Mama Tinkerbell

Always Daddy

2011-11-18T17:40:00.000-08:00

When I was at the school today, one of the Mom's was asking me if Bella had a crush on any of the boys in her class. Apparently her daughter and friend did and loved to giggle about it. I haven't heard her mention anyone so I thought I would ask her.

Mom: So Bella, do you think any of the boys in your class are cute?
Bella (with a weird look on her face): No.
Mom: Not even any of the boys in the other french class?
Bella: No.
Mom: You don't like any of the boys?
Bella: Well, I like Dad.

Enjoy it while you can Bret!

Saying Prayers

2011-11-15T18:27:00.000-08:00

I have been told it is time to get this blog caught up, so watch over the next few weeks as I attempt to add 6 months worth of posts!
For today, just a cute little note about our Junie. She has started added a new element to her personal prayers. She has to pray for all of her Minnie Mouses in all of their costumes. This takes a little bit because she has a few of them, but it is still pretty cute to hear!

Birthday Lunch

2011-10-26T10:12:00.000-07:00

When I asked Bella what she wanted to do on her birthday, her first wish was to have someone come to lunch. She wanted Aunt Heather, but I told her that was impossible. She was very surprised when she showed up! She really wanted us to try out the school lunch, "So you know how to get it." but we opted for McDonalds instead!

French Girl

2011-10-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

This Bella's favorite outfit at the moment. She feels very french in it!

Junie Quotes

2011-09-01T16:43:00.000-07:00

I just had to get down a few funny June quotes.

Mom says "I have a surprise for you."
June replies, "Is it a moonicorn (unicorn) with a pink castle?"

She comes downstairs and announces, "Momma, I'm all fancied up, all that's missing, my nail polish."

She has also added to her name, if you ask what her name is, she will say and then add at the end, "Big Girl." Just in case you were wondering.

What a funny girl!

Junie's Party

2011-08-18T10:02:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to June. We had a Minnie Mouse swimming party for her. She was most excited about the presents so we started with those!

A giant Minnie Mouse pillow!

Minnie needs lots of kisses!

She loved opening all of her presents, she really got into it and was so funny to watch!

After it was time for a quick dip with Dad!

And motorboat rides with Becca!

Showing off what she asked for, a Minnie Mouse shopping cart. And very cute golden sandals from MArme. (Junie loves to sing "Oh Those Golden Slippers" to Marme, so they were especially perfect!)

The birthday girl had a ball!

Happy Birthday #3 Big Girl! We love you!

Birthday Princess

2011-08-18T10:02:00.000-07:00

Bella planned an extra special surprise for the morning of June's birthday. She made a her a crown and a wand, and even brought up the throne for the birthday princess.

As soon as Junie woke up, Bella brought her into the living room and crowned her the princess!

Bella even brought in one of the pillows from her bed for June's feet. What a Birthday Princess!

Birthday Surprise

2011-08-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

Junie was so excited when Daddy came home from work today with a little pre-birthday surprise!

What could be better than a giant Minnie Mouse who can walk around with you.

She walked around with Minnie, talking to her, hugging her and giving her plenty of kisses all evening. What a great daddy!

Swimming

2011-08-15T10:03:00.000-07:00

It seems like the weather has cut down our swimming this summer, but we still try to head out whenever we can. This blue boat was the hit floatie this year!

Dance Show

2011-08-14T10:03:00.000-07:00

The girls dressed each other up to put on a show for me.

The sunglasses were the final touch.

They love to dance together!

And I love to watch them!

Millcreek Canyon

2011-08-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

Today we headed up Millcreek Canyon for a little hike. The drive up was beautiful.

We started out strong, until we realized how many dogs were around, which was great for my girls who were constantly screaming and running away from them.

The girls made a good effort, splashing in lots of puddles. We soon noticed something, the bugs were out of control. I have never seen anything like it, flies everywhere constantly landing on you. It was really gross.

We tried, we really did, Bella even came up with this style to try and keep the flies off her head, but we had to give up.

We found this cute little bridge which gave us a little relief as we dipped our feet in the water.

We headed back down for a little picnic!

My funny babushka!

Trax

2011-08-09T10:04:00.000-07:00

The new Trax line is opened out by our house, so we decided to meet my family at Gardner Village. The girls were very excited to ride the train. The waited at the station, holding their tickets.

On the train. June was so funny, every time the train started, she giggled and said, "Here we go!"

We had a great time wandering around Gardner Village, especially the candy shop with Grandpa Boyd!. Bella the trooper broke her flip flop while we were walking around. Guess what, there were no shoes to be bought anywhere. Finally, I had to ask the spa for a pair of the funny fake flip flops they put on you after a pedicure. She made it all the way back to the train and the care without complaining, even though they could not have been easy to walk in. What an adventure!

1st Birthday

2011-08-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Big Guy! How cute is that face in a birthday hat? Bret and the girls headed up to celebrate Rocco's birthday while I was at my high school reunion. I think they had a better party!

Who doens' love a little ice cream?

What a handsome cousin, you are almost 1 too buddy!

Bella always loves a pinata!

The girls came home full of candy and stories of lots of fun!

The Puddle

2011-08-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

With all the rain this summer, we ended up with a huge puddle just down the street next to the park. and yes I turned into that parent that let her kids run wild through the disgusting puddle. (At least we weren't the family that showed up in swimming suits with beach towels and lawn chairs!)

Bella was thrilled with all the water!

She jumped,

She even slide on her belly, truly disgusting! But so fun to see and watch!

