THE SALLAY DAILY

STELLA SAID WITH GLASSES

2012-01-09T15:19:00.005-07:00

Stella freaking loves wearing her mommy's glasses. It is cute, but sometimes very annoying...because, well...they are MINE. She says she can't see clearly without them and I just laugh. I thought it was about time to do a "Stella said" post and pics with my glasses seemed like the perfect match.

"Daddy, don't pull on my arms. They are delicate!"
"Stella, did you get enough sleep last night?" "No, I only got one."
"Thanks Chef Mama!"

Making whining sounds while holding up a huge spoonful of ice cream: "I can't eat this--my tongue is too little!"
"I can't marry Catchy-Cy, they're my boys!"

"This root beer is spicy."
"Stella, how much root beer do you have left?" "Twenty minutes."
"I am going to the money store to get more money."

She always says when going to the bathroom: "I need my privacy."
After being told to sit and be reverent at church: "I don't want to be reverent--I just want to do my moves."
After being told that her dance recital was over and that she wasn't going to have another one the next morning she cried: "I only get one?"

"Mommy, do you remember when we saw the pictures by Degas?"
After showing her the dress she would be wearing at Tyler's wedding she yelled: "I don't want to get married! I am too little!"

While walking to church in the wind: "My hair is goin' nuts!"
After realizing I forgot her stroller at the mall, I asked her if she could just walk. "Yes, my legs work."

NEW BOOK BLOG

2012-01-07T15:47:00.003-07:00

I just started a blog dedicated only to talking about the books I have loved and want to share with the world. Please follow it if you have any interest in books. Thanks!

http://www.ilovedthisbook.blogspot.com/

YOUTUBE TIMES

2012-01-05T14:51:00.004-07:00

Stella is going through a YouTube phase. She has spent hours clicking chipmunk "music" videos and watching them no matter how boring or how bad the classic chipmunk sound has been produced on the song. (Personally, I wonder who spends any time turning a song into a chipmunk song and then posts it on YouTube with still pictures of animated chipmunks, but whatever.)

Today she found full episodes of her favorite shows. It was while watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse that she asked for a few pillows and made herself a little set up. I thought it was too cute.

MY FAVORITE READS OF 2011

2012-01-01T19:09:00.004-07:00

My official count for books read this year is 242. That number isn't totally right since I re-read a few favorites and didn't finish some very bad books, but marked them on my Goodreads account as read to keep track of them. Still, I would say that total is pretty on track, meaning I might have a serious addiction to books!

I can't imagine I will ever top this total so I feel like I have to make note of the accomplishment (or sickness, if you want to look at it that way) on the family blog. Most of the books I read were quick YA reads, but I had a few very long ones in there too (longest read: 896 pages). I also read some non-fiction, classics, and popular adult reads as well.

Out of the 242, there were a clear top 10 favorites so here is my list in descending order:

10. Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
A totally innocent, sweet, and poignant love story. The characters are young but the message is timeless: A friend who is comfortable with who they are is a rare find.

9. Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers
A daughter who has just lost her photographer dad goes searching for answers with a mysterious boy who was once his protégé. Emotions are brutally raw and Summers sucks you in from page one. My original Goodreads review was just one word: wow. My only complaint is the excessive use of the f-word.

8. Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
This is the kind of story that makes you want to get up and cheer at the end. The completely loveable heroine D.J. is good at football and coming-of-age magic ensues. I love this book as much as I hate football. This is the first book of a trilogy; the rest are not as good, but I dare anyone to read this and not want to see what happens with D.J. and Brian.

7. Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
Marchetta is the queen of Australian YA and this book is my favorite of hers (I have read them all). I have never fallen so much in love with a ragtag group of friends like this ever. Makes being the uncool kids at the fancy private school seem like the coolest thing ever.

6. Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford
When I first laughed my way through this completely original story about a horny young teenager with ADD I didn't know if anyone else I knew would like this, let alone read it. It has been an absolute hit with my friends who have given it a chance. It is totally irreverent and offensive while being sincerely heartwarming at the same time.

5. I Now Pronounce You Someone Else by Erin McCahan
Sweet, funny Bronwen actually has some standards and, when she falls for the ever adorable Jared, her life just gets better and better. This is the book I would write if I could actually write a book.

4. The Summer I Turned Pretty (The Summer Books Trilogy) by Jenny Han
Book 1, total fluff...but good fluff. Bring on book 2 and 3 and welcome to the best love triangle of 2011. These books kept me up late (not difficult), and woke me up early (impossible) to see what would happen next. The only flaws being that Jenny Han has no idea what the word ironic actually means and she didn't write a book 4.

3. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Raw and beautiful, this book is a treasure with a voice so honest it breaks your heart and picks it back up again. I usually skip poems in books, but the ones found here are tremendous and make this story so full and rich. A little bit of scandal here, but I kind of like it.

2. A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley
Another Aussie favorite. I read this the first time too fast because I had to devour it, but the writing is so insanely beautiful that I had to read it again as soon as I got it a month later for my birthday. If I were to make a movie from a book it would be these quiet pages of perfection.

1. Amplified by Tara Kelly
If you have ever wanted to know what it felt like to be a girl in a band, but I mean really totally feel like you are this fictional character who is in a band, this is the book for you. No other book has ever made me forget that I am only me like this one. I was completely sucked in to the highs and lows of this story. Kind of wild, but so worth it.

So there they are! It warms my heart to remember reading each of these books. I enjoyed most of the books I read this year, but these are the standouts. They are all already in my collection and most are out on loan to friends so I can share the love.

SPECIAL THANKS

2011-12-31T21:06:00.002-07:00

As 2011 comes to a close, I can't help but be thankful to my mommy for always being around to watch Stella, especially during weddings and photo shoots. Thanks Grammy!

FAMILY PICTURES 2011

2011-12-30T17:05:00.008-07:00

Here are some of my favorites from our family pictures this year taken by my dear friend Krisi. I have to say that I think we are one good looking family.

SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS

2011-12-29T22:03:00.010-07:00

It has been a few days since the extravaganza that was our Christmas came to an end, and finally I think I am ready to tackle going through the pictures and saying a few words about our day.

Stella was of course totally thrilled that Santa came. She opened each present with equal joy and excitement. She got a dollhouse, books, movies, binoculars, a Princess CD player, Princess baby accessories, and a Princess kitchen. Grammy and Papa stopped by as well to see her open her last few presents. Before he knew it, Brent was being directed to start assembling Stella's Princess kitchen. Stella sat down and kept a close eye on his progress, chiding him if he got distracted at all.

