Birthdays, Baptism, and Chalkboards

My sweet girls.

A lot of things going on.  This Saturday Haley is being baptized...we're all super excited!  My grandparents will be here for it, and also my brother Andrew and his girlfriend are making the trek out to be here as well!  So we'll be having some good quality family time this weekend!  

I have tackled another project: a chalkboard wall in the kitchen.  I'm totally copying Clover Lane...hopefully mine looks just as good!  And I'm desperately trying to have it done by Saturday. Pictures to come.

And of course Haley's birthday is Thursday!  My little 8 year old!

Birthday Party for the Girls

It's always hard having Haley and Morgan's birthday a week apart.  I never know how to celebrate.  One time we had a combined birthday party with a bunch of kids, but somehow most of them didn't get the memo that it was Morgan's party too and only Haley received gifts...that was a birthday fail!  

Another time I did two separate kid birthday parties a week apart for each of them.  That worked out well, except for the fact that it gets expensive buying different decorations for each party, different cake, etc, etc.  Plus, it's just plain exhausting for me.  

Then another time we had a combined kid birthday party, each of them inviting their own friends complete with different invitations (so there was no confusion about gift giving).  This would work, except that each girl didn't have the same number of friends that could come to the party.  One girl has 6 friends that were able to come and the other had maybe 4...then we have another problem with the gifts...one kid has more than the other.  I know, I know...life isn't fair and they need to learn this...blah, blah, blah.  But, I don't want to hear the complaining and yes, I try to make things as even as possible because why should I add chaos to my already chaotic life.  Believe me, they have plenty of other opportunities to learn that life isn't fair every other day of their lives!

So, this year...I wanted to keep things simple since we're having a big whoop-de-do for Haley's baptism next week and I just don't have the energy to have two big-whoop-de-do's for birthdays as well.  We decided to have a birthday outing to Build-a-Bear and they each got to bring a friend.  We loaded up the Burban with six little girls (thank heavens my mom came with me) and off we went!  The girls had a ball, and then we came back to the house for some lunch with cake and ice cream.  Perfect.

Plum Jam

I feel like this week as just flown by!  Since getting back from Sedona on Sunday I still haven't caught up...in fact, Piper's duffel bag from the trip is STILL sitting at the top of the staircase needing to be unpacked!  One of these days I'll get to it.

But, I DID finally start on making jam this week!  Plum jam in fact.  I'm up to my eyeballs in peaches and plums around here so I have to get crackin' on it.

Today we're having a birthday party for Morgan and Haley...it will be a busy day!  Pictures to come.

Pioneer Day

July 24th was Pioneer Day in Utah!  My parents, the kids and I went to a local park to celebrate.  They had a band playing (they were very good too!), booths with tons of activities for kids, pioneer village, and the pioneer museum.  

My little music lover watching the band.

Thank goodness my parents were with me!  There is no way I could have kept track of those kids by myself...I would have lost them for sure!  

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to our sweet Morgie Porgie!

Today you are 6!!

Oh, how we love you!

Sedona Part II

One of our favorite places to visit while in Sedona is an outside mall type place called Tlaquepaque or Wacky Packy as we like to call it.  They have a beautiful grassy area next to the river where the girls love to feed the ducks, play on the playground and look at all the javalina sculptures.  

The girls also did tons and tons of swimming in the pool. 

Rory watched.

Haley found a toad in the garden!

I would like to say that the kids did super on the drive home.  I think they were all tuckered out...which made it quite nice for Ryan and I.

Sedona Part I

So, road trippin' with kids.  Never a dull moment.  We left Wednesday morning by 9:00...not too bad with four little kids, but it definitely made for a very long day in the car!  What should have been about 7 or 8 hours turned into more like 10 hours with all of Piper's pee stops in the middle of no where!  And my nursing Rory every few hours did help either.

But yeah...kids in cars...never a dull moment.  

Remember this commercial?

The Allstate Mayhem guy showing what it's like to drive with a toddler in the car.

That is EXACTLY what it's like to drive with Piper when she's hit her limit.  Enough said.

  

Pee stop #1 out of like 25.

Ah, the joys of road trips with a newly potty trained kid.

I'm sure Ryan will be glad I posted this picture.

But we did make it to Sedona and we had a grand time!

First stop: Slide Rock.

 The girls had a ball!

Ryan took Haley and Morgan down some of the rock slides and Piper stuck to the shallow areas.

And as for Rory, we made a little canopy for her to nap in the shade.

Stay tuned...Sedona Part II tomorrow.  Oh, and how do you like the pictures?  I'm a proud owner of a new fancy shmancy camera!  Now, I just have to learn how to use it!

Piper Update

Well, in case you are wondering...it was a nickel.

And there it is...Piper is showing it off.

Yep, that's the nickel that was in her throat...and believe me, I'm keeping that puppy too!

