The Going Rate for Teeth

Brayden lost is first tooth earlier this month.  The other kids in K had teeth falling out all over the place and Brayden was getting antsy. He rattled his little teeth nearly every day in hopes his would fall next.  Finally, one did.  He quickly wrapped it up and hid it under his pillow in anticipation of a hefty profit.

The tooth fairy showed up and left a handy tooth pillow with a nice crispy dollar bill tucked inside.

Easter Sunday was a perfect day in every way. The sun shined just like I imagine it shining on the opening to the tomb on the day the women discovered Jesus had risen. The energy at church - when people are packed in the pews shoulder-to-shoulder was incredible.

The day was simply beautiful. After church we shared the day together and spent the afternoon enjoying God's gorgeous creation.

Easter Eggs, Scallops and Cake Bites

According to this blog we do lots of celebrating.  In real life not so much, but when we celebrate we pack in lots of fun. 
Dad and I share birthdays near each other in early April.  Each year mom lets us place our order in advance and Dad and I always collaborate on the menu plan.  This year we chose an ace. 

Before the big feast, though, we dyed eggs with the kids.

We left the intricate work in the capable surgeon's hands.

Then, just before the big egg hunt we prepped our birthday meal.  Bacon wrapped scallops and red wine. Why, yes, I think that is a fine start. Apparently the appetizer was so good I got all caught up in the fun and forgot to take pictures of the rest of the meal, but you can never go wrong with shrimp, filet mignon, salad and twice baked potatoes.

Stinkin' cute adorable niece.

Dad and daughter. or #1 Daughter and Dad, I should say.

The #1 daughter reference drives my sister (#2 daughter) crazy. Really, it only refers to birth order rather than genuine love and affection, but because we know it drives her crazy we use every opportunity we can find to make the reference.

And, finally, who can expect children to show their maturity when their own parents encourage them to do things like this....

This from the same man who once (with the help of his brothers) cut all the "sides" off a round cake to make it square just because they wanted more icing.  Love you, Dad, for lots of reasons, but also because you are a kid at heart.



Minnie Matney Turns Two

Ashley and Matney

Matney Paige is such an awesome girl. One moment she is girly as can be showing off her new nail polish and sparkly shoes. The next she is playing in a mud pit with her three favorite cousins. She turns two on Tuesday. We celebrated her spunky preciousness with a Minnie Mouse themed party her mama worked very hard on. She loved it and entertained the guests for hours with her boisterous, fun, sweet personality and quirky little antics.

A new doll and stroller.

A shiny new set of wheels from Papa G and Nannie B.

Cupcakes and decor by Ashley.

Kennon and Matney Paige sharing the love.

Mama School - Sushi Making 101

A few weeks ago in a moment of complete brain numbness due to lack of adult thought process stimulation I signed up for a sushi 101.  I had high hopes I would become an at home sushi chef wowing, wining and dining friends with my newly acquired skills, but mostly I just wanted to learn something new.  When you can eat what you learn it is even better.  I invited the ladies from our MOPS group to join me.  Several were scared of the raw fish, but Ashley and Cassie - two awesome mama's - joined in.  We had fun and were SO proud of our new knowledge.  I'll save the step-by-step tutorial for when I've acquired the necessary goods and refined my techniques, but for now the fruits of our labor:

Ashley and Cassie sharpening their sushi skills.

My results.