Tubby Time with Daddy

On the weekends Sean is especially helpful with Hattie. Because he isn't home a lot (full-time work and school) he always wants to go in and wake her in the mornings and loves to get her ready for the day. Getting her ready of course includes a bath. Hattie has bath crayons and Sean will draw pictures for her to her hearts content. I always laugh when I go in there to see what they've created. This is what I found one day...

Some very detailed Hieroglyphs

A Tree, A House and...

A Horse? Haha! :)

He is such an amazing father and husband and I appreciate him taking the time to help me out whenever he can. I love finding little things like this throughout the day that always bring a smile to my face :)

Finger Painting Fun

For Mother's day I wanted to give both of the Grandmas something handmade from Hattie. Because she is still young, we are a little limited in our choices for crafts. I saw this idea on my cute friend Shawnee's blog and thought it was absolutely PERFECT for a busy little bee and a very OCD mommy. Finger Painting in the "tubby tub!"

Naturally there was a taste test. Yes, it was non-toxic.

I think she LOVED it!

Look what you let me do mom!

After she finished her masterpieces I wanted them to make more of a statement. I saw this idea here and thought it would a great way to complete the project.

See how good they turned out?! I was SO excited in fact that I didn't even notice Hattie had been creative and created a MUTANT HAND! I was nearly in tears when Mr. Pack pointed out her EXTRA pointer finger THE NIGHT before Mother's day AFTER they had already been sealed. The perfectionist in me wanted to die. The mom in me thought it was funny. Sort of. Oh well, that's how it goes sometimes, right? Plus, I knew my mom would understand. She would have to.

My child is not an Alien. Promise.

Cruisin'

The date has officially been set! We are setting sail in July for a 7 night cruise to the Mexican Riviera and we are SO EXCITED! Sean and I have not really had a true vacation since Hattie was born and we are really looking forward to some time away! Now that it's booked it's really time for me to buckle down on the diet and exercise routine so I can bust out (vs. bust out of!) some of my Betsy Johnson bikini's! HAHA! Mexico we will see you soon. We are ready for some FUN in the SUN!

ELLEN

This is pretty much one of the coolest things to EVER happen...

An Expectant Couple's Huge Surprise! - The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Yesterday Daniel and Kylie were on The Ellen Show! How crazy is that?! SOOOO AMAZING I tell ya!!! I seriously couldn't be any more elated. They so deserve every bit of this!

The Pack Clan decided last minute to throw a viewing party so we could all watch it together. It was so fun to see them on TV and see their reactions to everything. We laughed with them, cried with them and I even did a little jumping up and down. HA!









We love you guys and congratulations again!

Mother's are so Special...

With a very special love. They watch us and protect us. Guide us and direct us, back to our home above.

My heart is overjoyed on this Mother's day. I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to be a mother. The calling came earlier than I had expected but I would not want it any.other.way. Being a mom is the most rewarding and most challenging role and I absolutely LOVE every minute of it. I will never forget the day I became a mom.

Looking at this picture brings back SO MANY emotions...

Dearest Mother, I Love You
LDS Children's Songbook; Page 206
Gentle words I hear you say.
Your kind hands help me each day.
You're my mother kind and true.
Dearest mother, I love you.

I don't think that I will ever be even half the mother that my mom is. She truly is a gem! She is charitable, patient, virtuous, kind, loving, generous and so beautiful inside and out. She is such an amazing example to me and so many others. I love her so very much!

I am also grateful for my maternal grandmother, "Grandma Sweetums." She is such a neat woman and I love her dearly.


Four Generations


And how could I not mention my paternal grandmother, "Grandma Much" She sometimes says some crazy things but she sure does love with her whole heart! Love her!

I have also been blessed to have married a man who was raised by such an incredible mother. My mother in law Janice has the most infectious smile and is so kind, caring and loving. She is such a Christlike example to me and I am so blessed to have her in my life.

Me and my girl on Mother's Day 2011. I LOVE HER :)

A GORGEOUS gift from the Mr.


Hattie and I also made a little Mother's Day gift for the Grandma's but they have yet to be gifted so those pics will have to wait until later.

Happy Mother's Day!

Hopping Down the Bunny Trail

Part 2 of 2

We spent Easter Sunday with both of our families. Can I just say that it is SO NICE both families live within 15 minutes of each other?! What a blessing! Of course we had such a wonderful time with everyone and as usual ate way. too. much. We really like eating. Like a lot. And it's starting to show! HA!

Our first family visit was to Grandma Suzie's for brunch. As soon as we got there I told my mom everything had to wait until after we ate because I was S.T.A.R.V.I.N.G. This lady can't wait too long to eat or she gets SUPER cranky REALLY fast. Like .0258732 seconds fast. Mr. Pack can attest to my psychoness. We ate RIGHT after I took pictures of the food...I may have stolen 2 deviled eggs before they were even blessed. Shhh! Don't tell.

World's BEST Banana Cream Pie. Thanks Mom :)

After we ate I felt much better and agreed that we could move on to some other festivities. We all found our Easter baskets that the Bunny left us and then finished with a quick egg hunt (Hattie's second of three!) before church. It was here that Mr. Pack TOTALLY outdid me this year. I received a gift certificate for a 60 minute relaxation massage AND in the very last egg I opened (one of these eggs is not like the other...) I found a voucher (that he made) for me to redeem a 5-7 night cruise for the two of us! I was SO SURPRISED!!!! He is a total keeper I tell ya! I don't know how I EVER got so lucky.

Have I mentioned where Hattie's dress is from?
Deseret Industries (a Utah thrift store)
$2.50 for this little vintage gem! All of those savings earned her
a very pretty (and pricey!) headband to match! HA!

The timeless yet elegant
"Stand in front of a Pretty Tree and Squint at the Camera Pose"
Email me if you would like step-by-step instructions on how to achieve amazing results!

Now, I am going to continue BUT will break several cardinal rules of being a "Blogging Mommy" in the process...

I mentioned that we spent time with both families right? Well...I may have forgotten the camera to capture all the moments.
Cardinal rule #1: Always take your camera with you and take pictures of anything and everything. FAIL!
To help you through the rest of our Easter happenings I will now proceed to steal pictures from another blog to make my blog seem legit.
Cardinal rule #2: Never use another blogger's pictures to make your blog seem legitimate. FAIL! (But thanks Shara for the pics!)

After church we headed up to The Pack's which included much more yummy food (Salmon, Spinach Strawberry Salad, Amazing Strawberry Pie...yum!) more fun gifts from the Bunny (Princess Cookbook, a bunny, and a sunflower grow kit) and another Easter egg hunt (Hattie's third of three! and by this time I think she was a little burnt out, ha!) We also made a good attempt to get a cousin pic of the 3 girls in their dresses but of course MY child just wasn't having it. I think it's the age...she never, EVER sits still! (Do those child leashes work? Hmmm...)








Through all the candy, craziness and surprise cruises I want us not to forget what is most important about Easter: Christ.

What a memorable Easter it was for us this year.