Aspen's 5th birthday

Aspen turned 5 on April 18th! I was brave this year and decided to throw her a friends party.  Her favorite Disney Princess is Ariel so of course nothing would do but The Little Mermaid décor and cupcakes.  :) I should add that nothing was homemade.  I really don't understand how people have time for that stuff! I was running on fumes just trying to get all my store-bought stuff to look good and ready for the party.  I think I looked on Pinterest for about 30 seconds before feeling completely overwhelmed at all the homemade Little Mermaid party décor and food. Hey, if that's your thing, you're amazing.  I just don't have the energy or desire to be crafty.  

I wasn't prepared for all the raw emotions that come when 9 little girls congregate.  Tears were shed over who was first in line, over food choices and when things got a little too fun. ;)

Between the mermaid games and bounce house craziness, I think fun was had by all.  Even the cute boys who came didn't seem to mind the princess mania and strong emotions. :)

Aspen is such a kind and sensitive girl. I haven't seen any sassy or bratty behavior from her at all, although she can definitely stand up for herself when her older brother is terrorizing her. Aspen loves animals, dinosaurs, princesses, sushi, My Little Pony and pretend play. That song in Alice in Wonderland called "In a world of my own" describes Aspen perfectly.  She will play for hours imagining all kinds of adventures. I'm so grateful to have a daughter. The past 5 years with her have blown by and I look forward to creating many more wonderful memories with my sweet Aspen May.

Toby's baptism

I have a lot of catching up to do! In my defense, my last computer was slowly dying and wouldn't let me upload pictures. Thus, I couldn't update my blog.  We got a new computer and now I'm attempting to document the past 5 months. *gulp*

On April 9, 2016 our little Tobester decided to get baptized and become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  It's a big deal in our faith for a few reasons. As said, we officially become a member of our church and we make a special promise to do certain things, like remember Jesus Christ, keep His commandments, and take upon ourselves the name of Christ--or do his work. We also receive the Holy Ghost as our constant companion. We belive he is the 3rd member of the Godhead, who guides us, comforts us, warns us of danger and is a witness of truth -- as long as we live worthy of his companionship. 

As parents, Nick and I were thrilled that decision came from Toby.  He is our most headstrong, independent child who isn't a fan of going to church for 3 hours each Sunday (let's be honest, it's hard for us adults too sometimes). When he told us he felt 'very happy' on his baptism day and that he was glad he got baptized, I beamed with pride. 

A few pics of the special day.

 Some cute friends of Toby.

Our awesome, supportive fam.  Toby is blessed with some wonderful grandparents.

Next post: Aspen's birthday!