals on! I'm thinking that there will be more mommy+Mia matching outfits in our future :)

Reading: I actually just finished The Undaunted by Gerald Lund. The book is almost 800 pages and it took me well over a month to read it all, but oh my. That book was amazing. I definitely recommend it!

Learning: that I need to take a power nap each day! Mia is on a pretty regular sleep schedule, she goes down between 8:30-9pm and wakes up between 5:30-6am to eat. When I'm done feeding her I put her back down and she sleeps til 9am, but I stay awake. I've figured out that I can accomplish SO much during those 3 hours and I feel great! I actually feel more energized than if I go back to sleep and wake up when she's ready to eat again. But my mind and body still need time to rest during the day because a taking care of a baby is hard work! If I don't get that nap, I'm seriously dragging by 8pm.

Trying to: nag less. I mentioned it briefly in my previous post, but it's a habit I really wanna kick to the curb. Eric doesn't need it, and it'll be one less thing on my plate to worry about, ha ha!

Excited for: our 5 year anniversary that is right around the corner. Time flies!

Wishing: that I could surprise Eric with an amazing gift for his birthday but that's just not gonna happen. I have zero ideas and I'd rather get him something I know he wants, instead of wasting money by trying to be creative. Plus, I have no brain power to be creative right now, ha ha! Besides.... there's no way on earth I can top last year's birthday surprise ;)

Needing: an iPhone 5 cover. Eric is about to ground me from my phone... I don't know why?? I've only dropped it twice :) (Twice is really good when it comes to me and phones!) I'm trying to avoid the otterbox, if it's possible to find a cute and dependable cover (ha!) So please, help a sista blogger out and share your favorite etsy/sites for a phone cover! Pretty please? (Just remember, if I get grounded from my phone, no more pictures of Mia. And we can't have that!)

one of a kind...

While growing up I would always day dream about my marriage. I didn't dream about my actual wedding, I guess I'm not one of those girls. I mean seriously.... Eric is the one that picked our wedding colors, ha ha! I always dreamed about the man, the adventures we'd share, and the never-ending-sappy love story that would be ours. We'd live an extravagant life, enjoy the same hobbies, and fighting would be a foreign concept to us because our love would be perfect (ha ha)!

Marrying Eric is the best decision I ever made! But it didn't take long to realize that our marriage was not going to totally be what I'd dreamed of as a little girl :) For example, I'm pretty sure the honeymoon stage ended.... when our honeymoon ended, ha ha! Combining two different personalities and upbringing's under one roof and there's bound to be some disagreements. Add in some sleep deprivation and things get a bit more heated, ha! I learned real fast that compromise is an important word in any marriage, especially ours.

As much as I'd love to be one of those couples that work out together, Eric prefers to work out solo. He hates the lake, and I basically spent every summer at the lake and every winter dreaming about being at the lake. It's every girls dream to come home one day to a husband telling you to pack your bags because he's surprising you with an amazing vacation! But Eric doesn't plan vacations and he definitely gets too excited to keep a secret like that! But when we first were married, Eric told me he didn't like to travel and he thought vacations were a waste of money. Now we try to take one vacation a year!
I don't bake for my husband. I'm a nagger for a wife, which drives me crazy and I promise I'm working on that! I don't care to learn how to work on cars with him. But Eric totally plans to put a recliner in the garage so that I can relax and read while he and the kids (assuming Mia gets siblings, ha) work on his hot rods.
If we are irritated with each other, we don't hide it very well (our poor family and friends!) We definitely don't cook together. But we love to dance! In fact, if we could ever find the time, Eric would totally take a ballroom dance class with me. I don't think there could be anything sexier than dancing like that together :)

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we hear the good and bad (but mostly good) about other marriages and it's easy to compare your own marriage. But every relationship is one of a kind. What matters most is that Eric and I put everything we have into us. We never stop trying 100% to have the best possible marriage. I gave Eric my whole heart, and I never want to stop giving to our relationship. Even though we don't have that picture-perfect marriage, what we have is perfect for us! I love my life with my husband and daughter, I wouldn't give it up for the world! Even during our toughest moments, I'm so grateful that we are in this together. From here to eternity!

