Maryn
Thank you for your kind words for Maryn. It's nice for her to feel supported and loved when much of the time, she is feeling very lonely. Maryn had a big end of the year assignment for 4th grade last week. It was a country report. She chose England. I think I chose England as a kid too. It's nice to know she is aware of her "roots"! LOL!! Her report went great, so she said and I think she is relieved that 4th grade is finally, almost done. She also informed us that she came in first place for the Elementary A.R. reading program in school. That means she accumulated more A.R. points than even 5th and 6th graders in her school. She finished with 500 points, which is pretty darn good. She will be receiving a few prizes, as well as attending a party, but the best prize of all will be setting the new record for elementary. If you have any reading suggestions for her, let us know...I know she would love it!!
Avery
Avery has been growing her hair out this year. She literally hasn't had a haircut since the beginning of school I think. Maybe a trim around Christmastime, but she wants it Loooong! Recently she has started experimenting with pony-tails. Mostly when she is going off to softball practice, but also at bedtime. After her shower the other night I offered to braid her hair so that it would dry with cool, wavy curls. She loved that. Tonight she showed me a "bun". She tells us in her funky, hip-hop way that she "has some hair-do skillz...uh-huh...oh-yeah", while she is breaking it down in the family room...her big, blonde "bun" bopping behind her! She cracks me up.
Parker
It seems like a lot of my memories of Parker lately involve something new she is saying. I hate to repeat this again, but I can't help it. I promise to make it short and sweet. One of her first audible phrases came last week, "don't tell me no!" I think Mark and I laughed for hours after this...and still laugh whenever anybody says it.
After pulling out all the baby bins to prep for the garage sale, I was reminded of how quickly Parker's first year has gone by. It literally feels like it was yesterday, but then when I look at her she seems like such a big girl. It's hard to reconcile. It went so fast. I wish she was still little enough to fit in a bouncy chair, little enough to bathe in the ducky baby bath, little enough to wrap up in a receiving blanket like a burrito baby, and hear her make those sweet little sucking sounds of contentment. I still can't believe that part is past now. I can't believe that little baby is now the shrieking, giggling, running, ticklish, silly, talkative toddler that is dominating our household. If I haven't said it enough before friends, it goes by so quickly. Enjoy every moment while it lasts.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
In Memory on this Memorial Day
The quote behind them on the mantle reads:
"In all of living, have much joy and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured."
President Gordon B. Hinkley
Garage Sale Bust
This was me at the beginning of my garage sale on Friday...all geared up for selling off my junk and making some sweet moolah to spend on our vacation in July; or updating our kitchen, getting me some highlights, or a spa pedicure...you know the options were endless.
I must say I rocked it with my organizational skillz. My garage sale looked pretty. Mark told me I was made for this kinda stuff. LOL!! I took the time to organize my items, price them, and Mark cleaned the garage out so everything was looking spic and span. I can't stand when the garage is dirty, junk is just dumped on a table, or worse on a blanket on the lawn...I hate when garage salers do that. That is poor garage sale etiquette...if there is such a thing! LOL!! I know what I appreciate when I am garage sale-ing, and I tried to remember that when I was prepping.
Friday was a gorgeous day. Weather was conducive to sale-ing it up!! Ha ha!! I actually was enjoying just sitting out in the garage, listening to my new Ipod, and chatting up my customers. We met neighbors and fellow Tonicans we'd never met before, and that part was actually kinda cool. It's amazing how people come out of the woodwork for a garage sale!! I did pretty well on Friday...we sold about $100 total. Not too shabby. I've done better in the past, but it was a weekday and the beginning of a holiday weekend.
This was me on Saturday a few hours into our day. It was a completely different story. Wah, wah, wah...you know the sound that you make when you have a big, fat, let-down. That was it. We had a few customers, but no big sales. We were hoping to unload our riding lawn mower, our a/c units, baby items, etc. We sold bits and pieces and only made $20 in a matter of 4 hours. It sucked. So we shut down early, and I cried a little at the thought of having to bag and box everything back up. I was feeling so liberated from my hoard, and the weight of returning that junk to my basement about gave me a panic attack.
But with the help of my trusty team, we got through it. We bagged up junk to go to Goodwill, and junk to go back downstairs, and we got it done. We've just got 1 load left to donate and we should be done. My family were troopers. Mark was a huge help, and I need to thank him publicly for all of his hard work and the biting of his tongue in many a sticky situation. (Me + garage sale anxiety = crazy town!) I am sure you know of what I speak, LOL!! Maryn and Avery set up a beverage stand hoping to make some sweet moolah themselves...I think they made 50 cents.
