4.5

Can you believe I am already almost 4 and 1/2 months old? The time has gone fast--or at least that is what I hear my mom saying. She also says that I am a pretty good baby. She only started saying that once I got some good sleeping patterns down. I usually wake up around 6:30 or 7:30 and eat, then I get to sit in my bouncy chair and watch Baby Einsteins while whoever feeds me goes back to sleep for a little bit. Once every couple of weeks, I like to wake up at 3:30 and see who gets up to feed me. I usually hear a little muttering and then talking back and forth, then I see my dad ready to feed me. I get to see my mom sometimes, too, when I wake up that early. I can tell she isn't thrilled that I am up, so I don't try that trick too often.

I really love my sisters. I am glad my mom watches Ellie closely when she is around me. She is nice and likes to try to put my pacifier in or clean my face with me burp cloth. Sometimes she can be a little rough, but I don't think she means to. Libby loves to spend time with me. She holds my hand all the time. She also loves to sing with me or just sit by me. Eliza feeds me sometimes, but usually she is too busy coloring or setting the table all cute. She is good at that.





OK--this is long enough for me. I am getting tired. Good bye.

Friday-Sunday

Friday:
We spent part of the day cleaning--I like going into the weekend with a clean house. That night Brian and I went on our date. We checked Old Navy and got some school clothes for Eliza, then we had to get a couple items at Costco. Dinner was at Elephant Bar, then we walked around at Cibola Vista just to relax a little and so I could get some good spots to do some photo shoots there.

Saturday:
We did some things around the house. Eliza and I went to Kohls. They had a ton of clearance...I picked up some shirts for my girls for like $2.50. I got some capris for $6.50. Fun! Then we went to Wal-Mart for some groceries and for stuff for girls camp.

That afternoon we all went over to the resort to swim. They were having hotdogs, chips and lemonade, so we picked up an early dinner. We had a lot of fun there.

Sunday:
Today started early for me at my meeting before church. Brian is so good about getting all our girls ready and bringing them to church. He is amazing. Church went well. We didn't have to go out with anyone, so that is always a good day! I taught in young womens. The lesson was about sustaining missionaries through letters. I thought that was perfect for me to give since I did that for two years (or so I hope!) while Brian was in Venezuela.

This afternoon we went to my parents' house for dinner. Actually though, we had breakfast for dinner. That is always a fun change. The kids had a great time playing and got along great. Ellie has just been so cute lately. ...Saying thank you after everything or "yah" when she wants to do something. She is just a joy--as are the other three. Hattie was laughing this afternoon when my sister-in-law was holding her. ...that cute baby belly laugh. I love it. Of course, when I brought out the camera, she stopped! Libby is such a sweetcake. She can be stubborn, but if you just give her some time, she'll conform and share a toy or whatever it might be. She has a funny sense of humor, too, that we get a kick out of. Eliza is so caring and sensitive. She definitely has her difficult times and does things that make me want to pull my hair out, but Brian and I spent all of dinner talking about her and ideas of what we can do. The past two days have been a big improvement. She is also so creative and loves to do art. She is also surprising me with her desire to read and how well she is doing sounding out words.

Eliza did say a funny tonight. Her lesson in church was about missionary work and she had put her scriptures in her little purse and her teacher had given her a little sticker that looked like a missionary tag. She put that on the outside of her purse. Well, tonight she said, "Can we go to Jesus.com?" I was thinking--is that even a website, how did she hear about it, etc.... I said, "What's that? What is on that?" She said, "I just want to learn more about Jesus." Ha! I guess she thinks/knows you can get information off the Internet so I guess Jesus.com would have info about Him. It was a good laugh. I guess you had to be there.

Happy week!

Happy 4th!

Yesterday morning started with us going to our Bishop's house for the annual 4th of July breakfast. The girls looked cute in their little 4th of July Disney shirts I picked up last year. The highlight of the morning (for Eliza at least) was riding on a fire truck. Someone in our ward had one there to entertain the kids. I took Ellie on it, too, and she wasn't so sure about it. She didn't cry, but she was glad to get off. Brian and I decided that we'd take advantage of him being home so I could get some work done on the book I'm doing. (They decided to have it printed in China, so they moved all the deadlines up.) So to allow me to get something done, Brian took Eliza, Libby and Ellie on a little outing. They went the back way up to Prescott and had a little picnic lunch under a big oak tree and had some ice cream from one of the little stores right there on main street.

While they were gone I actually got a lot done! I had to take a little break to take a birthday gift to one of my young women and to go to Target. I got the ingredients to make these to take to Brian's parents' tonight.

For our 4th festivities, we went to Brian's parents' house and had pizza. Then we swam. We even got Hattie in. She seemed to really like it. Ellie love it too. She is just so crazy in the water. It's so funny to watch her. After swimming, we had some sweets and watched the fireworks in their backyard. They have a good view of the ones at Peoria Sports Complex. Ellie watched for a little bit and wasn't to sure about them. I even got Libby out there for a little bit, too. Miraculous! It was a great show with a great finale. When everyone was in bed, we watched "A Capitol Fourth" on channel eight.

