Happy Birthday to me!

For my birthday this year Mark & the girls made me a cake. The night before I went to an enrichment meeting and they worked on a "surprise". Paige was so hilarious that night when I tucked her in. She was being all goofy & giddy. I was in on the surprise... and of course played along. I asked her why she was being so silly & if she was trying to keep a secret..."nope".
Mark told me later that night that they would need to make a checklist in the morning for things to do for my birthday. She told him "when Mom asks what we're doing, I'll say nothing. We're not working on a surprise for your birthday".  I cracked up.. she was so excited about making me a cake.
Mark is a cute Dad & patient with our girls. He actually let them decorate it, with his help & supervision. There are no pictures of the decorating... although I'm sure they'd be hilarious. He said when he would help one, the other would be squeezing frosting directly into their mouth. Then he'd help the other & it would happen again. A lot of frosting was consumed that night, but memories were made & that's what counts, right?

My little cake artists

My birthday was off to a good start... a friend from church that carpools with me to preschool offered to drive, since it was my turn. While Paige was at school, I got to go shopping... ALONE. It was soooo enjoyable. I managed to spend all my birthday money in the fastest 2 1/2 hours I can remember. Thank again to Brooke & Grammy for watching the girls for me!

That night, Mark was sick & I didn't want to have to make dinner (who does for their birthday). A big disadvantage to a small city, NO drive thru! Seriously... the closest drive thru is about 15 minutes away. We do have a Pizza Hut, Subway & a pretty good Mexican restaurant though. I ran out to get Nyquil for Mark and pick up some Yummy nachos to go. They were fantastic & I didn't have to make them or clean up a mess afterwards...... its the simple things.

My cake was delicious & I thought the girls did a great job. The next morning, I indulged in a traditional breakfast of champions- a hefty piece of cake & a glass of milk.( I haven't done that in a long time).

That weekend, Mark took me to the mall as part of my present. So lame, just wanted to hang out at the mall and go shopping. (Truly a present since Mark was still sick & had to hang out at the mall).  I got new headphones for my shuffle (that will actually stay in while I run) and an awesome new vest. Thanks babe for a fun birthday!

Speaking of vampires....

Check out these fangs.... you gotta love them =)

For whatever reason, Reese's top teeth came in like this. I've been teased that it was from reading the last of the Twilight series and seeing the Twilight movie while pregnant. Luckily, I have a friend who had a picture of her daughter on her blog with the same "fang" look. She would smile at people behind us in church & you'd hear all sorts of comments. It was hard to get pictures, but there are finally teeth coming in the middle- so no more vampire baby.

Aside from the fangs, Reese has a lot going on. She isn't walking yet, but can free stand on her own. She  has also discovered the stairs & LOVES to climb up them. She thinks its hilarious.... and she is FAST.

 

New Moon Tribute

Clear back in November when New Moon came out, I went to a party with my good friend Shannon. You'll never believe who was there......

Yes... we are both for team Edward. I thought he'd be taller.... haha.

We went to a super fun party and then saw the movie at Midnight. It sounded like a good idea... who knew I'd get home at 3:00 in the morning! We had a blast & I'm so glad to have had Shannon go with me. (I was sporting my new haircut and still trying to figure out the bangs & getting used to it being so dark)

One of those moments....

After being so cold for most of December & the first half of January, we were sooo excited to finally see the sun. It was out "just enough" that we could go outside for a walk. We all needed the fresh air & excercise.
Claire & Reese rode in the wagon snuggled with blankets and Paige rode her bike. We rode out to see our favorite swan Twinkle. It was actually colder than I thought it would be & Reese was kind of tired. She looks so cold....

On the way home Claire was walking & running. Paige offered to help Claire ride her bike, since it's too big. It was such a sweet big sister looking out for her little sister moment. I had to get proof! (Yes Paige's bike still has the training wheels on. It's a top priority once spring gets here. She is totally ready.... Claire also has her own bike, but I was looking for a fast paced walk and Claire isn't a fast paced rider....yet)

Snow Angels

We had a ton of snow early on in December (more than we'd ever seen) and then it was freezing cold forever. The girls got snow boots & accessories for Christmas. We were hoping it'd snow again, so they could play outside. 