Parker only sustained one casualty to her eyelid and chin. She was obsessed with crawling up and down the front porch steps...you can imagine what happened next.
Lessons learned?
1. Illinois Valley garage sales PALE in comparison to Idaho garage sales. NOBODY wants baby stuff here. They are content with their 2 child families, and not populated with the breeding Mormon baby machines that is Idaho...gotta love that Gem State!! When I had my garage sale in Twin Falls, I made $900 and most of it was baby stuff. Nuff said.
2. Having a garage sale over a holiday weekend is not a good idea. This was the case more with Saturday than with Friday I think.
3. Having a garage sale in the middle of nowhere in not a good idea...we did as well as we could with our advertising, but it still wasn't enough. IF we do this again, it will be on the same weekend as the Tonica town-wide garage sales.
4. Weather has to be optimal for garage sales...we had thunderstorm warnings looming over our heads on Saturday...we actually closed up just in time. Bad weather is bad for business.
We definitely learned from our experience, it wasn't a total loss, but I have to admit I'm not too crazy about wanting to do it again any time soon. A lot of work, a lot of stress/anxiety, and not a whole lot of pay-off. Oh well. It won't stop me from going garage sale-ing. I will always love that part of this crazy bizness!!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Memory Monday
What can I say? Another day late. Things are crazy here. We are having a garage sale this weekend, and it's the last 2 crazy weeks of school. Nuff said.
Maryn
Maryn is such a softy when it comes to bullying. As many of you know she has had a rough couple years since we moved here...mostly feeling accepted and being able to make friends. She hasn't been the victim of intense bullying, but she has definitely learned what it feels like to be isolated and picked on for being different. It's not cool. As a result, she is passionate about sticking up for kids who are being bullied. There are a couple boys in her class who have had a rough time fitting into the mold in their classroom. One in particular this year has been the target for merciless teasing, picking on, and bullying. And this poor little boy is emotional about it, often crying when he can't take it anymore. Maryn has run to his side to rescue him on multiple occassions, standing up to groups of boys who are aggressively teasing him. She sometimes gets herself into sticky situations as a result, and finds that instead of stopping the behavior, the boys sometimes turn it onto her. She has had to figure out how to defend her friends without getting involved in quarrels that are not her business. We've had lots of talks with her about it over the year, and during the last one Mark told her how proud he was of her and how admirable it is that she is such a good friend and how sticking up for people shows courage and integrity. I hope it doesn't sound braggy, but we are proud of the strong girl she is becoming.
Avery
As I mentioned earlier, I have been getting ready for a garage sale this weekend. I've been going through closets, cabinets, drawers, etc. The other day, I did the toy closet. I pulled out the bucket with the girl's LeapPads. Maryn had the pink one, and Avery had the blue one. I got ready to add the blue one to my pile figuring that Parker could use the pink one in the next few years. I turn to ask Avery if this is okay. She insists on saving it, she might decide to play with it at the same time that Maryn or Parker wants to. Even though Avery doesn't really play with toys anymore, I know she is just as sentimental as I am. However, later when I came across some division flashcards, I ask her, "will you be learning division next year? maybe we should save these to work on over the summer..." She insists that she's way past division and definitely doesn't need any flashcards. Hmmmm...selective sentimentality maybe?
Parker
On the way to Church, we pass a lot of cows...I think we pass about 4 or 5 dairies actually. Parker knows it too. She waits for it. As a matter of fact, when we turned right onto the road we take to Church the other day, she perked up immediately and said "moo!!" Is it possible she recognized the road that the cows are on already?!? The funny part is that every animal now says moo. We pass some horses on the way to the grocery store and she says, "moo!!" When we see doggies, she says, "moo!" What's even funnier is that she gets it...the fact that she's being silly and messing with us. She has that look in her eye. It's pretty hilarious.
