Morgan's 6th Birthday!

YAY! we finally got our computer to upload our pictures. So I have a lot to catch up on, but first, Morgan's birthday was almost two weeks ago. . .and it's about time I blog it!!

Morgan chose doughnuts for her birthday breakfast! It's just about the only day she can get away with having fried bread for the first meal of the day!

I wish I could say I made this cupcake cake, but, it was actually Wal-mart! Cute right?!

Since we can't take homemade goodies to school anymore, we decided to take the cute cake to Morgan's class to enjoy with her classmates. They loved it!

For a couple years now, Morgan has been wanting to go in to Build-A-Bear. But I kept telling her "someday." Well, her birthday was finally that day! We figured since we're not having a "friends" party, we could do something else special. After McKay got off work, our little family had a night of celebration. The first stop: Build-A-Bear!

Morgan chose to stuff a bunny. I didn't realize how many different kinds of animals they had. Mckay wanted her to get a cute little turtle. It was dang cute, but how do you dress it with a shell on it's back? Anyway, I thought she made a good choice with the soft bunny, and man is it soft!!

Here's McKay and Morgan picking out what sound she wants in her bunny. She ended up picking a women's voice that says things like, "Hey Girlfriend!" and "Let's go shopping!" Not our suggestion, mind you! WE wanted her to just get a little heart that sounds like it's beating.

She liked stuffing her bunny. She just stepped on this peddle and the worker helped her get fluff in all the different parts until it was as floppy and cuddly as she wanted.

After it was fluffed up, she got to give it a "bath." It was just air coming out of the yellow shower heads.

The finished product! Morgan and "Ruby, " her new little furry friend! She wanted to name it Diamond, and I said, "How about another gem?" We figured Ruby was cuter for a stuffed bunny, and easier to remember. After Build-A-Bear, we went to Red Robin for dinner and Morgan ate sooo much food! She even ate almost all of the free slice of mud slide cake! Morgan has never been considered a good eater, so we were prepared for our money to go to waste once again, but she really pulled through!

Sometimes it's hard for me to believe how old Morgan is. Then again, I expect so much out of her, like she's already twenty! I feel bad because I know what that's like being the oldest, and especially a girl. You end up being your mom's "right hand man." I also feel like she was the oldest for a reason and that particular role, in any family, comes with a certain amount of responsibility. So I figure she can take it. So far, she has proven to be a wonderful little helper.

Here's a little story about what was going through my head the night before her birthday:

"Mom, I can do it by myself now! I'm six remember!" Morgan says to me as I wash her hair in the tub, the night before her birthday. When she said that, I was caught a little off guard and I had flashbacks of when I would give her baths in our little bathroom sink in the old 1940's duplex apartment we lived in when she was born. We lived in downtown Boise and our neighbor in the duplex (sharing a wall) was a complete ashtray head. I was always so worried that the smoke wafting from his apartment would seep into our precious baby's lungs. She was so little when she was born, She looked frail and fragile. However, she has, since the day she was born, been very strong...willed. And oddly, very muscley! This is what I remember of when our feisty little Morgan came in to our lives, six years ago:

It was Sunday December 15th, and my due date was the 20th, so I figured I had a few days, even though I was more than ready! I hadn't had ANY progression that would make me or my midwife (filling in for my dr. ) think that I was about to have a baby! Everyone at church that day said, "anything happening?" "Hope you're not here next week!" But my answer was always, "Oh, I'll be here. My mom went 10 days over due with me!" Well, that night at about 10:30 I was walking from the couch to our bedroom and it felt like I had wet myself. So I thought, "Great, my first baby and I'm already having blatter problems." I went to the bathroom and it felt a little like someone else had control of my nether regions. I couldn't stop anything from coming out. That's when it occurred to me, " I wonder if it's my water? But it didn't come out in an embarrassing flood like it does on movies." I figured I better call the midwife anyway. So I did, and she said it's hard to know what it was until they run a test. We went to the hospital, had the test, it was positive for amniotic fluid and I was officially checked in to the hospital at about 12:30 Monday morning. Keep in mind that I was STILL not having any contractions and I was no more dilated than I had been the whole pregnancy. A blessing, I guess! Eventually contractions started at about 3:30 or 4a.m. and she made her way in to the world at 9:47a.m. A whopping 6lbs. 2oz. and 21inches long. So basically, she is a girl version of Mckay, long and skinny. . .still is! I knew, from that day on, that my life would never be the same! It wasn't this gradual flow in to the hard work of being a parent, lovely, fall-in-love-instantly, process with Morgan. She came out, screaming with jaundice and colic, and said, "welcome to motherhood!" I really have learned a lot about myself from being Morgan's mom. . .I have learned a lot about motherhood. What a blessing she has been and continues to be in my life! I love you Snoops!

