the June buzz

June flew by in a whirr of activity and we were challenged to keep up.

we kicked it off with the end of school and the arrival of our Texas cousins to come live with us!

then the birthday for a certain lady who's now in her last year of single digits.

cousin camp was all about squeezing in the fun, complete with a t shirt designed by a camp participant, and decorated by the individual cousins.

a tour of the cookie factory! thanks to Uncle John the kids got see how Mrs. Fields does her magic these days.


and taste her wares, mmmm mmmm. thank you Mrs. Fields!

off to a fun filled rainy day at Lagoon for the ENTIRE Hadfield family. add more amusement to the already fun days filled with cousins, plus a Gran and Gramps and all your Aunts and Uncles - heaven on earth! thank you to Grandma and Grandpa NOodle for an amazing day.

smile big!

then immediately off to run 188 miles as family. well, no kids allowed - with the exception of two high speed teen runners who helped our team accomplish a successful Ragnar! in spite of the fact that some of us were plagued with tummy trouble, everyone ran and everyone won!

finally, John and I took off for three fun filled days of Pioneering, while my sister championed the brood of 9 children that live under our roof right now.

we came home to find sisterly bonds between cousins.

it will be a bitter sweet day for us when they get to fill the walls of the their own home.

a challenge yes, but also an honor to live with my sister and her family for a short season!

and a missing picture - one more birthday celebrated June. a happy one to our daddy as well - but I'll share more on that later!

Hello and Goodbye June, it was a blast of excitement. now I am looking forward to the more relaxed days of summer to grace our door - do those days really exist?

still pending, but not forgotten!

many of you already know we celebrated some birthdays in our family way back in June. and I haven't shared because, well this party is still pending. you see this little lady turned 8. and in our family that alone is the big deal.

in our family turning 8 means you can choose to be baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. that is what she chooses. and although we try to take every other year off from the big birthday gig, this year is special. so the party is still pending, but the birthday girl deserves some props.

Happy Birthday Miss Grace!

you are one sweet kid and we are happy to claim you.

BIG 5

Ella officially turned 5 this week. and as customary for odd numbered birthdays we got to party! of course she wanted everything princess, but since the first names on the guest list were boys I figured we should try a different approach. so Ella hosted her own movie "premiere". Everyone came as their favorite "movie star", we made party hats and played games. The candles had a little extra sparkle for the event (although you can't tell in the picture) Ella played her first game of "heavy heavy hang over" and everyone got to watch a show on the "big screen". and of course each movie star had to take home some swag, it was a fun filled day for all, we hope!

my favorite part of the day was how it began. traditionally, we have pancakes on each birthday with candles for the birthday girl. Ella could hardly contain her excitement, it was, after all, her day. so candles were lit and the special song sung and Ella glowed with happiness at this simple act of love from her family. that is a great word to describe my la la girl. glowing - a smile lights her face in a new way each day.

Ella has a very strong spirit, so determined but so sweet. she is the one who ALWAYS reminds us when it is time to pray, that Heavenly Father is watching over us, and that pink is now one of her favorite colors. persistent and fun, always looking for someone to play with, can pick up a conversation with anyone with out thinking twice. and her vocabulary sometimes scares me, this one is smart. and she is mine. that puts a smile on my face.

Happy #5 La La Princess!

the half birthday

so last week Grace celebrated her half birthday at school. since she is a summer birthday we have tried to make sure she has the opportunity to rejoice in the day of her birth with the rest of her class. we went about making a fabulous photo collage of fun moments in her life and the people she loves, in the end there were too many to glue on the poster board. and then as requested I carried 3 dozen glazed and chocolate glazed doughnuts into her class to share.

while we talked about her favorites and the kids asked questions I was almost overcome watching Grace as I realized how grown up she suddenly is. come next birthday she will be a whopping 8 years of age and eligible to be baptized a full fledged member of the LDS Church and she is so excited.

