Easter Blessings

Every year that I get older it seems like the holidays mean more and more as I watch some of my babies prepare to leave our little nest. Long gone are the days of frilly socks and giant hair bows. They now pick out their own outfits and hair accessories but as in days gone by, I still stand back and gaze in awe at their beauty.

We had amazing Sacrament speakers who set the tone for the day. Matthew played a Nephite in sharing time and expressed in his own words what it would have been like if he had been there when the resurrected Savior visited the American continent. It was powerful.

We spent the early afternoon preparing for the festivities. I found this amazing recipe for Sprinkles strawberry cupcakes. They were yummylicious! I made our families favorite green beans which can be found here along with the Favorites version of Mandarin-Almond Green Salad. My sisters took care of the rest and we ate to our hearts content!

If you ever decide to make these little puffs of sweetness be sure to also make the to die for frosting. I licked the bowl. Twice!

We mounted them on this lovely tree along with the bunnies Katherine made the day before. Once one cupcake disappeared, it was only a matter of seconds before the whole tree was empty!

My beautiful sisters, Crystal and Moni.


Sarah, Serina, Katherine, Ariana and Analisa.

Jonah goes into cousin heaven when Samuel and rest of the boys come over. Needless to say, they all slept soundly that night!

I first met Paige when he served a mission in our Spanish branch 22 years ago. He even attended my wedding. We jokingly call him our brother from another mother. It's been fun to be near him and his lovely wife Dulce. Their kids call me Aunt Claudia, which I love!

How lucky to have your BFF as your cousin! Love these two girls. Their beauty runs deep.

Can't have Easter without a hunt! Thank goodness the weather cooperated. There were so many kids we had to divide them into 2 groups. The littles and the bigs.

It has been so nice to have our Analisa home from Costa Rica. I will have to have her guest blog to share some of her amazing stories. You can still see a smear of paint on the back of her forearm. Pura Vida is her new mantra. I couldn't agree more.

Hoppy Easter

Perspective

A few days before a scheduled humanitarian trip to Costa Rica, Analisa took a terrible fall and severely sprained her left ankle. She was coming back for the kill in an intense tennis match when her foot gave out from under her and down she went. How could she be of any use to anyone thousands of miles away from home while wobbling around on a badly hurt foot? Tears were shed. We followed doctors orders and made a permanent bed for her on the couch while she iced and elevated her black and blue foot. During one of her pity party icing sessions, little Samuel came up to her and asked,

"Analisa, are you dying?"

"Yes Sammy, I think I am," she said.

"Well, at I least I was able to have my pizza party at school today," he said thoughtfully.

She burst out laughing while giving him a big hug!

"And at least I made you smile", he said smugly.

Seriously, how bad can life be when you you have a sweet little face like that staring back at you?

She made it out to the jungles of the Amazon anyway, big boot,crutches and all. We have missed her like crazy and can't wait to hear about her many adventures!

bye, bye braces!!!

Having braces as an adult is like walking around for 11 looong months with a big zit on the tip of your nose waiting to be popped! It's painful, inconvenient and it's the first thing people notice with a face to face encounter.

As much as I hated little babies reaching for the bling on my teeth, and drive-thru clerks staring at my mouth with raised eyebrows; I must say, it was so nice to always come home and feel loved no matter what I looked like. My family always looked at me and loved me for me.

It took hours of hanging out with Samuel before he even noticed they were gone. It was only after I gave him a big cheesy grin and pointed to my smile that he noticed. He smiled back, gave me a hug with a gentle pat on the back, and said, "Good job mommy. You look pretty. I never noticed you had them to begin with."

I am blessed.

Now off to bite into my CK Cummings chocolate dipped in Oreo caramel apple. Ah, bliss!

March Madness...

March was a blur! I just found this unfinished post and feel badly I have neglected my little blog. Since this a journal type record for my family and me, I'll try to back track and share some of the highlights of the last few months.

***

The culmination of hours of practice time bore their fruits at recitals, Piano and Violin Federation, care centers, NATS, a special musical fireside, a school play, wrestling season, a tennis tournament, being asked and responding to dances and the girls yearly CDT concert. A major time commitment also included Saturday trips to Provo which resulted in my three boys dancing on the big stage at BYU in the Lamanite Generation/ Living Legends alumni reunion. It was nostalgic to see my beautiful Sarah dressed in Native American attire singing "Go My Son" just like I did 22 years ago! We also celebrated Miss Kate's 14th birthday all in the sweet little month of March. It's no wonder I haven't blogged for awhile.

I think we'll spend Spring break next month in our jammies, watching our tulips take center stage as they take their turn basking in the sun. (Not! It's rained every single day! It's Friday now and we just caught our first glimpse of sunshine. )

Katherine, Matthew and Analisa all received superiors at Federation. Every year the pieces get harder and more intense. We were so proud of them!

He is our guitarist, Joseph, jammin out to Steady Hands at the care center. Sarah, Katherine and Analisa had 2 separate opportunities to perform for the Utah Daughters of Pioneers. They were hits.