Good Friends- Good Fun!!

Last night I had six of my good Stansbury friends over for some Christmas fun. I decided this year, instead of giving gifts to all of them, that I would have a party at my house instead. This is what we did; I had this idea, which formed from many other ideas, that I would give each of my friends a notebook, I had one as well, and we passed them around and wrote in each others' books about how much we love them, or how they inspire us, or just what great friends they are, etc. We also played this great game called "The game of Things." It was very interesting. . .finding out more about people you think you know pretty well. My cheeks hurt from laughing. One of my favorite questions for the game was, "Things you don't know much about." Kate said, "Chinese people and their culture." Funny, right?! OK. Maybe you had to be there! We had just talked about how Marrya's six-year old daughter Audrey is on a Chinese people kick and she thinks she knows all about them!
Anyway, it was an awesome night with good friends, good Christmas music and, might I add, good food! I made some of my favorite holiday treats like caramel corn, thin mints, peanut butter balls, and grape juice with pomegranate 7-up, and a few other snacks that Wal-mart supplied!
So, I'm so used to my pictures not being on my computer that I completely forgot last night to even take a picture! I don't think anyone did. . . What were we thinking?! We should've marked our first Christmas party in history with a picture! Hopefully, we will be able to continue this tradition and continue writing in eachother's books, sharing more meaningful time together. My only regret is that I can't do the same thing with all my friends. Thanks Marrya, Kim, Kate, Jill, Rachel, and Christie for your friendship, support, and love! And for coming to my shin-dig!

A Wonderful Sunday

What proud parents we are today! Morgan got up in Sacrament meeting and bore her testimony all by herself and it was the first time ever!

I was in the mother's lounge (surprise, surprise!), and then unexpectedly, I heard Morgan's little voice over the sound system and my eyes started to water with pride and joy! It's so cool to hear your child give their testimony, and without help!

Obviously, I didn't have a pen and paper to write down every word she said, so this is just what I remember...it was short:

"I would like to bare my testimony, I know the church is true, I know that Jesus loves me and I know that he loves you too. In the name..."

Mckay said Morgan kept asking if she could get up, then as soon as someone else would get up, she got frustrated and said, " Dad, I wanted to go!" So Mckay just said, "go up right after this guy." So she did and got the job done! It was a big step for Morgs and we're very happy for her and the start of truly building her testimony.

****

Then . . .if that wasn't enough for the day, Mckay and I had a make-shift date for dinner. See, we were supposed to go on a date on Friday, but all of our normal babysitters were busy, so we decided to rent WALL-E and we watched that with the girls instead.

Well, today Mckay took over the responsibility of cooking dinner, all of it! And really that would be enough to get my heart racing, but the dinner was fantastic and the icing on the cake! He might be making dinner more often...bad move Mckay!

For dinner he made us juicy rib eye steaks and sauteed onions, carrots, and asparagus. Of course, it wouldn't have been complete without a little Martinelli's sparkling apple juice! Oh but wait, it gets better. . . He also lit my smelly candle in my kitchen and put Andrea Bocelli on the surround sound. Did I mention that all our girls were taking a nap. A true phenomenon! I think it was better than anything we could have done on Friday because it was a little spontaneous and yet completely thought about on Mckay's part, which is what means the most. Am I right? Ladies, how many times do your husbands do any or even a little of the planning on date night? So, it was as perfect as it could be. Now is one of those times that Mckay's irritating perfectionist ways comes in handy. The meal was divine and so was the company, or lack there of (kids)! I love you McKay! Thanks for our sweet date!

