Be Grateful...

I saw this poem on a blog that I absolutely love! She is an amazing woman who decorates beautifully and has some great insight.  I was perusing her blog when I saw this poem:


Be Grateful


for good music, for dark chocolate,
for a place to call home, for warm hugs,
for quiet time, freedom to dream, for family time,
for understanding souls, for kindred spirits,
for true forgiveness, for sweet memories,
for pink bubblegum, for silliness, for red shoes,
for blue skies, for every breath,
for sunshine on your face, for a child's laughter,
for God's grace


--Bonnie Jensen
(c) 2009 incourage


Hope that gives your day a little more meaning, I know it did mine! :)

The Big Sister

Well Em's first day at school went off without a hitch.  She voiced no concerns or worries but I could tell she was relieved when she saw a couple little girls from her preschool last year.  There are actually 4 other little girls in her kindergarten class that she was with last year; Madeline, Ella, Peyton and Hailey.  They are the cutest little kids! Her teacher, Mrs. Kukas seems really nice.  Like in one of my previous posts. you always worry that the teacher will appreciate your child and are kind to them.  Emma really likes her, so I guess she's alright.  I've got my eyes on ya though, Mrs. Kukas! :) I actually made it all the way home with no tears that first day.  But when I sat down and thought of her sitting at her little desk at school I did shed a few tears.  When I picked her up after school and was asked how her day was, she said, "I did great! And you know why? Because daddy gave me a blessing!" I'm so grateful she acknowledges the priesthood and realizes how important it is in our family. 

Here are a few little pictures of my Emma Lou Who through the years...

Claire's New Adventure...

My middle child started preschool this week.  It's been a hard couple of weeks what with Emma starting kindergarten and Claire starting preschool.  Not because I need to see them 24/7, but because it's the beginning of them without my constant protection...both spritually and physically.  Will the teacher appreciate them and treat them with kindness? Will they make friends? Will they feel comfortable? Will they be strong when something is said or done that's contrary to what they believe? While Emma is in public school, Claire is in a private preschool with an LDS teacher.  At least this year, she will be with those that share her religion and values and I know she'll be taken care of while I'm not with her.  And she has done so well! She's only gone 2 times but she LOVES it! No crying, no fits, no whining! She is such a big girl! I'm so proud of her!  I can't believe she's 4, but it's fun to see all the new things they learn and discover the older they get.  Good job my big girl!

New Hair!

I know this probably sounds crazy, but it was really hard for me to go back to my "natural" color.  Every time I'd go to touch up my highlights, Dave would ask me ,when he could see what I looked like with my original hair color.  I always said, "You fell in love and married a blonde!" BUT, I thought the other day, change is good right? So I took myself over to Safeway and picked out a color I thought might be close, although after 15+ years of highlights, who knows what my color is!!! So, I went home and colored.  And I like it! I think! I'll get used to it.  I know it's not earth shattering, but it was a tough decision!    ;)

Our Little Friend...

We have a little friend that lives outside on our porch.  Dave first noticed him when he rang the doorbell to be let in.  When the girls discovered him/her (how do you check the gender of a frog?) they at once wanted to introduce it to a new friend.  Emma said "look mom, do you think the frog will want someone to sit with it on the doorbell?" I laughed out loud when I saw Em's tiny dog sitting there staring at Froggy (original name, don't ya think? Claire is good with making up names, let me tell you...).  Just then my mom walked by with her dog Sophie.  Emma decided that Puppy (another great name) needed a larger friend to take him around.  My little girlies are pretty funny the things they come up with! I do need to work on being a little more creative with names however...

Doesn't it look like they're sizing each other up?

 

'Ello!

 

Gettin' a lift! Reminds me of the movie The Great Mouse Detective - ya know, Toby the basset hound?

My next post is about Emma's first day! The tears!!! On my part anyways... 

Oh what do you do in the summertime...?

...you slip n' slide until you're raw and get a couple of tattoos of course!

Slip n' slides...good old fun in the backyard. I remember growing up we had a WWF slip n' slide. Did we like wrestling? Were we fans of Hulk Hogan who happened to be at the end of the slide? What do you think? It must have been the last one when my mom bought it. Regardless, we loved that slide. Wonder whatever happened to the Hulk? Well this year I bought the girls their first slip n' slide. We have used it so much the girls got grass stains that wouldn't come off for days! They got so slick and got so good at sliding, that most of the time they'd slide right off the end into the grass. And they weren't the only ones! I slid a few times with them..and it's still a blast!

My sister Laura goin' for gold! Claire kept counting "1..2..3..4..I declare a thumb war!" before running and sliding. Hmmm? I think she was a little confused...