Maryn
Maryn is such a softy when it comes to bullying. As many of you know she has had a rough couple years since we moved here...mostly feeling accepted and being able to make friends. She hasn't been the victim of intense bullying, but she has definitely learned what it feels like to be isolated and picked on for being different. It's not cool. As a result, she is passionate about sticking up for kids who are being bullied. There are a couple boys in her class who have had a rough time fitting into the mold in their classroom. One in particular this year has been the target for merciless teasing, picking on, and bullying. And this poor little boy is emotional about it, often crying when he can't take it anymore. Maryn has run to his side to rescue him on multiple occassions, standing up to groups of boys who are aggressively teasing him. She sometimes gets herself into sticky situations as a result, and finds that instead of stopping the behavior, the boys sometimes turn it onto her. She has had to figure out how to defend her friends without getting involved in quarrels that are not her business. We've had lots of talks with her about it over the year, and during the last one Mark told her how proud he was of her and how admirable it is that she is such a good friend and how sticking up for people shows courage and integrity. I hope it doesn't sound braggy, but we are proud of the strong girl she is becoming.
Avery
As I mentioned earlier, I have been getting ready for a garage sale this weekend. I've been going through closets, cabinets, drawers, etc. The other day, I did the toy closet. I pulled out the bucket with the girl's LeapPads. Maryn had the pink one, and Avery had the blue one. I got ready to add the blue one to my pile figuring that Parker could use the pink one in the next few years. I turn to ask Avery if this is okay. She insists on saving it, she might decide to play with it at the same time that Maryn or Parker wants to. Even though Avery doesn't really play with toys anymore, I know she is just as sentimental as I am. However, later when I came across some division flashcards, I ask her, "will you be learning division next year? maybe we should save these to work on over the summer..." She insists that she's way past division and definitely doesn't need any flashcards. Hmmmm...selective sentimentality maybe?
Parker
On the way to Church, we pass a lot of cows...I think we pass about 4 or 5 dairies actually. Parker knows it too. She waits for it. As a matter of fact, when we turned right onto the road we take to Church the other day, she perked up immediately and said "moo!!" Is it possible she recognized the road that the cows are on already?!? The funny part is that every animal now says moo. We pass some horses on the way to the grocery store and she says, "moo!!" When we see doggies, she says, "moo!" What's even funnier is that she gets it...the fact that she's being silly and messing with us. She has that look in her eye. It's pretty hilarious.
It's like bud-duh...
The color is called "melted butter", do you like it? Anyway, painting over the yucky paneling in the family room is finally done, and I'm really pleased with it. At first glance, it's kind of bright, but after a minute I appreciate the pop of color it brings to the room and the fact that we are breaking out of our tan bubble.
Thanks to Mark for his painting skills. (We all know how much Mark loves painting.) It was a tricky project and I'm thankful it's done.
Next painting project will be the sun-room and stairway down into the basement...I hope. Mark only consents to paint when the sun and moon align in the seventh house. Cross your fingers for me.
Memory Monday (a day late)
Computer drama again...this time Hughesnet sent us a new modem so hopefully that tides us over until the next fallout. In this day and age when appliances and vehicles are built to last a lifetime, why is the average lifespan of a computer only 5-7 years and sometimes not even that?!? Sheesh!! Anyway, that's why my memory post is tardy. I did write it yesterday though, if that counts for anything.
MarynAvery
Last night we watched a DVD that the girls made at the Compuware Child Development Center in 2006. It was called, “A Day at the Zoo”. Each of the rooms in the center represented some kind of animal, and the Director went on a tour of each room. Some of the infant rooms were butterflies, peacocks, and elephants. Some of the toddler rooms were monkeys, bumblebees, and zebras. The preschool rooms included seals, snakes, and the girls’ room (Preschool 1) were gorillas. The girls dressed up all in black and they had painted masks on paper plates of a gorilla face. We couldn’t believe how little they were!! Avery was around 3 ½, and Maryn was around 5. This was back in the day when Maryn was actually taller than Ave, and looked like the bigger sister. She was much more animated, hopping around like a gorilla; while Avery stood back, covering her face with her mask the whole time. All you could see was her white blonde hair poking out from the side a little bit. Avery was wearing black overalls…it reminded me how much I love overalls on little kids. I think they are so cute on toddlers for some reason.
Anyway, it brought back a flood of memories for me last night. I remembered the days at the CDC like they were yesterday. The days of waking up at the crack of dawn, getting myself ready, getting the girls ready, commuting into the city, riding the glass elevators up to the 2nd floor, dropping them off in Preschool 1, each of them with their little backpacks filled with their princess blankey and pillow for naptime. They would cling to me, and cry and cry for me not to leave. It was an issue every morning. Eventually they got over it. But it was soooo hard. They were so little, they didn’t understand. But by the end of the day, they were beat; after having played with their friends all day long inside, and outside on the playdeck, the gross motor rooms, and the occasional field trip. They always fell asleep on the car ride home, which meant they were never tired at bedtime. They got sick all the time back then…because of all the buggy germs that a daycare brings…remember when Maryn got lice?!? Those were some seriously trying times for me.
