Easter Morning

Easter Eggs

This year, Easter fell on General Conference Weekend. So, while our dad was at the priesthood session Saturday night, we decorated Easter Eggs. We used a variety of sharpies this year, so that the older girls could do some meticulous designs. Grandma and Jeffrey joined us and we had a great time.

Fisher tires easily of things time consuming and/or artistic in nature, so he only lasted a few minutes. Hence, no picture.

My Little Shadow

Quincy and I have been attached at the hip since the day she was born. Her constant company has earned her the name, "Little Koala." Because she is my youngest, we have had a lot of alone time together while the others are at school. I won't know what I will do with myself when she goes to school full day next year. Our time frequently involves trips to the pet store and lots and lots of snuggles.

Anniversary Trip to NYC

In March, Dan and I took our first trip to NYC to celebrate our 15th anniversary. Even though it was definitely on the cold side, we had such a great time. It's been a long time since we've been anywhere just the two of us. It was so fun to discover and explore a place where neither of us have ever been. We packed it all in, though! Besides what you see here, we saw Phantom of the Opera, The King and I, and Finding Neverland on Broadway. We stayed at the Marriott in Times Square, so we were right in the thick of it all. It was so fun to eat at new places and just walk the city together.

 World-famous banana pudding and blueberry crumble for breakfast at Rockefeller Center. Sure! We're on vacation! The first day was raining, but it was actually our warmest day there. We were feeling ambitious and excited, so we covered a lot of ground. And I'll admit, by the end, my head was pounding!

This is a huge sacrifice on our part. We don't like pictures of ourselves. And we are particularly horrible at taking selfies. But what do you do?

We couldn't take pictures inside St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was under major reconstruction but still really fascinating and impressive.

Beautiful library! Loved the architecture and materials.

Super cold and windy day visiting Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, but really fun. You have no idea how big Lady Liberty is until you stand right by her. And Ellis Island was really humbling and interesting.

About to see The King and I at Lincoln Center. I LOVE the music from this play. I grew up watching the movie version with Debra Kerr and Yule Brenner and listening to Barbara Streisand's versions of the songs on her broadway album.  Really fabulous.

A second trip to a different location of Magnolia Bakery with my sweet cousin and New York local, Sarah. She and her husband Will also joined us a for a wonderful dinner at Tavern on the Green in Central Park and then gave us a tour around the city in their minivan!

Delectable breakfast at Norma's at LeParker Meridien. That's a giant stuffed french toast sitting in front of Dan. Super duper sweet. I couldn't handle more than one bite. And mine was fabulous breakfast quesadilla and I ate every.single.bite.

We were both surprised to find that the 9/11 Museum and Memorial was one of our favorite sites. The background and breakdown of the events of the day were really compelling. We couldn't take pictures in much of the museum, but it was incredibly moving. The devastation was overwhelming.

Dan posing at Central Park. Although it wasn't warm or green, we thought it was a really quaint and charming.

And then of course, there was this really fabulous donut place. Doughnut Planet. It was so hard to decide, but they were incredible!

And what's an anniversary trip to New York without a cheesy kissing picture in Times Square?

Random Daily Life

Quincy is just plain silly. A total nut. A character. I wish I'd been keeping a journal of all the crazy things she has done and said throughout her life. She never ceases to amaze me. Here, she is wearing a pillow on her head and saying something ridiculous.

Warning: Not for the faint of heart. Fisher gets bloody noses. A lot. This is a regular occurrence at our house.

Loose teeth. A staple of childhood. Seems like someone is always wiggling a tooth. Sidenote and confession: I am a puller, picker, and pincher. It takes superhuman discipline to contain myself. It takes a lot of willpower for me not to reach over and just rip that thing right out of his mouth! And don't even get me started on pimples, stray hairs, peeling skin, etc.

Sick days are the worst. Quincy looks particularly down and out with this one. Look at the bags under those eyes! Poor thing!

March Madness

Dan was trying out a new offense for Loryn's basketball team. He wasn't sure if they could understand it or not, so he tried explaining it to Quincy. She seemed to catch on, so we'll see how the fifth graders to with it! March really is madness at our house with 3 kids playing on 4 different basketball teams, and soccer teams starting to practice. Yikes!

Every year since I married Dan, the Rosses have held a family draft for the NCAA basketball tournament. We draw numbers, and then take turns choosing teams. Then we watch our teams advance through the tournament and accumulate points. It's a heated battle with lots of bragging rights. The draft itself is the most fun and intense part of the process. Here we are huddled around the table selecting our teams.

Taylor Growing Up

It's a weird, wild, beautiful, and bittersweet thing to watch your oldest child grow up. One day you'll be scrolling through pictures and you'll see one and think to yourself, "when did she get so old?!"

Taylor made a lot of new friends in junior high this year. I am so grateful they are cute, fun girls who seem to suit her well. Here they are after hiking the Y.

 And then you'll be scrolling through the pictures on her iPod and come across something like this. A picture she's taken in class. And you know you didn't send her to school with her hair like that. And you know that she should probably doing something better in math class. But then you remember distinctly a moment very similar in your life when you were her age. And you giggle. And then you cry because it seemed like just yesterday you were in her shoes.

 And then your perspective shifts and you look at her and she's simply not little anymore. And you wonder when this all happened. Like the time when you saw a large group of girls playing soccer from a distance. And I see a girl that looks like Taylor but I'm convinced it's not her because that girl is a full-grown woman. And you even tell your husband, "No way, that's not Taylor." But it is. And those moments just keep coming. One after the other. And it's wonderful and horrible and exciting and terrifying and sad and sweet. And you want to break down into ugly sobs, but you don't, because she has grown up to be such a great kid.