{ March 26th }

I feel like so much has happened lately and I have so many pictures to post I don't know where to start. For some reason our March and April always seem so busy. And I hate feeling like it's all flying by without posting things I want to remember.

So this post will be completely random. A compilation of all the events we've had recently.

A few weeks ago we took a little mini vacation to the "Hammer Hideaway". This cabin was built by Logan's grandfather and now belongs to his parents. The kids are always so thrilled to go there, I wish we went more often. This time it was a super short trip bit that didn't stop the kids from having a great time!

Father and son made a slide on the back porch.

{A cold baby inside Daddy's sweatshirt}

{A very sleepy Sophie. She wasn't feeling well after getting her kindergarden shots}

Ayden had it in his head that it wouldn't be a trip to the cabin without a pillow fight!

It was fun to spend time with our kids without any distractions. But we did realize again that our children have way too much energy! They can't hold still for even one minute.

Next up was St. Patricks Day! I think this is a really fun day. Mostly because I love the color green! I always do some kind of green food for breakfast but apparently my kids forgot that because they were surprised and extremely grateful (a nice change) for the fun breakfast I prepared.

{Green eggs and toast with green sprinkles. And of course . . . green milk!}

{What a goof}

{I love sleepy girl hair}

The weekend of March 18-19 was probably one of the busiest weekends we've ever had. On Friday night we had my cousin Alysha's wedding dinner. It's always fun to go out with the adults in my family without kids. It gives you more of a chance to visit.

I took every chance I could get to sit by my brother. After all, this dinner was 5 days before he entered the MTC.

It was a beautiful dinner with delicious food.

Saturday morning we started bright and early with our children's first dance competition of the season! Sophie had to be there at 7:45 and she wasn't too thrilled when I roused her from her warm bed at the butt crack of dawn to get ready. She is not my morning kid. As I was doing her hair she kept asking me to hurry so she could take a quick nap before we had to go. Silly girl.

Sophie's team is called Xcite company. There are 3 boys and 4 girls.

(1 girl was in disneyland this weekend)

{Sophie's "boyfriend" Gunnar}

They did an excellent job on their performances and took first place!

For some reason (stress probably) I didn't get any pictures of Ayden's team. They are called Petite Company. They also danced incredibly well. They even took First Place High Point over the whole Mini Catergory! Winning them this trophy . . .

I am glad we have 3 more competitions this season. I was a little stressed that day (sorry Logan) because we were trying to make it to the temple for Alysha's wedding that afternoon.

We didn't make it for the ceremony unfortunately but we did get there in time for me to head to the brides room and help her with her hair and makeup. That's my favorite part. She looked beautiful and everyone said they ceremony was perfect.

After we took pictures at the temple we grabbed some lunch and headed down to get ready for the reception. Alysha asked Sophie to be one of her flower girls. She was of course thrilled!

{Sophie, Mckinley, and Kylie}

I love my cousin Karrissa. I wish she lived closer so we could hang out more. We thought we were so funny pretending to eat the cake. (although I really did want some)

Sunday night we had a big dinner and birthday celebration with the Hammers. (that's right, there was no pause in the action) We were celebrating the special day of 3 beautiful ladies! Judy, Hadlee, and Myla. I brought the dessert . . . cup cakes for the kids, and strawberry cheesecake for the adults! Yum!

Myla is starting to get the whole present thing but mostly she likes pulling out the tissue paper! She got some nice presents from her grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins.

Thanks everyone!

{She was thrilled that she got to have more cake! By this time she dove right in!}

We only got one day of rest. Tuesday evening we headed back down to Orem to say farewell to Michael as he leaves on his mission. We started with a delicious meal at PF Changs.

{My baby bro}

Then we headed back to the house to visit until it was time for Michael to be set apart. It was a very emotional day for me. I am so thrilled that my brother is going. He is an incredible person and I know he will be an amazing missionary. But that doesn't change the fact that I am going to miss him like crazy. 2 years is a very long time. So much will happen in the next 2 years and I'm sad that Uncle Mike will miss it. But I know he is doing the right thing.

Our family in 2011 with Uncle Mike. I look forward to taking a picture in 2013 and seeing how much we've changed.

My sister is keep a blog for my brother to post his updates, letters, etc. If you'd like to check it out click here.

Well, that concludes the crazy 3rd weekend in March of 2011. phew!

Swimming lessons

These kids are lovin it!

- Posted from my iPhone

{ Happy Birthday Baby Jae! }

Myla Jae Hammer is 1 year old!

I can't believe it. I mean Ayden and Sophie grew up fast, but this is a little bit ridiculous. It feels like just yesterday we were here . . .

In the hospital waiting for her to arrive.

And in the blink of an eye, a whole year has passed and she's turning one.

A few things about Myla Jae:

Myla has a strong will and knows what she wants. She is the loudest baby I've had by far. If she wants or needs something (most likely to be saved from Sophie) she doesn't hesitate to scream at the top of her lungs to get my attention.

Myla LOVES her family. She is spoiled to spend most of her time at home since Logan works here. The other night I went to a relief society dinner and my kids were in the nursery. One of the nursery workers told me after that Myla would have nothing to do with anyone in there except Ayden and Sophie. If anyone so much as looked at her she would crawl to them and hide. It's sweet to see how much she loves and trusts her siblings.

Myla also loves food and phones! If you think you are going to sneak a treat without sharing it with her, you've got another thing coming. And she knows that candy is the good stuff so she will fight to the death for some of that. The same goes for phones. I find myself hiding in the bathroom to respond to texts because if she sees my phone she will yell at me until I give it to her. She knows there are games on there and her face lights up when I start one and hand it to her.

Myla only has 2 teeth! I think that is why she looks so young to me. No teeth and no hair = baby to me. I have friends who's babies have a full head of hair and at least 6 teeth by the time they are 1. It makes them look so much bigger. I was trying to remember what my other 2 looked like at 1. Then I remembered the beauty of digital photos . . .

What a cute little nugget.

Look at all those teeth!

I definitely think she looks more like Ayden but that's just me.

Myla brings so much joy to our family. She truly does balance us out and I'm so thankful for her. We decided that since she doesn't really care to be around anyone other than her family, we wouldn't throw that traditional large 1st birthday bash. Instead we tried to think of what she would enjoy . . .

In the morning she woke up to the house decorated with balloons and signs as usual.

I tried to make #1 pancakes but they didn't turn out so well.

Then her brother and sister helped her open the gifts they picked out for her. Like most 1 year olds, she didn't really grasp the concept but I know Ayden and Sophie had fun.

We had a busy day with school and dance so we weren't able to really celebrate until much later. We had pizza for dinner (her favorite) and then let her go at her birthday cake.

She was a little shy at first, but once she tasted the frosting she didn't hesitate to dive in!

Can you even believe that face? She's so funny. Here's a shot of the aftermath from the cake:

I sure love this baby girl. I'm thankful to be her Mom and have her in our home.

Happy birthday baby Jae!