A Garrison Cousin

This last weekend we finally got to meet my sister's baby. Baby Lea. She is so very sweet. She's the first cousin on my side of the family. So we did a photo shoot. Here are a couple of pictures.

St. George

After the blessing we went to St. George. Ammon had a meeting there on Monday so the kids and I were left to our own devices for much of the morning. I found a place called Jumpin Jacks. It was so much fun.

Cormac was a pretty difficult target to photograph in that kind of setting.

Azure was a bit easier. Sorry about the runny noses. Tis the season.

This is how she hides for peek-a-boo.

I wanted to wipe her nose and she gave me this dirty look.

When we met up with Ammon we had lunch and then visited the temple there to help soak up a little more sun before we headed north.

The boys were mostly interested in the construction project going on behind the temple.

This was our attempt at a family one. Not great, but what can you do?

Baby Blessing for Charolotte

We had a new niece born back in December. We still hadn't met her almost 3 months later. But the first weekend in March we were able to go out to see Charlotte Louise Dahl blessed. It was a lot of fun. Here is picture evidence of the good time had by all.

I was holding both Azure and Charlotte here. I look like I'm asleep.

But nope, I'm WIDE awake.

Azure was adored by everyone. Marcos and Ammon (the younger, not pictured here) really doted upon her. It was so sweet.

Going out to Nevada just isn't the same without Ammon's parents, but they got to join the party on Saturday night when we Skyped with them. Here are several of the grandkids enjoying Elder and Sister Dahl's company.

I think Azure might have curly hair. It's definitely blonde. I hope it is as pretty as her Aunt Jennifer's.

We stayed with the Johnson's. They were very sweet to host us. They are there on the far end of the couch (young Liberty, Marianne, and Robert). And we really enjoyed visiting with everyone else. I think Enoch has this expression on his face in almost every picture I have seen of him.

Cormac and Robert really bonded. They were good buddies.

Mark and Coralee had 3 grandkids born in 2012. Azure is the oldest and so far the tallest. Omar was next. He is the heaviest of the 3. Then there's sweet Charlotte; she is catching up with Azure fast. I'm afraid Azure's going to be the shrimp if we can't get her to gain some weight. But aren't they a fun looking group?

And so very good looking.

Azure Had a Party

I decided last minute that I wanted to have a party to celebrate Azure's 1st birthday. Ammon is just a good enough sport that he went along with it. We invited more people than our house could hold. So we decided to move the events outside. . . to the studio. What started out as not too big a deal - we'll just get a few friends together and have a pot luck - turned into Mom (that's me) deciding we needed a theme and decorations to match. I struggled with a theme. Azure so far isn't too interested in much. She likes cars, trucks, and trains. But mostly she loves balls. And she love, love, loves to throw. So I ran with that.

The desserts. We had an ice cream bar, cupcakes, oreo balls (a definite favorite), and cream puffs.

I found the backdrop idea on Pinterest (where all good ideas come from) and showed it to Ammon and said, "pretty please." Then I handed him a pile of balloons and crepe paper. Isn't he talented?

We had a bunch of tables all with balls for centerpieces. In the far corner (which you can't see here) we had a bunch of ball and car ramps and blocks for the kids to play with. I mostly love Cormac taking a break from helping Mom and Dad set up the party. Azure napped through most of it.

On the back wall I created a timeline of pictures from Azure's life from day 1 to her actual birthday (3 days before the party).

There were other pictures all over too. And of course a banner over the buffet. I made a yummy chicken alfredo (thanks Our Best Bites) and some spaghetti. Everyone else brought rolls and salads (all delicious).

Not too many people showed up. Certainly not what we were expecting. We probably could have fit in the house. But those that came were a lot of fun. And we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We especially enjoyed the food. It was pretty good.

This is Azure with Reagan. Reagan is 8 days younger than Azure. They spend a lot of time together.

Azure was a bit confused by the whole singing, candle, fire, cupcake scene.

And then someone else blew out the candle (as you can see there were many willing to go for it). I'm not sure she could have managed on her own though.

But she was one happy girl with all that chocolate and frosting to enjoy.

My friend, Joslyn, wanted to get a picture of her daughter with the birthday girl. Autumn smiled pretty, Azure kept trying to escape, and we had a whole herd of kids trying to photo bomb. It wasn't the most successful shoot, but it was funny.

Good times. Thank you to all who came and made Azure and us feel so loved. We had a wonderful time. Happy Birthday, Azure!