A Buggy Birthday Celebration

I can't believe it has almost been a year! Wednesday is her actual birthday, but we celebrated early. We had some friends and lots of family over to celebrate with us on Saturday. But, like all things in our home, we didn't get there with out a few bumps along the way. We started out with a stomach virus that began with Elle, then jumped to Sydney and ended with David. Yes, I must have a stomach of steel (or just be really blessed - someone has to be on kid duty.) Then, the clouds all day on Saturday made me extremely nervous, especially because we'd invited way more people than could comfortably fit in our house. But, once again we were lucky and the weather was perfect. Thanks Dad, Mom, and Nanny for helping us run last minute errands and roll tamales.




Elle was excited, and loved the balloons. I also think she felt pretty. Nothing like a girly little tutu and bows to make one sweet little girl smile. She is turning into such a girl and loved all of the attention. She was much more of a cake diver than I expected, and lasted the entire party with zero meltdowns. She thought she was hot-as-snot sitting in her little red chair and being the center of attention. She was more than happy to share the present opening with her sister, as long as she got to tear a piece of paper here and there. She went to bed very late, with a tummy full of homemade tamales and salsa. I hope that one day she will look back and know how loved she is, not by just by her mommy and daddy, but by her extended family as well!

(If you click on the images below they will be much bigger and you can actually see them, I'm just not patient enough to load that many on here individually.)

It's your fault.

Yes, I blame you. Any of you that call yourself my friend and happen to have a daughter over the age of four. Why did you not tell me this was coming? I mean, I knew it would come at some point, but I thought we'd at least be approaching the teen years before I had to think about it. The tears, the emotions, the hormones that come with raising a daughter.

Now, I've endured the ones (which Elle is reminding me how much I don't love, which is also probably why I've erased Sydney's one's from my mommy memories) only to move on to the terrible twos, which really aren't all that bad. A few temper tantrums here and there, but nothing compared with the stubborns that come at three. But, the endearing thing about the three's is that there are moments that are all so sweet and make up for the less sweet moments and then some. And the fact that suddenly there is this compassion that comes about and my world is suddenly flooded with hugs and kisses, and gifts of carefully selected weeds, and rocks, and worms, and whatever other creatures my dear one thought might pique my interest. Then we roll into the fours, where clearly she is old enough to take care of herself (how dare I even think of walking in with her to get her allergy shots.) But why, why, WHY didn't someone tell me we'd be jumping head first into the world of those girly emotions?

Driving back from my parent's house the other day I bought a new-to-us movie (gotta love Redbox) and she got stated watching Beverly Hills Chihuahua. She was so proud that she hadn't cried when we were leaving, so when I look back 45 minutes later and she is in tears I ask what is wrong. I can't understand beyond all of the sniffling. I'm ready to pull over.

M: Are you sad because we left Grandma's?

S: (shakes her head no, and sticks her lip out even further)

M: Did you have an accident?

S: Of course not, mom!

M: Well, honey, what is wrong?

S: It is...it is....it is just that this, this, this movie. It is SOOO Sad. The puppy. She is all alone without her friends. I don't think. I can possibly...sniff... continue to watch it.

Fast forward. David is out of town. Normally, not a problem because it means the girls get to sleep with me and we get to go out to dinner one night somewhere Daddy hates and we love, so it is a huge "break thre rules" couple of days. But, this time Sydney starts crying, partially due to the lack of a nap. She misses her Daddy. Everything she sees somehow reminds her of her daddy. Finally, she falls asleep (much later that she needed to be taking a nap, but at this point I'm just glad she isn't crying.) I decide that I need something from Hobby Lobby and try to wake Sydney up. She gets up, mulls around for an hour or so, pouting because she misses daddy. I point out that she needs to hurry and get around or Hobby Lobby will be closed and we won't be able to go. So, finally at eight o'clock we leave (because all intelligent people leave the house to run errands at 8 p.m. with small children) and arrive at Hobby Lobby and an amazingly empty parking lot. I drive past the door, check the hours, and see that it closes at 8 p.m. I look in the backseat and say in my most chipper voice. "Oh, darn. It is closed. We'll have to come back another day." Cue the tears.