They don’t remember all of that, but I do. While we were watching the DVD, they had happy memories. They recognized many of their best friends, their favorite teachers, the play deck where they would splash and play in the summer time!! I was so happy to see that. It was reassuring knowing that this period of their lives isn’t something they look back on with sadness, when Mom had to work all the time, and life was hurried, confusing, and chaotic. Avery actually asked me why there wasn’t something like this around here they could go to after school. Ha!! It reminds me of the old saying that kids are more resilient than we give them credit for. I am believing that more and more these days.
Parker
She is cracking me up lately with her little toddler speak. I know she is my baby after 7 years, and I treat and see her differently than I probably did with the big girls, but the way Parker says “no” is so adorable!! Am I a total pushover or what?!? LOL!! It’s so cute to see her assert herself in certain situations. I can’t help it, it just makes me smile. The other cute thing is how she has classified her foods, there are 4 food groups:
1. Crackers (ca-ca; pretty much all she ever wants to eat anymore.)
2. Cookies/Candy (cook/canee; also pretty much all she wants to eat anymore.)
3. Ba-ba (which is both her bottle and her sippy cup; she has discovered that she can get a full tummy via this route instead of eating actual food now. Aye, yi, yi...I think I just saw our diaper bill go up.)
4. Soup! (Anything that is eaten with a spoon or a fork is now called Soup! And she doesn’t just say soup, she says “ss—ewe-p”. It is the funniest thing we have ever heard. This is a nifty little trick we use to get her to eat food now...we call everything soup and give her a fork to eat with...it's been working so far!)
What would we do without this constant comedic relief? She continues to call Maryn and Avery “ya-ya”. And she continues to say that doggies say “moo”. I think she is messing with all of us.
MarynAvery
Last night we watched a DVD that the girls made at the Compuware Child Development Center in 2006. It was called, “A Day at the Zoo”. Each of the rooms in the center represented some kind of animal, and the Director went on a tour of each room. Some of the infant rooms were butterflies, peacocks, and elephants. Some of the toddler rooms were monkeys, bumblebees, and zebras. The preschool rooms included seals, snakes, and the girls’ room (Preschool 1) were gorillas. The girls dressed up all in black and they had painted masks on paper plates of a gorilla face. We couldn’t believe how little they were!! Avery was around 3 ½, and Maryn was around 5. This was back in the day when Maryn was actually taller than Ave, and looked like the bigger sister. She was much more animated, hopping around like a gorilla; while Avery stood back, covering her face with her mask the whole time. All you could see was her white blonde hair poking out from the side a little bit. Avery was wearing black overalls…it reminded me how much I love overalls on little kids. I think they are so cute on toddlers for some reason.
Anyway, it brought back a flood of memories for me last night. I remembered the days at the CDC like they were yesterday. The days of waking up at the crack of dawn, getting myself ready, getting the girls ready, commuting into the city, riding the glass elevators up to the 2nd floor, dropping them off in Preschool 1, each of them with their little backpacks filled with their princess blankey and pillow for naptime. They would cling to me, and cry and cry for me not to leave. It was an issue every morning. Eventually they got over it. But it was soooo hard. They were so little, they didn’t understand. But by the end of the day, they were beat; after having played with their friends all day long inside, and outside on the playdeck, the gross motor rooms, and the occasional field trip. They always fell asleep on the car ride home, which meant they were never tired at bedtime. They got sick all the time back then…because of all the buggy germs that a daycare brings…remember when Maryn got lice?!? Those were some seriously trying times for me.
They don’t remember all of that, but I do. While we were watching the DVD, they had happy memories. They recognized many of their best friends, their favorite teachers, the play deck where they would splash and play in the summer time!! I was so happy to see that. It was reassuring knowing that this period of their lives isn’t something they look back on with sadness, when Mom had to work all the time, and life was hurried, confusing, and chaotic. Avery actually asked me why there wasn’t something like this around here they could go to after school. Ha!! It reminds me of the old saying that kids are more resilient than we give them credit for. I am believing that more and more these days.
