Snakes!!!

I took Blakeslie on her preschool field trip to the Animal Ark pet store. I thought it was going to be a little corny, but the kids got to pet and touch all the animals. The kids loved it! I was so surprised by Blakeslie’s boldness especially with the reptiles. She was the first in line to pet the gekos and snakes. While the lady was describing the snake Blakeslie was standing right in front of her and the snake got within an inch of her face. I was dying in the back of the crowd trying not to scream. I was so proud of her. All she could talk about for days was the snakes at the pet store so we had to take Dad back to show him. We also restocked her fish tank – Flip, Flop and Steve finally died – we only had Red and Sox left so we got them some buddies.

April Fool's!

April Fool’s was so much fun! Blakeslie totally got into the day of tricking. In fact, she was sad she couldn’t still pull pranks today. Blakeslie kept putting a fake spider all around the house for Chip and I to find and we stuffed a “fake Blakeslie and Mayzie” reading to trick Dad. She thought she was pretty funny! Mayzie’s little joke involved Tootsie Rolls, her diaper and her big sister – I’ll let you figure it out on your own. I made a silly dinner with a meatloaf decorated like a cake, the drinks were Jello, and Blakeslie was totally unsure about her “dirt” dessert. I made her go dig up some dirt from the garden earlier in the day, so she thought it really was mud. She wouldn’t try it until Chip did.

All of you professional cake decorators don’t look at the meatloaf cake too closely. How sad is it that the first cake I ever decorate is made of meatloaf and potato frosting. I actually burned my fingers trying to hold the pastry bag full of very hot mashed potatoes!

What a great day!

Jungle Jims

We took the girls to Jungle Jim’s with our friends the Grovers. It was a blast! For anyone that lives in Utah or visits - it is a great time!

Phoenix

We went to Phoenix with the whole Richardson crew to my Mom and Dad’s condo. We had a blast going to spring training games, soaking up the sun, playing games and watching movies to all hours of the night.

St. Patricks's Day
We love celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. We started the day with the Leprechaun visiting and turning all of our breakfast green. Blakeslie kept saying, “That leprechaun sure is sneaky!” We did some St. Patty’s crafts and cakes and then ended the night with another visit from the leprechaun. He left a yarn trail to follow that had gold coins along the way and ended with a few fun new toys for both girls.


Baseball Games
We had a great time going to all the different ballparks and seeing all the teams. The players were great about signing autographs especially for Blakes. What is better than baseball games with your family in beautiful weather!?!

We even went to a night game with the whole family.



The Bike
Blakeslie got to borrow a bike while we were there. She thought she was so cool. I think it will have to be our next purchase here at home.

The Grandbabies
Troy and Erin got a new dog and brought it along for the trip. It is a miniature Chihuahua. I didn’t even know there was such a thing. Its name is Moxie and the girls loved her.

Easter Eggs
We had a blast coloring eggs. Blakeslie hands might never be the same! Am I the only one grumpy about having 2 holidays in one week? I feel totally robbed.

Easter Egg Hunt
We went to a game on Saturday and found out that they were doing a huge Easter egg hunt on the field after the game. It was amazing! There had to be 2,000 plus kids, but they had them all organized into age groups and they had 50,000 eggs and candy. Blakeslie had so much fun. She was hilarious because she would run past 100 eggs to get one across the field and then run back and put it her sack and then run past another 100 to do it again. She definitely walked away with more than we could have imagined. It was all free too – how cool is that! Seriously, I’m getting sold on this Arizona thing!




Easter Morning
We had a great Easter morning. The Easter Bunny came and left all kinds of goodies and eggs.

Princesses on Ice

We had so much fun going to Princesses on Ice. Blakeslie loved getting dressed up with her friends and was in awe at all the dancing and spinning.

6-month and 4-year Pictures

We got the girls pictures done – which is always an adventure!
Easter Pictures

Blakeslie's 4th Birthday!

I seriously can’t believe my baby is 4. Blakeslie is so much fun. It has been an amazing adventure and a privilege to watch her grow. We had a great time celebrating. It was a 3 day event. First Bean got to take cupcakes to Preschool where she got a hat, a gift and all the kids made a big deal about her.

Her actual birthday was spent getting things ready for her party. We put her favors together, played lots of games and we went to the Popcorn place (Winger’s) for dinner. Blakeslie got a Barbie Jeep and had a great time going around to her friends’ houses and giving them rides.