*My FAVORITE Song*

Well, if we were talking about any kind of music, I might have a hard time narrowing my favorite song down. But, we're not! We're talking about Christmas music, and for me, there is only one that is my favorite. It's my favorite by a long shot. . .hands down! You might be able to guess by glancing at my playlist, I'll wait. . . I know you want to look! Well, if you're too lazy, alright, it's Oh Holy Night! How could this not be everyone's favorite? It expresses exactly what we should be celebrating on Christmas and how we should be celebrating. When the song is done right, it will make me cry every time! "FALL on your knees, oh hear the angels voices, oh night divine, oh night when Christ was born."

When I was younger, I was part of a community children's choir. I'm not gonna lie, we were pretty good! The leaders happened to be a part of my ward, and while they weren't the most lovable people right away, they knew their music, and somehow, made kids (ages 8-18) sing like angels. I only was a part of it for a couple years, but I had the privilege to be there when they sang Oh Holy Night for one of their Christmas performances. I think I was 12 years old, and I vividly remember the feeling I had when we sang that song and the warming chills that came over me when we sang, especially on the "Fall on your knees" part! I can still sorda remember my alto part, and my favorite version of it will always be with more than one person singing it. A choir, a quartet, I don't care! It's about the feeling of the masses falling to their knees because we know He was born and He died and He lives for us!

A Time For Every Season- GRATITUDE

I love this time of year. I used to think Christmas was my favorite holiday, but the older I get and the more people I think need presents from me, (whether I want to give them one or not) the less fun it becomes. I enjoy the build-up to Christmas much more than the actual event. The Christmas music, thinking and pondering over the miracle that is our Savior's birth, the homemade goodies that are exchanged, looking at the lights on Temple Square. These are all a fantastic part of Christmas. Unfortunately, what stands out above all those good feelings is this pressure to spend the right amount and get the perfect gift to people who, most of the time, don't need a darn thing. . . sad, but true. Here in Utah, Christmas music starts Nov. 1. That's right, the day after Halloween! It's like Thanksgiving is an annoying holiday on the calender that is just skipped right over. There is no doubt that celebrating the birth of Christ is entirely more important, and if that's what the holiday felt like, it would be my favorite, but it doesn't! I have now decided that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! There is no expectation, except really good food, for Thanksgiving. You can just eat, watch football and make good family memories. I have to admit, one of my favorite new traditions is going shopping on Black Friday way before the butt crack of dawn, with my sister Randi, if we're together for the holiday. So, alright, shopping for Christmas presents in that way is totally fun. That's only because it feeds my shopping addiction for getting the best deal. If there were never sales, I'm not sure I would shop nearly as much. Anybody else feel like that? Anybody? Bueller?. . . Bueller?

Anyway, back to the reason for this particular post. I love Thanksgiving. Gratitude seems to be an ever decreasing state of being. I know it's something I need to work on for sure! Why do we focus on everything that we don't have, or every blessing we haven't received , or how everyone else is better off. I wonder how that makes Heavenly Father feel? If my girls never said thank you for the food I make or the clothes and toys they have. . .what am I talking about, most the time, I do have to remind them by saying, "Thanks for dinner mom!" Then they repeat what I say. Maybe I can imagine how Heavenly Father feels, and yet showing gratitude is a struggle for me and most the people I know! There is a time for every season, and now is the season for gratitude. Here are some things I am most grateful for, (in no particular order)

*The gospel of Jesus Christ. Not just that it is in it's fullness on the earth, but that somehow, I was blessed enough to always have it in my life (even when I wasn't active) and the blessings that come from living the gospel principles are, really, endless!

*My beautiful family! Mckay and my 3 girls bring joy, happiness, and a little spice to my life, What other reason would there be to live on this earth if there were no such thing as families?

*Health!! How grateful I am that we are all extremely healthy, besides the stupid cold sore that I am just getting over. Seriously, it was starting to take over my face. . .no exaggeration!

*The opportunity to live in a free country, and in my opinion, the greatest country! Oh say can you see. . .

*I have been blessed with talents that have been helpful to family and friends. Sometimes, I waver on what those talents actually are, but I know they're there. Every night when I say my prayers, one of the topics I cover is that I can recognize the talents that I have been given and then use them as HE would want me to . . .to better the lives of those around me. I can't really say I know what they even are. They have changed since I was a kid, or even a teenager. But hopefully, I'm doing my part in finding and using my talents. I don't want to lose them.

