It is Official!

I am happy
to announce
the engagement
of Eric and Jentry.

Aren't they the cutest?

{We are thrilled.}

They're pretty happy too...
can you tell?

Welcome to the fam, Jen!

My-Dizzle

Sometimes I forget I have a blog these days.
But these pictures made me
remember, and resolve to
publish.
We were very late celebrating
{sorry Myron}
but we are happy we
{finally}
got the job done.
Happy birthday, Myron.
Love you.

P.S.
Devlin's expressions are
pretty entertaining.
He loves helping with
birthday candles
and presents.
Can you tell?

Four Yards

What you see here
might be four yards
of "native compost."

In my humble
{yet correct}
opinion, it is
four yards of
hard work.

But I know I'll love it
when I get it
where I want it.

BTW, when Chloe watched the
giant dump truck
unload on our
driveway, it was
rather upsetting to her.
"Oh no, they are going to
make a big mess! They
are making a very big
mess!"

Truer words were never
spoken, Chloe.
Very insightful.

Introducing...

hopper's 'hood

a happy place to buy
bibs & burp cloths

Bibs $12
Burp Cloths $12
OR
Mix & Match 2/$20

Corduroy*Hand Made*Washable*Snap Closure
Cozy*Practical*Chic

Bibs

Burp Cloths

Mix & Match

And there's lots more
where they
came from!

My favorite way
to display...
worn with style
by my
adorable
girlies.


let me know if you are interested...
just send me an email order
claudia@ilovefreedom.com

I Have A Few Questions

I decided to spend a little
time reclaiming my
yard from the ravages
of neglect and the effects
of living on the
surface of the sun.
The first question that
came to my mind:
Why have the marigolds in the picture
above become forlorn brown
sticks, but the weeds..oh the weeds!...
flourish {and reproduce
at an alarming rate?}

Second question:
Could this crackling mass
of brown possibly have
been a thriving, producing
tomato plant a few
weeks ago?
I actually know the answer to
that one. Believe it or
not, it is a *yes.*

Third question:
How could the
bush above be the same
variety as the
one below?


Another question...
how are we so lucky
as to have
plants that really
love the heat?

Last question:
Do you think I ought
to trim my snail vine?

Oh Zinnias, How I Loved Thee

I'm not gonna lie.
I had a hard time pulling you out today.
Even though most of your
foliage that was supposed to be green
and lush was crusty and brown.
Your pink and orange goodness
has made me happy these
many weeks.
RIP.
I felt a bit like a murderess,
but my conscience was assuaged
by cutting the few of you
that have survived the
fiery furnace
and placing you
in a bowl of honor on my
kitchen table for
one
last
hurrah.

To Olivia with Love

Dearest Olivia:
Granny loves you.
Sorry it took me
so long to
finish your quilt.

All those stitches
have love
squeezed into them.

I hope you can
feel it.

Love,
Gran

What Happened?

Today I dropped this girl off at high school.
Could somebody please tell me
how this happened?
I mean, it was only yesterday she
started kindergarten.
And now she is a
jackrabbit!

More Than One Way....

Imagine my surprise
last night when I
walked into the kitchen
and found this
chillin' by the computer.
Chloe's hands got
cold holding her
slurpee, so
whatcha gonna do
for the poor gal
when the only thing in the
car is the diaper bag?
There's more than
one use for
pull-ups, friends.
And it worked
GOOD.

A Little Birdie Told Me...

You know that
really, really
squeaky
door by the
Primary room at the
church? The
one that takes
30 seconds to close
and sounds like
a rusty coffin
in a horror movie?

Well,
it doesn't squeak
any more.

{You're welcome.}

My Brigham

Brigham Young
a.k.a. Mark
Kimball Stake
Pioneer Day Celebration
7.25.09

The best part?
He got to ride a horse!
{That would be horrifying for me,
but he loved it.}

Doesn't he just look great
{and right at home}
up there?

Angie spent hours making
these fabulous
signs for her Primary
kids to hold in the
parade.

And these...

And these...

Too bad none of
the kids
showed up to hold them!
Way to not be
bitter, Ang.
I was impressed.

And too bad it was a million
degrees outside.
{Even at 8:00...a.k.a.
the crack of dawn on Saturday.}

But it was a great activity.
My favorite part
was Brigham, of course.
My next favorite part was the
awesome brass band.
But I didn't get a picture.

And the pancakes
were a nice bonus too.
{Of course.}

Going Back in Time

So, camp was a long time ago.
Some of you have asked for pictures...
and I've been slow.
Here are a few highlights.

The Post-Camp Pampering Session
A great place to start, eh?

Oh, that felt so, so, so good after a few days of camping!

Camp is so much more fun when you have
a fun daughter there.

Yes, yes, I did participate in the Stake leaders
number.....we performed "Leader Queens" to
the music of "Dancing Queens." I'm
so not a dancer....but I had a good
attitude. Be proud.

Shine On YCL's!

Home Sweet Home

Holly just getting in from the 4th year hike.

I was glad to see her in one piece!


Lucky me...I got to work with the
best of the best of the best.

Be Still My Heart

Yes, that would be Devlin
reading a story
to Chloe and Eve.
Priceless.

Same Child, New Drama

Stuck again.
This time in between the
pantry shelves
and the pantry door.
Not very fun.
But at least this time
it was easier to
get you out!
That was happy.

Miss you, buddy.

Drama in the 'Hood

The afternoon started out
pretty peacefully.
Granny picked the
lilacs and
brought a little
spring cheer into
the house.
Gavin's down for his nap,
and she hears him
quietly talking. The quiet
talking suddenly turns
into a panicky scream,
so Granny investigates.

This cute, chubby
little leg
is wedged...

...in here. {furthest
opening to the right}
Mommy comes
running, and
the two of them
try and try and try
to "unstick"
little leg, but to
no avail. No
amount of dismantling
the crib will change
the position of the slat
{or the leg.}
Daddy is called at work
and immediately
hops in car for home.
Granny and Mommy
decide to grease
up the leg.
Voila!
Leg is free!
Crying/screaming stops!
Sawing of crib slat
not needed. Whew.
Daddy arrives.
Daddy gets hero's welcome.
He deserves it.

Granny's new
best friend.

What?
Was I upset?
Was my foot turning purple?
I forgot.
Smiles have
returned.
Granny breathes.