Togas anyone?

Carter has an amazing music teacher at school. C. Shackelford rocks! She decided to have the entire 3rd grade--all 75 of those critters--participate in the Utah Festival Opera, Operas for Kids program sponsored by Michael Ballam's group. She orchestrated the financing, getting the student teachers from Utah State University (one over music, one over art and one over drama) and worked her tail off to have these kids create three original operas.

Carter's group wrote an opera called, "The Big Switch". The boys of Greece are tired of having to work outside all day and want to be inside, where the girls are, out of the sun. The girls want to switch too, so they ask the Gods to make the "Big Switch" and with a flash of light and an exploding volcano, the switch is made. But, when a war looms, the girls want to switch back and the boys are hungry because they can't cook--so they ask the Gods to switch them back...and they tell them to figure it out themselves.

Who knew Carter could sing? He did an awesome job! The show was 20 minutes long, took four months to create and was awesome! I love the arts.

This is what happnes when daddy leaves...

Dad left for a early Sunday morning meeting... this is what mom found when she got out of the shower...

Guess who can pull a chair over the the high cupboard, climb on the counter and reach the washable (thank goodness) markers?

A birthday bash fit for a two-year old

It all started with breakfast served in a cone (put cereal in ice cream cone-- it's way cool if you're two).

Ooh and ah over cake mom made (I'm pretty proud of my first ever cake creation!)

Open presents! A new doll car seat (now that Bitty Baby is back from the American Doll hospital she needs to be safe in the car).

In she goes...

Just what Anja wanted! Clothes! Only a girl loves this kind of stuff.

More dresses, so happy!!!

Best gift of all was from Mom and Dad-- this cool trampoline that fits in the house. Grandma B gave her the cute new pink dancin' skirt that Anja quickly put on and started to jump in. She's facing the window because she can see her reflection as she jumps.

Sugar, sugar give me sugar! Happy birthday, babe!

I wont cry, I wont!

My baby is two tomorrow. Anja will move past being a baby and officially take on the title of toddler. A huge part of me couldn't be happier to move out of this phase but a tiny bit, maybe 5%, is sad. She is our last and our only girl. She completes that whole "mother-daughter" circle of life thing for me.

Our boys were well thought out; a combination of science, fertility drugs and faith. Anja was just a gift. She just came.

There's a story in our family that involves the spirit of a little girl and a very eager adult who was looking for Divine inspiration. What they received was a visit from a child who simply said, "wait." Leave it to Anja to be the one to tell us how it would be!

Her name is Russian meaning favor and grace. It fit her before she was born. In fact, she's the only one who was named before the birth.

Anja makes me crazy and is probably the type of child my parents wished on me when I was her age. I have no doubt that she is our strong willed spirit--anyone can tell that-- but she's also my girlly-girl who wants me to paint her nails and braid her hair.

Happy birthday, bug! Mommy loves you!

Clear and Free

We got the official word in the mail this weekend, Rich is clear and free of any skin cancer on his back! Yippee! So glad that drama in our life is over. The biopsies showed clean margins all around. Darn those high school football players who don't wear long shirts over their pads while practicing in 90-degree heat. But, then again, I really enjoyed watching that.

More Marshmello pictures...

The clean up was a nightmare... took a bunch of us and a lot of hot water to get all the smashed 'mello's off the floor..

Tarina felt like we needed to properly record the amount of men who were on the floor working for posterity (and for their wives).

This was the floor before we started.. it looked like it had snowed when they were done.

Kyle's smile says it all-- "this is cool!"

Marshmello Shootout

This is what happens when Rich gets made EQ pres... the fist activity is a marshmallow gun war. Huge success, huge mess tons of fun for all.