February & March Replay...

I apologize for the long post... but here is our February and March in a very brief replay...

Shai Ann & Shyra

In February, 20 women all went out to celebrate one thing, my friend TRICIA! It was her surprise bachelorette party that Shyra and I planned and it went off better then we could have planned it! It was so much fun! We had 20 women show up! Tricia and Robby got Married on March 5! Congratualtions to the Johnson family and thank you for giving me the honor to be a part of it!

Darlene (Tricia's Mom), Nicole, and Brenda

Tina, Teresa, and the Bride to be Tricia!

Shyra, Tricia and I. Thanks Tricia for getting married and giving us a reason to play! hehe!

ALL 7 grandkids! Craziness, pure Craziness.

 In March we also got to see Mark's middle - older sister, Julie and her family =) He is the only boy with three older sisters... Its always a fun time for the Sawyer family to get together! There are now 7 grandchildren (the reason we were all together, was Mark's sister Suzanne, had just had a little boy Miles)... Come to find out a week after Julie was here visiting, she is expecting again too! We will be welcoming another GIRL into the family at the end of August!

Auntie Brittany and her newest nephew Miles!

Grandpa John, Uncle Mark, and Nephew/Grandson Miles.

I don't think Mark likes Miles at all =)

Hatley LOVED all the cousin and family time! Loving on her Uncle Rob in this photo.

 At the end of February and March we had two huge, well not huge, but big (they felt HUGE after living on Saipan for two years) snowstorms... Mark and I took advantage of a sunny afternoon to get outside and introduce Hatley to sledding. She was a trooper!

Sledding on the Farm!

 One evening after Hatley was sound asleep Mark and I took some time to play just the two of us... and since there was so much snow outside and we hadn't really played in the snow since moving to Saipan, we went and played! We built snowmen in our from yard until 11:30 pm! granted we did start at about 10:30 pm =) But I sure did love my snowman family!

A first... this time last year we were writing our names in the white sand!

 In February Hatley turned 9 months old, and in March 10 months old! I can't believe how quickly she has grown! She will be ONE before we know it! She is now cruising around the house, and has been since the beginning of February... she holds on to anything and anyone that will keep her up! 

H has a special cupboard she can get in... and she loves it... Mommy especially loves cleaning up all the tupperwear about 5 times a day =)

Say Cheese! Her new Cheesy smile!

One afternoon I went into H's room to check on her during nap time, and this is how I found her...

Do you think she was tuckered out?

 In March the weather was so on and off, and still is now that we are in April... one day its sunny, the next rainy, the next snowing, the next sunny! So.... On one of those sunny days, Mommy and Hatley took advantage of it and went down to the Palouse Park to play! We love how much Hatley LOVES being outside! Can't wait for summer!

Another Cheese! Look at those two front teeth! She got those the day after Christmas... now we are waiting on her two top to pop through.. maybe they will hold out until her 1st birthday ....

 

 

 

 

Life is good and busy here in the Sawyer House... and Hatley keeps us on our toes!

Keep posted I am going to try and figure out how to get some videos up here!

A January Replay...

I haven't been very good about updating our blog about our family for one main reason... my computer is junk. For the last few months or so it would constantly start up and within seconds of my doing anything, randomly shut down. So I gave up and was using Marks when he wasn't on it... which was okay, but didn't want to put our pictures on his computer cause his was acting up... So long story short, I have followed Mark and entered into the Mac world (used of course), and am now just caught up on uploading all the pictures off of my cameras and organizing them on my new macbook! So I'll give you a quick replay of our January... 

Besides catching up and resting up after the Christmas season, we had something else to celebrate! Mark turned 28! I was so excited to give him his gift this year... For those of you who were at church the Sunday before his birthday heard the story of his blender that he bought, and for those of you on Saipan, most of you probably heard it... but for those of you who haven't... long story short, in college Mark thought he was getting his great deal off of EBAY for a blender... needless to say when it showed up it was only the base and not the pitcher... so when we got married we bought a pitcher for it, and it was horrible... so we hardly used it... when we moved back to the states this summer I made him leave the Blender and HORRIBLE pitcher in Saipan... he was heart broken.... and complained all the way up to his birthday about not having a blender.... So here was his Birthday present...

  

 Needless to say, he was quite excited... However, I have only seen him use it twice since his Birthday =) I love you Mark!

 For Marks Birthday Party most of Marks family and my family got together up at my parents in Spokane and celebrated by going to a Chief's Hockey game! Hatley LOVED all the sounds and lights, but by the end was a pooped little girl! Isn't her outfit sooooooo cute? =)

 Such a big girl, and totally chill =) Not so much anymore. Love the foot resting on the arm of the chair.

 Marks parents Betty and John, and my Dad Garry.

 Chiefs!

