10 years!

June 17 we had our 10 year anniversary. Wow it is truly amazing how fast time goes. I just feel really blessed to be married to such a wonderful man. Dan was out of town for our anniversary, but the day after we were able to have a couple days with just the 3 of us (we had to take Mr. Abe, he doesn't sleep through the night just yet). We went to McCall and stayed in a cabin, walked around the lake, ate some yummy food, but mostly just enjoyed the quiet. It was such a treat!
That was then........

This is now.........


This little guy loved having so much attention. He saw this "flower" and really wanted it. I picked it for him and he carried it for 3 hours before I could sneak the stem out of his hand.

Dance Recital 2010

My girls once again had their end of year recital. Dan had to work this year, so we really missed him (especially with Abram and Lydia running wild- Thank goodness for grandparents who live close)but it was fun anyway. The lighting was so bad, but here are a few pictures and video......

Paige didn't seem scared at all and really seemed to know her dance for her age. I loved to watch her. I was able to make her class's costumes for the recital, and that was fun.

Savannah also worked hard this year. She just loves to dance!

Their dad wasn't there to give them their flowers, so he bought some beforehand.

Spring Carnival and Recital

Dan had to go to California this last week and that coincided with the school's spring carnival. Well this is a really important event(right?), and I was not looking forward to attending this chaos alone. Lucky for me, my mom offered to come along and help me with the kids :) The kids had lots of fun....

Savannah impressed with her bean bag toss.

They all loved the bounce house.

I just had to catch these 2 holding hands (I guess they don't fight ALL the time).

Not so much fun for this little guy. Next year he'll get in on more of the action.

And then Saturday Dan made it home just in time for Savannah's Spring Music Festival. At this event students from 6 different teachers were able to perform one piece. And what a great recital it was. I was truly amazed at how talented these small children were. It definitely got Paige excited to start her lessons this summer. At the end of the performance the audience voted and they gave 3 audience choice winners. And first place went to- drum roll please.........................

SAVANNAH JANE MALAN! She was given a certificate and $20!

I think having Grandma and Grandpa Dana there pushed her vote over the edge ;)
And here you have the winning performance......

What progress she has made since last summer.

Lydia's 3rd Birthday

It's hard to believe that another year has passed, but it has indeed and Lydia is now 3. We ended up having our big family party on Sunday, and were lucky to have lots of family in attendance. Lydia once again chose a "Dora" theme- she is the "queen" of all things Dora (according to Paige's best friend). She's lucky to have a glut of Dora hand me downs from 2 sisters who also loved the little girl. My goal by the end of this year is to get her out of Dora pajamas (her choice attire) and more used to dressing in non-Dora clothes. And the guests at the party did not disappoint, she received Dora dolls, dress up crown kit, movie, soccer ball, hopscotch, bubble blower, dress, etc. Lets just say we are fully stocked on Dora gear!
To go with the gear I made her another Dora cake. I've definitely had my problems with the cake decorating in the past, so I was pretty happy with my first piped cake (if that's what you call it).

It definitely has room for improvement, but when Lydia saw it she said "Oh mom, I just love it!" So that was all that mattered and it made the 2 hr 15 min. decorating time worth it.

Here she is giving her sister a kiss. She was so sweet after opening gifts, she gave everyone hugs. I have to say with Lydia there was not a terrible two. She is such a good mild tempered little girl.

There were a few non Dora gifts. This coloring cardboard house was a hit for sure. The kids have had a lot of fun with it for sure. They managed to get a good deal of markers not just on the house, but also on our walls, floors, and all over their bodies. All I can say is thank goodness for washable markers. They are so easy to clean up.

It took a few puffs to get the candles out again, but I imagine by next year she'll have it figured out. It was a great birthday for my sweet little Lydi!

Savannah's personal piano recital

Savannah's piano teacher encouraged all of her students to have their own personal recitals this month. After a lot of practice and preparation, we had the recital at our home Saturday evening. It was really special for her to be able to play for her friends and family.

Getting ready for the big event with lots of practice. And all dressed up (she even did her own hair).

Here with her teacher, and amazing pianist and teacher.

One of her pieces was a duet with her dad. I love it when they can play together. Great job Savannah!

From a Seed

Have you ever grown a bell pepper from a seed? Last year we tried. We were not successful because we did not realize how LONG it takes a pepper to go from a seed to producing a vegetable. Last year our pepper was pretty, but that was it. This year I was not going to make the same mistake. We planted our pepper seed the last week of February. It was growing beautifully in our window sill, and the other day I transplanted it to a bigger pot so it could continue to grow. Oh we've been admiring our beautiful pepper plant, and in a couple of weeks I would plant it in its final resting spot in the garden. And then......

It happened so fast. There was no saving it. I was actually pretty impressed with the amount of destruction, yet the dirt was untouched?

So much for growing a pepper from a small seed this year. However, I probably will hang on to it for awhile to see if there is any chance of a revival.

Easter fun

This Easter season we did all the typical Easter things....

Wore new Easter dresses (and suit for Abe) to church a week early...

We colored Easter eggs, and were lucky to have some cousins there to share in the fun.


We saw the Easter bunny.

Went on a few egg hunts....




Had some good eats...

And got some fun presents from the Easter bunny.




All in all a great Easter!