Backyard Bum

I was finally sitting down to lunch after sending the kids to the backyard when Cara came back and handed me her diaper through the hole in the screen door, then ran away. I followed her to take the mandatory pictures and to try to coax her to put the diaper back on. Then I thought, “Eh, who cares about a naked baby in their own backyard? Not me.” So I went back to my lunch. A few minutes later she came back and tried handing me something else through the hole in the screen door. This time it was poo. Oh, boy!

Memorial Day Memories

We started off our holiday with a trip to the Children’s Discovery Garden at Thanksgiving Point. We love this place! It’s so much for for unstructured playtime.

                        

Next we went to the dollar theatres for an afternoon of The Lorax. This was Caroline’s first theatre experience and she did really well…as long as she could reach the popcorn.

Then my sister and her family came over to cook hotdogs over the fire. We all hung out talking and laughing and watching the kids play. Click on the picture for the video or here is the link.

The real reason for the holiday isn’t lost on us, though. We realize that so many people sacrifice their spouse’s, children’s, and even their own life for all of the freedom we take for granted. It is probably very hard to see such carefree families just enjoying having a day off of work when someone you love is gone, seemingly forgotten. We haven’t forgotten and we pray for them and their loved ones.

Happy Memorial Day!! …2 1/2 months ago…

Pink Tights and Pointe Shoes

Okay, I know they’re not really pointe shoes…but it made a cute title :)

 

My darling daughter is such a klutz. I mean really, really klutzy. She trips and falls just while standing and is constantly falling off chairs. But when she dances, she has grace and poise.

                    

This last spring we enrolled her in a fantastic ballet program. I asked Madeleine’s friend’s mom where Halle goes to ballet and enrolled Madeleine in her same class. Little did I know that Barlow Arts Conservatory is very esteemed and has a great program. They have received numerous awards for being an outstanding dance studio and many of their students earn full-tuition scholarships to universities. Some have even gone on to study in New York. So, yeah, pretty fabulous.

Back to Madeleine…so I enrolled her in the pre-ballet class on Thursday mornings and bought her the gear. She loved her class! She loved being in it with Halle and made other new friends. She really loved Miss Jenny.

Madeleine was able to perform in  the spring recital Peter Pan. There were quite a few practices, dress rehearsals, and a photo shoot leading up to the big day and I thought it was a little overwhelming for a 4-year-old but when we saw the production we were blown away. The dancers were amazing! I was thoroughly impressed by how good they were for young girls. They really did look professional. It took place at the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo.

As for Madeleine, I couldn’t have been more proud. She was darling!! She knew her dance and performed with beauty. She was so happy and loved every minute of it.

The last class of the semester was open for the parents to come and watch and take pictures. It was fun to see but Madeleine seemed bored and tired the whole time. She was yawning constantly. I later discovered that she was becoming sick, so that explained a lot.

 

The fall semester starts next week and Madeleine was offered to skip a level of classes! Here’s the email I received:

Dear Dancer,
Thank you so much for interest in Fall Classes at the Barlow Arts Conservatory for our 2012-2013 Season. We were very pleased with your dancing and are happy to offer you a position in our level 1 class next year.
Tues. 5:30-6:30 Ballet
Thurs. 5:30-6:30 Ballet
Not everyone moved into Level 1 only the dancers that I felt had the focus to handle 2 hours a week versus 1.

Wow! That is impressive! I was so happy for Madeleine! This did give me a decision to make, though. I had only planned on Madeleine trying out ballet for one semester and then moving on to something else next year. Nate will be starting soccer in the fall and I don’t really care to have 2 soccer commitments and 2 ballet commitments every week. They are just little kids and I am just a lowly mom who likes things calm and to have family dinner every night and wants my kids to try a variety of things before we commit so much time and money into something. But she is obviously good and does enjoy it. There was the option to keep her back a level which only meets once a week but in the end, Rob and I decided that she’s only four and we just don’t have the money to keep all our kids in activities all the time.

