Happy Halloween 2010

I made their poodle skirts!  I can say that because they turned out cute.  You can't really mess up this skirt too much, though.  

School Smarts by Alec & Lily

"Third grade is a lot of work.  It seems like just yesterday I was in first grade.."  You and me both, buddy!  This was the conversation Alec & I had the other day while walking to school.  He is growing up way too fast!  His homework made me laugh, though.  At least I know where I stand, which is after money and a pocketknife.

Then there's my Lily.  She absolutely LOVES Kindergarten!!  

She draws pictures for her teacher that are just the sweetest things.  

She is also learning a lot.

"When butterflies come out of their chrysalis, they fly to Disneyland."

And then there's the health & nutrition she is learning.  

"Fruits and vegetables are good for your body, huh mom.  They will help me play soccer better, too.
 So... can I have a pickle??"

Yes, School Started... I know it was three weeks ago!

Well, I'm not sure when life is going to slow down, so I'm ignoring my "To Do List" and am blogging!  School only started three weeks ago, but here are the squinty pictures.

Alec is in 3rd Grade now.  He seems so big & old!

Lily's big day finally came!  KINDERGARTEN!!

She has been excited for school since Alec started Kindergarten.  Really.  

It has been a LONG time coming!  She is the cutest little thing!

And look at her learning to ride her bike without training wheels!  

Woo Woo!

Megan can't be left out of the fun! She is amazing to watch on her wiggle car!

Simon Says Lick

Lily:  Simon Says Lick!
(Licking...)

Lily:  Simon Says Stop!

Lily:  Simon Says Wag your tail!
(lots of giggling...)

Lily:  Simon Says Love!

Lily:  Cooper always does what I say when I say Simon Says.

Simon Says with the dog?  That's a new one!  Lily makes me laugh.

I love summer.  I love watching my kids play together.  They are so creative and funny, it makes me happy.  They play so well together (for the most part), too, that I have to count my blessings!  I can see why Alec loves to play with Lily, when in church last Sunday, Lily quickly took a paper, folded it into a perfect paper airplane, and then said to me, "I wish I had scissors so I could cut a place for the parachuters to jump out."  What a cool sister!

And Megan is just crazy.  She always is singing.  Her favorite songs right now are the ABC song, I Am A Child of God, and "American Flag."  Yes, she made up that last one.  It has great lyrics.  "American Flag, American Flag, American Flag, American Flag..."  I love it!  She is funny.

Megan:  Barbie in time out.  Her being a stinker.
I wonder where she's heard that one before??

Then there's Alec.

Alec:  When I grow up I want to be a doctor, or a pharmacist, or the cashier at Sam's Club or Walmart, because they get lots of money.
Me:  You know that the cashiers at Sam's Club or Walmart don't get to keep all that money that we give them, right?
Alec:  They don't?

Ha Ha Ha!

Preschool Class of 2010

Lily graduated from preschool this week. She was so excited because now she is ready for Kindergarten!!! She is always looking towards bigger and better things.

Lily & Hailee- "Best Buddies & Friends Forever!!" (said while throwing hands up together, as in a team cheer) are so funny to watch. They are such cute girlie girls!

Lily loved to sing "Pitter pat, pitter pat, it's a rainy day..." and she did a great job playing the chimes for the program. Woo Woo!

She also helped sing "I eat vegetables everyday, but Simple Sal shoves hers away..." I love these songs!

Grandma & Family cheering her on.

Way to go Lily! We Love You!

Soccer Dad

Let the games begin! Lily has been so excited to start playing soccer!! We got her on a team with some friends from our ward (thanks Nathan!) and they looked like they were having a great time! They needed a coach for the team, and Tim was called into action. Way to go, Tim! Though, really, this is the best possible age to coach. They are so funny. If they kick it the wrong way? No big deal! Miss the ball completely? It's all good! As long as there's a treat at the end- Woo Hoo!

Coach Dad. He's pretty hot!!

This picture made me laugh. Lily with her tongue sticking out in determination to get that ball! It's a good thing that she has a big brother to keep up with, because she looked so little out on that field! She's a tough cookie (unless there's blood or a scratch or shots involved...).

Go Green Team! We need a better team name, too. Go Broccoli?

The Dresses Are Sew Cute!

My mom: "YOU made that??"

Me: "Thanks, Mom."

My mom: "I thought you took the material to Wendy (Tim's mom) and asked her to sew them..."

Ha ha! Well, she ought to know, since she was the one who taught me to make hair scrunchies in Junior High. Then she helped me make a green polka dot knit dress with a matching big green knit belt (thanks to the "Units" clothing era). There also may have been a boxer short making stint.

Well, on to bigger and better, and more girlie foo foo projects!!

When I first had Lily try on the dress earlier on in the sewing process, she made me laugh.

Lily: "I thought it was going to look kindof funny, but it's not!

It's really cute!"

*sigh* Many of little faith.

Megan: "Like it, dress!"

It is a good twirlie dress. What's not to like!

It actually wasn't too bad. I just may venture out again.

Maybe next year.

Wardrobe Advice From Lily

I don't know what the deal is with Megan lately, (maybe the fact that she's two- plain and simple,) but she cries and cries whenever I put her tights on. "Tights hurt! No tights! No tights!" This morning she wanted to wear a dress, so I told her she had to have tights on. "Tights hurt! No tights!..."

Enter Lily: "Tights don't hurt. You just have to tell them to be nice. If they're mean to you, you be mean back!"

