Our Little Cowgirl...4 Years Old!

On March 19th Lizzie turned 4 years old!  Over the past several months she has been telling us that she wants to be a cowgirl.  Well, now she's all set.  For her birthday Grandma and Papa gave her some fantastic red boots and a red hat to match.  She also got some barrel racing horses and a Barbie with a horse that really trots.  She got spoiled with lots of other fun gifts from aunts and uncles and Nana and friends.  What a lucky girl!  She started her birthday by going to breakfast with her family.  Then later on Blake took her and Hallie to a movie.  She's had a great weekend playing with all her fun new things.

It's always fun to have a day to celebrate each child individually. Lizzie is always willing to help and always has a hug or kiss or a sweet complement to share with Mom or Dad.  She and Hallie spend hours every weekend and in the evenings after school playing together.  Lizzie has a very special place in her heart for Baby Zach.  She constantly gives him loves and wants to make sure he is happy and well taken care of.  Lizzie adds so much to our family! 

New Cousins

It seems like Zach was just barely born, and Emilie brought her six-week-old, Sarah, to meet him.  We laughed at how big she seemed compared to him.  Now Zach gets to be the big cousin.  The other day we went to Nolan and Melissa's to meet their adorable new baby, Cole.  Even though Zach is probably three times heavier than he is, we know it won't take long for Cole to catch up.  Before you know it they'll be playing together and, no doubt, getting into some trouble together too.  

(We didn't notice until after Nolan took the picture that Zach was holding Cole's hand.)

Great to be 8!!!

On March 6th Hallie turned eight years old!  What a special birthday!  She's been counting down the days until her birthday, and she is so excited to get baptized at the end of the month. She has been such a good example to Lizzie.  Hallie has been such a good helper at home and has tried so hard to be kind to her mom and dad and to Lizzie.  We've been learning about baptism, and she is ready!  

She had a great birthday weekend with her family.  The night before her birthday, we went to see her cousin, Isabelle, play the part of Alice in her school play, Alice in Wonderland.  We even got to bring Annie, another special cousin, with us.  

The next morning Hallie opened gifts, and then that afternoon after meeting with the Bishop for her baptismal interview, Nana came over for dinner.  The birthday girl got to choose the menu: homemade chicken noodle soup, bread and jam, and crepes for dessert.

The following Saturday Lizzie and Hallie had a combined birthday party with some friends in the neighborhood.  Our family loves March, one celebration after another!  We have lots of friends and extended family with March birthdays, as well.  In fact, this year, our family welcomed the newest little cousin, Cole Nolan Johnson.  Nolan and Melissa finally got him here safely on March 1st.  We can't wait to meet him!

Valentine's Day, 2011!

This year Hallie was old enough to go the Kaysville's Father-Daughter Valentine's Dance.  She and Blake got all dressed up, went to dinner, and then danced the night away.  So, so cute!!!  Lizzie was a little disappointed that she couldn't go, but we had a fun night at home playing Polly Pockets.  

Then on Valentine's Day, I surprised the kids with prizes and treats, and that week both of the girls had fun parties at school.

Cashing in my Christmas Present...

A couple of days before Christmas, the kids and I ventured throught the white and drifting snow to Bear Lake to see my parents and some of my family who were there.  I kept trying to get Blake to come too, but I could tell he had something up his sleeve, so I tried not to press the issue.  When we returned on Christmas Eve, we found our home in better condition than we had left it.  For my Christmas present Blake had hired someone to come make repairs around the house and add crown molding and a tile backsplash, improvements I have been wanting to make since we moved in five years ago.  

Obviously, everything couldn't get finished in the two days we were gone.  In the next few weeks, though, I was able to pick my tile and have it installed.  When we arrived home from Disneyland, the crown molding was completed.  I love the way everything turned out.  It makes it feel like a new home again!

 

The 4th Annual Darling Disneyland Trip

I keep assuring Blake that we don't need to take the kids to Disneyland every year, and he keeps assuring me that, while they're young, yes we do!  He's a bit of a Disney die hard.  This year we went in February, though, which turned out to be a nice time to go.  The weather was perfect, and the parks weren't very busy. 

It was a trip of firsts:  Zach's first time there and Lizzie's first time on a family favorite, Tower of Terror.  Blake and I argued for several weeks about taking her on this ride.  I was sure that since she's scared to go down the slides at McDonald's Playland, she definitely would be horrified by the quick and far dips and drops in the Tower of Terror, not to mention the freaky elevator guys in the haunted hotel.  I can admit when I'm wrong...she loved it.  She went over and over.  Who knew?

 

Look Who's 3 Months Old!