It took June a little longer to want to get in, but eventually she was running too and loving it! She was mad that I wouldn't let her go all the way across, but it was too deep and I was not about to head in after her!

Happy splashing, in puddles up to Bella's waist!

Concert in the Park

2011-07-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

We found out a friend of Grandma's, Doug, was giving a concert in a park with his band. We decided to pack a picnic and head on out. We noticed that there were a lot of older people there, at first we thought it was a ward party, but then noticed a lack of kids, so we thought office party. Finally, I had to ask, and it turns out, it was an over 40 singles ward get together. Needless to say we felt a little odd, but they were very nice and welcomed everyone to the party.

Bella begged and begged to climb this tree. She just wanted to play at the playground.

We had a fun night and enjoyed some great music!

Hiking Near Alta

2011-07-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

We headed up to Alta for a quick hike to Cecret Lake. With all the late snow this year and cold temperatures, the road was still closed, so we were directed to another hike just down the road. It was pretty steep starting off.

June quickly discovered she liked a ride more than a hike.

The scenery was beautiful.

The girls found lots of fairy lakes and streams along the way.

The best part, we found snow!

Can you believe it? Snow in the middle of July!

The girls quickly made snow balls!

And went after Dad!

A fun afternoon in the mountains!

Toothless

2011-07-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

Bella has lost her other front tooth! She pulled it out on her own, as she won't let anyone touch her loose teeth. They practically fall out on their own!

Love that toothless grin!

And a toothy one too!

Painting the Garage

2011-07-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

What happens when you take to very girlie girls and let them pick the color to paint the garage?

Yep, you end up with a toothpaste blue garage! The girls love it and every time I pull in I feel like I have just brushed my teeth!

Par's Birthday

2011-07-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

It is always so much fun to celebrate my grandpa, Par's birthday. Most of the family made it this year, which makes for quite a crowd! It is so fun to visit and catch up with everyone, but I especially love being with Marme and Par.

I was in charge of entertaining the great grandkids, and we had a blast! We started with a huge bucket of bubble solution and lots of different bubble wands.

We had a great time making huge piles of bubbles and great big bubbles.

The kids loved running after rocket balloons and playing with the big bouncy ones too.

We had a big blow up bowling set that the kids had to bounce into on hopper balls. Just was more of a spectator, but still so cute. We ended it all with a pinata.

The kids all seemed to have a great time. We can't wait for next year!

Fishing

2011-07-08T09:59:00.000-07:00

Time for the annual Baker Family fishing trip to the hatchery in Ogden. We started out with new shades all around! How cute are these kids?

Lily was quite the fisherwoman and even dared to hold the fish, which is more than can be said about the other girls. Just in case you are wondering, my kids wouldn't even touch a pole this year.

So much for Bret's dreams of a family fishing trip!

Bret Fishing

2011-07-07T09:58:00.000-07:00

Bret and his dad headed out on their annual golf and fishing trip. I had to laugh when Clyde came to pick up Bret in a little two seater sports car. "All they had at the rent shop!" There has been so much rain this year the river was up on the golf course.

Check out the ducks.

The damn.

I think this is called the Devil's Slide.

This shows you how high the water really was.

Somehow, I don't think they minded all the water.

And at least the fish were still biting!

July 4th Celebration

2011-07-04T09:59:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July! We celebrated in the usual way with lots and lots of swimming. Junie loved playing in the pool with Aunt Natalie!

Bella and Lily swam and swam and played and played!

She played on the slide.

She played in the floaties.

She practiced diving off of Uncle Jeremy's shoulders.

Holly made sure Bret was getting nice and wet!

After, it was time for fireworks. Cooper and Junie helped Grandpa get ready for the show.

We had lots

and lots of smoke bombs.

Bella loves smoke bombs!

June does not!

Junie decided the best place to be was safe on Grandma's lap. What a fun day!

July 4th Dresses

2011-07-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

The girls had adorable dresses for the 4th of July this year. June insisted on wings with hers!

It was almost impossible to get a picture of these too, as soon as we made it to Grandma and Grandpa's they just wanted to run and play!

Junie and Marme

Claudia's Birthday

2011-07-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

Bret's Aunt Claudia just moved here from New York. To celebrate that along with her birthday, the family threw her a disco party. I thought the girls looked perfect in their tie dyed sundresses.

As cute as they are, I do have to say. Little Luc in the wig stole the show!

And Grandpa's heart!

Antelope Island

2011-07-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

I wanted a new family picture, so we grabbed Bret's parents and headed out to Antelope Island. There are so many beautiful spots on the island, it was hard to choose, but there is one major problem, bugs. I have never seen anything like it in my life. They are just tiny, but everywhere. The smell was actually pretty bad too. We did end up seeing antelope, buffalo and an owl. But mostly, we tried to hurry and get the pictures done.

Bella and her Daddy.

Our new family picture.

My favorite of Bella, too bad there is the house in the background.

My favorite of Junie.

My favorite of the two girls.

Junie kept dancing for us.

A perfect end.

School's Out

2011-06-30T16:11:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of school, hurray! (Notice Junie jumped into the picture.) Bella was not very excited for school to be letting out. She has loved school everyday. I am so proud of how much she has learned and grown in just a year.

We were heading to get a treat and celebrate the start of summer, when Bella started to really cry hard. She said "You just don't understand Mom, when you have had the best teacher in the world and you are never going to see her again. It is just really hard." What can you say to that?

Field Day

2011-06-29T15:26:00.000-07:00

Today was field day at school. I guess it was fun, but these girls must have played too hard to tell me about it!

Flying High

2011-06-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

Junie's new favorite thing to do at the pool is fly as high as she can, the higher the better. She also loves to jump in, but only if you will catch her!