Grace has become my third arm and is constantly guarding over her baby sister, grabbing the last of the items we need to get out the door, supporting her mom in many small meaningless but significant ways. she is an amazing gal. I am so deeply blessed to have Grace on my team.

wow, eight years, where has the time gone, and have we enjoyed enough of it? I only hope.

some of my Grace favorites:

her willing heart

her sweet smile

her fun loving personality

her ability to persevere

her love for her family

her love for the Gospel of Jesus Christ

*when asked where her favorite place was she easily replied "BOISE" when I asked her why, she said it was because she had so much fun with all of her cousins there. she chose the place she remembers VISITING her cousins, because that is all she talks about lately, visiting with cousins. think of the fun Dallas will hold, then!

sweet thirty three

today marks thirty three years for me. often, I have wondered "what have I done with my life?" I remember not too long ago I actually panicked about getting older and not having met many of the goals I thought I would accomplish by thirty. today I am happy to say I love my life and the chance I have to make it better. and not just my life, also my daughters and even my husband. so on that note I am sharing ten birthday blessings, so I can share my joy. and a few birthday wishes to share my dreams, after all what's a birthday with out a wish or two?

birthday blessings
1. three beautiful, unique, and loving daughters.
2. one loving, devoted, and fun husband, mine for eternity.
3. a very large extended family, including friends old and new.
4. a gorgeous setting to live my life.
5. a testimony of my Saviour and His gospel.
6. all my earthly needs met, and then some.
7. a body that can DO.
8. a chance to redeem myself through service to others.
9. a link to my life lines no matter how distant they are.
10. a chance to learn and express who I am and what I want to become.

my birthday wishes...
1. to grow in testimony and faith.
2. to learn to make and keep balance in my life.
3. to strengthen my body and mind.
4. to expand my horizons and talents.
5. to serve devotedly Him who gave it all to me.

p.s. pictures courtesy of kelly mccaleb of http://kellymccaleb.typepad.com/my_happy_little_life/ and yes that is me.

One Year Down!

"Well, now I could do THIS every DAY!"

Ruby was quite non plussed as we started our celebration for her very first birthday. It took a little time and more than just some candles and some singing to get her excited. But now that we know the key to her happiness, we'll know better next time where to begin! (Chocolate frosting anyone?) Ruby has been such a happy addition to our family, literally. She always has a smile to share and lots of giggles and laughs. It is fun to see her befriend others in her coy little way and watch her bring a smile to any face - even a grouchy mom. She is so close to breaking the walking riddle and we are sure she'll be running in no time - watch out sistah's!

So glad to have you in our lives Ruby! Happy Birthday little gem!

Happy Day for Ruby

First thing Sunday morning "Man, I am so hungry and we are having pancakes! Wait what is that thing in my pancake? Why are you looking at me like that and what is that song you're singing? enough already - Look I just want to eat!"

Later that evening "Again with this? Now everyone is singing, and another one of those things is stuck in my food. Do I get some of that food?"

"Oh What's This, This I like." "Okay, I think this birthday thing might be kind of cool, I mean at least this stuff is pretty cool! Check me out!"

Happy Birthday Little Miss Ruby!

Happy Birthday Grace

Today we celebrated Grace's 7th Birthday. (Wow, have I been a mom for 7 years? I still feel so new at this!) Grace is one of those rare friends. She is this incredibly conscientious, adorable, sweet, sensitive little gal. She constantly catches me off guard with little bits of wisdom I wouldn't think a now 7 yr. old could muster. She is the girl looking out for all of her friends making sure everyone is getting along and helping those who need her most. Rather than being caught up in whatever the latest coolness is, she is doing her own thing; enjoying the simple treasures of playing with dad or sisters and especially cousins. I love this little lady even more today, 7 whole years later, than the day she was born. Thanks Grace for initiating me into this roller coaster world of Motherhood, and Happy Birthday!