Can you even believe how cute and cuddly this little Zachary is!?!  We just can't get enough of him. It's so incredible that in three short months he's grown so much, looks so different, and interacts in so many ways.  For the most part Zach is a happy baby.  Occasionally he'll have a fussy day, but what baby doesn't?  When he's happy, though, he is HAPPY.  He loves to smile and coo and laugh.

He has been doing so well with his sleeping.  Since Thanksgiving, he's only been waking up once a night, and lots of nights he'll sleep all night.  Our record, so far, is 10 1/2 hours.  Not too bad for a 3-month-old!  I feel like a new person since I've been getting more sleep. I have to admit, I was walking around like a zombie for the first couple of months.  I've never been more exhausted in my life.  Things are definitely looking up!

It has been so fun to watch Hallie and Lizzie interact with Zach.  They are excellent big sisters, and they are so proud of their adorable little brother.  While I was pregnant with him, we often wondered how we would ever manage taking care of three little ones.  Now we can't imagine our life without him. 

Christmas 2010

We've been able to create lots of Christmas memories together this year.  The girls loved decorating our tree and setting up the Nativity set.  We talked about the lights and the star and  about Baby Jesus and his birth.  

We began December by blessing Zachary on the 5th.  Blake did a great job, and then after the meeting we had family and friends over for a brunch.  It was so nice of everyone to come and make it to our early 9:00 sacrament meeting.

Throughout December Hallie and Lizzie loved the holiday crafts and activities at school and made some cute winter crafts at home.  Their dad took them for their second annual trip to Little America in Salt Lake City for swimming and dinner and a stroll through Temple Square.  We all love to get the kids in their PJ's and spend part of our cold winter evenings, driving around in our cozy, warm car to see all the hard work people have put into decorating their homes in lights and garlands for the season.  Our sweet neighbors, Merlin and Kathi, invited us to join their family to make candy trains again this year.  While we were there, the kids got a special treat when Santa came to visit.  They got to sit on his lap and each received a special Christmas night light.

A few days before Christmas the kids and I went to Grandma and Papa's house and enjoyed spending time with them, Nolan & Melissa, and the Maher family.  We had a great time but missed seeing Derek and his family and the Watsons.  We returned home on Christmas Eve to find that Dad had surprised us with some Christmas home improvements, including crown molding, which I have been wanting for a long time.

On Christmas Eve, we enjoyed a yummy dinner together, watched the Polar Express, and ended the day with a reading of The Night Before Christmas.  The next morning the kids were thrilled with all their prizes from Santa, and we all enjoyed opening presents from grandparents and friends and family.  (Lizzie immediately changed out of her PJ's and into her new leotard and bike helmet from Grandma.)  Next year we're hoping Santa remembers to scale back a little. That afternoon we went to Nana's to spend some time with her and Kim and her family.  We ate and exchanged gifts.  Our girls always love playing with their cousin Isabelle.

There have been moments of my feeling a little overwhelmed, trying to buy, wrap, and distribute gifts; take care of sweet Baby Zach; and keep up on the clutter that seems to make its way into every corner of our home this time of year.  I admit I've had a few Scroogey thoughts here and there, but when it's all said and done, I want to spend the time to make the holidays special for my kids and let family, friends, and neighbors know that we care about them.  It all seems to be worth it in the end.

 

Let the Holidays Begin!

During the days leading up to Thanksgiving, we watched the weather and heard about a huge blizzard coming our way.  What sounded like the storm of the decade ended up being not so bad, and we were able to travel to Grandma and Papa's house for Thanksgiving dinner with them and Grandpa Bob.  We had a great weekend and appreciated all of Grandma's hard work to make Thanksgiving wonderful!

Na na na na na na na na, Bat Girls!!!

With a brand new baby and a downpour on the night of trick-or-treating, this wasn't our smoothest Halloween ever, but the rain eventually stopped, and the girls had fun with Dad.  Zach and Mom stayed home to stay dry and hand out treats.

Hallie and Lizzie looked great in their Bat Girl costumes, and Zachary made a darling dog, even though he slept through most of the fesivities.  We had tried to find him a baby Batman or Robin costume, but they were all too big.  We were thrilled when our friend, Ali, sent him an adorable costume, just his size.

Stay tuned to see how everyone will dress up next year...Same Bat time, same Bat channel...

Zachary West Darling - September 30, 2010

6 lbs. 7 oz.  19 inches long

He's here!  Little Zachary is doing great, and we are so thrilled to have him home!  What a relief to get him here safely.  On Thursday Blake and I went to the hospital at 7:00 am, and by 11:52 am we had a baby.  Overall, the delivery went great.  Poor little Zach had the cord wrapped really tightly around his neck, so it took him a little while to get crying and get the blood flowing.  Once the nurses got him going, though, he took off with his breathing and eating, and he has done great ever since.

