Happy Birthday Lyndsi!

My baby turned NINE!  She wanted a birthday party this year and planned the whole thing herself.  Mom got to play assistant and that was fun. She and I spent a lovely Saturday afternoon pouring through Family Fun magazines for games, cutting out felt and paper, and designing the perfect party invitations. 

The actual birthday morning-dad made pancakes!

On the big day we made cupcake necklace charms with permanent markers and shrinky dink paper.  The girls loved watching the magic that is shrinky dinks.  (So fun to introduce a favorite childhood craft to a new generation.)  We played "oink, piggy, oink" and musical dress-ups. That was a hoot.  My friend gave us the idea. We filled a black garbage bag with all sorts of dress-up items.  When the music stopped, the person holding the bag had to put on the first thing they pulled out.  Hilarious.  The girls loved it.  (I can see lots of potential for teenage and even adult fun with this one.)  Afterwards we did a photoshoot of each girl.  Next were presents.  Nine year old girls are fun.  Every single one of the ten gifts piled in the living room and a handwritten (and nearly all homemade) card.  How cute!  Instead of the traditional cake and ice cream, Lyndsi requested an ice cream bar.  Oh. My. Goodness.  Nine-year-olds can pack away the sugar.  Let me tell you...I'm glad I didn't put out all the treats!  It was an awesome party for an incredibly wonderful girl who constantly amazes me with her intelligence and insights, delights me with her giggles and is a complete joy to have in my little family.  Happy birthday Lou!!

Picture Updates

I think we have some major silliness headed our way.  6 wks old and already pulling faces for the camera. ;)

 Ahhh...six weeks with a baby.  Chloe is:
recognizing mom and dad's voices
eating  4 oz bottles
not really loving her baths
loves her changing table
that's where we do tummy time
is super snuggle
has those gorgeous dark blue baby eyes
sports the sweetest little cheeks you've ever kissed
can pull a pouty face like no one else has here
is super snugly
has her big brother wrapped around her little finger (and grandpa and dad and....)
is a complete joy to have in our family

 Sophie loves:
dressing herself
decorating Christmas trees (or doing anything else that requires attention to detail)
having friends come play at her new house in her new, big bedroom
her baby sister
Dale Twinkle (our Christmas elf)
Grampy (my dad)

 McKay is into:
1st grade (loves it)
making up games with "levels" in our new house (which also has many levels)
Polar Express
Singing
doing projects (like this fun sand art from cousin Kaylee)
his baby sister (I knew he'd fall in love when he met her)
Harry Potter

Lyndsi is:
nearly 9!  Impossible!!
a bit camera shy (unless it's her idea)
enjoying her bedroom on the same floor as everyone else
learning to do some simple gifts and sewing (and doing well at it!)
always dancing around the house
a leader, especially with her brother and sisters
starting to enjoy reading a bit more and doing it on her own without being asked.

Lyndsi had her annual Christmas dance recital last night.  For the last 2 or 3 years their school has focused this performance on the Nutcracker.  Which in theory was a good idea.  But.  Her school also does a lot of jazz and hip hop besides ballet.  It was just too much.  This year the director opted to go back to just a plain ol' Christmas theme.  It was nice.  Really nice.  The show ran smooth and was pleasant to watch. 

Lyndsi did a great job!  Her class danced to "The First Noel" and she was so graceful.  I love watching her dance.  She just has this angelic expression on her face while she is dancing.  You can just tell she loves it.  She really enjoys her class and her teacher. 

(Sorry for the slightly goofy picture.  My flash wasn't working and I didn't want to hold up the rest of the family from leaving.  We'll try for a better one in the spring!)  

My Little Seamstress

Lyndsi has recently taken an interest in learning to sew.  In August I finally got around to helping her get started.  She made her first little project-a purse for Sophie. (Which Sophie happens to really love.)  My mom took a day off earlier this week to come hang out with me and the kids (aka the new baby).  McKay ended up playing with a friend and Sophie wandered off to do her own thing. The baby was sleeping as all good week old babies do, so mom and I decided to teach Lyndsi some more sewing.  I actually had a simple tote project all ready to go, and seeing as it was something I was doing for a Christmas name-gift for her cousin (Marchants-no spoiling our name gift!!) I thought it'd be perfect for her to do.  And bonus I figure we can use it for an activity day goal.  (Assuming we ever find/replace her book.)

Lyndsi started out using this book and tracing the pattern piece and cutting it out.  I believe she may have even helped G'ma cut the pattern pieces from fabric, too.

These things seem to be much easier if Grandma is here to tag team with me.

This is me trying to be creative and catch a candid shot of Lyndsi.  Not easy to do.  She always looks up right before I take the picture. 

Lyndsi did almost all of the sewing herself including sewing on the webbing handles and the velcro closures.  I only sewed the bottom of the bag and put the lining and outer bag together. She worked really hard on this and did an amazing job.  You should see her seams!  The girl is a natural.

Here's the finished project:

She's already got 2 or 3 more planned out for other gifts and possibly one for herself.  She's pretty darn proud of herself and her work.  I must say that I am too. You go girl!!

