Jen and Derek got married!

There was no easing into summer this year.  We jumped right into summer with a road trip to Boulder, Colorado for Jen and Derek's wedding!
Jen is Andy's sister.  

Jen was stunning in her gown.
Stunning.
Penny, dressed to the (pink) nines, led the way down the aisle... Derek close behind.

 The ceremony was beautiful.  Their friend performed the marriage ceremony.  Their vows were so lovely and personal.  Derek and Jen just grinned at each other the whole time.

 Penny was adorable in her tutu.

 Jen had sidewalk chalk for the kids.  This and the playground kept them busy.

We are so happy for them!  It was such a treat to witness their marriage.

Grandma's cherry tree

One thing the kids were looking forward to doing in Utah is climbing Grandma's cherry tree.

The cherries weren't quite ripe.  The thing is, once they are ripe, the birds pick the tree clean in a single day. 

 June said they were delicious.  And she ate a ton of them.

 And she and Ruby spent hours upon hours perched on the branches in the cherry tree.

 Munching on cherries and spitting out the seeds.

Getting a little silly sometimes.
The cherries ripened.  The birds stripped the tree... with some help from June and Ruby.

One little speckled frog

 The end of the school year is fast approaching.  To celebrate, June's school had a "Picnic with the Pipsqueaks."
June's class made frog hats and sang many cute songs... including the speckled frog song.

 I can't believe how much she has grown.  (Look back at the post from Christmas... she looks older.)

Just this week, she learned how to tie a shoe and how to whistle.  Those are two HUGE milestones!
She is so eager to grow up and be like her big sisters.  It is adorable, and it breaks my heart a little... can't she stay little a while longer?

Funeral for a Bumble Bee

 We have been spending much more time outside now that the weather is springy and pleasant.  We are getting our garden ready and trying to make something of our lawn.

Ruby found a dead bumble bee while tending to the garden. And she was sad.

 

 She called the bee "Daisy" and decided that we should have a funeral for her.

 I found a tiny box from a tiny harmonica, and it made a suitable coffin for a bee.

 Songs were prepared, neighbors invited.
A spot was solemnly prepared.

 The bee was laid to rest in the fairy garden (by the AC unit).  A few neighbor kids decided to protest the funeral... since they don't like bees.  Sigh.

My grandma would have been so proud of Ruby.  Grandma was known for her love of all creatures... even the little ones.  She wrote a book about being kind to insects.  I know Grandma was smiling in down on us... as Daisy pollinates the meadows in Heaven.

Christmas surprises...

 Our kids were exhausted from Christmas Eve.  So on Christmas morning, they slept in.
Andy and I woke up around 7am.  The house was silent.  We showered and got dressed.  The kids slept on.  We started some breakfast.
Finally, around 8:30 we heard some giggles and whispers.
The girls gathered on the steps, just waiting for the go-ahead.

Present-opening was very orderly this year.  The girls took turns opening all the packages.

 June did lots of celebratory dancing.

 The girls got special heart-shaped painted rocks from their aunt Jen (among other things)... these were favorites! Here they are admiring a heart-shaped rock...

 We had a delicious breakfast that included cream soda floats.
 Andy's sister's family came in the afternoon.  Hooray for cousins!

 Not long after the cousins came, Grandma Utah called to see if the kids got her Christmas package.  The package hadn't come, so Grandma said she would make a phone call.  Minutes later, there was a knock at the door... and Santa came in with the gifts from Grandma!

 Oh what fun!

 Grandma had made stuffed animal travel pillows for each of the grandkids.

(If you look closely at the picture above, you can see the top of Grandma's head peaking in the window.)

Then Santa had to go.

 We decided to Skype with Grandma and Grandpa to thank them for the gifts.  Grandma told the kids that Santa left two presents on the porch.  The kids ran to the door and threw it open.
Grandma and Grandpa were waiting on the porch!

Best Christmas surprise ever!

Christmas Eve with the Mars clan

On Christmas Eve, we loaded up the car and headed up to Brimfield to celebrate with my family.

We always have a big family gathering with my mom's side of the family... plus a bunch of friends and extra relatives.  This year was super exciting because my brother Ben proposed to his girlfriend Hannah... at the family party.

We gathered for a Mars family photo... and Hannah was asked to take the picture.  We were holding letter signs that said, "Merry Christmas!"  The photo countdown came, and at the last moment, the letter signs were flipped to reveal a new message, "Marry me Hannah!"  (Ben was holding the "ME" sign.)

Here is Hannah letting it sink in...

And then Ben got on one knee...

 It was the most romantic family reunion ever.

 And Santa came to the party!  He gave each of the kids a present.

 My cousin Dawn painted nails.  There was a bounce house.  And a movie room.  And a craft table.  And an x-box thingy.

 We know how to party.

Then the Mars clan headed back to my parents' home for our gift exchange.

There are so many of us that we do not all fit in one room.  There were also people in the dining room and foyer.

 You cannot imagine the Christmas chaos... presents being passed around, crinkling paper, excited squeals and lots of laughter...

 Alli got "peppermint coal."  Not sure if that means she was good or bad... maybe some of both.

 Seriously, there is no place to step in my parents' living room on Christmas Eve.  Wall to wall family.

 This year for our sibling gift exchange, we made ornaments for each other.  I made this beauty for my brother David.

 And after all that, we had to make our kids hop back in the van so we could make it home and get them in bed. 
It was a very fun and full day.  I am so glad we can celebrate Christmas with my parents and family!

Pepper!

 

For well over a year, the girls have been dropping not-so-subtle hints that they want a dog.  Ruby leaves dog drawings around the house.  There is one on her bedroom door.  Alli has asked for a dog for every gift-giving occasion.  They always pick library books about dog breeds.  So we have been thinking about getting a puppy for a while. 

Andy has had dogs throughout his childhood.   I have never had a dog  before.  

I researched different breeds and asked advice from lots of friends.  Ultimately, I picked a breed called Chinese Crested and I picked the powder puff variety.  I found a breeder near Cincinnati and when she sent me pictures of the puppies, I was smitten.  

We picked up our puppy last Saturday.  We got to pick between two puppies.  We picked the little girl.  She was spunky and sweet.

After trying out a few names, we settled on Pepper.

 June has been afraid of dogs for a while.  She is not afraid of Pepper.  (And Pepper is not afraid of June.)

June loves that she gets to come home from school and have "alone time" with Pepper.

 Pepper will stay fairly small.  She will get more fluffy.  And hopefully soon, she will be more potty trained!
 She has been very well behaved so far... even with those tempting gifts under the tree.

I had to stop by the school today and drop off something for Ruby, and I took Pepper.  Ruby said it was the best day ever!

I'm glad we got her!