So I think for fall I will be giving Madeleine piano lessons. She enjoys that, too. It’s a skill that has blessed me my whole life and I think it would be great to pass that on to her. Fewer and fewer people are learning how to play and I think it will be in high demand by the time Madeleine is older. There’s always the option to put her back in ballet at a later time.

I’m glad Madeleine was able to do ballet. She gained confidence, had fun, and really has beautiful lines. I love seeing her straight legs and pointed toes. If anyone in the Lehi area is interested in enrolling their child in ballet, I highly recommend Barlow Arts Conservatory. 

If you want to see more pictures or the videos, here’s the link.

Caroline Version 1.5

Caroline is a character. Caroline is stubborn. Caroline is a clown. If she sees that you’re laughing at her she will egg it on for all it’s worth.

Some moments with her are so frustrating. She still doesn’t understand reason so there are tantrums. They are getting fewer and fewer, though.

Some moments are unabashed joy. She has the greatest toothy smile. She loves dancing. She bounces up and down to the beat. She loves Ring Around the Rosy and her favorite songs are Old McDonald and Happy Birthday. She sings Happy Birthday randomly all the live long day and I LOVE it.

 Here’s the video link.

She’s still quite tiny and her speech isn’t much improved. Just about everything sounds the same. I’ve decided to rewind and start teaching her letter sounds instead of trying to get her to repeat words back to me because that is futile.

 

Here’s the video link.

She is really great at puzzles. She easily does preschool puzzles all by herself. She is also a complete whiz on the ipad.

Caroline is still attached to her blankie. It’s looking pretty raggedy. Caroline has started to love reading books, or at least look at the pictures.

She still eats crayons, pencils, erasers, marker tips, rocks, and dirt. She loves her some protein. Ham, cheese, greek yogurt, and legumes are her healthy favorites.  Her unhealthy favorites are jelly beans, dum-dums, cookies, and just about any other junk.

Cara is feisty. Cara doesn’t like to share. She holds her own. At the library the other day a little boy shoved her a little. She yelled right back at him for doing it! She also pulls Madeleine’s hair when she gets mad at her.

Caroline likes nursery. She gets along well with her other little friends and loves singing time.

We love Caroline!

Here’s the video link.

Madeleine Version 4.5

Madeleine seems to be growing up daily. There is such a difference from a year ago! She’s so beautiful. She is definitely the peacemaker of the family (which Rob blessed her with as a newborn). She loves to wrestle. She loves her long hair. Her laugh is so infectious. Madeleine loves everything about primary: helping in sharing time, learning about Jesus, being with her friends, and especially being taught and loved by her teachers.

Madeleine loves milk, but it has to be cold. When it is starting to come to room temperature, she says it’s dry. When she is thirsty, she says her lungs are dry.

She loves stuffed animals, any and all kinds.

 Here’s the video link. It’s pretty funny. 

One of her favorite things to do, which is hilarious, is tie knots. Seriously. She absolutely will tie knots in anything she can get her hands on. This includes string, ribbon, Rapunzel’s hair, shoelaces, whatever. She ties things to chairs, to her bed, to the banister, to anything that has a hole in it or can be wrapped around. She’s actually doing it right now. My dad likes to tie knots so she must have gotten it from him. It’s so funny, though, to see a 4-yr-old girl work so hard and so often tying things up and getting so much joy out of it.

She gets pretty frustrated with schoolwork. She’s hates writing, especially, because she can’t do it perfectly. She will completely break down when her letters don’t look like typed font, which obviously they don’t. She is so fun to talk to and has a great imagination. Plus, look at this cool thing she built.

