Spring has Sprung and so has My Belly!

I just love Spring and have been so enthused by all the beauty it brings! Lydia also loves spring especially playing outside everyday and smelling all the flowers!

I think my excitement all started as my tulips began to bloom. It is so fun to have a flower bed and even more fun to have things bloom and look beautiful!

My other favorite blooms have been our gorgeous roses and . . .

MY BIG BELLY!
This picture is for my sister in Singapore. She wanted to see my belly and didn't think I looked pregnant in any of my other pictures. Well, with out a doubt my belly has Sprung right along with Spring! This last month it has really gotten big and I still have 7 weeks to go! Yikes! Luckily I feel great and really only feel pregnant when I go to get dressed in the morning or try to bend over and suddenly can't breathe!

Cousin Claire

We spent a few days earlier this month playing with Dan's sister Melinda and her kids in Mesa, AZ. Actually Lydia and I did most of the playing while poor Dan drove back and forth to Phoenix for a prep class for a Board Certification test he'll be taking in October. Lydia especially had fun with her darling Cousin Claire! She spent most of her time following Claire around, playing outside with Claire or searching the house to harass Claire's poor cat.

We sure had a splendid time and miss the Murphy's like crazy now!

Our Newest Addition!

Sorry the title probably got some of you excited . . . No baby yet!

We got a new kitchen table! Yes, after almost 7 years of marriage with our teeny tiny table that can comfortably fit 2, manage 3 and squeeze 4, we decided it was time for something a little bit bigger!

Now we can comfortably fit 6 - 8 and even have food on the table to serve! Yahoo for simple pleasures! Now we hope you'll all take our invitation to come visit because we actually have a place for you to sit and eat at!

It's all about Perspective!

This week I learned that even poop can have personality! Yes, it is all about perspective. This is just one of the many things I am learning from life with a two year old! I have tried to transcribe the conversation with exactness just to give you a picture of how hillarious my little Lydia can be.

Setting: Lydia sitting on her Dora potty seat giggling after a successful session of grunting.
Conversation:
Lydia: Wow! One, two, three, four! Mommy, Lydia go Four poo poos.
Me: That's wonderful dear!
Lydia: (now jumping off the toilet to wipe) Oh boy (while peering into the potty)! Look, a daddy poo poo, a mommy poo poo, and Two Baby poo poos!
Me: (I think I was laughing too hard to respond, lets just say her descriptions were accurate!)

Albuquerque Reunion!

Ah, Albuquerque, The Land of Enchantment! As I flew over the Rio Grande river and saw a hot air balloon it all came back to me. The mariachi band at the airport, the Zia, the green chili the road runners and even the tumble weeds brought back four years of memories. But even better than all the culture and good food I'd missed was reuniting with unforgettable friends!
Last weekend was so wonderful as I reunited with some of my dearest friends from Albuquerque, NM. I flew out Friday and was nervous to leave Lydia for the first time. I'm not sure why I worried, she had a blast playing with cousins Friday and spending the entire weekend with just her and her daddy! They went fishing, digging in the dirt, got Panda Express for dinner and took it to the park, where she tells me "we ate nummy chicken!" According to Lydia mommy spent the weekend "flying in airplane!"

My sweet friend Michelle picked me up from the airport I hung out with her family all afternoon. It was so fun to spend time together after not seeing each other for two years. We used to be next door neighbors and served in Young Womens together. It was just like old times and she will always be a treasured friend!
I actually headed to ABQ for the baptism of one of the most amazing Young Women I've ever known, Nohemi Aldaco. We met when she was 13 and just starting to come to church with her Grandmother. She is now 18 and able to be baptized. She was more prepared than any one I've ever known and has waited longer for this day than anyone I've ever known. Thus it was just as spiritual and incredible an experience as you can imagine. It was wonderful to be there for her. I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Cassie & Nohemi

I stayed with my dear friends the Regalados. They made me feel so welcome and spoiled me. We had fun going on a walk, going out for dinner, just hanging out and chatting and of course shopping!

Paul & Renee Regalado

Renee & Cassie

Renee also spoiled my kids by buying darling flip flops for little Lydia and our little man to be!

One of the highlights of the trip was Saturday's Girls Night Out! A group of my favorite friends from the old Manzano ward got together for dinner and then we stayed up late having fun chatting and giggling and like Michelle put it, " they are the kind of friends that come into your life and no matter how long it's been since you've seen them or talked to them, once you are back together, it's like only minutes have passed!"

My sister Emily once told me that when you travel it is not the places you see, but the people you meet that make your exprience memorable!

Red Cliffs!

I meant to post these pictures before I left town and am just now getting around to them. Here is a quick review of our fun family hike to Red Cliffs on Easter Weekend. Dan & Lydia (can you tell she'd rather walk than ride in the back pack?)!Lydia loved the pools of water along the hike. It was all we could do to keep her out of them!

Lydia was happy to point out that baby brother was also hiking with us!