S: I'm soooo sorry Mom. It is all my fault. They closed because I wouldn't hurry. I'm so sorry. It is all, all, all my fault. (At this point she is folded into a small ball)

M: No it isn't. I didn't get us going in time. Even if you would've hurried we still would have missed it.

S: No, they knew I was taking too long, so they closed.

So, this is how we begin the emotional rollercoaster that I'm sure will end about the time she finishes having children. I'm not sure I am prepared for this.

Codeword: Jello

I'm a genius. Yep, that is right. Pure genius! You see, now that Sydney is in Sunbeams and I'm in the Primary Presidency, we've been having a bit of a problem when it is my turn to conduct or teach. Sydney thinks that because I'm talking on the microphone that automatically entitles her to tell the rest of the Junior Primary everything that is on her mind. She'd really like to talk on the microphone, but she has figured out that I won't let her do that(after many 'mommy is going to kill you if you don't stop it 'looks), so she follows me around, and says, "Um, excuse me mom, I need to tell you something." She then whispers something in my ear that she wants me to tell the rest of the kids. Like how they can't come to her birthday party because we're only inviting six people. Or that it isn't nice to call people fat, or whatever other bits of wisdom I've imparted on her that week. Needless to say, this is less than conducive to conducting or teaching.

So, this week I tried a new approach. Jello in our house is quite the treat, mostly because David hates it (and ice cream and chocolate...what is wrong with this man?) so I rarely make it. And there is the argument over whether Jello is a side-dish or dessert. I told him I will never be Mormon enough for Jello to be a side-dish, it is clearly a dessert. It is in the baking aisle for Pete's sake! But, I digress. Well, Sunday morning before church I pulled out the Jello cups and had it in the fridge before Bear got up. After breakfast I showed it to her and told her that if she was good and sat in her seat while I was teaching Sharing Time she could have some after church. Genius!! So, I ended up conducting too, because it is Primary and you just go with flow - the person who was supposed to conduct was handling a meltdown duet in the back row. So, anytime Sydney would wander to the front to tell me something, I would just lean over and whisper, "Jello." Whoosh...she was back in her seat. By the time Sharing Time actually started we had it figured out. After Sharing Time was over, she went up to the Primary President and said, "Can Kate come over for Jello??"

So, third Sundays have now officially been declared Jello days at the Rieske household. Sugar-free, of course.

Sydney-isms

Lately Sydney has been cracking me up, but we are at that oh-so-critical point in child rearing where I must not give in and let her know that she is doing so.

As we were leaving a garage sale:

S: Bye. Thanks. We didn't like any of your junk.

Checking out as we were buying new sandals:

M: Sydney, stay with me for just another second please.

S: You're really making me crazy today, little mama.

After her dance teacher told her how smart she was for remembering what part came next on her dance:

S: I know, my daddy says I'm intelligent.

As we are to the door, leaving for a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese:

M: Are you ready to go to Katelyn's birthday party?

S: You bet.
(hand on the door knob)

WAIT! What about the Chuck E. Cheese token coupons?

At the allergist office, sitting next to the doctor on the exam table:

Dr: Sydney, I love those boots. Do you think I could wear them?

S: (nudges him with her arm and says oh so seriously) Don't you think your feet are just a little big?

At the dinner table:

M: I sure wish I had an iphone.

S: Don't worry, honey. When David goes out of town and it is just us, I'll get you one.

After spending a morning alone with just mommy:

M: What was your favorite thing we did today?

S: Spending time with just you. (insert big hug)

How could I forget this one?? Thanks Doddy!

Riding in Papa's truck, after being silent for 30 minutes:

S: (In a monotone voice) Save money. Live better. Walmart.

Tulsa Zoo

Finally, here are our pictures from the zoo. **If they are too tiny, just click and it will be really big and you can see them up close and personal. Not responsible for any gorilla nose hairs you may encounter** It may take some close examining, but you will be able to distinguish my animals, I mean children, from those that actually belong at the zoo. My little crazies did have a good time, despite the chilly weather. We were glad that we had Nanny with us and hope that she enjoyed the trip as much as we did (who couldn't love being smashed in the back seat with two screaming hyenas?) The girls loved having her along and the fact that she spoils them way more than we do.