Christmas being on a Sunday is always kind of the pits. (Sorry, but those are my thoughts.) Brent being the good Mormon that he is insisted that, since there were no presents for him under the tree, his gift would be us going to church without any complaints. I murmured under my breath, but got ready for church anyway. The meeting was actually really nice, and I am glad we went. As were were leaving church, Stella announced that she loved the meeting so I guess it wasn't such a bad idea to go.

After church we were off to Grandma and Grandpa Sallay's house. We were most excited to be able to talk to our missionary, Kathy. We opened gifts and then finally our missionary called. Stella was super shy, but talked a little. I think she was kind of sure that Aunt Kathy was actually going to be at the house, so when she only got to talk to her on the phone I think she felt like she got the shaft. After our call, Stella and I had our first dance performance to Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas." We have been working on it for weeks and Stella loved showing off her cool moves. There are no pictures of the dancing since Brent was busy video taping.

By the time we got to my parent's house we were exhausted and shocked to find too many presents under the tree. The girls were so excited. We had some family drama during and following dinner and it feels wrong to just write about Christmas like it was some sparkly day when in fact there were a few family bumps. I don't want to get into it too much, but I do want to say that even though my family is kind of crazy these days, we still love each other and I am grateful to them all for being in my life.

Anyway, we finally got into the pile of gifts and the girls were sufficiently spoiled. Stella got her long awaited Baby Belle doll and lots of other special treats. I am thrilled to announce that I bought Ava her favorite gift this year: a pair of Barbie roller skates. She had to try them out immediately and it wasn't without some hilarious results. We were all showered with gifts, especially Mom with her Gucci blanket from Santa.

Stella and I performed our dance again and then Ava joined us for an encore or two. We had some more acts for our family devotional and then called it a night. It was a very busy and full day.

It was very nice to have all of Monday to just hang around, and Stella was finally able to totally immerse herself in the gluttony that is Christmas. So many presents! It is almost out of hand really. But she loves them all. She is especially fond of the CD player and takes it everywhere. She has dropped it several times and every time I cringe that it is broken for good because her heart will break with it. But not to worry--it is still working and Stella is forever shaking it to Disney's muzak versions of the hits you know and love.

So that was Christmas for us this year, I think it might go down in history as unforgettable. :)

CHRISTMAS EVE 2011

2011-12-24T21:26:00.006-07:00

Tonight for Christmas Eve we went out to dinner at Asian Star. We had a delicious dinner and enjoyed the Santa headbands that Ava brought as well as the Russian hat that dad wore tonight to be extra festive. We were a wild bunch and left the table in shambles.

Before bed we decided to leave out some snacks for Santa and the reindeer. Stella picked out a Snickers and a Fruit Roll-Up. And she decided to give her celery to Dasher. She was sure to mush up the Roll-Up for Santa just how she likes them. This is the first year that Stella has been able to really understand being excited for Santa, and her excitement is adorable.

SNUGGLY STAR SANTAS

2011-12-24T21:15:00.003-07:00

Anyone remember this picture from three whole years ago when I posed Stella with my Star Santa pillow collection?

Well this year she snuck all my pillows into the living room to cuddle with while watching her shows. It was too cute.

CHRISTMAS COOKIES

2011-12-22T14:50:00.006-07:00

Making cookies at Aunt Ashley's.

CHRISTMAS DRESS 2011

2011-12-19T12:30:00.007-07:00

Yesterday Stella wore her Christmas dress to church, and in the grand tradition of being Stella Sallay she had to pose after church while her mom took pictures. Stella said a funny thing while looking up at a flickering light during sacrament meeting: "What's wrong with that light?" Me: "It's broken." Stella: "Oh no, it's going to fall apart!" Me: "It won't." Stella (whispering): "It will turn into a robot." Me: (confused face). Stella (in a slow whisper): "A small robot."

We are teaching Stella about being naughty and nice. During her photo shoot she was mostly nice...

...but also a little naughty.

Last night while trying to get her to bed she was being mostly naughty, so Daddy decided to make a call to Santa. We didn't find him at home, but were able to leave a message with Mrs. Claus. We told her to keep an eye out for Stella because she was teetering on the edge of being on the nice or naughty list. Mrs. Claus was very concerned. Stella was devastated and officially traumatized for life. See, being an adult at Christmas isn't all bad.

SANTA 2011

2011-12-15T11:10:00.004-07:00

We've kind of made a tradition out of taking the girls to see Santa together. This year Stella was so excited. She couldn't wait to go and tell the big man what she desired and that she has been helping him with Sub for Santa all month. "I'm going to tell Santa that I have been helping him." I was totally annoyed that they made a new rule that I couldn't take candid pictures of the girls seeing Santa, but I was allowed to take some "off site." I still managed to catch the cuties in action.

Official Santa picture 2011:

A STAR IS BORN

2011-12-10T13:14:00.008-07:00

For weeks we have been talking about Stella's upcoming dance recital. She was super excited and talked about it all the time. She invited everyone more than once and probably more than twice. When I asked her about her dances she seemed to not know them at all so I was sort of concerned. I should have known better though because even though she was clueless at times, she, my friends, was born for the stage. The only tears we saw were the ones at the end when she realized she didn't have any more dances to perform.

When we first got there, lots of the girls were playing on the stage and she wasted no time getting in on the action. She looked adorable too with her tiny touch of lipstick and blush that she applied herself.

Her first dance was a tap number to "Holly Jolly Christmas." Her favorite part of the dance is the "Oh by golly" where she swings her arm and sings "Oh by golly!" My favorite part was how she didn't let any of those other girls kick her out of center stage.

The ballet number was to "Suzie Snowflake." I was relieved when the tall redheaded girl decided to push the girl to her left down instead of Stella who was to her right. Not that I wanted anyone to get pushed down, but I know Stella would have been so upset and it would have totally ruined her recital experience. Thankfully, she was oblivious to the physical abuse that kept going on right next to her until one girl finally fell down. Stella just smiled and waved and made sure she was in the front and middle again.

At the end of that dance, Ava was able to come up and dance with Stella. I think this was Stella's favorite part by far.

As she walked off the stage, she burst into tears crying: "I want to do it again Momma." So she was kind of rude to everyone that came up to her to tell her she did a good job. Such is the emotional roller coaster life of the performer who leaves her entire soul on the stage for her audience. Plus, there is certainly no time to be nice to the little people when you are the star.

I managed to get some post-recital pictures of her smiling by promising that if she smiled she could go back up on the stage with Ava and dance. It totally worked--she is a sucker (and so am I).

Congratulations Stella Marie on you very first dance recital!