*I have some of the greatest people as my dear friends! They have kept me sane, given me solice and comfort when I have needed it, laughed at my cheesy jokes (really, Mckay, you're missing out!), and have loved me unconditionally! Thank you friends! Life surely would not be the same without really good friends- I love you!

*Chocolate! Seriously. . .do I have to say more? Everyone that knows me, knows I'm kinda addicted. It comes in handy when there isn't a good friend around. It's a close second!

*Mckay and I both agree that a huge, modern day, blessing is having the possibility to pause live T.V. or to record shows. Who ever thought up the Tivo or DVR...bless you! It has seriously helped us be better parents! We love watching our shows or sporting events and we also love our children , so this helps us be good parents first, without missing our beloved shows! Anyone who says we're pathetic just hasn't experienced the sweet goodness of pausing a show to use the bathroom or grab a snack from the kitchen. Even better, is watching a 3 hour football game in less than 2 hours because we can fast forward through commercials. Ahhh yes, tis truly a blessing!

*What kind of daughter would I be if I didn't show gratitude for all the parents that have helped raise me, and shape my life? My mom is the most talented, organized (close to Jandi), and driven person I know and she is the reason I'm here on this beautiful earth. Thanks for deciding to be a mom! My Dad is the cheesiest and most grateful, and humble person I know. What a blessing it has been for me to get to know him better since I've become an adult. I also have to mention Mckay's parents, not only did they raise an intelligent, kind, and good looking son for me to have as a companion, but they have also embraced me as one of their own. They have taught me and loved me as they might their own daughter. I call them mom and dad, because they wanted all of us daughters-in-law to. It brings a sense of comfort and familiarity that I am truly grateful for.

Thanksgiving is such an important reminder for me to remember all my many blessings. Why would I be given more if I can't appreciate what I already have? I have a wonderful life, and besides being able to work off this baby weight easier, I wouldn't have it any other way!

Peanuts?

My friend Christie and I happen to visit teach one of our other friends Kim for church, which is totally handy, and our visit teaching sessions usually turn into hours of talking. Well, today, we were in Kim's front room chatting about a variety of ways in which we could be better mothers (a common topic), and our 3 three year olds were sitting not far away in the kitchen at Kim's counter eating a piece of cake. We weren't totally aware of what the kids' conversation was up to that point, but Devon (Christie's son) thought it necessary to say, "Girls don't have a penis!" very matter-of-factly, to which Emmie seriously replied, "We have peanuts, do you want some, I'll ask my mom." Elle (Kim's daughter) sitting in between the two didn't care about peanuts or penises, she turned to Devon and said, "Don't talk with your eating!"

I couldn't stop laughing. I knew this was a conversation I couldn't pass up writing about. I love how that seemed like such an everyday occurrence or conversation to 3 three year olds. My girls obviously have not had any reason to know the difference between peanuts and a penis. However, maybe something should be said. . . I don't want to have the same misunderstanding ten years from now when Emmie is 13 and I finally decide it's time to tell her that there is definitely a difference between the two "P"s.

Fine!

O.k. so it's come to my attention that some of you would like to see an updated blog. What? "Yippee Emmie turned 3" is getting old? Well, my excuse, most of you that complain know, that my retarded computer is acting...well...retarded! I can't get it to download, upload, whatever, any pictures from my camera. So I have all these cute fall pictures I've taken, including Halloween, that I can't put on my computer. Do you really just want me to write about stuff without the added advantage of looking at pictures? FINE! here's what has been going on at our house lately:

*Our girls made a haul on Halloween. We have some older sweet neighbors next to us that gave a special treat to our girls-a bag full of little toys and extra goodies! Even the know-it-all neighbor that has never had kids has finally realized how lovable our girls are and gave them some special treats as well. I knew she would come around! Morgan dressed up as a firefighter (which she also says she wants to be when she grows up!) Emmie dressed up as a witch . Stinkin cute as she was, the title of witch is fitting ever since the great change of her third birthday-no yippee any more! And little Rhyan was a pea in the pod, which was also fitting because there were three peas on the costume and she is our third pea! She wasn't too thrilled with being costumed at first, but after we were out trick-or-treating for a while, she figured out, we weren't taking it off!I also have to mention that the weather was almost Perfect. It sprinkled on us just a little. Mostly, though, it was unbeatable! It was not one of those Halloweens where you have to bundle yourself up with a winter coat and then flash the candy-hander-outers what you dressed up as! We walked around with some friends in their neighborhood for a while and that is always a good time! I do love Halloween!

