What do you do, in the Summertime?

Pick your nose?  That's what Ty is doing!  :)

Despite the weird weather, we are still having a great summer so far...

We planted our garden.

It's hard to see, but we found a nest in one of our hanging flower baskets.  It started out with 4 eggs, but now there are 2 babies and 2 eggs.  We love checking on it every night.  Although I feel really bad because the mommy bird always flies into our tree and yells at us.  

The girls had their pictures taken yesterday, and here are some shots of how cute I did their hair.  :)

We have spent most of our free time riding our bikes!  It has been a blast.  It started out rough.  Meaning, Bronwyn cried the ENTIRE time the first time we rode.  In her defense, she didn't really know what she was doing.  And since she is a very anxious child, I think the whole situation was pretty overwhelming for her.  She gets so much better each time we ride.  Magdalen and I are using a tandem bike, so that means that I do most of the work.  :)  I love having her so close though.  We sing and talk.  She loves it.  She always says, "Mom, it's what we've always wanted!".  

I really want to raise an active family, so I got really excited when I found this awesome baby seat for Ty.  It can go on my bike or Todd's, but Todd usually takes Ty since I already have Magsy.  It is really the only activity that all 5 of us can do together, and we all enjoy it.  Todd has spent alot of time putting bikes together, tightening joints, checking tire pressure, loading the bikes in and out of the van etc. etc. etc.  I worry that one day he won't find it fun enough to do all the work for us!  It was all my idea, and I have totally forced my family into this hobby.  But I think we will stick with it.  :)

Tonight we took our bikes to Todd's parent's neighborhood, so I put my mother in law on camera duty.  :)

Todd's aunt and uncle were visiting, so we totally crashed the party and stayed through dinner.

We all enjoyed some ice cream!

And Ty even got a wagon ride.

Summer: So far, So good!

Mommy-Daughter Trip

The girls and I recently took a mommy-daughter trip to Utah for my step-sister's wedding, and we had so much fun!  Both girls were SO excited to go on an airplane.  We spent the entire flight looking out the window, looking at clouds and mountains.  Bronwyn even turned to me and said "This is the best day of my life!". And that was just in the first hour of our trip!

Monday morning we went to my dad's grave.  I think it was the first time the girls actually understood what we were doing there, which led to some interesting questions from them.

Tuesday morning began at the Provo Temple.  Bronwyn and Magsy were excited to be in the waiting room since they have never been inside the temple before.  :)  It was sweet to see them care so much.

The happy couple!  It was a beautiful ceremony.  They were thrilled to be sealed to eachother.

The reception was held on the top floor of the new Zions Bank building.  It has the most beautiful view!

Bronwyn was so excited to hold the bouquet while the bride and groom cut the cake.

I was pretty ready to hold my baby Ty by the time we got home, but it sure was nice to have a few days off from chasing him around!  I'm sure this was the first of many mommy-daughter outings. 

Dancing Down Memory Lane

The last week of my life has been nostalgic, joyful, wonderful, amazing....  Despite leaving me utterly exhausted, it has been a week to remember.  Last Thursday Hilary flew in for a High School Girls' Weekend.  Being the awesome aunt that she is, she of course found some quality time to hang with the kiddos.

The next day 10, yes I said TEN of our closest friends from high school arrived for two and a half days of girl time.  There aren't even words to describe how much fun we had.  Talking, eating, shopping, talking, talking talking!  My favorite part was a game we played Saturday night.  Everyone submitted questions, and everyone had to answer each question.  It was fascinating to hear everyone's biggest regret, proudest moment, secret to happiness, hopes and dreams.  The game took hours, and I loved every minute of it.

 My amazing husband and mom took my kids to a hotel so that all of us girls could stay together at my house.  Am I spoiled or what?! 

Tonight my girls had their first ballet recital.  They have been very excited about it, but I still worried that it would cause Bronwyn too much anxiety, and that she would end up not dancing.  There were moments throughout the day that I thought she was heading in that direction, but when she got to the recital and saw all the other dancers she was very eager to get up there and dance.  And of course, Magdalen the performer was giddy all day!  They both danced beautifully, and I was so proud of them!  I had my first dance recital right after I finished kindergarten, and it was ballet as well.  If only I was motivated to find that picture, scan it, and post it for your visual enjoyment...  You will have to settle for pics of my little ballerinas!

What we've been up to.

It has been a month since I last posted!  Don't you hate when you get so behind on your blog?  We have had so much going on, I can barely keep up.  Here is a wrap up...

First of all, we spent a week dealing with the stomach flu.  It. Was. Horrible.

Here's Ty, covered in puke, at about midnight.  Gotta love when you walk upstairs to go to bed, and you find a kid sleeping in a pile of vomit.  

Overall the weather has been pretty crappy.  But we managed to find some sunshine and head outdoors.

And when it was just too cold, we entertained ourselves with a day of dress up and make believe.

I was totally spoiled this Mother's Day with a visit from my mom, flowers from the girls, and a new laptop from Todd (along with a day of productivity!). 

