The best recipe for happiness? Family Videos.

Hello there. I'm sorry for my long absence. We're doing sleep training over here which ends up taking all of this moms time and energy. But I'll blog more about that adventure later. I've honestly missed this little family journal I've created for myself. Writing is my lifeblood and I feel like an empty human shell without it. I guess I should probably update everyone on a couple of things. Brady is on his final rotation at UW, something we're both really relieved about, and he thinks he's finally found the lab he wants to spend the rest of his time in, also something we're relieved about. Tessa is truly the coolest person I know and I find myself wanting to be exactly like her. She's started reaching and it makes my heart soar every time those little arms reach out in my direction. As for me, I'm just doing what moms do best...trying to stay afloat :) We're happy and healthy and love spending as much time together as we all possibly can.

Now for the actual topic of this post.

While visiting Cedar City for Easter we had the chance to take Tessa to see her great grandparents.

We live so far away and weren't sure the next time we'd see them so we wanted to make a visit top priority. It was such a treasure to watch Tessa play with her great grandpa Herman. Herman is the last of our grandpas so we think he's pretty special. Tessa thought he was the best thing since sliced bread. We took a little video so Tessa could remember him always:

And just for fun here's Brady playing his new favorite game with Tessa...bulldozing.

I truly am so grateful for technology. Whenever I go home I always pull out our old family videos and reminisce. I want Tessa to watch her own videos and see how much she was adored and how much she belongs. Hopefully the family videos we're making for Tessa will make her family roots a little deeper and her family ties a little tighter.

The best recipe for happiness? Pen pals.

Dear Matilda,

Mommy and Aunt Marie thought it would be a fun idea if we became pen pals when we are a little older. When mommy told me I got so excited that I made her sing the alphabet all afternoon so I could practice my letters. I couldn't wait until kindergarten to send my first letter and since I can't quite reach the drawer with the envelopes, I thought our family blog would be the perfect place to put it! Aunt Marie tells mommy that you always blow kisses at the computer screen when you see my picture on the blog, so I know you're sure to see my letter. Today mommy dressed me up in the same outfit you wore when you were my age. I've been sucking on those pretty frills all day! We even had a fashion show for daddy this morning and I showed him the pretty white flower in my hair. I bet your daddy oohed and aah-ed when you wore this, just like mine did. Mommy helped me put your picture on the blog so everyone could see us match! Thanks for sharing your pretty clothes with me! Someday I'll be able to write you a letter all by myself without any help from mommy.

Love your pen pal,

Tessa   

The best recipe for happiness? When blossoms blossom.

Washington is well known for a lot of things. In my opinion, the best is its cherry blossoms. For our date night we went to University (Brady's grandma is british and says university instead of "the" university. I've been saying it that way ever since because I so want to be awesome like that.) to soak in some spring.  

^Can you believe he got that shot? Just wait. There's an even better one.^

^Apparently mommy isn't as...funny?^

^That's kind of a smile, right?^

^How would you like to find this sweet thing on an Easter egg hunt :)^

^Golden, just golden.^

^These blossoms make me want to just curl up and read Anne of Green Gables.^

Tessa and I danced in the petals and drank in the delicious perfume while Brady snapped some pictures. It was breathtaking. I hope our families make it up next year to go see the cherry blossoms. It's definitely going to be a tradition in this home.

The best recipe for happiness? Fairytales.

My little princess has a pony:

Thought you ought to know :) 

And if you didn't notice the cute little hair tie in her hair then look again. We're pretty proud of that little, stick-outy thing. 

The best recipe for happiness? A surprise or two.

Last week we decided to head down to Utah to surprise our families for Easter (the reason for my absence). We packed up our bags and traveled the 14 hour car ride all through the night. It wasn't too bad considering we have a 5 month old whose longest time in her car seat has only ever been a whopping 45 minutes. It was a week full of hugs and kisses, unbearable allergies (thank you Cedar City), hidden easter baskets, and family togetherness. Tessa ate up all the attention she got from cousins and aunts and uncles and grandmas... and complete strangers (that girl is a people magnet). I can't tell you how awesome it feels to be back in the "wet." I could just lap up this thick, moist air. Delicious. Here is a video of Tessa in her new bouncer to hold you off until my next post.

It only took one time watching mom bounce across the room for this little girl to realize what she needed to do to make her bouncer work. She catches on quick. We've both been bouncing all day :)