today at the zoo.

today we made an impromptu visit to the zoo.

(heaven knows i needed some sort of outing to get me out of the house and off of pinterest. i'm turning into a pinterest zombie and/or addict. M is more than slightly concerned. i am too. are you on pinterest? if so, you can relate. and, you should find me: marcia11. if not, no worries. ignore this message).

back to the zoo.
it was over-crowded and smelly, as zoos often seem to be.

so smelly and crowded that i almost regretted going...
i mean who likes to walk around like cattle + smell the cattle poop?
not me. not me.
but we moo'd and trudged along.
and saw the hilarious animals with the bjillions of people.
and then went on our merry way.
and i wondered if that smelly, chaotic experience was worth it.

then a little while ago we were reading one of our favorite books together 'Quick as a Cricket.'




Ellie kept saying things like:
"i saw a frog at the zoo today!"
and, "i saw monkey swinging in the tree at the zoo too!"
and finally, "i'm as brave as a tiger, too! just like the tiger i saw at the zoo. the tiger at the zoo was my favorite."




i finally asked her, "Ellie, did you have fun at the zoo today?"

her response: "Ya. So much fun. I just need to go back again another day."

so i guess she didnt notice the crowds or the stinkiness. which means Alice surely didn't either. which means they just had a lovely time seeing the frogs, monkeys, tigers, giraffes, elephants, zebras, and the bear in the hammock.








i just love these easy-to-please little girls oh-so-so-so much.



xoxo

the royal wedding.

we had the honor and privilege of not only attending the royal wedding yesterday, but of hosting the wedding ceremony.

it was quite the occasion!
complete with all the most refined and esteemed guests.

congratulations to the happy couple. we're so thrilled for you and wish you the happiest happily ever after.

it goes without saying- but i will anyway:
there's never a dull moment playing with this sweet, imaginative, almost-3-year-old.

xoxo

easter festivities.

here a few (cough) glimpses into our festive Easter.

my one complaint:
it came and went all to quickly.

meeting the Easter Bunny at the mall-
Ellie loved him.
which to me was a little weird.
but endearing.
i love what she said to him:
"hi Easter Bunny. i promise to leave you lots and lots of carrots. and then you can bring me Tangled."
wow, what a little business woman.

baking sugar cookies:

one of three Easter egg hunts;
this one was with a small group of our cute little friends:

don't you worry, Alice was there, too.
she was content to feel the grass in her little fingers and toes.
so easy to please.

then we enjoyed Easter Egg Hunt # 2 with our ward at a yummy + fun ward breakfast.

sidenote: the Easter Bunny made an appearance.
since Ellie met the Easter Bunny at the mall last week, she was not convinced about this dude at our ward party. her response to seeing him enter the cultural hall:
"who is that silly guy in a bunny costume? that's not the Easter Bunny!"
seriously?
still, she wanted to sit with the impostor for a picture.

ok then.

onto the hunt.
running as quickly as possible to find some eggs:

a nice sharing moment.
i'm glad the competitive nature of the hunt hasn't sunk in quite yet.

pretty stoked with her spoils:

we made some festive cupcakes to share with friends.
they were scrumptious and cute.

and even had a fun colorful center inspired by these cupcakes.
i was quite impressed with myself.

and together we dyed some eggs.
Ellie loved it.

the night before Easter, we left out a little snack for the Easter Bunny.
just in case he got a little hungry during his travels.
(and might i just add- i feel like the Easter Bunny gets a little jipped. because Santa gets cookies and milk, but the EB gets carrots. maybe next year we'll make him some carrot cake or something. yes, that's a good plan).

and thanks to some coupons and after-Christmas sales (you read that right- i bought that Disney Store Rapunzel doll after Christmas for like $7 bucks. i've been stashing it all these months for the perfect moment), the Easter Bunny was super generous this year.

and Ellie was thrilled about it.

oh yes, and Alice was too.

sidenote: have i mentioned that Alice started doing this?

and in between scenes of Tangled, we got dolled up in our Easter best.
and struggled getting good pictures.
but what can you do.
this was as good as it got:

the rest of the morning, Ellie was lost in Easter thought.

and Alice did the two things she does best:
was cute + sucked on her thumb.

then we trekked to Grandma and Grandpa's house...and Ellie was so excited.

there we enjoyed Easter Egg Hunt #3.

and since she is the lone grandchild within 600 miles (who can walk and appreciate candy-filled eggs), Ellie made out like a bandit...and was thrilled about it.

and meanwhile, Alice enjoyed some Grandma and Grandpa snuggles.

afterward we ate a delicious meal. (thanks Lynne!)

