Friday, January 30, 2009

Baby's #1!

I had so much fun getting ready for Lucy's birthday. I made the "happy birthday" banner from templates from (who else?) Martha...I saw this same banner on Etsy for $25...and I think mine is much cuter!
Also, the little butterfly templates are on Martha too. I just love them. The girls loved helping me cut out all sorts of butterflies...Sophie said, "It was the best day of her life." Good to know. Wish I was so easily impressed.We also celebrated my Dads birthday and I must say he didn't need very much encouragement to wear the buggy headband. So funny! What a good sport he was!

And of course Lucy LOVED her ladybug cake. She didn't need much encouragment to get in there...she got the idea pretty quickly. I'm so glad we went through all the effort for a fun day. She'll only turn 1 once and we're so glad she's our baby bug!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Just a few Sophie-isms


1. After being caught in her room with the Kirkland size jar of Jelly Belly's by Spencer, she said, "I wasn't eating them...I was just tasting them." Hmmm. I wonder... Survey says:?

2. "Mom, is your stomach fat?" Sophie asked as she poked my stomach. I said, "I don't know. What do you think?" "YES." I said, "What? I've had four kids...it's been stretched out and back four times. Aren't you glad I did that?" Sophie looked unsure and then said, "Yeah. I guess. But not for Spencer."

Monday, January 26, 2009

I LOVE Burt's Baby Bee...


This lotion! Has anyone tried it? I've used it since I had my first baby and just had to give it a HUGE standing ovation after slathering Lucy in it after her bath. Oh my. It makes me want to devour that child! So yummy. Give it a try if you haven't indulged in the Baby Bee Buttermilk Lotion.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Viva Mexico!

So we spent some time with Adam's company in Playa del Carmen, Mexico! We had soooo much fun!

There were a million mexican trinkets to buy...on every corner... and from every native...(at least that's what it felt like). Our hotel was teaming with monkeys, peacocks, swans, turtles, and these little muskrat type things....thank goodness no crocodiles in the hotel! :)

We climbed to the top of the temple in Coba, after riding these 1950's looking bikes through the jungle to get there. (I need to find the accent marks on my keyboard, but I don't know where they are :) Adam raced his friend to the top...I mean after looking at this steep climb, I have to ask, 'really, is that necessary?'"


We went to the local Cenote's (which are underground caverns with fresh water lakes)...Adam always wanted to jump first...and the highest (I'm sensing a trend here...) And I jumped too! Some had weird little blind, black fish swimming around. The underground tunnels go for miles and miles.

As you can see the water was AMAZING...and our favorite archeological site was Tulum...just beautiful! We also went snorkeling and took numerous trips out on the Hobie-Cat.

Here we are enjoying local Mexican fare...and of course the monumental Chichenitza...Adam will have to tell you about that day...A long ride in a van, a torn(?) miniscus=a hobbling Adam, and an nonperscribed percocet=Adam throwing-up in the jungle. Hmmm. It was quite a day. But, we're glad we went. And the Cenote afterwards certainly cheered him up.





Our maid service created animals and such out of our towels...we were always interested in what we would find sitting on our bed after our fun adventures...this was the most unusual. Do you know what it is? We still haven't decided, but the sticker eyes and mouth crack us up.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

The Perfect Nest


So, where would you say the "perfect nest" resides? A tree house, a baseball glove, an old red sweater? Sophie brought home this charming little book by Catherine Friend that she just LOVED...and I loved it too....UNTIL---

This happened:
Sophie decided she wanted to hatch a chicken of her own...right in her own comfortable bed. So (while I'm sure I was doing something very important) she got an egg from the fridge, tucked it safely under her pillow, and went to sleep...so excited to wake-up in the morning to find her very own baby chick.

Whoops...


It seems that's not quite how it works. Poor Soph...she was very disappointed. And I had a hard time being upset with her...because it was SO EXCEPTIONALLY FUNNY!

Who says books don't affect kids? Not me.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Seven Things You Wish You Never Knew

My friend Jennie tagged me a month or so ago, and I've finally decided to do it. And just so I don't forget, I'm tagging AMR, my sister Kim, cousin Klare, Tricia, Crys, Bernice and Ann Dee. So come on ladies...let us peek inside your neurotic little brains.

1. I am my mother. Okay. Not really, but I find myself turning into her bit by bit. WE only buy Knudsen cottage cheese, Smart Balance butter, and Jennie-O Turkey Dogs...We've even been know to show up in the same shirt. "Oh my gosh. That's so cute. Did you get it on sale at Target?" But the most obvious is when I hear myself say things like, "Hey kids, do you want to play a game?" "Yay! A game. Yes, we want to play." "Okay. It's called Clean-Up-The-Living-Room!" "Boo. Nooooooo...." Or when I find myself shaking my fist threateningly at a child or two while I'm on the phone----which we all know translates into, "Please, my dear sweet child. Please be as quiet as a little mouse while I am on the telephone." I've even said, "Hey, do you guys want some cookies?" "Yay! Yes, we want cookies." "Good, go make some!" Wait...I haven't said that yet. But, I feel it coming. I expect the transformation will be complete in a year or two. By the way...love you Mom!

2. I can't sleep in an unmade bed. Well, I guess I CAN. But who would ever want to? It's so uncomfortable. So even if it's in the wee hours of the morning and I'm just dragging myself to bed. Who am I kidding? I mean, if it's like 10:00pm and my bed hasn't been made that day, I still make it, before I go to bed. (This drives Adam crazy.) I've got this whole Princess and the Pea thing going on...right, who is the Princess? I am.