What goes hand and hand with slip n' slides? Tattoos of course! I've been reorganizing the laundry room when I came across some Strawberry Shortcake tattoos. Why do I have Strawberry Shortcake tattoos in my laundry? Doesn't everyone happen to have a spare page of them just in case of.....a day when your kids are screaming that they're bored and there's nothing to do! So I whipped them out and we tattooed ourselves. The girls had a hoot and practiced looking tough. I said they were the Strawberry Shortcake Gang and they really liked that until they took it a bit far and started "play fighting" which of course turned into real punches. Here are some pics for your enjoyment...

I wouldn't want to meet these two in a dark alley way!!!Swiggin' back some hard stuff!

Just in Case You're Wondering if Fire Hydrants are Male or Female...

What do you think the answer is? In a house full of girls, of course we have to have a girl fire hydrant! My dad found these beads in an old Disney bag and gave them to the girls. When I thought they were out riding their bikes, they really were having a grand old time decorating the poor fire hydrant!

That is one good lookin' woman!

I think Hallie had the most fun! She kept saying "Mama Mama! Yook!"

Oh my, I do believe she needs more beads girls!

The look would not be complete without a beaded purse!

Proof that indeed we are Patriotic!!!

The pictures are finally off the camera! Hooray! But that means a very extremely late post on our July 4th! Bear with me...
I think that Independence Day is my second favorite holiday! The last couple of years the weather has been perfect! You get to eat yummy popsicles, eat yummy food and the History channel always has something on about the founding fathers or other historical deal on the country - I LOVE American history!!!
Every year we go to the Tumwater parade and spend the rest of the glorious day at my mom and dad's place. I have to add that this year's parade was a little lame - how many police cars and old cars with even older people in them waving their hands, do we need to see? I mean really, people! The girls had fun though so I guess it's worth going to. We bbq'd shish ka bobs (sp?) back at my mom's, played in the water (slip n slide and wading pool anyway) and as soon as it got dark my parents put on a spectacular fireworks show. They spend hundreds of dollars on the fireworks. This year was especially fun because homes all around us had the same idea and had spent even MORE money so our fireworks show was phenomenal! My sister Laura has a tradition of saving the best firework for last. We think we're all done and she says. "uhhh, wait just a minute!" And brings it out of hiding. We cheer and light up the last one! It's just one of those silly things we do every year. She also likes to dance with the strobe fireworks too - flippin' hilarious!!!




The three girls with my cousin Olivia. Yep, my cousin is 8...And really this is only a good pic of Claire because her flag is covering Em's face and Hal's eyes are closed- a real winner!
Picking up a kiddie pool at Fred Meyer. The girls thought they were pretty strong!
At the parade...the girls were thrilled with all the candy they got thrown at them. Me not so much... Oh, and I made those flower thingys for their tank tops and their hair clippies.
My buddy Crystal taking a picture of me taking a picture of her. Original huh?
Hallie didn't like how loud the fireworks were. Grandma helped her out by covering her ears for them.
I think we were looking at a grasshopper on my grandma's hand...don't know why I added it...

Some catch-up...

I haven't blogged in forever! Mainly because I take so many pictures, our computer is almost out of room! So July and August's pics are on the camera still! Yikes! I thought since I'm journaling on here that I'd catch up with a few things since the start of summertime...
My sweet crazy friend Heather, had a little tea party for the girls finishing school. It was darling! The food was amazing and we got to chat with friends - what more could you ask for! Heather did an outstanding job, like always!


Poor Adelyn - Becca's baby daughter is never left alone when Emma, Marlee, Claire and Julia are around! They all take turns holding her - Becca, you're a good sport!

Look at all the yummies! And take a glance at her kitchen - her home is right from a Pottery Barn ad!

All the wonderful ladies that were able to attend. Our ward has got the neatest women in it! I am truly blessed by all your friendships!

Dave, Emma and I at her little graduation from preschool. I love St. Andrews! She had a blast there and made some really cute friends. It's been fun seeing how much she has grown and blossomed in a year!

My mom with my youngest sister Jamie and Emma. I am so fortunate to have such a great supportive fam! I love you two!!

Emma's Preschool Graduation with Miss Kathy and her "most favoritest" teacher Miss Deena.

David and Claire at the graduation.

My beautiful SINGLE (give a shout if you've got a hottie single LDS man you know of - she's a catch - and she's gonna kill me for this...) sister Laura at her GRAD School Graduation party in Seattle.

A funny shot of the two younger girls cranky this thingy with Emma lying on her back - pretty typical...:)

My darling youngest sister Jamie having a moment with Claire at Tumwater State Park.