Haylie's 4th Birthday

Well, first of all, let me just say that Haylie's birthday this year was 1,000 times better than last year. She has been looking forward to turning 4 for some time now. She had told me several months ago that she wanted a Tinkerbell cake. I happened to find a "kit" at Michaels on clearance so I think her cake turned out pretty cute...

It's basically a cardboard stand with Tinkerbell on it - I did the frosting.

Blowing out the candle

This is a card she got from Grandma Jane - she insisted I take a picture of it - and she carried it around all day long.

I think this was one of her favorite gifts - a Sleeping Beauty dress up set - sorta' like a Polly Pocket. My mom saw her playing with Prince Phillip and Sleeping Beauty and making them kiss. hehe...

This is a very cool froggy tent that Aunt Rachel got for her. It was a big hit...

...everybody wanted in!

This is a book by the same author as The Very Hungry Caterpillar - it is called The Grouchy Ladybug - very cute.


Ok - so Anna has recently taken an interest in pushing Haylie's little baby stroller around the house - they have sorta' started to fight over it - so I decided I'd get Haylie a new one and give Anna the old one. Well, I didn't wrap the stroller - so when Anna saw it - she just ran with it. It was like she had no doubt in her mind that the new stroller was hers - she OWNED that thing. So, thinking on my feet, when Haylie noticed it, I told her that I got Anna a new stroller so that she wouldn't steal hers from her anymore. She totally accepted that and they have had no problems since. Anna is definitely a girl who KNOWS what she wants and is going to make sure she gets it no matter what. Ay chihuahua.

She also got this adorable quilt from Grandma Jo...

I'm so proud of Haylie and the big girl she is becoming. I can see her growing and changing right before my eyes. I cannot believe how, just in the last few months, she has come out of her shell and grown so much more confident than I thought possible. She has decided that she does not want to wear pull-ups to bed anymore - it's hit and miss - but I just am so impressed with her recent desires to be "a big girl". And I have been telling her for a while that she can go to school after she's 4 - well, I should have been a little more specific since today she put on her backpack and said "Mommy, I'm 4, can I go to school now?" She was not happy with me when I told her it was still a few months away. Hmph.

I have a ton more pictures to post from the weekend, but will do that in the next few days.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAYLIE! WE LOVE YOU.

Who Comes Up With This Stuff??

I just ordered some makeup online - and with my order, I got to choose 3 perfume samples for free. So I clicked on the perfumes to see what they said - and this is the description for "Versace". Seriously - I'd like to meet the person who can sniff a perfume sample and think this:

"The floral, vibrant, and sensual bouquet of this new scent contains fresh, sparkling floral notes and a soft, velvety sensual finish. A transparent radiance reveals fresh dew drops sweetened by a lush hydroponic guava and hints of blackcurrant, all of which harmonize with touches of wisteria. The sumptuous and floral heart represents the true signature of the perfume, a sensual floral explosion of light and vibrant flowers: orchid, lotus flower, and nymphea delicately emphasized by a gentle marriage of jasmine and azalea. The timeless fragrance is finally enveloped by the silky softness of a veil of musk, wrapped up by the preciousness of warm and delicate kashmirwood and Moroccan cedarwood, revealing their magnificent sensuality."

Needless to say, I'm getting a sample of this stuff!!

Easter

Easter this year was pretty mellow. We had dinner with friends and got a few treats for the girls. My favorite part of Easter was these:




I know it's a little pitiful to take pictures of candy - but seriously - how cute are they?

The Best Sunday EVER!

Ok - maybe I'm being dramatic. It may not be the best Sunday EVER, but it has been a really good day. It started off with the girls sleeping in - so Eric and I were able to get ready for church and eat breakfast in peace! Then, we got the girls ready with hardly a fuss - usually Haylie fights with us about what she wants to wear, etc, but she just went with the flow today. We got to church early, and just had an all around lovely morning. So at church, Haylie had to give her very first talk in primary. She's pretty shy, but she's really been coming out of her shell lately - so I wasn't real sure if she would do it or not, but we practiced at home and she seemed excited. Well, she did it! She spoke clearly and didn't play with the microphone and didn't have any trouble at all! Her friend gave a talk too and it was very touching - I love when the Spirit is so strong in primary!

So, when we got home, Eric was making lunch and I was relaxing on the couch. Anna had gone down for a nap and I realized Haylie had disappeared. Eric said he heard her go into the bathroom. Ok - so I know I probably talk about Haylie's potty issues way too much on here - but it has been such a hassle for the last 6-9 months that I've been a bit preoccupied with it. Here's the deal: Last summer, she had become constipated - and when she went #2, it hurt, so ever since then she has been scared to do it, so she holds it and holds it 'til she can't hold it any more. For the last several months she has been going about once a week - until the last few weeks where I've been giving her a suppository and now she is going twice a week. I have been pulling my hair out trying to figure out how to get her to understand that if she just goes every day then it won't hurt. Well, she HATES the suppositories, so I think that may have done the trick. So, on to my point. Today, she went to the bathroom, sat down on the toilet and went poop when she felt the need. She did not go hide in the other room and hold it in. She did not tell me she needed to go. She just went in the bathroom and did it herself. I know, sounds simple enough, and certainly doesn't sound like something to get excited about, but let me tell you - I did the happy dance all the way down the hall. I am crossing my fingers and praying that this is the beginning of a new era.

Happy Sunday to you all!

Annazilla

Haylie got a train set for Christmas. We'd get the tracks all set up and play trains, then Anna would come along and tear apart the tracks and knock over the trees. At that time, we started calling her Godzilla, which soon turned into Annazilla, and at times shortened to just Zilla. Anyway, she is proving more and more "monstrous" each and every day. I actually caught her on the kitchen table one day last week - but was too scared to run for the camera. Well, I caught her another day and the camera was close at hand. So here's the little monster - apparently she was thirsty...and the sippy cups just aren't doing it for her anymore...



I have to keep our baby gate up so she does not have access to the kitchen because it takes her about 2.3 seconds to get all the way up on the table. She's definitely keeping me on my toes these days. It's a good thing she's cute. ;-)

Busy Bee

I have had a busy, but fun, couple of weeks! The girls and I went to San Diego to stay with my sister-in-law for a week. We had so much fun! Then, we got to have our nieces (Shea and Remi) here for 5 days with us while my brother and sister-in-law spent some quality time together kid-free! So just thought I'd post some fun pictures from the time they were here.


We went to the zoo one day and saw the bird show. The girls got to have their picture taken with the owl from the show.


Somehow, Shea and Haylie got Anna into the port-a-crib and they were all in there giggling like crazy. How do you like Haylie's dirty dirty feet??


We had such nice weather - the girls played outside for hours.

This picture is turned the wrong way - but you get the idea - the girls totally dog-piled me