Don't Want to Forget

Let's face it...I am not a good blogger or journal keeper. But at least I always know that I can throw something here, even if it is out of order or late and I will be able to look back at something someday. So, two things I want to remember that happened this week:

Lucy: She has been our 'slow to talk' child. Go figure, she can hardly get noise in between the other two, let alone some words. Anyway, she says more everyday but for months she has been saying "Hold you." instead of "hold me." I have always thought it was so cute - I think all my kids have gone through that phase. Anyway, on Sunday she was putting her sandals on. "Self!" she says. After a few minutes, they weren't going on and she said, "Help me." instead of "Help you." It was so cute, but I was sad because that little window in her life has closed. Good she is learning but my little baby isn't so little anymore.

Bella: This one is a funny thing. Bella sings ALL the time. Want to know what she thinks about? Just listen to her made-up songs. Sometimes completely made up, sometimes it is school happenings, other times it is what she has learned in Primary. Anyway, yesterday this was her song (to BINGO):

There was a family,

Had a girl,

And Bella was her name-o

B-E-L-L-A

B-E-L-L-A

B-E-L-L-A

And Bella was her name-o.

I was pretty impressed! Totally works rhythm wise and it was really cute! Then she went on to sing about a bouncy dog (same tune but didn't know how to spell bouncy, so just made up new words!) She is a creative little thing!

Somewhere in Time

I have missed several months in blog land but here are some recaps, including some favorite picture moments, but really in no particular order:

Lucy got her first hair cut by Bella in December. It was a sad, sad day for me. Now, in June she is finally getting enough hair back again that you don't notice it so much.

Then:

Now:

Clark played on his school basketball team. They had a fun season and a great coach. They even won the 'tournament' against other schools here in the city! Way to go!

He also put together this great science project on which pajama fabric is the most flame retardant - in case you want to know so you feel safe he will tell you all about it!

I thought the 2010 Christmas tree would be hard with Lucy (which is was) but honestly, Bella was no better than her with redecorating the ornaments, including decorating herself!

Well, there is more to come, but I better post since I don't know when I will get back to it again!

Preschool Graduation

Today was preschool graduation. I have had the best year doing preschool with 3 other moms here. It was fantastic to get to know them and also have our kids getting ready for school. Two of them will go to Kindergarten this fall and the other two will go next year. I sat on the fence for a while with Bella, but she going to love going to school like Clark in just a few months!

Graduation was here at my house - really low key - but I did want them to have a little cap to wear and I found this great tutorial for a graduation cap at little birdie secrets blog that was super easy and darling! What would I do without other people's blogs!?!

Expressions All About Me (by Bella)

This came from preschool a few months and I found it torn in half on my dresser today. I knew it needed to be preserved...

I dream about: Mommy and Daddy.
I am proud of: Brother 'cause he gives me hugs.
I am interested in: going to parties.
I am afraid of: ghosts.
I don't believe in: cars and trucks.
I am good at: coloring pictures of Mommy and Daddy.
I am poor at: planning to clean.
I have to: be happy.
I feel like: eggs and french toast.
I regularly: am good.
I never: had pigs and feed them.
I can't stand: chickens.
I have difficulty: cleaning my room.
I have a habit of: brushing my teeth.
I no longer: crawl.
What makes you laugh? Tickling
What makes you sad? Getting hurt
What makes you angry? Brother (sometimes)

Skirt & Flower

I have been missing a little bit of creativity the last few months - I just didn't seem to get to any of the fun little projects that I have wanted to do. But I was rather inspired by a darling shirt that I got at the gap outlet for a few dollars the week after Christmas. I wanted to make Bella a cute skirt to go with it. I found some great Heidi Grace fabric (brown) that was darling and went with the shirt and a couple others that went with it. I loved this tutorial on Everyday Chaos but I wanted to step it up a bit and make it even more girly. So I added a few ruffles and this ADORABLE flower from Cluck Cluck Sew...and here is what we got:

I did better making the skirt than taking the pictures. I don't think they quite do it justice. But it was really fun to do and I want to make some more cute projects to do. If you have any suggestions be sure and leave a comment/link for me!

Happy Holidays!

Merry (Belated) Christmas and Happy New Year to all our friends and family!

This post is as close as we are going to get to a Christmas card this year! Since I have been a terrible blogger as of late, here are the 'one line' recaps:

Lucy: Walking, (not talking), page ripping, mess making, smiley 14.5 month old.

Bella: Dancing, singing, stubborn, preschool going 4 year old.

Clark: Sport playing, school acing, scout excelling 10 year old (well, almost 11).

Rachelle: Cooking, cleaning, organizing, Dr. Seuss book reading mom.

Ryan: Working, long commute driving, handyman dad.

I tried and keep it short and sweet so you would actually read it! Now if you want more details...Ryan graduated in April and was able to start his new job in May :) Unfortunately, it took the rest of us a few months to get here but we are finally feeling a little more settled. Good thing that Ryan has lots of house skills as they are often used as we try and get things done on our new home. Too bad he doesn't have more time for them! His commute is really long (1.5-2.5 hours each way, depending on traffic) but we are glad he has a job! The kids run to the door every night when he comes home! (And I am quite happy to see them run there :) He just got called to be the executive secretary at church, so that fills up any extra time.

I am trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to keep things in order around here. It seems like I am always a few days behind! Oh well. Of course, the kids keep me busy, and I am also in charge of organizing the RS meetings at church. It has been a great way to get to know lots of great people here and I am glad to have a little creative outlet!

Clark is doing well in school, started playing the French Horn in the fall and is almost done with his Arrow of Light. He is excited to move into Boy Scouts in February. Bella is in a little dance class that she LOVES and will sing or dance, with or without music! Lucy is a busy body who loves to be held and will say "Ma-Ma" forever until she get picked up. She is finally branching out and will say "Da" too now.

Thanks for all the Christmas greetings and pictures. We really love seeing our dear friends and family from across the country and how each family is growing up. We only wish we lived close to everyone and could see you more often. Have a wonderful New Year and know that we send our love and best wishes to each of you!