The WONDERFUL Two's

For Wendy's 2nd birthday, we wanted to keep it simple. Just a little party in the park with some cake and presents. But I can't help doing a little extra, I love decorating for parties. The Wizard of Oz is Wendy's favorite right now, so her party had an underlying Dorothy theme (aka light blue and ruby red).

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*we practiced singing "happy birthday" then blowing candles out. she blows by making an "F" sound-
it doesn't so much work, but i think it's cute.

*i love the look on her face, she was so excited for each present

*wendy & harper, best cousins. they really love each other

I can't believe my baby is TWO! I still feel like she's my baby but then I start to notice little things like the fact that she no longer drinks from a bottle, there's a tiny training toilet in our bathroom, and the fact that I have full on conversations with her daily. I'm loving this stage of Wendy's life and I hope the terrible two's wait at least a couple months to kick in so I can continue to enjoy it.

Happy Earth Day!

Today Wendy and I celebrated Earth Day by playing in the rain. Remember how this girl loves her rainboots? Well, when it rains it's like Christmas for her. I decided to put the chores on the back-burner and let her do one of little things that makes her so happy - jumping in puddles with her rainboots on! Now, if I could only get her to put her hood on or hold the umbrella upright, maybe she'd actually stay dry. Some day, hanging out with mom all the time will be lame. So for now, I'll try to savor every minute of it.

Twenty-Nine

*happy, angry, in love, silly

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!

Next year I will officially be married to an old guy.

Our Paris Yard Sale

For about 6 months we've been putting a little money away for our trip to Paris. We've also been piling junk away for a garage sale to raise money for Paris. Last Saturday we held our Paris yard sale and it was great! Great weather, great customers, and a great toddler (I thought we might have to get a baby sitter for the full day, but she was SO good).

Wendy set up a little hang out for herself in the garage with a portable highchair, portable dvd player, and a bird cage. She was so laid back the whole day. She didn't ever try to run in the street or mess up my "displays." There was a small window of time where Wendy was getting bummed to see some of her old toys go. She started telling people who were browsing the toys, "Sorry, it's broken."

It was a major success! We sold a TV, a stereo, dvd's, video games, clothes, shoes, books, toys, dishes, scrapbooking supplies, and so so much more. Special thanks to: my mom & mother-in-law for donating most of our best "big ticket items," and my aunt Cathy who came out and bought half of my stuff :)

Yard Sale tips:
1. advertise on craigslist.org & yardsaleAD.com - it's free!
2. make signs that are easily legible from far away
3. keep your money in a FANNY PACK, not a little lock box. that way you won't get ripped off
4. have a husband who speaks spanish
5. go HERE for more tips!

Easter Saturday

I am 0% hispanic (just English, Irish, Welsh, Danish, Scottish, German & Italian), but Ryan is half and my daughter is one fourth hispanic, so I feel I have earned the right to claim it and take pride in it. One of the many perks of marrying into a Mexican family, are the Mexican Easter traditions! We celebrate on Saturday (which is not a "Mexican" thing, but it works out perfectly because then we can hit up my family on Sunday).

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Along with the normal hard boiled and plastic candy-filled eggs, we hunt for CONFETTI EGGS! All the grandkids "trick" the adults by telling them they want a kiss or have a secret, then smash the confetti eggs on our heads when we bend down. It's the cutest thing. The adults get pretty into it too. It didn't take too long for Wendy to catch on.

I love the combination of traditions from both mine and Ryan's childhoods that have meshed together to form a new set of slightly altered traditions for our own little family. I also love Easter and the uplifting spiritual purpose for this holiday. We get to watch General Conference on Easter Sunday (twice a year, the leaders of the LDS church broadcast their message all over the world on T.V. on the B.Y.U. channel). It will be the perfect way to celebrate.