Noteworthy Celtic Ice Cream

To quote Braden: "A person needs three things to be happy--someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for."  How blessed I am to have so many boys to love, SO much to do, and exciting things to look forward to!  Starting with a visit to Provo next month to sing in the NW 10-Year Reunion Concert!!! 

I am ECSTATIC about getting to see all my best friends from college, relive our Noteworthy memories and best moments, and perform again!!!  Parley is not such a fun of all the practicing going on around here.  Its a lot of "nyaps", "do-do-dos", and trumpet bleeps.  Did that just make me sound like a major nerd?

With Marc visiting for a week, we tried a couple recipes of homemade ice cream.  On the right: Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream.  Major success.  We also went to a Celtics game!!  All fun and games until some guy spilled his beer all over Jason :(

One Sunday, I made a skirt out of an old mauve scarf and a bundle of lace!

I think this picture summarizes how we've spent the last 6 months of indoor entertainment.  Let us out!

Jason had some sort of "wear a bow tie to work" day and picked out this fun stripe print.  He kindly helped me turn it inside out during Dancing with the Stars.  This season is going to be SO GOOD!!  I am willingly giving up all my Monday nights for the next few weeks to be completely entertained and dazzled with dancing and glitter!!

 

Primary is a blast.  Every Sunday is just a chaotic swirl of kids and craziness!  My counselors and I had a painting night and made these cute frames to give each child on their birthday.  Jason is "Super Dad of the Year" every Sunday while I disappear basically all morning for meetings and then scramble around like a lunatic racing potty-training 3-year-olds to their parents for bathroom visits, finding last-minute substitutes, and breaking up wrestling matches on the floor.

We'll end this post with a good date night picture:

Consume less.  Perfect.

Palm Readings and Pizza

Time for an update!  I'll forgo the apology about disappearing for a few weeks.  Busy, stressed, blah blah blah.  I tell people that life is really beating me up right now, but in a good way.  How great to be leading a life this is so FULL, BUSY, and EXCITING!!  Well, well, let's see where we left off.  Before Vegas, we were still being pummeled with snow storms.  I don't think I left the house for a solid six days in a row.  Jan/Feb is all about hibernating indoors!

Date night: palm readings! The pshycic predicted 3 kids for us, some real estate endeavors, Jason living til he's 80 and missing that upcoming wedding!  Coincidentally, one of his flights was completely canceled and I thought she'd be right!  But it all turned out ok. 

We also threw our bi-annual Olympic Party with some friends, complete with five Olympic ring pizzas during the Opening Ceremonies.  Great Olympics this year, huh?!  In Ohio, the boys soaked up every minute at Grandma's house, and really had the time of their lives...

...while I fit in a good thrift.  Literally, EVERY time I've visited home since I left for college (10 years ago?), I've sneaked in a trip to the Village Discount Outlet.  I'm confident that almost half of my wardrobe and shoe stash came from here.  Dozens of dresses and skirts started from one of these $2 bundles of sheets.  On the right: skating night fruit pizza with mom.

RIT dying has become a favorite pasttime, and also from the thrift store, I found a cute foam chair for Parley that I recovered with leftover upholstery fabric from a client job.  These chairs (in kitschy commercial prints) are sold in stores for over $35!  Our version: $3.

And my kids are adorable.  But you already knew that.  When Marc was in town for Spring Break, we ventured to the Museum of Science.  Lincoln spent the majority of the time in the space capsule, and Parley was fascinated by the dinosaurs!

A Vegas Wedding

Oh how I LOVE a good wedding!!  Aren't these two darling?

 

It was a most beautiful day and the loveliest ceremony.  Lauren is the PERFECT girl for Braden, and I am just tickled to have her as my new sister!

 Poor Braden caught a virus two weeks prior, and came down with a bout of Bell's Palsy that left one side of his face a little droopy.  Probably only his family member could tell, but what poor timing!

 Didn't stop them from getting some gorgeous pictures.

 Oh, young love!

 Look at us grow in numbers!

 Braden just accepted a summer internship at MIT Lincoln Labs, so the two of them will be coming to Boston to play with us this summer!!!!   I'm thrilled!  How fun to be in the same ward and spend all summer at the beach with Lauren :)

 My three dashing men!

 Two lovely receptions--Lauren's home and then in Ohio.

Jason flew home to work the week out, and the rest of us vanned home and chilled for a week at Grandma's house!  My boys are just crazy about their uncles.  We put on the Ohio reception the next weekend and mom talked me into singing some sweet jazz for live music.  Parley only once found his way to the soundboard :)

Jason was camera-man, hence a little more flirting than usual!