Arizona Vacation

Here is a mundane hodgepodge of photos and stories from our vacation to Arizona last month.

I flew out by myself with the girls a week early. They were surprisingly very good. Much better behaved than they were for Seth AND I on the way home. Figures.

Finally got to meet baby Jack! The only boy cousin on my side of the family so far. We've only got two on the Winsor side as well, so I think it's safe to say that for this generation, girls rule and boys drool.

If my girls are as loving and attentive to the new baby as they were to baby Jack, I should have no problem come October. Hailey, for some unknown reason, referred to him as "big guy" all week. 

Ah, TV time. The great babysitter.

Tessa and Brooklyn out on a walk. They got along splendidly.

Hailey and Eleanor got along, but not as splendidly. They strictly follow the toddler rules of life: what's mine is mine and what's yours is mine.

In true family tradition, Hailey and I got sick upon first arriving in Arizona. Here we are skipping out after Sacrament so we can go home and go to bed. My mom wanted pictures of the girls in their cute dresses before we left.

Sleepover! Amanda had to drive out to pick up Stuart from the airport during bedtime so Brooklyn and Eleanor came and had a sleepover with us. They stayed up late talking and giggling until Brooklyn decided she'd had enough and wanted to go sleep in her own bed, so I don't think the concept of a sleepover quite sunk in.

Accidental matching. I thought this was hilarious, but I was also sick and tired, so everything was funny.

I can't remember half the stuff we did. It was mostly just hanging out watching the kids play and fight. So exciting! But also kind of what family vacations are for.

This is how most of our attempts to get pictures of all four girls went. Not very well.

On the way home.
(Actually not, since we flew straight to the Winsor Family Reunion at Myrtle Beach. I'll be putting up another photo dump of that vacation too. It should be as exciting as this one.)

Katie's Wedding

When Seth and I got married in Arizona in August, everyone decided it was probably not the best idea and warned single family members not to follow in our footsteps.

So my sister Katie just got married in Arizona on August 1st.
(She never listens to me.)

Everything was beautiful though and it was a great day. It helped that I wasn't the bride this time around and didn't have to be outside in the heat for nearly as many pictures.

The girls thought the "party" (as they called it) was awesome.

They stayed up way too late and had way too much sugar and were totally wiped out by the end of the night.

Congrats Katie and Alex!
But for reals everyone: no more weddings in Arizona in August.

Happy Anniversary

Seth and I got married six years ago today.
We don't really have a couples song (unless you count the entire Norah Jones "Come Away With Me" album) but we do have a song for our wedding day. At least, I do.

It's "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas.

The backstory is that I will always remember driving to the Mesa temple early in the morning with just my mother and her asking me why on earth I was playing that song. (It was on a CD mix I had made for when Seth and I drove down to Arizona earlier in the week.)
I was kind of on cloud nine and thinking it was so funny that she would comment on it, because I was about to get married and everything was happy and hilarious and wonderful and life was the best and Kung Fu Fighting was playing on my way to get MARRIED YAY YAY YAY!!!!!

And that's why that is my wedding day song.

Happy Anniversary Seth. From this:

to this:

I love you.

Happy 4th Birthday!

Today is my oldest daughter's fourth birthday.
{Insert standard "they're getting so big!" weeping and wailing.}

She spent the weekend with her Grammy and we picked her up after shopping and lunch at Chick-fil-a. She played with her new toy all afternoon and got to watch dumb YouTube videos about opening Kinder Eggs and taking the packaging off new toys. (My kid can't be the only one fascinated with those kinds of videos... right?)

We skyped with Grandma and when Seth got home we had pizza and cupcakes with unnaturally colored pink frosting that she picked out herself. She opened her presents and played with them and refused to let Hailey share because she didn't have to and she didn't have to clean up and she got to stay up unusually late.

In short, a perfect day for a brand new four year old.
But I know why you're all really here, and that's the birthday interview. Behold:

Actual questions and answers:
(Some of her answers had me scratching my head in confusion, so I inserted my own commentary in parenthesis.)
1. What is your favorite color? Red (Answer every single other time this question has been broached: Pink and Purple.)
2. What is your favorite toy? Tractor Duplos
3. What is your favorite fruit? Oranges (False. She hates oranges. She has spit them out every single time I make her try them. Apple is the appropriate answer here.)
4. What is your favorite TV show? Caillou
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Fruit snacks
6. What is your favorite outfit? Pony shirt and long pants
7. What is your favorite game? Coloring
8. What is your favorite snack? Fruit snacks and cupcakes
9. What is your favorite animal? Ducks
10. What is your favorite song? You Are My Sunshine
11. What is your favorite book? Princess book
12. Who is your best friend? Hailey
13. What is your favorite school subject? ABCs
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play
15. What is your favorite drink? Milk
16. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Balloons (Obviously birthday influenced. It's really her pink blanket and water bottle.)
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Cupcakes (Wishful thinking? Actual answer: Cinnamon Toast Crunch)
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Pizza and cupcakes
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A Doctor

Happy Birthday Tessa! You are the best and I love you so much.

Five on Friday

Thank goodness it's Friday and Seth will be home to help me parent. That's all I'm saying about this week.

 1. The girls always act like little baby birds whenever we get free samples at BJ's. It makes me laugh.

2. We took the girls up to Richmond last weekend and they had fun swimming at the pool.

3. Tessa doesn't know how to eat an ice cream cone fast enough. I had to help her out a lot.

4. Seth made a crown of Scripture Mastery cards for his Seminary class. Part of their incentive to get the kids to do well on their test, I think. (Today was his LAST DAY HALLELUJAH.)

5. Took the girls out for a picnic on Memorial Day. They loved it.