Happy Birthday Grandma!

Yesterday was the birthday of Link and Lydie's Grandma Doll. We decided there was no reason why we couldn't celebrate Grandma's birthday even if we weren't with her on her big day.

 And how can you celebrate without cake?

  

Lydie Bug helped me make a heart-shaped cake in honor of Grandma which nicely doubled (or tripled, rather) as my midterm exam comfort food and our family night treat for later. When Brad got home, we had our family night lesson and discussed Grandma and Grandpa's service in the Medford Temple and how it helps families be together forever. 

We're very thankful to have so many good examples, like Grandma, in our lives.

 

Last, we called Grandma and ate! (Brad said our parents should have birthdays more often.)

New Houses

Our family recently moved, and of course, while any moving situation is difficult and exhausting (even our seven block exodus), having two kids under two complicates it somewhat. The time and labor intensive process of packing up all your belongs, performing an extra deep cleaning you won't be around to enjoy, and reorganizing everything at a new place, becomes even more stressful. Luckily, Brad and I engaged three survival strategies during our move:

1. Recruit Myrna. Even though my mom stayed with us only a few weeks earlier for Lincoln's birth (before we received the news that we had to move), she traveled back down to help us pack, move, clean, unpack, and watch kids. Her help was immeasurable. I don't know what we would have done without her; she preserved my emotional health in a very real way. Love you Mom!
2. Enlist family for manual labor. The day of the actual move my sister Lisa and her family drove an hour and a half to help out and lend their truck; how great are they? Also my brother Gus and his family came to help even though they were already moving my niece. Gus showed up about 20 minutes before Lisa, and he moved so much in the first load, I was worried there wasn't going to be anything left for the others! (Don't worry though, they still had plenty to do.) They did everything so quickly when it would have taken us hours and hours.
3. Forget about it all for minute. Right before moving day we took advantage of our old neighbors TV box and just played! Brad was the architect and Lydia was the tenant. As the pictures and movie show, it was a success: