Year in review, winter and spring 2014

I have been trying to find a picture for our Christmas card and we got nothing.  I have lots of cute pictures of the kids, but out of the 4 pictures that we have of our whole family from the past year, we are either dressed up for halloween or someone is crying in all of them:( but looking at all these pictures made me realize there is lots of stuff i never blogged about.  this is looong.....

for what i think is the 3rd year in a row, i had my camera on a weird setting on valentines day and my pictures are all yellow....

 this was clara's romantic face:)  we ate chocolate and berries and whipped cream with almond butter on the blanket in the family room while we listened to our love mix the kids helped me come up with.  very best holiday ever.

 Leah turned 1 in march and for a good couple months she loved playing with her tongue and hung it out all day long like she was my little puppy.

 I think my mom knew i wouldn't get her a present (what does a 1 year old need really?) so she got her a few... thanks rhonda:)

 We had a surprise party for byron and made the most delectable german chocolate cake i've ever tasted......

 these guys smooshed all together in our little tub for a few more months before we moved

 We went to St. George three different times last winter.  and it saved me.  going for hikes in sunshine and 60 degree weather makes the whole world go round.  no kidding.

 oops out of order - leahs birthday cupcake.  I may have not given her a present but i totally gave her a cupcake!  well, i guess technically it was actually a muffin but it was topped with whipped chocolate coconut cream so really i don't think she cared what it was!  happy birthday little leah:)

 these two like to have a little quiet time together most days and it always involves books

 she turned one and learned to climb ON EVERyTHING!!

 And then.... Clara had a birthday!  This was our first ever big friend birthday party and Clara had it all planned months in advanced.  A woodland fairy party at woodland park.  perfect.  she even knew she wanted a strawberry cake with lemon buttercream frosting.  that was perfect too.  my mom came and helped them make wands, brandon helped them make crowns and i painted faces.  i don't think i've ever felt anything that was more like clara in my whole life.  what a girl.

 look at gray with that look like "who cares i'm at a fairy party, look at my cupcake!"

 the only request i had was no presents.  and she was just fine with that.  who needs 18 presents in one day?  nobody i know

 Leah got really sick one weekend.  I'm pretty sure it was RSV and it hit fast and had.  I kept zoning her and filling her full of garlic and oregano and even though we had one scary night (Brandon was out of town and i couldn't figure out who to call to stay with the kids if i took her into the ER) she came out of it pretty fast.  and then two days later broke out into this crazy rash!  I'm convinced it was because the zoning and herbs pulled the infection out of her so fast, but that poor little girl!  Her face was all swollen too, but she didn't seem to care in the least!

 Back in st. george - these are kinda out of order - this was at Zions on one of the most beautiful winter days of my whole life.

 And back in St. George for Easter.  Ash and Paul came too, along with my parents.  One day Ash was out laying on a blanket on the grass and about got kissed by this huge snake!  We also saw a black widow on the side of the condo and had a duck lay eggs in the ivy by the front door.  It sat there the whole time we were there protecting them.  very fun for easter.

 And while we were there Graham and Leah got eye infections.  lovely.

 This is how she goes to bed every night.  You wrap her up in her beloved blanket, she pops her thumb in her mouth, you lay her down and she's out.

 Eating strawberries in her strawberry pants.  all berries are strawberries to little leah.

 And I kept this picture in to remind me of the amazing indian food that we cooked in our oven with the davis's the last night we had our old home. Kates' tikka massala and coconut basmati rice, fresh cooked naan with garlic and herbs and olive oil poured over the top.  and to finish things the most amazing wood fired pineapple i've ever eaten. the smell in our back yard that night was unlike anything i've ever experienced.  i'm drooling thinking about it! then kate stayed and helped me clean for a long time that night:)  such sweet neighbors.

and then we moved.  and i don't have any pictures of that day, but about 12 missionaries showed up to help us and every time i looked at them i would cry.  it was the kindest thing i've ever seen.  after we moved everyone was kinda mixed up and out of sorts, especially at night time, and clara and graham would usually end up by each other all tangled up.

 and the summer of dirt began - yahoo!