Bella still loves to do tricks. We have had to implement a new rule, only do tricks when Uncle Paul is around.

She has also made friends with the kid who lives next door. They love to swim together and play Pokemon.

Looks like we are going to have a fun summer!

Especially, with kisses from Cooper!

Yo Ho Yo Ho

2011-06-28T15:26:00.000-07:00

Just another lazy evening at the swimming pool.

It doesn't get any better than this!

Kindergarten Program

2011-06-28T15:25:00.000-07:00

Today was Bella's kindergarten program. She has been so excited about it and been practicing the songs at home for weeks. She rehearsed and rehearsed her part and did an awesome job when they filmed her.

She put on a great show!

They ended the program by cheering that now they are first graders. What a big kid, I can't believe it!

She's Tricky

2011-06-24T15:25:00.000-07:00

Bella loves to do tricks at the pool. Here she had our friend help her with her current favorite, going through the tubes at the end of the slide!

Teddy Bear Picnic

2011-06-24T15:24:00.000-07:00

Today was the Teddy Bear Picnic at School. Bella decided to bring Perry the Platypus.

He was great for climbing along!

Junie insisted on bringing a friend, Princess Minnie, when we went to pick up Bella Sissy.

Cheesy grins!

Bathing Beauties

2011-06-23T15:24:00.000-07:00

Little girlies, ready to get their swim on! Does it get any cuter than this?

Geodes

2011-06-10T15:24:00.000-07:00

Fair warning, this is a long post with lots of pictures. Bret decided this morning we were going to hunt for geodes in the desert. Without much warning, we took off. We followed the Pony Express Route so there were lots of markers for us to stop and see.

We found a good spot for a little picnic lunch. Bella even found an arrow head (or maybe just a good rock!).

The desert was beautiful, I have never seen it so green and with so many flowers. It was amazing.

Another Pony Express Marker.

This was an old cabin, along the route were they used to trade horses.

Bella was surprised at how small it was. We drove on, for a total of about 3 hours, down a dirt road. the girls were champs about all the driving. We finished a whole Box Car book!

Finally, we made it to the pits and started to dig.

They found quite a few, just digging around.

Bella and her Dad found the biggest one. After they pulled it out, Bella hit it with a hammer and it cracked right in half. She was thrilled to find the treasure inside.

Bret and Junie worked really hard to dig this one out, and it turned out to be just a rock.

We headed for home, stopping at more markers along the way. this was once a Pet Cemetery.

The beautiful colors of the desert.

The final results, the kids love having them proudly on display in their rooms. I think we will be going on a fossil hunt next.

Performance

2011-06-09T15:23:00.001-07:00

Bella did a fantastic job at her dance performance tonight. She danced to "When Will My Life Begin" from Tangled. She has never been afraid to go out on stage and show her stuff!

She loves getting flowers after the show...

And even shared some with June.

Curlers

2011-06-09T15:23:00.000-07:00

In order to get ready for her dance performance tonight, we had to put Bella's hair up in curlers.

Junie wanted her hair put up too, which is not easily done considering the amount of hair she has.

Too cuties, ready to get fancy!

Honest Abe

2011-06-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

Bella's class had the chance to go see Honest Abe at the Children's Theater downtown. She was told to wear her best dress, so of course this is the one she chose. Here she is with her teacher.

She was really excited to ride the bus.

With the cast of the show, she said it was okay, but a little weird. She had a great question, how do you make all the sounds and was more interested in how the stage and such worked. It was a fun morning and I am glad she still lets me come along!

Dress Rehersal

2011-06-08T15:22:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the dress rehearsal for Bella's dance performance. Junie was in full costume as well. She was not happy when she did not get a chance to be on the stage with the rest of the dancers. We tried to convince her that this was the outdoor stage like in Angelina, but she wasn't buying it. We had to drag her to the car, crying about wanting her turn on the stage. What a funny kid! Bella did a great job practicing her dance and is ready for tomorrow night!

Lagoon

2011-06-07T10:07:00.000-07:00

We decided to take our girls to Lagoon today. It had been years since we had been so we thought it was time to let the girls experience it. Junie and I started of on the carousel, which she loved. She wanted to ride it over and over.

Bret and Bella started off on the white roller coaster, big mistake. She was very frightened and needed a few rounds on the carousel to settle down.

We put the girls on Puff together, after we had ridden with them a few times.

Off they go!

Mom loves the little boats, even if they weren't thrilled!

Bret and Bella took off to try some bigger rides, I discovered June is a bit of a daredevil. She wanted to try rides by herself and loved them!

Bella loved the swing ride and the Tidal Wave. It took a little convincing to get her on the Tidal Wave, but eventually, she loved it, just don't ask her to sit on the end!

June's favorite ride was the Ladybug Drop. She went on it over and over and over and over until Mom was very sick. Then it was with Dad over and over. And then Mom again.

Overall, Junie give Lagoon a big thumbs up!

Summer is Here

2011-06-03T15:21:00.000-07:00

It is time to swim! The girls are thrilled to have the pool open and are ready to splash around in the water!

Last Class

2011-06-02T15:21:00.000-07:00

Today was Junie's last ballet class. She has truly loved dancing and is very sad to have it end. Mom has loved taking it with her, especially because she always gives me lots of kisses during class! She really is my little dancer! Notice she is still in her dance costume, she has worn it almost daily now.

Making her moon to practice her ballet walks across the floor on her tip toes. This is always her favorite part of the class.

Last bow!

My two ballerinas.

