My Baby is 5!!!!

I am not ready for Ashley to be 5. It seems like she was just born yesterday. Time is going by way to fast. With that said we did celebrate Ashley's birthday today. She loves birthdays and was in the best mood all day. She was ready to open gifts first things when she woke up but I did not have them wrapped yet and we had to get ready for Conference. She was not happy that she had to wait until dinner time. For dinner she chose to have personal pizzas. Once I had the stuff ready for the girls to make their own pizza's, I left the kitchen and let them do it. Normally I supervise and now I know why. Ashley piled her very high with toppings. We had to take so much off to make it look like a pizza and not a mountain. Once dinner was over it was time for presents. She was so excited and had been trying to guess what they were since I had them wrapped. She had it in her head that I got her a Big Buzz lightyear. I was so afraid that she was going to be so disappointed because I did not get her a buzz. Thankfully she was not upset but really excited for her new doll. Allison got one of these dolls for Christmas and Ashley has shown a lot of interest in it so I thought it would be fun for her to get one too. I am so happy that she loved it and wasn't disappointed about the buzz. After opening gifts she was ready for cake. I had all these wonderful plans to make her a cute cake but yesterday while we were at Costco, Kevin just happened to mention a Costco cake and that is what she got her heart set on. I did not want to buy a that big of a cake so thankfully I was able to talk her into a cheesecake instead. Madison and Allison had seen the cake I wanted to make so they were disappointed that I wasn't going to make it. I guess maybe another time. Ashley had a wonderful day. I love to see her smile and enjoy herself. She is such a blessing in our family. We love you Ashley and can't imagine our family without you.

General Conference

General Conference weekend is a great weekend but also a hard weekend. Since I have become a mom I have struggled with how to keep my kids busy and involved so they can get the most out of conference and I can too. Several years ago we were introduced to Conference Bingo and it has been a big hit but doesn't keep their interest the whole time so this year I thought I would add to it. I found some wonderful conference packets for all ages at Sugardoodle. Each girl had one that was age appropriate for them. I also tried to be more organized this year so that things ran more smoothly. Our meals were all planned out and the girls got a special treat and got to eat breakfast in the living while watching conference. Things went a lot better then I expected and I really think they got more out of conference then years past and now they have a packet to look back at in the future. It was fun to watch the girls work through their packets. The packets included one little fact about each of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. This really interested Madison and Allison. I think in a way in helps them see that they are just like us. Ashley's packet was more to keep her busy. It had things to color and then a few things to color and cut out. She used some very interesting colors when coloring the General Authorities but it will be fun for her to look back on. We had a wonderful weekend listening to our Prophet and Apostles. One of the big highlights of the weekend is that there was a temple announced to be built right here in Meridian. We are so blessed to be getting a temple even closer to us. I can't wait to take advantage of this blessing. The girls can't wait either. Allison was especially excited because she realized that she is old enough to go to the dedication. We are so blessed.

Our soon to be Birthday girl

Ashley turns 5 tomorrow but with Conference and her birthday falling on a Sunday we went out for lunch today. Kevin had to do some catching up at work so he went in to work. Ashley was worried he would miss her lunch so she wanted to pick a place across from his work. I assured her that Dad would never miss out on her birthday celebration and she could go where ever she wanted. She chose to go to Tucano's because of the way they sing to you on your birthday. The meal was great and when they came singing for Ashley's birthday she got all shy. When they were done singing to her and they left, she said, "Now that was embarrassing." Funny girl. When we got home Ashley ran straight to the mail box. She has been doing this all week. She loves to get things in the mail and she knows that her grandparents always send her cards. She is always so excited when she reads her name on a piece of mail.

Allison's Pictures

I always do Madison and Allison's pictures together. I try to do them around their birthday but never seem to get around to them till the spring time. I think spring is a prettier time of year but one day I would like to have their pictures done around their birthday's. Allison was very excited for pictures because she got to pick out a new outfit. I love it and she looks very pretty in it. I love the way they all turned out so it will be hard to pick out one to hang on the wall.

Madison's pictures

I finally got around to taking Madison's annual pictures. I always have the best of intentions and want to get them done around her birthday but I guess better late then never. I love her age. She is so easy to get nice pictures of. I haven't decided which one is my favorite yet or done any editing but I am really happy with them.

Beautiful weather

Finally some beautiful weather. We have been waiting for some spring like weather around here and it is finally here but only for a short time. Since we are all going crazy being cooped up in the house we headed out to the zoo for a the day with some friends. We had a great time and the kids loved being all together with some of their favorite people. It has been about a year since we have been to the zoo and their is a new exhibit. A Wallaby walk about. It was really cool. We got to walk through the exhibit and the wallaby's were jumping around us. One of them had a baby in it's pouch. The baby stuck its head out and Jacob got the coolest picture. We spent most of the day there just walking around and enjoying the animals. I am so glad that we were able to get out and enjoy this weather.

Spring Break fun

When Capri is over it is sometime hard to keep the peace. All of my girls love Capri and want to spend time with her. We made plans to have her spend the night so I needed to make sure I had something they could all enjoy together. I found these cute little pots at Target in the dollar section. The girls had a great time painting them and making them their own. The girls had a great time and loved showing them off.