Adalyn's 6th Birthday

My firstborn is 6 and I just can't get my head wrapped around it.  Adalyn is a one of a kind, kind hearted, old soul who we are so blessed to get to raise and watch her as she grows.  Some things that I want to remember about her during this time are:

• She is super particular.  Things have to be a certain way or it just isn't right.  However, she is also very adaptable to change.  How do those two things work together?  I haven't figured it out yet, but both of those things reside in this kid.  For example: Moving, having a baby, etc don't seem to have an effect on her, but if her blankets aren't the right way she can't sleep.  She is also very particular about her clothing.  She will not wear anything that is slightly loose or doesn't fit just right (she will NEVER wear jeans).  Leggings are her favorite and only when she can pull them up to her belly button (yep we have a Grandma Panties in the house).
• She needs to feel like she is heard.  One of her biggest frustrations is when she feels like people aren't listening to her.  She needs to be given an opportunity to explain herself and know that others are really hearing what she has to say.  
• She is a GREAT big sister.  I often find her teaching Quincy something new or helping her with something over and over.  She has also been know to stand up for Quincy when she feels like someone is being mean to her.  Adalyn is very responsible and is always trying to protect her more rambunctious sister.  She has already told me how excited she is to help me take care of the baby. 
• Adalyn can be very sensitive.  Her feelings can often get hurt easily but she is also more sensitive to when other's feelings are hurt as well.  
• She is very adventurous.  Addie will try doing just about anything.  She loves rides, climbing, and you can often find her attempting new "tricks" on her bike or scooter.  Her favorite thing at recess is playing on the monkey bars where you will find her skipping, climbing, hanging upside down, and just about any other thing you can do on them.  
• Adalyn loves to learn.  She picks up things quickly and she especially excels at reading.  One of my favorite things to do with her is read the Who Was books before bed.  Not only is she reading these 3rd grade level books but she remembers things about each of the people that we are reading about.  We have had some great conversations about things that she doesn't understand (why Hitler did what he did, why Steve Jobs didn't spend time with his kids, why Einstein wanted to think outside the box).  
• Some of Addie's favorites are : color=pink, food=pb&j sandwiches, movie=Night At the Museum, thing to do=playing games, drink=Fanta, toy=Our Generation Doll, friend=Savannah, song= Let It Go (Frozen), book= Who Was Anne Frank, snack= Goldfish
• She loves to make things.  Whether it's building with Legos, putting a puzzle together, or doing some sort of craft she really enjoys creating something from nothing.  Quite often we catch her with paper and glue or tape making some sort new creation.
• She is currently taking Ice Skating lessons and she loves them.  It is fun to watch her learn something new and to enjoy it so much.  
• One of her favorite things to do with Quincy is to pretend to be either kitties or babies.  They could play this game over and over.  
• Adalyn is very precocious.  I am certain that I attempt to answer at least 15 to 20 questions a day.  Some are simple questions (Why do bugs eat leaves?) and some take some thought before answering (How does a baby get in your tummy? or Why did Jesus have to die?)  She is constantly wanting to understand the world around her and I love when I get a chance to see the world through her eyes.    

For her birthday, we started the day with some presents...

 and doughnuts...

After school she passed out ice cream cups to her classmates...

And then she had an Easter themed Birthday Party.  We had 14 of her friends from church and school and it was a riot.  Here they are eating some pizza...

Then they decorated some bunny masks...

Had some sack races...

Played Pin the Tail on the Rabbit...

Went on an Easter Egg Hunt...

Sang and ate cupcakes...

and finally opened presents.  

It was a great day!  Addie felt so special with all the friends that came to her party.  I am so happy we were able to celebrate our sweet girl on her special day!

The First Half of April

So much has happened in this first part of April that I will have to do separate posts to avoid having one massive post.

Earlier this month Quincy decided that she wanted to start dance lessons.  It is so fun watching her.  She enjoys everything to the fullest.

