It's the simple things that make you happy.(the note inside said, "Thank you for everything")
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunny St.George
Every year over spring break we head to St.George with the Allred family. This has been a tradition since before Tony and I were married. His grandma has a house there where we all stay for the week. The kids out number the adults, so you can imagine the craziness and noise that happens when we all get together.
Some of our fun included a day at Snow Canyon. The kids love hiking on the red rocks and playing in the sand. The adults tolerate the sand and hate the mounds of sand that we bring home with us. We also had a great picnic where Cody ate most of the box of Oreos and only licked the frosting and left the cookie parts (do you think he ate his lunch?). We also had a great time at the city square where the kids played in the water. It was a little chilly, but the kids played and played until they were so cold that they cried to go home. An afternoon was spent shooting out in the desert. The boys really like this activity. The wind was too cold for the moms and the little kids so we took shelter in the car and ate licorice. All in all it is just fun to get away and have a change of scenery. Enjoy this quick sneak peak........
Some of our fun included a day at Snow Canyon. The kids love hiking on the red rocks and playing in the sand. The adults tolerate the sand and hate the mounds of sand that we bring home with us. We also had a great picnic where Cody ate most of the box of Oreos and only licked the frosting and left the cookie parts (do you think he ate his lunch?). We also had a great time at the city square where the kids played in the water. It was a little chilly, but the kids played and played until they were so cold that they cried to go home. An afternoon was spent shooting out in the desert. The boys really like this activity. The wind was too cold for the moms and the little kids so we took shelter in the car and ate licorice. All in all it is just fun to get away and have a change of scenery. Enjoy this quick sneak peak........
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
mommy time
I don't know about you, but I need 'mommy time'. By this, I mean time alone. No kids, no husband, no noise, just quiet time to myself. This 'mommy time'(as I call it) is what helps keep me balanced. This time helps me remember myself amidst all the craziness of being a mom. I try to find a moment or two of this time each day. Some days I am more successful than others. One favorite 'mommy time' thing that I enjoy is playing the piano. Doing this uninterrupted with 3 children around is impossible. I have tried. At one point I did get really good at playing the piano with Cody hanging on my arm. Now that he weighs 41 pounds that is a problem. To find this time (and to enjoy it) I usually wait till late at night when all the kids are asleep in bed. It's dark, it's quiet and I'm alone. Just me and the piano playing what I want as loud as I want.
One late night I was enjoying this 'mommy time' when a little body comes out of the dark shadows and into the front room. It was Cody(I bet you could have guessed). He was all bewildered and squinty-eyed from my light on the piano. "Mom," he says in a half-asleep voice. "Can you turn it down? It's too loud and I'm trying to sleep." I laughed and laughed. This is a Cody moment I want to remember.
So my daily quest for 'mommy time' continues. Whether it's just my 3:00 coke during nap time, or a successful piano session, the quest will and must continue.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Toothless
Lauren finally lost her first tooth! She pulled it out in the car on the way to St.George. For days before our trip Tony tried to pull that little thing out with no success. The pliers even got a turn and couldn't do it. So wouldn't you know that Lauren would end up doing it herself, in the car of all places. As she pulled it out I was busy making her tooth bear because I knew the tooth would probably fall out on our trip. I finished the bear just before we arrived in St.George. Her tooth now had a nice home, and the tooth fairy found us all the way in St.George :). Lauren couldn't wait to show off her toothless smile to everyone.
Monday, April 6, 2009
An end of innocence
For Lauren's birthday she wanted to get her ears pierced. After some thought and consideration, we agreed. As excited as I was for her to get her ears pierced, there was a part of me that didn't want to let that innocence go. Wearing real earrings is just one step closer to being older, more mature. One more step away from the innocence of childhood. A clear sign that my little baby girl is growing up. But, my feelings aside, we headed to the mall. Lauren was so excited.
Upon arriving at the jewelry store in the mall, there was another girl ahead of us waiting to get her ears pierced. She was bouncing off the walls with excitement (literally). I asked Lauren if she wanted to watch this little girl get her ears pierced and she said 'yes'. This will be great, I thought to myself. Lauren can watch this little girl get her ears pierced so when her turn comes she won't be scared. As the little girl hopped into the chair and the lady started prepping her for the piercing, she started to freak out. FREAK OUT. Like weeping and whaling and gnashing of teeth. I'm not even kidding. My great idea of 'let's watch this little girl get her ears pierced' went crashing out the window. I tried my best to divert Lauren's attention so that this little girl didn't completely freak her out. After 15 minutes of the freak out, and the lady and mother doing all they could to calm this girl down, she ended up not going through with the piercing. What a great example.