Snaggle Soccer

2011-06-01T15:21:00.000-07:00

Bella loved playing soccer again this year. It was a year of personally bests, two goals in one game and both for her own team!

She especially loves getting a trophy, but she has decided she doesn't want to play again.

I think she mostly just likes to pal around with her friend T.

Junie, the silly goose, loves to get in on the action as well!

And check out that snaggle tooth. Her front tooth is literally hanging by a thread, but she will not let anyone pull it! We will see how long it can last!

Puppet Show

2011-05-30T15:20:00.000-07:00

While hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa, Bella decided to put on a puppet show. She headed upstairs with Becca and June and they all made puppets. We still really aren't too sure what the show was all about.

But Grandpa was a good sport to get into his part!

Camping Out

2011-05-29T15:20:00.000-07:00

The girls have been begging to have a camp out in the backyard, but the weather has not cooperated. We decided to put up the tent downstairs and have a camp in. The girls immediately moved in and filled all the tent pockets with their favorite things, a bed for Alex and squinkies.

Junie was really excited about the sleeping bags!

Everything about the tent was fun, especially those jumpy things! (What Junie called the air mattresses.)

Bella was great to snuggle in and watch The Secret Garden with me.

I found June asleep here on the floor in between the couch and the tent. Too much fun on a rainy day!

Ogden Graves

2011-05-28T19:53:00.000-07:00

The Saturday before Memorial Day, Bret's Grandpa always hosts a visit to the family graves and a party at his house after. We have tried hard to teach the girls to be respectful of the graves and sometimes it happens. Bella likes to pick out a flower for Grandma June.

Junie was excited to see her cousins, check out these three cuties!

The swings at Grandpa's are the best. Bella was far too busy dreaming up a Boxcar Mystery to stop for a picture! It sure was a nice day, even with the cloudy weather!

Dance Costumes

2011-05-24T19:52:00.000-07:00

Today Bella had her pictures for her dance recital.

She is really excited about this costume and her dance to Tangled.

June is very excited about her costume too. Why does she have a costume, well Junie had it in her head that she was getting a dance costume at the dance studio. There was no convincing her otherwise. Luckily, they had this one left over from another year.

Once we got home, she ran over to where Bella had her picture taken so Dad could take hers too!

Baby Jet

2011-05-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

We have a new cousin! Congrats to Katie and Jared. He is adorable!

Bella was very excited to hold him. But only for a minute, June was busy checking out Becca's toys.

He is adorable, we love him already!

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to me! I love having breakfast in bed every year with my darling girlies!

Tulip Festival

2011-05-04T19:51:00.000-07:00

My favorite time of year..

I love the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point. Why can't my yard look like this?

We had a great time with Grandma Pattie, Aunt Katie and Becca.

Not a good picture, but how cute are the little ducks trailing after their Mama. My girls loved it!

Mostly, they were very happy to be outside. They danced in this pavilion forever. I tried to get them to stop, but a random stranger wanted to them to keep going and take their pictures.

June loved the fountains!

We found a the secret garden!

The best was running up and down the big hill over and over and over. We can't wait for summer!

Royal Wedding

2011-04-29T09:21:00.000-07:00

I could not wait for this day. I have been planning for weeks. And the girls were very excited. First we woke up at 3 in the morning to see the whole thing live! Bret being the best husband ever, woke me up and Bella came in to see the whole thing too. I have to say, Princess Kate looked beautiful!

After our naps, we got ready to watch the rebroadcast. The girls put on their fanciest princess gowns.

We did princess hair, complete with sparkles!

Next, we made princess crowns. June kept saying, "It just needs a little more sparkle!"

Bella covered hers with jewels! After, we cut out and decorated Princess Kate paper dolls.

Then we settled in for a little english tea.

Our version of the royal couple.

A spot of tea!

We need to work on pinkie up!

All fancy in crowns! What a fun way to spend our Friday!

Zoo Day

2011-04-27T07:17:00.000-07:00

With what looked like a warmish day (finally) we grabbed a few people and headed to the zoo.

Grandpa and Liney getting a better look at the monkeys (not the monkey taking the picture!).

June's favorite animal, the cock a doodle, she kept wanting to come back and see it. You should know that June hates the zoo, really, really hates the zoo. She starts telling us she doesn't like it the minute we pull into the parking lot and makes certain everyone knows. She refused to be happy.

Uncle Jared tried to make her happy, no luck.

9 months pregnant Aunt Katie carrying her, sort of appeased her, but still pretty grumpy.

Even Grandpa walking with her and helping her see the animals didn't work. Her face says it all!

She has the monster grip on Grandpa!

Not even a ride on the carousel would make her happy.

Meg and Liney loved it!

Bella of course had a great time!

All the kids with Grandma and Grandpa.

Aunt Meg is always fun to pal around with!

This little owl was Bella's favorite animal to see.

And this gorilla, finally put Junie in a good mood. She laughed and laughed to see him sleeping with a di-di.

She wanted her picture with the gorilla, but from the safety of her stroller!

At the park, she just wanted to sit on the bench with Aunt Katie.

The cutest turtle at the zoo.

Finally, on the teeter tooter. Whew, what a day at the zoo!

Boxcar Baking

2011-04-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

Bella had a great time planning a menu and baking dinner from her new Boxcar Children Cookbook. She started out with her first apple pie!

After, it was pizza for everyone.

Dad helped her to get the ingredients just right!

Bella's delicious apple pie!

Easter Fancy

2011-04-24T09:29:00.000-07:00

Easter is never complete without a fancy dress. Too bad it was freezing this year and I had to run out and find sweaters a couple of days before. Junie has been waiting to wear this fancy dress for weeks! Too bad she can't smile for the picture!