I LOVE being a mom. Sure, I complain and get overwhelmed.  But I really am enjoying this stage of my life so much.  My kids crack me up and give my life so much joy and meaning.  Now that the girls are older, I really feel like they are also my friends.  I love going on field trips, and carpooling to ballet class.  I love watching them grow and develop. Isn't it amazing that out of all the moms in the world, most of us feel like the luckiest mom in the world?  

Here I am opening up my laptop.  Small and portable.  Now I have no excuse, I must be productive!

The two most important moms in my life!  Thanks for raising such great kids.   :)

Now for the real reason why I haven't had time to update my blog... (I wonder if anyone will actually read this entire post....)  We have been starting our own business!  More details to come in another post, when there is more to announce.  But it has been of dream of ours for a long time, and it's finally happening!  

My Passion

I have one main passion in my life: FAMILY.

(I also have a passion for Christmas....)

And not just my own family, ALL families.  

I have found that there are 3 main ways I can strengthen families:

1.  Through the gospel

2.  Through music

3.  Through birth

I have also found that any time I do #1, or #3, I always include #2.  

I recently started a new blog, called LDS Music Mama, where I share ideas and pointers about using music more effectively at home and in church callings.  I have already gotten so much great feedback about this blog, and I am excited to share my insights with others.  You can become a follower of the blog or become a fan on Facebook to receive updates on new posts.  I also have it categorized so you can easily navigate to find ideas for certain callings and age groups.  I welcome questions and ideas!  I hope it can be a great resource for many families and people serving in music callings.  Feel free to share this blog with your friends and family, and/or add it to your blog list.  :)

Most of you are probably aware of my doula and childbirth education work.  I now can add that I am a published writer on the topic.  I recently wrote an article for an international doula magazine on the benefits of writing and using lullabies.  Click here to read the article.

Music truly can enhance any experience.  I do not view music the way a typical musician does.  There is so much more than a perfect performance.  My degree in Music Therapy has given me a different viewpoint that I look forward to sharing with you!

Easter and Magsy's Birthday

We spent Easter weekend with my mom and family in Orem, and had a great time!  Ty was a hit, as always.  There are no good pictures or videos of it, but it was the first time he has really put forth an effort with walking.  This is partly due to the fact that he was surrounded by adults, all willing and excited to help him!  He gets so much love and attention when we are with the Hillsteads!   He also got to try his very first chocolate chip cookie.  He is just like me, and can't eat one without getting chocolate all over his face.  :)

Below is a picture of my step sister and her fiance.  I love this picture because they look like they already have 3 kids!

 

If you look closely, behind Todd and the kids you will see snow.  We almost thought it was Christmas when we woke up Easter morning.  :)

For Easter baskets, my kids got these rolling storage bins.  So of course we couldn't resist giving them rides!

After Easter baskets, we threw Magsy an early birthday party.  She loved all of her gifts and kept saying "I've always wanted one of those!".  It was so cute.  Then today Todd and I took her to lunch to celebrate her actual birthday.  I can't believe she is 4 years old!  She is so tiny, and I remember still feeling like she was a baby when Ty was born!  She has grown up so much during this past year.  Here are my top 4 things that I love about Magsy:

1.  Her love of singing, dancing and performing.  It may sound a little self absorbed, but I love seeing so much of myself in her.  :)  She is working so hard in ballet class and is always practicing at home.  She is a ham for a microphone, and just loves the attention she gets for being so darn cute and talented.

2.  Her fatigue:  This also directly relates to me.  I love having a child that likes to sleep!  Magsy will often put herself to bed, meaning I don't have to spend ANY time doing a bedtime ritual with her, or fighting with her about how she needs to sleep.  She can sleep through noise too, which is a major bonus! 

3.  Her willingness to try.  Magsy has a super positive attitude, and will keep trying something over and over until she has reached her desired result.  She is curious and loves learning.

4.  Her affection:  Magsy tells me multiple times a day how much she loves me.  She loves to hug and kiss and snuggle everyone in the family.  She is very loving, and is never afraid to show it!  She makes everyone feel special.

I love you Magsy Bear!  Happy 4th birthday!

So much fun!

Our family has been having so much fun lately. First of all, my kids really enjoy eachother, and it is great to see them getting along so well. Yesterday I tried to spend some quality time with each of the girls, and had a short list of questions to ask them. I asked each of them what makes them happy, and each girl responded with the name of her sister!

Last week my BFF, Emily turned the big 30! She celebrated with a St. Patricks Day Party. We had a blast getting all dressed up, playing games, and eating way too much!

Todd and I were clearly the best dressed couple. :) I LOVE his shirt!

A friend of our's recently started a book club for couples. We had our first meeting this weekend, and it was a blast. We started out with a yummy meal, then discussed the book Freakonomics. We look forward to many more club meetings, and years of friendship!
And for those of you from Sugar City who are wondering who is standing by Todd...
Yes, it is Bryant Peterson. :)

Since our family will be out of town for Easter this year, my inlaws had their Easter Egg hunt last night. As always, it was a ton of fun. All the dads do the hiding while the rest of us try to keep the girls inside so no one peeks.

Here are all the Bigelow grandkids. The two things I love the most about this shot are: 1. Magsy's right leg popped up all cute. 2. Ty screaming his head off!
(Click on the picture to view it larger.) Below you will see Ty much happier though, as he gets some help from Uncle Brett with walking. :)