Happy Fourth of July!!

In celebration of the fourth of July we went and had a picnic with our ward. M brought her friend that lives next door and there was fun had by all. They had games and yummy food. It was only 67 degrees today and cloudy but that was nice for the picnic. It has been raining since so I don't think we will see any firework action tonight, except on tv. M and her friends did pretty well in the ballon game. They tied ballons to their feet and tried to pop other peoples ballons. The three little girls just ran around trying not to get their ballons popped, not worrying about doing the popping!

B really liked trying to eat cheetos with a fork. Not the easiest way to go about it but she was proud of herself when she made it work.

We had deli style sandwiches and lots of yummy salads and desserts.

M is funny

My sweet, almost five year old always has the cutest things to say or cute expressions. Here are a few samplings from today:

1. We went to our local theme park with some friends today. M rode a ride (kind of like Dumbo at D-land) and B also wanted to ride. The attendee said she was too little, which she objected to! She had ridden the ride before so the whole time M was flying in the air B cried, loudly, right behind the attendant guy. (Of course I wouldn't move B...I wanted the guy to feel bad!) When the ride was done the attendant said B could ride the ride if M went with her. B was really excited but I think M was ready to move on. M was a good sport and sat next to B on the ride. Before the ride started the attendant put his thumb up to make sure everyone was ready to start the ride. He held it up for an unusually long time and M kind of looked annoyed. She finally gave the guy a thumbs up with a bit of an annoyed look, as if to say, "hello, we're ready, what are you waiting for!" My friend and I just burst out laughing. She is such a funny little girl!

2. M had been talking about riding a bus ride at the theme park all day. Towards the end of the day we headed over to ride the bus. M got on the bus with her three little friends and I sat with B a couple rows ahead of the others. As we were waiting to go a man said to the attendant, "Excuse me, my daughter just got sick" I didn't know if he meant she was scared or something else. I looked back and saw M looking disgusted. Her eyes were wide and her hand were covering her nose and mouth. I looked at the little girl directly behind M and it was clear she had vomited! I didn't know how much though. I thought it might have been just a bit because no one said to get off the bus. We sat there for awhile until I started getting whiffs of the vomit and decided to exit the kids off the bus. M later said, "Mom, I don't know why that little girl would come to the park if she was going to throw up." O, the innocence of children. I explained to her that we don't always know when we will get sick, but she still thought the little girl shouldn't have come!

3. When we got home M was planning her Birthday party. Yes, it is over a month away but heaven forbid we are not prepared. She was listing off friends she would like to attend the big event. I said, "what about me, I'm your friend, can I come." She replied without hesitation "You're not my friend, you're my mom!" I thought it was pretty funny. I guess I can't be both!

1...2....3...GO!!!

M and B have always liked playing this little game! They stand at one end of our house and say "one, two, three, GO!" and then they run to the other side of the house, only to turn around and do it again! Sometimes when daddy is home he sits on the floor and catches them as they go by. This includes tickling and being thrown in the air so the girls really love it. B doesn't say all the words perfectly but she makes the number sounds pretty well and says go perfectly. Go was one of her first words! I love my cute little dollies!

Va Va Voom Shoe Post #1

So, these are my latest addition to my shoe collection. I saw them while running into the Nine West Outlet and had to have them! They are really shiny in person and fun to wear! I wore them to church today with a black and white outfit. (I guess the black and blue could bring up memories of bruises, but any color combination found in nature works!) I like my new shoes but after four hours in them I felt like I had run a marathon. (At least what I think it feels like to run a marathon since I have not actually run one!)

ZZZzzzz

Today was a crazy day. I guess the past three weeks has been pretty hectic. (Sorry that I havn't returned all calls! I still love ya) B got a really late nap and only go to sleep for about half an hour before we were off again. I let her take her juice to bed and when I went to wake her up this is what I found!

Apparently she was really tired! She was covering her eyes, had the bink in her mouth, her juice was on her chest, and she hadn't moved since I put her down! I love looking in on sleeping babies. Such peaceful moments. I was only sad I had to wake her up so we could be off again.