*We also had our first experience with Parent-Teacher conferences for Morgan. It was fun. McKay and I squatted down in the meant-for-the-smallest-rear ends kind of chairs along with her bubbly teacher (Miss Kanz) from Minnesota. We love her. Enthusiasm goes a long way for teachers, especially kindergarten teachers. She said Morgan is doing very well in every subject, which is totally expected by McKay and I since I am brilliant and it is apparent that she takes after me! On the other hand, Miss Kanz said she has a hard time talking to her friends too much instead of listening to directions. . . that must be something she got from McKay. We all know how annoyingly social he can be! So all-in-all she is doing very well and is really starting to use her phonics abilities when it comes to reading, sounding everything out nicely. Morgan has loved school, thankfully. I know, in the years to come, that won't always be the case. My hope is that even when she isn't loving it, she always understands how important education is and gives it her best shot. I look back and know exactly when I was frustrated and gave up or just did what I could to pass the class, knowing that I could've done better. Lesson learned!

*Emmie continues to crack us up! I remember Morgan being the same at this age, I should've been better about writing down what she said. Everything out of Emmie's mouth makes me laugh or makes me angry or both. Like when she says, "you can't say no to this." that's when I say, giggling "Wanna bet?"

*We finally got the bunk bed painted and put them in the big girls' room, formally known as the toy room, tear drop...sniffle, sniffle. I will miss having a designated toy room. However, with the help of my extremely organized friend Jandi, we made it look like a room with some toys, instead of toy chaos with some beds. That stinkin bunk bed (thanks dad for making it and bringing it down) has been like a thorn in our side. Between trying and not liking any stains, then deciding just to paint it, then deciding to glaze it as well, taking it apart, putting it together, not being able to park in our garage. . .we are happy it's finally done and it looks good! We chose a really cute brown and pink circles bed spread that I love and I think the girls like as well. There was no way I was gonna let them pick by them selves. We would have ended up with some ugly Dora the Explorer or Princess bedspread that I would've had to buy the ugly wall border and lamp that go with them!:) No offense if any one looking at this has that in their child's bedroom...I mean if you like that kind of stuff! Any way, Morgan and Emmie are loving their new bedroom and so am I!

*On the subject of the girls' bedroom, Jandi, my really good friend from home, came a few days ago and really helped me get the room the way I want it and still have it completely functional for my girls. I am a clean person , however, organization, does not come naturally (sorry mom). With Jandi's help, I got that room just the way I always wanted it to be...Thank you thank you Jandi. Plus, having Jandi being able to visit for a couple days is like soup on a cold day. You don't get it that often, but when you need it, it's so comforting. Our relationship is so comfortable, we could go a month or more without talking, then call each other and pick up right where we left off. . .like we still hang out every day. No awkward, "So, how's it going?, Everyone doing ok? What's the weather like?" Nope, none of that for Jandrea. . .that's our nickname we came up with in college for when we were together, which was all the time. We always have a good time even if we're just organizing. She really puts a fire under my butt to get things done, I love her for that. Everyone needs a friend that can give them something they're not! Even with ornery kids and tired moms, we still have good times. It never seems like we have quite enough time together, but I suppose that's better than getting sick of each other. Someday, we'll live in the same area, or at least the same state again, and we'll have plenty of time to get sick of each other. Love you Jan!

*Today McKay is fly fishing, which he hasn't done in just about a year, with Clark Pierce. Going fly fishing with Clark is like having your own professional guide, for free. At least that's how McKay puts it. So hopefully, he fills up his fishing void he has felt since we moved to Utah. When you live in a new area and there aren't a lot of brothers around any more to say, "hey let's go fishing this weekend." Then it's just not the same kind of fun. Later this evening Mckay and Nathan (Jandi's hubby) are off to see the REAL Salt Lake professional soccer team in the Western Finals. He's pretty excited about that too. We've never been to a Real game before. By the way, the name REAL is pronounced (ray-al) for those who don't know. It took me a while to figure it out. I thought ,"big deal, a real soccer team, as opposed to what? a fake one?"