She just wanted to come inside and pose on the mushroom!

Bella looking fancy! I loved her dress and actually bought it back in February!

My beautiful and fancy girls!

Easter Morning

2011-04-24T07:25:00.000-07:00

The bunny made it! Bella had been prepping Junie about what was going to happen for a few days, so it was nice that the bunny actually came. The girls ran out to see their baskets first.

Bella was very excited about her Boxcar Children Cookbook.

Junie immediately started taking snapshots with her Minnie Mouse camera.

And loved her Minnie Mouse car.

Then it was on to the egg hunt. The bunny is sure getting tricky these days.

The girls were funny about finding eggs. They quickly discovered some eggs had lipstick and squinkies in them. Those they picked up. The ones with candy were brought to Dad and the real eggs, they wouldn't even pick up.

The bunny brought some huge eggs with summer clothes for the girls too!

Junie had to model hers immediately.

Trying out the chocolate bunny. what a fun Easter morning!

After church, we headed over to see Grandma Pattie and Grandpa Boyd for an egg hunt with the cousins.

It all ended with a great time on the swings!
Hope your Easter was as fun as ours!

Coloring Eggs

2011-04-23T06:40:00.000-07:00

Grandma Pattie and Grandpa Boyd came over to help us color eggs the night before Easter. The girls were so excited.

Bella kept reminding us that Grandpa loves cracked eggs. Good thing too, because we cracked a lot of them!

Junie loved throwing the eggs in the dye, it made a great splash!

After the eggs were colored, it was time for glitter!

Aunt Kristie even got into it!

Bella's special egg. Now let's hope that bunny will hide them all!

Ship Shape!

2011-04-17T17:18:00.000-07:00

Since I can't dress my girls in matching clothes, coordinated has to do. I just loved these little sailor looks the girls wore today!

When Bella saw this dress, she had to have it. She thought it would be perfect for going on a boat. I think it helped that we are currently reading a Boxcar Children book about staying in a lighthouse.

I think Bella is right, we need to head out, at least to the beach!

Soccer!

2011-04-16T19:59:00.000-07:00

Bella is playing soccer again this spring.

She much more interested this time around and has started really going after the ball. She is mostly excited to be number 8 again!

June came to the game dressed in her soccer best. She did manage to play a little too. When the ref had the ball out, waiting for someone to come over and kick it in, Junie ran over and took care of it!

Two goals this game and she can't wait for more!

Elle the Elephant

2011-04-03T06:59:00.000-07:00

Bella was thrilled that it was finally her turn to bring home the class pet, Elle the Elephant. She went everywhere and did everything we did this weekend. She started out helping us cook a little dinner.

She went swimming with us., It's hard to see, but notice she is in a bikini.

At the egg hunt.

Doing legos during conference.

Elle met Grandma Pattie and Grandpa Boyd.

A couple of our favorite cousins.

With Grandpa Clyde and Grandma Chris.

Meeting Great Grandpa DeYoung, what a day!

Finally, it was time for bed with a few of Bella's favorite things, Crystal the Owl, Perry the platypus, and the Boxcar Children.

Egg Hunt

2011-04-02T07:03:00.000-07:00

With Grandma and Grandpa being away over Easter, it was time for the annual egg hunt!

June on the look out!

Showing Uncle Matt her treasured eggs.

Thanks Grammer

Posing Bella!

The Wedding

2011-03-24T07:54:00.000-07:00

Matt and Meg are married! It was a great day for the two of them. They were married by Meg's Dad in the Salt Lake Temple. It was fun to meet her family and friends from Japan.

The wedding breakfast at the Lion House.

Bella at the reception.

Little Junie who did not like the reception, too many people for her.

Dancing with Sammy was one of the highlights for Bella.

And with Daddy!

The happy couple. There are tons more pictures on Bret's flicker site if you are interested!

Congrats Matt and Meg! We love you!

St. Pattie's Day

2011-03-17T06:45:00.000-07:00

Always important to start of St. Patrick's Day with a little green. The girls loved these glasses their Dad left for them this morning!

No pinching around this house!

Trying to keep the glasses on...

at least for a minute.

After dance, the girls came home to footprints all over. They followed them to find squinkies left by that silly leprechaun!

Junie wanted me to be sure and know she wasn't the one how left the footprints on the wall!

The Bow-tique

2011-03-13T06:55:00.000-07:00

In honor of Junie's favorite show, the girls set up a bow-tique in the toy room.

Lots of bows for sale!

Shop girl Bella, waiting for customers.

Junie with the honored guest, Baby Minnie Mouse.

Luckily, Daddy is a very good customer, willing to try on lots of bows until he finds the perfect one!

Go Go Go

2011-03-11T06:58:00.000-08:00

Warm weather means get out and ride. Junie loves to scoot! Or at least stand on the scooter while Mom helps her go.

Bella is working on getting the training wheels off. She is close, a few more tries and she should have it!

Breakfast of Champions

2011-03-11T06:54:00.000-08:00

I walked into my room this morning to find this cute face, covered in peanut butter.

She was really enjoying herself.

Watching Mickey Mouse

I guess it is better than no breakfast at all!

The Park

2011-03-10T06:53:00.000-08:00

We finally had a day with a little sunshine, so we grabbed some friends and headed to the park!

Good friends always make the slide more fun!

Silly Junie!

Annie

2011-03-09T06:49:00.000-08:00

My niece Abby was Annie in her school play. I have to say, she was amazing! She really stole the show. My family was in tears, just watching her, in fact, I can't even think about it without getting a little choked up. I was so proud of her!