Sydney loved the polar bears and the lion - until he roared as she was sticking her head inside of a lion water fountain to get a drink - she was all of a sudden ready to leave. I'm pretty sure she almost peed in her pants. But, thank goodness she didn't because I'm way past the point of carrying extras for her. Elle's favorite animal by far was the kind that goes in your mouth - what zoo trip would be complete without animal crackers. Come on, are you really surprised?

I loved the area where all of the animals were out walking/flying around. See the top picture on the left below? Notice the bird that Sydney is pointing at. We were actually that close to it. Said bird is a cuckoo bird and the stupid thing jumped on my head. Yes - on top of my head. Not once, but twice. Someone must have forgotten to tell him that it is not polite to land on someone's head when the aren't looking. Oh, and my dear, sweet husband had the nerve to laugh. And I'm pretty that was his favorite part of the zoo - seeing my face when I had a cuckoo bird sitting on my head.

Dear People,

If you are not the father of my children (or mother...but for purposes of this post, we will stick to the nosy men out there) please don't "father" my children.

To Mr. Manager at Mama Fu's:

My daughter was not going to hurt herself standing in a window that was all of six inches off of the ground. Yeah, you might have to clean it, but welcome to the world of working in a restaurant. You actually have to clean things. She was being quiet, not disturbing the other two tables in the restaurant and I was actually enjoying my meal for a change. So, no matter how nicely you put on that fake smile as you say, "I don't want to you hurt yourself, miss" as you remove her from the window (did I give you permission to touch my child in the first place?) it still makes me mad. It is my child and I can see her as she is all of 7 feet away and I am FACING her. So yes, she was in the window, not hurting anyone, including herself. If she would've fallen, she probably would've gotten some dirt on her knee and that is about it. Please don't touch her again. Since this happened on Monday night and you were the first instance of this, I was nice and pretended to smile back, but I hold grudges FOREVER and I assure you that we will be finding a new fake-Chinese restaurant to go to when daddy is out of town (as is our tradition.)

To Mr. Man at Lowe's in Springdale:

I had high hopes of buying new carpet from your store as the price was much better than that at Home Depot. However, our brief conversation has assured that my carpet will not be bought from you. Nope. You see, I'm tired from chasing a one- year-old and four-year-old all day long. So, when my dear one says she needs to go potty and takes off, I don't get too excited. Especially when I can still hear the pitter-patter of her little feet on your concrete floors. I have learned that this is one time that I don't need to run, you see. I can HEAR her so I know that she is ok. Oh, and I know where she is heading. And, the fact that I'm saying in a semi-loud but calm voice, "Bear, wait for Mommy," probably means that I'm in control of the situation. When she comes running back to me, followed by you, and I kneel down to speak to MY child, **note the keyword here - MY** I don't need you to say, "You don't need to lose her here" to which I snidely replied, "Do you think I lost her on purpose??" Then, you felt the need to say, "There are just lots of things here and I don't want her to get her to get hurt" Yep, mouth diarrhea has me again. "Seriously, you think I want her to get hurt?" (and you get the mommy look from me here. yep. Betcha' haven't gotten that one in at least 40 years.) And seriously, just the day after Mr. Manager decided to be a pseudo-father?


So, yeah, if you are one of my mommy friends, feel free to help me out with my kids/tell me when they are being little hellions. But, if you are some random person, hands off my babes.

Did we take a wrong turn?

So spring is the air, and being the great mom I am, a Spring Break excursion is planned. We got Silver Dollar City season passes for Christmas (thanks Mom and Dad...and Lanelle for the idea), so an easy trip, reminescent of ones from my youth, is in our future. Sydney is all prepped and excited to go to our pretend home (a hotel for those of you who don't speak four-year-old), our bags are (mostly) packed, the library travel bag is by the door(aren't I a great mom to think of this?), Nanny is here, and we are ready to go. As I am packing some snacks and thinking smugly how great of a trip-planner I am (I even thought of juice boxes), David is on the phone with his dad who will be meeting us the next morning. He asks if we've checked the calendar at SDC, because he heard it was closed part of the week. What, closed on Spring Break? Never. I never remember it closing during the week. And of course, any great trip-planner would actually check to make sure that the highlight of the trip is actually open, right? Um, well - just a small detail, right?