Swimming

We went swimming yesterday at our neighbors house. M loves the water and is doing so well swimming on her own. Swim lessons start soon here. I had to wake B up from her nap to go and it wasn't that warm, so she just kind of played around the pool. Towards the end she ventured on my lap and dipped her feet in. I think if I would've gotten in she would have too. I guess I better get over wearing a swim suit in public...my little girls will only be little for so long!

Water Woes!

So, what would you do if you were standing at your sink cleaning up after dinner and your four year old starts talking back to you? (Mind you, she has been pretty sassy lately) Would you:

A. Ignore her and just get the dishes done

B. Take the water hose attachment and squirt it at her because she is in perfect range

C. Scream at her and send her to her room

D. I'm a better parent than that, my child wouldn't talk back

If you answered D, I probably wouldn't hang out with you! If you answered B we are probably long lost friends. Although I was already busy cleaning a dirty kitchen and I knew squirting water at M would make more of a mess, I thought the punishment fit the crime and it gave me a good laugh. I was hoping M would laugh too but I should have known better. She was so upset that I got her wet! She cried while B looked on in disbelief! M told me the rest of the night that it was my fault she was all wet. I tried to explain to her if she would not have talked back to me she wouldn't have gotten wet. Her logic is, "No mom, if you wouldn't have shot the water at me from across the room I wouldn't have gotten wet." All in all it was better than losing my temper at her and I think she will think twice about talking back to me...at least while I'm standing at the sink with the water running! I do love my little M.

Wordless Wednesday

Little Princesses

Little Princess

Little Princess in Training!

Strawberries

Strawberry picking has become a tradition for me and the girls. B loves it and gets covered in juice every time we go. She heads to the field and just starts eating. On the other hand M is very cautious, no stains on her white shirt, and doesn't start eating berries until the end because she is afraid they are dirty and need to be washed. After seeing everyone else eat them she does start eating them too. We had a fun time with our friends and had yummy strawberry shortcake as a result of all our picking! (Of course, neither of the girls liked the cake...they just ate the strawberries!)

Little Ballerina

M had her first recital on the 19th. She did such a good job! She was the last girl to join her ballet class and I think she did the best job. Her teacher put her in the lead so when it was time to lead the line in a circle she went first. She is growing up so quickly and we love our little ballerina. (Their class danced to I'm Just a Little Black Raincloud from Whinnie the Phooh!)

Wordless Wednesday

Pictures

Sometimes I am so obsessed with taking pictures that I can't just stop and have fun. Last Friday on B's Birthday we went to the theme park and our camera's batteries were dead. It was kind of nice not worrying about pictures and just enjoying the moment. I think getting a new camera without a delay would also help. Nikkon D40 would be nice if anyone just wants to get me one! Although I will still take lots of pictures I am going to make an effort to stop and just enjoy moments more often.

Our Adventure

This is the reaction from the girls on the way to the theme park. They saw it out the window and started clapping! They were so excited!








Riding the rides! M and B loved every ride. B looked so little on some of them but she still got on and loved it!

One the way home. We were all hot and tired but we had a lot of fun together and enjoyed our big adventure!

Signs of Summer

SANDALS (crocs to be specific...it's all the rage this summer)

SWIMSUITS and SPRINKLERS

SUNGLASSES!!

Yuck

AGGGGGHHHH! Today I just feel like screaming. Nothing seems to be going right and the rest of the day doesn't look so bright. I can never seem to pull myself together to get anything done. Sometimes I just want to tell everyone that I won't do anything else unless I want to. Yes, selfish, but that is how I feel.

Fun Day

Today is going to be a fun day! We have a lot to do to get ready for R's family to come visit but we are taking some time to go to a six flags park with the girls and some good friends. We bought season passes this year and are excited to put them to good use! We told M we would go earlier in the week and every day she has asked how many more nights she will have to go to sleep until we got to the park! I thought of not going because we have so much to do but I guess there will always be so much to do and only a very short while to have fun with our girls. I'm also going to plant flowers later...photos to come!

