Young Women Broadcast

Katie and I went out on a shopping date and then attended the Young Women's General Broadcast. The Stake held a dinner, with mother/daughter pictures and then the broadcast. We had such a fun time! I love this picture. I think Katie is so beautiful. I love spending time with her.

Jeffrey's 6th birthday

Friday was Jeffrey's birthday and it was also the day that he had a Star Wars themed birthday party. I got the idea, the games, even the cake and pinata suggestions, from my friend Afton's blog several years ago. We held the exact same party two birthdays ago for Adam, and it was a hit both times. Here are some pictures from the day:
Josh and Adam led the activities. Mostly the 8 little boys, who had just gotten out of school, wanted to spend a lot of time fighting with their newly acquired light sabers. Noisy but lots of fun!

Jacob jointed in the fun and got everyone attacking him in a group, while we were waiting for Darth Vader to arrive. Darth Vader had accidentally taken a nap on the couch upstairs and wasn't ready to come down when we originally felt a 'disturbance in the force'.
Princess Beth-Leia made an appearance.
Can you believe how in style Darth Vader is these days? He wears Nike shorts and long black Nike socks. I'm just sayin'...

Jeffrey wanted a cake featuring himself fighting Darth Maul. So here is our best effort. He thought it was "awesome"!


Even Padawans need a snack/cake break.
And the Darth Vader pinata. Thanks, Party America!

Overall, Jeffrey's big day was great. In fact, he told me it was "my best birthday in years!" Six years to be exact. : )

Isn't this the cutest birthday card ever?

Grandmas are the best!

Some things that have made me smile this week

This is a picture of Jeffrey and Anna when he was 4 and she was 2. Jeffrey received it in the mail as a birthday picture from Grandma Jeri and Grandpa Lewis on a mission in Ecuador. I think it is so adorable, and it reminds me how big they are both getting.
The trees are blooming! Popcorn popping...this is the view from the balcony outside our bedroom.
A close up...aren't they gorgeous? I love them. I love the fruitless pears when they bloom in the backyard and the birch tree with its flowing leaves in the front yard. I can just sit and look at them.
Love those blossoms! This means that sunny days are just around the corner...

Okay, this actually made me laugh. This is how one of the children recently put away the peaches after dinner one night. The child 'covered' them this way and then put them in the fridge overnight like this. I found them the next morning. Inventive. Clean up for the creative child who doesn't want to go to the trouble of digging through the tupperware containers to find one the right size!

Another thing that made me smile was a birthday card for Jeffrey from Grandma and Grandpa in Coarsegold. Grandma Pat makes her own cards, and she made this one with Jeffrey with his face in the round window of a rocket ship. It is absolutely adorable. It has been the hit of the family, so much so that I can't find it to take a picture of it to post on here. But it has made me smile all week, every time I run across it. I will try to post a picture of it when I document the Star Wars birthday party taking place on Friday.

Last, this picture of Anna makes me smile. She woke up Monday morning and informed me that I was going to buy her some "clothes" that day. I asked her what clothes she needed. She said she needed shorts, a shirt and a hat. I told her I would try to take her to buy some clothes later just to pacify her, figuring she would forget. It did not make me smile that she bugged me all day long for three days about going to buy her "clothes", especially when I have been trying to plan and shop for stuff for Jeffrey's birthday this week. However, I finally relented and sent Rich and Anna to the girls' section while I got the last of the party stuff. This is what they came up with. I guess the dress won out over the shorts and shirt.