Image via the talented Courtney

proof that time needs to slow down!

6 days new  Sharley Cotter Photography

3 months old  Sweet Wishes Photography

Mia is such a strong baby that I forget sometimes just how small she really is. She's a thin, dainty baby girl. Strangers are always shocked when I tell them she is 3 1/2 months old now because of her size. Mia is perfectly healthy.... we just make 'em on the smaller size :) Which I am totally okay with! Mia is perfect just how she is!

But when I compare these two pictures.... my how she has grown! Looking at these pictures, my heart feels like it could burst with pride! My baby is and has been beautiful and perfect since day one. But at the same time, I feel like I could burst into tears. Time is passing too quickly. Mia is growing too fast! She doesn't fit in the crook of Eric's arm quite like she used to. She doesn't curl up all snug like she used to!

But I feel more blessed than ever that I have been trusted with this thin, dainty, beautiful and perfect girl to be my daughter. I hope I can be the best momma ever to Mia!

weekend review

This past weekend was just what I needed! We have been having some pretty good spring weather (except today it's high winds and SNOW for the forecast... boooo!) which put us in the mood for some grilled food. So we got together with friends and had quite the feast Friday night! I can't wait until it warms up (and stays warm) for the season! I want to spend as much time outside with my little family as possible!
We traveled to my in laws and spent Saturday and Sunday with family! It was so great to spend time relaxing and playing with everyone! I know Mia was thoroughly entertained the whole time :) Poor baby, she is going to be so sad when she wakes up and realizes she has to spend the day with boring ol' mom again. I must admit that the best part of the weekend was listening to General Conference. I have been dwelling on my personal struggles lately and I've been yearning to learn how to make them better. Make them my strength instead of a struggle... and conference was an answer to my prayers! I learned so much and I am incredibly grateful for the leaders of the church and the guidance they provide. But I am even more grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who provides us with the counsel we so greatly need!
I am quite the slacker and didn't keep a camera of my phone (shocker!!) close by for most of the weekend. So I leave you with the only picture I took.... but hey! At least it's a cute one :)

instagram

insta-life

My sweet, baby girl has perfected the lip pout..... ha ha! So stinkin' CUTE!

Hot n Juicy was on Man vs Food and Eric was super excited to try it! It's safe to say that he's the adventurous eater in this relationship ;)

Pool time! I'm not sure who loved it more... the babies or the mommas! 

 Another one from Mia's special day.

 When we were in Vegas the boys were pretty annoyed with all the picture taking I was forcing them to do :) But when they went to a spring training game while the girls shopped.... I received this picture text. No doubt they were making fun of me but I was a proud wifey. Of course it had to be put on insta!

She really loves kisses... obvi. ;)

My beautiful 3 month old!

Instagram is the BEST way to document fun/silly/happy moments! Can you get a book printed of your insta pictures? I need that! I mostly show off my daughter... but if you want to follow along, find me at courtbrink :)