So, what is a mom with a wound up four-year-old, who so wholely has her heart set on a pretend home to do? Go on to Branson and just shop (because my kids, not to mention the husband would love spending two days shopping.) Perhaps pretend there was never a trip planned? Well, I did what all technology-dependent moms do; I sat down in front of my computer and typed in google.com "things to do close to nwa"

HELLO TULSA!

So, into pigeon foot (my pet name for my trusty CR-V) we climbed the next morning (but not after a good argument about getting started late because someone just had to get in a few phone calls on his vacation day, oh and maybe due to the fact that not everything was quite as well packed as I liked to pretend it was.) But, by the time we actually arrived in Tulsa, all was well and I was anticipating the gourmet selections awaiting my taste buds at good ol' QT. I mean, seriously, where else can you find so many flavors of slushy under one roof?

QT was followed by a brief visit/goosechase to the Tulsa Children's museum. Luckily we had Nanny with us, so we could leave the kids in the car without being arrested and jump in and peek at what the Tulsa Children's museum had to offer. Um, lots of ticked off parents, miserable kids, and a few that I'm pretty sure had been pumped full of some sugary substance to pretend they liked the place and its rubber-cement pizza. Honestly, if I lived there I would probably get a season pass or something and use it on rainy days, but for the price, we decided to move on and let Bear play pretend elsewhere.

So, we ended up finding a really fun bowling place, complete with bumpers. Sydney, who has never been bowling anywhere outside of our living room, found out that the actual ball is much heavier than the Wii remote, that Mommy's score also looks a lot better in the comforts of our own living room (although, with the bumpers on I did manage to break 100), and that the actual lane is very slippery and you will end up on your behind if you walk on it. Elle loved clapping and mostly just being out of her carseat. Of course, no game of bowling is complete without a little show from you-know-who.

After two games, we were feeling homeless and found a Marriott with an indoor pool and a continental breakfast. Sold. (Thank you Marriott points - I knew I loved my husbands job for a reason) Amazing service, and amazing chocolate chip cookies...look how happy Bug is with that cookie smeared all over her face. Syd was just thrilled to be in a pretend home. When I finally got it through her thick skull that just because we weren't at home, the no-jumping on the bed rule was still in effect, she graciously moved to the floor (and graciously, we were on the first floor.)

After some swimming, we were all ready to eat. So, off to meal #1 at Zio's where Elle learned to color and I remembered exacly how great the nachos are. Mmmm...delish. We had intentions of taking the kids to the dollar show, but ended up at Cheescake Factory instead. A much better trade, in my opinion. Then, back to our pretend home for some rest to get geared up for the Zoo the next day.

His story

The poor guy is surrounded by nailpolish. Welcome to a house full of girls. We all have our, well, "moody" days that we write off as ok, because we are girls. Hormones, right? The attitudes are in full force around here. Going anywhere without at least 30 minutes notice? Don't even try it. A spider within the walls of our home means instant notification, whether he is home or not. He knows all of the words to High School Musical 2, and most of 3. He is always the prince, the lifter, the bug killer, dog poop cleaner-uper. Quite a resume, eh?

 

Why is it

that she has all of this wonderful hair and refuses to let me put anything in it?

 

Mystery Solved

Here has been our day lately: We are going about our business. Grizzly goes bezerk barking at nothing. I let her into the backyard, she runs, comes back in. Five minutes later, repeat. I really thought I was going to pull my hair out, or maybe just begin sporting a new pomeranian-fur coat. Then, two weeks ago we were putting FREE mulch down in our backyard (thank you ice storm 2009) and found this little guy. Turns out that he and three of his siblings have taken up residence in our backyard in our jasmine bush. Nice, huh? After I convinced Sydney (ok, and myself) that we weren't going to keep him, he has hung around. Unfortunately for the little family, a mean old cat lives next door. We shall see who wins.

For Bear....