The other day I took her to the mall. We were in a small store which had a tv and bench for the kids to use while the moms shopped. I was approximately 10 feet away from her looking through the racks. I thought maybe I should peek my head around the corner and make sure she was still there but I didn’t. A few more minutes passed and I decided to go check. She was gone. I looked all throughout the tiny store but she had left. She’s a wanderer and I knew this was going to happen some day. So out into the busy mall I went, looking and thinking. I stopped and talked to a kiosk worker right outside the door and asked if she’d seen her leave, which she hadn’t. I then told her that if I’m not back with her in 1 minute to call mall security to help me find her. So then I glanced down both ways wondering, “Which direction would my Madeleine go?” I knew which way to look. Sure enough, quite far down from where we had been, I saw her walking in my direction with her head down. Thank goodness! I crouched down and hugged her and had a discussion about what had happened. She told me she thought I had left her. I reassured her over and over again that I would NEVER leave her. I will be with her forever and will always take care of her. I’m so glad I had known which way to look for her. I only wish I had checked on her in the store when had been prompted.

Then…later in the same mall…we bought something in another store and then were rushing to the other side of the mall to our car when I noticed Madeleine was holding something behind her back. Ugh. She had “snuck” a little chapstick out of the store. I crouched down again and had another important discussion with her. All the way back through the mall we went to return the goods. The clerk knew just how to handle a four-year-old thief and I appreciated her. Quite the day at the mall. I don’t think I will be taking her again for a little while.

Madeleine is such a blessing in our family. We love our Madeleine!

Nathan Version 6.5

Here are some things about Nate that I don’t want to forget.

He loves to ride his bike and play outside with his friends. He will do it all day every day if I didn’t make him come inside every once in a while. The other evening they were at the park have a bike-skidding and obstacle competition. He came in all excited that he did well and was ready for the next day when they were going to be having the grand finale. He and his friends searched high and low for a bike ramp to use. He loves “drifting” his bike and jumping off curbs. Fun stuff for a six-year-old boy!!

He doesn’t like having his hair spiked. It has to be flat. This last Sunday he decided he wanted to look cool and put it spikey. I thought he looked awesome and said so while walking into church. He immediately began to feel self-conscious. Halfway through Sacrament meeting he asked to use the restroom. A few minutes later he walked back in, all the way down the aisle, shirt and head soaking wet. He told me he didn’t like his hair so he made it go flat again. Rob and I had a hard time not busting up laughing in his face. I had to pull him close into me so he wouldn’t see me.

The other morning Nate was telling me he wants to be either a paleontologist or an America Ninja Warrior. He just couldn’t decide! He asked me the hours that a paleontologist worked and if they are done in time to go home for dinner. Then he asked if I would take his kids to the museum and watch and wave at him through the glass. Then he said America Ninja Warriors probably have more fun, though. Decisions, decisions!

http://www.rjsnowphotography.com/Family/2012/July/24517268_wwj6Hw#!i=2001396526&k=S5tNfjM&lb=1&s=A 

Nate seems to be advanced in his schooling. The homework from Kindergarten was always way too easy for him. Over the summer I’ve been giving him mid-1st grade stuff to work on and it still comes quite easily, mostly. He does, however, get frustrated and teary-eyed when something is a little harder than he thinks it should be for him. If it isn’t super easy or is something that he has to concentrate on, he gets stressed. Hmmm. I believe that’s exactly how I was all through college.

He is such a big help to me. He is a cleaner. His dad taught him how to properly clean a bathroom and he will do it without complaining. If Madeleine is falling behind while we are out, he urges her to keep up with us. He can entertain Caroline to no end and will appease Madeleine’s playing wishes without complaining.

 

The other morning I came into the family room to find him working out with a large can of pork & beans to blaring Bon Jovi. When that got too easy for him he switched to two large vinegar bottles.

He hates potatoes more than just about anything.

 

Our whole family loves our Nate!

Silly, Silly

A few months ago Rob got an app that takes our picture and morphs it into something you can only laugh at. See?



Sorry, I don't know what the name of the app is, but there are many options available in iTunes.
Go ahead, morph yourself!!

