Eggs and Engagements

i promise its easter and not a photo shoot.

but it may as well be. 

i mean look at all these beautiful people. 

i'm actually not sure why we haven't been contacted by whoever takes the pictures that come in the really expensive frame, when you buy them. 

because 8x10's would be flying off the shelves everywhere and we would be fake family for people all over america.

it may take a couple shots, but you can't rush perfection!

and on a completely unrelated note,

this is CLASSIC Mac these days.

his facial expressions and excitement kills me. 

the easter bunny nailed it, as you can see. 

i mean, a mickey mouse sucker?!

can life get any better!!

well... yes, yes it can, because we also get to add another lovely lady to the family.

my bro austin tricked this awesome girl into joining crazy town on October 11th.

hooray for new sisters!!

i need more girls in my life. 

happy easter!!

I'm Thankful For.....

....So many things!!!

when i was little, i remember saying my prayers at night with my family and then we would go around in a circle and say our "thankful fors" where we could list all the things we were thankful for that day.

So i thought what a better time to list just a few of the things i am thankful for this easter weekend..

*** The atonement ***

and the peace and comfort it brings me, as i learn more and more every day just how

 UNPERFECTED i am. 

because trying to raise a tiny person is an eye opening experience and a daily reminder that i have NO idea what i am doing, but i'm not alone, and even when my kid licks day old crushed cheetos off of the floor, my Heavenly Father is still smiling and cheering me on. 

*** Friends ***

 *** FRIENDS ***

 

 whether they have been in your life for a few years..

 or 20!

Life would not be complete with out them!

***  Running Water! ***

do i really need to elaborate? i think the pictures say enough!

*** Daddy***

i love seeing gabe look at him like he can do anything.

he is so interested in everything his daddy does. 

whenever the phone rings, he says "dada"?

when he hears the garage door go up, he gets this look on his face like..."YES!" 

as he runs to the door to meet him.

and because gabe loves his daddy as much as i do! 

 *** Sunny days ***

when we can play with rocks and dirt and run over bridges and find bugs and pet horses

and explore the new neighborhood that we now call home.

*** Snowy days ***

 When we can stay in our PJ's all day and watch Cars and make cars out of play doh.

and play with toy cars.

(cars are sort of our thing around here)

 

*** Little Miracles ***

like getting your little dude to STAY in bed all night after a battle of whits between

a 32 year old and a 20 month old.

and the fact that most of the time it ends like this...

but being okay with it if it sometimes ends like this!!

(compromise) 

*** Big Miracles ***

like baby Ivy (my brother TJ's little girl)

 her start in the world 7 days ago was a rocky one, 

filled with uncertainty and many, many prayers.

but after a fathers blessing and an MRI

it looks like she is going to be 

perfectly perfect. 

 so no matter what you're thankful for, big or small.

 remember who it was that made it possible. 

april showers.....

we all got umbrellas from the easter bunny!

Fetch, april flew bye before i could even bat an eye {i did not mean to rhyme, i'm just such a poet by nature it slips out, haha}so needless to say i got a little behind on my blogging.  So here is what happened in our lives during December i mean April. i got confused with all the snow.

 i'm not sure if he is going to kiss her or eat her?

great grandma and grandpa wilson!

the easter egg hunt with the felman family is still all about the adults. :) gabe and mia are the only kiddos on my side of the family, and since they are too young to fight for easter eggs the "big kids" still get to have all the fun!!! and i tell you what, we fight and push and run, and punch if needs be to get those eggs.  

my mom and dad hide 75 eggs with quarters and a few even have dollar bills in them. you would think they were filled with 100's the way we scrap and claw!

on arrons side of the family there is now 9 grand kids ranging from 10 months{gabe} to 15 years old {danielle} so "unfortunately" its all about the kids with the echols clan. :o) every year arrons parents pull a roll of yarn, one for each grand kid all over the yard around the house, threw the house, over the house, and at the end you find your basket. this was the first year for gabe so dad had to help him, and even though his sting was only about 20 yards long he still got a grip of goodies!

he is so proud of himself!

i guess i don't need to do a paternity test!

we took gabe swimming for the first time, i figure, he LOVES the bath, he'll love the pool... well, it took him about 10 minutes to warm up to the idea of this new bigger bath tub. and i'm sure he was wondering why he couldn't be naked, because who doesn't love being naked. but then he was all about it....splish splashing away!! he didn't even cry when i dunked him under the water or when i made him practice floating on his back. :) i figure he's got 2 months to be ready for wake boarding season. ;)

so all in all april was more then just snowy!