Wise Words

"Enough is a feast."

~Mary Poppins~


I think this will be my new motto.

Happy Birthday Eliza!

I can't believe June is just a few days away. May has been a busy month for us. Here are some of the highlights. First and foremost was Eliza's 6th Birthday!!!

She is such a joy in our family! I can't believe how grown up she is. She has the best giggle...it's so contagious. She loves to be a ballerina, princess, and chef. She wants to be an artist when she grows up. Her imagination is unbelievable, she is always telling us great stories. Eliza is such a good sister. She helps a lot with Sarah. It makes me sad to see her "curlies" disappear as she grows older but she still has her beautiful smile with dimples. We love her so much and are so thankful she is part of our family.


She got a book called "A Princess Primer" and was on cloud nine. Before she went to school on her birthday (afternoon kindergarten) we had princess lessons.
We learned all about what makes a fairy godmother, how to step out of a carriage and how to curtsy.

But most important of all, we learned how to SNEEZE like a princess!


Anna had her 2nd grade Curriculum Night. The kids sang songs about everything they have learned this year. My favorite song was "Life Cycles" sung to the tune of "Grease Lightning". It was so cute.


The girls school had a memorial day program last Friday. It was a great tribute to our veterans. All the kids learned the songs and stood outside in front of the school. We were blessed with abundant sunshine. Sarah, Lizzie and I went for a walk in town and had a great time in the sun before we had to take Lizzie back to school.

Anna went on a field trip today to the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center. She was able to see a moose, black bear, bobcat, anteater, bald eagle and otters just to name a few. She had a great time and was excited to be able to use her new rain poncho.

New Do's

It was time for haircuts at our house and the results are in!

Sarah had her 1st haircut. Now if we can just get it to grow on top we'll be good.

Liz wanted just a trim, then more, and more and more, oh! and bangs too.
This is her first time with bangs. She's so cute!

Anna has be bugging me for a couple weeks, "Please can I have bangs mom, pleeeease!" Well I did and now memories are flooding in of when she was just a tiny girl. We were hoping her hair was long enough to cut off and donate to Locks of Love but it was an inch too short.
Oh well, there's always next time.

1...2...3... Jump

This past week was the girls' spring break. We went to the beach (remember we're in New England...Brrrr!) and had a great time. We enjoyed a sun-filled couple of hours hardly a cloud in the sky. The girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves jumping over the waves and wiggling their toes in the sand. Sarah kept looking down at the water as it rushed around her and she would get dizzy and start to wobble. The water was freezing cold but we had a fantastic time anyway.

Pictures upon arrival.

Pictures upon departure.

Sarah's "I can't quite figure this out" look.

Soaked to the bone.

We rinsed the girls off and then they were able to change into dry clothes for the ride home. We sure are grateful for our van or in other words... storage unit, dressing room, changing table and fine dining experience (yes, it even came with PB&J sandwiches, cheese, and finger jello to feed our hungry tummies.)

Maple...Sugar?

We had a Sugaring off Party for our Primary Activity (planned by one of the valiants for his Faith in God award).
We learned how real Maple syrup is made.
Here is the spout being put into the tree. I really liked the 3rd photo because you can see the sap dripping out of the spout. It was amazing how fast it was coming.



Then you hook a bucket onto the spout to collect the sap.



Allen, Sarah and I tasted the sap. Anna and Liz were too chicken. It pretty much tastes like water with a hint of maple and earth. When the sap buckets are filled then you boil the sap to make the syrup and then filter it.
Wah Lah! Maple Syrup!



If you pour the hot syrup on snow it makes a candy of sorts.



YUMMY!!!! Now that's a TASTY TREAT!!!



This next picture is big for a reason. There were donuts to dip in the syrup and the bowl next to the syrup is full of Dill Pickles. The pickles are a palate cleanser. When you don't think you can handle another bite of sugar you eat a pickle and magically you are ready for more sugar.



We also had all-you-can-eat homemade pancakes fresh off the griddle to enjoy with our syrup.
I think this was Anna and Lizzie's favorite part.




This was definitely one fun activity!

Anna!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday to Anna (last week)!!!

Anna is such a wonderful girl. She always has a smile and a hug for us. She is a great big sister and loves everything Pink. We are very grateful to have her in our family. This was a special birthday for Anna, she turned 8 years old and was baptized. It's hard to believe she is already 8. She went to her first Achievement Day activity last night and loved it. I don't know if I can handle her growing up so fast. We are so proud of Anna and the beautiful young lady she is becoming. We love you very much ANNA!!!

New Van

Here is a picture of our new minivan.
It is so nice to have some room between the girls!