Now, Lauren's turn. After the freak out girl, I was not sure how Lauren would do. Keep in mind my reservations of the whole innocence thing. Lauren hopped up in the chair. She picked out the earrings she wanted. The lady marked her ears then asked me to ok the marks. 'Looks good,' I said. She called another worker over to help. Lauren held my hand, we counted to three and, click, it was done. Just like that. No drama, no stress, no crying. Lauren was so excited to finally have her ears pierced. In the 2 minutes she was in the chair she even drew a crowd of mall on-lookers watching 'the cute girl with the long hair getting her ears pierced'. I was so proud of Lauren. She was so brave, tough, and strong!! Especially after watching the freak out girl. Not once did she say she was nervous or scared. I really learned a lot about Lauren during the short 2 minutes that she sat in the chair to get her ears pierced. I asked her if it hurt. She said no. Meanwhile, the freak out girl was still freaking out. I told Lauren to go tell her that it didn't hurt. She did. It didn't help.
All the way home in the car Lauren kept saying,"I can't believe I have my ears pierced." I was really happy for her. Now that a few weeks have passed, I still feel a twinge in my heart that a little innocence is gone. It didn't help that 2 days after the ear piercing I wake up to Lauren tapping me on the shoulder saying,"Mom, I have my first loose tooth." Sigh
Before
The crowd
After
Upon arriving at the jewelry store in the mall, there was another girl ahead of us waiting to get her ears pierced. She was bouncing off the walls with excitement (literally). I asked Lauren if she wanted to watch this little girl get her ears pierced and she said 'yes'. This will be great, I thought to myself. Lauren can watch this little girl get her ears pierced so when her turn comes she won't be scared. As the little girl hopped into the chair and the lady started prepping her for the piercing, she started to freak out. FREAK OUT. Like weeping and whaling and gnashing of teeth. I'm not even kidding. My great idea of 'let's watch this little girl get her ears pierced' went crashing out the window. I tried my best to divert Lauren's attention so that this little girl didn't completely freak her out. After 15 minutes of the freak out, and the lady and mother doing all they could to calm this girl down, she ended up not going through with the piercing. What a great example.
Now, Lauren's turn. After the freak out girl, I was not sure how Lauren would do. Keep in mind my reservations of the whole innocence thing. Lauren hopped up in the chair. She picked out the earrings she wanted. The lady marked her ears then asked me to ok the marks. 'Looks good,' I said. She called another worker over to help. Lauren held my hand, we counted to three and, click, it was done. Just like that. No drama, no stress, no crying. Lauren was so excited to finally have her ears pierced. In the 2 minutes she was in the chair she even drew a crowd of mall on-lookers watching 'the cute girl with the long hair getting her ears pierced'. I was so proud of Lauren. She was so brave, tough, and strong!! Especially after watching the freak out girl. Not once did she say she was nervous or scared. I really learned a lot about Lauren during the short 2 minutes that she sat in the chair to get her ears pierced. I asked her if it hurt. She said no. Meanwhile, the freak out girl was still freaking out. I told Lauren to go tell her that it didn't hurt. She did. It didn't help.
All the way home in the car Lauren kept saying,"I can't believe I have my ears pierced." I was really happy for her. Now that a few weeks have passed, I still feel a twinge in my heart that a little innocence is gone. It didn't help that 2 days after the ear piercing I wake up to Lauren tapping me on the shoulder saying,"Mom, I have my first loose tooth." Sigh
Before
The crowd
AfterGlamour Girls
Lauren and her cousins enjoyed a day of pampering for their birthday's thanks to Grandma Juju. We met for punch and cookies and opened presents. Then we went to Snip-its and the girls got to dress up. They also got their hair done, nails done, make-up and did girly crafts too. They enjoyed a giant cake with 18 candles on it representing all their years added together (7+7+4). We ended the day with dinner at Applebee's with Grandpa. The girls had so much fun and loved every minute of their pampering!! Next year the mom's might need to join in.
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