2017 Through Our Eyes

As the year wriggles its way to a close we've started looking back on all of our fun memories. Here's our highlight reel of events of 2017.

Elephant Baby Boy Shower

I can't say that I've had any personal experience with street drugs, but I have recently discovered that planning a baby shower is completely intoxicating.  I was on the most amazing high this weekend helping my mom throw a party for my sister-in-law.  Now I'm pretty sure decorating and planning baby showers is my parallel to cocaine.  

DECORATIONS

I had some spare wood from our fence project this summer that I used for a little name sign.  Each letter block was stained and then painted with chalk paint.  

We used tissue paper pom-poms and an old dresser mirror frame to accent the gift table.  Don't worry.  This was before the party started.  She had more than three presents ;)

Party favors...

Encaged circus elephants.  Fear not.  No animals or toys were harmed during the baby event.

SNACKS

GAMES AND ACTIVITIES

Instead of a guest book, everyone came in and signed a story page.  This way baby Charlie can catch all the little love notes as he reads it someday.

I made little booklets with all of our activities so we wouldn't have to keep handing out paper to fill out between each game.

Feel free to download and print any of the elephant game pages HERE.

Game One: Baby Song Game

For our first activity everyone listened as I played a few seconds of songs with "Baby" in the title.  The guest with the most correct answers won a prize.  If I were to go back in time, one thing I probably would do differently is cut down the song list.  I got a little over-excited googling baby music.

SONG IDEAS:

ICE ICE "BABY" - VANILLA ICE

"BABY" COME BACK - PLAYER

"BABY" I LOVE YOUR WAY - PETER BRAMPTON

"BABY" - JUSTIN BIEBER

"BABY" ONE MORE TIME - BRITNEY SPEARS

MY "BABY" YOU - MARC ANTHONY

DON'T WORRY "BABY" - BEACH BOYS

ALWAYS BE MY "BABY" - MARIAH CAREY

"BABY" COME TO ME - JAMES INGRAM

"BABY" WHAT A BIG SURPRISE - CHICAGO

I'M YOUR "BABY" TONIGHT - WHITNEY HOUSTON

I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF YOU "BABY" - SMASH MOUTH

HEY "BABY" - NO DOUBT

AMERICAN "BABY" - DAVE MATTHEW'S BAND

Game Two: B-A-B-Y-S-H-O-W-E-R Gift Bags

Each gift bag had a baby item that started with its letter.

B - Blanket

A - Aspirator 

B - Bib

Y - Yellow Rubber Duck

S- Shoes

H- Hat

O- Onesie

W- Wipes

E- Ear thermometer

R- Rattle

Game Three: BINGO

Everyone filled out their Bingo cards with baby items they guessed my sister-in-law would get as presents.  When we opened the gifts, people could mark items off as they guessed correctly.  First person to get five in a row and call out BINGO won a prize.

Game Four: Gumballs in the Bottle

Beside the guestbook was a baby bottle full of gumballs.  Closest guess to how many were inside got to take home the bottle.  

Now I need more friends to have babies so I can plan more parties.  I am addicted.  Admitting it is the first step...

And, finally, here is the 

"Okay-everyone-is-gone-Let's-stuff-our-faces-with-left-over-cake"

 photo.

Love you, Mom!  Love you, Elizabeth!

Summer Bucket List

It was a special summer since our toddler was finally old enough to really enjoy and experience the season.  As parents we have been living through him and I love it because it makes me feel like a kid again.

I am also a lover of checklists.  Call me Checklist Charlie.  I thought making a chalkboard bucket list would make things more fun which it did... But I forgot how I never actually complete my lists ever.  So next summer I need to jump in knowing the goal will defeat me and be totally okay with that possibility.

So here you have it.  My dream summer bucket list that will get approximately 50% crossed off every year from a realistic perspective.

I know there are some super moms looking at this list thinking, 

"Psh.  I could complete all this junk in 2.5 seconds."  That's so wonderful.  I can eat an entire bag of Salt and Vinegar potato chips in 2.5 seconds.  I love you for your strengths.  And I love me for mine.

