what to do if you think it takes too long to shower

Cut your hair!

Isobel and I have been arguing alot about her showering.  Turns out, she hates washing her hair.

I suggested she cut it.  She had two requirements:

1)  It had to be shorter - therefore easier to wash and brush

2)   She wanted to be able to tuck it behind her ears

The answer: an A-Line.  $18 and an hour later, I had one happy girl.

(Oh, and she happily took a shower when she got home :D)

What it's like having 6 kids...

Well, I don't REALLY know - but we did have 6 kids here over the weekend.  Gordon and Katie got to go to New Orleans for something or other and we got to watch their kids.  Lily and Eve stayed with friends Sunday night and Monday night because they have school to go to.  I will say that I was amazed to get all the kids to church on time and looking good.  Not all of us got baths - so I'm sure that's why :)

You have to wash a lot of dishes when you have 8 people in the house.  We ran the dishwasher at least daily - just to have enough for each meal. No wonder Mom owns so many sets of dishes ;)

Here are some of the cute things:

Grant wearing Isobel's fake glasses around

 Abigail asking Bryce to make pancakes with her for lunch

Love the aprons!

Abigail running up to us saying, "I love you!" and giving a hug.

Watching Lily take care of her baby brother.  And him signing "drink" to her.  (I never could get him to sign for me - must be because I'm a stranger - or I'm stranger...)

Some things I forgot about having a toddler in the house:

1.  Things disappear.  Little hands pick them up and wander and put them down.  It's like a mini Bryce - but when he puts things down it's at least at my eye level ;)  Point is - I've lost my workout DVD and my cover for my IPOD...

2.  If something stinks, it needs changing.  We all have gas now and then - so Isobel and Eva kept asking Bryce if he was stinky - no - it was Grant.  Bryce did ALL the dirty work.  Good man.

3.  Communication is the key.  When my girls are crying - they can tell me why.  Even if it's illogical - which it usually is with us girls - they can tell me what the deal is.  With a toddler, they just cry and you guess - usually incorrectly - at what they might want.  I guess it's easier with your own kids.

4.  Someone has to be home with the kids.  Karen called to ask me to go to Kohl's and I said I had to wait til Bryce got back from running...right...someone needs to be with the kids.

5.  Ground up food in the carpet.  Cheerios, crackers, you name it.  If it fell to the floor in the kitchen and you didn't sweep it up, chances are, it will make it's way (in tiny hands) to the living room and there stay.

I'm sure there are many more things that I've already forgotten - these are the most noticable ones.  I really did enjoy having G's kids here - and sending them back home tonight.  Some of the little cute moments made me miss having little babies...and then I'd smell a diaper or listen to whinning...

I love my daughters and I am loving the stage of life they are in. I think that each stage is like that.  Comes with some really sweet things and some really stinky things.  That's how we get through life, right?  We try to focus on the things we are grateful for, and we will enjoy each stage.  Thanks for the lesson, kids!  Love you!

Spring Break

Some people on the Santa Fe school board thought that it would be good to have spring break March 7-11.  I am guessing it's so people can get away from the Juniper/Cedar allergies.  I did.  We went to Las Vegas, NV - Bryce had a training for FedEx and I wanted to hang out with Susan :D  Normally, we go camping in Moab for spring break, but it early March - you can bet it will snow.  So we stayed south.  The weather was wonderful, the activities were enjoyable, and the company was fabulous!  Don't know why I didn't take pictures...hmm.  Susan? 

We got to have dinner at my cousin Vanessa's house - Yum - thank you!  And we even got a suprise sleepover with Lantz and Thessa on their way north.  Not to mention all of Susan's family coming for the baptism.  So many people to see - it was almost like visiting Utah :D 

We decided to take more time on the drive home.  We stopped on the new bridge by the Hoover Dam and walked across.  The sun was starting to get lower and it made fun shadows.

 Here's Bryce looking over...carefully.  It's really far down.