diva for a day

The other night we were out to dinner with friends when Katie asked us, "If you could do anything in the world and get paid for it, what would you do?" I gave the cheesiest answer telling her I'm already doing it! I LOVE doing hair and I especially love that I can control my schedule and work a tiny bit without feeling like I'm being taken away from my daughter. I really am so blessed to be able to have my job be more of an outlet, you know? BUT.... I am officially changing my answer. If I could do anything in the world and get paid for it... I'd be a diva for a day, every day :) ha ha!
My sweet husband gave me a spa day for my birthday gift (way back in January) and I was ecstatic! I couldn't wait to cash in.... until I realized I am nursing my baby. How was I going to get away with spending all day at the spa? Better yet, how was a massage supposed to even feel good if I was full of milk? And how incredibly embarrassing would it be to leak milk everywhere? I wanted to cry thinking I'd have to wait a whole year (or whenever I stop nursing) to go be pampered, ha ha. Dramatic? Maybe, but I was a brand new mom... everything was dramatic then :) Luckily my body has adapted and I learned I could pump at the spa, so on Monday I got to go be a diva for the day! Eric picked out that specific package (so cute that he actually researched for my spa day!) and it was just perfect! It included a massage, facial, pedicure and lunch. Let me tell you... it was like heaven on earth! The spa is located in the most gorgeous part of town, surrounded by vibrant red rocks. And being pampered like that? AMAZING! And lunch was buffet style, need I say more? (What? A nursing momma needs her calories! Don't ask me what my excuse was before I was nursing....) Now I know what I want for my birthday every. year. And Christmas, and my birthday, and Valentines, and mother's day (since I'm totally included in the mom club now!), or if a complete stranger just wants to do something nice for me.... ha! I guess my point is, husband done good ;) So thank you for that, my love!

my trendy tot {Easter dress}

Headband: etsy (I can't remember the shop, so horrible of me!) Dress: Old Navy Shoes: Old Navy

Doesn't my Mia just melt your heart?? She looks so adorable in these pictures! I may be biased, but I think I'm the luckiest momma in the world :)

Anyway... I was dying to buy a ruffly, frilly PINK dress for Mia to wear on Easter Sunday but when it came down to it, I just couldn't! Mia has so many adorable dresses/skirts that she has only worn once (if at all) so I decided I needed to show those off instead. She'll be growing out of 3 month clothes before I know it! I thought this gold little number was perfect to wear on the day that we celebrate Christ's resurrection :) Have I mentioned lately how much I love having a girl? She is so fun to dress up! And next year? She'll definitely be sporting a ruffly, frilly pink dress on Easter Sunday!

P.S. Did anyone notice how my strong 3 month old is totally holding herself up all by herself in the last picture? She totally stood there for a few seconds before sinking down onto her bum! AH!

P.P.S. I'm linking up with Megan for:

weekend review {Easter 2013}

Our big girl is holding her Easter basket all on her own! (Excuse my laziness, I know this picture needs to be cropped!)

This weekend was so great! Gorgeous weather, a happy baby, family and friends.... what more can I ask for?

Eric surprised me Friday by taking the day off and we spent the day relaxing. It was amazing! We got together that night with new friends, hope we didn't scare them off ;) They have a baby girl that is just a couple weeks younger than Mia. My baby is SO lucky to be surrounded with so many babies her age! She's going to have the funnest play dates!

Saturday was a big day for Mia. We went to the arts festival in St. George to watch my dad play. I love to wander around the festival and check out all of the booths, they always have the best jewelery :) But we didn't have time to check it out this year. We headed south to our friend's daughters 1 year birthday party. We spent the whole day outside (it was almost 90 out!) and I got my first sunburn! The party was so cute, yummy food and they even had an Easter egg hunt for the kids. Of course my baby slept through her first ever egg hunt ;) But she loves her basket and held on to it all night! I also saw a horsefly for the first time. Those are disgustingly huge and I swear I'm going to have nightmares over those. Yuck!

On Sunday we went to church and listened to our dear friend give his farewell talk. He is going to be serving an LDS mission for the next 2 years! It's amazing how quickly time flies and how life can change in such a short amount of time. 6 months ago I was babysitting these kids for 2 weeks and now James is leaving on an amazing journey! We are so proud and honored to know and love him! California is lucky to have him!

I love Easter time! Best holiday candy there is :) But more importantly, I love remembering all that I am blessed with. But the greatest blessing of all is knowing that we will return to live with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice and I am eternally grateful for that. Without the atonement, we would be truly lost. He lives and I love celebrating that!