So Long Seegmillers

Once upon a time, we were moving to Santa Cruz. I was terrified. Moving to Provo when I married Robert was easy. There were plenty of my Arizona friends going to BYU plus some extended family. It made the transition easy, almost natural. But coming here, we did not know a single person, and making friends from scratch was something I hadn't done in a LONG time. A few days after we got here we found ourselves at a ward activity and a member of the bishopric introduced us to a family that had moved just days before us to Santa Cruz from Provo, and they had a little girl just a few months younger than Lydia. 

The Seegmillers - We were instant friends, and any worries I had about making friends here in Santa Cruz were out the window in a snap.

Seegmillers on the left

Hannah and I were so alike. Robert and Brandon were so alike. Our girls loved each other. We were family. We've been through thick and thin over the past nearly 3 years, but as often happens in this young family stage of life, Brandon is off the grad school. He's attending med school in Texas. We're so excited for them, but that means we had to say goodbye. :(

I don't like goodbyes.

This was the first time that Lydia has had to say goodbye to a friend when she's been old enough to really get what moving to a different state means. She's had a really hard time with it, and everyday she has had a different reason why we need to go on a trip to see Naomi or that Naomi needs to come back to us. It doesn't help that we drive past their old home almost everyday.

Pictures of the girls a few days before the big move.

Best buds!

And Hannah... oh Hannah! There's so much I could say, but at the same time there are not words. We had each other's backs. We cried together, and we laughed together... A LOT. She is one of my many kindred spirits.

Our goodbye was tearful, and I proceeded to bawl at home for an hour afterward, but I have no doubt we'll see each other again throughout the years to come. We already have some plans in the next few years, and in the meantime there's always the magic of Facebook ;)

We love you Seegmillers!!

“True friends are always together in spirit." - Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables

Lydia's 4th Birthday!!!

Yep, we now have a 4 year old in our midst! So crazy!

After starting the morning off with Lydia's request of donuts, we all headed to the pool.

Then it was back home to open presents.

I have some of the greatest friends. One of my friends from high school sends my kids a card every birthday, and Lydia LOVES cards :)

Let them eat cake!

The next day was supposed to be Lydia's birthday party, but she woke up with a stomach bug. So the party was postponed and she spent her day like this...

Finally the next week we had the party. Lydia requested a My Little Pony party. I did my best to deliver.

Getting "cutie marks" painted on their faces

Equestria Games - Balloon Drop

Musical Chairs - FYI 4 year olds are not old enough to play this game. A few tears were shed

After making pool noodle horses we had snacks and cake

We are so blessed to have Lydia. She is a force to be reckoned with!
Happy birthday sweet Lydia!

Miscellaneous May Memories

A few big events/trips happened in May which I will blog separately, but here is a hodge podge of other random goings on from May.

Both girls wanted to brush/play with my hair at the same time. Robert snagged a picture.

Robert's continued with his color coded tidbits for me. But instead of it being every day, it's just at completely random times I'll find one of every category.

Surprised one of my friends with shooting and yogurt for her birthday :)

Classic :)

I would say, "Don't mess" but it would be more appropriate to say, "If you're a hostage don't ask for my help." I hit the hostage nearly every shot.

Blurry, but you can still tell we had a great time :)

Random fun one night. Cute baby + Silly glasses = Always a grand time 

The girls randomly started hugging, so I snagged a few quick pictures. They're adorable sometimes :)

The Last Day of Joy School
I had the honor of being in charge of the last day of the little Joy School we were doing with a couple other moms. Joy School was such a good thing and blessing for Lydia. In the fall I will be enrolling Mary and Lydia in a co-op preschool. This was the perfect bridge to that.

It's fun to compare the first and the last day side by side. She's grown up so much in the past 9 months!

And the rest of the kiddos. My girls have the cutest friends!

Mary technically wasn't a part of the class but she would participate in the activities whenever I was in charge.

Instagram Revisited - April

4/1/2014 - The wildlife kept distracting the kids from Joy School today. #santacruzlife

4/1/2014 - These girls! The one on the left we have to beg and plead to eat the dinner that has been made (which was another success WOOHOO) And then the one on the right had to be told that she could not have anymore salad until she ate a bite of casserole too. Ate a full helping of casserole and more salad. #sisters #opposites #ilovemykids

4/6/2014 - Little man has finally worked up the neck strength to roll and lift his ginormous head up for extended periods of time. Strongest man in the world ain't got nothin on James! #ilovemykids

4/7/2014 - When I was little I'd spend hours doing the hair of my Treasure Trolls, Barbies, and My Little Pony dolls. This morning, at the request of my girls, I've spent an hour braiding the manes and tails of the girls' Little Pony dolls until the hair-dos were approved. My life has come full circle  #ilovemykids

4/7/2014 - Just got back from Jimmy's 4 month well-check (we're a couple weeks behind). Yes, he is still this pleasant after all his shots. He's holding true to his big size: 28" long (100th percentile) 19lbs 6oz (95th percentile) and a 46cm head circumference (99.91 percentile). In the doctor's words, "Basically, he's the size of most 1 year olds I see." We love our big boy! #ilovemykids

4/10/2014 - "Mom, I look cool and it's time for you to make breakfast." My wake-up call this morning. #ilovemykids

4/10/2014 - There are many of them. Each one is very unique and amazing in their own way. I don't know what my life would be without each and every one of them. I love my siblings! #mysiblingsarethebest #nationalsiblingsday

4/15/2014 - How many Richardsons does it take to vacuum the living room? #ilovemyhubby #ilovemykids

4/16/2014 - Few things make me look at a room and let out a satisfied sigh more than a freshly steam vacuumed carpet. #awww

4/16/2014 - Late night shenanigans the Richardson way ;)

4/18/2014 - The Easter bunny comes a night early to our house. And yes those eggs on the couch are "hidden" #easterfun

4/19/2014 - Two hours after it was posted, I just noticed this lovely picture. I've been hacked by my firstborn. This is a picture of her bedroom wall 

4/19/2014 - Egg coloring = serious business #easterfun

4/19/2014 - Easter Egg Hunt #easterfun

4/21/2014 - I was vacuuming out the van this morning and I turned around to see this. Robert's simple explanation, "We're playing hide and seek." #ilovemyhubby #neveradullmoment

4/22/2014 - Yep. It's basically tradition. #notforspeeding #thistime

4/23/2014 - We got our hairs cut by Auntie Bean. #beansthebest

4/24/2014 - Hangin at Nielsen's after Aubrie's endowment session. Such a great night! #ilovemyfamily #ilovetoseethetemple

4/27/2014 - That moment when you find out the ward you were planning on visiting actually started an hour ago. 61st ward here we come! #lifeonvacation

4/28/2014 - Thank you Arizona. It's been real. It's been fun. It's been really fun. #roadtrippin #5monthsold #4thtriptoarizona #roadtrippinpro

4/28/2014 - Realizing I have a slight obsession with taking pictures of James in his carseat on our trips to Arizona. #roadtrippin #ilovemykids

4/30/2014 - I'm sorry, professor! My son ate my homework! #ilovemykids