The Measure of Love

Today I found out how much Brielle loves me...and what it's based upon:

"Mommy, when you don't let me go to the park during the day it makes my love just a tiny, tiny, the tiniest, super tiny, tiny, little, tiny, tiny bit smaller. But don't worry, I love you up to the ceiling. No, I love you all the way up to heaven! But, when you don't let me go to the park it makes my love for you just go out of the place where Jesus lives. My love still goes to the floor of heaven though, just not all the way inside."

I can't imagine how much she would love me if I actually took her to the park!

Dear Birthday Fairies

Dear Birthday Fairies (they exist, right?) -

My birthday is in a couple of weeks and I thought I would get a jump start on my wish list so you could get to work on it. 

1. Please change my husband's orders so he doesn't have to go to Korea in July for 1 year without us.  I would really appreciate if you could change them to the Salt Lake VA hospital.  If you're in a pinch, I guess I would accept Colorado also.

2. Please send one of my family members to visit me.  Since I won't be able to make it to the reunion in May like planned (too many reasons to go in to for you fairies) I won't be able to see anyone until the middle or end of June.  Call me a baby if you must...but that's just far too long to go without family.

3. A maid and chef.  Really I don't think I need to explain this one.  I just don't want to cook and clean any more.

Sincerely Yours,

Camille

The Many Faces of Claire

So, I've noticed a running theme lately when it comes to pictures of Claire.  They are all of her making CRAZY faces!  I started feeling bad and began thinking that all the pictures I post of Addison and Brielle are so cute and dainty, and then the majority of Claire are of her pulling some crazy face!  I was sure I had better pictures of her. 

Upon further inspection I realized that in fact I did not have better pictures of her, so I attempted to do a little better the other morning and get her to give me at least ONE good picture.  Here is a look in to a "photo shoot" with Claire.

We started out pretty good...

Then her "creativity" began to spill out...

This last one is the best we got.  And yes, it is DARLING (because she is the cutest little red head ever!).  However, getting the picture was HARD!  So, this will do for now.  I fear for the poor person who has the job of taking her 3 year old portraits next month!

An Unexpected Change

Something happened today that I really never expected would happen.

In fact I had basically sworn I would never allow it.

A little piece of my heart was ripped out as the process took place, knowing that things would never be the same once this change was completed.

I stayed strong and didn't cry, even though it would have been totally okay and expected.  Although in my fragile emotional state I don't think I could have handled the teasing from Marty if I had allowed the tears to flow freely.

Alas, the photographic evidence of the event:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Yes, due to an unforeseen goof up at the Utah DMV (as in they never sent us our renewal and our stickers expire at the end of this month and when I talked to them they said we'd have to do the renewal through the mail which could take 2 weeks) we decided the easiest route would be to switch to Texas plates. 

The silver lining in this event?  It's only $58 to renew a Texas plate!  Uh, that's a whole lot less than the $130 it normally cost us to renew our Utah one. 

So now instead of being one among MANY with out of state plates here (military personnel don't have to change plates when they move so there are plates from Alaska to Florida and every state in between), we'll be one of the few with out of state plates when we go back to Utah for visits.  I will now be one of those cars that people assume don't know what they're doing because they're from "out of state"...strange. 

At least for now I get to keep my Utah driver's license. 

That is unless the Utah DMV drops the ball on that renewal too!