Spring Break 2012

We had such a great trip to Utah for Aunt Wendy's wedding and Spring Break. It was non-stop as usual and full of tons of fun and activities.



It started with Wendy's wedding. We met everyone in Manti, Utah for the big day. I think the best part for the kids was that we all stayed the night in a hotel. So, the cousins basically owned the floor and bounced from room to room all evening and then most of them shared a room and had a big sleepover. We woke up and headed to the temple for the ceremony, then drove back to SLC for a luncheon and then later that evening for the reception. It was a long day, but everyone had so much fun!




Since Nana and Papa were in town (from England) for the wedding and my parents were in town for General Conference we used this weekend to bless Graham. Since it was during General Conference weekend, we were able to bless Graham at Nana and Papa's house. It was nice to have family there for the special occasion.



During the week, we went to a few fun places. We checked out the new City Creek Center downtown. It is as nice as one would think. Fun fountains, great shopping and a pleasant atmosphere. We hit the Natural history museum. It was a great hands on museum and the kids had a blast. They loved the dinosaurs of course and the archeological site and anything with water.


Jake in the archeological site.

Then we went to Thanksgiving Point Gardens. It is a very large garden, but so beautiful and well thought-out. There are lots of little special places in the garden like waterfalls, a secret garden, koi fish, fountains and a wonderful exhibit of statues of the life of Christ. That was the highlight for me. I love sculptures! It was a beautiful day and the kids had a blast together running around this huge garden. And they loved the $.50 ice cream cones afterwards.













We visited Grandpa Brimhall downtown at his new office with the family history center. He is managing director of FamilySearch. He showed us around his office in the Joseph Smith Memorial building and then we went to the Church administration building and went to the roof to get a nice view of the city.



We colored easter eggs. Aunt Julie cooked a dozen eggs for each cousin and couple. That is 13 dozen eggs in all. The kids had a blast decorating and the older kids really got into it. Josh's hands were the color of Incredible Hulk at the end of the night. Definitely a highlight of the trip.



Then we headed to Ephraim for the night. We had a nice big slumber party at Nana's house. Then we woke up and went to the farm and found a hill to roll/throw easter eggs down. The rolling wasn't ideal, but the kids of course found ways around it. There were lots of games made up to use and destroy the eggs.



Then we went to the farm and had an easter egg hunt. The little kids went first around the farm house and then the big kids went lose around the whole property. Then we headed to St. George to spend the night with grandpa. We had Easter morning with him and went to church and then headed back home.



As a side note.... This is what ella wore every day of the trip. The first thing on in the morning before she left her room and the last thing on as she went to bed. Such a silly girl!

Missing

I have been MIA (it seems) since my last post was almost a month ago. There has been a lot going on, but not much to blog about or I guess not the time. A few highlights - Graham has had 3 ear infections in one month. he has been a horrible sleeper so I am running on empty. We went to Utah for our Aunt Wendy's wedding and stayed for Spring Break and I have been prepping for Hannah's birthday, teacher appreciation week, Hannah's baptism and Jake's birthday. So, although it has been dead on the blog lately, I will be posting (A LOT) soon. Bear with me and I promise I will make it worth it soon.

Here is a preview of what's to come:

Hannah's birthday - Arts & Crafts Party
Teacher appreciation - more gift ideas
Hannah's baptism - dessert table with decorations
Jake's birthday - Buzz Lightyear Party

Oh, and my husband's birthday too.... I can't forget him (but I almost did :-)

St. Patty's Day Treat

We did this cute St. Patty's day treat for the kids teachers last year and again this year. But I changed up the tag a bit. I got the tag from here. I'm sure you know this by now, but I didn't come up with this cute idea... but I definitely use it each year.

February Catch Up

It seems we did some fun things in February that i didn't post on my blog, so this post is catch up with a few of the fun things we did.


It was Ella's birthday and she had a little birthday celebration in her preschool class. The kids all dance around her while she sits in the middle. Here is a picture of her before they started dancing.


