Surprise Birthday Presents!

Last week a package arrived in the mail with birthday presents for Maggie and Evelyn from their grandparents!  They loved stretching out their birthday celebrations, and they look ADORABLE in their tutus and personalized T-shirts!!  

"Cheese"

I tried to get pictures of the two girls together, but my attempt failed (thank you, Evy!!) Maybe one of these days...

Thank you, Grandpa Kent and Grandma Janice!!

More Funny-isms

• I sing my kids songs about the Mormon Pioneers at bedtime during the summer.  A few days ago Maggie asked me for the "Oreo" song.  I couldn't figure out what she meant!  Then she started singing it: "For some must push, and some must pull, as we go marching up the hill!  So merrily on our way we go until we reach the Oreo!" (Valley-O)
• Maggie likes to lay out her outfit the night before.  It is so cute.  (It usually includes undies, too.)

• Last night our neighborhood held its monthly "Cookie Walk." Four families sign up at church in advance to bake DOZENS of cookies and set up a stand in front of their house.  Then families can walk around the neighborhood on a Sunday evening and take a cookie at each station (or like, four or five cookies at each station if you are an entitled teenager...) and visit with other neighbors.  It's lots of fun.  Last night we had a station in front of our house with 10 or 11 dozen cookies laid out.  Jared was treating the whole thing like a business venture:  "So, Mom, we are open from 6 til 8 o'clock, right?"  And then he greedily said, "We are going to make so much money!" after which I had to tell him we were giving the cookies away for free! (I actually think he already knew that, and he was just saying it to be funny.) 



Getting ready for the cookie walk

I do not have a primary calling, but occasionally I'm told things that happen during singing time or Jared's class time.  Jared has developed quite the reputation with the adults who serve in Primary, and they are always telling me what a good singer he is or what funny and smart things he says:

• Jared's Primary class was asked what "amazed" meant.  As in, the people were amazed at the miracles Jesus performed.  Jared called out, "That means flabbergasted!"
• The primary chorister was teaching the primary kids a new song, and they were on their 2nd week working on it.  She praised them and said how she was so surprised and proud at how so many of them knew most of the words already.  Jared yelled out, "Well, duh, we learned this song last week!"
• Jared and his friend Lauren were sitting next to each other during singing time in Primary.  After a song was finished Lauren said, "Jared, you are such a good singer."  Then Jared replied solemnly, "Well, I always try to do my best at everything!"  
• After a Primary lesson on the Priesthood, Jared wrote on a poster the class was making, "Jared's Guide to Priesthood Ordinances" and then proceeded to list what he knew about each ordinance.  So cute!
• One last note about Jared before I share pictures from the last week of school--Jared is officially a Star Wars geek!  I love it!  He has read many, many Star Wars picture books this past year and is into Angry Birds Star Wars (it teaches more about the characters and plot than you think!)  He knows all the characters and the whole story line.  Well, we have finally started watching the movies with him!  I was nervous showing them to him cause I think they can be a bit scary (we will definitely skip big chunks of Episode III), but he is loving them.  At the end of Episode I, I was explaining to Jared that Palpatine was just pretending to be nice, but he's really a bad guy.  Jared said, "Duh, Mom, everyone know's he's Darth Sidious!"  It's super fun to share that with him.  I think Alan, especially, loves it.  

Jared on the last day of school with Mrs. H!  We loved her. Jared is actually sad that school's out (that makes two of us!) Ha ha!)  He enjoys it so much!

Below is a video of the 1st graders doing their dance for the Dance Festival the last week of school.  Jared's right on the front row, but this was the closest I could zoom in, so don't even try to pick him out. 

Random cute picture of sweet Evelyn with Daddy taken the day of the Dance Festival

Princess Preschool Graduation

I think it's funny that we as parents like to have graduations for EVERYTHING. One of the moms that helped teach Princess Preschool put together a very short little graduation ceremony.  These girls were so cute with their paper hats!  

Desi, Ava, Eliana, Maggie S., Maggie W., Presley.  Sadly, Penny was sick and couldn't be there.

Maggie holding her diploma

Cute little graduation cap cookies our hostess made 

Happy Birthday to Margaret!!

Maggie probably thinks she has like four birthdays.  We celebrated with our little family four days before her real birthday, since Alan was going to be out of town.  Then we sang to her on her REAL birthday.  Then she got sung to at church several days after her birthday.  THEN she had her party with her preschool friends and neighbors 8 days after her birthday.  Talk about stretching things out!

"Four"

 I have been giving Maggie some of my old toys from when I was little.  This year Maggie wanted Elsa and Anna barbie dolls (of course), but since they cannot be found in stores or for a decent price online, I gave her my Belle and Beast barbies that are in great condition.  (Several days later I looked up the Beauty and the Beast dolls on Amazon just to see how much they are selling for right now--$35-40 each!  Sheesh!)  Maggie also plays with my My Little Ponies and my Lady Loverly Locks dolls (anyone remember those?)