Parker
She is cracking me up lately with her little toddler speak. I know she is my baby after 7 years, and I treat and see her differently than I probably did with the big girls, but the way Parker says “no” is so adorable!! Am I a total pushover or what?!? LOL!! It’s so cute to see her assert herself in certain situations. I can’t help it, it just makes me smile. The other cute thing is how she has classified her foods, there are 4 food groups:
1. Crackers (ca-ca; pretty much all she ever wants to eat anymore.)
2. Cookies/Candy (cook/canee; also pretty much all she wants to eat anymore.)
3. Ba-ba (which is both her bottle and her sippy cup; she has discovered that she can get a full tummy via this route instead of eating actual food now. Aye, yi, yi...I think I just saw our diaper bill go up.)
4. Soup! (Anything that is eaten with a spoon or a fork is now called Soup! And she doesn’t just say soup, she says “ss—ewe-p”. It is the funniest thing we have ever heard. This is a nifty little trick we use to get her to eat food now...we call everything soup and give her a fork to eat with...it's been working so far!)
What would we do without this constant comedic relief? She continues to call Maryn and Avery “ya-ya”. And she continues to say that doggies say “moo”. I think she is messing with all of us.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Life is a SHOW!!
The girls just completed another year of singing in our local youth choir. They had their Spring concert last weekend. Because of low enrollment, they only had 1 choir, instead of two. The concert was only 40 minutes. Sweet! I would post a number they sang, but Blogger and I don't see eye to eye on posting videos right now...as in I don't have a month to sit and wait for it to load.
Also this past week was the 1st Annual Tonica Grade School Talent Show. I don't know if I mentioned this already. They both really wanted to be involved, but couldn't think of anything to do. They finally came up with a comedic skit with another one of their friends. It was cute, and something different. The audience laughed, and I think they felt good about themselves when all was said and done. Sadly, I didn't take any pictures. For some insane reason we took Parker with us, and you can imagine what resulted. It was like tag-teaming an octopus.
Anyway, I'm impressed that they both feel confident being in front of an audience. Maryn loved being in Choir again this year, but I don't know that Avery will want to do it again. One thing is for certain, they definitely have enough "ham" to go with their "cheese"...they are two very dramatic, funny girls and we love them!!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Memory Monday
I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!! Mine was great!! As a matter of fact, I got so wrapped up in celebrating, I forgot to call my own sweet Mother!! I made it up to her by talking for almost 2 hours this morning on the phone...for those of you who know how much I love talking on the phone, I think that was a pretty sweet gesture. ;-)
First off, my sweet girls treated me to the royal treatment yesterday. After a hike in the canyon with the family; they massaged my feet with lotion, gave me a head and shoulder rub, brought me snacks, propped my feet on pillows, and turned on my favorite show. Avery actually had a pen and notebook to take any requests I might have at any moment. At the end of the day, after we said prayers she actually said, "I don't want to go to bed, I want to stay up with Mom all night long." She is such a sweetheart. I appreciate everything the girls and Mark did for me yesterday. They definitely made sure that my day/weekend was special and filled with things that I love. I appreciate all of them.
Maryn
This past week I made a dish for dinner that involved tortellini, peas, and bacon. Maryn was so excited about this dinner for some reason, and just went on and on about how great it smelled and tasted, and that next to cheeseburgers and mac-n-cheese, this was definitely one of her favorite dinners of ALL TIME!!
Avery
About an hour after I put the girls to bed one night, I figured they were asleep, so I popped a bag of popcorn and sat down to watch a show. As if the smell of the popcorn woke her into a sleep-induced mission, she stumbled into the tv room, eyes half-closed, grabbed a handful of popcorn, and turned and walked back to her bedroom. I sat there stunned...did that really just happen? I got up and went into her room, she was back in her bed, and when I asked her what just happened she said she was hungry, and fell back asleep. I seriously don't think she had any recollection of it the next morning at all. It cracked me up. But it also made me think that she's been cursed with the Day family proclivity for sleep walking/talking/and all manner of night-time antics. AGH!!
