Goofy Smiles

Shaun and I have come to enjoy the time after the boys go to bed, because we get a chance to spend some one on one time with Kate. Kate's personality is so sweet- I know I've said it before- but it's true. She is so content and happy. And I think she likes the time at night to herself too. There's more room to play and no one is taking anything away from her. She was creeping around the couch the other night- she's not brave enough to let go of the couch yet and walk- so she goes all the way around the living room holding onto the couch, the piano bench, a table and a loveseat to stretch her legs and practice her balance. It's cute. She'll reach for her saucer (which is usually in the middle of the room)- but chickens out before she lets go of the couch. Anyway- she was so proud of herself and was just cracking herself up- so Shaun grabbed the camera and took a few pictures- what a cheeseball!

Ty's Graduation

Ty graduated from preschool last week (*sniff*sniff), and is officially cleared to go onto Kindergarten in the fall (not that we're surprised or anything- he's stinkin' smart!). His teachers did such an amazing job at getting all the kids ready for graduation and with the graduation itself. They sang songs for us and everybody got up and did nursery rhymes (Ty got to recite "Little Jack Horner"). And everybody had a turn to stand in the spotlight and say their names, their parents' names, their phone numbers, their addresses and what they wanted to be when they grew up. Ty only stumbled on his phone number and got a chuckle out of the audience when he announced that he wanted to be a grandpa when he grows up. It all was really amazing and I am soo impressed with Snuggle Bunny PreSchool- Ty knows all his letters and numbers. He can write legibly, and is reading second grade level chapter books. It's awesome and Shaun and I are SO proud of Ty and all the hard work he put in this year! Way to go Ty!Here's a picture of Ty with his teachers, Miss Joey and Miss Lauri. We love you guys!
And a snapshot for Ty's future wedding video. Ty and Alyssa are absolutely certain that they are going to get married when they get bigger. Though they have promised to wait until they get to college. Whew!
And we had to have a picture of Ty with his best friend Brig! These guys are inseparable and are constantly asking to play.

Beyond the Barre

I am so sad that my dance year is also coming to a close. I decided when I started teaching ballet last fall that I would just follow the school year and then go from there. Well- the school year is almost over and last Saturday we had our big dance recital with all my girls. We did it on a Saturday so that all the dads and families could come. I was planning on maybe 50 people, so we set up 60 chairs at the studio, and by the time 6:00 came around (when we started), there was standing room only. It was crazy!!

I wish I had more pictures to show- and I've been asking around to the other moms for more pictures, but here's what I have to show for the night. You can see what our costumes were from the girl on the left. It was so cute to see all 30 girls in the exact same thing as they were doing warmups and stretching.

The girls did amazing!!! I was so impressed with all of them and so sad to say good-bye for the summer!!

Mornings without Ty

The school year is almost over, which means that preschool is almost over too and we will soon be getting Ty back in the mornings. I have to admit- it's been fun having just my two little munchkins with me in the mornings. We usually are pretty slow to get started- we all eat breakfast early with Ty, but we usually stay in our jammies for another hour or so before we get dressed and wash faces. Then we'll do laundry together or get dinner started or go grocery shopping. The other morning, Ryan sat at the piano and played for Kate and I for about a half an hour. It was so funny- he sat and played for little bit, and then he would sing and play and then he would sing, play and dance. Kate and I got a kick out of it. Once in a while, Kate would join in and they'd both start bouncing to their imagined beat.

Old Lady

I bought curlers for Kate's hair when I was at the beauty supply store the other day to see if I couldn't help some of the natural curl that is in her hair. The top of her hair is stick straight and the bottom is curly... I guess she got a little bit of her mom and a little bit of her dad. So I sat and put curlers in her hair one morning and then sprayed some gel on them and let them air dry for a little bit. Kate hung out in her crib. She's pretty proud of herself for being able to pull herself up to a standing position now and walk the length of her crib and back- so she kept herself busy for the duration of her "beauty shop" experience. Though I will say that trying to put curlers onto a moving target is a little challenging to say the least.