I miss you. Yes, it is actually quiet around here and this mommy thinks she may go crazy. I like to pretend it is your fault I don't get anything done, but I think I'm really just not into the whole "housewife" thing. However, you will be happy to know that the mysterious smell in the fridge is gone, although the source is still a mystery. I haven't had to clean up one smidge of dirt since your sister left, however I have found a great collection of watercolors on my kitchen floor - thanks for the wonderful pictures and new look you've added to the tile floor. Your room is still a mess - no worries, it will still be the same big pile o' stuff when you get home. (This is one area where I really wouldn't have minded if you took a little more after your dad - piling is so not the way to go. Do as I say, not as I do)I have been thinking about you, although I'm sure you've not been thinking about me. I know grandma and grandpa's house is way too entertaining to be bothering yourself with worrying about your little ol' mom. I love you - give your sister a kiss for me. I'm sure you are taking great care of her! I can't wait to see you two in the morning. xoxo

This is me

I just saw this and laughed. Not today, but somedays this is so me.

Sneaky Little Leprachaun...

He turned our water green! Happy late St. Patrick's day!

 

Happy 30th!

David is offically 30 as of Tuesday. We celebrated with dinner at Texas Land & Cattle (great food - AMAZING service.) Our kids were even remarkably well behaved, even with a two hour dinner. Oh, and did I mention the cheddar jalepenos? Yum!

We made David a book with lots of pics, pages Sydney had drawn after I asked her a question, and stuck in the back were tickets to Framing Hanley who will be in Fayetteville next week.
Also included was a small note reminding him that I will ALWAYS be younger than him. (because I'm nice like that)

**You can see in this pic that Elle was a little disappointed that we'd pulled her away from her cake**

We all enjoyed some cake to wrap up the festivities. However, I don't think any of us enjoyed it as much as Elle.

Happy Birthday, David!

Fun In Fayetteville

Monday we got to spend the day with some of my cousins that I hadn't seen in at least a decade, and I'm pretty sure much longer than that. Sydney loved it, and felt right at home since she has now known them for over a week. You know my child and how many strangers she me. Luckily, she got to attend a family reunion that we missed. The child is obsessed with family (which is a good thing) and has been overly excited now that she has figured out she has cousins. Poor thing was feeling deprived since she and her sister are the only grandchildren on either side - hello realization of the whole second cousins and beyond thing! So, now that she is no longer cousin-less, she is loving life once again.

We went down and showed them Fayetteville, after the obligatory lunch at Red Robin - Sydney's favorite. She was so excited to see everyone that she had a bit of trouble eating, but not talking. She even got onto me. In a moment of silence (when we were all trying to decide which burger to order) I was taught some etiquette. Or at least as much etiquette as a four-year-old posses. "Mom, you need talk to your cousins. Ask them how they are doing." Of course everyone laughed and I just shook my head. What else can I do?

After a quick trip by Razorback Stadium, we ended up on the square. We walked around a bit and found The Little Bread Company. I'm a bit confused by the name, because I didn't see one little bread in the entire place. Note my child eating a cookie that very much dwarfs her along with a bottle of water that matches.

cookie as big as child's head= very happy child

The owners must have had their glasses on backwards the day they came up with that name.

Like any good mother, I gave up safety in the name of a good photo op.

We went to a few hippy shops (what trip to Fayetteville is complete without that) and I learned that this whole hippy streak in our family started way before me. Cheryl (my dad's cousin and the twin's mom) and I have very similar tastes and thoughts on lot of things. Good to know I'm not a loner. And to make sure I fit in around Fayetteville, I spent the day sans shoes. Not that I'm really up for that sort of thing, but being the genius I am, I wore heels. Fayetteville Hills and heels really don't go together. But, thank goodness it was Fayetteville, otherwise I might have gotten a few looks. As it was, I fit right in.

Elle slept most of the day on my back (that back carrier is seriously a gift from heaven!), but did wake up once she was back in the car and discovered that her sister had left her giant cookie unattended. Once again we are back to the equation big cookie= happy child.

We had a great day and enjoyed visiting with family. My one disappointment is that Aaron and Patrick have decided to live their adult-life with facial hair. How am I supposed to tell them apart? As a child, I always told them apart by the freckle Patrick has just above his lip. Could they not have shaved just for this one trip? Other than that, and the fact that they are about six feet taller, they haven't changed a bit. So, thanks guys, for not taking me into consideration when making such a drastic decision.

