Three!

Three years ago this sweet beautiful girl came into our lives.

Today she is looking so grown up!

Ask her to sing and she will most likely start with a lively rendidtion of Oh my Darling followed by away in a manger or the hallelujeah chours. Of course she never says no to coming up with a new song tied to whatever is on her mind at the moment.

Untitled from Laura R on Vimeo.

She loves to play outside, espcially where there is water! Preferable large bodies of it say, for example, at the beach... She will go from dry and clean to wet and dirty in about two seconds flat.

Ella's culinary tastes are expanding. Her favorite at the moment is keifer but she is still known to down hummus by the spoonful.
Ella loves to laugh and especially loves to be made to laugh. Ever since she was a baby she has been eager to be tickled or teased into laughing. Just the other day I was tickling her under her chin and arms, she was laughing so hard, then took a deep breath and exclaimed, "This is a good game mommy!"

Ella has a love for the gospel. Even at the tender age of three she understands that we can pray and God helps us. A few weeks ago Ella lost a toy she really wanted. After we had been looking for a few minutes she said, "We need to say a prayer". She then proceeded to say the sweetest prayer asking Heavenly Father to please help her find the toy. When she was finished we found it under her bed. Then she knelt again, all without being prompted by me, and prayed thanking Heavenly Father for helping her to find the toy. She sets an example for me of child like faith.

Ella is the light, joy, and adventure in our life! We are so blessed to have such a smart and beautiful girl. Happy Birthday Ella!

Rainy Morning

When I went into Ella's room this morning she was lounging by her window enthralled by the rain outside. I gave her a good morning kiss and asked how she had slept. She said, "I slept well... Mommy, lets just look at the rain." So we sat looking at the rain. She then decided she wanted to go play in it. I had her eat breakfast first, but then the fun began. She stayed out for about 45 min, getting soaked and having a grand time. I remember a lot of fun times playing in the rain as a child. It made me realize that sometimes I forget the pure joy of a clean winter rain.

Welcome to Our Home!

This is it, the moment you have all been waiting for!!!

Ok so maybe not but I will show you all anyway. I always enjoy seeing others peoples homes. Mostly because it can be so interesting to see how they organize, decorate and use their space. I love to see how a person makes their home unique. Everywhere we move I take pictures so I can remember where we have been. Here are some for you....

As resident dishwasher, I spend a lot of time at that sink. I am grateful for a window to look out of!

There have been some things to get used to but all in all we love living here! Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Love

is doing the dishes so your spouse can check out new pins on pinterest.
It is listening to your spouse while they excitedly show you everything they bought for 90% off at Joanne Fabrics, even though you have other things to do.
It is coming home from a hard day at work and taking your family on a walk because they had a bad day.
It is warming up your spouses bean bag so their feet will be warm when they get into bed.

Some days I am overwhelmed by Charles selfless acts of service for me. I love that Man!

He is also very loving father. I mean, seriously not all dad's will do this... :)

Hole in the Bucket from Laura R on Vimeo.

Don't Carpe Diem

This was a great article, very realistic. This is for the Mothers. Click Here

Sing, sing, sing

That is all Ella does around here. It is very cute!

Oh My Darling from Laura R on Vimeo.

Sorry I filmed it the wrong way so now you have to watch it sideways...

Park Fun

We spent the day at the pirate park with Judy and her kids. Ella had so much fun with her cousins! She loves all her cousins and constantly asks when we will see them again. I enjoyed being in the warm sunshine and talking to Judy. I am truly blessed to have wonderful sisters in law.

First Day of Primary

Ella is now a sunbeam! As we walked to primary I was trying to blink away tears. I was not going to cry! Especially since I had a gospel doctrine lesson to go teach. It was a big step for me to see her transition from nursery to primary, from a baby to a young child. How has she grown up so fast? She walked in a bit worried, I could feel her anxiety about being in the primary room with so many children. Then she saw her best friend, all her worry left! She confidently walked over to sit down next to her friend and didn't look up as I left. She has now gone for three weeks and LOVES it!

Nap Time

Charles: Ok Ella time for a nap. Ella: I don't want to take a nap. Charles: Well, lets clean up your room first. Ella: No, I can't. I am to tired... Later she also used the excuse that she is to sick to take a nap. Funny girl!

Family

My parents, sister and grandmother came to visit after spending time in San Diego. Charles needed to study so we went on a walk to the park and found some lovely trails!

Overheard

Ella hands Charles a mirror and has him look into it, "Daddy look at this funny picture!"