I pulled them out and scrunched her hair and I was pretty impressed with how it came out! She had a lot of big curls that framed her little face so nicely! Too bad she squished them all when she took a nap... Oh well, next time maybe I'll make her sleep in her curlers. (Do you girls remember your moms making you do that when you were little? Obviously not as small as Kate- but when you were like 5 or 6? My mom had those little pink sponge curlers that she put in my hair on Saturday nights so that my hair was curly for Sunday at church)

Pink Toes

Ty (of all people) and my sister have been after me to paint Kate's toes. I thought long and hard about how to go about doing this since she's not going to sit still while I paint them. I got Shaun on board to help me distract her while she was in her high chair one night. We wheeled her into the living room and turned basketball on (she likes to watch basketball- I think Shaun is just beside himself with joy over this) and got her a snack.

Then I put toilet paper between her toes and got to work...

Here's our finished product! I love the color against her skin- pink is just so pretty with her skin color. I gave it some time to dry and then put her on the floor. She kept looking at and playing with her toes once she saw them- it was funny. It throws me off everytime I put her in the tub though... in amidst all the bubbles there are these little pink things just under the surface of the water.

Rough

It's a rough life when you're 5...

Piggy Tails...

Remember when I told you that I tried to keep the ridiculous girly things off of Kate... Yeah... I lied. I love them. It's not that I'm trying to make her look silly- but there are just so many cute things out there for little girls. I was totally content on the boy side of the store when I just had Ty and Ryan- it was a little bit of a challenge trying to find the things that weren't too cutesy or goofy looking for the boys. Now though- it's like the other side of the store is an explosion of, well... everything. So I go a little crazy sometimes. I think Shaun misses the simplicity of the boy section...

Anyway- my mom and I found this headband at a specialty store in Salt Lake a few weeks ago- it actually has fake hair on a headband to give little girls pig-tails. I was iffy at first, but bought it anyway- and I just love it!

My sweet Kate is pretty good to me- she likes to have her hair brushed, but gets pretty impatient when I'm trying to put in an elastic or play too many times with her headbands- but this makes it WAY too easy to look like we put some effort into her 'do.

Made

I have actually been sick these last couple of weeks, and so have my kids- so we've taken it pretty easy around here lately. Today the kids took a three hour nap, and I sort of cleaned a few things up, but then pulled out my sewing machine to do a few projects that I have been putting off- and then I got to do a few fun things.

I made matching Superman capes and masks for the boys- which they LOVED! Ryan ate dinner in the cape. Here's a picture of SuperRyan posing- SuperTy was too busy running down the hall to pause for a picture. Ty was actually a little disappointed right after I made his cape. He put it on and then jumped, and turned to me with a confused look on his face.

"Mama! Why am I still coming down? I thought the cape was supposed to help me fly!!" I told him I was fresh out of flying dust so he'd just have to use his imagination for now.

And I made a skirt for Kate! This is the first piece of clothing that I have ever made that actually came out looking like the pattern. Yay! And it's pretty darn cute if I say so myself. I didn't measure her before I started- so I'm just thrilled that it fit!

To Sleep Perchance to Dream...

I love bedtime. And not just because they are finally out of my hair for a few hours- though I will admit that it is a perk- I actually like the act of putting the kids to bed. Our bedtime actually starts right after dinner, because my family has a severe case of the "slowpokes", which is usually around 6 or 6:30. The boys will either take a bath or a shower (depending on their mood) and get in jammies. By this time they are "STARVING" and have to have a snack- which is usually strawberry yogurt or a string cheese, and then we'll either watch TV as a family or read a book. Ty is an awesome reader- he's reading chapter books now and we are currently working our way through "Dinosaurs After Dark"- which he is LOVING! I love listening to him read- it's so amazing to me that he is such a smartie-pants. He loves going to the library and would spend hours there if I'd let him. He's that way in a book store too. A few weeks ago, I took him into a Barnes and Noble with me and he ran ahead to the kid's section, and by the time I caught up with him- he already had a book wide open and was laying on the floor reading it.

Ryan loves to have stories read to him- and I love that he will now sit still while Ty reads to him. His favorites are "The Cat in the Hat" and "Skippy Jon Jones"- both of which he can repeat most of the story back to you. He is such a sweet little boy with the cutest little tongue- I love the things that come out of his mouth- because it's usually so unexpected, you can't help but laugh. And he's such a happy little boy, and always willing to help me. He saves me a thousand steps a day.

