be generous.

happy pi(e) day everyone. i was grateful for the excuse to do some baking today. pies are one of my favorite items to bake now and i can't get enough of them. today smash and i made two banana cream pies. we both had things going on tonight and unfortunately we had to leave the house while our pie filling was cooling. our parents are wonderful however, and they finished assembling the pies for us. my favorite part about baking is sharing what i've baked with others. i wish i could have sent a little pie to everyone. maybe next year. 

only thing missing was the filling...oops.

i wanted to add on to this post a few things that i meant to blog about last weekend but didn't make the time for it. three wonderful women in my life celebrated birthdays last weekend. my amazing, talented and kind mother valerie b whitaker, my caring, sweet, spunky sister melanie johnson, and my wonderful, strong, sincere sister (in-law) anna whitaker. anna and melanie share a birthday and my mom's is a few days before theirs. i was so grateful for the chance we had to celebrate their births and to take a moment to realize how blessed i am to have them in my life. each one has made a huge impact on my life and they are all such great examples. i honestly come from the best family and count my blessings every day for the chance to be a part of it. these three women are some of the most generous people i know. my mom does everything. she helps everyone and never stops worrying about others before herself. anna is constantly doing specific things for everyone around her. we were talking this christmas about me registering for byu and how i didn't know what professors to get and she took time to send me a link to a website via facebook where students have rated their professors. i can think of a dozen other experiences just like this. she's amazing. mel has such a big heart. she too is always thinking of others and what she can do for them. she has lived away from provo for quite a few years now but she called me on our sisters birthday and asked me to put a few things together as a present from her and the rest of us. and she sent me a halloween package while i was in china. she has sent birthday cards to our mom and dad and they have arrived perfectly on time. she didn't come out for christmas because she felt she needed to help out a friend in new york. she always has others on her mind. i'm so grateful for these three and their amazing examples that i can look up to and learn from. i love you three so much! hope you had a fantastic birthday.