If finally did & the girls had a blast playing in the snow. They were pros at making snow angels. They tried to make snowballs, but the snow was pure powder. It was gorgeous, but only stuck around for a few days (Which is how we like it. They don't plow here & the road around our neighborhood are a mess).  

You have to taste it, right? They've been warned about yellow snow...

One of my favorite pictures... warming their feet by the fireplace 

What the????

Okay... for anyone who checks regularly to see if I actually posted something, I hope you're comfortable. As they say at Disneyland "You may want to hang on to your hats & glasses!"

I'm still trying to figure out the new editor, so please don't judge me by 1) lack of posts recently and 2) post quality.

I'm on a mission to get caught up this weekend, so be prepared to see TONS of pics & probably way too many words to describe all that's happened since December... has it really been that long??????

I can hardly wait for Spring to REALLY be here! It's been in the low 50's and sunny (for the most part). The daffodils & tulips are even starting to come up - that makes me happy for so many reasons. Mostly it means I didn't screw up when I planted them =)

Christmas Eve

My brother Nick & his wife Renee came over to hang out with us for Christmas Eve. The girls opened their one present & modeled their new Christmas PJs. Reese slept through all of it & woke up at 10:00 just in time to help wrap presents :0)

The girls loved the Santa Tracker online. Mark kept showing the girls he was getting closer & closer.....The PJ pictures make me miss my family & the cousins being all together. Maybe next year.......

Paige is 5

Our sweet little chatty Paige is 5! Holy cow.... time flew. There are so many things I still remember about her being little. The pictures above are just a sweet reminder.... She is so fun & is no longer a "little girl". We are all anxiously awaiting for her to be in kindergarten in the Fall. She loves preschool and has said she wants to marry one of the boys in her class because "he's so handsome". She says it so dreamy... too cute. Guess she's decided not to marry her Dad after all? I asked her about it & she told me she'd have to have two weddings. No worries =). 

Now that Paige is FIVE:

• Paige LOVES to draw, color & write
• Green is no longer her favorite color
• She is an awesome big sister (with the exception to the little sister wanting everything that's hers or she feels is hers)
• Ariel, Jasmine & Belle are her favorite princesses (although the order depends on the day)
• Pasta is her favorite food- white, orange (mac & cheese) or red

Over the summer my Mom had bought Paige the movie Annie. Paige loved it! She would sing the songs all day. So when I heard that the musical would be in town I thought it'd be the perfect birthday date. I took her to see Annie the week before her birthday. The weather was so bad. Cold & snowy.. the roads were a mess. The kind of weather you wouldn't dare go out in unless you promised to take your sweet 5 yr old on a date. Paige loves one on one time. We went to Old McDonalds for lunch & for excitement got eat "inside". I had planned to take her someone a little nicer- perhaps Olive Garden or Chili's. Weather & a nursing baby at home changed those plans. 

We had a lot of fun and Paige loved the singing. I could tell she was getting bored toward the end. In fairness to her, it was a long time of sitting & no talking. She was excited when it was over to get Annie's autograph. We tried taking a picture with Annie, but they weren't allowed. We didn't really have time to wait around either. Paige did get her very own Annie locket. It was so much fun to spend time with just Paige. That is a rare occasion, but I loved it!

For Paige's birthday we started the day off right- we had pink waffles with sprinkles. She thought that was pretty cool. That night we had pizza & she opened presents from us & my parents. She was most excited about a bathroom set for her dollhouse.
The next day we had a real party- friends and all. What 5 year old girl wouldn't want a princess party? We learned the hard way we needed more adult help (hands) and that a two hour party was too long.

We played "kiss the frog" (in lieu of pin the tail on the donkey- you put lips on the frog), pass the poison apple (hot potato) and decorated sugar cookies cut out like crowns & castles. Thankfully Mark & his Mom were there to help. We ended up having to watch a princess video to fill the time before parents showed up. The important thing was that Paige had fun having all her friends here & being the center of attention. We love you Paige and hope you had a Happy Birthday!