(This one is a little less "mom's caught in the act")

The Nutcracker

Lyndsi and Sophie had their dance recital Saturday night. Lyndsi has been bouncing off the walls in anticipation for this for months now. She's been going to class 2x a week for an hour each class to prepare for this. She leaps and points her toes all around the house, but she would never show me her dance. She said she wanted it to be a surprise.

This was also Sophie's first time on stage. She's been a little stubborn in class-sometimes participating, sometimes just observing. Her eyes about popped out of her cute little head when she received her sparkly pink costume, though. I still wasn't sure if she would actually dance on stage, but dance she did. And she was adorable. Later that night she was throwing a big fit about going to bed (I thought). When she calmed down long enough to tell me what was wrong, she kept saying she wanted to go back on stage. She has asked me when she gets to dance on stage again at least twice a day since.

The honorable mention goes to McKay. He sat quietly and nearly complaint free (other than drink and potty breaks) through 2-2 1/2 hours of dancing. Way to go McKay!!

My little ballerinas

Sophie with our friend Ella. A first for both girls!

Sophie, Lyndsi and our cousin Krystal post-show. They had fun posing for us.

So happy I could cry

This morning I headed out on what seemed to promise to be a frustrating yard saling morning. I was going to a sale out in Draper and thanks to classic Utah road construction, I ended up taking a 15 minute detour to my first sale. Then I hit every red light possible but just barely missing the green. (Are you feeling my frustration?) I was debating about turning around, but see I had this dream. So I kept going. Eventually I made it to the yard sale (sorry to the trucks I cut off mid day dream). It wasn't a huge sale and I was already an hour past opening. But guess what? Dreams do come true. I drove the whole time dreaming of finding this little gem, and expecting if I did find it to pay much more. I think my eyes popped out of my head when I saw what I was looking for just laying there with a sticker saying $20 Doll + Book. That's right my doll savvy friends. I found an American Girl doll. Elizabeth to be exact. I seriously almost cried. I did jump up and down and scream when I got home and relived my fortuitous moment. Lyndsi gets what she wants for Christmas (so don't mention this great story in front of her please) and Jeff and I don't have to pay full price.

I also found this other great little item to stash away for Christmas.

I {heart} yardsaling!

3 Weeks Later

I'm finally getting around to posting first-day-of school stuff. With year-round school, this doesn't feel like such a huge deal, but it is to the kids.

Lyndsi is in 2nd grade and loving life and her new teacher. She was a bit nervous at first. She really liked her teacher last year. So far, so good, though. I'm loving that this teacher doesn't do a lot of paper work in class or at home. Reading is the main homework and soon I think there will be some sort of spelling homework. The best part? Wearing the same outfit to school as her bff. Totally planned and they looked so cute.

McKay started Kindergarten. Despite being a little nervous, he took to school like fish to water. I think it helped knowing his Grandpa Maynes taught Seminary to his new K teacher. (Definitely helped mom!) He had been worried for the last several months about how to make new friends. He has since informed me that it's quite easy to do. "You just say hi and then play together. "

Two kids in school, and I still haven't cried sending them off. They're just way to happy being there for me to cry. Besides, I still have Sophie at home. :)

Lyndsi Update

I love my Lyndsi-girl. Tomorrow is her last day of 1st grade. She's frequently reminding me that it means next year she will be baptized. Sniff....(Where does the time go??) She is a delight to have around. We're on year-round school here. (If you're not familiar with that, it means we go to school through out the year and about every 9 weeks we get a 3 week break.) This whole school year, I've been the looking forward to off-track time, and she on the other hand has dreaded it. Lyndsi has such a strong passion for learning and a great love for her teacher and her school friends. This has got to be such a great generation coming up. I've had some of her school friends over and they are darling, sweet girls. Lyndsi also has a passion for dance. She has loved her class this last year and you couldn't wipe the grin off her face after a performance if you tried. She's recently discovered her book appetite. I'm not sure what really whet it, but it's in full gear now. She's been reading all the "fairy" books (from the rainbow -and like-fairy series), Junie B. Jones and is currently reading Black Beauty. That one surprised me a bit, but she is loving it. Lyndsi is also extremely helpful at home. Some days I expect probably too much of her, but she doesn't complain much and gets the job done. She loves to help her brother learn to write and her sister get dressed and go to the potty. She's discovering her future best friend in her little sister. They will sit and play Polly Pockets or Littlest Pet Shops for hours at a time. And have I mentioned this girl is getting braver by the minute? My little monkey who was terrified of Disneyland, zip lines and rope swings like Jane of the Jungle (ya know-Tarzan's main squeeze). She's starting to climb like a monkey and ride her bike everywhere. And last night-she got her ears pierced. Didn't even flinch. No tears. Afterwards she told me she almost backed out but the told herself, "No-it's not going to hurt!" I love that she was able to reach her goal of getting her ears pierced and overcome her fear of the pain. For the record, she said it didn't hurt a bit and her ears are more beautiful than before. She's not perfect, but she is a GOOD kid and I'm glad she's mine.

