The plight of all women

Me: Charlie, don't grow up, just stay little forever.

Charlie: I can't stop growing, Mom.

Me: Why not?

Charlie: Because my bottom won't stop growing.

Join the club, honey. Join the club.

First day of school, first day of school!

I'm a bit late in publishing this post. My little Charlie started kindergarten this year. What happened??? Biggest hit - the bus. She sort of had two first days of school. They have an open house on the first day of school, take the week off and then start the next week. Strange but oh well.



And after MONTHS of talking about all the exciting things that happen at her preschool Brit finally got to start preschool herself. She LOVES it. I have to say its sad to see them go but I put Tate down and then the house is so quiet and I get so much done!

California

The girls and I headed to California the end of August to visit my sister and her kids. Fortunately for us we timed it just right and went while my parents and Austin were there. It was a great vacation. Busy, but fun. The girls, as always, loved the beach, Ava and Alex. Tate found that sand is just her flavor.

Piercings and Dandelions

Brit picked some dandelions this week and was following me around the house talking to me about them. She had initially picked them for Phil, which is who all her picked flowers are for, but then she always gets distracted. The conversation went something like this, "When I get married I will have these flowers for my wedding. You can wear them in your hair or hold them in your hand but they are for when you get married." That's right, as long as they're in season, Brit's flower budget will be very minimal for her wedding.

Charlie was playing around with different toys trying to turn them into earrings for about two days. I helped her fasten some of them to look like earrings (at least to her liking). Saturday morning she was playing in their little fairy hut (like a small indoor tent) and she pokes her head up and says, "Mom, can you see the hole in my ear yet?" Apparently she was in the hut with a pin (like those Olympic pins but one from Disneyland) working on putting a hole in her ear. Nothing like a five year old piercing her own ears!

Ward Luau

Yearly we have a ward luau. Its always so great. We always have some Polynesian dancers perform dances from all of the islands. As always, someone from my family gets involved in the dancing. It was Charlie's year this year. She was just spectating but check out those hips!

The Car Dealership

Once every three months we do our duty to the car and take it in for a little TLC (also known as an oil change and tire rotation). My girls LOVE this event because the blessed Lexus dealership provides quite the tasty snack bar making our hour stay a bit easier. Upon arrival the girls instantly ask for a doughnut. Fortunately they had two sprinkle doughnuts. Let me just say I have never seen anyone else in there EVER with children. The girls happily ate their doughnuts in the waiting room spreading the sprinkle doughnut love all over the floor. Next came the drinks, Sprite cans in the mini fridge. Little drops here, little drops there. Once they had thrown their cans away they giggles as they watched the pop spill out and run through the trash. Then came the candy. Nerds. By the time Tate had COMPLETELY exploded her diaper (the kind that as you're cleaning it up it just seems to get worse) the waiting room was covered in sprinkles, Nerds, and Sprite. Which, did you know, when Nerds and Sprite meet on the floor and then are walked across it creates beautiful colors? I tried to sweep up the mess with my foot creating a decent pile of nerds and sprinkles in the corner but the Nerd/pop colors were there to stay.

Dance Recital

Charlie had her first Clytie Adams Ballet dance recital in June. It was such an impressive production! They danced to a live orchestra and the entire program moved very quickly. Charlie was amazing (of course). She was even invited to do an additional little part as a random bee with two other girls from her class. She was great and all grins from ear to ear afterward (it helps that the auditorium the dancers waited in for their performance time had a magician and lots of fun.) Flowers at the end also brings lots of grins, however, she has requested that next time she has a recital she gets red, white, or pink roses.

Swimming lessons

In a moment of insanity I signed the girls up for two sessions of swimming lessons in June. That meant four weeks of straight swimming lessons. I am so glad they are over! However, they both did improve a lot. Plus, I may have missed this gummy grin from Tate!

Summertime...

Its here. At least that's what I've been told. We have made it swimming a few times but currently Utah has acquired a monsoon season. Strange. We've started swimming lessons and gymnastics, in the process of finishing dance and school, had a root canal (me, not the girls) and have several doctor's appointments before the weather can clear so its not my fault we're not at Cherry Hill to swim every day.





Tate is six months old already! Where has the time gone? She is definitely my most petite baby. She is very happy and calm yet energetic (I'm beginning to worry about when that energy is able to move around...scary). She has rolled over in both directions but isn't so hot about being consistent, I'm not worried. She is a chatter box. That girl will talk all day long (baby talk, of course).



