I LOOKED.....

Out the window

And what did I see? Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree!

Spring has brought me such a nice SURPRISE! 

Blossoms popping right before my eyes

I can take an armful

 And make a treat. A popcorn ball that would smell so sweet

It wasn't really so

But it seemed to me

 Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree!

{As sung about 50 times a day by the cutest 2  year we know!}

Makenna's Baptism

Makenna was baptized last weekend and we enjoyed a lovely day together! I am so happy with the way things came together although there were a few glitches along the way. We arrived at the church very early so we could take a bunch of pictures. In the end I'm SO glad we decided to arrive early because when we got there the baptismal font was EMPTY with no sign of anyone there to help get it filled. We were so lucky that Allen had been helping with seminary security during the week and had a key that would open every door in the building. We were able to get the font started while we took a bunch of pictures (another ward had a baptism before ours but they forgot to leave the font full!)

 We were also blessed to have lots of family in town to help us celebrate. My sister came with her family and my parents and Allen's mom were there to help our gorgeous girl celebrate.

We did have to start the service about 15 minutes late while we waited for the font to finish filling but all things considered, it wasn't too bad. The service itself was so special. Both of the grandmas bore their testimonies (our stake does this instead of talks) and our family sang a musical number. Makenna was nervous about the baptism but it went perfectly. Allen, my dad, brother-in-law Jon and several friends confirmed Makenna a member of the church. She was so happy and truly radiant all day long. She took her baptism very seriously and spent a lot of time thinking about the promises she was making Heavenly Father. We are so proud that Makenna chose to be baptized! 

After the baptism we had an party at our home for friends and family.  I decided to go with a rainbow theme for her party after I found the print in the picture below. It plays off of the primary song "When I am Baptized" that starts with the phrase "I like to look for rainbows..." Makenna loves this song so it was a perfect theme.

Some of the decorations:

We had a candy bar with little bags that the kids could fill and take home with them:

 I made this fun fabric banner and strung it up in the kitchen. It took me ages to make (You can't tell from this picture but it is really long). I'm planning to use it with my St. Patrick's day stuff in the future. It is was such a fun pop of color!

For food we did a lot of fun things with the theme. We had rainbow fruit kabobs:

 I slaved over mini rainbow jello cups. These seriously took me HOURS but they turned out so cute that they were totally worth it! They got lots of oohs and aaahs by party goers and even tasted really good!

 Allen made rainbow rice krispie treats using Fruity Pebbles and they were surprisingly good (and very sweet).

 We also served chicken salad on croissants, veggies and different varieties of chips. It was a fun spread and a super fun party for me to put together. We had several friends come that we know from our first time living in Seattle 6 years ago and we really appreciated their love and support for our family. We also had lots of new friends join our celebrating which we are equally grateful for. We mostly loved getting to spend so much time with our families celebrating Makenna's first ordinance and the beauty of the gospel!

In the next couple of weeks I'll show you the baptism scrapbooks that Allen and I have put together for Carter and Makenna's baptisms. They have turned out so beautifully and are a real keepsake for our kiddos.

Makenna turns 8!

Makenna celebrated her 8th birthday a couple weeks ago. I can't believe my kids are growing up so fast! I remember her birth like it was yesterday! She had a fun day full of all the things she loves. She woke up and was able to open her gifts!

 It doesn't look like much but she got an iPod touch, a bunch of new jewelry  including a personalized CTR necklace for her baptism, treats, and scriptures from G&G Baldwin. Grandma Frost gave her a new scripture case and mini hymnbook when she came for her baptism a few days later. Carter and Addie made her cute cards and pulled together some of their allowance to give her some cash!

 We had a yummy breakfast of coffee cake and scrambled eggs before she headed off to school. We brought treats to her class and she loved having her class celebrate with her. After school she got to go to gymnastics with her 2 best friends, which is pretty much her favorite thing ever. For dinner she chose to go to Red Robin for burgers and fries. We had a yummy birthday cake afterwards.

Makenna is the sweetest girl ever! For years we have been hearing from friends, acquaintances, coaches and teachers what a kind and sweet girl she is. She is a great friend and she always has a lot of friends. It is easy to see why - she is very loyal, sticks up for people and finds the good in everyone. She is always thinking of others and is such a good helper. When we talk about our highlights of the day (which we do every night at dinner) her highlight is often that she had the opportunity to help someone. Kenna is also a great big sister. She helps me a TON with the little girls and truly enjoys spending time with them. I often find her playing house or schools with the girls and many nights I find them all piled on her bed with her reading to them. Emery and Addie fight for her attention pretty often.

Makenna started taking gymnastics a few months ago with a couple of her friends and she LOVES it. I am sad that I didn't start her a year ago when she first started asking. She is progressing quickly and loves to practice at home. She has gotten her cartwheel, round off and backbend down really fast and she is working hard at getting her splits down. She is also doing great at piano. She fights practicing more than Carter does but she has progressed a lot this year and is getting much more confident. She is enjoying learning simplified primary songs. She is also swimming again after taking a break during fall soccer season (which she did not enjoy at all) and she has got great form. I really think she will be a great competitive swimmer. Kenna also loves to read which brings me so much joy. I love that she picks up books just for fun and always asks to read a few more minutes at night. She is enjoying the Ramona series and the Little House on the Prairie series (two of my favorites from childhood). She has grown a lot academically this year. Our school district has challenging curriculum and her teacher pushes her hard but she has really stepped up to the challenge and is learning a lot.

Kenna is the most emotional of all our kids and we definitely have some tween drama starting but most of the time she is a total delight to be around. I am so blessed to be her mom and lucky to have her as my "right hand man" most of the time. In the past I described her as my "velcro" child meaning she loved to be by my side at all times and that hasn't changed much but she loves to help and be really involved. In many ways she is the glue that holds the kids together. She is always planning something fun for everyone and we always call her our cruise director. She doesn't really like being alone but she is great at rallying the troops. Kenna also loves music and she and Carter constantly fight for control of the radio. She loves her karaoke machine and that has been super fun for her and her friends. She begs to have a play dates every.single.day and has some great little friends in the neighborhood and ward. Her new love is Activity Days. She attended last week and loved every second of it and has talked about it incessantly.

We sure love this girl and are so excited to see her growing up to be a kind and loving young woman!

Next up - baptism details!