On one of the Monday holidays, we decided to take the kids to Color me Mine and let them paint. They loved it. Jake loved his Lightning McQueen. He painted the whole things shades of orange (his favorite color). The sad part is we had it home for a day and he dropped it on our tile floor and it shattered. He was so sad. He just cried and cried that his Lightning McQueen was gone. It truly was so sad.


Ella painted a Snow White. When she got it back from being fired, so opened it and said... "oh, it isn't pretty". I think she as expected it to look like the real snow white all pretty and painted in the lines with the original colors." I quickly told her it was still pretty because she painted it.


Hannah picked out a fairy. She spent a long time (I mean long time) painting it so it was exactly the the way she wanted it. She was very precise and exact about what she was doing and painting. Especially the three coats of paint she was told she should have.


We took several trips to the zoo. It was such nice weather and Jake's favorite thing to do. He always talks about going to the zoo. There are two animals we have to see each time... the elephants for Jake and the flamingos for Ella. And then they all love the Reptile House. This trip the flamingos were quite active. They were making tons of noise and had their heads straight up in the air and kept following each other around their enclosure. Ella (and all of us) loved watching them.


Lastly, Graham turned 2 months old. He has started to smile. And he does it a lot. He also loves attention and will coo and coo to keep you with him and giving him attention. He also loves to be naked. Every time I take off his clothes, he is a happy kid. You can tell he likes being naked! He has become a lot more happy, but his sleeping habits aren't so great. He only sleeps 30 mins at a time during the day. He is like clock work... 30 mins and he is up. It is driving me crazy. And at night he goes 4 hours and then 3 hours. I wish he would go longer (of course), but I am trying to not let his sleeping habits get to me. It is hard to do, but I am learning and trying to just go with the flow. He is super cute and he is more and more fun each day!

latest logo Designs

Here are a couple of the latest logo designs and marketing material packages I just finished for some clients. I wanted to share. For the first time in a long time, I don't have a waiting list, so if you are interested in getting a logo designed, now is the time. Here is a look at my portfolio of clients and their logos..

Ella 5th Birthday

We had Ella's birthday party last week and what a success. It was at Pump It Up which is the perfect place for a 5 year olds birthday party. I think the dad's at the party loved the place just as much. They were all just as sweaty and tired as the kids. And as a special treat, we had Ella's Uncle Brian and Aunt Elizabeth in town to help celebrate.

She loved it. She loved running around with her friends. She loved telling people it was her party. She loved opening the presents. And she loves being 5.

Ella asked for a unicorn party, so some of the picture have some of the small details I put together to create a unicorn party at Pump It up. One thing I didn't take pictures of was my rainbow of fruit. I did fruit platters in a rainbow with giant marshmallows as the clouds. And in case you didn't get it, the party hats were made thinner to be Unicorn horns. Here is a previous post of the favors we gave to the kids.

Ella is Five today!

Ella has been asking me since the day after she turned 4, when she would be 5. So, for a year, i have been telling her to wait and wait and wait. But today is finally the day, I can tell her she is FIVE.

She has grown up so much this year. Her communication skills are so much better. Her comprehension skills are so much better. Her personality is still as cute as ever and with less tantrums and screaming to get her point across, so yes, so much better. She is becoming such a great helper and as caring as her sister. They always look out for each other. They make sure whatever treats they get, they share or leave some for the other.

Some of the things she loves right now: flamingos, dressing up like Belle, playing Sleeping Queens, coloring and drawing her uniquely, adorable stick figures, she likes Top 40 music and loves the songs with a nice beat, she loves her baby brother Graham and introduces him to everyone. She will play outside any chance she gets.

I started the tradition of interviewing each kid on their birthday and here are her answers... Ella according to Ella.

