April 2017

Spring!  It was a mild winter, but we were still so happy to see Spring arrive.  The first exciting event of April was having Kristen, Kirra, Knox, and Evie come visit.  They were only here for an afternoon but we fit a lot in.  I took Kirra with me to pick Jilly up early from school then we played at home for a while.  We all crowded in our van and went downtown for Shake Shack and Light City, which was so cool!  So lucky to play with our cousins!

I saw this sign at Target and told Bryan we needed it, he disagreed :)

I took the girls to see Beauty in the Beast one Saturday afternoon, I loved the new version so much and it was fun to see with my best girls

Cylburn Arboretum one Sunday afternoon

Livvy's half birthday!  We had our friends the Morrises over to share half a cake with us

Spring Break!  We were so happy to have Jilly home for a whole week.  We celebrated the first day by matching ;)

I wanted to get a little bonnet for Livvy then I was looking through her drawer for something else and lo and behold! we already had a baby bonnet. 

As we pulled into the parking lot of the temple the girls started singing "I love to see the temple."  I love this temple so, so much and I'm so grateful for every chance we have to be there.

Katie and I decided to go to the DC Zoo during Spring Break... along with the rest of the country.  We drove around and around looking for parking and finally found a spot on a parking app that was 1.2 miles away.  We decided to go for it and hauled all the kids the whole way into the zoo.  They were champs and we were exhausted but we made it!  The zoo was super crowded but we had a great time.

Ward Easter Egg Hunt- we had a huge crowd!  It was a lot of fun and the girls got to wear their matching dresses Nana made. 

Sherwood Gardens- I love love love all the tulips

We went down to Richmond for Easter weekend and had a picnic at Bryan park.  Jilly was blending in with the azaleas, she was cracking me up.

Best Uncle ever!

They had a cute little petting zoo at Short Pump Mall.  It was a big hit with all the kids.

We went on a little hike and all got super sweaty and dirty so the kids took a bubble bath in Gigi's tub

Easter Sunday - I was up most of the night with feverish Livvy and not in the best state of mind before church.  I was grumpy and short with everyone and was grateful especially that day for the reminder of our Savior's love and the power of the Atonement in our lives.  

We spent the last day of Spring Break at the aquarium with the Wilsons.  Spring Break was so fun, it left me eager for Summer and having everyone home!

Mattie having some issues with her swimsuit 

Another visit to Sherwood Gardens, I love Jilly's pose

Livvy was always a big fan of mealtime

Ballet pictures

Livvy's first time playing at the park- she loved it!

A perfect night at Prigel Creamery with all these cute kids

Every once in a while I can get the girls to sit for a picture between church and lunch, but only if I bribe them with cookies!

We went for a walk at Oregon Ridge one Sunday night and found this snapping turtle.  I had never seen one before and they're actually kind of terrifying!

Asheville, NC

We left for our trip in the evening and were treated to this sunset behind the temple

It was a looooong and pretty painful drive to North Carolina, we were all very happy to arrive!

North Carolina Arboretum, it was so beautiful!

We did a fun little hike to this waterfall then Jilly was so brave and went behind the waterfall with Bryan and Chad and got soaking wet!

It was so fun to spend a few days with Chad, Kylie, and Piper

Mount Mitchell- the highest peak east of the Mississippi.  This picture cracks me up; it was so bright so Jilly was struggling to look and smile and Livvy was obsessed with Mattie's sunglasses

Mount Craig- the second highest peak east of the Mississippi.  This one was a pretty difficult hike for the girls but they were awesome.  And the view was so worth it!

Back at the campsite

I was not a huge fan of the plan to go camping in March with a baby so Livvy and I would drive down the hill to stay at a hotel every night.  Best.Idea.Ever.

March 2017

There is no shortage of pictures of our sweet Livvy, clearly we are smitten.

Bryan tried a new workout and everyone was a big fan

First taste of food!  We gave her pears and she was skeptical at first but caught on quickly

They love this little hiding place at the library, makes me so happy!

So lucky to be surrounded by these girls

Bethany came to visit during her Spring break!

The YMCA does Parents' Night Out once a month and we dropped  off our big girls a couple times and went out to eat with Livvy.  This was my first time trying pho (also, this picture shows my horrible haircut that I've been working on growing out for the rest of the year...err)

I love Mattie and her sass

 Matching stripey tights!

Some friends gave us their American dolls they weren't using anymore and they immediately became the favorite toys

After waiting all winter we finally got a snow day on March 15th!  We were so excited

Jilly wrote us a Morning Message- "Dear Mom Mattie I am glad at I cna sey home Love Jillian"

We spent our second snow day at the pool at the YMCA

Taking care of her baby ;)

Trader Joe's opened!!!!  We walked there on opening day and have loved having it so close

We have a Fancy Nancy book where she does a spa day for her mom.  One day I convinced Mattie to give me a foot bath like Nancy.  She loved it, and I loved it even more!

chubba wubba!

