Kate is FOUR

Kate has spent at least the last 6 months planning her fourth birthday party...A Fancy Nancy Soiree! She made the guest list, planned the activities, helped prepare decorations, picked out the guest's accessories (the invitation told the girls to wear something fancy and we would provide the accessories) and then she continued to dream about her special day. I have to admit it was all pretty magical. I had a hard time containing myself as these tiny little girls arrived at our house in tu-tus, princess dresses, twirly skirts and clicky shoes...too much fun!One thing that I love about the Fancy Nancy series of books is that Nancy is actually a nice girl. She is not sassy like so many of the characters in other book series that target little girls. She is just a little girl who likes to use big words and appreciates things that are "fancy". Anyway, back to the party...
As our guests arrived, we got started with Fancy Nancy picture coloring.
Then we moved on to a skit about being fancy by Owen and Davis (the little girls really didn't get it, but Kate thought that it was great that her brothers wanted to plan something "just for her").
Next we read the original Fancy Nancy book and added some accessories to our ensembles. Adorable, if I do say so myself....
From there we made bracelets and got ready for the cake...
As a surprise for Kate, our friends Miss Carol and Miss Loretta made these fancy creations. Her first reaction was priceless, "Oh, I LOVE them!" They were quite the hit.She opened presents and felt thoroughly excited and loved. Thank you to all who made her day "better than she thought it would be"!
So, happy birthday to our spunky, determined, fancy little four year old! We love you!
A few of Kate's favorite things....
Colors: Pink, Purple and Green
Thing to Do: Play with her new Barbie
Food: Pizza and Hamburgers
Flower: Daisies (she thought of this question by herself)
What she wants to be when she grows up: Mommy/Ballerina/Princess/Fairy/Mermaid
Place to go: Wendy's with Daddy (that's where she always chooses to go on their "dates")
Book: Obviously, Fancy Nancy

Summer Bucket Lists 2011

Since the first day of Summer Vacation the kid's "bucket lists" have been posted and we are in full Swing here....

The first day of our school vacation just happened to be my birthday. Thank you to all of my friends and family who made it a special day. Carmen and Kelly brought me lunch--love them!
Frog O'Fare Children's Festival at the ParkArt Class with Miss Tammy
Swimming Lessons
And we are just getting started!

Three of the most important women in our lives...

Wow! I have so much to catch up on, but before I do I have to post a small tribute to three of the most important women in our family's lives over the past ten months...our teachers...As I drove away from the school on Owen's last day and saw the teachers and staff who came out to wave to the kids as they drove away I was grateful for my sun glasses because I had tears pouring out of my eyes. We were rocking out to the Phineas and Ferb theme song ("There's 104 days of summer vacation...", thank you for the CD Auntie Amy!), so I don't think the boys noticed. I was simply overwhelmed by the many good people who spend their time educating my children...

Mrs. Smith--LOVE her! Honestly, the best possible fit for Owen this year. She provided the perfect balance of encouragement, positive feedback and humbling experiences for our little "sponge". Owen loved her enthusiasm, stories about her family and clever songs (he sings them around our house...constantly). I appreciated the hours that she spent searching for ways to keep him engaged and her organizational skills never ceased to amaze me. It was no small miracle that he never complained about going to school...thank you Mrs. Smith!Teacher Cindy--If you were to look up "perfect preschool teacher" in the dictionary, there would be a picture of Teacher Cindy. Honestly, she has a way of letting the kids know that they are loved, but that she expects their best behavior, within the first 10 minutes of class. I love how animated and excited she gets with the kids and how she encourages them to be curious, kind and to think outside of the box.

Teacher Mandy--Pure love...that's how I think of Mandy. I think that Davis knew after the first day of school that Mandy was a "safe place" for him. He was so nervous (she spent a half hour in the bathroom with him on that first day...poor kid...poor Mandy!) and she made him feel calm and safe. I think that one of the reasons that Davis loved writing in his journal so much this year was he knew that Mandy would be there to listen to his ideas.

So to these three women, teachers, mothers and friends I say..."Thank you!" Oh, and don't worry...you have more of our kids to look forward to in the near future!

Below I have posted pics of the boys on the first day of school and then again at the end of the year...they have definitely grown and changed...

I don't mean to brag, but...

I get to live in a BEAUTIFUL place...I love our life.

I believe in Jesus Christ

Recently I had a conversation with a friend who I have known for about a year now. We have interacted on at least a weekly basis during this time. Somehow the topic of religion came up and she seemed shocked when I referred to myself as a Christian. For some reason this really bothered me this time. Throughout my life I have always had people tell me that "Mormons aren't Christians", but for some reason this time it really hurt. Did she not know me and my family well enough to know that we believe in and try to follow the example of our Savior, Jesus Christ? So, the truth is, it made me kind of angry (probably not the most Christ-like response, I will admit). I know that there will be some people that won't believe that members of our faith worship and honor Jesus Christ, no matter what I say, but for the record, I believe in Jesus Christ. I have come to know Him as I pray in His name and study His life in the old world in the Bible and His visits to the Americas in the Book of Mormon. I know that He died for me and I hope that my life will always reflect these beliefs...

End of the Year Fun

Memorial Day=Boatnik Parade

Last day of school for Davis=Volcano Ice Cream Cake!Davis=A Preschool Graduate
For some reason this has been a little hard for me. Davis was always my most cuddly toddler...now I see him growing and changing. I am excited for him...he is so ready to go to elementary school.
Field Day for Owen=Fun in the Sun!

Hives by Chocolate

Several month ago now I started having terrible problems with my complexion. My skin was just bumpy and itchy and it was driving me crazy. So, I changed my moisturizer and face cleanser. Then it seemed to spread to my neck....annoying. I changed my makeup and makeup brushes. Then I noticed red spots on my arms. I changed my laundry detergent and fabric softener. Once the itchiness spread to my back and ankles I knew I had to do something drastic. I reviewed the allergy testing results that I had in my file from a trip to the allergist after a strange/strong reaction to something I ate while I was pregnant with Davis. Then it hit me....brace yourselves....the testing had come back that I was mildly allergic, to Coffee, soy and CHOCOLATE! We had had a good laugh about this at the time and I think I probably said something like, "Whatever happens to me when I eat chocolate, it is worth it!" Because I was going mental with all of the itching I decided to cut chocolate out of my diet just to see if there was an improvement. To my horror, the itching bumps have gone away! Sigh. Must I really live a chocolate free life from here on out? I have tried to eat a little chocolate as an experiment from time to time. Unfortunately, it is definitely the culprit. I still am holding out hope that maybe I am just allergic to milk chocolate or dark chocolate, but not both. Seriously, you may think this is trivial, but I LOVE CHOCOLATE...this is definitely a trial for me. Oh, that I weren't an addict...There is just no good substitute for a brownie with mint chocolate chip ice cream...I will miss you chocolate....boo, hoo, hoo...