15 minutes of Fame

Well, Afton's used up her 15 minutes! Her preschool graduation was reported in the local paper and I got a phone call from my cute friend that Afton's picture was in it! Sure enough, when I looked online, there was Afton! Her name was even mentioned as well--too bad she's too young to care about being in the newspaper!

Afton's Big Week

Afton had her preschool graduation and her recital practice all in one week. Paul was the only parent around and did a great job capturing pictures and video of our lovely graduate ballerina!Afton with her teacher Mrs. B

The newest graduate of Matigian Preschool

Afton with her class--Suzanne, Lyan, and Isabella

Ballet Recital

Here is Afton's recital number--the parents get to videotape and take pictures during their practice week! (Afton is on the far right)

Happy Anniversary--36 years!

My mom and dad are celebrating their 36th wedding anniversary today! That's pretty amazing nowadays! Here's to 36 more! We love you!

4 Days Late--Happy Birthday to Sarah!

Okay, I'm 4 days late wishing Sarah a happy birthday--but I have a great excuse! I was with her in person on her birthday! Sarah and Andrew announced that they were chosen to be the parents of a baby boy and there was going to be a big party to celebrate on Sarah's birthday! I hated to miss out, so Paul sent me and Halle out to visit and meet our new nephew, Joshua! It was so fun to see Sarah and this little one! Sarah's in for a big year as they watch this little boy grow! Happy year to you!

Pictures

I took Matt & Afton in for their birthday pictures. They are growing up so quickly!

Speaking of mothers...

Some EXCITING news! Our sister Sarah just found her baby! A birthmom has placed a little boy with them TODAY! My emotions are overflowing as I know how much she has wanted this blessing and how patient she and Andrew have been in waiting for the child who was meant to be with them! So they are now parents and we are all so excited to meet this new nephew!

Mothers' Day

As we celebrate our mothers today, I want to also celebrate the women in my life who have helped me to be a better mother. I have the blessing of having grandmothers, mothers, and sisters in my life who each teach me something that I hope to pass on to my children. These examples make me want to be a better mother and I feel lucky to have their influence in my life!

(My Grandma Ann is on the left and Paul's Grandma LaRue is on the right)
(Grandpa & Grandma Johannesen with the kids)

Grandma Ann has shown me creativity, acceptance, and concern for others.
Granny LaRue has shown me unconditional love, service and joy in the gospel
Grandma Johannesen has shown me long-distance caring, devotion to the gospel, and love of family.

Me, my mom, Kathryn
(Me and Gail)

My mom has shown me creativity, empathy, friendship and energy
Kathryn has shown me generosity of spirit, direction, and love of learning
Gail has shown me sacrifice, courage, and forgiveness

Heather has shown me humor, creativity, and service.

Sarah has shown me faith, dedication and patience

Ruth Ann has shown me discipline and perseverance
Jordan has shown me hard work and a sense of humor
Brittany has shown me loyalty, determination, and intelligence
Kelsey has shown me tenderness, friendship, and strength

William Bennett stated, "We are here to help one another along life's journey." These women have helped me along my journey as a mother, sister, daughter, and friend. My heart is full when I remember the actions of love that have been shown me. While my children physically made me a mother, these women have shown me the qualities of a mother. I hope you each have a wonderful day and know how much you are loved by us!

Happy Anniversary!

Happy 6th Anniversary to Chad and Jordan! We hope your day is wonderful-we love you guys!

Afton's Celebrations

Afton also had multiple birthday celebrations this year. Nana and Courtney were in town earlier and since we never miss a chance to celebrate with family in town, the girls took a trip down to American Girl Place. If you have not been there and you have a girl somewhere between the ages of 4 and 15, you must come stay with me and take her to AGP! We love it--it is magical for little girls. We love going to the cafe, where they have beautiful table settings, decorations in pink, black, and white, and where everything is served on china and nice dishes. It is all geared toward making these girls feel grown-up and special! This was Afton's second birthday here and I have to say she's still wanting to go again next year!


On Monday, Afton had I shared a birthday celebration because Paul would be out of town for her birthday and at an Eagle Court of Honor for mine. We shared a Tinkerbell cake--I let her pick vanilla, even though if I had my choice it would be chocolate. Aren't I a great mom-sacrificing my chocolate cake for her vanilla!? We opened presents and sang happy birthday, ate cake and ice cream and generally had a great time.


