Goodbye BYU

A few weeks ago there was a BBQ for graduate students on campus. They have these socials every once in a while, but this time they were serving free J-Dawgs! :) Our little family attended, and we took this opportunity to walk around campus. Oh, I just love BYU. It is so funny to think about how time has flown since we started there. We kind of felt like we were saying goodbye, because we are coming in on the home stretch of John's Ph.D.

The flowers are always so pretty on campus, and Miriam just loved, loved the fountain in the JSFB. We had to go on the balcony and look out across campus. We had to get John's picture with the Clyde Building.

I do love BYU, but I really don't miss being a student. I love being a full-time mother and wife. These girls bring me more joy than I thought possible. I am super nervous and excited for the next step. As of last week we are officially moving to the Phoenix area when John graduates (sometime in the fall). We are so grateful to have the job search end, and glad to have a good job lined up, but I am so sad at leaving our family, friends, and life here in Utah Valley.

Oh the Girliness

Oh Eliza just loves make up. It kind of makes me and John want to gag. But I have to admit there is no point in fighting the girliness at this house. The jewelry! Since these pictures were taken we have rotated our toys and no longer have jewelry out, which I am thankful for everyday. :) 

Of course, Miriam has to get in the action too. Our kids practically live in dress ups. Here they are breaking a piñata in preschool while in princess clothes.

Ellie decided she wanted to do my hair one day. She was so proud of herself  that she wanted to take a "real picture" of it. I love how the simplest things bring out the most delight. :) Of course I really can't blame all this girlishness on the little girls. This big girl really likes to make hair bows and dress them alike. 

In fact I even went so far as to make matching maxi skirts for all of us. In several colors. Poor John. :)

They are also just very playful and fun! I love Ellie's happy face and the fun times the girls have with their friends.

Seven Years!

On this day, seven years ago, me (John) and a couple of my roommates went to meet the girls in our new singles ward via a process of knocking on all of the doors in their apartment building, chatting for a minute if they had time, then moving on.  In doing so, I ran into a girl who just got off work at the MTC cafeteria, still in her work clothes.  We struck up a conversation after one of my roommates stole her phone and started talking to one of her friends who she had been talking to.  I was surprised how easy she was to talk to, and found out later that she had the same thought.  Little did I know, I was talking to the person I would marry about 8 months later.  I am the luckiest guy I know!  I can't believe how time flies!

Easter Egg Hunt and Life

For Easter this year we enjoyed two hunts. One with friends and one with family. Neither one was on Easter because John was away interviewing for a job that day. The kids were super excited about the hunt even though there wasn't many surprises. Eliza even helped fill the eggs. I know, mother of the year.

This was Miriam's first time egg hunting though and she definitely got in the spirit of it.

By the end, everyone was happy. Well, almost everyone. :)

At my parent's easter party, the first-world problem arose of not being able to carry all of the loot you got in the hunt. Here are the kids ready to go. (Yeah, that is my kid. Only one out of line.)

I can't believe how big these kids are getting.

The four girls!

Happy Easter to YOU! (a month late) :)

From my journal April 7, 2013: I love General Conference. It really inspires me in so many ways. The spirit I feel reminds of things that matter most and to not care so much about the things that matter least. I am so richly blessed. I need to remember that.

From my journal April 28, 2013: Wow time just flies. Our kids get cuter and more mischievous every day. Ellie says the funniest things. "I like the New Testament more than the Book of Mormon." What? :) Once she told me that she wanted me to do something to dinner so it would be "more delightful food." She also told me that she was "uncomfortable with Grandma leaving." "I am proud of you for getting me a new bib." "You're getting young because of your oldness." "Daddy, pink is a bad color for you." Once Ellie did something sweet to me, and I told John "At least somebody loves me." Ellie immediately asked, "Who?" Also, last week I just had my first period since Miriam and Ellie of course has been talking a lot about bleeding and "special band-aids." It is pretty great.

Miriam is really learning a lot too. She is picking up words like crazy and actually putting them together. Last night John was pouring milk into Miriam's sippy cup and she said, "Bye-bye, No, no." (No, no is milk.) She is getting pretty good at recognizing her colors and a handful of letters. She really loves books these days. Her favorites are Dr. Suess's ABCs and Goodnight Moon. She loves to say letters are D, M, and O. Also, her new love is bubbles.

We have started potty training Miriam. She has done pretty well, but it can be pretty discouraging. She definitely understands what we want her to do and can actually do it, but is so stubborn about wanting to go in her diaper. She also doesn't want a wet or dirty diaper on so asks to sit on the toilet after she goes. Whew, it can be super frustrating because she'll be dry and then I tell her that we are going to go sit on the toilet and she'll be wet by the time I get her diaper off. That being said, she really picked up super fast what she was supposed to do, so it is just a matter of her wanting to. 

For Easter this year we did a hunt at the Guinn's and John was out of town on the actual holiday. On General conference we did a hunt at my parents house and it was nice. I liked the fact that people tended to go a little healthier this year.

For a date this month we decided to start a new tradition. So we picked the tradition of going to a production of some kind in April every year. I hope we remember. This year we went to a play up in Ogden, which was a little ghetto, but still fun rendition of "Little Women." :)

We have done a couple of fun family activities recently. We went to a free bbq at BYU and went around campus with the kids. We also visited the Provo temple. Miriam LOVED the fountain. There were such pretty flowers.

This month we had a disappointment when John interviewed for a great job in Provo and his good friend Joe Prince actually got it. The salt in the wound was that Joe was offered $85,000. Whew that could have been great. Really shortly thereafter though he was invited down to Phoenix, which he'll visit in a week.

One burn that we have had recently was in our car. So much money to get it fixed. I hate car repairs.

On the bright side the weather has been so nice recently. We had a fun family party yesterday for Jane's birthday. Patti did a fun art birthday party for her, with so many activities.