Picture

I thought this was a cool picture. It is from and ad for Patagonia. I know I would never like to be in this position but I love the picture. I love the light and the weightlessness of the pic.

THICK

Today is hot and humid and I feel like the air is thick! You walk outside and the heaviness of the air hits you. I didn't grow up with humidity and I don't particularly like it. I hate showering and getting out only to sweat while getting myself ready for the day. Thank goodness we have a fan in our room and a.c. We just went to R's softball game and the girls didn't make it the whole time. With half an inning left I went and put them in the air conditioned car and let them watch a movie. I guess I am never happy...I'm either too hot or too cold! I just want a happy medium.

left wanting

Growing up I always thought I wanted to be a mother. I always had some career aspiration's but knew in the back of my mind I would probably end up staying home to raise children. I guess that was the way I was raised, to a certain extent. Women grow up to raise children and men are the providers of the family. Although I cherish my children and love my role as their mother I often feel a sense of wanting in my life. I want to be somebody, do something. I know I am my girls everything but as hard as it is to say, I still want more. I want to feel a sense of accomplishment. I sometimes look at my husband with a degree of envy as he goes off to work everyday building his career. I'm not saying that I want a nine to five job but I do want to feel as if I am improving myself. I guess it is just hard knowing what to do. Maybe I should start volunteering at a nursing home. I always wanted to be a nurse when I grew up and I wanted to work with elderly people. Whenever I think of volunteering I think of my family and the time I would lose with them. I feel a pang of guilt over even the thought of going to help others when I am sure my family could use my help. However, maybe my family would have more of my full attention if I were fulfilling this need of mine and feeling like I did some good in the world. I feel guilty saying it but I guess I want more out of life. I want to be the best mom I can be but I also want to be the best me I can be.

In Bloom

Here is what spring looks like in our front yard. Of course it didn't come until May but it is finally here!

Five Questions

Five questions from A.


1. what was the last thing that made you laugh so hard you cried?

Last night I watched a show called The Real Wedding Crashers. It was so funny! I was watching it by myself because R was at work and I was laughing so loudly I thought I might wake up the girls. I tried to quiet myself but I just couldn’t. It was so funny I cried! (Imagine if a guest to your wedding showed up in a wedding dress!)


2. if you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would it be? why?

Today, if I could go anywhere on vacation it would be Utah. I know, you would think I would pick a new and exciting location but lately I’ve been missing the mountains and I would really like to have spring flowers and warm sun around me. I am also missing family.


3. would you rather eat liver & onions (or some similar nasty food to your dis-taste)? or be forced to watch the last barbie princess movie three times in a row? why?

I would totally watch the movie three times over. Since little M likes those kinds of movies I can pretty much zone out while they are on. I would consider it more like a time for meditation. Although the liver and onions would be quick it would most likely scare my taste buds for life!


4.what are you most afraid of? why?

I am most afraid of someone doing something bad to me. I have had weird anxieties my whole life about that sort of thing. I guess the thought of losing control of myself to another person is really scary. Even when R chases me up the stairs and makes a scary noise it really scares me. Another thing I fear is not being happy or having control in my own life. I always seem to let others decide my happiness and I am trying to change that. The last thing I fear is not being a good mom. I don’t want my kids to grow up and resent me in some sort of way.


5.what is the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?

The most beautiful thing I have ever seen was my two babies when they were born. I actually pulled M from me when she was pushed out and it was amazing. I thought I wouldn’t want to touch the baby until she was cleaned but that instantly went away when I saw her. I remember thinking that I couldn’t believe such a beautiful baby came out of me. When B was born it was a much different experience. She literally flew out of me and I saw her laying on the bed where she landed for the first time. (the doctor wasn’t there and R grabbed her leg since no one was there to catch her.) I saw this little girl who was yet again beautiful and it was hard to believe that such a beautiful thing came from me again.

{if you want five questions of your own, leave me a comment telling me so. you should include either an email address so i can send you questions. or you can leave a link to your blog and i'll post questions in a comment.}