GEARING UP FOR THE HOLIDAYS

2011-11-26T22:18:00.003-07:00

I've been in an admittedly non-photo taking, non-bloggifying mood this last week. I don't know, maybe it is having a birthday and turning one year older again that is just making me want to leave my camera at home.

For my birthday this year we had an early celebration that Brent organized at Market Street. I got spoiled with gifts and it was so fun. Then on my actual birthday my mom brought over dinner, we got caught up on the Amazing Race, and Court and Tyler also joined us as I blew out my cupcake candles.

This year Thanksgiving was small. It was only us, my parents, and Brent's parents. We had a nice time though and dinner was awesome. My dad rocked the turkey and Stella ate some rolls. We played games and visited until we were all ready to head home for bed. What was Stella most thankful for this year? That mommy fixed her princess light.

So I totally forgot that after Thanksgiving it is traditional to put up Christmas decorations. Stella was super glad I remembered and had fun putting up ornaments today. I had my camera out from a photo shoot this morning so I snapped a few of my baby and her tree. She was so proud of the big one we did together, but not nearly as proud as she was of the little one that she did all by herself. She put all the ornaments in one spot and it looks hilarious and adorable. I can't believe it is Christmas time again...

11.11.11

2011-11-13T13:50:00.034-07:00

Friday was a beautiful day. When I sit back and think about all of the hard work that went into making such a fantastic wedding happen, I want to nap. It was a lot of work, and all us Evanses had to do was show up. Courtney has such a beautiful eye, and she put together an amazing wedding.

Their sealing was at the Draper Temple. They had a really great sealer. He asked them each to share with us why they love each other. Courtney said that she loved Tyler because he made her feel beautiful and loved. Tyler said he loved Courtney because she has a strong testimony and because she makes him smile and laugh. They said more, but those are the things I remember most. I wish every sealer did that--I thought it was so nice. The actual sealing was beautiful. I think I fully realized how much I love my baby brother then, and I was so happy for them both. It was also fun to be sitting by my cute newly endowed grandpa while he watched his first sealing. We both agreed that Grandma was there and was so happy for Tyler.

The Draper Temple is always windy, and it was chilly to boot. But the sun was out and it was a beautiful day at the temple.

I love this picture, because I unknowingly caught Brent pointing to where I was supposed to go BE in a picture instead of TAKING a picture. So us.

When I got married I wished more people had gone around and taken pictures of me getting my picture taken. So that is what I did with the newlyweds. I planned to stay for just a minute, but I was too taken with my brother's handsomeness and my new sister-in-law's stunningness and I stayed the entire time. Here are a few of my favorites. There are, um, a lot. Keep your eye out for Tyler's cowboy pic. He seemed to really want to do it (or at least to joke about it) but the photographer wasn't having it. I went ahead and snapped one for him. I think he makes a good cowboy.

After following the bride and groom around, we headed to the Old Mill Golf Course for the wedding luncheon. It was really nice and we had a full house. Several people made little speeches and there was a lot of love in the room. I had been thinking about my relationship with Tyler a lot that morning and when I spoke I shared with everyone how Tyler is a peacemaker. It is interesting as I look back on my life that I can't remember getting into one fight with Tyler. He just doesn't value being right or arguing. I mentioned how I noticed as I was watching some old home movies that while in Hawaii there were Ash and I on the bed and Tyler on the floor with a blanket and he NEVER complained. I shared about how special it was to go with Tyler back to visit his mission and see him share his testimony and how I realized then that he wasn't a kid anymore. I talked about how he is true to himself and that Courtney won't have any real surprises about his personality now that they are married. Most of all I just made sure everyone knew how much I love my brother. We have had a lot of good talks recently and A LOT of great shopping trips together and I am admittedly a little sad that some of those things are now just memories.

My dad felt inspired to ask Larry Beardall to say a few words. At first I thought that was kind of weird, but he said some really nice things. He reminded us what a miracle it was that my dad was there today (not that I had forgotten), and that two years ago my dad was in a hospital not expected to live. He also said what a miracle it was to have my grandpa there at the temple today. The Beardalls have known us for a long time and I sometimes forget how much influence they had on my family when we were sealed in the temple when I was 14. When Tyler was born almost 30 years ago weighing only 2 lbs he was also not expected to live. But it was because of priesthood blessings that he is alive and part of our family today, and I know we would be incomplete without him.

The reception was beautiful. It was held at the train depot at the Gateway. Courtney and her family did an amazing job putting a lovely evening together. You could feel the beauty of everything from the moment you walked into the reception.

It was fun to be able to visit with people as they came and to watch the girls dance and run and run and dance. They were like little silver balls of energy.

Ash and I had the hardest time finding cream tops to go with our wedding skirts. But we found something in the end. We both wore Dolce & Gabbana shoes to be at our most sassy. When I asked Riley to take some pics of us he asked: "Do you want your shoes in these?" He sure knows what is important!

Of course the reception was full of traditions like standing in line and greeting guests, first dances, cutting the cake, and tossing bouquets, and Tyler also sang a song to Courtney to start off their first dance together. It was awesome.

There was a little bit of dancing...

And then they were off, bubble style.

This last picture was a stolen moment from before the reception started, and I just like it. I can't lie--after I took this picture I made them fake it and stay a while while I took some more, but this was the first shot I took before they knew I was looking.

Congratulations Tyler and Courtney!

YO GABBA GABBA LIVE

2011-11-09T22:08:00.003-07:00

Last night we had the cheap seats to Yo Gabba Gabba! Stella was so excited for her first concert! You can imagine. We were sad that Ava and Ashley were sick and couldn't make it, but we managed to have fun anyway. :)

They played all the hits and it was very clever and fun. The only hard thing about it was that it started late and they took WAY too long of an intermission, so it made us and the other hundreds of kids and parents a tiny bit antsy.

Stella danced and sang and jumped and twirled. She was exhausted when it was over and when the characters sang goodbye, Stella was in tears. It is sad and hard to say goodbye to friends. Especially when they don't live in Utah.

A MINNIE HALLOWEEN

2011-11-01T10:23:00.008-06:00

I saw this Minnie Mouse outfit months ago at Toys"R"Us and just about died. My question to Stella: "Can I buy this for you for Halloween, and can you wait until then to be Minnie Mouse?" She agreed and her "MinMin" costume waited for her in our closet ever since.

When she became Minnie last night I about died. So cute. She posed it up for me and totally channeled her inner Minnie Mouse.

Stella was so excited to see Ava and go out for trick or treats! Ava and Ashley were both rocking their witch hats.

We had sandwiches for dinner, at which time my mom tried to steal Stella's Minnie ears.