On a side note, Phil had to go to Cooperstown, NY for work a week ago and got to go to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Yeah for him!

Delta aka. Zion

We had a chance to head down to Delta last month and visit Phil's grandparents. We got to visit with his Grandma Nielsen pretty well one on one (which I have NEVER done in our entire 8.5 married years). It was really fun to visit with her and hear her stories. Then Phil's aunt took us out to her friend's place who had brand new ponies. Phil's Grandma Cox made us fried chicken and milk gravy (Phil's all time favorite meal) and we got to spend some time with both Cox grandparents. Phil really does love Delta, me...not so much. It was a fun weekend and the girls loved playing with the horses so everyone was happy (and yes, Brit did wear her sparkle shoes out on the farm, much to her father's dismay-not appropriate farm shoes, how embarrassing!).

The End of the UGLY Lawn Ornament

A little over a month ago a HIDEOUS lawn ornament appeared on our lawn. For those of you who don't know, we share a little lawn area in front with our neighbors (we live in a townhome...it happens). Two little kids sliding down a slide. Sweet, you may say, cheesy is what I say not to mention VERY cheap. It was placed more on our side (we assumed the neighbors thought it looked cuter closer to the tree...it didn't). So we had a silent war with the neighbors...many comments about their craziness and Phil scooting said children back to the neighbors side and neighbors scooting it back. If you understand the full neighbor situation you'd understand why we never talked to them about it. They're nice enough just a little bit of craziness over there. FINALLY, the HOA got involved last week and sent the neighbors a warning. That night we got a knock on our door. Lawn ornament NOT the neighbors. They have hated it just as much thinking it was ours and couldn't figure out why we kept moving it to their side. That night the two children on the slide made it to the trash with a few goodbyes from the girls (they thought it was wonderful and oh so cute). Thank you to whoever put it there....

I have rearranged the seating arrangement in our car so that the girls are all together in the same row (Charlie was tired of being in the back by herself). As we were returning from the doctor's yesterday Charlie says, "Brit! You can't feed the baby your sucker!" Sweet of her to share, but now I wonder how many other sweet treats my five month old has had...

You want a what??

Charlie came home from PRESCHOOL yesterday and told me all about show and tell...One of the girls brought her IPOD to school to show all the kids. Charlie was amazed and now thinks she should get one! Thanks to the parent who bought their 4 year old an Ipod and then let her bring it to school-its really working for me. I told Charlie she can buy one with her own money, which since she gets $2-3 a week as an allowance I'm really hoping that she completely forgets about the whole idea by the time she saves enough (which she tends to be a little bit of a spender so I'm not even worried).

Happy Birthday!!!

In true fashion this year-better late than never but happy birthday! Brit and Phil share the same birthday (yes, we planned it that way...one of the perks of scheduled c-sections!). Brit turned 3 and is one vibrant little personality. She has a lot of spunk and is very very sweet but mostly just catch-you-off-guard hilarious. The best part is that she doesn't even try to be funny but just is. She definitely adds a lot to our lives!

As for Phil...he's just older and better with each year! I couldn't ask for a better husband. He is also quite amusing but he REALLY doesn't mean to be. It just happens.

We love you both so much!
(Brit's blue face is due to sidewalk chalk that she unintentionally got ALL OVER.)

Happy Easter!!!

We got to do some fun things Easter weekend but I'll post about that later (dinner's cookin'!).

Blessing Day

After two attempts we finally did it! We blessed Tate last Sunday. (The first attempt she ended up getting RSV three days before.) I don't bear my testimony really ever because it ALWAYS turns into the ugly cry complete with sobbing and no one understands what it is I am saying between all of my blubbering. BUT I love these four people so much and am so glad they are a part of my life. I feel so blessed to have been entrusted with my three sweet girls who I love so much for all so many different reasons. They each are definitely their own person and I am so grateful for it! And words can't say how much I love and appreciate my husband. I am grateful that through the gospel we can be an eternal family!!!! (This post is not intended to make our lives look perfect just once in a great while you get a glimpse of heaven!)

