artists

Rylee and Liesel starting their works of art. 

Liesel (completely unprompted) decided that her painting was a jungle. Rylee decided hers would be a garden. I totally see it. 

Some of my favorite photos of Hannah ever. I love love love these. 

Liesel wanted to paint the back and the sides and hannah wanted to paint the pallet (and herself). 

Love those lashes// and I love this profile shot. 

I've had art supplies sitting in my closet for over a year now. Canvas that I wanted to paint but never got around to, acrylic paints, brayers and ink paste. I finally decided I should just let the girls go for it. Our sheet had just torn a massive hole that morning and it was just one more reason. Heidi and I try to do preschool for the girls sometimes and I decided to teach one on art. Let me tell you, they were a little creeped out by Van Gogh when I showed his self portrait, but were a little more receptive to his vases of sunflowers and fields of irises. We talked about covering the whole canvas and showed them how to mix the primary colors to get other colors. I think they absorbed maybe 3% of the lesson. Then we let them get to work. The results were pretty stunning. Hannah mostly tried to drink the water, but once she discovered painting the sheet after they were done, I couldn't get her to budge. She loved it. Crazy yet fun afternoon at the Needles with Rylee & Heidi. 

my life has a soundtrack.

I recently went on an organization spree in the house. In the process, I spent much to much time reading the notes and letters that Brian and I had written to each other while dating and engaged and married. I found one picture that Brian had drawn while we were engaged: the teton mountain range, a stick-figure wearing a ranger hat, another with long hair and an undisclosed number of stick children next to us. A cabin. Fir trees. The only words were: The Goal. 

Nicki recently sent me a link to this song

With all of it's failings, I do love the National Park Service. But way more than that, I love the National Parks. I've lived in them for 6 years. For the next month, if you buy this song on iTunes, 100% of the proceeds go to the National Park Conservation Association. I'm not sure if it's because I spent my childhood vacationing there, my college-years snowboarding there, my summers working there or spent 3 years living in a little cabin there, but I do believe the Tetons are magic. I will always love it there. 

And bonus: these guys are BYU students!

sisters

I love my girls. I love that they are actually starting to play together. Want to know the sweetest thing ever? Watching Hannah come and rub Liesel's back after she got an ow-ie this week.