Anyway- I was talking about bedtime. The other night I went in to check on the boys and they had switched "lovies" for the night. Ryan had Ty's "Baby Hoohoo" and Ty had Ryan's cat "Skippy". I had to laugh- they are so funny after I put them in bed. I can usually hear them in there talking to each other for about a half an hour before they finally fall asleep- I sat and listened to them one night. They went on and on about Star Wars and which movie was their favorite and why. It was so funny. And in case your wondering- Ryan has a "Breathe Right" strip across his nose- he snores at night and these totally help!

And the bruise on Ty's cheek is from the dresser next to his bed. He fell out of bed the other night- and how he did it exactly is a mystery to me.
And then I checked on baby Kate- and she looked so stinkin' cute- I had to take a picture. She looks like a little stink bug in there with her butt up in the air. She is so sweet in the mornings when she gets up. She's always standing up at the end of her crib when I go in with the craziest hair! It's getting longer and it has a little bit of curl to it- so it goes totally crazy by the time she gets up.

Something Worth Thinking About

This last weekend, the unimaginable happened. One of our friends experienced a loss so incredible- that it has left me with tears in my eyes for the last several days. Our friends little girl went missing Friday afternoon and soon a search ensued. Surrounding fields, yards and houses were searched thoroughly, and divers were called to start looking in the nearby river. At dark the search was suspended and early the next morning, one of the neighbors found her body several hundred yards down the river.

This story touches everyone on different levels. The horrificness of the accident makes us all catch our breath and pray for the family.

As Easter Sunday dawned the day after they found baby Jayci- I couldn’t help but think of what we were doing last Easter. We were in the middle of our own nightmare. Ryan had been out of the hospital for a few days and was in a body cast. It snowed that morning and we wrapped Ryan up in a blanket and took him outside for an Easter egg hunt in his dad’s arms.

We were so close to having the same ending as our friends, and for some unknown reason- he was spared. I am so grateful for my children, you never realize how fragile they are until times like this. Stories like Ryan’s and Jayci’s are those of legend- as parent’s we always think that these things happen to someone else. But I am someone else. Jayci’s parents are someone else. I pray that nothing of the like happens to anyone, so please learn from us what we had to learn the hard way. Love your babies. Hold them close tonight, because others are relying on our Heavenly Father to do so. Memorize their faces and their laughs. Breathe in their scent and smooth your hand over their cheeks. You need their grace to realize your own.

Easter Sunday

We spent Easter down in Salt Lake this year- it coincided with my dad's birthday and my brother and his wife were coming down from Portland for the weekend too- so we had a lot of fun!!

Easter Morning- Kate found some stylin' shades in her bag.

The boys were really excited to head out into the backyard to hunt for eggs- they couldn't even pause for coats- though it wasn't warm by any means.

Ryan didn't know where to start- he ran to the middle of the lawn and picked up one egg. Then he ran around in circles. He'd run toward an egg- and then another direction toward another one- and then he'd make a run for his bag, as though he couldn't decide which he should have done first. It was so funny!

Ty was all over the Easter egg hunt- though he was very methodical about his hunting. He ran around the yard looking only for purple ones. Once he found all that he could, he moved onto green, and then yellow... Such a goofy kid!

Since it was cold and the grass was wet- Kate had to watch from the deck with dad. But she was so excited when one of the boys would remember her and bring her an egg. She sat and shook them for all she was worth!

Here's trouble (times 3) just before church, all in their Easter finery... I love that not one of them is looking toward the camera. I took 5 pictures and this was the best one...

Kate looked like a giant stick of cotton candy in her dress- but it was stinkin' cute on her! She hated the feel of the tulle- so she wouldn't put her arms down.

I really, really tried to get a picture of Ryan with his eyes open... but this is what we ended up with. I just love the little guy though- he is such a sweetheart!
And here's my Ty- I can't believe how big he's gotten!!! He has two more loose teeth now too! I wish there was something we could give them to make them stay the age and size that they are now... Just to keep them little for a while longer.
Here's Kate- just a laughing at grandpa! She loves him so much!

For Sale

You may see the title of this post and assume that I am finally doing what I have threatened to do for years- put my children up for sale because they are driving me nuts. But- you would be wrong. We listed our beautiful house in Montpelier on the market last Thursday.

Things are changing for us- almost too rapidly sometimes, but we have had to face some hard realizations recently. Shaun will no longer have a job here in Montpelier once the fall comes and school starts again. Recent budget cuts and changes in the legislature have made it almost impossible for us to survive on a teacher's pay here in Idaho. Shaun is applying for jobs everywhere right now, and we are praying for both a new position and for the house to sell quickly.