The next day we had a 12 Dancing Princess Party at Blakeslie’s dance studio. Lynna and Alisha helped me decorate the studio into a beautifully enchanted kingdom. The girls got their makeup done and tiaras on and then we played a few games. Miss Tiffany, Blakeslie’s dance teacher, taught them a little dance and let them play freeze dance. Then the girls danced around a May Pole and we finished with cake and ice-cream! It was such a great time and Blakeslie had a blast! Good thing they are worth all the trouble!

Mayzie's First Dinner

We finally gave Mayzie some rice cereal. Blakeslie was so excited to feed her real food. It was quite the event and Blakeslie was a great big sister, however, she gagged when she tried Mayzie’s “real food.”

Trude's Funeral

Chip’s Grandpa passed away on February 22. It was unexpected and he will be very missed.

The service was beautiful and it was nice to see all the family. We hung out at Woodleigh lane and also went to Discanso Gardens to see where they are putting a bench in honor of Chip’s Grandma Joan.

The highlight of the long weekend was going to DisneyLand with Johnny, Hilary, and Crosby. The kidos had a great day. Blakeslie’s favorite part was without a doubt the Princess Fantasy Faire.

Mayzie's 6-month Appointment

Time is just flying by. I can’t believe Mayzie Pants has been with us for 6 months. Her appointment went well and the Doctor was impressed with her skills at sitting up. She was in the 75% for Height and 60% for weight. She’s growing like a champ!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

We had a great Valentine’s! We started with a pink breakfast and then I got to help at Blakeslie Valentine party at preschool- what a blast! Dad gave all his girls beautiful flowers and we had heart pizzas for dinner. I love my Valentine’s!!!

Valentines Hoopla

We have had a great time getting ready for Valentine’s Day. We have been playing with Blakeslie’s mailbox since the middle of January and have “mailed” Valentines to everyone we know at least 30 times. This is definitely one of our favorite holidays.

We had some friends over for a little party to make Valentines and little heart cakes for their Dads.

And you know I can’t resist taking pictures in all their Valentine outfits.

Boise Trip January 25- February 2

Well our weekend trip to Boise turned into a week long adventure. We came up to help de-junk my parents’ house. When it was time to go home on Monday the weather was terrible. The entire week was awful and either the mountain pass or some part of the freeway was closed until the next Saturday. Thankfully, Chip could work from there and we were able to get a lot more projects at the house done.
The highlights of the weekend were Mayzie perfecting sitting up, finding my old Halloween costumes that Blakeslie had a great time trying on and tushy shaking painting.

1st Bath Together

This bath together was out of necessity and trying to multi-task, but they were both in heaven. Blakeslie thought it was so fun to share her toys and help wash Mayzie, and Mayzie was in awe of the new experience.

They both love their Snowman towels

Extra Large Mayzie

This week Blakeslie has really wanted to “play” with Mayzie. She woke up one morning and decided Mayzie must play with her house and dolls. This was how we decided she could play. Mayzie actually had a great time with all the attention Blakeslie gave her.

Football Sundays!

Chip and Blakeslie’s favorite pass time together is watching football. It is a race after church to see who can get into their BSU shirts fastest. It doesn’t matter what teams are playing - the wardrobe is always the same. They always have so much fun cheering together and having “concessions.” They make a barricade around the coffee table so that the dog can’t bother them. They call it the “No Duker Zone.” Chip has justified this Sunday activity since she was very little by saying it is great time they spend together. Now I actually agree because it is fun to watch how excited she gets to “hang with Dad.” They have even started to invite Mayzie to their elite party and she’s loving it. I know they will all be sad after the big game and the end of the season.

1st Primary Talk

Blakeslie gave her first talk today as a Sunbeam. (Third week in primary-we brake them in fast here!) We were so proud of her. I thought she would need help or get nervous, but she didn’t. I hope she will always be fearless unlike her mother.

Mayzie's Big Roll!

On her 5-month birthday Mayzie finally mastered her rollover. She has been so close for so long. Everyday Blakeslie would cheer her on and nothing would happen. We were all very excited when Mayzie finally made it.

How did I get here!

Lovin' the Snow!

The only good thing about all this snow is watching Blakeslie play in it! I had forgotten how much fun it is to eat, walk in, kick, jump, make snow angles, etc.

I have felt like a kid just watching her.

We made a 9 foot snowman one afternoon- seriously, this is the most snow I ever seen in my 10 years in Utah. (Have I really been here 10 years- guess it is officially home!)

We had a blast sledding up at Mike and Lynna’s. I couldn’t believe how long she played- she was in heaven!

Happy New Year!

We celebrated the New Year by going to Tepanyaki Steak House. Blakeslie thought it was awesome and kept talking about how she liked “the cooker” and the fire. I hope we don’t have a pyro on our hands.