She looked absolutely darling in her red wig!

Abe thoroughly enjoyed the refreshments!

Bella and Abby

Dan and Abby. It was a great show and we are still humming all the songs. We can't wait for the next performance!

Things June says...

2011-03-07T19:37:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to get down some of the funny things that June is known to say:

Do you need help?

I tell that Gramper send Grammer home right now!

I'm broke.(If she is hurt.)

It's ruined forever

Don't worry, I got you. I keep you safe.

Here you have the white(her blanket). It's for snuggling, but I'll hold it for you.

I hate the zoo!

I love you.

She also loves to sing and can be found singing a lot of the time. She likes

Hello hello, we primary hello

I know you (when she is lying in her bed to fall asleep.)

Hard Knock Life from Annie

Your my little kissy-face (This is her special song with Mom!)

100 Days

2011-03-04T07:59:00.000-08:00

Bella celebrated her 100 days at school today with a fun day of activities. They started with 100 day crowns.

This is what Bella will look like at 100. She is in a sewing room with lots of fabric. That is Marme is like in her mind.

If she had $100 this is what she would buy, a shave ice stand for Alex, her American Girl doll.

Storytime with Gramper

2011-02-27T08:01:00.000-08:00

My parents and sister Kristie came over for dinner tonight. Good thing Bret made it, so it was delicious. After a yummy dinner, there is nothing better than snuggling with Gramper for a little story time!

Happy Birthday Bret

2011-02-20T07:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Bret!

Luck for us, his birthday fell on a holiday Monday so we had a fun day together!

He even got the candles out in one try! Notice June is hiding from the fire in the other room!

We love you Bret, hope your day was great!

The Burrow

2011-02-19T07:55:00.000-08:00

I have new obsession with legos, in particular, Harry Potter legos! I love them! We started off celebrating Bret's birthday weekend by putting one together.

The finished burrow.

You can't help but love this dirty little face!

Favorite Scripture Story

2011-02-13T19:47:00.000-08:00

Bella was assigned to draw a picture of her favorite scripture story and tell about it for primary. She chose to draw a picture of the nativity. She likes the story because it is about Jesus. She also likes to see pictures of it with the angels and everything beautiful.

Happy Hearts

2011-02-13T19:46:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Valentines Day Sunday morning with a great breakfast chosen by the girls, orange juice, strawberries and powdered donuts. Junie's valentine brought her a box of chocolate, a Minnie Mouse movie and a Minnie Mouse baby doll. She was thrilled.

Bella's valentine didn't forget chocolates in an owl box for her, a nintendo game and a Tinkerbell scrapbook. She was happy too.

Believe it or not, the strawberries were the first to go! My valentine remembered me with chocolates and perfume. We had a great morning all together! Hope you remembered someone you love too!

Sweetheart Jammies

2011-02-12T07:36:00.000-08:00

Our secret valentine brought new jammies for the girls tonight!

Junie loved her Minnies!

Bella loved her fairies!

And especially matching ones for Alex.

The best was after I finished taking their pictures, the girls posed their dolls and took pictures of them too!

Gnomeo and Juliet

2011-02-11T19:49:00.000-08:00

We started off our Valentine weekend celebration with taking the girls to a romantic movie! They loved Gnomeo and Junie is still talking about it! As for Bret and I, well the soundtrack was great!

Excuse Me...

2011-02-11T05:41:00.000-08:00

Last night, our secret valentine brought Junie a little princess purse with make-up, (You all know about her fascination with lipstick!), glasses and a phone. She had a great time playing with it and even took it all to bed with her. Bella was reading Junie one of her bedtime stories when Junie put on her glasses and put her phone up to her ear. She then looked at Bella and said, "Excuse me, I am on the phone." and continued to talk to Cinderella. What a kid! It was still funny when she did it again to me during our story!

Making Cookies

2011-02-10T19:43:00.000-08:00

I came upstairs to find Junie doing this today! She was having such a good time, I figured the mess was already there, so I just let her play for a little bit.

When I asked her what she was doing, she told me she was making cookies for Uncle Treav.

Sugar Cookie

2011-02-05T19:43:00.000-08:00

After decorating cookies at Grandma's, the girls went ahead and decorated them on their own the next morning. Junie wanted to make certain she had plenty of sprinkles!

Of course, pink was the color of choice. Luckily Mom found this before anyone could eat it!

Happy New Year and Valentine's Day

2011-02-04T19:42:00.000-08:00

Per tradition, we celebrated Chinese New Year and Valentines Day together with Bret's family. Junie really loved the Chinese Noodles!

After dinner, the kids decorated cookies!

Frosting and sprinkles to their hearts desire!

We had little owl masks for each one to color!

A special cookie by Lily for her Dad!

Who loves you?

Happy Birthday Kristie

2011-02-04T19:40:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Aunt Kristie! We were actually able to meet her for lunch a couple of days before her birthday, with most of the girls. It was sure fun, we hope your birthday was great! We love you Aunt Kristie! (especially because you have matching Twinkle Toes!)

Treehouse Sleepover

2011-01-28T19:39:00.000-08:00

Lily invited Bella for her first sleepover (not at Grandma's) and she was so excited. We met at the Treehouse Museum so the kids could play a little bit.

Cowgirl Lily

Two princesses, very excited about being together!

My little pioneer sailing across the ocean.

Her big sister helped a little!

Catching fish in Japan!