3. I love Rick Springfield. Okay. This obessesion started in fifth grade when I sent the best picture of myself (wearing my Jukebox T-shirt) to him. I don't know what I expected to happen, but he never responded...the jerk. But. I still love him. Especially the song, "Jessie's Girl." A while ago Adam and I had a huge debate about the lyrics. It goes, "I wish that I had Jessie's girl. You know, I feel so dirty when they start talking cute, I wanna tell her that I love her, but the point is rather_____." What? What is the word? I said, " Uhm...shot...no. Uhm...loot. No. What is the word?" Adam said, "Moot." I said, "Right. That's not even a word. You made up that word. Do you think I'm dense?" (Adam has been known to make up a word or two...)
So I bet him like a life-time of foot massages, that the word was NOT moot. I mean, what does that even mean? What kind of lunatic does he take me for? So...we looked it up.

It is...MOOT. And my hands are really tired of rubbing hairy toes. Whoops. Did I say that outloud? By the way, moot means: "debatable; doubtful: a moot point. 2. of little or no practical value or meaning; purely academic." I would say, Adam is moot!

4. I sleep talk. Okay. Adam would say, "Sleep-Freak-Out," but I say SEMANTICS SHEMANTICS right? Among my many sleep issues, I have a weird paranoia about my wedding ring while I am in the deep throws of dreamland. I've been known to make Adam look for my wedding ring at 3am. He searched the car, my closet, my purse...and then finally drew the line when asked to go to the basement...and then he found it, where it ALWAYS is, sitting in my jewelrey box. Now, when I go into wedding-ring-frantic-mode he pats his BYU sweats pocket and says, "I have it. It's right here. Don't you worry about your wedding ring...PLEASE go to sleep." We have our theories about why I do this...and none of them are pretty.

5. I like being first. I guess it comes from being the FIRST child. You know...first born, first to go to kindergarten, first to date, drive, go to Prom. I always had new clothes...never had to deal with hand-me-downs like my 2nd and 3rd born sisters. First to get married, I had the FIRST blessed grandchild. You get the picture. But now...that idea is sort of turning on me.

Now, I'm the first to turn 40...okay, it hasn't happened YET, but it WILL. And I'll be the first. I'm the first to have a child roll their eyes at me and say, "Mom! You're so mean. I hate this family!" Who wants to be the first at that? And now, I'm the first to not be able to fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans. This first thing is WAY over-rated.

6. I have a love hate relationship with the dishwasher. I rinse every dish spotless before I load it into the dishwasher (another Mom thing). Adam says I defeate the purpose of a dishwasher and that the dishes are practically clean before I put them in. He also reminds me that we bought the very fancy dishwasher with the garbage disposal in the bottom so you CAN load things like say, a plate full of spaghetti, into it and not blink an eye. Gross. Sorry Adam, I...just...can't...do...it. Curses.

7. I love to make lists....I mean. Not just like to make lists. But I LOVE to makes lists and the best part of the list making is the crossing things off. That is the BEST part of all. Sometimes, when it's just hard to wander bleary eyed out of bed, I put:
1. Get out of bed. (yay! Check that off)
2. Brush teeth. check. (I'm sooo amazing at getting things done!)
3. Get dressed. Check. (Look how well I manage my valuable time.)
Okay. You get the idea. Lists are just great in every way. I have lists of: vacations I want to take, books I want to read, baby names I like, when to clean what and on what day, what coupons I need to use, scriptures I want to memorize, recipes I want to try, exercises I need to do, books I want to write, people I want to be like...I have a list for every occasion. And, well. I love it.
Grace, the poor child, is just like her mother. She is a list-aholic as well. Here's what her list look like:
1. inventions she wants to create
2. the trampoline room she wants in her not-yet-built-tree-house
3. parties she will have
4. mysteries to solve
5. Pokemon cards she has
6. pets she wants to have (but Mom won't let her.)
7. tricks she'll teach the pets she can't have.
8. science experiments to try...
Actually, her lists are much more interesting than mine.

So, that's it. Now, it's your turn!

Thursday, January 1, 2009

The Night Before Christmas

We spent Christmas Eve with Adam's family...and we got an extremely rare photo of Lucy cuddling with Grandpa Joe. Actually, she looks a little worried, but I'm certain there are more cuddles to come!
And Aunt Alison got Uncle Josh some Batman pjs...just like Noah's. POW! KAZAM! Watch out Santa!

We had some cuddles with Lucy as well, and the girls loved standing right by Grandma as she zipped through about a dozen Christmas Carols. We had so much fun singing. And you can see the kids sporting their Christmas pjs.

We had such a great night... and loved reading about the birth of our Savior with the family. Christmas really could come more than once a year. I wouldn't mind at all.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow and Let it Snow Some More

Like most people in Utah, we got a ton of snow before and during Christmas. Spence went out and TRIED to clear the sidewalk. Adam shoveled the driveway three times in one day...and we decided it might be time to get a snowblower.

I was busy in the house doing something and Sophie asked if she could play in the snow.
"YeeEEEeeeS. Please play in the snow!"
Soon she came in looking for things for her snowman. I thought, "Oh, how cute, Sophie wants to build a little snowman..."
Little did I know it would be taller than she is, and planted right on our driveway. I said, "Sophie, did you build him all by yourself?" She nodded and said, "I've been practicing during recess at school."
I must say, I never built a snowman during recess...but maybe that's because I lived in California. Nice.