1.  Have a classic picnic: The ones on the ground - with the food - with the ants - and the stereotypical checkered red blanket

2. Splash at the splash park

3. Fly a kite

4. Float the river

5. Lay in the grass stargazing

6. Berry picking:  After picking these blackberries I had a childhood movie come to mind about a bear cub that eats some wild mushrooms and starts getting crazy dizzy and sick.  I ate them nervously.  But I never died so I suppose they weren't poisonous.

7.  Feed the ducks at the park

8.  Build sand castles on the beach

9. Visit the Zoo

10.  Visit the temple grounds

11. Visit Enchanted Forest:  Everyone needs to go here.  It will be the most magical/creepy experience of your life.  Similar to the feelings you get watching 

The Labyrinth or anything claymation.  

12. Take a tandem bike ride

13.  Run through the sprinklers

14. Visit the library

15.  Have a bowling night

16.  Movies at the park : So, um, I messed up on this one...  We were all packed and prepared with blankets and snacks for the city movie night and I got the time totally wrong when the movie started.  So we came home and cuddled as a family on the bed and watched Netflix instead.

17. Walk a pup at the Humane Society

18. Take a camping trip

19. Visit the fish hatchery

20.  Take a boat ride

Oh gosh, I love this family.  I love soaking in every happy second I can from these sweet best friends.

"In family relationships LOVE is really spelled T-I-M-E."

-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

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LEGOs for Days

We have some Lego Lovers in our primary.  And I also happen to be married to a Lego Lover.  Not "A" Lego Lover...
 "THE" Lego Lover.
One of the perks to being the wife of the "double L" is complete access to every mini-fig in any collectable mini series.
See...  I wasn't playing with you.  He's one of "those" guys.

But he's cute, so I'll keep him

Each picture will be a clue to a primary song that the kids will get to guess on Sunday.  Some are super easy and some are a bit of a stretch, so I'm also including little "hints" for each picture if they can't solve it.  

I LOVE TO SEE THE TEMPLE

"I'm going there someday"

WHEN GRANDPA COMES

 "He has a wrinkly, twinkly smile"

BOOK OF MORMON STORIES

"All about the Lamanites..."

ONCE THERE WAS A SNOWMAN

"In the sun he melted"

WE'LL BRING THE WORLD HIS TRUTH

"We are as the army of Helaman"

CHOOSE THE RIGHT

"Let wisdom mark the way before"

I AM LIKE A STAR

"...Like a star shining brightly"

NEPHI'S COURAGE

"Go and build a boat"

I FEEL MY SAVIOR'S LOVE

"In serving I am blessed"

DADDY'S HOMECOMING

"I'm so glad when Daddy comes home"

I OFTEN GO WALKING

"I gather armfuls of blossoms of blue"

TO BE A PIONEER

"Walk a thousand miles or more"

LIFT UP YOUR VOICE AND SING

"Start a glad song, let it float, let it ring"

POPCORN POPPING

"Such a nice SURPRISE!"

OUR PRIMARY COLORS

"Red, yellow, and blue"

SMILES

"No one likes a frowning face"

WHEN I AM BAPTIZED

"I like to look for rainbows"

I love my calling!  Feel free to snatch any of these pictures off the blog to print from home.

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Easter Singing Time

I've been brainstorming ideas for Easter this Sunday and after combing through the Internet I've noticed the easiest and most popular singing time activity is an Easter Egg scavenger hunt.  All you do is hide plastic eggs around the primary room with different songs about Jesus inside.  I love it!  Super simple!  

The only problem is all those Easter Hymns are only sang once a year, so I doubt the kids will remember any of them by heart.  I'm hoping little Easter Hymnbooks can help them to participate better this week.  

I made a PDF of a few hymns/children songbook Easter songs that can be printed out HERE.  If you have a duplex printer you can choose double-sided booklet in the printer settings.  Then I just cut up a few construction paper covers and glued on the front page.

Oh, I love this time of year.  I am so grateful for my Savior and all He has done for me.  Happy Easter, everyone!!!!

Here's the link to the PDF download: 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ffxg4a1g0xxhzg8/Easter%20Hymnbook.pdf?dl=0