My beloved little sister, Kathleen, FINALLY came home from her mission at the end of March. I've had butterflies in my stomach for the past few months before her arrival in anticipation and excitement. It was a very looong 18 months! But while I missed her like crazy, I am SO happy she went and proud of her service and dedication. She is such an example to me and to all of us.

Me, Malinda, James, Alex, and the kids kept it a secret that we were going to fly out for the homecoming. We all waited with huge smiles at the beautiful and small Santa Barbara airport and watched her plane land right in front of us. Let's just say it was a much better experience than waiting at the usual LAX!

We were all on pins and needles. Not just from excitement, but also because my Dad and Alex almost missed her arrival due to a late dentist appointment. And Max and I almost missed out due to a HUGE diaper blow-out in the airport parking lot. But we all miraculously made it in just the nick of time!

 

Sydney could play in the bath all day, every day. It's no wonder one of her favorite stories is Little Mermaid right now, because I think pretty soon she'll be growing some fins, too.  

I need to figure out how to rid her of her soap-addiction. I find her playing in the bathroom sink, kitchen sink, and every bathtub in the house, mixing soapy bubbles in containers, adding hand towels and anything she can find to her "soup"...and then she tries to eat the bubbles if she thinks I'm not looking. The plus side is that she asks to do the dishes almost every day (which, at this point is more of a task for me as I'm wiping up after her, but I'm thinking in a couple years this'll pay off). :)

Yesterday I had my second wedding expo at Thanksgiving Point, and it was so much fun. I love prepping for shows with designing new marketing materials, more albums, prints, canvases, etc. Tommy plays a huge role in the behind-the-scenes. He helps design the booth and does all all the set up and take down. He couldn't run the booth with me this time, as he was juggling Sydney and Max all day, and running back and forth for Max's feedings. It all went smoothly, and we were so happy with the turnout. Here's a snapshot of the new-and-improved booth with bigger prints and everything. A HUGE thanks to Tommy for all his hard work!!

Tonight my little brother performed three of his compositions at a show at BYU. He opened up the night, and was AMAZING! I am so so proud of him. Every song he comes up with is pure talent. I used to love to compose music when I was a teenager and young adult. It was so therapeutic, and I really miss it. I'm so glad Alex continues to pursue his love of music. This guy is going places.

For some reason Blogger isn't letting me upload the video. But Alex opened up with a shout-out to Sydney - a song he composed for her when she was just a few months old. It's always been my favorite of his. After the show I asked Sydney what she thought of Alex performing a song just for her. She said, "August (that's what she calls him) too loud! My ears too broken!"