Mother of the year award...revoked.

Remember that birthday money Gracie got when she turned 8? We decided to spend some of it.  To start the story, I should tell you that I have been more than insistent that we not have any more pets (we have a bad track record around here). For some reason, one night I gave in and compromised. After all, how bad can a goldfish be?  And look at that face!  SO excited.  

Not sure if you can tell but there are actually 3 fish in that bag.  Maddie and Aeva thought they should have a fish too for Gracie's birthday.  Heck, what's an additional $3?  Three it is.

We got them home.  Made their bowl pretty.  Fed them.  Named them.  Talked to them until they asked us to stop.  Then we went to bed (only after convincing the girls that the goldfish could indeed be left in the dark).

24 hours later...all 3 fish were dead.  How is that possible?  Like I said, not the best track record in the Haun house when it comes to pets.  Those 3 fish were the most loved ever for that very short time.  My 3 little girls were heart broken and my "best gift" ever was a flop (literally).  I returned the bowl...and the unopened food.  I hope I have learned my lesson.  My children will be eternally traumatized.

A Special Night

My Aunt Holly went through the temple for the first time a few weeks ago. This was the view from the temple as we were leaving.

A pretty special night.  Congrats, Aunt Holly.  We are proud of you!

Summer Hair Cuts

Girls got their summer hair cuts. This is what happens when mom buys new scissors.

Aeva minus 4 inches of hair.

Gracie minus 6 inches of hair.

This is the only picture I could find with Maddie's hair cut.  I even zoomed in but...didn't matter.  Computer made it big again.  What to do?

Our Final Preschool Graduate

Our litte Aeva is headed to Kindergarten which means that she must have graduated from Preschool. I had lots of video from the event but not as many pictures. Suffice it to say, she had an amazing year with an amazing teacher. If only I could keep her in a small "grow proof" box for a few more years!

Aeva and her teacher, Mrs. Jenkins.

Her official certificate. 

Hope you can read sideways!  Good job, Aeva.  We are proud of you and love seeing you grow and learn.

Gracie is 8!

My little Gracie turned 8! Amazing how fast they grow. She and some friends headed to a trampoline park for some jumping fun to celebrate.

Even Aeva got to bring a little friend.

Nothing easier than pizza and ice cream sandwiches.  I love easy.

Their attempt at a pyramid.  There was some success.

Family parties were not far behind.  More presents and cake.

She got her own set of scriptures with her name on them.  A traditional gift for the 8th birthday.

Money, make up and feather jewelry.  She is in heaven.

Happy Birthday, Ms. Gracie.  We are so proud of you.  Thanks for being a sweet sister, an amazing daughter and always ready to make others laugh. 

We love you!

Our Graduate

My niece, Darby, graduated today. I did my very best to document the event. Look how it turned out...

I had to take a picture of the jumbotron...does that tell you how pathetic my attempt was?

2 of the crappiest pictures I have ever taken in my life.  How is that possible?

The throwing of the hats.  Why did only 1/3 of the kids throw their hats?  That is my favorite part.  I wanted to go down and show them how to throw a hat.  Apparently there are not enough athletes in the class of 2012.  Too many choir singers and academic scholars.  How can we fix this???

Finally, some pictures that actually worked!

Her mom and dad got her tickets to the Kenny Chesney concert in Oakland, CA in July.  The good thing about that is...Cammie, my mom and I are going too!  Yeah for us!

We ate at Texas Roadhouse.  They had an armadillo running around which Aeva was obsessed with.  Made eating very, very difficult.  She couldn't stop standing up to find out where he had gone.  The other two girls pretended to not care about this fluffy creature but I knew deep down that they wanted a picture with him...turns out, I was right.

Congratulations, Darby! 

My Mom...

Today is a pretty special day for lots of reasons, but I would be sad if I let it end without telling my mom that I love her. It is her birthday today and, as usual, she got very little of the pampering that she so greatly deserves. Don't get me wrong, the formalities were handled and the gifts/cards were exchanged but that doesn't seem like quite enough. Take a look at these pictures...

Do they tell you anything about her?  They tell me that she is an amazing grandma and one that takes all of the time in the world to be with her kids and grandkids.  Very few weekends go by that my kids don't end up spending a night at grandmas.  Maddie is 10 years old and has yet to stop enjoying those special weekend nights.  Rarely does she beg to sleep in her own bed...a tribute to you, Grandma Rett :).

So mom, Happy Birthday!  

Thank you for...

your advice, 

your friendship, 

your support, 

your love, 

your laugh, 

your time, 

your phone calls,  

your example.

I love you.

Baby Jonah

We have a new arrival in the family (and it's not mine). Introducing, baby Jonah!

Mama Kati.

 Jonah Daniel Carver.

The proud cousins.

Guess I am missing Aeva with him.  I'll fix that soon enough.

Welcome to the world, baby Jonah.  We are glad you are finally here!

The Eclipse

So every couple hundred years, something really cool happens. Like, for example, a lunar eclipse. Think we were prepared?

Nope.  We had a shoe box and an i-phone to capture this amazing event.  Still not sure how looking into a cardboard box (with the sun behind) you is supposed to help me see anything.  Troy must be a lot smarter than me...or a lot more confused.  The jury is still out.

Not our best moment.

Sand, Sand and Sand

We made it to the sand dunes in St. Anthony. I always forget how much my kids love it.

We always have to bury the smallest family member.  Tradition.

She was SO excited that she got to wear her jammies into the dunes.  This is her happy dance.

They took turns hoping on the back of grandpa and his BIG bike to go up the huge sand hills.  Mom was in charge of watching from the bottom.

This is the monster 4-wheeler that I usually find myself riding.  I like the fact that I would have to work very hard to buck myself off of this bad boy.

Aeva's treasure for the weekend.  She kept feeling this bottle with "special sand" and carrying it around with her.  She had no idea that it might be giving off the wrong impression.  The joy of being a completely clueless and worry free child!