It's here....

 
Yes, it is here. The world of everything you never knew you needed. The new Target is finally open! I'm pretty sure that is going to be a bad thing for my budget, but I promise to attempt and practice some self control. Who can resist $4 shorts for kids? At $4 I don't care what they get all over them. Also, I'm pretty pumped about the grocery section. It is much bigger than the one in Fayetteville, and most importantly they carry my very favorite cookies!(which Fayetteville didn't)

Yummy!

 

Bug is now 10 months old. When that happened, I'm not sure. She is a sweetie, and loves cuddling, but I could do without the new screaming tactics. We're working on sign language more and more so that she can communicate instead of just screaming. She is crawling all over and into EVERYTHING. I think tornado would've been a much more fitting name. She is thinning out, despite the tons of food she eats. She loves having one thing in each hand while she eats (notice the pop tart in one hand and strawberry in the other) - this girl doesn't waste time. She weighs 16.5 lbs and is 28 inches long. So, she is tall and skinny according to the growth charts. I'm thinking Sydney is going to have a big little sister.

Teeth!

 

'Jamas Day

Sydney has PJ day at school and was thrilled to go. She'd been out sick the rest of the week, and was DYING to get back. No way was she going to miss "Jamas Day"

 

Now THAT is love

I bought Sydney cupcakes the other day because when she was sick. I'm thrilled to say that six cupcakes lasted two days, (yes TWO!) in our house. How is that for self control? While we were finishing up dishes after dinner, Sydney decided to share her blue cupcake with Elle. They were so delirously happy! And as with most things that make little ones delirously happy, this event ended with a bath.

 

 

Here we go, again.

I think that my pediatrician should open a frequent flyer's club. You know, the kind where after so many visits you at least get to sit in the comfy chairs? Or what about caffiene since if you are there, chances are you didn't get a good night's sleep before. Or makeovers, because with a sick kid, who actually gets a chance to put on makeup or even bathe before going? Or a personal steward who can entertain the healthy child you've toted along, because you can't call and ask a friend to watch your healthy, but probably germ-infested child. Or at least chocolate - that fixes everything.

So here I sit, with one sick 4-year-old permanately attached to me and a 10 month old who is just fussy (crossing my fingers it is that monster top row of teeth coming in that is causing said fussiness.) We are all in terrible need of bath, a new house (because I'm pretty sure moving would be easier than defeating the mountain of laudnry that seems to be procreating throughout my house), and some sort of sustanance that takes more than five seconds to create. Oh, and while we're being choosy, mom could use some sleep.

Why oh why do they grow up so fast....

At dance yesterday Sydney stuck her elbows in her leotard and ran up to Mrs. Brittaney and said, "Mrs. Brittaney - check out my big boobies."

nice.

Chick-a-wa-wa

S: Mom, remember when I held that Chick-a-wa-wa?

M: The what?

S: Chick-a-wa-wa. At that store. Where there was a lady.

M: Honey, I have no idea what you are talking about.

S: A Chick-a-wa-wa! Remember. And we picked Raspberries.

M: Oh!

This one's for you Ben Fuller

 

'Nuff said.

Why my husband rocks:

So, if there is one thing I'm great at, it's turing my kids into horrible sleepers, which translates into 4 years of waking up a million times a night.

David told me he didn't get me anything for Valentine's day which made me really mad (that is the day he proposed for crying out loud!) It wasn't so much the no gift, but that he didn't put time into thinking about it. I had planned a party for my grandma's 80th birthday (happy birthday Nanny!) so we had planned on just going out for dessert. He had a headache, so I suggested we just do it another night, but he insisted on going.

We got in the car, started driving to Chilli's and decided we weren't hungry, so he pulled over in a parking lot (no, don't get your hopes up this is a family show) and he said, "well, I did get you a card." So, he pulled out a hotel key card. He said, "I thought you might enjoy a good night's sleep." He told me he had packed my bags and had them in the car. I was pretty excited. When we started driving to Wal-Mart to get a few things, I teared up when I realized what a thoughtful gift it was. I'm telling you, a full night of sleep was worth way more than anything else he could have gotten me. NINE STRAIGHT HOURS OF SLEEP!!!!