 It was an absolutely awful morning while I waited to hear when she was going to be able to get that thing out of her.  Apparently, after getting the run around, Ryan decided that enough was enough and pulled out his inner crazy in front of the nurses and doctor...Piper was in the OR within the hour (15 hours after it got stuck).  Hallelujah!  My sweet little girl took it like a champ, even with all the pricks they had to give her!  I think everyone fell in love with her...even if she has a dad that went a little nuts.

Now, we're off to Sedona in the morning!

Free Spirits and Mommy Rage

Yesterday it rained...HARD.

It didn't last too long, but believe me, Haley and Morgan enjoyed every minute of it!

 My little free spirits.

Also yesterday I did about 76 loads of laundry (okay maybe not that much, but that's what it felt like) and I got to sneak out before the rain hit to get a pedicure with my mom and good friend, Jen.  That felt good!

Now...my wrath.


All was well until about 7:30 in the evening.  The girls were watching a movie, and while laying on her back, Piper started choking on something that she had in her mouth.  Ryan and I raced to her...I started pounding on her back, but it would not come out!  I cannot even tell you how scared I was...she was making the most horrid sounds, but luckily she WAS starting to breath.  Crying in fact.  So what ever it was she got it down...but she was in pain.  Ryan whisked her to ER because we thought it may be a AAA battery.  But after X-Rays we found out that she swallowed a coin, but it was stuck in her throat.  They decided not to treat her there and sent her to Primary Children's in Salt Lake!  One thing led to another, and they decided to not treat her until the morning!!!  Ryan has been with her which is good, but I'm absolutely livid!!!  How can they make a little two year old wait that long to get a coin out!!!

And now this morning they say they may get to it by 8:30, but it most likely they'll do this afternoon around 4:30 or 5:00!!!!  Are you kidding me?!!  They say the doctor may get to before his clinics or he'll have to do it after.  What?!!  Primary's is a Level 1 trauma center specializing in children!!!  Are you telling me there is only one doctor in that place that can do it?!  AND, that doctor knew she was there...she had been there since 11:30 the night before!  So that doctor should have been there first thing in the morning to get it done!!!  Hell, get the ER doctor to do it...or even resident!  What happened to caring for patients...treating them like a person and not a freaking number?!  They've just pumped her full of morphine and hooked her up to an IV and basically forgot about her!  I'm about ready to drive up there and raise some hell in that hospital!  The thought of my little baby laying there with a coin in her throat for that long is sending me into such rage!

So now I wait....not at all patiently either.  It's already after 8:30 and I haven't heard a thing from Ryan yet.  This mama bear is losing it...they better take care of my baby girl!

Weekend Review

My parents are here!!  

They arrived Friday evening and surprised us all!  

So we are all very excited to have them right down the street again!

Saturday I painted up a storm...I finished up the foyer closet doors and another wall in the kitchen.  My goal is to try to paint something every day.  Which is easier said then done!  I haven't decided on a front door color yet...but I appreciate the feedback!  I'll put the front door on the back burner for a while and try to concentrate on the main floor walls for now.  I still have the rest of the kitchen, dining room and living room to do.  Plus, all the trim and doors in those rooms.  I've got my work cut out for me!

Sunday morning my dad and I got out for a little ride up the canyon.  It was a on the cool side with all the rain we've been getting...but still beautiful!  And it's so nice to have my dad to ride with again!

We churched it up in the afternoon and then walked to my parents' house for a BBQ.  

Now we only have two days and then we're off to Sedona to visit with the girls' other grandparents!  Lots to do before then...better get busy!

Another project?

I've been slowly, but surely making my way through the house slapping up new fresh paint on our walls.  So far I've painted the family room and foyer/hall...both are a slightly different shade of yellow.  I love it!  I've also done quite a bit of trim a bright, crisp white.  I've also finished painting the inside of the front door the same bright white and you would not believe how cheery my foyer looks now!  I don't want to share any pictures until I get a decent camera (which hopefully will be soon!).  

But now that I've painted one side of my front door, the other side looks AWFUL!  It's all chipped and beat up...and it's sad to think that it's the first thing someone sees when they come to my house.  

Sooooo, I'm debating painting my front door (which is currently white) a fun color!  Something other than the regular red.  My instincts naturally want to just paint it white, or black because the shutters are black.  But I want to get out of my comfort zone and go bold!  

Here's a few that I found on Pinterest that I love!

So, what do you think?  

Here's the front of my house (it's the only picture I could find of my door).  

Color?  Or no color?

Weekend Review

First of all, I have to report that we had lots of rain last week!  Real good downpours with a little bit of lightning and thunder!  Thursday night we had family movie (Mirror, Mirror) and when it ended all the kids had to run outside to play in the rain.  This picture was taken around 8:30 or so...I love how it stays light for so long in the summer.