There will be some adjusting for our family, especially our little middle child, Lizzie.  She seems to be having a hard time already.  We'll survive, though, and we all love Zachary more than we could have expected.  He is such a blessing in our life as a family.  Can't wait for the new adventure!

Baby Zachary's Room Is Ready!

With just under three weeks until his arrival, we are all anxious to meet our new little Zachary.  At least I can relax a little more now that I've been able to cross some items off my to-do list before he comes.  His room looks even better than I had expected.  

I had a hard time finding accessories to match his bedding, so I made some.  The pictures I made out of fabric and painter's canvas turned out so cute!  I also finished a shelf to match the room and made curtains out of some fabric that I found that matched his bedding perfectly.  Another of my favorite elements of the room are some photographs of Blake's dad playing football, my dad playing basketball, and Blake playing soccer that I enlarged and hung around the shelf.  I sort of wanted a sports theme, but not too drastic.  I think these are ideal.  I thought it would be fun for Zachary to see his grandpas and his dad when they were young, playing their favorite sports.

 

A New School Year!

Fall is in the air and all the fun things that come with it, like college football for Blake, but most importantly, a new school year!  Hallie is in 2nd grade this year, and she gets to go to a brand new school that just opened near our neighborhood.  It is beautiful, and everything is as new as it comes.  

The first day was more than a little stressful for Hallie and me.  Blake was out of town for work, and he hated to miss being there with us and taking Hallie to school.  He loves to be a part of those important milestones in parenting.  Hallie was so nervous.  The poor little thing cried all morning, during the back-to-school picture I insisted we take,  all the way to school, and in her classroom when I dropped her off.  Then, of course, I proceeded to a spot where she couldn't see me, and I cried.  Thanks to a fantastic teacher and some familiar little faces in her class, though, she was thrilled to be a 2nd grader when I picked her up at the end of the day.  She's been excited to go everyday since, and says that 2nd grade is the best grade so far.

Two weeks later Lizzie got to start preschool.  She's been anticipating it for months.  During the week leading up to her first day, she requested that we call her Preschooler, rather than Elizabeth or Lizzie.  She and Hallie looked like a million bucks in their matching big girl, school outfits, and Lizzie had no problem saying goodbye to Blake and me when we dropped her off. She had a great first day.

Unfortunately, she's yet to experience a second day because she came down with the stomach flu that night and had to miss the rest of the week.  That's life with little kids.  You just never know what to expect!

 

Our Weekend Getaway

A couple of weeks ago we got new carpet in our house, so the girls and I decided to let Daddy deal with the installers and moving the furniture.  We went to Nolan and Melissa's in Richmond and had a great time with them.  They treated us to dinner and a fishing adventure, and then we spent the night at their cute and cozy home.  They were the perfect hosts, as always.  

The next day we met my friends Lori and Denise in Logan and spent the afternoon swimming with them and their kids. We always love spending time with them.  

That evening we headed to Bear Lake to help my mom celebrate her birthday.  We had a little party at my grandpa's house and then spent the rest of the weekend at my mom's house.  The girls always have a ball there.  We loved relaxing, doing our nails, making teddy bears with Grandma, and we had a fun time at the beach.

It was fabulous to return home to brand new carpet.  We love it!  

Lollipop

I finally think I redeemed myself after the Roxy incident.  If you don't know what that means, refer to my older posts.  The Roxy incident involves an adorable dog that I thought our family would love to have, but then I decided that I couldn't handle it, so I changed my mind and traumatized my children, especially Hallie.

A couple of months ago we got an adorable kitten, which the kids quickly named Lollipop.  They've loved having a pet to play with and take care of, and I've loved them having a pet that is pretty low-maintenance and spends its time in the garage or backyard.  The other day Hallie told me that I was the best mom in the whole world because I got her a kitten.  Success!

Jack Johnson's Biggest Fans

I've had my suspicions for awhile that Blake must be one of Jack Johnson's biggest fans.  He's seen him in Hawaii at the Kokua Festival three times and also every time he's been in Salt Lake.  I even got to join him in Hawaii this past April.  We wanted to go on a little get-away, and Blake figured it was the perfect opportunity to take a trip and see Jack, all in one.

Hallie and Lizzie love Jack Johnson too, and now, whether he wants to or not, our baby boy (due in October) will join the fan club.  My super sweet and thoughtful sister-in-law, Melissa, made us these darling mini Jack t-shirts.  I can't wait for our new baby to be able to wear them.

Come to think of it, the baby was moving and kicking like crazy while we were at the concert.  I think he was loving it.