Parker
Our darling little 20-month old baby has finally developed a sweet tooth. It's probably always been there, but I've been super careful about not starting her too early. I really haven't given her a lot of processed sugar yet, and quite frankly she hasn't asked and why push the issue?!? ANY-HOO, Easter time has provided her with a new, tantalizing opportunity of expanding her palette. She has finally taken quite an interest in the chocolate eggs and jelly beans laying around the house. On one particular day I went down into the basement to switch the laundry. When I came back upstairs she had 3 chocolate eggs in her mouth, foil and all. When she saw me, I told her no! no! no!. She dropped the plastic egg and ran full speed to her room. It was the cutest/naughtiest thing I have ever seen. By the time I got to her she looked like the hyper-hypo; chocolate drool oozing out the sides of her mouth. I fished them out of her mouth, to which she was extremely upset by. After that, she has insisted on having "can-ee"!! "Can-ee, pees, Mommy, can-ee!!" AGH! What have we started here? One night this past week, we gave her a cookie and a chocolate egg after dinner. You should have seen her about 30 minutes later. She had stripped her clothes off, and was biting into a plastic ball, and growling. I'm not even kidding. We were all cracking up. She is seriously the cutest, funniest baby I know...although I know I'm biased. :-)
First off, my sweet girls treated me to the royal treatment yesterday. After a hike in the canyon with the family; they massaged my feet with lotion, gave me a head and shoulder rub, brought me snacks, propped my feet on pillows, and turned on my favorite show. Avery actually had a pen and notebook to take any requests I might have at any moment. At the end of the day, after we said prayers she actually said, "I don't want to go to bed, I want to stay up with Mom all night long." She is such a sweetheart. I appreciate everything the girls and Mark did for me yesterday. They definitely made sure that my day/weekend was special and filled with things that I love. I appreciate all of them.
Maryn
This past week I made a dish for dinner that involved tortellini, peas, and bacon. Maryn was so excited about this dinner for some reason, and just went on and on about how great it smelled and tasted, and that next to cheeseburgers and mac-n-cheese, this was definitely one of her favorite dinners of ALL TIME!!
Avery
About an hour after I put the girls to bed one night, I figured they were asleep, so I popped a bag of popcorn and sat down to watch a show. As if the smell of the popcorn woke her into a sleep-induced mission, she stumbled into the tv room, eyes half-closed, grabbed a handful of popcorn, and turned and walked back to her bedroom. I sat there stunned...did that really just happen? I got up and went into her room, she was back in her bed, and when I asked her what just happened she said she was hungry, and fell back asleep. I seriously don't think she had any recollection of it the next morning at all. It cracked me up. But it also made me think that she's been cursed with the Day family proclivity for sleep walking/talking/and all manner of night-time antics. AGH!!
Parker
Our darling little 20-month old baby has finally developed a sweet tooth. It's probably always been there, but I've been super careful about not starting her too early. I really haven't given her a lot of processed sugar yet, and quite frankly she hasn't asked and why push the issue?!? ANY-HOO, Easter time has provided her with a new, tantalizing opportunity of expanding her palette. She has finally taken quite an interest in the chocolate eggs and jelly beans laying around the house. On one particular day I went down into the basement to switch the laundry. When I came back upstairs she had 3 chocolate eggs in her mouth, foil and all. When she saw me, I told her no! no! no!. She dropped the plastic egg and ran full speed to her room. It was the cutest/naughtiest thing I have ever seen. By the time I got to her she looked like the hyper-hypo; chocolate drool oozing out the sides of her mouth. I fished them out of her mouth, to which she was extremely upset by. After that, she has insisted on having "can-ee"!! "Can-ee, pees, Mommy, can-ee!!" AGH! What have we started here? One night this past week, we gave her a cookie and a chocolate egg after dinner. You should have seen her about 30 minutes later. She had stripped her clothes off, and was biting into a plastic ball, and growling. I'm not even kidding. We were all cracking up. She is seriously the cutest, funniest baby I know...although I know I'm biased. :-)
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Easter Highlights 2011--Part 2
You know what I think is hilarious? That my last post (Easter Highlights 2011--Part 1) sounded like Grandma Mary wrote it. Everything was just so wonderful and delicious. Makes me miss her...she always had such a way of making everything seem extra special...especially people. She would have gone on and on for days about what a great cook Amy and Linda are, and how beautiful the table was decorated. It's interesting how even 2 generations past we can still feel her love and influence. Hopefully she and Grandpa Fred were able to enjoy it with us in some way.
So Easter morning dawned bright and beautiful (there I go again) at Grandma and Grandpa Day's house. The Easter bunny managed to find the girls sleeping on the pull-out couch, and delivered their baskets of Spring time goodness right at their feet.
We attended the Mormon equivalent of Easter mass at the good ole Livonia Ward chapel. Afterwords we said our goodbyes (or see ya laters) to the Griswold's and Grandparents and got on the road back to home sweet home.
It was such a fun visit...just what we needed. Thank you one and all! And God Bless us...every one! Or whatever.
