Pokey Trip and Chloe's 3rd Birthday

Aren't blogs great? It's so fun to go back and look at old posts. Three years ago, I posted this. What a joyful, crazy time that was. And now, three years later, we have this:

 And what a joyful, crazy time we are living now! This picture was taken last weekend in Idaho. We were at Duncan's sister's house and Chloe found this princess dress in her cousin's room. Boy, did she love wearing that thing. You can imagine the resistance, yea, even the tantrum, when it was time to leave. I have to admit, she does look sweet in it.

Yes, we were in Idaho last weekend (Pocatello and Rexburg). We had a nice visit with family, and we celebrated four birthdays (MaMere's, Hannah's, Chloe's and Mine--which isn't until March). And yes, I have many pictures of the occasion. We'll start with the birthday party in Pocatello (a.k.a. Pokey). In the first picture, I think Charlotte is already calculating a plan to get some cake, and you will see how she succeeds.

 I received two Christmas movies that Duncan watched every year growing up. Can't wait to carry on the tradition!

 The next day we went to Rexburg to bring cousins Madelyn and Ian back home to their mom and dad. (We actually rented a Chevy Tahoe so that we could all go in the same car. Fun times!) Oh, the spinning and twirling!

 By Sunday afternoon, we were ready to go home. This is what the girls looked like five minutes into the drive. Ahhh....silence.

 Well, except for Duncan. :)

If you're still reading this post, I'll show you how we celebrated Chloe's birthday the day of. Chloe and I made a butterfly cake. Then we all went to Malawi Pizza in the Provo Riverwoods for dinner. Then hopped across to the Provo Beach Resort (also in the Riverwoods) for a carousel ride, watching the indoor surfing, and playing on the toddler toys underneath the ropes course. You can imagine the resistance, yea, even the tantrum, when it was time to leave. Happy birthday, Chloe! We love you!

Believe You're Pretty

The other day I came across a few pictures of moi and immediately started picking them apart. (Let's face it, close-ups can sometimes be brutal.) I chose one that I thought looked decent and, like I do with all of my photos, opened it in Photoshop. Then I set to work making a few touch-ups on the things about my looks that bother me. (See if you can find the tweaks I made.) Nothing too drastic, mind you; after all, I am one who abhors how the popular media manipulate images and create unrealistic standards of "beauty."

BEFORE

AFTER

 

Then I thought about this blog post that I had read earlier in the day about body image and I felt kind of ashamed. Why am I being hard on myself?  Why am I focusing on aspects of my face that you wouldn't see on a magazine cover? So, I've been thinking a lot about loving myself more, and loving other people more, and not immediately "sizing" people up based on how they look. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to let my body go to pot, but I'm not going to expect too much of myself either. To quote one of my favorite movies: "You see, the French girls would tell you, to believe that you are pretty would make you so" (Wives and Daughters). I think I like that first picture better anyway.