 Isobel's enjoying it - or is just cute ;)

 Bryce is explaing to Eva how the Dam works and she is asking questions.

 I wanted a picture of everyone with the dam - but the girls couldn't climb on the railing when we were closer to the middle of the bridge - too scary (for Bryce).

 Aren't we CUTE?!

 Then Eva insisted on taking a picture of us - well, it was really windy.  No, my teeth are not brown, that's my hair in my mouth.  Lovely.

The rest of the way home was fun, too.  We stayed at a hotel with a pool because the girls wanted to swim and there weren't any pools open in LV.  Then we drove the loop around Sunset Crater Volcano and Waputki National Monuments.  We stopped to have a picnic lunch at Walnut Canyon National Monument.  Then we drove down to Holbrook to drive up through the Petrified Forest National Park.  We went on the "Long Logs" trail - which is said to be the most concentrated petrified wood in the park - and did the 1/2 mile loop hike.  (Our annual National Park pass expires in April - so we tried to make the most of it ;)  Then we stopped in Gallup for dinner and drove on home.

It was a great break from work, school, and allergies.  Thanks, Susan, for entertaining us! 

Happy Anniversary -ish! :D

Happy "we've-been-married-for-11-years" Day!

It was funny, because one day, Karen was given free daffodils at the grocery store and HAD to give them to me, since I love them so.  Well, they were on my desk and I noticed this wedding pic of us and so I put them together.  I don't know if you know this - or remember - but I brought Bryce daffodils when we first started dating.  He put them in a little water cup and carried them around campus all day.  They were so bright and yellow.  They are one of the first flowers in the spring and I love that they are so bright - promising sunny days after the dreary winter months.  So we had daffodils for our wedding flowers - and daisies - obviously.

 On Tues March 1st - our kinda anniversary - Bryce stopped at the store on his way home and asked me to go out to the car to help bring in some of the stuff.  There was a bunch of daisies and phish food sitting on the seat.  :)  I love daisies - hence the signature.  One of our dates in college consisited of us buying phish food at Smith's, getting plastic spoons from the food place, and sitting out on the bench in front of the store eating ice cream.  Yum!  So I put these flowers by our engagement picture - see the daisies in the pic?

 Then we tried to get Isobel to take a quick pic of us reinacting the engagement pic.  Mistake.  She couldn't hold it down long enough to flash, she got Harry Potter in the background, and my butt.  All I wanted was our torsos.  Anyway, by the time she got a half-decent picture taken, Bryce was done.  I practically had to twist his arm just to get a couple shots at it.  He hates having his picture taken. 

Anyway, here we are - 11 years later and still pretty darn cute ;)

Next year we get a REAL anninversary! 

Feb 29, 2012 = Happy 3rd Anniversary!!

Isobel is an "APRIL"zing speller!

When ever I tell Isobel that she's amazing - she says, "no I'm not, Eva's aMAYzing - I'm an APRILzing."  Little sassy, eh?  Well, whatever she is - she's fabulous!  We've been studying for the spelling bee every spare minute since we found out about the bee last week.  Isobel really suprised me how well she could spell some of these big words - some of which I couldn't even pronounce.  There were many she struggled with, but she kept working at it - with her daddy's help - and she improved.  So, today was the big spelling bee at the school.  I had a work appointment and Eva was sick so we couldn't figure out how we'd get there - but I pushed my appointment back and we brought Eva with us anyway.  All my work stuff moved out of my way so I could stay for the entire thing.