Twilight, Edward & PHIL

In an attempt to get ourselves bikini ready (not that either Phil or I would ever wear such atrocities...just atrocities on us-can you picture Phil?) Phil and I made a "deal". If he went out to eat for lunch during the week and didn't get something healthy he would have to read the first book of the Twilight series. Three days later I WON!!! So he renegotiated that if he swore more than three times in the next week he would have to read the first TWO books. Yes, I won, only by one or two words but bring on Edward! I have to say that I didn't make this deal because I absolutely loved the books, because as a freak of nature I really didn't but it's all about the most amount of pain and suffering I can inflict. Phil's cousin Russ is so happy about the situation that he has found many a website of paraphernalia for Phil to have to carry around with him. Its been real fun.

Charlie is FIVE!!!

As the terrible and severely tired and distracted mom that I am this post is coming about ten days late but fortunately for me Charlie doesn't check the blog frequently so she'll never know...I can't believe my baby is FIVE. What happened??? I took her over to the elementary school to sign up for Kindergarten last week and just about cried the rest of the day because I am NOT ready for her to grow up. Seriously. Its the beginning of the end.
But this post isn't about me, now is it? We had a great celebration involving my family and the five of us. Phil and I finally broke down and got the girl a goldfish (okay, breaking down really would have been a dog but we're not ready for that kind of responsibility or chaos). Heart, the fish, gave out no more than four days later so Phil took the girls back to the pet store and Charlie picked out two new fish (guppies this time) named Shiny and Flower.
She (Charlie, not the fish) maintains the soft spoken, sweet little personality she has always had. She is so wonderful to her sisters and is trying so hard to learn how to do everything that grown-ups do. She has recently become very interested in the piano and cooking (as soon as I can teach her all I know, which isn't much, she's in charge of meals). Her toes remain her source for walking and she has learned how to stand on the very very tips in all of her shoes and will do it whenever we stand still for two minutes. She absolutely loves to draw and is exceptional at coloring, loves to sing and dance, and watch Tom and Jerry cartoons. Charlie's best friend is Brit, who is so thrilled that her older sister tells her that and is so willing to play with her the majority of the time.

I can hardly believe its been nearly three months since Tate was born! She LOVES to be talked to and tries her hardest to talk back. Her newest trick is if her binky is nearly all the way out of her mouth she has figured out how to push it back in. What talent! (Of course she wouldn't need such skills if she were a little better at the binky but we'll take it!)
As for our other girls...we started giving them a performance based allowance (they have to do certain chores every day without crying). We explained the whole tithing thing in simple terms and the rest of the week Brit kept saying "I will give Jesus my money!"
As for Charlie, she is trying so hard and learning how to read. Last week she kept asking us for plain milk so she could grow big and strong. On Sunday she made a comment that made me realize she thought the milk in the fridge was the same milk Tate drinks (I am nursing). Straightened that one out real quick!

Could it really be???

I woke up Sunday morning knowing my kids were all staying home from church due to illness AGAIN and decided it would be the prime day to start potty training being that Phil was technically home for two days to help out. I have to say this is something I have put off for MONTHS, I had a good excuse with having a baby but I knew my time was up.
You see, I had to potty train Charlie three different times before it finally took and each time was more miserable than the previous. It has a lot to do with SEVERE frustration all the while having to fake nonchalant-ness after an accident and overly joyed at something that really had been taught and learned many times before.
I think I figured out my problem. Charlie WASN'T ready! So yes, Brit is on the verge of three and that seems to be the trick! We had one accident Sunday, one Monday and so far none today! WAHOOOOOOOOO!!!
The best part of potty training Brit is there's always a song and dance to go with whatever she is doing. For those of you who have seen the "stinky bottom" dance it is now the "potty" dance. And apparently if she goes in with Phil she has a song (which she refuses to sing for me) that goes a little like this, "Go potty, go potty, go potty!"
I will get video of the dance for all to see one of these days but just know it has to do with sticking her little backside out and shaking it side to side. Its a riot!

Miracle of miracles!

Two weeks ago Phil took Charlie up to Powder Mountain for some ski lessons with the intent of having two quiet hours to himself to read in the lodge. One of the instructors found out he couldn't ski and would NOT take no for an answer. He only fell once and loved it so much they are going back this week for more lessons. I was so proud I could have cried.

Recently....

We all grew over the holidays-Tate is now out of her "up to 7 lbs." clothes, Brit grew (or jumped feet first) into a big sister, Charlie grew into the oldest and wisest and Phil and I grew in ways we just won't discuss. That brings up the fact that I've been to the gym twice this week (or since Tate was born) and my pre-pregnancy clothes STILL don't fit. Shouldn't twice do it??? Oh, and Nat brought Ava and Alex out to visit so Christmas was complete!!!