Natalya Turns 8!

June 1, 2012

Another year has passed and our baby turned 8!  She has grown into quite a beautiful young lady.  Natalya has many talents.  I'm impressed with her sense of responsibility.  I almost never have to ask her twice to do something.  And most of the time I don't even have to ask her once!  She just sees a need and takes care of it.  She is almost always on task and needs very little instruction.  She's smart and efficient.  She's loving and always concerned about the well being of others - especially when it comes to her baby sister, Annika.  

Natalya has a tendency to be a little impatient when dealing with younger siblings, but we believe that that's an immature manifestation of her desire for perfection.  Most new things come naturally to Natalya which is why, I think, she sometimes gets frustrated if she doesn't master a new skill on her first attempt.  Haha!  If she only really how blessed she is.  There is more talent in her pinkie finger than in my whole being. 

As her parents we will do our best to channel her energy in the right direction give her the wisdom she needs to create strengths from her few weaknesses.  We are so blessed to have her in our home.  She is an excellent "little mama" and I'm grateful she's our oldest - since she's my right hand on a daily basis.  

Happy 8th Birthday, Natalya!

Her birthday stash.  Complete with Legos, new PJs, Mario Brothers DS game, a Taylor Swift CD, a working volcano and more.  (She LOVES science.)

We surprised Natalya by getting her and her best friend, Alyssa McKamey, out of school early. We took them to a fun park at the Town Square shopping center.  Grandad and Granny Kim came (for her baptism the next day) and played with us at the park then spoiled us by treating us to lunch.

Her day just kept getting better!  By the time we got home Nana had just driven into town and was waiting for us at our house.  Here she is giving Natalya a special baptism gift - a baptismal towel for after she gets baptized.  

  

Then the party began!  Instead of a cake, she wanted me to make chocolate truffles.  They are a little piece of heaven on earth!  I made about 175 of them.  Over the span of a few short days, we ate every last one.

A party isn't complete without a little confetti and streamers! It was a great way to end a pretty perfect day.

I love you, Natalya!  

I'm so glad you're ours.  

~Happy Birthday~

1st Lost Tooth

May 31, 2012

After weeks and weeks of dangling, Branson's tooth finally fell out!  Irelynn helped.  They bumped heads while playing on their bouncy balls and it was at just the right angle to knock his tooth clean out!  And although his permanent tooth had already grown in behind it, it was still a very exciting day...  

The Tooth Fairy visited that night and brought him TWO dollars with a note that explained he got a bonus because it was his first tooth - and first teeth are especially special. It was a magical morning to find that the Tooth Fairy had paid him a visit!  

Irelynn's First Dance Recital

May 29, 2012

While each of our children are 3 years old, we allow them to choose an activity at our community center that interests them.  Whether they try dance, soccer skills, or gymnastics doesn't matter to us.  We just agree that all children need experience taking instruction from another adult other than mom or dad.  Irelynn chose tap and ballet.  She thoroughly enjoyed wearing her dance clothes and looked forward to dance class every week.  At the end of their class they held a little recital to show some of the skills they learned in class.  Irelynn didn't care about the performance as much as she wanted to wear mascara and lip gloss.  Haha!  That's my girl.

Ms. Eva

____, Irelynn, Eva, ____

____, Emmeline, London, Payton, Verena

Irelynn was beside herself when she spotted her name on the program.  She didn't understand what a recital was before this day - but now that she's catching on, she's loving it!

They danced to music from the Disney movies Tangled and The Lion King.

To make it official, I bought her flowers!  We also bought a bunch of flowers to hand to her teacher and to her little friends.

All the moms pitched in and provided lunch for everyone.

We couldn't have asked for a better community center experience. Her dance class definitely fulfilled its purpose.  She enjoyed being with friends, dancing to fun music, learning new skills, and taking instruction from another adult.  All for $17 a month.  Boo-yah.  :)

Little Scavenger

May 23, 2012
Annika rushes to any open chair at the table. During dinner one night, Irelynn excused herself from the table to use the potty.  The second Irelynn was out of sight, Annika made a mad dash for her dinner plate! Using her fork, she happily helped herself to Irelynn's chicken fettuccine alfredo. I didn't know whether I should be upset with her or laugh!  We laughed.