Maggie's loot: my little ponies, Frozen movie and coloring book, paint with water book, Barbies, a "darling dress" from Grandma C. 

Maggie wanted a purple cake.  The frosting actually tasted kind of nasty--too much food coloring?  Maggie didn't like the taste of her cake, and since the rest of us were all sick the days following this party, I ended up chucking half the cake in the garbage...

I let Maggie pick out a shirt at the store for her birthday.  It has a butterfly on it.

All of the following pictures are from Maggie's little friend/preschool Princess party.  I was on my own to do the party and take care of Evelyn at the same time (at the last minute we found out Alan couldn't be here to help me), so I didn't get very many pictures.  

Pin the Tail on Eeyore.  Not anything to do with princesses, but hey, we already had it here at my house.  I spent a long time making it for Jared's 4th birthday party several years ago.

The girls went on a Royal Treasure Hunt.  We followed clues around the house, and then the treasure was in the dryer! Inside were foam tiaras to decorate. 

"Where's the treasure?"

Friends (clockwise from top): Presley, Lennon, Cadie, Maggie, Eliana, Ava, and Asher. Kirsi came at the end and visited a while. 

The kids are searching for Cinderella's lost slipper in our backyard. I hid the slipper three different times because they had so much fun with this!

A new apron one of the moms made Maggie.  She loves to help me cook in it!

Here is a cute video I took of Maggie.  I was trying to be like a fly on the wall as she acts out "Let it Go" from Frozen.  She knows ALL the words and pretends to be Elsa marching through the snow.  SOOOO CUTE.  This video does not do it justice.

Tastes of Italy

Several weeks ago we ate dinner at Olive Garden.  We let Evelyn chew on the paper coaster that says "Tastes of Italy."  Looks like she enjoyed her own little "taste" of Italy.

She's such a cute rascal.

My Soccer Star!

Jared is just about done with soccer again this spring.  He has had a ton of fun and has really learned a lot.  He still doesn't like compete with other kids in getting close up to the ball, but he does like to play defense and kick the ball when the other team kicks it his way.

My neighbor took these action shots of Jared and emailed them to me.  He is wearing long pants and sleeves because it was really cold for his first few games!!

Jared was supposed to be on a 1st grade boys team, but because they didn't have enough kids sign up (the league was new this year), they had to combine 1st and 2nd graders (There are even two 3rd graders that snuck in his team--not sure how that happened.)  Since Jared is by far the youngest child on his team, I felt bad that he didn't get a chance to really show/improve his skills because there were so many older and better-skilled children on the team for him to compete with.  Hopefully next year when I sign Jared up for a 2nd grade team, it really will be just 2nd graders!! He has had lots of fun, though, and is excited to do soccer again in the fall.

Turrrrible week

Yeah. So, since this is my blog, sometimes I get to complain if I want to.

This week we were all sick--Evelyn, Maggie, Jared, me.  In that order.  Fevers, headaches, SORE THROATS. It was awful.  Evelyn also got this horrible, red, pimply rash all over her chin.  Last week I took her to the doctor (not my regular doctor) and he said it was probably just a food allergy.  But would that give her a fever? I asked.  Oh, you're right, probably not, he said.  I don't know, just watch what she eats.   I left the doctor that day wondering why I just paid him money to tell me nothing new ????

2 days later: Maggie and Jared get sick with fevers, headaches, and sore throats.  Jared misses three days of school this week.  (He was really miserable one day, and then he was bouncing off the walls the other days, driving me crazy.  Grrr.)

1 day later: I get sick.  I felt AWFUL. I really hope my kids didn't feel as yucky as I felt, but I'm sure they did.  I was a bit worried it was strep throat, so we alllllllll  piled in the van to go to the doctor (my regular doctor this time) so I could get a strep culture taken.  Negative.  Just a nasty virus we had to wait out.

By today we are all better.

Here's what made the week even worse: It was Maggie's birthday this week.  Not only did we NOT do anything on her actual birthday, but I had to postpone her little preschool birthday party until next week.  I feel so bad for her!

Oh, yeah, and if that's not bad enough, Alan was out of town on business this entire week.  I had no wonderful hubby to take care of me or the kids.  When I am sick, sometimes it just feels like too much to get the kids fed and put to bed.  You know that feeling? I wished soooooooo badly that Alan had been home to put the kids to bed while I crashed.  At the same time I am glad he was gone so he didn't catch it, too.  I'm am so glad we are all better, but now I have to catch up on days' worth of dishes and housework...Oh, joy. At least I get to see me sweet husband again in just a few hours!!!!!!!!!!!!