This year the girls were super ready to head out and get some candy. After each house they would both say: "One more house" or "Another one!" Then all of the sudden they ran out of steam. It was like their switches were turned off. They had the best time though and it was absolutely adorable to watch them do their thing.

It was also the best treat to be able to head out without any coats on. It might have been the most perfect Halloween weather I can remember. We had a great night.

PUMPKIN DELIGHT

2011-10-29T22:30:00.008-06:00

I don't think I have carved a pumpkin since my mission...the first time when I really decided that Halloween wasn't totally lame. I thought this year Stella might be old enough to enjoy some pumpkin carving. We also invited Ava. The girls were super excited, up until it was time to clean out the guts and seeds. They were then no longer interested in what carving pumpkins had to offer. They thought the task was way too gross. I was sorta shocked--I thought they would love the seeds...especially Ava. So pumpkin carving mostly became a bonding time for me and Ashley while the girls ignored us.

I hope I never forget how Ashley carved the smallest top in pumpkin carving history with her first pumpkin (tiny hole shown in second pic). "How are we going to get the seeds out of that?" I inquired. "How am I going to get a candle in there?" Ashley was unconcerned.

After we carved the top of the last pumpkin the girls took turns taking off the lid and saying how gross it was. They liked that and also loved how the pumpkins looked all lit up in the dark bathroom when their mommies had finished. It may not have been the fun adventure I was planning for Stella and Ava, but Ash and I had fun being kids again (kids with sharp knives) so it was worth it.

MOM & DAUGHTER TAKE DC

2011-10-25T14:42:00.031-06:00

A few months ago I got the idea that I would love for me and Miss Stella to go on a trip to DC together. She agreed of course, so I cashed in some SkyMiles and got us tickets. We planned to stay a few nights with Valerie, John, and Nellie and then drive down to Stafford to stay with Suzy and her family.

Our first day was rainy, but it wasn't cold and it was the perfect day for shopping. We drove out to the outlets and I found myself a purse. We went home and had a lovely dinner with John, and then went our separate ways for more shopping at H&M. I had the best freaking time there and my favorite purchase is Stella's new coat that you will be seeing in many of these pictures. She got compliments on it wherever she went and she loved it too.

The next day we went to Mount Vernon which was the plantation estate of George Washington, built in 1757. I have always wanted to go and visit it, but have always seemed to run out of time. So this trip we did it first. It was windy, oh so wildly windy. But the girls loved it and they loved running and having fun in the wind. The estate is so pretty and when you sit out on the back porch facing the Potomac River you can't see another structure anywhere. I found out later that the land across the water is owned by the society that cares for the property and no one can develop it. Stella loved looking in all of the little structures and gardens that surrounded the property. We still could have spent much longer there, but had to get going so we could do some family pics in the city. Overall though we had a lovely time.

Okay, so things always take longer than you think. Like driving across the metropolitan DC area, that takes some time. So we were running behind when we got back to the Sallay's house to pick up John and head downtown. Val and I were both convinced that we were going to show John once and for all that heading down into the city was no big deal at all. Our plans were thwarted. With a mix of construction and then a turn onto a closed road that took us totally out of our way when we finally did get to DC, John was not convinced. Our detour did take us though up through Embassy Row, which is an insanely lovely part of the city that I had never seen. I tried to smile and enjoy it but was worried about the sun setting before we could get some family pictures taken.

But not to worry folks--I am a professional and we got some lovely shots. We headed to Jefferson since John, Valerie, Nellie, and Stella had never been. I have said it before, I will say it again: I am crazy for the monuments so I loved sharing these fun spots with Stella. She loved the National Monument and called it the castle. Who lives there, you ask? Why, Cinderella of course. Perhaps when she is sick of her castle in the Magic Kingdom she heads to DC for a change of pace.

Here are a few favorites from the photo session:

It was then too dark for any more official shoot business, but we still had some sights to see so we headed over to the FDR monument, which is (again) a favorite of mine. Then we went to the nearby Martin Luther King monument, which is brand new. It was fun to see something that new.

If I had to pick a favorite monument it would be Lincoln, and I have always been awed by how it looks at night. Finally I was able to walk up those famous steps at night. Stella was a trooper with all the steps.

That night Stella and I met up with my friend Kim for dinner at my all time favorite restaurant The Carlyle. It was great to catch up and eat well.

The next morning we had a lovely breakfast with the Sallay girls and then Stella and I headed down to Suzy's house for the weekend. Stella was a little nervous to go and meet new kids, and she did not want to leave her cousin Nellie, but the instant she arrived, she and Emily started playing and didn't stop the whole time. Soon, Noah came home from school and the three of them were going crazy as we had dinner at Panera. They were the wild kids you look at and think, "Man, those mothers..." But they were just so excited to be friends. It seemed beyond hope to be able to calm them, so we just took them all to the park.

The next day we got ready for another photo shoot. We went to this amazing estate called Chatham Manor. It was built in 1771 and the grounds were stunning. The garden had this wild Victorian feel and it was perfect for a family photo shoot.

Of course, no photo shoot with Stella along will go smoothly unless she is included:

The kids had a blast running around together and exploring the gardens. It was a super lovely way to enjoy a morning.

Sunday morning I found myself getting kind of tired. Suzy and I had had late nights talking and this trip was full of busy times. We got up and went to church, and Stella went to primary with her friends. After church we packed up and headed to DC. It was the most beautiful day weather-wise and I just had to go into the city to enjoy it.

I wanted to take Stella to the National Gallery, but of course I didn't have any idea how much she would love it. She loved seeing the paintings and learning the names of the artists. She learned about Papa's favorite artist, and Momma's favorite artist. She looked for colors and subjects and it was all so freaking adorable. I get kind of a high when I am around beautiful paintings and I wonder if she might have inherited her Papa and Mama's reaction to art.

We wanted to hurry up and get back to cousin Nellie's house, but first, Stella wanted a picture with the castle (aka the Washington Monument to most people). We got it and she loved it.

Man, I love DC!!!

I'm not really the biggest fan of fall, but if there is one thing I do love it is a big fat pile of leaves. Super fun times. Valerie had raked us up a big pile of leaves and the girls (including the older girls) had a super awesome fun time playing in the leaves.

So if you can't tell, we had the best time...and I mean the BEST! It was worth having to suffer on a very early flight home to Utah. We already miss our friends and family and I am so glad that I gave birth a few years ago to a little art loving travel bug. It was fun to see family and friends, but it is my time with Stella that I will treasure most.

TEMPLE & FRIENDS

2011-10-17T16:08:00.005-06:00

Aedan and Cali were here this weekend, and Stella had the best time with her friends. I made the mistake of telling her they were coming too soon and she burst into tears more than once when we told her it would take a few days for her friends to get here from California.