My New Mindset

I feel like my blog has turned into nothing but pictures with captions. Not that that is a bad thing. But sometimes I forget to blog other aspects of our lives that don’t get photographed. You know, the not-so-camera-ready aspects of life. I used to do more ranting and soapboxing on here but as I have matured to the ripe old age of 30, I’ve decided that I want to limit that side of me a little more. It brings out my ugly. I’m trying to focus less on what I’m lacking and more on my blessings, less on what drives me crazy about other people and more on their beautiful individuality, and less on the drudgery that can be daily life and more on the sweet moments.

So, although my old me may have been a little more entertaining to read, especially during my ornery pregnancy months, my new me cares more about not offending and being more grateful. I still have annoyances and worries, but now they just aren’t as proclaimed which, in turn, seems to diminish them. It’s a win!

California Vacay: Redondo Beach

Finally! Our last California Vacay post. You know, most people write about their vacation in a single post…I’m not sure why it takes me ELEVEN!!! I suppose I should write less and take fewer pictures. Naaahhh.

On our last morning in California, Carol packed us a wonderful picnic lunch to eat on the road. It was so sweet of her to take care of us like that.

Before we left town we stopped at the Redondo Beach Pier. It was still very cold and windy and was pretty much shut down and deserted.
We still enjoyed walking around and watching the surf.

We took the kids to see all the various live seafood in tanks ready to be eaten. Madeleine didn’t like this so much.
She was afraid the crabs and other animals would crawl out of the tank and get her.

We wandered into a shop and paid $5 for us to see a real but dead great white shark. It wasn’t as impressive a display as I thought it would be.
Pretty cheesy setup they’ve got going.

After this we piled into the car and headed to Henderson, Nevada where we stayed the night. I think we’ll be staying in this area from now on.
It’s nowhere near the downtown area but still right off the freeway. It’s new and clean and quiet.

Then the next morning we headed home. I don’t remember too many details. See, this is what I get for taking over 3 months to document our fun.
Oh, well. We had such a nice time together as a family on our vacation, especially during the Disney portion! We will never forget that part! I’m so glad Rob and I decided to go with the kids this year instead of a couple vacation to New York. But next year…NYC here we come!

California Vacay: Los Angeles

On this day, the weather was terrible. The beach was out of the question as was anything else outdoors. I had wanted to visit the The Getty Center museum. Rob and I were going to switch off enjoying the art while the other played with the kids in the beautiful gardens but with the weather so bad, the kids couldn’t play outside, which meant Rob and I couldn’t go inside. I was disappointed.

We ended up going to the free California Science Center in the morning. It was kind of cool. The exhibits looked like they had seen better days. Everything was just getting a little old. Also, there were hundreds of students there on field trips. After we did our thing, Rob and Nate set off to get the parked car in the downpour without an umbrella. They arrived back drenched and freezing.

We then drove through the city making our way up to the Griffith Observatory. We drove through sketchy streets upon sketchy streets before getting to the beautiful drive up the canyon. The observatory is known for two things: the telescopes and the view of the city. Well, we got their and the building was encased in fog. No operating telescopes and no view. I was definitely annoyed at this point. However, after having a very engaging conversation with Mr. Einstein, I cheered up.

By this time, the fog had let up some and we were able to wander outside on the deck in the drizzle to see the view. Aren't these two the cutest?!

After this we drove to the coast in Santa Monica and loved the ocean view back down to Manhattan Beach. We made a quick stop in Marina Del Rey and watched the pelicans dive into the water for their dinner. It was so fun to see them fly, aim at the ocean, fold in their wings and stretch their necks, then splash into the water. It was still very cold outside so we mostly watched from the car.

We had dinner in Manhattan Beach at a French restaurant that was disappointing, both in cost and taste.

By this time we headed back to the Kiefer’s home, put the kids to bed, and watched a movie with Danny and Carol.

Despite our failed plans and the weather, we still had a nice day in Los Angeles.