sean had a birthday. {shout hooray!}

thursday:
i made the shepherds pie that the birthday boy requested.
and some delicious oreo treats.
serena had fun with the balloons all day.
{and i came down with the worst cold/flu/sinus infection of all time.}

friday:
we had biaggi's for lunch.
we saw source code.
we played at the park with the girls.
we saw hanna.
that's right. two movies in one day. it was pretty awesome :)

dear sean,
i hope your 31st birthday was fun even though i got sick and complained about that a lot...
love, ariel

lately.

this week serena was required to entertain herself a lot. which she is not very good at. but here she is, playing with her toys. this lasted a good 10 minutes.

after a long day at home on tuesday, we all went to kangaroo zoo to get serena out of the house. she cried for the first 30 minutes and wouldn't go on any of the balloons. but eventually she would let us put her at the top of a slide so she could go down. sean and i got a good workout.

wednesday: rehearsal. thursday: dress rehearsal. friday: concert x2. our broadway bingo concert was a little chaotic and a lot of fun! sold out house at 7:00 so we added a show at 9:00. needless to say, i was completely exhausted on friday night!

but on saturday, we had tickets to disney on ice. despite the fits serena threw all morning, we went to the show. on the way there we found ourselves in the middle of a st patrick's day parade {which we are totally going to next year! fun!}. i stepped in dog crap and had to buy a new pair of shoes at old navy.

we made it to the ESA, bought a $24 minnie mouse doll, an enormous bag of kettle corn and a $10 drink {we didn't know the regular concessions were open and bought everything from those dang disney people...}. and serena made it about 30 minutes before she was crying and asking to go home. what kid goes to disney on ice and begs to go home? it's a good thing she took a 4 hour nap because the whining and crying were driving me insane.

seriously, what is wrong with my child? she has suddenly become the WHINIEST, CLINGIEST kid ever! teeth coming in? terrible twos? whatever it is, it had better be a short phase.

five.

five years ago {yesterday}, on an unseasonably warm & rainy day {just like yesterday}, sean and i were married. five years and two kids later, life is good. i love my sean and my girls. i made a good decision five years ago.

blessing day.

yesterday was harper's blessing. it was a wonderful day.

a beautiful blessing from her daddy.
a circle of worthy priesthood holders who love her.

it was nice to have so many of our friends and family there. little harper is loved!

bear lake.

serena + grandma ♥ playing in the dirt

playing in the water

serena + mama {who is looking and feeling very pregnant these days...}

serena + dada ♥ floating

catching some waves

like a true mom, i made her put a t-shirt on near the end ♥ nakey bum

we spent a lovely day at bear lake yesterday. serena slept the whole ride there {hallelujah!} and we spent the afternoon with my mom {dad got the very same stomach virus that we've passed on to nearly every member of the family now}. it was totally worth the 2 1/2 hour drive to spend a few hours in the sun, letting serena run wild in the water and dirt. plus it was the perfect day. not too hot. not too windy. not too cloudy. not too crowded. we stopped for dinner in logan, and then serena slept for most of the ride home {she was on her very best behavior yesterday}. it was a goooood day.

backyard campout.

last night was our first annual {can we please make it annual?} backyard campout with my family. it was a blast :)

festivites:

set up camp.
the boys set up a golf game {chipping into the kiddy pool}.
dinner! {hot dogs, frog eye salad, baked beans, watermelon}
serena's first time on the tramp, with 4 spotters making sure she didn't run right off the edge.
lounging.
campfire.
sparklers.
dutch oven raspberry peach cobbler! yummmm!
movie with the projector.
lots of mosquito bites {i counted 8 on my left foot alone}.
sleeping in tents.
waking up sweaty when the sun hit the tents.
yummy breakfast.

well everyone except for my dad, serena and i slept in tents. i was totally ready and excited to do it, but halfway through the night i started having some serious sciatic nerve pain. so i went inside and got comfortable on a real bed.

basically we enjoyed all of the fun camping stuff, with the luxury of indoor plumbing, electical outlets, and the ability to step inside and cool off for a few minutes when the heat was too much :)

it was a good time. you should try it sometime.

five years ago.

five years ago today, sean proposed to me at this pretty bridge after fireworks. it was a very happy fourth of july. it's always been my favorite holiday, and i have another good reason to celebrate the day.

we've had lots of adventures since then. mostly good ones :)

love you, sean!

the best.

the best friday evening.



with my two best buddies.



and the best view of these chubby legs {walking all over the place}.



and the best greek salad + onion rings {from apollo}.



= happiness all around.

and...



my belly is growing.

the end.

weekend.

saturday we did lots of chores. sean cleaned out the cars, and found a nice surprise in the back of mine. a dead hummingbird. so apparently we hadn't thoroughly cleaned out our cars since before the cabin trip a few weeks ago :) serena loved playing on the wet grass while daddy weeded & watered. and threw a monster tantrum when i brought her in, stripped her down, and made her take a bath. she has been full of monster tantrums lately. and then after sean's hard day of work, i treated myself to some ice cream & berries :)




yesterday we had the most stressful day ever, made much worse by serena's tantrums. {we think she has some teeth coming in or something... we hope.} i spoke, sang, and directed the choir in sacrament meeting, sean taught elders quorum, one car died in the church parking lot, home teaching and visiting teaching, a temple recommend interview, all while dealing with an extra cranky toddler. but we ended the day with some relaxation. my parents came over for a perfect summer meal. hot dogs on the grill. cantaloupe. strawberries. crab salad. potato chips. and of course a nice berry pie for dessert {which i can't take credit for. thanks marie calendars!}.

i love summer. so glad some warm weather has finally arrived.

p.s. i took a picture of the hummingbird, but it grossed me out to post it with so many food pictures... sorry you missed it :)