Crazy, Busy Fun

Jeff's parents came to visit us over the weekend and to go through the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. I am so excited to be in this new temple district. I've had the privilege of going through the open house twice, and both times it just feels like home in a way that the Jordan River Temple never did. I know that temples do the same things all over the world but this one just feels like home. My kids did amazingly well. They were quiet and listened to what we were saying and were much more attentive to this temple than the Draper Temple. We're going to go one more time this weekend with my parents and my grandparents.

Lyndsi also had her dance recital that night. She looked beautiful in her costume (which is probably my favorite one she's had so far). Her dance was great and she knew it all. It's so fun to watch her sweet face light up on stage. My parents and Jeff both gave her flowers afterwards and she was thrilled to get two sets of flowers (a total of 4 flowers).

Saturday morning Jeff and I woke up at 5:15 a.m. to get ready to run the South Jordan Country Fest 5k. (Another reason his parents came to visit-we needed someone to watch the kids.) Admittedly, I was nervous before hand and wondering why in the world I was doing this again. I've never enjoyed the competition of a 5k. This one ended up being quite enjoyable. The route was fairly flat (yay!). I ended up passing people instead of them passing me, and I ran the whole time without really wanting to stop and walk. These are HUGE things for me, especially the last two. My finish time wasn't that great, but my placements left me quite happy-7th out of 23 in my age division and 22nd in overall the womens division. Jeff did AWESOME however! He runs much faster than me and took 3rd in his age group and 19th in mens. It was a great morning. (Thanks again Alan, Laurie, and Cami for watching the kiddos!)

(Seriously. You didn't think I'd post a post-race picture, did you?)

Happenings

First off-I'm laying in bed with Sophie this morning teasing her about still being my baby. She looked at me with all the attitude of a 14-year old and said, "Mom, I'm not a baby. I'm two and a half." Well sheesh. Excuse me. :)

McKay graduated from preschool last Friday. We went to a park, played ate lunch and then had a short program. The teacher had put together a DVD slide show of pics throughout the year. Then she handed out their certificates, a book they had made for each other, some bubbles and a picture of what they wanted to be when they grow up. Ms. Shelly shared a little about each picture as the kids came up. There were so many noble choices-mom, dad, doctor, mom doctor (my favorite), fireman, etc. Then it was McKay's turn. Any guesses what my boy genius wants to be? A ninja turtle. Yep. That's my boy.

Lyndsi has decided she is ready to get her ears pierced. I am not against it at all, but thought I should make sure she knew the prophets thoughts on ear piercing (in relation to how many sets of earrings). She already knew that we can only do one pair of earrings. We've gone over the process of how it gets done and a bit about the aftercare. Jeff is on board to, but we both felt like she should earn it. We came up with a little challenge for her and a timeline. She's pretty excited about it. Look for some new bling to be coming this way!

Late pics

My friend asked me the other day when I was going to post some pictures from Lyndsi's birthday party. Whoops. Guess I never got around to it. Well, I'm doing it now-3 months late.

Playing charades:

Balloon games:

Easter

I was just checking out a friends Easter post when I realized I hadn't posted my own Easter pics. Easter was a quiet affair. The Bunny brought baskets to the kids while we were in St. George and they participated in the trailer park's annual candy grab. They looked adorable in their new Easter threads and all of the kids were excited to have new church clothes.

Then we got these with the cousins. Here are some sweet, angelic little spring chicks:

And then there's this:

A Few Firsts

Lyndsi lost her first tooth!! She has been looking forward to this even since she started Kindergarten. I, on the other hand, was totally grossed out by the whole idea of pulling teeth. Luckily for me, one night while she was brushing her teeth, it just fell out. Wahoo!

Here is my very first real spring flower. It was actually a week or two ago, but still. Some other color besides brown and greenish-grey-brown was coming up from the earth!!

McKay's met Spiderman for the first time at the Kids Safely Fair last month. This guy was full of energy and made an awesome Spiderman. He did a whole thing on bullying which McKay and Grandpa watched the whole thing. Now if one of his sisters or friends isn't playing nice (or he perceives that) I only have to ask, "What did Spiderman say?" He can repeat back to me all the ideas that he gave and will go try one. Bless you Spidey!!

Through the Years

No, I am not going to start singing some sentimental old song by Kenny Rogers (?), but I am going to get sentimental for a minute. My baby girl turns 7 today!! Wasn't she the most beautiful baby? She has grown up so much and is my little "mother" helper. She's thoughtful, independent (in a good way), helpful, loving and friendly. If I had to give her one label, I would say she is a rock. She's consistent and is strong. She is going to be a huge asset on the side of righteousness the older she gets. I'm so grateful to be her mother. I'm especially excited today because Jeff and I will be taking her to the Draper temple (along with the other 2 yay-hoos). She cannot wait and is thrilled that she gets to do that on her birthday. Lyndsi-lu, I love you!! Happy Birthday!!