Megan: "Be nice tights!! Be NICE tights!!..." (all the while looking down at her legs very sternly.)

That's the best advice I've ever heard for problems with tights. It worked for Megan, too. Even better.

Happy Birthday Lily!

Lily has had a countdown to her birthday for about 3 months now. When she would try on clothes that were a little too big still, she would say, "It will probably fit when I am five." She is always asking me what she will be able to do when she is five. It was like she expected to wake up on her special day suddenly bigger and smarter. She makes me laugh!. Her birthday FINALLY came. She has wanted a party with her friends forever. So, we did the party thing! A few friends from Primary came, and they got their own tiaras, and ate some cake & ice-cream.

Yes, Alec is the funny big brother! He is so good to let the girls do their girlie thing, but still be part of the chaos.

Lily told me she wanted a cake with hearts and flowers and crowns, so there you go. I think it turned out pretty cute!

Then we were off to see "The Princess & The Frog" at the theater! Cute giggling girls all around me. Love it!

I do feel bad that we forgot to have the cartwheel contest, though. She told EVERYONE we met (neighbors, teachers, random strangers in the checkout lines by us) that she was having a birthday and that she was going to have a cartwheel contest at her party. So, if anyone would like to come over for a makeup date cartwheel contest, just let me know!

Delight in the little things

Lately when I put Megan down for a nap, she gets all snuggled up in her special blankie on her big girl bed, and she starts giggling. As I give her a kiss, she says, "Thank you noodles," or whatever we had for lunch. She says it so cute, I just love it.

Today we follow the normal routine. Blankie. Giggle. Kiss. "Thank you corn dog. Thank you ketchup." Thank you ketchup? That makes me laugh! A whole new meaning to delight in the little things.

Then I go tuck Lily in for her nap. She gives me a big hug and says,

"You're my best mom ever. I love you so, so much that you make me think about you the whole time I'm sleeping."

It's times like this that I know how lucky I am to be able to stay home and share the little things with my children. I love being their mom!

"The Best Day Ever!"

For Megan's & Lily's birthdays, my mom gave them a Princess Barbie and a ticket for the Disney Princesses on Ice! What a fun Girls Night Out. Lily & Megan dressed up in their princess dresses, and we were off. (Tim & Alec had their own Boys Night Out, eating at the Golden Corral and playing laser tag. Woo Hoo!)

Megan loved all the action and clapping. But after intermission, she was done with the ice skating. She was still good though, just didn't want to watch anymore.

At the end, Lily said to me, "This is the best day ever!!!"

Thanks Grandma!

Halloween Pics, of course

I have the two cutest little Rodeo Queens!

Pink cowgirl hats complete with sequins and tiaras, along with hot pink cowgirl boots make for two happy girls. Lily has told me for the last couple of months that when she grows up she wants to be a Pony Rider. Well, giddy up!

Alec was a beat up Utah Jazz player. Poor Boozer.

Family Pictures

So are my kids sick of my camera addiction yet?? I sure hope not, because they are my favorite subjects!!! We drove up the canyon last week and I saw this red bridge over a river. Oh, yeah... Perfect! We had to come back.

My jack-o-lantern Alec, is losing all his front teeth just in time for Halloween!

Lily was on one. Megan and I were looking through the pictures on the computer, and all these silly pictures of Lily came up. Megan said it all. "Stinker. Stinker."

Lily started posing herself. "What if I did this?"

I think I've created a monster...

Megan is actually getting a lot better for pictures. What a cutie!

I loved these Daddy's Girls pictures!

Tim is such a loving father.

My sister-in-law, Heidi, came up and took some family pictures for us.

I think they are great! She is the one who got me started on this crazy photo hobby, anyway. Thank you so much!

Stupid me, and my cute kids.

So, I've been remodeling the kids' rooms. I know, I know, I must not have enough to do already... and I'm stupid. I decided that it was time to move Megan into the toddler bed, and move Lily into a twin bed (she was still in the toddler bed- she doesn't grow!!). Stupid, stupid, stupid. What was wrong with the crib?? NOTHING!

These were my thoughts the first night of Megan in her "Big Girl Bed" as she is crying and screaming forever, and keeps getting out of bed. Plus, since we got new bunk beds for Alec & Lily, and a new dresser for Megan, now I have to paint both rooms. My house is in complete disarray, and I'M TIRED!!!

Day Two of Stupid Toddler Bed.

Megan falls asleep in the car about noon (yes, I planned that. I'm getting a little smarter). Put her in toddler bed and shut door. She takes 4 hour nap (well, she didn't sleep much that night. duh.) Wakes up happy and talking about Big Girl Bed.

Bedtime. Lay her in bed and walk out while she's screaming!!! She cries for less that one minute, and sleeps soundly all night. Hallelujah!

Day Three of Okay Toddler Bed.

Naptime & Bedtime. Lay her down and walk out. She cries for less than 10 seconds. Touchdown!!!

Day Four of Wonderful "Big Girl Bed."

NO Crying!!! Love it!!

So now I can finish painting! (pictures to come soon... relatively soon, anyway...) As I'm painting, I decide I want to put up new pictures in their rooms, and realize that it's supposed to be raining and gray. I loved the picture I had of Lily, but wanted a better shot of Megan and Alec. Ah! Hurry and take the kids out to the garage and hang up my white sheet.

It's a good thing my kids are patient with my craziness! I sure love them!