8 Years!

Crazy Right???? No longer young, fresh newlyweds.  Well, Ben decided to keep it fresh and surprised me with a trip to Sausalito and SF.  We lived in SF for a few months right after we got married that felt like an extended honeymoon.  So we tried to relive it!  The week consisted of:

1. Lighthouse pancakes

2. Meat Pies

3. Union Square Shopping

4. Mtn Biking

5. Meeting up with friends and family

6. Trying to sleep in

and

7. Ice Cream--lots of it.

We actually stayed in Sausalito was a perfect, romantic spot, close to all our activities.  The view of the city out our window was amazing!

  We had such a fun time riding.  I think my favorite Mtn Bike ride ever!!  Tamarancho is awesome.  Fabulous single track through redwood forests and lush green hills.  Prettiest ride ever.  I loved it despite beating myself up. Yes I'm covered in scabs and bruises, but it was so worth it.  We also rode some old trails in the Marin Headlands--such a pretty spot.

Such a great way to celebrate.  Thanks for a great trip babe, and thanks for 8 great years and for everything I love most.  I'm a lucky girl to have such a great family:)

Lollipop, Lollipop

Faith had her Spring concert and she loved it of course!  She was beautiful and did great.  It's always fun to watch little girls dance.

This year the did their dance to the Lollipop song. 

Pretending she was holding her lollipop

After the show with her best friend Emma.  Cutest lollipops I've ever seen!

Beauty queens

Daddy with his girl!

My favorite part...The morning of she said to Ben, "Dad, it's a secret, but I know you are going to get me roses."  I'm glad this girl can rely on her daddy to deliver.  And that he did!

Faith Rides a 2-wheeler!

Faith learned how to ride a 2-wheeler!  I honestly thought that this day may never come.  At least not for years.  Doing brave, scary things is not Faith's forte.  Nor does she respond well to pressure or coaxing.  That is a lot of what drove me as a kid, so I have really not parented her well in this department and I have made some big mistakes.  Slowly I am learning that not all of us are geared the same way.  

So this summer I've decided that she's going to get no pressure from me.  I'll give her a lot of support, but no pressure.  And it payed of big with the bike in just 3 short days of riding.  A few days ago we spotted a pink Strider-like bike and asked her if she wanted it.  She said yes, and promised that we she would ride it. The next two days we rode bikes to Riverwoods for lunch.  I gently gave her a few pointers and overloaded her with praise.  Inside was so frustrated at first because she was doing it all wrong, and I so wanted to start the "It  would be so much easier if..." and the "You have to try it this way..." or "You have to be brave and just do it!" (aren't I awful? but it's true I've done that a lot)  It was a rough start.  Wyatt was riding circles and laps around her. But lo and behold she got better and better. And she was having fun, and wasn't scared.

Then tonight she said she wanted to try her peddle bike without the training wheels!  What???  And she picked up on it pretty good in a matter of minutes.  You can see the beginnings in the video.  So lessoned learned--hopefully.  This 5 year-old needs to swim!  Maybe, no, for sure I should use the same tactic.  She'll figure it out when she's ready.

Great job Princess Pie!  Your mom is so proud of you!

What's Better than this?

Tubbying and putting this girl in bed is as good as life gets!  I love this girl more than life.  Having a baby in this house is such a blessing.  Her tiny spirit brings such love and happiness to our home.  Everyone always wants Hannah.  I think she's the perfect ending to our little family;)

Like Father, Like Son

Wy going thru the latest UTV magazine, picking out the coolest wheels.  Every time I say I'm leaving he asks if we can go the the special store and get him a new RZR with cool wheels?  This Hoopes blood is costly!

What Celiacs does...

Gets a 2 year old to have a lettuce burger.  Crazy what this little guy is willing to eat.  And how much more he eats!

Moab

We went the Moab at the beginning of April for the first time since Wy was six weeks old!  It was fun to go back.

This guy drove trucks in the sand.  Made jumps and tracks to his heart's content.  Can't you hear the sound effect through the picture?

Cousin Caleb came too!  These two were great together.  I've never seen two two-year-olds play so well.  Caleb is so sweet and a master sharer and some of that rubbed off on the Wy:)

Faith made a giant leap too.  She actually liked Dan and Bri's dog Gracie.  She's normally terrified by dogs, but she quickly warmed up to Gracie.

Faith and Jesse were a little adventurous on their own.  It's crazy how big and independent how big these two are getting.

Faith was a good little buddy to Caleb too.  The blue skies weren't bad either.

These little guys roamed around on their Striders.

And after riding Slick Rock I realized how out of shape, and what a klutz I am.  It's not a bike ride unless I come home with legs full of bruises:)  After about the 100th time Ben turned back to find me in a pile of of red rock, bike, and bushes, I had a vision of Liar Liar and the bathroom scene and blurted out, "I'm kicking my own A--!"  

It's seriously ridiculous

Such a great weekend with family and cousins!  Bri, sorry Caleb got a swig of Mt. Dew!  Hopefully you'll forgive me.  We had such a good time and love southern Utah.  Hope we get to go back soon:)

I've Been Dumped

This weekend we were watching Tangled.  Wyatt, watching with a grin from cheek to cheek, turned to me and said, "She's cute."  Then throughout continued to say "She's pretty" or "She's Cute."  Then today he told me I'm not his girlfriend anymore, Rapunzel is now.  Just like that it was over! 

His little crush cracks me up.  He'll even randomly tell me that Rapunzel is cute.  I agree, she is pretty cute.  I just don't think I'm ready to take the back seat to her.

Faith's had a Birthday, Shout Hooray!

On the 30th our princess turned 5!  Wow, where has the time gone?  I can't believe she's already so old. But she sure is acting her age.  She's smart, independant, entertains herself, brushes her own teeth, picks out her own clothes, dresses herself, prefers to do her own hair, makes her bed, cleans her room, likes to do chores for stickers, wants a friend to come play everyday, and is a fabulous big sister.  

Faith's been talking about her birthday and how she wanted to celebrate since Christmas, so the pressure was on!  I think we pulled it off and she had a great day.  We started the day off with breakfast at McDonalds, then she took suckers to school for her class party.  Then we picked her up from school and went to Taco Amigo for cheese burritos and root beer floats.  Then the girls went and met Nana at the nail salon for manicures and pedicures.  And last, home for the princess party with seven of her favorite friends.

We colored princess pictures, made bracelets and rings, played games, broke a pinata, ate pizza and cake and the highlight...Cinderella came!  Faith made an invitation all by herself months ago and asked me to send it to Disneyland.  I was nervous that Cinderella wouldn't make it, being so busy with the prince and all, but Faith's faith was didn't waiver.  Cinderella was fantastic! She had all those little eyes sparkling with magic.  I'm so glad that she could make it;)

All the party girls

Faith dressed up as Cinderella, before her step sisters ripped her dress

The girls with their crowns and scepters. (And Wyatt who was the "bad guy" with out any pants the whole party) 

My attempt at a crown cake

Cinderalla had them all captured the whole time.  She was perfect.  She played a singing game and she had a wonderful voice, told them stories, and took pictures and talked to all the girls.  They were all Star Struck

Happy Birthday baby girl!  I hope it was as magical as you dreamed it would be:)