Seriously?! This girl is the sweetest

I love all of Jilly's little messages

Mattie and her love for lipstick!

Mattie got new sneakers that she loved and was totally convinced they made her faster

We were getting ready for a trip and Mattie told me she was all packed up- just the essentials!

Livvy's first ride in the cart at Costco

Books of 2017, Part One

I listened to 15/19 of these books so that is definitely the best way for me to squeeze in reading these days!  I am so in love with audiobooks- they make menial tasks so much more exciting, listening gives me great motivation to exercise, hearing the story in my head makes the book really come alive for me, and sometimes a book provides desperately needed peace on road trips (last week I drove home from Richmond with the girls and Livvy screamed for about half of the 3 hour drive but I just tuned her out and enjoyed my book.)

Excellent
1. Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns - one of my favorite books ever.  This was my choice for book club and I was so pleased that everyone loved it.  It's charming and sweet, but also has some really neat insights.

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter forever!  I bawl every time when Harry heads into the woods.

3. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman - So charming.  Lighthearted and funny, but also made me want to be a kinder, more patient person.

4. America's First Daughter by Laura Kamoie and Stephanie Dray -  With all the hype about Alexander Hamilton I feel like Jefferson has become the bad guy, but I grew up loving him so much.  In this book Jefferson's story is told from the perspective of his daughter Patsy, which is just so fascinating.  It is historical fiction, but very well researched.

5. A Mother's Reckoning by Sue Klebold - This is a memoir by the mother of one of the Columbine shooters.  It seems like it would be creepy, but I found her story so interesting and enlightening.

6. Black Matter by Blake Crouch - This was a real page turner; I could not wait to find out how it would end.  It's sci-fi with some pretty intense action and some language, so not my usual book but it was fun to read.

7. One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid - This is no great literary feat but was SO fun to read and drew me in from the first page.   On their first anniversary Emma's husband is lost in a plane crash.  Three years later, she has picked up the pieces of her life and moved back to her hometown and is now engaged when she learns that her husband has been found- alive.  She now has a husband and a fiance and lots of questions to answer.  This is the perfect summer read in my opinion.

Great
8. Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse - This was a great YA novel about the Dutch resistance during WWII.

9. I am Malala by Malala - Fascinating.  I've since watched a few interviews with Malala and she really is an amazing woman.

10. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank - After reading Girl in the Blue Coat I wanted to read this again.  I hadn't read it since high school and it was so much more heart-wrenching as an adult.

11. It's What I do by Lynsey Addario - This is the memoir of a conflict photographer.  She travels all over the world taking pictures in war-torn areas, and was even taken as a prisoner in Libya.  Her stories were interesting, but mostly I was fascinated by her explanation of her choice to live this dangerous life.

12. Summerlast by Ally Condie - This was a really well-written YA novel.  Cedar, her mom, and brother move to a small town soon after the tragic death of their husband/dad and son/brother.  They learn a lot about themselves, friendship, and supporting each other.  I thought this was a beautiful portrayal of grief and trying to move on after the death of a loved one.  And the characters were so real and likable.

13. The B.F.G. by Roald Dahl - We got this to listen to during all our time traveling to summer adventures.  It's not my favorite book but it's narrated by Natasha Richardson (the mom from Parent Trap) and she is fantastic.  It was so relaxing and pleasant to listen to this instead of fighting in the back seat.

Good
14. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead - This was very unique and interesting take on the underground railroad/race relations throughout America's history.  I just wish it wasn't so depressing.  I think that was his point, but it just made me discouraged and I wish it had been a little more hopeful.

15. Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan - This is a children's novel that weaved together three stories of children suffering through difficult periods in history.  It was good, but also very cheesy and all wrapped up a little too perfectly in my opinion (but I am very much alone in this opinion, it has gotten many really great reviews.)

16. First Comes Love by Emily Giffin - A good fluff read.  I always really enjoy Giffin's books when I'm actually reading them, but the stories are often a bit absurd and are quickly forgettable.

17. One Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams - I was totally into this story and dying to find out how it would be resolved...but then I got to the end and it just felt kind of dumb and pointless and wrapped up too neatly.

18. The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict - This is the story of Mitza Maric, Albert Einstein's first wife who was also a physicist.  It was really an interesting book, and I especially loved the parts about her background, but when I finished and researched more I was disappointed to find that it was a very fictionalized story.  I'm sure parts were based on truth but the author definitely took a very negative view of Einstein which felt so harsh when so much of the book was not factual.

Unfinished
19. Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi - I've read a lot of memoirs this year!  This one is from a female professor in Tehran.  Her stories were interesting but so, so wordy.  I was in the throes of newborndom and not sleeping nearly enough so I had to give up.

20. Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty - I was looking for something to read before we went down to Asheville and found this little series about a girl that lives at Biltmore.  It was fine, but not good enough for me to worry about finishing when it was due back before I finished.