Grandma Jacki

Birthday Girl

Kate turns 1 next week. Can you believe it?!!? Where did the year go?? And why hasn't somebody invested a potion to make them stop growing and have time stand still for a little while?? We had a little celebration for Kate on Sunday with Shaun's family- thanks grandma's, grandpa and Aunt Betty for coming out to it- we really appreciate it. And thanks to Jacki and Orllo for letting us totally take over the kitchen. And thanks to EVERYONE for helping us eat the cupcakes- I did NOT want to take them all home!

Anyway- Kate wasn't sure about the cupcakes- they were pretty sweet for someone who has only had fruit, veggies and bread up to this point!

And she was NOT a fan of the mess it made. She's a lot like Ryan in that she doesn't like her hands dirty.

Kate got the cutest little outfit from Grandma Jacki- and cousin Deja got a matching one! I thought I got a picture of the two girls in their matching outfits- but I guess not. I'll have to get one from Dani- I know she took some of the girls.

Kate was more impressed that night with the sucker that she found in my purse later that night. She pulled it out and got it unwrapped and in her mouth before I even realized that she was into my purse.

Crazy Cousins

We were joined this weekend by Shaun's brother Chase and his wife and daughter- which was so fun. They have been living in Colorado for the last couple years and are finally moving back to Idaho- so hopefully we'll be able to see them more often now! Anyway- Kate and Deja are only 6 months apart so it was fun to see how close they were in size and how far apart they were developmentally. We got out pajamas one night and laughed when we saw that they were the same ones! Gotta love WalMart and their $3 clearance rack! So we snapped a few pictures of them in their twinner jammies- I love their crazy hair!

Shoshone Falls

We went to Declo this last weekend for Memorial Day and spent some time with Shaun's family. On Saturday we were able to go to Twin Falls and do some shopping (you have to love Memorial Day sales) and stopped at Shoshone Falls on the way back. Shoshone Falls is the tallest waterfall within the United States- but it doesn't always have water running because it's usually such a dry climate up there. But because of the crazy winter we've had this year and all the stinkin' rain we've had in the last few weeks- the water was running like crazy over the falls. It was gorgeous- though it was raining and the spray from the waterfall was really high- we only stayed for a few minutes because we didn't want sick kids.

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.