we spent time together talking and oogling over the chillens.

and then with two exhausted little girls, we headed home.

wow. i feel pooped after posting about it all.

but it was lovely.

and felt good to be so dang festive for once.

thanks to all for making it so memorable and fun.

xoxo

easter beliefs.

every morning when i wake up, i check the weather forecast for the day.
i'll admit, i get slightly bummed when i see the drizzle rain-drops and gray clouds.
but then i get excited to wear galoshes and have an excuse to sing "singin' in the rain", and to have a cozy movie day inside.
sometimes several of those cozy days inside can make me go bananas and so we get brave and wet as we trek to the library or target to peruse the $1 spot.
and just when those rainstorms feel like they are going to last forever and ever, they pass.
and i wake up one morning to see warmth and sunshine and blue skies in the forecast.
i feel my heart skip a beat.
and all i want to do is wiggle my toes in the grass like Rapunzel and sing a song about running and racing outside.
i feel rejuvenated.
and new.

i was thinking about this weather stuff when i was in the shower this morning.
and it made me think of the Savior's resurrection, which has been on my mind, just has it has been on yours.
how sorrowful and dark it must have felt when He died.
sometimes i try to imagine being Mary, His earthly mother- how horrible it must have been to watch her son endure all that He did, all throughout His life, including Gethsamane and finally the cross.
knowing all that she knew, her heart must have been so sad when she saw Him treated the way He was.
it must have felt so cold. and bleak. and almost like the sadness would last forever and ever.
but rainstorms always end.
and on the other side will always be a miracle.
because sunshine and warmth and blue skies came.
and sometimes i try to imagine what it must've been like to be Mary on that third day, too. to see first-hand the empty tomb. to see Him, in His resurrected body. to realize that He conquered death. that He not only died for all of us, but that He now lives for all of us.


i am the first to admit that i have a lot to learn.
i am not a scholar.
or as great of a scriptorian as i wish i was.
but i do know the most precious truth that can be found on this earth:
that Jesus Christ died for me. and you. and all of us.
and that now He lives.
and to me that's amazing because through His death and resurrection, He made it possible for us all to conquer death.
so we can be together again someday.
with our families. and with Him. and our Father.
and to me, that's the warmest sunshine i've ever felt.

Happy Easter.

xoxo

my 400th post

i can't believe this is my 400th post.
when i started this little blog over 4 years ago, it was an inconsistent log of my bizarre thoughts.
i was a newlywed (i consider married with no kids to be newlyweds even though we'd been married for 2 years...thoughts?).
i was in college.
and most of my world revolved around M.E.
since then, my thoughts have grown in bizarrity, but have become somewhat more consistent.
i've realized that the world is much bigger than ME, as i finished school, M finished school, our little family doubled in size,and we moved away to the wilderness (unfortunately not in that order).
regardless.
i've loved sharing snapshots of my life with you, and documenting them for family and myself.
i've loved receiving your comments and uplifting words when i've been sad or frustrated or needed advice. and i've loved receiving your comments when i've been happy and excited about changes and big moments in my little family's lives.
i've appreciated the opportunity to rant and ramble on and on about life's silly things. and life's not-so-silly things.
and that so many of you have found me. and keep reading about me.
sometimes i wonder why.
because i'm just a big dork living in a circus with mismatched furniture, occasional burnt dinners, and crumbs on the floors and counters.
but truth-be-told, i'm just so darn grateful you're here.
and i'm so darn grateful to be a mormon mommy blogger person-- or whatever it is that people label me as.
because blogging makes me happy.
all of you make me happy.
and finding peace and joy is what this life is all about.
extra hugs and kisses to all of you.
i love you.

(hence the 'i love you' sign...which kind of looks mutant-ish, but in my defense, it's quite difficult to take a picture of yourself while doing sign language while trying to look half-cute).
oh, and happy Easter weekend.
hope you find lots and lots of eggs.

xoxo

family.

i love these three people.
oh-so-much.

xoxo

edible Alice.

this adorable, edible squish is six months old today.

i regularly nibble on her cheeks and thighs.
i am constantly smelling her delicious baby scent.
and using my weird-mom voice to get smiles and giggles.

it's hard to adequately express just how much this little person is loved by everyone our house.
Mama wants to eat her.
Dada loves to nuzzle her.
and sister loves to plop herself wherever she is, just to be extra close to her.

oh Alice.
thanks for being so gosh-darn edible.
(translation: 'i love you.')
and thanks for being mine.

p.s. potty training update: Ellie's had dry undies for three days. as in zero accidents. zilch. nada. none. Ellie is a rock star. more to come on that topic soon enough.

xoxo