Jake's New Room

We did some major renovations to our house to prepare for child #4. We had a retreat off of our master bedroom. We didn't really use it, so I "told" (really I bawled like a baby that I need this....pregnancy hormones kicked in) my husband if we were going to have baby #4, I needed to have that room turned into a 4th bedroom. So, he kindly answered my requests (and made my dream come true) and we turned the room into a 4th bedroom.

The room is Jake's and I love how it turned out. Here is part of the room. We are still waiting for some built-in bookshelves/cabinets, but for now here is the room half way done.

Jake by the way, loves the posters. They are vintage Disneyland ride posters. The matterhorn, autopia and Jungle Cruise. He loves the elephant and cars. He knows the Jungle Cruise and loves it.

Ella's Birthday Party Prep

This year for Ella's birthday, she is having it at Pump It Up. With a newborn, I wasn't up for a ton of people at my house or putting together a party. But Pump It Up is perfect for her age group and super easy for me, so everyone wins. I asked her what kind of party she wanted and she said a unicorn party.

So, I decided to do a few unicorn things to help the theme shine through amongst all the inflatable, obnoxious colors they have at Pump It Up. (As a side note: Really, it is the ugliest colored place around and so hard to work with when it comes to coordinating your own details and party items). But I did what I could and here is just a few things I have that captures her unicorn theme!

These are the drinks and the party favors (unicorn horns). Hopefully the day of the party I can get take pictures of everything. It might be a bit crazy, but I will have to show you the cake... it is going to be awesome! So, stayed tuned.

New Logo Designs

I thought I would share some of my latest logo designs (from awhile back and a few recent). I love that I am able to work with such fun clients and design logos that they love. It is a fun outlet for me and gives me a lot of satisfaction! Here's to finding things you love to do!

Valentine's Day Treats

Here are the valentine's we are giving out this year to our school friends and teachers. I love coming up with the most fun valentine's that the girls and I can do together.

Hannah is giving the tic tac toes to her classroom. It is a great little valentine (something fun for the kids to play (and eat) and because Hannah could help me by sorting out the M&Ms and assembling.

Ella is giving the "I Dig you" valentines. Again, a nice little project for her to help me with. She loved filling the bags with M&Ms.

And the honey bears are going to the teachers.

None of these ideas are mine. I stole them all from Pinterest. Don't you just love that site!?!

NOTE: The shovels weren't easy to find, so I ordered them from ebay. I think I paid $.60 per shovel. Just in case you are wondering where do I find shovels.

Girls New Wall

I never posted the collage I did for my girls wall in their bedroom. I had done a bunch of projects to put together this collage and it was so fun. I finally remembered to take a picture of it and put it on my blog. Here is what I did....

1. Each girl has a shadowbox with the items from when they were born. Their hospital bracelet, their hat, their name tag, socks, etc.
2. They each have their initial letter wrapped in yarn. Here is a tutorial to use.
3. I had some old small shadowbox frames that I replaced the image with cute paper and some cut-out butterflies. They ended up so cute and easy.
4. I have some pictures of them as babies.
5. Our much loved and honored frames of Disney trading pins. They item the girls love the most. My older post of that.
6. I took another 3 picture frame and put a picture of them now, their birth information and a cute saying that I wanted them to remember.
7. I made the flower out of felt and put it on a sewing ring. Here is the tutorial I used.
8. They each got a canvas with the state they were born and a little heart placed in the city they were born. Here is the tutorial I used.

And here are some older posts that have close ups of the individual projects.
Post One.
Post Two

My First LIttle Guy

I thought I would give a report on Jake. He has had a hard time adjusting to have a new baby in the family. He was (and is starting to be again) the easiest, happiest kid. That is until Graham entered the picture. Once we brought Graham home, Jake started throwing fits, crying a lot and acting mean/unhappy to others. It was so sad to see. Luckily we knew why and knew it would pass. And it is starting to get back to normal as he adjusts and understands the baby is here to stay.

Every once in a while, he wants to hold Graham and he does for about 15 seconds and then he is done. But he loves to touch Graham. He will go up to him and touch him and say "I touch him" so proud of himself.