Katherine lit up the stage in her school play Once Upon A Mattress. It was delightful.

I was thrilled to catch some shots of the girls on stage at the Capital Theater. I will post a little video soon!

Kate turned 14!!! I'm doing my best to keep the boys at bay. She thinks I'm being a wee bit overprotective but she's my youngest girl, what does she expect? Instead of the coveted cell phone she wanted she graciously conceded to a bike instead. I need her to stay my baby Kate just a little bit longer!

Samuel stole the show in the LG/LL Alumni show. He danced like he had ants in his pants. It was awesome! A video coming soon:)

Sarah graced the stage with her beautiful voice which charmed the current LL director so much that she's asked for Sarah to be the upcoming groups lead singer in the Fall at BYU. It is surreal watching her follow the same path I did all those years ago at the same age. She will thrive in ways she never imagined and I couldn't be more excited for the adventure that awaits her.

Back by popular demand...

well not really, but the filming and sound quality is so much better than my original hand held camera job, I thought I'd share it again.

Click HERE, then scroll down to A Stud and a Babe to see Kooper and Sarah in action.

And a random picture of me and my Stud just because:)

growing pains

Last month my poor little Lisey had her wisdom teeth removed. She laid around with ice packs and mumbled gibberish for the first day or so while we tended to her every need and fed her smoothies with a spoon.

We all laid around her room to keep her company while she insisted we stop making her laugh 'cause it hurt to much.

Just as she'd recovered from puffy cheek syndrome, her close friend, who's a boy, decided (over a text) to go separate ways and explore greener pastures. She sprained her toe in dance shortly after and limped around on crutches reflecting her sad state both inside and out.

Good friends and trusted time healed her various wounds and had her back in the saddle in no time.

She even landed a job to model for an upcoming book trailer in the Edward/Bella genre. So mysterious...

She looks so serious in this photo shoot but truth is she is a happy, positive little light for good in the world and I am so grateful to watch her work her magic as we journey these winding roads together.

a LOVEly day

Since Señor Nielson and I had a hot date planned for Valentine's day we decided to have a party to celebrate the holiday Sunday after church. We pulled the boxes of card stock from my old stamping days and decided to focus on making cards for each other that we'd surprise each other with throughout the coming days. Analisa helped cut out heart shaped bread for the french toast while Brett and Katherine, Sarah and Blake danced to a little Natalie Cole in the dining room. (Wish I would have taken a picture!)

Who knew my sweet husband could design a card like the best of 'em. He even wrote me a poem in Spanish and printed off a picture of us which he glued on the inside. Presh, as my teenage girls would say.

Analisa made a special Valentine dedicated to all the boys who she's cautiously given her heart to only to have it ripped in half. Ouch. Poor girl thinks no boy will ever come around again. Yet she has 4 dates lined up in the next 10 days. ??

Even Samuel got in on the action. This was after he'd returned from a screaming fit in time out for not wanting to share the alphabet stamp set. What's a party without a few tears, right?

Overall, love was definitely in the air on Sunnydale.

After a few hours of food, card making and music we took our party outside and enjoyed our first day of true Spring weather! I kept asking why everyday couldn't be like this. The answer always the same, so we can fully appreciate the good ones when they do come! Snow expected tomorrow. (heavy sigh)

Mr. and Miss's Chicken are the nick names they've affectionately called each other over the last year or so. They look out for each other.

I love Valentine's day! Any holiday really, for the chance it gives us to celebrate this beautiful family we've created together.

Sarah

My first born officially became an adult last month. She turned the ripe young age of 18. We have been busy testing, rehearsing, auditioning and visiting college campuses wondering which of the many paths that lie ahead is the best choice for her.

As her mother, I've always sought to direct her in all aspects of life. Friends, books, music, classes to take, people to date or NOT to date. For the most part she's heeded my council. However, being the free spirited soul she is, sometimes not. She has taught me so much about trust, faith, patience and most importantly about finding the good in ALL types of people. At times she has stood out as a little ray of sunshine in a sea of darkness. I instinctively have wanted to protect her from possible threats to her spirit but have learned to let go, just a little.

It has been fascinating to watch her blossom into someone who can easily hold her ground for that which is good and right. When I've accompanied her to various school or church functions I sit back in awe as she lights up the room and has everyone smiling within minutes. Her testimony is solid, her future bright. The closer she gets to leaving home the more she realizes what a special place it truly is and for that I am most grateful.

When asked what fun adventuresome thing we could do to celebrate her birthday, her reply was, "I just want a single cupcake, your famous enchiladas and to be surrounded by my family. That is my ideal day." Wish granted.

Grammy and Grampy. Two of her biggest fans.


sunshine


With her Tia Moni, who always says she loved her first and most!

Sarah and the real live Blake. (Her boyfriend of the last 4 months.) They spend most of their time together laughing and giggling. I think they're adorable. Brett...not so much...not yet anyway.

flu

You know they're sick when they cry out, "I feel badder than the word, BAD!" Poor little babies.