Now that I'm mostly caught up, everyone, get off my back! I did it! I will be better about just writing the new events in our family-pictures or not! You can be sure I'll be blogging next week when Twilight comes out! Six days until I get to be swept up again in the outrageous world of Edward and Bella!

YIPPEEE! Emmie Turned 3!

Kim and I took Emmie and Elle (Emmie's bff) to Gardner Village where they have a petting Zoo and a little horse merry-go-round on Friday, the day before her birthday. It was the most beautiful fall weather ever. Thank goodness, because we were outside all day.

Emmie picked which horse she wanted to ride and I think, oddly enough, this horse's name was Brownie.

The whole time we were at the petting zoo, the animals were just really mellow. They looked like they were tranquilized or something. So when this goat gave a little yelp, it took the girls by surprise.

This has to be my favorite shot. Between the huge lazy pig and the almost shot of Emmie's hind quarters. . . it's priceless.

Nice goat, good tranquilized goat!

Of course, we had to take a few posed pictures by the pumpkins. And it took several shots because one of the girls always had a hand or a finger on their face. Then Emmie had a huge wad of bubble gum in her mouth that she couldn't tame. Finally Kim said, " Okay Emmie, the gum's gotta go." She obliged, only because she knew their was more in her goody bag.

The next morning. . .

Our three princesses in their jammies. . . all excited for the cake and opening presents portion of the day. Little did they know it would be a loooong wait.

This is what I get for making a 3 year old wait to eat her own birthday cake! She chose pink (strawberry) cake with our homemade ( grandma Johnson's recipe) yummy, fluffy chocolate frosting. . . which is apparently irresistible!

Finally, she got to open presents! Morgan was more excited about the presents and has played with the new toys more than Emmie. Mckay and I decided when Emmie tells you she just wants a pink ball for her birthday, than that's all she should get. Why waste money?

Although, if their was one present that she has showed the most interest in, it's her new Dora backpack. . .with sweet wheels. Mckay picked that out and he wants to be sure I give him credit for that.




We have video, which is uber cute. Now if we can just find the right hook-up for our computer! Hopefully, it will be on here soon with Mckay's help.




I can't believe our "Cutes," "Emmers," "Emminem" is 3! Then again, she does so many things that Morgan does, it makes her seem like she's 5. She is sooo much fun and one of my favorite qualities about her is that she loves cuddling. If she is hurt in any way, all we have to is kiss her boo-boo or give her a hug and she magically stops crying. It's great! In fact, when I asked her what she wanted to do for her birthday, she said, "I just want to hug Elle." "We can definitely make that happen!" She is just such a friendly, lovable (wuvable as she used to say) girl, and she brings Mckay and I such delight. Every day she makes us smile.

Emmie's favorite things:

*Cuddling with mom and dad, but especially dad

*Chocolate milk, in big girl cups now. . .no more bottles

*Rubbing her blankie under nose, or if it is the one with little tassles, those go straight up her nose, it's disgusting.

*Playing with neighbors, mostly she has grown attached to Isabelle. A little girl with Down Syndrome who lives across the street. She happens to be Joshua's little sister (the womanizer that kissed Morgan).

*Of course, playing with Elle is her "very most fravorite" she told me.

*She loves playing with baby dolls and playing doctor

*Eager to help me with baby Rhyan. . . a little too much

*Watching Jon & Kate Plus 8 with mommy (She has almost all their names memorized, I can't even do that!)

*Buying bubble gum at the store when she's good!

She's getting so big, it really makes me appreciate every little new thing that she does, and every new step for Rhyan. Too bad it took me a kid and a half to catch on to what every older parent has told me. . ."Cherish every moment because it passes by too quickly!"

IT STARTS!