June was not happy once she realized she would not be leaving with the other kids, but going home with Mom and Dad. Bella, on the other hand, was thrilled. She had a great time and can't stop talking about how much fun she had. Thanks Lily for letting her come and being such a great cousin!

Grandma's Home

2011-01-26T19:37:00.000-08:00

Grandma Chris is home! The girls were very excited to pick up Grandma from the airport. We usually only get to drop her off, so it was nice to have girlies so excited and happy instead of crying "Grandma come back!" We met up with cousins at McDonalds and had fun playing and visiting.

Garriott Get Together

2011-01-21T17:19:00.000-08:00

We met up with part of my family for a night of games. We started at the bowling alley. Junie had just woken up from a nap and was the biggest grump ever!

Finally, a little love for Grandma.

Becca's first time bowling, I think she is a natural! But for some reason, I don't see this girly girl liking the shoes!

Aunt Kristie has good form!

Bella acting like an old pro!

Grandpa Boyd

Grandma Pattie and Junie, who had the high score of everyone with 127. Nothing like bumpers and a ramp! After a lot of Dad's mountain dew, she finally was a happy girl.

Afterwards, we headed back to Grandma and Grandpa's for a little Just Dance action. Junie loves this game!

Bella and Grandpa getting their moves on!

No one chicken dances like Aunt Kristie!

Even Bret can get his grove on!

Disco Fever!

Even pregnant Katie can shake it!

After we were worn out, it was time for a little Disney Sing It. Can You Feel the Love Tonight?

Aunt Kristie had the high score, of course. Next time we are making her play on the hardest level. Everything was so fun! We can't wait to get together again!

Big Girl Bed

2011-01-21T16:44:00.000-08:00

Even though she has resisted it and been very content to stay in her crib, we decided it was time for Junie to have a big girl bed. We just took the rail off her crib and added some new bedding. She was very excited to see it. She climbed right up to "snuggle in."

The best pert, she figured out how to jump on it!

She is thrilled with being a big girl! Yes, she is in swimming suit in January. It came earlier this week, she grabbed it out of the box, screamed "I love it!" and has worn it every day since.

I guess she really is turning into a big girl!

Twinkle Toes

2011-01-19T16:43:00.000-08:00

These shoes deserve a post of their own. Bella has already had a pair of Twinkle Toes and wore them almost daily. They were getting pretty worn out. Finally, one of them stayed lit up continuously and began to drive me crazy, so I decided it was time for a new pair. We headed over to Dillards one afternoon to see if we could get another pair. She found some she liked, but unfortunately, they did not have her size. We ran down the mall to Journey's and they didn't have them either, back to Dillards and we had them call another store. Yeah, they had the right size and would hold them.

The next afternoon, we headed out to Dillards. Junie refused to ride in a stroller, but I figured no big deal, just one quick stop, that was a mistake!

They had the shoes, just like these ones, but all in pink. We bought them and Bella had to wear them out of the store. We look around for a few minutes and then head to the car. we are almost to the parking lot when we notice one of the shoes is not lighting up. Back we go. Unfortunately, they did not have another pair in her size and the next size up looked like clown shoes. She was so disappointed. Off we head down the mall to see if we can find another pair. Journey's didn't have the right ones, down to Nordstrom. They didn't have the right ones either. All this time I am dragging along June who refused to be carried. Bella was almost in tears so I told her we would try another mall. Only one other mall in the valley, so off we went. Junie still refused to get in a stroller, but we tried Macy's, no kids shoe department. They suggested we try JCPenney's. I was done at this point, no kids shoes were worth all this trouble, but the look on Bel;la's face made me say, "Okay, last try, then I am ordering them online!" We headed on and guess what, they had some! They weren't exactly the same as the originals, but she liked this one better. Too bad they were more expensive here than at any other place, but worth it to have this all over!

After all this, Junie grabbed a pair of Twinkle Toes of her own and refused to take them off, so guess who got a pair too!

Twins!

2011-01-18T16:42:00.000-08:00

Bella loves Alex, her American Girl doll and especially loves to dress like her. She couldn't wait to get their picture in these matching outfits!

Junie saw what was going on and had to get in on the action with her June doll too!

Bowling

2011-01-14T16:41:00.000-08:00

We grabbed the girls for a surprise day out and about. We told them we would only be doing stuff that started with the letter B. We had lunch at Bajio and then made Bella try to guess what we would be doing next. Finally, I wrote it down for her and she sounded it out:

BOWLING! Bella loves to go bowling, I think the bumpers and the ramp make it perfect!

Notice Bella with her fingers crossed!

A strike! (Or something like that, she doesn't really care, she just gets excited when the pins go down!)

Junie loved pushing the balls around, as Mom kept jumping in worried about smashed fingers! The girls named all the balls after their favorite fairies.

Bret helping Junie bowl with a 13 lb ball. This sparkly one was Queen Clarion.

Fun early afternoon for us, we had even timed it perfect and the bowling alley to ourselves most of the time. We'll be back to bowling again soon!

He's Off the Market

2011-01-09T16:39:00.000-08:00

My little brother got engaged today! Yeah! We are so excited for Matt and Meg!

Fun Times

2011-01-08T16:23:00.000-08:00

Bella called me downstairs to see this:

She wanted me to take a picture of she and Junie in their cottage, and put it on a scrapbook page called "Fun Times."

They had set up their dolls, pet dogs and a tea party. They even found a camping lantern to add a little more light!

Definitely, fun times!

Harry Potter

2011-01-07T16:28:00.000-08:00

Bella has a new fascination with Harry Potter. She loves the fact that she is finally brave enough to watch the first movie. Her parents have decided for her that she is not brave enough to watch the second one.