We didn't really do much besides hang out and take the Douglas family pictures. But we did take some time to drive down to Temple Square to let the kids run around and have fun. They loved seeing the fountains and making wishes in the reflecting pool.

We love having our house full of Douglases, and Stella misses them already!

APPLE FARM

2011-10-13T14:21:00.003-06:00

Today we had a preschool field trip to Farnsworth Farms. It is an apple farm. The kids went on a hay ride, took a tour, and got to pick an apple. Stella bit into the apple right away. She had a great time, and it was a beautiful way to spend our morning.

PURPLE MINDS

2011-10-04T20:28:00.003-06:00

We were so lucky to have Valerie and Nellie come to Utah for a visit this weekend. We didn't really do anything official so I never took any pictures. But this was destined to change once Valerie told me about the purple jacket that she had just bought Miss Nellie. Stella has a similar "Mom bought me a purple jacket at the Gap because she had to and didn't care what it cost" jacket. Also, Val and I both happened to be wearing our matching purple flats that we had gotten at Ross like three years ago. Great shopping companions think alike, and in our case...LOVE PURPLE!

Anyway it was so fun to have both of them here, and Stella would ask about Valerie and Nellie first thing every morning. She told Valerie: "Nellie is such a delight to play with." It was sad to see them go, but it was less sad knowing that we will see them in two weeks when Stella and I head to D.C.

LAS BEGAS

2011-09-30T23:46:00.008-06:00

Last night we arrived totally exhausted from our wild family trip to Las Vegas. This is the first trip that all three of us have gone on in a long time, and it was very fun to be together. It was also extra fun to meet up with Heidi and Craig who were there for a conference.

We flew in on Monday and that night we went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner. It is always a joy of mine to walk through the mall at Caesars and enjoy the sights of the expensive stores under the fake blue sky. I love it, and was totally blown away with the new H&M there--it was crazy cool and apparently the biggest H&M in the whole wide world. After dinner and a little H&M we went outside and walked to the Bellagio fountains. Stella loves dancing water shows and she was amazed with the fountain shows we saw that night.

Before we left for the trip I asked Stella if she wanted us to bring her crib or if she wanted to sleep in a big bed with pillows. She picked the pillows option and was very much thrilled with going to "Las Begas and sleeping in a bed with pillows." Each day we totally wore her out and she always fell asleep right away. It was totally cute. I loved snuggling with her and couldn't help but be a little nostalgic about how the last time I shared a bed with her was when she was a tiny baby on her first trip to Vegas, and now she is my big girl who is too big for a crib.

No pictures from our day of shopping, but we had a great time (except for finding the Kate Spade outlet closed, which was a real bummer). We also discovered the adorable Fashion Square shopping center that I have driven by tons of times without ever realizing that it was the coolest little town-like shopping area. Plus it had the most adorable playground that Stella loved and we returned to it several times. We also had a yummy dinner at a restaurant there with the Gummows that night.

The next day was supposed to be filled with more shopping, but after driving to a closed Nordstrom Rack we decided just to head back to the hotel to enjoy the pool. It was perfect for Stella with a small shallow pool for her to enjoy.

That night it was just the three of us. We went back to Fashion Square for dinner and playground fun (where Stella made lots of friends), and then back to the hotel for bowling. Our hotel had a bowling alley, we had coupons, and Stella had never bowled, so we went. She was pretty tired at the start and at first there were several meltdowns:

1. She didn't get to go first because her dad had entered our names in order of seniority.
2. When she did get to go, she missed all the pins.
3. She hurt her hand playing with the balls as they come up the thingy.
4. She ran past the foul line and slipped and totally fell back and hit her head.

All this would have been almost funny if we didn't have 19 frames of bowling left to deal with. But in the end she got the hang of it and decided to have some fun. She was so tired, but with a little help from Mom and Dad, some handy bumpers, and candy, she actually ended up beating us both.

Before the trip I was talking to Heidi about how I didn't know what we would do with the hours we had before our flight out that night. I joked about driving to Hoover Dam...then suddenly I realized that perhaps we should. I had never seen it, and why not? I certainly have a great love for dam jokes. (I was in hysterics visiting the website: "Purchase tickets to the dam tour;" "the power plant tour takes 30 mins, while the dam tour takes....;" "You cannot purchase dam tickets online;" "the DAM TOUR is NOT accessible;" "parking garage available for those visiting the dam site.") I mean, come on, the people writing that have gotta think that is funny--I know I did! Anyway, we decided to go. We didn't go on any dam tours (tee hee) because the one where we could actually take Stella scared the crap out of Brent. But we did walk around. It was smoking hot (110 degrees), but we survived. After walking around the dam, Stella and I hiked up to the new bridge that is crazy cool looking and got a great dam view. (Are you sick of it yet? I'm not.) Overall, we had a great dam day! (Okay, last one.)

And that was our trip to Vegas. We had a great time and are totally worn out from all of the fun.

FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL

2011-09-08T18:10:00.005-06:00

Stella didn't want to go to preschool today--she wanted to watch a movie. That is, until...we put on the backpack. That backpack made her officially ready for preschool. She told me that she was going to make new friends, and she went right in with no worries at all.

When I picked her up she was upset about leaving a second set of clothes there that we left in case of accidents--I realized when we got to the car that she was worried that other kids would wear her clothes. But after that concern was cleared up she told me she had a great time at preschool. She told me she made new friends and that none of them hit her. So that was good. I am glad she is making some non-violent friendships. She told me the snack was crackers (which she ate) and carrots (which she did not). She played with Play-Doh, practiced her name, and read books. There was also something in there about being an airplane as well.

As for me, besides feeling like I just sent my 3-month old baby to school I am proud of her. It makes me feel a little sad, but I know it is good for her to learn to be independent.

FIRST DANCE CLASS

2011-09-07T16:19:00.004-06:00

Today was Stella's first dance class. She was so excited, and she told me while we were combing her hair: "I am going to make new friends."

Well Stella is best at new things when her mommy isn't around, but I wanted to stay today to take pictures. A lot of the other girls already knew each other and I know it made Stella nervous. She wouldn't dance and she told me she wanted to go home. She also kept almost sucking her thumb, but I could tell she wanted to be a big girl and not do it, and the whole thing kind of broke my heart as she tried to fit in. So I went outside for a bit and then she started to dance. I thought she was cool so I went in and took some more pictures, but that only lasted for a minute until she was all clingy again. So next week I am just going to drop her off and I am sure she will be fine. I think she was almost too excited for dance and it was all a little overwhelming. All the other moms seemed to be friends already too, and I felt a little awkward as well so I get where my girl is coming from. I suppose we will both have to be extra nice and do our best to make new friends.