We are so sad to leave our friends here in Montpelier- I can truly say that I love them deeply. My girlfriends here have taught me so many things about life, love and myself that I don't know how I am going to make it without them. My friend Liz said it best when she said that you always think that you have more time- more time to make better friendships, more time to get to know someone, more time to help someone out. But I believe that my friends here have helped me to learn how to not put these kinds of things off. I don't love the same, I don't laugh the same, I don't sound the same- since I met the people of Montpelier. And I know that the changes that I have experienced and made while here in this beautiful little town have made me a better person and is something that I can carry on with me where ever the Lord has a need for me and my family.

I wish that I had more to post on where we are going and what we are doing from here on out- but you'll just have to stay tuned...

Prima Ballerina

I have been teaching ballet for the past year, and I am absolutely in LOVE with it! I took ballet for just over 15 years, but never thought that I would be teaching it. It seems that things always come full circle for me though, and I am having a blast every Friday morning. I teach about 30 girls once a week- most of whom are beginners. My so called "studio" is in the corner of a gymnastics gym, and leaves a lot to be desired when it come to an actual ballet studio- but we have made do and I am so proud of my girls and how far they have come in the last few months.

Stitches

Kate had her first visit to the ER two weekends ago. She sliced her head open on the corner of a grandfather clock at Grandma and Papa's house when we were visiting. Jacki watched the boys while we took Kate into Burley and she ended up with two stitches right in the middle of her forehead. I'm kind of afraid she's going to look like Frankenstein's bride now- but I guess we can always cut bangs... :) I'm kidding- it's actually healing really well, and she had them taken out earlier this week. We are keeping some Vitamin E oil on it (which apparently helps the healing so that there won't even be a scar) and keep shaking our heads- poor kid!

Swingers... No Not That Kind...

My kids love to SWING! And it has been months since we have seen ours (they are still buried in a snow drift), so we borrowed Grandma Jacki's swings a few weeks ago and it was so nice to be outside! This was Kate's first time in a real swing and she laughed the whole time.

Ty is really getting the hang of what it means to "pump" and he goes so high on those suckers now- I almost have to look away!

Ryan still needs some help, but he still has a lot of fun.

Portland

I am the luckiest person ever. I got to go to Portland and visit my brother, his wife and their cute new baby a few weeks ago. We had visited Portland last summer when they first moved up there- but they didn't have a baby yet and I was dying to see baby Cam. So I flew up on a Friday and came home on Monday- and I had soo much fun. Cam is the cutest little stinker- I keep trying to get Natalie to let me have him, but so far she's not budging on this.

We got to do a little sight-seeing while we were there too. We went and saw a few places where they filmed "Twilight" and Dave and I got out and did some exploring. I can't believe how GREEN it is up there!! It's incredible- everything is completely covered in moss. This also presented the perfect place for a photo op- Dave was scaling the rocks, I was attempting to show you my chest (I don't think I looked much like Edward did in the movie), but baby Cam could have cared less- so he and Nat hung out together in the car.

And Cam was such a sweetheart on the plane ride down- he didn't even make a peep!

Thanks guys for letting come and play for a few days! I miss you so much and can't wait to see you again soon!

St. Patty's Day

We love holidays at our house! So, in an effort to get ready for St. Patrick's Day, the boys and I spent a day cutting out shamrocks- but two days before- they mysteriously disappeared!! We had no idea where they ended up! Ty and Ryan searched the house over looking for them and were pretty disappointed.

St. Patrick's Day dawned bright and early (as every day does for us- I don't know why they can't sleep past 6- I so look forward to teenage years where I get to yell at them to get out of bed!) and the boys were shocked and amazed that their room had been decorated in all of their shamrocks!! And there was a present by their bed to boot!

They all looked so stinkin' cute in their green gear. Problem was- they only had green things that were short-sleeved- so we had to dig for some clean white undershirts for all of them. Love those little kids!

I Hate Montpelier

It's April. 'Nuff said.

Snaggle Tooth

Kate's teeth are apparently ALL coming in right now. But, in an odd way. She was a snaggle-tooth for the LONGEST time, and looked so funny. Shaun got her laughing in the tub one night that really showed off her silly grin.