So Easter morning dawned bright and beautiful (there I go again) at Grandma and Grandpa Day's house. The Easter bunny managed to find the girls sleeping on the pull-out couch, and delivered their baskets of Spring time goodness right at their feet.
We attended the Mormon equivalent of Easter mass at the good ole Livonia Ward chapel. Afterwords we said our goodbyes (or see ya laters) to the Griswold's and Grandparents and got on the road back to home sweet home.
It was such a fun visit...just what we needed. Thank you one and all! And God Bless us...every one! Or whatever.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Easter Highlights 2011--Part 1
We went over to Michigan for Easter weekend and had a blast with our family!! The Day's hosted an Easter eggstravaganza including artisan cheeses from around the world!! As well as some smokin' good kielbasa from the Milford butcher!!
After our culinary travels, we were treated to an easter egg hunt!! Guess who found the golden egg?!?
Not Parker...although it looks pretty golden, doesn't it?!?
Not these guys either.
Nope, not yet.
The peanut gallery...aka homeowners.
Braeden found the Golden Egg!! It was too perfect...he was so pleased!!
After the Easter egg hunt, the kids and the Dads went geo-caching, while the girls went shopping in downtown Milford. Grandma and Grandpa stayed home with the sleeping tots. When we all arrived home, we enjoyed a wonderful Easter feast of ham, rotisserie chicken, cheesy potato casserole, grilled asparagus and green beans, deviled eggs, croissants, and a rainbow jello salad. Thank you Jeff and Amy (and Riley and Hannah) for making an awesome Easter egg hunt and feast!!
After our culinary travels, we were treated to an easter egg hunt!! Guess who found the golden egg?!?
Not Parker...although it looks pretty golden, doesn't it?!?
Not these guys either.
Nope, not yet.
The peanut gallery...aka homeowners.
Braeden found the Golden Egg!! It was too perfect...he was so pleased!!
After the Easter egg hunt, the kids and the Dads went geo-caching, while the girls went shopping in downtown Milford. Grandma and Grandpa stayed home with the sleeping tots. When we all arrived home, we enjoyed a wonderful Easter feast of ham, rotisserie chicken, cheesy potato casserole, grilled asparagus and green beans, deviled eggs, croissants, and a rainbow jello salad. Thank you Jeff and Amy (and Riley and Hannah) for making an awesome Easter egg hunt and feast!!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Memory Monday
AGH! It's 10:30 on Monday night...I almost forgot my new tradition! So here goes...a few random memories of my kids and what not from the weekend...
Maryn
When Maryn was a baby (about Parker's age now), she used to love scrounging up rocks from our driveway in our little white house in Boise. She'd find as many as she could and then find the nearest puddle of muddy water formed in the divets of our dirt driveway...she would then proceed to toss every little rock into the water and squeal with delight at every splash. As she was learning to talk around this time, she would say "rocks in the water" or something that sounded like that every time the rock splashed into the puddle. She never tired of it, and I never stopped thinking it was the cutest, most magical thing ever. When I think of her "rocks in the water", it makes me smile every time.
This past Saturday, Maryn and I were able to attend a "Dragonfly Discovery" Girl Scout event at Camp Peairs in Hudson, IL. (Avery stayed home with a sick stomach.) The drive down was windy and foreboding. The weather there was Spring in all it's glory. The girls were able to actually wade in the water of Lake Bloomington as they discovered different bug species with nets and buckets. They took water samples and tested the cleanliness of the lake water, and later gave reports on their findings. They learned a lot and it was a great experience. I am so grateful that Girl Scouts offers these memorable and educational opportunities that other wise these girls might not have. Mostly, it was fun to hang out with my eldest and have some fun together. Afterwords we went into Bloomington to do some shopping and get a bite to eat. It was a great day!
Avery
This past Friday night (approximately 1 hour past my birthday), Avery gave me another bday surprise! I awoke to her shaky voice telling me that she threw up in the bathroom. UGH!! Is this not one of the worst parts of being a parent?!? I got up, and found much to my dismay that instead of throwing up IN the toilet, she threw up AT the toilet...no tile or surface was left unscathed. Needless to say, it was not the greatest ending to my otherwise enjoyable birthday. I must say, Avery has been blessed (okay, cursed) with her Dad's stomach. She gets sick a lot. And it grosses me out. But, her stomach isn't the only thing she gets from her Dad. She has always been such a Daddy's girl. All of my girls are really, but especially Avery. She loves everything Mark loves, she wants to do everything he does, she isn't too cool to crawl up onto lap still, and when she is upset he is the one that she turns to. Sometimes it makes me a little sad, but mostly I love to see their bond. She finally got to see Tron with him after he bought it for them on DVD, after she had been asking for it for months. She was so excited. When he went to Idaho over his Spring Break, he brought her back a Star Trek gun and a bottle of Fry Sauce. She was the happiest girl in the world. Their relationship is something special and I'm glad for that.
