Awards

It's is the end of the quarter and so the time for awards assemblies has arrived. I was very impressed with the first graders' behavior at their assembly. Eva got a perfect attendance award and the AR Award for most points in her class. That award came with a T-shirt that she wore the next day. I love my little bookworm!

Sadly, Brendan was sick in his assembly day but a kind friend emailed me his award categories so he would know right away. He got Honor Roll and the Terrific Kid Award for December. He was SO sad to be missing it. 

I'm so grateful for such awesome kids who try hard at school!!

Darby Turns Five!!

Watch out world! This girl is FIVE! She has been asking when it was going to be her birthday for a month now.

I sent treats to preschool and they sang to her. I put her new car seat in, a booster now for the big girl. She got to watch a movie after school and picked the restaurant for her birthday dinner. We met Daddy there at Highway 55, a 50's diner where the kids' meals come in paper cars. Yummy burger and fries and even a frozen custard treat! 

At home she opened her presents and cards. Brendan and Eva read her cards to her. She got a doll from us and pajamas from Grandma Caren.

And we let her stay up late and call both grandmas. She loved it. 

Happy Birthday Darby!!

First Haircut

I have been noticing that Paige's hair has been getting pretty shaggy as her baby hairs grow out. It was all kinds of different lengths. Since her birthday is coming up soon I decided that it was time for her first haircut. Oh my goodness, she was so excited to be a "big girl". (P.S. She dressed herself).

She was the perfect client and enjoyed it. I think she liked making faces in the mirror a little too much. :)

After it was cut I asked her if she liked it. She twirled and said, "Yes, I'm pretty!" The stylist have her a lollipop and Paige gave her a hug. That girl! :)

Dentist

On Monday Brendan had a dentist appointment. Someone working in his mouth is generally difficult for him due to his sensitivities but he coped like a champ. Even the X-rays went fairly smooth. It's a good thing he brushes so well so that the cleaning was fast. I think he hates the fluoride part most but I do too so I understand.

He got a great bill of health (he needs to floss more and keep up with the great brushing skills) but the dentist said his teeth are coming in nicely and he may not need braces. :) Good job Bubbs!

Family History

One of Brendan's scout requirements asked the boys to complete a four generation chart. He brought it home and when I looked at it, I laughed. I realized that he needed some reminders about the family that lives so far away. I pulled up pictures of cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents. We talked about each and named everyone. Then we looked at some genealogy on Family Search. He got very into it. Finding patterns and relationships, as well as noticing details like dates, really appeals to him. He was so excited to share his findings. We have several lines that go back before 1200 and lots of different nationalities in our lineage. I knew he'd love it.

Organizing

For a numbers of reasons, I have been on a decluttering and organizing spree. I recently attacked the game closet and turned it from this

To this

 

I also organized the linen closets and donated three trash bags worth of blankets, sheets and towels. 

Paige was making sure I didn't give her special ones away. 

Jason got into it too and organized his desk, side of the closet and the garage.

It's amazing how having less stuff and an organized house can lift your spirits. I feel like I can breathe easier and the house seems so much bigger. I only have two more places to tackle and the house will be done. 

Errands

There are benefits to being the youngest. One is that you get to go on errands with Mommy alone. On a recent trip to Target, Paige was given (read: bribed with) new princess shoes to be a good listener as Mom had lots to do. She earned it (and I got my shopping done).

On another day I had to deliver the stake Relief Society project results (over 700 cards for hospitalized kids) to one of the RS presidency. As a treat for waiting so patiently in the car for over 30 minutes (long story) I took the girls to McDonalds for lunch. Paige calls it McDaniels.

Paige and Darby felt so special. Bonus: I got this great shot of them. It totally captures their personalities. 

Last week, Jason took the middle two on errands. Later I got this text. So that's what running errands with Dad looks like. :)

Great Wolf Lodge 2014

The kids LOVE GWL so we made a reservation to go there for a short trip on New Years Day. It was all decorated for the holidays. We arrived in time to check in and hit the waterpark. It was the first time that Eva was tall enough to ride the Howlin Tornado and she thought it was AWESOME! Darby was also tall enough now to ride some of the other water slides so she and I went on a a few. She had a blast! We swam for a bit and then got ready for dinner with friends who were there for the weekend too. Their name is Burbank and Jason is in residency with Jarom.

Later that evening, I took Brendan to go bowling, which he had been dying to do. It is a mini lane with small bocce ball-type balls and I was no good at it. Brendan, however, got a few strikes. He was pleased with himself.

Meanwhile the girls went with Daddy to the lobby for storytime. This picture is taken of the lobby from the balcony. As you can see, its pretty popular.

There was trouble going to sleep, as expected, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with. Darby had to be put on the floor for a bit as she kept waking up Paige and eventually, we switched beds. The deepest sleeper shared a bed with the lightest one and that seemed to work.  However, we ended up with Paige in our bed due to a nightmare and neither Jason nor I slept well.

But that didn't stop us from another trip to the water park before we left. Fueled with donuts for breakfast (kind of a vacation tradition), we went to the park before most everyone else. It was nice to have short ride lines for a bit. Paige loved the kid pool but thought that the wave pool was the best. With no sense of danger I had to keep reminding her not to go in the deep end.

We listened to an audio book on the way back (thank you Winns!) and Brendan was very interested in it. It was a history storybook and he wants to hear the rest. It was a fun, short family trip that exhausted everyone and allowed for fun memories.

New Years Eve

We have a tradition of watching a long BBC or A&E miniseries every New Years Eve. This year we watched Pride and Prejudice. Due to its being 5 1/2 hours long, we started before the kids were in bed. The girls were watching (mainly for the clothes) but soon lost interest. I think when boy crushes are a part of their lives, they will appreciate it more. :) Brendan tried to understand it but needed some explaining.

After the kids were in bed, we busted out the finger foods and settled in for 4 more hours of period drama. That show is great every time I watch it.

At midnight we drank our Martinelli's outside where we could watch five different fireworks shows from our front porch. Our neighborhood is awesome! I wish I had taken some pictures but lets just say it was akin to what happens in Birch Creek neighborhood for 4th of July. I will be sad to move this summer.

Happy New Year! 2015 looks to be an interesting one.