 Hatley also got to meet Boomer! We love Hockey! That was one of the highlights of our Honeymoon in Banff, Canada... we sat in pubs and watched Hockey!

 We are still trying to get Hatley swimming on a regular basis! She is still a fish, except she now HATES laying on her back... any suggestions?

 Hatley LOVES her Uncle Andy... I think he feel's the same way too =) So glad she has family that loves her SOOOOOOOOOOO stinkin' much!

 In January Hatley turned 8 months old.. and she started trying to crawl, which was a huge surprise to us... As her Grandpa John noticed, she hated being on her belly in any way, shape, or form and we never thought she'd crawl... well now at 11 months she is a speed demon on those little sweet chubby bruised knees.

 Hatley also got SICK! and I don't mean just a little sick... I'll keep the bodily fluid stories to myself, but our poor girl had the flu for about 8 days! She was sick for about 3 days, then fine for about two and then down for the count again for another 3 or 4 days... so glad that time is over... However the one part Mark and I enjoyed best about this time, and doesn't happen very often was the cuddling... we have a wiggle worm on our hands!

 Just Fine and dandy for a day or two........................................................ and then... it hit again......

Stay tuned for a brief replay of February and March coming soon! And then hopefully I'll be caught up and can stay caught up! =)

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star...

So I have quite the artistic sister in-law. Angela, who also has taken all of Hatley's newborn, 3, 6, and 9 month photos. And for Christmas she made me these super cute paper barn stars for our living room... and I loved where I hung them... plus it gave our tiny little living room a good contrast of shape and color... so it is April and they were still hanging on the 1st. Because I loved them and didnt know what else to hang there... 

Luckily, Angela was sweet enough to share her paper star template with me and I ran straight away to Paper Pals, our local scrapbooking store and got inspired by some pretty papers... 

So.... here they are... and they were much easier then I had expected... Love the colors... 

Have you ever made paper barn stars? If not, you should try!

So Mark Got a New Laptop..

Or new to us. But still we love, I mean he loves it =) It's a mac, just like the ones we used at Saipan Community School. And boy do I sure miss that computer...

But the real reason I am writing this post, is simply for entertainment, at our own risk... I am afraid of posting this for what you might think... BUT we died laughing while doing this, and I thought I would share. Poor Hatley is just a sweet an cute bystander and was drug into this.

Our apologies if you barf =)

I think I look like Bett Midler in this photo, on Hocus Pocus. Oh Vey.

Thank you Photo Booth for the laughs. Thank goodness this is just for fun =)

Today is my Daddies Birthday...

I love you Dad! Thanks for all that you do, all the love you give us, and the happiness you bring to our family and lives! Hatley is sure lucky to have you as her Papa... and I am pretty lucky too!

Mark and Dad - Priest Lake July 2010

Hatley and Papa, Sept 2010 - Palouse Days

April 2009, Dad visiting us in Saipan

Dad and I - Priest Lake, July 2010

So Long Ol' Buddy

So two days ago I gave up Facebook. Why? The Lent season has begun, and I have never been one to really give anything up for it.. until this year. This year, I knew that I needed to give something up, I mean come on, look at all the Christ gave up for us... I wanted it to be something to had a hold on me... not soda, not coffee, but something good. I kept having this tug on my heart and knew that I knew exactly what God wanted me to give up... but I fought it and fought it... eventually the Big guy won =) So long Facebook.

So as I was thinking about this time that I would suddenly have free, I began to come up with a sweet list of what I would do during this time of freedom.. .

1. Read more Dr. Seuss and Peter Rabbit to my sweet Roo. 
2. Learn and play with Hatley.
3. Spend more cuddle time with the Hubby.
4. Cook up some new Delicous meals.
5. Blog.
6. Try and catch up as much as possible on Hatleys 1st year scrapbook. The BIG #1 is right around the corner.
7. Catch up on some reading, a giant pile of books next to the bed are waiting for me.
8. Give thanks to God for ALL he has done and ALL he has given for me and my family, that we have LIFE.

What are you giving up for Lent? Why?
If you aren't giving anything up, what WOULD you give up if you were?
What has such a tight hold on you that you can't fathom giving it up? I DARE YOU.

So far the last two days have been easy-peesy, I am guessing that within the week or so, I will miss the social aspect... but so far, I am kinda liking this new me =) 

Absolutly A-DORABLE

I have found a new blog in the last few months or so, that I L-O-V-E. Lindsay, has some great ideas and all practical too, and most importantly affordable. She takes the looks that I would love to have, but not willing to pay the BIG BUCKS for and makes something roughly the same, but on a dime. She is quite the Do-it-Yourselfer... and she has suckered me in... check out her blog when you get a moment... Living with Lindsay...

Here is a sneak peak at one of my favorite things.... that hopefully soon I'll get a chance to try...

rosette-embellished-pillow