I spent a few hours on my birthday making cupcakes to take to her school on Wednesday so they could celebrate her birthday (she doesn't have school on Thursday). My cupcakes turned out really cute--I'm pretty proud of them. Charlie, a boy in Afton's class, told her that they were the best treat he'd ever had! High praise from a preschooler! Afton also got to wear a pink birthday crown that her teacher made her.

And finally, yesterday we went to Target and spent some birthday money. Afton also picked Red Robin for dinner so she could get a sundae and get sung to by the Red Robin waiters. Because I was a "single mom" for the evening taking out three kids to a sit-down restaurant, I forgot my camera. She was excited, though, and smiled through the whole song! And now, I am worn out, the house needs to be de-wrapping papered, and the last of the birthday cake thrown out (even I can no longer stomach another dessert--it's been two straight weeks and I'm sugared out!) We're in recovery mode which I will fully appreciate on Mothers' Day, when Paul returns and takes over!

Happy Birthday Afton!

Afton turns 5 today and it is amazing to think how quickly our first little princess has grown up! She has added so much sparkle and fun to our lives. So here are five things about Afton on her 5th birthday!
A--Adorable, as you can see in all her pictures
F--Friendly--in preschool she includes everyone in her circle of playmates
T--Talkative--this girl can chat!
O--Obsessed with Hannah Montana, High School Musical, Barbies, American Girl Dolls, and anything Princess
N--Nice (she helped a girl that got hurt in soccer even though every one else left to play)

She shows so much love to everyone and she is such a willing helper for me. I look forward to watching her grow up and seeing all the great things she will do! We love you Afton!

Our Birthday

"Either this baby's got four feet, or there's two of them in here!" These words were the first indication that my mom knew she was having twins. Even the doctor was surprised. It was 3 am in the morning, and she had gone into labor a month early. Because she was having a c-section, the doctor could clearly see that they'd been miscounting the babies for 8 months now. Every time they had listened for a heartbeat, they only heard one. We were lined up with our hearts right next to each other and they were completely in sync.
It's been that way for 32 years now. When people ask what it's like having a twin sister, I say it's having a built-in best friend. Growing up, we went everywhere together. People knew us as "the twins." If I went somewhere without Heather, they'd ask where she was! The past 7 years, we've had to celebrate our birthday separately because we're now 1700 miles apart. But I know that part of her is always with me--I wouldn't be surprised if our heartbeats were still synchronized. Happy Birthday to my "womb-mate" and best friend! I love you and hope you have a fantastic year!

(This is not our best picture--we were at Lake Powell. We have tons of pictures of us together
when we were younger, not so many now that we're not adorable little girls)

Happy Birthday Ryan!

It's Ryan's birthday today and we wish him all the best this year! (I know--we have a lot of birthdays all crammed into April and May--we're not done yet!)

Rainy Soccer Days

Matt as goalie

Afton running around the ball

Our soccer season has not been off to the greatest start. First, the kids aren't thrilled about their coach (they have the same one). As Afton put it, "We don't play games at practice. We just do drills." Second, the weather has been horrible. We have had cold, rain and/or wind every Saturday. Unfortunately, I have also turned into the most air-headed mom on the team. Afton missed her first game because I had written down 2:20 instead of 12:20. Matt only played 15 minutes in his last game because I was thinking it was at 2:00 even though all my calendars and planners had 1:00 listed. I'm only hoping I can pull it together for this Saturday--I'm in charge of juice and snacks for both games! But here are a couple of shots of our "shark" and "unicorn" that we've gotten since we're now more than halfway through the season!

Halle

Halle is now 18 months and such a joy. She has really evolved into a little person with her own likes, dislikes, attitude, and character. Right now, she loves to clean (she gets that from her dad and Nana) and wear Matt & Afton's shirts. We also get her to do her "grumpy" face where she pouts her lip and furrows her eyebrows. She can only hold it for a second though before she starts laughing! And she also has just enough hair to put a clip in it! I'm hoping for a little more so that the clip actually looks like it's needed!