So I'm sitting on the couch catching up on some shows I recorded, and in comes Morgan from outside. She looks at me then giggles as she scurries upstairs. So automatically I KNOW something's up. Well, the excitement or guilt must have gotten to her, because before I could ask, she said, "Guess what mom." "What." "Joshua and I kissed." pause. . . (in my head "WHAT THE HECK!") out loud, "Why did you do that?" " I don't know." "Did Katie tell you guys to do that?" (Katie is an older neighbor friend-who we love. . .usually) "No, well kinda. She said she thought we wouldn't do it. . . so we did!" "Well, where did you kiss?" "Umm, on the trampoline" "No, I mean, did you kiss on the cheek (I was hoping) or what?" "No! (like I'm stupid) On the lips mom." "O.K...(frustrated sigh) come here because we need to talk." So I start by considering what was really going on in her little not-quite-six-year-old head and how I don't want to under or over react. Then I say " Let's get something straight. You don't do everything that other kids tell you to do . . . we've already talked about that." "I know, I can't have a boyfriend until I'm sixteen." "Right! So next time Katie or anyone else wants you to do something you know you shouldn't or don't want to do, what are you going to tell them?" "I can't have a boyfriend to kiss until I'm sixteen." In my head I thought well at least she got part of it, maybe the whole general idea of peer pressure isn't getting through to her, but we'll get it . . .baby steps. She said, "Can I go play now?" "Sure, but no more kissing!!!" she giggles, "O.K. See ya mom!" I know this is not as big of a deal as I think it is right now, but I also know, it's the beginning of sooo many talks of even more important things to come. Man, I wish I had boys! All I would have to say is keep your hands to yourself. . . for every situation, it works. Girls are way too complicated. What's a mom to do?!

Camera Schmamera

I'm not that great about taking pictures in the first place, but now I totally want to and we don't have a camera! The one we bought a few months ago from Cosco turned out to be not so great, so we returned it and haven't figured out whether we want to spend a good portion of money to buy a really good camera or if we want to just get a good every day, still fits in my purse sort of a camera! Is it really worth spending 6-8 hundred dollars for a good camera, even though I am in no way, shape or form a professional? Sometimes I think yes. . . then I think about all the rockin clothes and shoes I could buy instead and it wins over my ego every time. Dang it! What would you all do? I have to admit, the last two cameras we had, we always thought the pictures just were not up to par. So we think , you always get what you pay for. It's a lesson we have learned over and over again. . . mostly because Mckay is a tight-wad. So we buy the cheaper slightly less worthy item and we are almost always disappointed. But is such an expensive camera really worth the money?

Thanks

I just needed to tell all of you thanks for the kind thoughts and comments on my post yesterday about "Remembering Hayley." All of my friends and family are such a source of strength for me and I truly appreciate the chance to know and learn from all of you. Anyway, before this gets to be another heart warmer, thanks for the thoughts. . . I love you all!

Remembering Hayley

I can't believe it. Today it has been nine years since my little sister "Hayley-Bop" passed away. I can't even think about how my mom feels every year on this day. Hopefully, it has gotten a little easier with each passing year. She would be fifteen years old , (an annoying Mia Maid). It's hard for me to think that I have forgotten the way her voice sounds, the way she used to laugh, or the funny faces she would pull. Sometimes, I can recall her entire death experience matter- of -factly to others, but today I have a hard time saying her name out loud without crying. I miss her. How grateful I am that I know she is in good hands and that I have a chance to see her again. What would I do without that faith?! I remember shortly after she died, my mom would spend lots of time at her grave , (we happened to live across the street from the cemetery). She would tell me how, on cold nights, she would go there and lay on Hayley's grave because she just knew that Hayley would be cold. It breaks my heart to picture it, and yet I KNOW that I would be doing the same thing if my baby girl was in the cold ground. I remember the agony that was clearly on my mom's face as if her heart was actually being torn apart. It is a sight I will never forget. We all like to think that our parents are strong and invincible to an almost hero status. . .then a child dies, and you see how human your parents really are. I thought, in the moment, that I knew something of what she felt, but if one of my girls passed away before I agreed with God that it was o.k.. . . what a wreck I would be. Sometimes, I'll talk about her with Mckay, and then I realize that he has never met her. How weird. I feel like he has been a part of my life forever, and he has for longer than Hayley, and yet Hayley was a huge part of my life growing up. It's like having two separate lives. That was then, this is now. Nothing has stayed the same in my family since she passed away. Nothing. I always wonder if some things would have changed anyway had she lived, or if everything would still be the same. Maybe that's my reason for liking change, even though it was forced on me, I grew so much from that experience, and I honestly wouldn't change the person I have become from it. Wouldn't it be nice if we could gain character and strength without having such trials. Hayley, no doubt, was such a spirit that she was here just a short time before it was time to go home to Heavenly Father. She was something else. . . I love that kid. I will forever be grateful to have had the opportunity to be her big sister Ayea.

