Oh Baby.

It's been crazy around here.

I've been crazy.

Cray-CRAY.
(One of the possible side effects of an Rx I'm taking is manic episodes of "unusually grand ideas." Seriously. Hmmmmm.... I had to ask Bill if I've had unusually grand ideas lately. He thinks I'm still under control, thank heavens.)

I don't have time to catch up, but thought I would quickly post the baby pic of Shi I just sent to the school for the Senior Hallway, since it was already on my desktop.

Luckily, Shi likes it, since I sent it on it's way before checking in with her.

I also ran across a few of my faves:

 Shi was the best crusty-giver I'd ever seen.

 And she could do the why-is-everyone-so-darn-happy face like none other.

She totally still makes this face. I can't help smiling about it.

I can't believe she's a senior.

Oh, baby!

Hey, Little Mama!

Today is Britt's birthday. She is 23. 

I can't help calling her Little Mama these days as she prepares for the birth of her first child, a daughter.

We are heading out to UT over Spring Break, and having a little family gathering to celebrate her motherhood:

The actual invites were folded and cut out, and I cut out the oven window so you could see the bun inside. 

In these moments of creative genius I can only give glory to God. Seriously.
...I know that I am nothing; as to my [creative] strength I am weak, therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things... (Alma 26:12)

(I am super excited to see her and all our family on our Spring Break vacay!)

In commemoration of this beautiful day, I thought I would share some pics of Britt from 11 years ago.

Why 11 years ago, you ask?

Because Bill has been diligently working on a family history project of enormity by scanning our pre-digital-era pics (here a little, and there a little), and has recently completed 2003.

As I look through these pictures I am reminded about the passage of time.

How quickly it goes.

How precious it is.

I hope Britt doesn't mind that I share. I know she considers this period of time her "awkward age."

Britt's last Valentines box. Dang cute, I might add.

Britt's 12th Birthday party. We took the girls to a thrift store (an eternity away), let them pick out some amazing outfits, did makeovers, and had a fashion show. Britt was a sweetheart to go along with some of her mamita's bizarre crazy fun party ideas.

Spring Break in UT - obviously quite warm that year in March.

Our first experience with Outdoor Ed. The packing list did not mention a coat (and it had been well-emphasized to have the kids bring ONLY what was on the list), so even though my motherly instincts were telling me to send one, I did as I was asked (packed only what was on the list), and didn't. All remaining Syddall children that went on this adventure in the following years (Lex and Shi) had a coat.

 Matching Easter dresses. Poor Mar had this dress as a hand-me-down for many, many years.

 Britt made a tile in art class to be hung in her elementary school. It was the school's inaugural year, and the idea was to have the 6th graders for years to come each make a tile to hang. I think they did it for a couple of years, but didn't keep the tradition long. Britt's tile, however, remains in the main hall. I would always look for it throughout our many years at FVE following. I've only been in the school twice in the past two years, and never down that hall. 

Maybe I'll have to take a trip over someday, just to look.

Britt's last day of elementary school. Yeah, she cried.

Cousin Sam. I have to put in a 2009 pic of them too, because they are so darn cute:

Halloween.

Britt got a bedroom set for Christmas that year.
I believe it is the self-same bed she and Austin use today (updated a bit).
Now THAT was a good gift.

Every year is important.

Every DAY is important.

Treasure it.

Happy Birthday, beautiful Little Mama!

I love you!

This Week.

I have a few minutes for a super quick update.

But only a few.

One of these days I will spend hours figuring out how to put the Ward History I have spent countless hours on this past week into a slide presentation viewable via a link. I'm so not tech savvy, but I believe in myself. Plus, I feel it has value, considering the considerable hours of my life dedicated to its completion. Plus, it's a history. And that is why I blog.

But I don't have the time for that today.

So here is what's happened in and around the Ward History compilation:

Mar finally got her Kindle Fire,

and was inducted into NJHS.

 (She looks thrilled in this pic because she really wanted to go get some cake before we had to head to the church for youth night following the induction... unfortunately, we were a piece or two too late. I think they had enough cake for about a fourth of the people in attendance. I, of course, didn't mind missing out, but Mar was sorely disappointed.)

 Immediately following the ceremony, we rushed home to grab the stuff I needed for the Laurel activity that evening. We made these fun cookie jars (a Laurel-age-appropriate incorporation of this idea), and talked about how everyone in our class adds their own ingredient or flavor - put them all together, and we make something really amazing. We have such limited time on youth nights (we share with another ward, which makes things very, very tricky) that we ran a little long, but I think the girls benefitted from our sharing and good discussion.

That evening when we all arrived back home around 9:30, Shi found out some great news.

 She had been accepted to BYU. 
Since I knew that Taylor had applied also, I told her give him a call and have him check to see if he had been accepted. We all had our fingers crossed...

He was in too :-)
It was one of those feel-good kind of nights.

The following day I put together cookie jars for the girls that didn't make it to the activity, and the YW Pres. and I delivered them.

My friend Marci brought me these beautiful tulips a few days before my birthday.
She is a sweetheart.

Yesterday we Fast-Sunday-celebrated my birthday.
Which pretty much means that we attended our usual meetings, the girls and I made and ate dinner around 5 (after snapping some fun pics in the waning light of day), and Bill made it home a little past 6.

I continued to work on the Ward History (sick of hearing about it? me too!) and chatted with family until it was time for cake:

 Yeah, we don't skimp on candles.

Yum.

That's it. A quick update.