A Very Special Weekend

So along with turning eight, Regan had even more reasons to celebrate...as many of you know, age eight is very special in our church...it is when you can finally be baptized and became an official member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  And Regan was so excited and ready for this big step.  She had been preparing for a long time and looking forward to this special event.
I have a dear friend who recently moved away...but before she left she snapped some priceless photos of my Regan girl.

Regan's baptism was especially memorable because she was able to be baptized with her dear cousin, Kayla (Tod's sister's daughter).  These two little girls are just a month apart and have always seemed like twins!  They are very close and so it seemed perfect that they could take this big step together.  We love Kayla and her family so much.

After having a couple of children baptized, I learned to arrive early and do the picture taking before the event!  I'm not sure how everyone else felt, but I was thrilled to get all these special photos taken (love the Iowa corn in the back!)

Right before the service, Grandma presented the girls with their very own sets of scriptures.  They were thrilled!

Finally, it was time for the actual baptism and these girls were bursting with joy and excitement!

It was beautiful...some things to remember about the day...all the wonderful friends who came to support Regan, the way the girls glowed after they were baptized, the beautiful blessings that Tod gave each of them, the special necklace that Regan wore that belonged to my mom- I wore it on my wedding day and Ashton and Jordan each wore it on their baptism day, how Regan kept saying, "I am clean! I am clean!", the overwhelming feeling of love.

My Dad and Pat were not able to attend the baptism since they are currently missionaries in Oklahoma.  Of course, we missed them dearly but knew that we would be seeing them just a few days later.  But they made sure to follow through with one of their baptism traditions of having a quilt made for the grandchild.  The quilts are made by my dear Grandma Mary.  Regan was so happy about her beautiful blanket.  What a treasure!

We are so proud of Regan for her choice to be baptized.  We know that as she makes good choices, she will find much happiness in her life.  We love her so much!

After the baptism, we had a barbecue at the house to celebrate the day.  Of course, I didn't get any pictures because it was so hectic, but it was really fun and enjoyable.  It was a wonderful day!

Regan is Eight!

Last Monday, Regan celebrated her 8th birthday!!!  How did that happen?  One day she was my fussy little blonde haired blue-eyed baby...and now she has grown into this happy, sweet, bubbly gal!

She knows how to celebrate and this girl had some big plans for the day!  First, she headed to Wildcat sports camp with one of her best friends to do some cheer leading and then, it was off to Vacation Bible School.

After a quick lunch, it was time for her birthday party at the pool.  It is almost always hot on Regan's birthday, and she loves water, so a pool party is a perfect fit!  We are so thankful that her friend's family always generously shares their neighborhood pool with us.

 Jordan is happy that several of Regan's friends have sisters her age!

This boy keeps everything interesting!

We had a lot of fun...and Regan felt very special and loved.  She picked out a yummy chocolate chip cookie cake for her party, and it was delicious.

After the party, it was finally time for her to open her family gifts.  Regan was funny this year because she really couldn't think of anything that she was dying to have...except a pair of goggles.  So she got those and a few other things too.  Can't go wrong with legos in this family!

Her very favorite gift was something she has waited a long time for...her own email account!

She loved reading all of the sweet messages that family and friends had sent to her!

We like to take our 8 years olds to a nice dinner out with just Mom and Dad.  Sometimes it is hard to get all the arrangements to fall into place, but once again we had awesome babysitter friends, and we were able to whisk Regan away to Olive Garden for a delicious meal.  This girl is just delightful to be with..especially when there are not siblings to fight with.  She had wonderful manners, and we loved spending time with our girl.  She is interesting to talk with and has lots of ideas and opinions.

Regan is the apple of her daddy's eye...when we found out Luke was a boy, Regan was really disappointed and even cried because she wanted a little sister.  But then Tod took her aside and told her something that really changed her tune...basically it was that now she would ALWAYS be his baby girl and pretty much be spoiled by him forever...that is very true!

It was a great day to celebrate Regan.  I love her so much.  She is almost always happy and easy to get along with.  She does have a stubborn streak that I have never seen matched in any of my other children. She is a hard worker and does her best.  And she is a really good friend to children and people of all ages.
Happy Birthday Regan Roo!

Ashton's Birthday Recap

We have another birthday tomorrow in the Snarr house, so I figure I need to get some pictures posted from Ashton's big day.  I cannot believe that this girl is 12!!!!  Wasn't it just yesterday that I gave birth to my sweet, beautiful first born gal?

Turning 12 is a big deal...it is kind of the beginning of being "grown up."  And at church Ashton is now done with primary and gets to move on to Young Women's.  Here she is the day before her birthday...getting ready to go to primary for the last time! 

After church, we had a birthday meal...lasagna, of course.  Ashton wanted to invite the sister missionaries.  It was really fun to share this time with them.  She chose Angel Food Cake for her dessert...try to ignore the fact that it is leaning to one side!  It tasted delicious!

June 2 dawned a little bit gray and rainy as is often the case on her birthday!  It was just like that on the day she was born 12 years ago.  Of course, we headed right out for breakfast at McDonalds!

(I cannot believe I got a picture where all 5 of them are looking at the camera!)

Then it was time for a couple of birthday surprises...for weeks leading up to her birthday, Ashton kept trying to get us to make plans.  She was getting so frustrated, but I just kept saying that we had it taken care of, and she would have to trust us.

First a new bike......

And some other fun gifts.

Then the big surprise...tickets to the Lindsey Stirling concert...that night in Wisconsin!
She was so excited...but I think she had her suspicions and wasn't completely surprised.  Since Ashton loves violin, she has been wanting to see Lindsey in concert for a long time.

Here we are ready to head to the concert.  We have the most amazing friends ever who selflessly agreed to watch our younger children so that we could enjoy the evening with our older girls.  Amazing.

Concert time!

 This concert was absolutely incredible...we were so entertained and inspired...it was incredible to see Lindsey's talent, and we were equally impressed with the kind of person she seemed to be.  It was an unforgettable evening!

We snapped a few pictures of the Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin.  It is a neat city.

What a birthday celebration!!!!!

So you would think we could call it good after that hoopla, but Ashton is very social, and she really wanted to do something with her friends too.  A couple of days later, we had a brunch complete with cinnamon rolls and a yogurt bar.

I just love Ashton's friends...they are all so unique and so much fun.  She knows them from school and church and sports teams.  They are all special to her.  I really enjoyed having them over.  

Our plans were to be outside but it was really cold, so we had to improvise with some rousing games of spoons as well as signs.

It was a really fun morning and these girls were just a pile of laughs and good times.

 We are so thankful to have this girl in our family.  Yes, she gives us a run for our money at times, but she is also very kind and unselfish.  She is super smart and music and athletic.  She is really good at sharing everything and cares deeply for others and is a wonderful friend.  Happy 12th Birthday Ashton Kim!