RAZZLE IT DAZZLE IT!

2011-09-06T16:48:00.004-06:00

Stella has her first dance class tomorrow and she is very excited about it. I thought it would be fun to show her one of my few childhood treasures: my Razzle Dazzle dance costume. I told her I wanted to have her pose just like me in the picture and she was thrilled with the idea. The only trouble: "Mom, we don't have the hat." It was true that we did not have the hat, but we still tried our best. Here are the pictures:

Michelle

Stella

After she did the pose I just let her play around. I love these pictures and find the superhero-styled ones especially charming. When she dances with my pom poms she yells: "Razzle Dazzle! Razzle Dazzle!"

STELLA SAYS

2011-08-30T20:17:00.003-06:00

Just like every adorable 3 year old, Stella says some pretty cute things. I often end up just posting her hilarious moments on Facebook, but thought I should also document a few of them here since this becomes my blog book and permanent family journal. Here are some recent favorite Stellaisms:

Stella: "Mom, we are going to be together forever." Me, thinking I have raised a spiritual child: "Yes baby, we are!" Stella: "Just like the Care Bears!"
Stella, holding a white crayon: "Mom, this one isn't working!"
After Ava saying "No way" to Ashley: "Ava, don't say 'no way' to your mama!"
Stella's stand on cannibalism: "Mommy, we don't eat people. It is not nice."
"I love to bear my testimony, Daddy. It helps me."
"Mom, who is this?" Me: "Winnie the Pooh." Stella, surprised: "The poop?

‎

This is what Stella wore the night her Aunt Kathy was set apart. I took a few quick pictures because I thought she looked so sweet.

PARK CITY

2011-08-29T12:58:00.005-06:00

Brent and I don't go very many places just the two of us. Brent has a strong anti-travel stance that I have gotten used to. However, sometimes I find a deal online that includes free food, and if I find a deal like that Brent is usually game. I found this deal to go up to Park City for a couple of days, and it was so awesome it just couldn't be passed up! When we checked into our hotel they told us that we had one of the best rooms in their small boutique hotel. When they took us to the top of the hotel and I saw our giant two bedroom suite I believed them. In fact, when you look at the picture of the hotel, that is our room right at the very tippy top. It was kind of a quirky place to stay and on top of giving us the best room we actually got a real key to our room.

The first night we were there we headed into Park City proper for dinner and walked around. We made sure to get pictures by the new Bansky graffiti art. (Someone mentioned it had been put up just that morning.) Brent and I watched a movie about Bansky a while ago, and we are both big fans. It was hard to get a good picture though because no one really noticed the art until we started trying to take pictures and then all of the sudden everyone was trying to take their own pictures.

The rest of the weekend we mostly spent getting caught up on our shows and I went shopping of course. Our second night we had a freaking huge dinner. Overall a great time was had by both of the adult Sallays.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

2011-08-25T23:06:00.004-06:00

Tyler is getting married 11.11.11!

Brent to Stella: "Are you excited that Ty-Ty is getting married?" Stella: "To Courtney!" And I think Tyler's face says it all. Courtney makes him super happy and I am excited to have another sister-in-law. Congratulations, Tyler and Courtney!

CHIPMUNKS LOVE CHIPS

2011-08-24T19:31:00.005-06:00

Today we had plans with Natalie and I felt like going up to the canyon. So we bought Subway and headed up to Brighton. We had lunch first, which we mostly spent with Stella freaking out because all of the chipmunks were after her and her lunch. She thought they were super cute until they came after her chips!

Then we walked around. I told Stella that we would feed the ducks. We even brought bread to do it, but then we couldn't find any ducks. We couldn't hear them either. So Stella was feeling pretty sad when all of the sudden we heard distant quacking and there they were. Stella was totally thrilled. She fed the ducks happily, and they ate her bread with equal enthusiasm. I was very impressed when Stella shared the little remaining bread she had with a little girl who wanted to feed the ducks too. She did it without being asked, and I thought it was so sweet.

Overall, we had a nice time walking around and enjoying nature, and had a really fun time catching up with Natalie.

SUNDAY MORNING

2011-08-21T12:22:00.000-06:00

"Mommy, we're snuggling!"

BRENT + BROWNIES + NUTS = OLDER

2011-08-18T14:55:00.004-06:00

Brent had a birthday yesterday. Now he is older than me for a few short months again. Stella and I took balloons and lunch to his work to celebrate. Then in the evening we had dinner at my parents' house. I made turtle brownies which Brent loves and I don't like because I think brownies are allergic to nuts. It was a nice day and I think Brent felt special.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: STELLA SALLAY

2011-08-17T11:56:00.009-06:00

The artist at work in her studio.

Introducing the newest artist on the preschool art scene, Stella Sallay. Miss Sallay has just recently added acrylic paintings to her already wide portfolio of creative work. Her mother, Michelle Sallay, believes that this is Stella's most important work so far, and now believes that Stella is ready for her pieces to be displayed on the fridge and sent to her Aunt Kathy to be proudly displayed at the MTC gallery of fine preschool art.

When recently asked in a home video interview what medium Stella prefers, she told the interviewer (her mom) that she loved working with Play-Doh. However, Mom prefers the easy cleanup of paints, and loves that her brilliant daughter's work is now more permanent.

Stella's creations have simple themes. She seems to enjoy drawing her loved ones in an abstract manner. "This is Ava," she says as she paints another blob or line on her paper.

If you are interested in your own piece of artwork for your fridge or home gallery, please contact Stella and she will be happy to create a new and completely original masterpiece just for you.

FAREWELL SISTER SALLAY

2011-08-16T22:45:00.003-06:00

Tonight Kathy was set apart as a missionary. As we were driving home, Stella kept saying how she wanted to go see Kathy tomorrow, and we had to keep telling her that she wasn't going to get to see Kathy for a long time. From the day that she was born, Stella has had a particular fondness for Aunt Kathy and I know she is going to miss her. However, I also know that she will enjoy sending her cards and pictures.

We had a big dinner Sunday night and I made everyone pose for pictures again.

To see the hotness that is Kathy in her mission garb you can go HERE.

SEALINGS

2011-08-14T00:29:00.003-06:00

Saturday afternoon we went to the temple as a Sallay family and did sealings for some of our ancestors. We did this in March as well when John and Valerie were here, and it was a really neat experience. Brent and I were the lucky ones who got to be at both sealing sessions, and I thought they were both equally great times. It was fun to have the little sis Miss Kathy there with us at the temple. She leaves for her mission on Wednesday, and I can't say I am too thrilled about it. Stella has become completely obsessed with her and when you ask Stella about Kathy going on a mission she says: "Kathy don't wanna go on no mission!"