Spring Break

Addie's school let out for Spring Break this month and since we won't be able to travel to Utah during the summer (cause I will be giving birth and all) we thought that we would take this opportunity to do so.  The drive was long but the girls were absolutely wonderful.  We only stopped twice during the 12 hour drive for bathroom breaks and lunch and managed to get there and home without problems or meltdowns.

First stop was the Lingwall Home.  It seems like whenever we need a place to stay these are guys are ready and willing.  The girls adore their older cousins and we were glad to have some time with them.  

We celebrated Easter a week early with the Payne Family.  Grandma and Grandpa Payne set up an egg hunt and the kids had a blast...

On Monday we reunited with some of our Besties from Sandy.  Quincy, Alex, Addie, and Avery reunited as if they had never been apart.  

We finally got to meet baby Sully who was born just a month or so earlier.  We all fell in love with him and wish we could snuggle him more often.  The Thorup's make some awesome baby boys!

Unfortunately I was horrible at taking pictures throughout this trip so I didn't get all of our friends hanging out at the park.  It was so great seeing our friends again though.  Just felt like we had never left!

On Tuesday we headed to Downtown Salt Lake with Grandma and Grandpa Payne.  We walked around City Creek and Temple Square and then went to the Church History Museum.  It was a great day...

So great, we completely wore the girls out...

Later that night, Addie got to celebrate an early birthday with Grandma and Grandpa Payne...

On Thursday we were up in Roy to spend the rest of the week with my family.  On this day Grandma and Grandpa Wayment took the girls to the Treehouse Museum, to lunch, and shopping for Addie's birthday.  So naturally, Devin and I hit up the movies (where we haven't been since we moved!). 

Back at the house it was time for some crafts...

All the cousins together doing crafts with Grandma and Grandpa.  We spent the whole day on Friday playing with cousins and even visiting Great Grandma Johnson and again I failed at taking pictures so this was all I managed to get...

On Saturday morning we met up with more good friends, The Jensen Family.  This is a great bunch and we always enjoy getting together with them.  

More crafts with Grandpa...

Since we would be driving home on Easter, Grandma and Grandpa Wayment put together an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday night for the girls and they loved it.  We had a wonderful dinner with the fam that evening as well.  

 On Sunday Morning we woke the girls up before the sun to find their Easter surprises...

Then they got in some good snuggles with Grandma before we started the 12 hour trek home...

We had a wonderful time in Utah, and I really wish that I would have taken more pictures to document the memories.  We can't thank everyone enough for allowing us to invade their homes, eat their food, and take time out of their schedules to accommodate us.  Hopefully we will be back soon!

March Fun

The months just keep flying by and before I know it it's time to post a re-cap of it.  We had a lot of fun in March and kept really busy.  Here's a bit of what we did last month...

We checked out Stanford's Art Museum and it was pretty impressive.  The building alone was gorgeous let alone to be filled with all the amazing art that was there.

The girls were given a sketch pad to draw their favorite art.  This is what Addie chose...

After calmly and quietly looking at art for awhile we let the girls loose in a maze just outside the building...

Adalyn began ice skating lessons.  It is definitely a difficult skill to learn but she has really enjoyed it throughout this month!

We spent a lot of time at parks and on walks because why not?

We spent one Saturday at (a small section of) The Golden Gate Park.  It will take many Saturdays to get through this entire park.  We found an awesome playground, got to hike a bit, and checked out some awesome structures.  

We found a Festival where we watched performances, made crafts, pet some animals, and sat in an old fire truck...

We bought passes to a couple amusement parks near us...

And Adalyn lost her very first tooth!  As you can tell she was just thrilled.  All of these milestones that she keeps passing are just subtle reminders that she is growing up and its all happening too fast.  I can remember being so excited when she first started growing those baby teeth in, and now they are being replaced by her "adult" teeth.  

And then as quickly as it came, March was gone...