Turning 30

Turning 30 isn't all that bad, especially when Beyonce also turns 30 this year.  Seems to lessen the blow.  We had a fun get together with friends and family.  Here are some pics of my "pretty in pink" party.

Although I didn't get any pictures of the adult guests, these are a great representation of how much fun the kids were having.

The BYU Football Cowboy Ball

Although this happened back in May, it still deserves a post because it was absolutely amazing!

The BYU Football team has a charity called "Thursday's Heroes" that connects the BYU players with kids who have special needs or who are experiencing challenging circumstances.  The kids get to go to the Thursday practice, hang out with the players, and get tons of awesome gear.

Holly Mendenhall put togther a fundraiser for the charity.  Due to the fact that Mimi and Pop know the Mendenhalls and they are very generous, we got an invite.  Thanks Mimi and Pop for a wonderful evening!

There was an auction to break some of the players out of jail.  Dinner with that player went to the highest bidder and Mimi and Pop bought JJ Di Luigi, starting running back.

Bruce and Mary Smith, friends of Mimi and Pop, are huge JJ fans.

We all had to get our picture with this guy.

Oh, and then there is the quarterback, Mr. Jake Heaps.

And Cody Hoffman, wide receiver. 

It was so fun to meet all the players, eat some amazing food, and dance to country music which is only allowed on this special occasion.  It got us totally stoked for football season.

Family Fest--April 2011

April turned out to be a family filled month.

Emma came to visit and we were able to meet Caleb Duss.

Graham was especially excited about the new baby.

Then Spencer graduated from BYU

And Tiffany and Eli were able to come!

April (Snow) Showers

Here goes an attempt at bringing my blog up to date...

Our spring was down right dreary.  This is what I awoke to conference morning.

In an attempt to lift my spirits, I turned to crafting.  Here is what my Easter mantle looked like.

I later added this little diddy in place of the Jelly Bean topiary.

Feeling Crafty

It is a bit of an understatement that I have been feeling crafty lately.  After the madness that comes with Christmas, I felt like I had time on my hands to get creative.  Here are some of the things I came up with.

"Bitty Banners" for friends...

and babies

An owl that I saw on etsy and reinterpreted

"Freezer Paper" stenciled shirts, thanks to my crafty friend Darcie

And finally, a bird silhouette that I had been putting off for at least six months. I had covered a square canvas with scrapbook paper and black ribbon, with the intention of printing off a tree and bird silhouette to trace on.  I could not figure out the logistics of a perfect silhouette so I just put it off, and kept putting it off.  One day I decided it was do or die.  I started free-handing and it actually turned out.  The best part was that I found it quite therapeutic.

And the winner is...

Me!  I was the winner of the Oakeson family bracket.  Some of you might be thinking that we don't have a national champion yet, but with the way things have been going this year everyone's bracket is already dead.  As of Saturday I was in the lead, and although I had picked Kansas to win it all (the only no. 1 left), I just needed them to make it into the final four to seal the deal.  I was shocked when I got into the car after church to hear that VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University--I had never heard of them either) was beating them by more than 10 at the half.  After they lost, Erin needed North Carolina to win to take the lead from me.  With $100 on the line, I was rooting for Kentucky to win.  The finals should be very exciting this year and I will be so relaxed during the games after I have a massage and facial with the winnings!

Pretty Party

I had a visiting teaching luncheon last Saturday.  I think Graham's party awakened the sleeping party planner in me.  Looking forward to my next excuse to start planning.