After the temple we were deciding what to do for dinner and one of the options was the ward BBQ. I pretty much made all of us go to that because I thought it would be the easiest, but I know none of the Sallay boys were in the mood to see all the old ward people. It was very enjoyable for me to watch them squirm as ward members were nice to them. Stella also had the best time jumping in the bouncy house and learning the basics of badminton from Grandpa Sallay. It was a fun afternoon with the family.

Here are some pictures of us at the temple. The last one of all of us is blurry because I focused and then moved my little pile of temple suitcases that I was using as a tripod. But I still like it. :)

HOSE HIGHLIGHT

2011-08-05T20:01:00.004-06:00

Heidi and the boys came down for a few precious days this week. Stella was so excited and kept telling everyone that Catchy-Cy was coming to her house. As usual we didn't do much, but the kids did get out the hose on the first day, and Stella had a blast getting soaked with the boys. Later, she was in control of the hose, and I wanted to get pictures of her spraying everything. But again, SHE WAS IN CONTROL OF THE HOSE, and her sprays being unpredictable, I couldn't risk the camera getting as soaked as Cather and Cy were.

For the rest of the visit we spent a good amount of time school shopping. The most successful trip was to the Gap which, with my handy little Gap Silver card, Heidi ended up saving more than she spent. It was awesome.

We also watched movies, had family over for dinner, and played. As usual, the visit was too short.

CALDWELL AND BEYOND

2011-07-30T21:58:00.011-06:00

Mom and I had been talking about making a trip up to Idaho to see my grandparents for a while. Of course, I would just keep filling my calendar with photo shoots and other events so time kept slipping by. However, I left this last week open on purpose just in case we decided to go on a last-minute trip, and it worked out great because, guess what, we did! And guess what else, I took pictures!

On our drive up, Stella kept talking about getting to Idaho so she could swim in the pool. It was a much longer drive to the pool than she thought though. So when we finally arrived we didn't wait any longer to head to the pool. Stella was thrilled to be in Idaho where the pool was located. Thankfully she was not aware of the hundreds of pools we passed on our way.

The next morning we headed to the very fancy Karcher Mall. Mom loves it there because there is a Macy's outlet that she has this fascination with. It causes a little conflict, because I don't faint at the prices like she does. She almost feels like she doesn't know me anymore because I don't like the Macy's outlet as much as she thinks I would. But guess what, I'm not that into Macy's and the prices aren't all that crazy. But I still found some things of course (I am a professional shopper after all). Still, since we met my grandparents at the mall for lunch we spent WAY too much time there and I had to take a picture of the mall's cool sign to prove that we had conquered it.

We then headed to my grandparents house in Caldwell. We visited and hung out on the back porch. Stella enjoyed playing with her new princess balls, and harassing Charlie (the coolest cat ever according to my mom). Stella called him "Grandma's friend."

On the way to our hotel that night we drove past the COOLEST abandoned hotel from the '60s. I loved it and said I would kill to have a photo shoot there, and before I knew it my mom was turning around to go to the hotel to make my dreams come true. Sometimes a place fascinates me entirely so please forgive the immense amount of pictures. But I'm sorry, this hotel was just TOO COOL! Did I mention that I thought it was COOL!? BTW, my dad took the pictures with me in them, and I was very impressed with his composition.

The next day we drove to Boise to take my dad to the airport and while we were in town we hit the mall for some more shopping. Then we headed to Caldwell again. We hung out and then headed to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. We took a couple of silly pictures in the parking lot.

Our last morning we drove up to Caldwell to have breakfast at Mr. V's before we headed back home to Salt Lake. Here are some more parking lot pics.

Stella is a pretty good traveler obviously, which is why she has been lucky enough to be taken so many places. She was very good in the car ride home today as well. She spent some of the time rocking out to Grandma's music in the car with her baby doll.

And now we are home, and Stella thinks that there is only one whole pool in the entire state of Idaho.

PIONEER RAIN

2011-07-25T22:34:00.004-06:00

We celebrated Pioneer Day yesterday at my parents' with a few fireworks and dinner. Today we observed Pioneer Day by hanging out. I mostly worked on transferring old family videos to DVDs, which is a project that seems to never end! After getting home from a photo shoot it was raining, so Stella and I went out and ran in the rain. It was totally fun, and as I told my girl, a very special summer time treat. By the way, it wasn't really this dark, but using the flash makes it look darker than it was.

TWO PEAS

2011-07-08T21:34:00.008-06:00

When we went to take Stella's 3-year pictures, Crystal also took some pictures of me and my baby. If you remember, Miss Stella was in a mood so I am surprised how happy she looks in these. I guess she must really love her momma!

If you can't tell, I myself am totally in love with my bestest pal. We are two peas in a pod for sure, and I can't imagine a world without this sassy, sweet angel.

ROCKIN' OUR FREEDOM

2011-07-04T23:27:00.007-06:00

We decided to rock it urban-style this year for the 4th. Since this was the first year of my life that I have dressed in a patriotic color scheme, I insisted that we also rock a photo shoot on the roof. The new family tradition of fake laughing continued and was strongly encouraged this evening. Stella and Ava totally kill at fake laughing.

You would die if you knew how many tries it took for Ashley to get a good one of my solo jump. We were dying laughing at all the duds she managed to get. "You aren't jumping when I say 'jump'!" "Just take the picture while I am in the air." (Seems easy enough to me.) "What, I'm not the photographer?!" But I would say it was worth it...can't you just feel the whole aura of my independence as I jump up in the air in my red, white, and blue?!

Our next event was our small fireworks show down on the street. We were also nice enough to be able to share our show with a homeless guy (which if you know how I generally feel about the homeless, you will realize how angelic that was for me). The homeless guy had a few fireworks that he added to the mix too, so that was cool of him, and greatly added to the success of the show.

After we were done lighting ours, we headed to the roof again where we enjoyed about five different park displays all at once. With so many of our family members struggling with ADD, it was wild at times...but always totally fun!

WATER MEMORY

2011-07-01T19:30:00.005-06:00

Today Stella said: "Remember when we went and played in the water with Catchy-Cy?" And I thought: Why, sure I do, and I don't think I ever did a post about it.

The day after Stella's birthday party, Heidi and I were completely and utterly exhausted. I don't think we had ever officially caught up with the sleep we lost by staying out until 2 AM partying to the rocking sounds of my favorite band Okkervil River. Then the rest of the weekend we were go-go-go cooking and cleaning and hanging out. So we decided to have a chill day at Liberty Park. Once the kids discovered the water feature there, it didn't take them long to take off their shoes and explore. Stella loved it of course--she loves everything just a little bit more when she is with her cousins.