So, he is offically back on the good list.

Birthday Bear!

 

 

 

 

Sydney turned 4 in January. After four celebrations in one week (yes, she is terribly spoiled)I can say that I'm a bit wiser. We had a dinner and party on her actual birthday with Grandma and Grandpa Rieske, a lunch celebration at Chick-fil-a (since Daddy always takes her out for lunch on her birthday, but he was gone), a Build-a-Bear Party with her friends, and then a family party with our extended family to top it all off.

Lessons learned:

1. Decorating cakes with candy is way easier than actually trying to make things out of icing (especially with two little ones running around.) But, instead of a fight over who gets the flowers, balloons, etc. on the cake, it is a fight over the rock candy.

2. Cookie cakes are really quick, especially when you buy the buck of dough from Sam's.

3. Paying someone else to do the party is TOTALLY worth it. We had her party at Build-a-Bear and at a $10 minimum per guest, we told her she could only invite five friends (hey, we aren't made of money!) So, she decided to invite only girls, and chose Megan, Kate, Katelyn, Kaitlin, and Grace. What was I ever thinking inviting a million kids to parties in the first place? This was so much easier. (Oh, and she needs to find friends with different names!)

4. Cameras need batteries. Yep, I left mine plugged into the wall at home. Thankfully Amy bailed me out and ran home to get hers. I ended up with some amazing pics, so thanks Amy!

5. Don't put David in charge of taking the pictures. See the picture above of all of the kids around the flowers? Yes, that is the picture he took of the cake. Nice, huh? If you squint you can almost see it. I cropped the cake out of a corner of another picture, so you can kind of see it.

So here are the numbers:

4 celebrations
3 cakes
2 types of lasagna (for the family party)
1 ice cream treat from Chick-fil-a

= One happy four year old!

The very hungry but slow caterpillar

****I wrote this back in January and forgot to post. Oops.****

Well, Elle is offically 8 months old and barely thinking about crawling. But, hey, who can blame her. Why crawl when your sister kicks you everything you need? She loves being held and is still suffering from "my bottom is touching the ground" syndrome. This condition is induced by visiting grandparents and having grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles, great-grandmas, great-aunts and great-uncles (you get the picture) who will gladly sit around and hold you all day. We did discover that the child will eat anything (as you can see from her roly-poly figure) and loves midnight snacks. I think Papa Hill even let her indulge in a 2 a.m. snack. Oh, and did I mention that she LOVES pizza. I think that is officially her favorite food.

Her first tooth also showed up during Christmas break. One night she kept screaming and crying and would not sleep (even when held). So, a few lost hours of sleep and a nickname later (thanks, daddy) we have tooth number one. It is on the bottom and she loves grinding it into crackers. I think she is amused by the sound it makes.

A Sunbeat!

***Another post I forgot to actually post***

Well, the time has come and Sydney is offically a Sunbeat, I mean Sunbeam.
She missed the cutoff for last year by two weeks, so now that she is almost four she was definitely ready to move out of nursery and into real Sunday school. She was so excited and loves her teachers Jared and Lurana. She totes the picture from their wedding invitation around and shows everyone that will listen her teachers.

It was my turn to teach Sharing Time and I was a little worried how Sydney would do with me teaching. As expected, she thought she should get to help, too. As soon as I started talking she walked up to me and whispered, "Mom, tell them I'm have a birthday at Build-A-Bear." I tried to explain to her that I was trying to teach and that she needed to sit down. Overall, she only got up three or four times, which was much less than I expected. Heck, I was thrilled that she chose to sit in her seat at all. Jared and Lurana are saints...they have 12 (yes TWELVE!) Sunbeams to keep up with. (The Sunbeam class is everyone who has turned 3 before Jan. 1)

When I asked how Sunbeams went she frowned and said, "Not good, not good at all. I couldn't remember how to be reverent!"

This week we went and bought her a tiny Book of Mormon and scripture case so she can take her scriptures to Primary. She thinks she is hot stuff with her own scriptures and hasn't lost them in the three days she has owned them. Impressive.