She gave me this Lego set for Christmas, and we spent a fun afternoon watching Harry Potter and putting it together. I can't wait until she is a little older for more of Harry Potter's world!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T17:36:00.000-08:00

We started the new year sledding with my family.

It took a little convincing of Bella and Mom, but she went down the big hill at Flat Iron Park!

Sam was all over the hill, running and flying down on his sled!

Down she goes!

Grandpa Boyd getting in on the action!

Bella tried going down without a sled!

Back to the top again.

All the sledders.

June spent this time back with Aunt Heather, when she brought her over, she refused to even get near her snow pants. No sledding for June!

Beautiful girl against the beautiful mountains.

After sledding, we headed up to Ogden to visit with Grandpa DeYoung for his birthday. It was nice to visit with him on a calmer occasion than Christmas Eve.

Happy New Year! We hope this is a great year for everyone!

New Year's Eve

2010-12-31T17:34:00.000-08:00

We met Bret's family at the BYU Art Museum the morning of New Year's Eve for the Carl Bloch art exhibit.

Bella was excited to see Aunt Natalie since we didn't see them as much this Christmas. The exhibit was wonderful. I would recommend it, especially if you can take some time without kids!

The kids like the Tassot exhibit downstairs, because they could use magnifying glasses.

Best of all was this interactive pad they could jump around on.

The pulled out some of their best moves.

After, it was off to the Brick Oven for lunch.

Later, Bret's parents came over for a little Disney Sing It.

Some of the songs are surprisingly hard.

Junie and Grandma singing her favorite, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo.

The girls and I all had matching owl jammies. We didn't quite make it to midnight, but 10 is pretty late for us!

Sledding

2010-12-30T16:52:00.000-08:00

With all the snow, we decided to bundle up and head out sledding. We went to a little hill close to our house.

Junie was all decked out in Minnie Mouse.

She went down the hill with Grandpa one time and that was enough. Junie really does not like to be out in the snow. She wouldn't even let us put her down after.

After a bunch of rides by Bella these three sillies jumped on and headed down together!

Always better to have someone help you up the hill! Great fun in all the fresh white stuff!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T16:39:00.000-08:00

And the big man came!

Junie was as happy as can be with her stocking, lots and lots of lipstick. In fact, we could barely pull her away from the lipstick in order to open her presents.

Bella was very excited about her new camera and a bed for Alex.

With Dad ready her Christmas book.

Junie showing Grandma Chris the finer points of lipstick and sharing, just a little.

After making sure she had a generous coat, we finally pulled her away from the lipstick to open a few presents. She was thrilled with this costume and put it on immediately. Then she refused to take it off for the rest of the day.

Dancing in her crown from Bella and the ostrich from Fantasia.

This coloring cottage seemed to be their favorite gift. (Hundreds of dollars on presents and they love a cardboard box!)

Everyone grabbed a marker and took a turn!

Then they set up the inside with their new stuff.

Even though you can't tell from the look on her face, Junie really loved her Minnie Mouse coat. Maybe the earmuffs were a little much!

Junie reading her favorite story with her daddy.

After all the chaos, we cleaned up and headed over to see my family. Junie was thrilled with her fancy nightgown.

She still wouldn't take off the tutu so the nightgown just went over. Both the girls were really excited about their new art easels too.

Last stop over at the Baker's with even more presents, dogs for everyone! What a great day! Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T16:34:00.000-08:00

It wouldn't be Christmas Eve without new jammies! Or as Bella told Junie, "We get to open another present on Christmas Eve. But it's not that great, just jammies."

Bella's owls.

Junie in penguins. Somehow we missed her favorite part of the outfit, Rudolph slippers.

And to all, a good night!

DeYoung Party

2010-12-24T16:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve is always spent with the DeYoung Family.

The girls did their penguin dance for the talent show.

And were very excited to see Santa. Junie went up to him several times, trying to scam a few extra candy canes. No surprises in what they asked for, Bella wants a camera and Junie wants lipstick.

Grandpa DeYoung, guess which one is the real Santa!

Cookies for Santa

2010-12-24T16:26:00.000-08:00

The girls were becoming increasingly concerned about our lack of cookies for Santa as Christmas was getting closer, they probably asked about it every day. Finally, Christmas Eve morning, we broke out the cookie cutters.

Junie would only make Rudolph's. She also would not share the cookie cutter with anyone.

Bella was a frosting and sprinkling master.

She picked out these two special cookies for Santa. I hope he likes them!

Tidwell Family Party

2010-12-23T16:24:00.000-08:00

June found a way to keep herself and Uncle Treav entertained for the Tidwell Family Party. How did kids survive before iphones? As for me, it was fun to catch up and see so many of my cousins. I wish we got together more often.

Lunch Break

2010-12-22T16:17:00.000-08:00

With Belle being out of school for Christmas break, we decided to meet Dad downtown for lunch to celebrate!

You can't celebrate without a little ice cream!

After, we headed over to the Grand America to check out the display windows.

We had a good time finding the letters of the alphabet in each one. This is the letter B.

The letter J was in this one.

They had fun gingerbread houses, of course we liked the pink one!

In front of the gingerbread tree.

Mom's favorite window.

Junie wanted her picture right here, so she cheesed it up extra good. This was a great way to spend a long lunch with Dad, I'm sure we will go again next year!

Watching these three walk to the car was a pretty great moment too!

The Next Show

2010-12-21T13:47:00.000-08:00

Tonight was Bella's school program and she was more than a little excited. She is always a great performer and she put on quite the show, singing and dancing for the crowd!