EMPTY THREATS

2011-06-24T22:12:00.005-06:00

About a month ago we went with Crystal and Livi to a spot in Alpine for Stella's three-year photo shoot. She was very un-Stella-like and was an absolute mess as a model. She would hardly ever look at me, and when she did her face was so fake. I was getting crazy annoyed and I threatened to not throw her a Princess party about 10 times to make her come back to me as she ran away. (Empty threats, a big Super Nanny no-no because never for one second was I actually going to cancel her party for not posing.) It was a real shame she wasn't in the mood because she was having a really good hair day!

Still, here are a few of the pictures that I don't totally hate. I credit my last few years of experience working with kids that don't want to be photographed for the fact that I have any that I like at all.

The plan was for me to also take some photos of Livi and Crystal. I caught one of them I really love and also one of both girls that I am very taken with:

This was how Stella was at the end of our adventure. It was a sheer miracle that she didn't break down like this right in the middle of our shoot. I believe she was crying: "My princess party! My princess party!" when the mean-spirited version of myself took this picture:

PRINCESS STELLA

2011-06-23T21:19:00.013-06:00

This past Monday was the long anticipated Princess Birthday Celebration held in honor of Stella's miraculous birth 3 whole years ago. She had been looking forward to it very much. She asked about it every morning, she prayed about it every night, and she asked everyone she saw if they were coming to her princess party. She picked out the dress and decorations, and even picked out Disney Princess bracelets to give to all of her party guests.

Her birthday morning started out with me, Cy, and Catch coming into her room to sing "Happy Birthday" and give her a Belle crown to wear later at her party. The rest of the day, while her mom and Aunt Heidi slaved away for the party, she played with her cousins and kept getting awesome Disney Princess gifts. Her favorite? A GIANT princess castle balloon with all of the princesses on it from Heidi. She was in heaven.

She was so excited to put on her dress that it made it very easy to get her to pose for a few pictures before everyone arrived.

Our annual pic by the cupcake:

As soon as Stella had started in on the candy bracelets, we didn't see much of her or Ava without them looking like this:

We took a few posed pictures. Stella's favorite pose was the fake laugh. It is one of Mommy's favorite photo tricks, because usually once you fake laugh...it makes you really laugh. Stella is very good at both.

Singing "Happy Birthday":

Opening presents was tons of fun. Stella loved everything. She especially loved the presents Ava picked out specially for her. But other than that she did not play favorites--they were all her favorite!

Then came the big moment...her present from Mom and Dad. She first had to open a card, and what it said is so cute I just had to share it:

In all the land,
there's one lovely girl
who dazzled the kingdom
with twinkle and twirl.
She's charming and kind
and beautiful too.
She the Princess of Birthdays...
Your Sweetness, she's YOU!

Then it told her to go outside to the garage for her present...

Yes it was a car, and she looked so stinking cute driving it in that dress that I may have gone a little overboard with the pictures. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen though...so there you go. Getting this car was kind of a miracle that was facilitated by my father calling RC Willey and demanding (in a nice way) that we get one of the sold-out promotional cars that they had promised us when we recently bought a couch. They had already turned many people away, but the gal he talked to somehow reserved a car for us and we got it. It is so fun because it comes with a remote control that we can use to drive Stella in it since she is still a little too small to drive it herself.

To end the evening she relaxed with her new Baby Snow White and watched her new copy of Tangled with her favorite boys.

And I am sorry folks, but I cannot imagine ever topping this birthday. It was a birthday of a charmed princess the likes of which not even Disney could ever dream up. And it was a joy to give the best daughter in the whole world the princess party of her dreams.

IKEA

2011-06-18T22:24:00.005-06:00

Today was a busy day with the Gummows. We headed to IKEA and all had a fun time checking out the rooms and playing house (grown ups included). I have always wanted to take pictures at IKEA, so today I did.

We started off having some lunch. Stella and Catcher are two peas in a pod and, as you can see, they loved posing it up for me.

Then it was on to the shopping, or more like posing.

At one point Stella became so comfortable with the IKEA beds that she decided to kick off her shoes and take a rest.

We had a great time. Thanks IKEA for the memories.

PIRATE FACE

2011-06-12T21:14:00.006-06:00

This weekend my cousin Monica was in town with her two kids. Her daughter Annabelle is Stella's age and they have had a really great time playing together. Tonight Annabelle came over and I snapped some pictures of the two cute friends.

Annabelle does this pirate face that is hilarious. When I wanted a picture of just Annabelle doing her pirate thing, Stella felt left out so then I had to get a solo picture of her too.

BATH HAIR & PARTY CONVERSATIONS

2011-05-28T23:02:00.004-06:00

I always love Stella's wild bath hair. It is crazy to see her relaxing in the bath and realize how big she is now. I remember when she was too tiny for the bath, and it doesn't seem that long ago.

I am trying to figure out what kind of birthday party to throw our soon-to-be three-year old. So tonight, I asked her if she wanted a princess party or a Harry Potter party. She said princess. So I asked her if she wanted a Harry Potter party or a princess party. She said princess again. Ok, fine. I thought that with her recent obsession with all things Harry she might have decided that princesses aren't as cool, but I guess I was wrong. Sorry Mr. Potter, you just can't compete with all the princess bling.

BALLOON PARTY

2011-05-13T12:08:00.006-06:00

Last night was Ava's much anticipated (by Stella especially) third birthday extravaganza. Ashley did such a cute job and we had tons of fun, as you will be able to see.

BALLOON SURPRISE

2011-05-08T22:50:00.003-06:00

Yesterday Brent took Stella on a little "surprise" shopping trip to the store. When they got home Stella ran to me and yelled: "Mom, I got you a balloon, you wanna see it!?" She of course couldn't stop talking about the balloon and struggled with the concept of a surprise. Then in her prayers that night she said she was thankful for getting Mommy a balloon. Right before he went to bed last night Brent told me: "Just wait, Stella might have a few surprises up her sleeve." I laughed so hard because I know I will never forget how she was too excited to wait to tell me all about the balloon.

Naturally I was super "surprised" when a card and balloon were delivered to my bedroom this morning. Stella showed me the card and then ripped open the envelope and raced to show me the giant pop-up Snoopy inside.

At church Stella also decided she wanted to go up with the other primary kids and sing. She didn't know the words, but she sure looked cute peeking over the wall and waving at her mommy. Man I love her, and I sure am lucky that I got to be her mom.