Isobel was #5 of 26 kids - third through fifth grade - to get up to spell.  She was SO cute sitting there.  She would smile at people, give the other kids high-fives when they got out, and try to spell all the words (which I signed to her to stop doing - I love communicating across the room ;).  When she would get up in line to wait for her turn, she would turn circles, dance a bit, and smile at everyone.  After the first round, she was one of 10 kids left.  Then she was one of five kids.  Out of nowhere there were only 2 girls left: Isobel and a really tall 5th grade girl.  (Isobel is in 3rd grade - if you didn't know.)  The two of them where neck and neck - taking turns spelling word after word.  It was intense, I tell you.  I seriously had butterflies in my stomach.  Oh, and Isobel's teacher couldn't believe that Isobel wasn't writing the words down - she would just do it in her head.  (the other girl wrote them all down first)  Then the other girl spelled a word wrong but was still in - then Isobel spelled one right and missed the next one.  It could have gone on forever.  Then, when the other girl messed up again and Isobel spelled a word right - SHE WON!  (Karen got it all on video - maybe I'll get it on here if anyone is interested.)  I couldn't believe it!  She did so well and was so cute.  I'm so proud of her and all the hard work she put into it! 

Doesn't she look proud of herself?  She got a trophy and everything!  Now...we have the county spelling bee to study for on January 26th - just after getting back from Utah.  I'm sure when we visit - she'll be asking many of you to quiz her - I hope you will :)

On a side note, I've been doing some decorating.  This is BIG for me.  I never decorate and I'm kinda affraid to do it.  But here are the new additions to my entry way and livingroom.  I hope you like them as much as I do :)

I had to leave the TV in this picture to show how big these pictures are - they're as big as the TV!  16x20 big faces of my beautiful girls :D

The Latest

We had a super fun Thanksgiving with G & KT's family and Karen & Kyle's family.  Isobel decided to make a robot body from a box.  After everyone left, she took a nap in it :)  Guess she was worn out, too.

 Eva lost another tooth - finally!  This was hangin on forever and she finally let me pull it.

 The biggest news to the girls, they got their ears pierced on Saturday.  It was funny because we had planned to spend the day chopping down a tree but Bryce forgot to get a permit AND Eva kept protesting.  "I don't want to hurt nature!"  Bryce was sure she must have heard that at school but she denies it :)  Our day was open and Lily had just gotten her ears pierced so we were talking about it.  I told Isobel a couple years ago that she could get it done when she was 8 years old.  She said I scared her when I explained how it was done.  So I re-explained it and that she would be fine if she wanted to do it - she likes shots afterall.  So then we thought it might be fun for them to do it the same day - Isobel was ok with sharing the experience with Eva.  Then on a whim I texted Karen to see if she and Courtney wanted to join.  So we made our way to Claire's in the mall.

 Pre-peircing purple dot.

 Post-peircing saphire.  (I love that she picked my birthstone.  I, too, think it is a great one :)

 Eva was next and READY.

 Oh, and she loves her little blue daisy earrings!

 Courtney decided she wanted to do it and then was super scared. (That is why Karen thought watching my girls brave it first would help.  Courtney HATES shots.)  After the girls were done.  So cute!

 While in Claire's, I couldn't help but try on my own accessory :)  No, I didn't buy it.

That's the biggest news of the last week or so.  We are getting super excited for family to come visit before Christmas!  Then we'll be off to Utah for a week in January.  So many fun things to look forward to. :)

My New Camera!

Happy Birthday to me!  Colette got me a super cute orange camera for my birthday - so I can finally take pictures that don't have a pink border.  Here is a visual of what's been happening :) 
(Note: our pictures in Tucson are on Facebook - and pictures of my trip to Forks, WA.)

Eva dressed herself ;)  I think it's SO funny that she pulls her pants up so high!

She asked me to pull out her first tooth!  She was so sad it didn't fall out it Tucson with everyone around.

She dressed up like pizza for the school Halloween party.  She wore a red shirt and tan pants - sauce and crust.  (I got this for $4 at Old Navy in Tucson - thanks for shopping with me girls!)  But she had to be something else for the Halloween party at the church - she didn't like being called "pizza girl" all day.

Here we are - ready for the party.  Eva is a ballerina cat, Isobel is Pocahontas, and I am...can you guess?

Here's a clue - I'm not a princess.  Please try to guess first - I wonder how smart you are.

Look at my beautiful girls!  They found a caterpillar to play with and wanted their picture with it - of course!

So, how do you like my new camera?