 Saturday morning we cleaned house and packed for our traditional weekend in Idaho Falls for the Allan Butler Memorial Crit.  I tell ya, the more kids we have the harder it is to get everyone out of the house to go somewhere!  I was on a short fuse all morning!  Haley and Morgan were in charge of packing their own things.  However, when Haley came downstairs with a her overflowing duffel (jammed with a robe, slippers, pillow pet, shower supplies, stuffed animals, and other unnecessary things) along with another bag full of toys (barbies, cards?, a ball? etc.) for the drive, yeah...that wasn't cool.  We had to help her rethink her packing! By the time we got in the car I was so exhausted I felt like throwing in the towel for the whole weekend!

But I didn't.  Onward and upward!  It was a four hour drive, and goodness, I thought we would never make it!  Yeah, I knew it was going to be a long one when Morgan asks, "Are we there yet?" and we weren't even to the freeway yet!  And this one...my little Piper.  She's sporting a mashed up Nutri-Grain bar all over her in case you were wondering.

 Up to this trip Piper has averaged about one pee accident a day.  So, I was a little nervous for the drive.  And it was extra challenging when everything she says sounds like "pee".

Piper: "Pee!"
Me:  "What?  You have to pee?!!"
Piper: "No, Me!!"
Me:  "Oh, okay."

Piper:  "Pee!"
Me:  "What?  You have to pee?!!"
Piper:  "No, Bee!"
Me:  "Oh, okay."

Piper:  "Pee Pee!"
Me:  "What?! You have to pee?!!"
Piper:  "No, Hee hee!!"  (that means horse)
Me:  "Oh, a horse...yeah."

And then there were all those times she really did say "pee" forcing us off the freeway just for her sit on a potty, do NOTHING, and then say "all done".  Ah, kids...so fun.

But, with all my complaining...I am happy to report that she did NOT have one single accident all weekend!

The race was a lot of fun and the girls cheered like champs!  This is Ryan and our good friend Jared, sporting an old kit from back in the day.

The race didn't start until about 8:30 in the evening, so it became another late night for everyone.  Haley, Morgan and Piper slept like champs in the hotel...Rory on the other hand did not!  It was an awful night!!  Let's just leave it at that!  I feel sorry for our poor neighbors who probably heard her wailing all night long.  

In the morning, we did our annual walk on the river path to the falls.  The girls swam in the pool and then it was back in the car for home.    

A quick trip, but a good one.  This morning Ryan hopped in the car again, this time Colorado bound.  We'll have to hang in there this week without him.

Independence Day

Freedom Days in Downtown Provo.

Sporting our new hairstyles from the hair dressing booth.  

(Check out my man arm...I was NOT flexing, I promise)

Oh, and the backwards flag on Haley's face was bugging me all evening...those teens running the face painting booth better relearn how to draw a proper flag!  But she sure does look pretty, backwards flag and all!

Haley at a neighbors house on 4th of July.

We had a really nice Independence Day!  We got together with our friends Jen and Steve and their girls for a  BBQ at our house.  We even made homemade fries to go with our burgers!  Then it was off to their house for a really yummy dessert and some trampoline fun.  The girls loved when Ryan would bounce them super high!  And watching Ryan, a nearly 6'4" man, jumping on a trampoline just made me smile!  After dessert we headed out again and walked to a nearby field to watch the firework show from the Stadium.  What a perfect view we had!  The downfall...Piper hates fireworks.  She completely freaked out!  So much in fact that Ryan had to walk her home.  So that was a bust.  But the other girls loved it!  Even Rory would take a break from nursing to see some of the action.  Then we all walked home and crashed into our beds.

Today, I'm writing this post with the windows open listening to the pitter patter and the smell of rain wafting into the house.  Oh, I cannot begin to tell you how much we needed this rain!  

Perfect weather for a recovery day.  And after our late night I'll be dragging for sure!

Weekend Review and Happy 4th

Our new favorite thing is to hit up Sundance Sunday evenings after church and an early dinner.  We love it there!  There's plenty of space for the kids to just run their little hearts out...and a perfect bench for Ryan and I to watch them from.  Lovely.  Sundance is like our home away from home...all four seasons of the year!

Also on Sunday, I got out in the morning for a little cruise up Provo Canyon...just me and my thoughts.  Perfect.

Saturday (yeah, I'm going backwards) I was on my own as Ryan had to work in St. George that day.  The girls I walked to the grocery in the morning and then hit up the splash fountains at the outside mall in the afternoon.  We were able to meet up with Ryan for dinner and ended the day with ice cream cones in the backyard.

This week will be a busy one with the holiday and all.  Today I'm taking the girls to see Brave with a bunch of friends (I know there is a scary scene with some bears and I'm prepping the girls before it so they don't completely freak out) Wish us luck on that one!  Hopefully, I don't traumatize them.  Also this week, Freedom Days Festival, Balloon Fest, Colonial Days, Flag Raising Ceremony (complete with doughnuts), cookout with friends, and Fireworks.

Happy 4th ya'll!