The end of March

Last night I was organizing our March picture folder and I realized that I have been holding out on you. I have so many un-posted pictures! And is a picture really a picture if it’s not LOOKED at? On that note, I give you a jumbled photo collage of March at the White house:

Rose wanted her hair to match mine one Sunday.

 

My running buddies.

 

Rose and I constructed a multi-level twisty-turny train track of dreams.

 

That FACE!

 

Sleepover in the castle tent!

THOSE CHEEKS!

 

Sunday night trampoline crazies.

 

Those EYES!

 

Sleeping baby love

Delicious little fuzz-top.

 

I can’t believe it was only last month that Amber slept on her back. In an attempt to get her to sleep longer, I switched her to her tummy a few weeks ago. It kind of helped.

 

Good morning, sunshine!

 

Girls. Love. Rose likes basking in the sunlight. Amber likes watching her.

 

 

We tried the jumper, and Amber was not impressed. We only have door frames in our bedrooms and I rarely spend enough time in a bedroom during the day to make getting the jumper out worthwhile.

Rose has had this same mischievous smile her whole life. See below:

Baby Rose, with that same grin. Am I right?

Amber and I went through a minor sleep crisis in mid-March. Since Jay and Rose slept through the night by 4 months, I thought Amber should too so I read a book and tried a method for two weeks before deciding that Amber is DIFFERENT than her big sibs and my own baby-mommy-time is too short to worry about holding her too much, etc. The method didn’t really help anyways and I didn’t want to go all out with it. So we’re back to square one, and I’m finally ok with it. I think Amber will sleep all night when she’s ready. But for now we see each other 2-4 times each night. Sigh. Also, she likes to sleep face down on her hands. It made me nervous at first, but it’s also kind of funny.

 

She has rolled over three times in her life, tummy to back. She doesn’t do it much.

 

Skinnyhips in Amber’s seat.

 

Best big brother award: Jay. He will brush Rose’s hair if she asks him to.

 

The essence of childhood is in these two pictures: licking spoons and building towers. I think I’m doing something right in there somewhere.

 

Mama-baby-mirror-selfies! Love that bare bum.

Morning time lounging.

Rose cut off her wisps.

 

Love that happy little face popping up when I walk into the room.

Sunshine baby.

Springtime on our street.

There are a whole lot more pictures where these came from, but I’ll stop now.

March was good.

A sunny day in Seattle

Saturday, March 28th, my dear brother Kyle got married! Alivia is beautiful and sweet and fun and we’re so glad to add her to our family. Kyle and Alivia have known each other for at least five years—they met at EFY back in high school! Darling. I want to say CUTE CUTE CUTE, but that makes me sound like a lofty aged big sister, when really I respect them as adults and the strong, wonderful people they are. It was so special to be there and see the glow of their joy and love. It made me nostalgic, and I’m not even out of my twenties yet!

One thing that the sealer said really reminded me of my own temple sealing. He said something about how love grows over time, and if you think you love each other on your wedding day, that love just grows and grows as the years pass and you go through trials and experience the ups and downs of life together. The man who sealed Jeff and I said something similar to that, and it was nice to be reminded of that truth, and to look back on the past eight years of our marriage and see evidence of that truth. There’s something about committing to journeying together, taking on life together, and learning together that multiplies love exponentially. When I compare how I feel about my husband today to how I felt about him the day I married him, it seems like I hardly even liked him or knew him back then. That’s how much our love has grown! The trials and joys that Jeff and I have had in our eight years of marriage have brought us closer to each other and to the Lord like I never could’ve imagined when I was a bride. I can’t wait to see how much farther we come in the next eight years and beyond! I’m so glad Kyle will have that with Alivia too. Why is it so hard to talk about love without sounding cheesy or cliche? I really do mean all of this from the bottom of my heart!

 
I loved seeing the beginning of another beautiful eternal love story in my family. Words can’t describe the joy of sitting in the temple with my family. That’s what it’s all about. Families. Together. Yes, I cried at the wedding, but thankfully I anticipated my tears and brought a pocket plump with tissues.

 

 

You’re next, Mel! Serve that mission already, sister!

Classic Brad.

I think we’re all grown up!

My brother.

 

At the reception.

And I had to do a couple of these:

4/5 of us Brown kids are now married: Em and Jesse (2005), Jeff and Shaina (2006), Brad and Dani (2011), Kyle and Alivia (2015)

The married sibs more recently.

Happy.