Parker
Yesterday the girls had a choir concert, and Mark and I knew that taking our little tornado baby probably wouldn't be the best idea. We asked our friends to watch her for the time we'd be gone. And from the minute we got to their house, Parker was charming their socks off with her friendly greetings and waves. She did great and had a lot of fun exploring their house. After we got home, we were making dinner when we heard the door bell ring. It was a couple from our Ward out for a Sunday drive. We invited them in for dinner, and once again Parker didn't waste any time greeting our friends properly and charming their socks off too. She giggled on queue, pointed to all of the appropriate body parts when asked, and even made the correct noises to all the animals in her repertoire. She is such a cutie and really brings happiness and smiles to all she comes in contact with. I love how babies make you feel closer to Heavenly Father. They are so pure and innocent and just radiate love.
Maryn
When Maryn was a baby (about Parker's age now), she used to love scrounging up rocks from our driveway in our little white house in Boise. She'd find as many as she could and then find the nearest puddle of muddy water formed in the divets of our dirt driveway...she would then proceed to toss every little rock into the water and squeal with delight at every splash. As she was learning to talk around this time, she would say "rocks in the water" or something that sounded like that every time the rock splashed into the puddle. She never tired of it, and I never stopped thinking it was the cutest, most magical thing ever. When I think of her "rocks in the water", it makes me smile every time.
This past Saturday, Maryn and I were able to attend a "Dragonfly Discovery" Girl Scout event at Camp Peairs in Hudson, IL. (Avery stayed home with a sick stomach.) The drive down was windy and foreboding. The weather there was Spring in all it's glory. The girls were able to actually wade in the water of Lake Bloomington as they discovered different bug species with nets and buckets. They took water samples and tested the cleanliness of the lake water, and later gave reports on their findings. They learned a lot and it was a great experience. I am so grateful that Girl Scouts offers these memorable and educational opportunities that other wise these girls might not have. Mostly, it was fun to hang out with my eldest and have some fun together. Afterwords we went into Bloomington to do some shopping and get a bite to eat. It was a great day!
Avery
This past Friday night (approximately 1 hour past my birthday), Avery gave me another bday surprise! I awoke to her shaky voice telling me that she threw up in the bathroom. UGH!! Is this not one of the worst parts of being a parent?!? I got up, and found much to my dismay that instead of throwing up IN the toilet, she threw up AT the toilet...no tile or surface was left unscathed. Needless to say, it was not the greatest ending to my otherwise enjoyable birthday. I must say, Avery has been blessed (okay, cursed) with her Dad's stomach. She gets sick a lot. And it grosses me out. But, her stomach isn't the only thing she gets from her Dad. She has always been such a Daddy's girl. All of my girls are really, but especially Avery. She loves everything Mark loves, she wants to do everything he does, she isn't too cool to crawl up onto lap still, and when she is upset he is the one that she turns to. Sometimes it makes me a little sad, but mostly I love to see their bond. She finally got to see Tron with him after he bought it for them on DVD, after she had been asking for it for months. She was so excited. When he went to Idaho over his Spring Break, he brought her back a Star Trek gun and a bottle of Fry Sauce. She was the happiest girl in the world. Their relationship is something special and I'm glad for that.
Parker
Yesterday the girls had a choir concert, and Mark and I knew that taking our little tornado baby probably wouldn't be the best idea. We asked our friends to watch her for the time we'd be gone. And from the minute we got to their house, Parker was charming their socks off with her friendly greetings and waves. She did great and had a lot of fun exploring their house. After we got home, we were making dinner when we heard the door bell ring. It was a couple from our Ward out for a Sunday drive. We invited them in for dinner, and once again Parker didn't waste any time greeting our friends properly and charming their socks off too. She giggled on queue, pointed to all of the appropriate body parts when asked, and even made the correct noises to all the animals in her repertoire. She is such a cutie and really brings happiness and smiles to all she comes in contact with. I love how babies make you feel closer to Heavenly Father. They are so pure and innocent and just radiate love.
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