WOO-HOO

So, I just had to put this down in writing for it to seem real. Are you ready?
Wait for it. . .
Wait for it. . .
Rhyan slept through the night! WOO-HOO! I felt like I was about to burst by 5 a.m. when I got up for my exercise class. I almost thought about waking her up to feed her and relieve the pressure, but I couldn't ruin this momentous occasion. Hopefully this wasn't a fluke!

Happy Birthday ELLE!

It was Elle's third birthday party yesterday. She is Emmie's best friend! Her mom, Kim is one of my good friends too, so it's fun. Elle is just two weeks older than Emmie and she used to call her, "my Emmie."


Elle decided she wanted a froggy birthday party. But on short notice and short on time, like usual (sorry Kim, you know it's true), she got these cute green visors and put eyes on them to look like froggies and the kids got to decorate them with markers. It was a good idea, Kim always pulls through. Wal-mart made this really cute design of a frog made out of cupcakes. I should've taken a picture of it. It seems simple enough to maybe even do at home.

These are all the kids that came. most of them live on the same street! Yah, when we moved here, Mckay said, "Maybe we should've moved to that street, it's where most of your friends are!" It would have been fun, but I also enjoy a little separation-I'm just sayin'!

KEEP Scrolling down! I'm not sure what happened to this post!

Bad Habits!

So, lets just get this out in the open and say my girls are addicted to Ovaltine! There I said it. Both Morgan and Emmie have to have their chocolate milk every morning when they wake up and every night before they sleep. I'll tell you how it started. when Morgan turned one, she didn't want anything to do with normal milk (she would've nursed forever if I would've let her, but it was a year and I was done), so I got a good idea from my sister-in-law, Maurny, to try putting Ovaltine in her milk because it worked for Grace (her daughter). So I try it and Morgan loves it almost instantly! I thought, "well as long as she is getting her milk I'm o.k. with it also being chocolate." It got to the point that she wouldn't drink normal milk ever. Then I got pregnant with Emmie and I thought we need to stop this habit before she gets to be any older (HA HA!) It never died and mostly because Mckay and I didn't feel like it was worth the fight. So Then Emmie turns one, and I know for sure I don't want to start the same bad habit for her. She does fabulously with normal milk, but she will only drink it out of a bottle, (sippies were apparantly only for water and juices). then Emmie is getting closer to her second birthday and starts to realize that Morgan gets chocolate in her milk and she wants to try it. She doesn't like it-WHEW! I thought I dodged a bullet. Nope! She wanted to try it again a few months later and that was it. I officially had two girls hooked on Ovaltine. Not only that but Morgan is almost six and still wants it, and Emmie still doesn't like to drink it out of anything but a bottle! . . . Sigh. . . the only defense I have for Mckay and I as parents is that at least Ovaltine has some good vitamins and minerals that other chocolate additives don't. DARN you Ovaltine for being so tasty to my children!!!

Cute Pictures-Cute Girls

So, I have a dear friend (Marrya, or Mar-Mar) who had free points for Kiddie Kandids and it was definitely time to get the girl's pictures taken. Morgan and Emmie look so old to me, it's crazy! If you look close, you can see the effects of real life and a hurried mom because Morgan's fingernails need some major up-keep! i.e. new polish.

This happens to be the only picture of Rhyan that we got because she apparently does not like her picture taken. I had to hold her off to the side while the big girls got ready, then throw her in at the last minute. I swear she's a happy baby-Really!

Me? Do a blog?

"That's a great idea" I said sarcastically to all the many others who charted the blog waters way before I and told me I needed to start one as well. That was well over a year ago! I really did think it was a good idea, but I also thought, "Great! something else to maintain!" So, it's taken me a while to get here, kicking and screaming no less, but here I am World! Hopefully, after a seven year hiatus from writing in my journal EVERY night, I can use this as such. While I'm at it, my kids' pictures will have a place for all our family and friends to see, instead of the dark, deep abyss that is my picture drawer!



Pictures to come soon!