Mother's Day

Mother's day was so wonderful this year.  It was my second official Mother's Day as a mom, and I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for this privilege I have of experiencing motherhood.  All I've ever wanted was to be a mother, and it is so much better than I imagined it would be.  My mother's day started out with the sweetest surprise breakfast from Bryce.  Then we went to church and Claire even sat through all of relief society with me, it was a mother's day miracle!  After church we took naps and then Bryce snapped these photos of us cuddling in bed after we had all woken up.  These ended up being the only pictures we took the whole day, which was kind of nice since I usually take tons.  After naps we went to both of our parent's homes and celebrated our incredible mothers with our families.  I love being a mother so much.  It is the most difficult but absolutely the most rewarding thing I've ever been able to experience.  I have heard this quote by Elder Neal A. Maxwell many times, but I saw it posted on mother's day and it has really stuck with me since, 

“When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses? When the surf of the centuries has made the great pyramids so much sand, the everlasting family will still be standing, because it is a celestial institution, formed outside telestial time.”   -Neal A. Maxwell  

Rain, Rain

Last week was the week of rainstorms!  We pretty much got rain every single day.  I'm all for stormy weather so I didn't mind one bit.  We went outside a few times while it rained so Claire could play in it and splash around in the puddles.  I took a few pictures of her playing in the rain, and I'm so glad I did.  Claire has always been a little water baby, and that hasn't seemed to change yet.  She giggled and smiled as the raindrops fell on her face and hands.  I love seeing the world through her eyes and finding joy in simple things I tend to take for granted like feeling the rain on my face.  I think one of the best parts of motherhood is getting to see the world through your child's eyes.  It's almost like getting a second childhood, but its even better this time around.

Portrait 18.52

A smiley girl playing in the sunshine.

(Technically this picture is from last week but I love it too much to not include in this series.)

"A portrait of my daughter once a week, every week, in 2015."

Tulip Festival

Yesterday Claire and I went to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point with my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law.  It was so pretty and so much fun!  The weather held out just long enough for us to finish our outing and then it started raining as soon as we left (perfect timing)!  I took tons of pictures but tried to narrow this post down to my absolute favorites.    
I brought the stroller and pushed Claire around in it most of the time since there was a lot of walking, but I would let her out every so often to explore a little and get a break from being strapped in.  She loved getting up close to all of the colorful flowers and may have accidentally got a little overzealous with some. 
While we were there I tried teaching her to be soft and just smell the flowers so she wouldn't keep trying to pick them all.  She caught on really quickly and started sniffing all of the flowers and saying "Mmm!"  It was so adorable!
There were so many gorgeous flowers, but these yellow ones were probably my favorite!  I'm not sure what exactly they are though, I need to find out!
Claire thought all of the fountains were so much fun.  She could have splashed in them all day long!  I had to watch her closely because she kept trying to hoist her leg up and climb in for a swim.

More flower smelling ;)

This fountain was one of my favorite parts in the garden.  It was so so pretty!

I've been saying I want to go the Tulip Festival for the last few years and I am so happy I finally went.  I'm even more glad that I got to take Claire with me.  Most of the fun for me was getting to watch her explore and experience all of the gorgeous scenery in the gardens.  The Tulip Festival is definitely something you have to go to if you are in Utah.  I would love for it to become an annual tradition for the girls.  Maybe I can even talk Bryce into going with us next year ;)!    

Happy Birthday Audrey!

Today is Audrey Hepburn's birthday.  She would have been 86 years old.  She is easily my favorite actress of all time.  I love her even more for the role model she has been not just as an actress but as a mother, woman, UNICEF ambassador, etc.  She was an incredible person.  I have read several of her biographies and have loved learning about her life.  Claire and I had a little party today in her honor.  We read one of our favorite books Just Being Audrey, dressed up in our best Audrey-esque outfits, and watched Roman Holiday & Breakfast at Tiffany's (well we tried watching them, but mostly they were on in the background while we played all day).   
Claire's best Audrey-inspired look.  I tried bribing her with some chocolate chips to keep this hat on, it worked just long enough to snap a picture but the price was a chocolate covered face :).  I love that I can teach Claire about good role models and strong women she can look up to as she grows up.  Audrey Hepburn is without a doubt one of the best of for her to look up to.  Happy Birthday Audrey!

Sunday at the Farm

After church and naps yesterday afternoon we decided to go to my parent's farm for a surprise visit.  

Watching the sheep, trying to get a glimpse of the baby lambs.

Going for rides in Nana's wagon.

Claire loves the mules.  She couldn't stop giggling when they would sniff her and try to sneak some of her granola bar.

Checking out the pigs.  Claire thinks all animals are pets like Rory, so she even tried to pet the stinky pigs haha!
My sister and her family stopped by to visit too, so Claire got to play with her BFF/cousin Lydia.  She was a little overly enthusiastic giving Lydia loves.

I love taking Claire to visit where I grew up and I'm glad we live close enough right now to visit often!