The face of mischief... and pride.

A Mess, part 2

May 20, 2012
Mmmm...spaghetti.  Delicious! Doesn't that look appetizing??

Bath time.

Phoenician

May 18-19, 2012

Brian's office plans an annual work retreat that we look forward to every spring!  This year we stayed at The Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.  It was beautiful...      

(Our room was just beyond the fountains.)

There were several pools to choose from.  I was so spoiled!

While Brian attended meeting after meeting, I read my book by the pool drinking frozen lemonades!

And we had the company of a resident duck that enjoyed cooling off in the resort pool.  Funny, but kind of gross.

Brian had some free time during the day on Saturday.  So we went to the local mall and caught a movie and did some shopping.  It was strange not having to stop for emergency potty breaks, change a diaper, or discipline someone for misbehaving.  We meandered around, hand-in-hand, without an agenda.  

Nerds and Duct Tape

May 16, 2012

Bozarth did a crazy Spirit Week theme for the end of the year.  One day was "Nerd Day" which Natalya thought was awesome.  She totally looked the part and loved dressing up. 

May 17, 2012

The next day was "Duct Tape Day" and I bought Branson some sweet tape with flames all over it.  He obviously thought he was so super cool.  And he kept testing his shoes to see if they were a little faster now that they had fire on them.  Haha!

Whatever happened to "Crazy Sock Day"???  When I was a kid, the craziest thing I could wear to school were my pajamas!  

A Hiking We Will Go!

May 14, 2012

Our kids never tire of a good hike.  So for family night we had our dear friends, the McKamey family, join us for a little boulder climbing...

Between our families we have 4 adults and 9 children.  

Mark McKamey is the Scout Master in our ward and Brian is the first counselor in the Young Men's presidency.  This hike served two purposes: fun for us, and a "dry run" for the Boy Scouts who would hike it the very next week.

See Irelynn on the far right?  She was a little rock star! Irelynn was the youngest (with the exception of Annika who had a free ride on Daddy's back) and never once slowed down or shirked at the sight of a huge boulder to climb. She was right up there with the big kids!  For three years old, she really showed how tough she is.  I wonder if the Boy Scouts were as tough as she...  :) 

Annika giggled almost every time Brian took a step. (She must have thought he was bouncing her up and down on purpose.)  There was a lot of giggling going on!

See if you can spot the kids.  

It's like a Where's Waldo picture.

Family Visits

We're blessed to live in an area that brings a lot of travelers.  Whether people are just passing through Las Vegas or staying here on vacation, we rarely have to leave home to reconnect with family and friends.  

May 4, 2012

My brother Corey came to visit from Kirkland, Washington.  Our kids ADORE their Uncle Corey!!  He really finds a way to connect with each of them and makes them feel special.  

May 10, 2012

My sister Ellen also visited us a week later.  Poor Auntie Ellen probably thinks my kids are always super hyper and crazy.  Because whenever she's around they're so excited they can hardly contain themselves!  She's a good sport :)  

May 13, 2012

My niece Lonya and her family paid us a short visit while in Las Vegas.  It was the first time we met their cute boys!  Here they are in height order...

 

We love having family visit!  It would be so nice if we all lived a little closer, but we'll take what we can get - and enjoy the moments we have. 

Little Spitfire

Annika is a little girl in constant motion!  If she's not climbing on the kitchen table, she's putting toys in the bathtub.  She empties the dishwasher,  climbs the bunk bed, and barges in when you're on the toilet.  Calling her "spitfire" is an understatement!

Annika in action...

April 21, 2012

Going upside down is her new thing.

April 22, 2012

She loves hiding in cupboards.

April 23, 2012

Blue painter's tape?  Got it.

Making a fashion statement!

May 10, 2012

 Real smile.

 Fake smile.

May 13, 2012

Plumbers crack.  Hands in diaper.  Very lady like. 

Thanks, Annika, for keeping life interesting!