Brunch...whether you like it or not!

It's a tradition in our household-no matter what:

Brunch for Mother & Father's Day! 

Luckily for me,

brunch can have some pretty loose interpretations,

and I've finangled chocolate dipped strawberries

and

roasted asparagus into mine.

Samuel, on the other hand, is the complete opposite.

The boy LIVES for breakfast food so naturally he takes full advantage of the opportunity. 

So, per tradition,

this Father Day,

he ate it up!

Everyone had an assignment:

Mom: Brunch

Ava: Confetti Eggs

Iris: Flowers

Bella: Decor & Card

Owen: All of the above plus playing with toys (very, very important).

Gabriel: To be obliviously happy-like he always is.

Dad: Sleep-in and stay-out-of-the-way!

I had a blast in the kitchen...

Ava rocked the eggs...

Confetti Eggs:

Drain them,

clean them,

fill them,

squeeze them!

Iris picked the most beautiful bouquet on the planet...

while Bella holed up in her room creating the decor & card!

Samuel was "surprised"...

...and properly "confettied"!

After church we came home,

ate dinner and ice-cream sundaes,

and just had some great daddy-time.

Samuel,

You are good man.

And a great dad.

Thank you for putting your family first, above all.

I love you.

Very much.

-Me

A "Squeeze Inn" Father's Day

The Squeeze Inn certainly has a reputation,

and as you can see,

now you probably know why!

They opened a new location in Roseville,

making the perfect location for our Father's Day get-together.

I think it's pretty unanimous:

This is a once-in-a-lifetime meal.

Definately NOT something you eat everyday,

much less every week,

month,

or even year!



Frozen yogurt is another story entirely!

And a twirl around The Fountains

with our frozen treats was the perfect way

to end the heavy meal.

Grandpa told stories about his childhood,

including one about a moose!

And Grandma shared her own with Owen too!

Some opted to get wet...



...but most chose to just watch!



Gabriel was exhausted from all the "Father's Day" excitement,
and I was only too happy to scoop him up for some hugs!

Happy Father's Day!

2010 Father & Son Campout

Samuel took the boys-

{I can't believe I can say that: 

I have BOYS!}

-up the hill to our ward's annual Father & Son Camp-out.

It's something we all look forward to,

the girls and I love the alone girly time,

and the men get to be burly

and stomp around in the grass for awhile!

This year Samuel was in charge of the food and he spent the better part of the afternoon mixing pounds and pounds of pancake batter.  Before he left I begged him to take photos and he came through with flying colors.  There are a total of two, yes two, photos which does qualify for my request for photo"S"!

Thanks hon!

They enjoyed beautiful weather,

fire-side skits,

ate a world-class breakfast,

and came home safe and sound!

Until next year...

Catwalk Models & Slicked Back Eyebrows

Yes, it's that special time of year
where fathers escort their daughters to Junction's
most anticipated event of the year...

The Annual Father & Daughter Dance!

 For me, it means an opportunity to 

dive into the kitchen to create something extra special

for the dessert table.

It also means that the mommy-salon is open for business!

  

The girls are all a twitter with the "Night at the Oscars" theme...

  

 ...and unfortunately, they aren't the only ones!

  

 Samuel, 

a.k.a. Catwalk Model/Top Hollywood Actor, 

really hammed it up!

 Nice!

The slicking back of the eyebrows

is always a must on the red carpet...

The girls ate it up though, and love that their dad is silly!

They are so beautiful!  

How is it that they are growing right before my eyes, 

and still I can't keep up with all the changes that are taking place?

Samuel, ever the proud father.

  

 Iris, our 4-year old, was such a good sport.  She knows full well that she can't attend until next year, but she dressed up just the same, and was delighted to see her sisters off for their special evening.

  

 In addition to my motherly duties as baker, salon stylist, and photographer...

  

...I also chauffeured!

  

 Sadly, moms are NOT allowed inside, so Samuel was kind enough to take photos for me. 

  

 I am so grateful they have this time together.

 

It truly is a magical, magical night!

Happy Father's Day!

This is so late, but I wanted to pause and express my gratitude for my wonderful husband. He is a good man who loves his family with all his heart. I am grateful for his example and appreciate what a wonderful father he is to our five beautiful children.

Since we had only been home a few days from the hospital, we celebrated quietly at home. The kids surprised Samuel with some of his favorite things including Cheese Whiz (I normally do not allow that product in our house!) and Plums!

With the girl's help, we prepared a family-style lunch-no cooking necessary (oops-except for the fruit tart)!

The kids and I attempted to dye some carnations blue...

...it didn't work but we had fun anyway!

Finally Gabriel joined the party!

Samuel was surprised with his gift...

...a pressure washer!

And of course the next day he was out in force trying it out!

Happy Father's Day!