When asked what his own name is... he always responds "jakey".

He also loves clothes with animals on it. I have to buy clothes with animals or boy objects (cars, monster, etc) on it so he will wear it. It is the funniest thing. The girls never objected to what I put on them, but Jake has his own opinion and will only wear certain clothes. His favorite right now is a shirt with a monster on it and another one with a reindeer and a bear.

His favorite animal is the elephant and always is looking for his elephant figurine. And he still loves his Toy Story figurines. Especially Buzz Lightyear.

The other day he pointed out the car window and said "it's buzz. hi Buzz" I looked out the window and say a plane with the white line behind it. He thought that plane with the exhaust was Buzz. So, now whenever he sees the white line in the sky, he says 'HI buzz" "Mom, I see buzz".

He really is the most fun guy around. I love when he talks to me and when we shares with me his thoughts. He is my first little guy and I love him!

Scripture Spots

Our scripture reading each night is pure chaos. The kids do anything and everything besides
listen and sit and read. Usually Hannah's reading other books, Ella and Jake are playing with
toys, rolling around, gymnastics, jumping off furniture... you name it. So, I wanted to come up
with their spot where they all had to sit while we read scriptures. I was going to use a vinyl
heavy-weight tablecloth-type material, but it is expensive and boring colors.

I found these at Ikea and they are perfect. Each kid has their own color. I painted their initial on it and it has become their spot that they have to sit on during scripture time. If they leave their spot, they don't get read a story that night. It has been working more or less. It isn't perfect, but it is a lot better than it used to be, so we will declare it a success.

Christmas 2011

While everyone is at church and the baby is a sleep, I thought i better take this chance to write about our Christmas. We had my parents here this year for christmas, which was a big help. They were here for the week before Christmas and stayed until Christmas day. My kids love when grandma and grandpa come to visit! And so do I!


We did fun things all week, like make and decorate christmas cookies, arts and crafts and of course decorate gingerbread houses.


Christmas Eve night, grandpa and Chris took the kids to the park while my mom and I got dinner ready. Here is my new Christmas place settings (that I got for my birthday). I love it! We had have, scalloped potatoes, rolls, fruit salad and broccoli. It was all very yummy and fairly simple!

Then we had our Christmas Eve "program". We watched the church's special Christmas story videos each night that week and on Christmas eve we watched the video that put them all together. It was really a great tradition I think we will start. A way to remind the kids each night about Christ leading up to Christmas Eve. We also read the nativity story and let the kids use a nativity set to act out what we were reading. Then we went to the piano and sang Christmas songs. Then we had a special surprise visitor come to our house.


While we were singing, there was a knock at the door. Hannah went to answer it and she about died when she saw Santa standing there. The kids were so excited, jumping up and down. "It's Santa", they kept saying over and over again. They were so excited and happy. Santa gave them each a candy cane and a present (a robot) that the kids just loved! It really was a great moment.


Then we went upstairs and the kids opened their Christmas pajamas. We set out the cookies, carrots and milk for Santa and his reindeer and left their notes for santa by the plate of goodies. Then it was off to bed!

That is when we got started. We had a lot to do. Chris ended up going to bed at 4:30 am. That just tells you what kind of Christmas we had. Lots to do and lots of fun!




Christmas morning. The kids got up about 8:00 am (I think). And the real fun began. Jake couldn't stop opening presents. He was a maniac. If he couldn't open his presents, he would go and find someone else's to open. He wasn't about to wait his turn and it became a bit of a struggle. But he did love his Toy Story Figurine set that kept him busy for a while. And of course the candy.

The girls loved their big dollhouse they got and a lot of arts and crafts items. Mom loved her new Cameo Silhouette and IPhone 4S. Dad got a laptop (so he can start a project he has been wanted to do for some time now) and I frame his Craig Olsen canvas that now hangs proudly at the top of our stairs. All in all it was a great Christmas and now it is time to recover and clean up!