Rewind to this past week...let's see...on Tuesday I went on a photo shoot with Natalie again. I love watching her in action and learning more and more. Gosh. I am really bad or just really tired because I can't remember anything excited we've been up to. ...a little swimming here and there. Pedicures. Eliza gave me a "pedicure" on Monday. She even drew painted a flower on my toe. After that, Eliza and Libby had fun painting on some paper plates with acrylic paint. Eliza came up with some fun designs. She is so creative and imaginative.

This morning was art class--we got a late start but we made it to their class--only a few minutes late. Hattie had her 4 month well-check this morning, too. It was a bit crazy taking them all. Ellie was a handful! She kept trying to escape from the room and was just a little rambunctious. But Hattie is doing great. She is 25" and 14.5 lbs. She is filling out and growing so fast!

Now here are some fun pictures from the past week or so:


Poor Ellie...she is our rough and tumble girl. Here is her lip wound from Water World. She is all healed now.


Vacuum #35. Ha! We will try yet another one. After this we are going to an Oreck! I like this one so far though. (That's what I said about the last one!)


Poor Hattie. Libby was playing with her.


Ellie sleeping on their adventure to Prescott.

Salt Scrubs

Here is the recipe for the salt scrubs.

1/2 cup sea salt
1/4 cup canola oil
4-5 drops essential oil (Bath and Body has some great ones!)

Place all ingredients in a glass jar and stir. Tie ribbon on lid! You could even make a cute label and put it on with the ribbon.

Here We Go...

Lots to write:
Wednesday at mutual we had a fun "spa" night. We made the best salt scrub and they were so easy! It's simply canola oil, sea salt and a few drops of essential oils. It makes your skin so soft! We put them in THE cutest canning jars (just from Wal-Mart) and with a ribbon tied on the lid, it's the perfect gift!

Yesterday Brian took Eliza and Libby and went with my brother Brian and his daughter up to his parents' cabin in Munds Park. They are having a little daddy-daughter outing. They will come home tomorrow and I hear they are having a great time!

So Ellie, Hattie and I have been hanging out. I think Ellie is liking all the attention. I am surely enjoying it, too. Today she and I went to Water World. Ellie had a fun time splashing in the water, going on the kiddie slides, going in the lazy river and jumping over the waves in the wave pool. She did have a little fall and now looks like she just has a lip enhancement. Poor girl! I put her towel around her and put her down while I got my towel on. Well, she started to run and didn't have any arms for balance and kerplunk...right on the ground. It was a good one...ouch! But we had a great time. This evening we attempted the mall. I put Hattie's car seat in the stroller and just held Ellie. We ate dinner at Paradise Bakery and Ellie did great sitting in a chair and eating. Then we went to the one store I set out to go to and just like last time we went to Bath and Body, Hattie started crying. So we were in and out and came home. Maybe one day I'll be able to look around there!!

OK--now that both are in bed, I must get writing and get to work!! I have lots to do.

Lots Going On

Saturday:
--Primary activity day at the pool. I took Eliza and Libby and had a fun time.
--Went to the adult meeting of Stake Conference. Loved being able to actually sit and listen to it all.

Sunday:
--Went to Stake Conference at 1. It's always a bit crazy trying to keep the girls happy and entertained for 2 hours. Ellie didn't make it but maybe 20 minutes.
--Ate dinner at Brian's parents' house.

Monday:
--Libby got a haircut--just a trim. She didn't want to and at one point, she was sitting in the chair just quietly crying. Poor girl! But she was brave and did well. I got my eyebrows waxed and Eliza got her hair washed in her fancy bowl/sink.
--Brian and I went to the D-Backs game with Eliza and Libby. They had a fun time even though they lost.

Tuesday:
--Went visiting teaching and since I already had gotten a babysitter, I just did a few errands while I was out. I found a piece of furniture that I like for the playroom. Maybe we can go back before it is sold. It was at Razmataz.
--Went to my friend Kari's baby shower. I did some more burp cloths for her. I love making them! I should have snapped a picture before I wrapped them up. The shower was fun. We ended up staying until about 11.

Better get to bed...it's late.

Updates

--last day of swimming lessons. It was Libby's best day by far. She didn't whine or complain about how far Emily was in the water. In fact, she jumped off the diving board two times and swam the length of the pool. She didn't even think twice about it. They also got to go down the slide a couple times at the end.
--today was house cleaning day. We (Eliza and Libby helped) got to everything except some of the bathroom stuff and mopping. Ugh!
--went swimming this morning at a friend's house and had lunch. My girls had fun--so did I. And Hattie was content in her carseat inside the whole time. Good girl.
--Date night: had Cafe Rumba again for dinner. I tried the BBQ pizza and loved it. Very good and it had a bit of a kick to it. Also went to the auction again. These date nights are getting a little pricey!

No Crying at Swimming

Ellie had a great swimming lesson today. When I took her to swimming, I went in the pool area with her and put her on the first step of the pool. She just splashed and jumped and had a great time! In fact, she didn't even cry at all! She kicked a little, blew bubbles great and even jumped in when it was her turn. I think she actually enjoyed her lesson. Eliza did well today and even started learning how to dive in. Libby had another hard lesson. She isn't wanting to use her arms. And when she does, it's mostly only one arm. And she gets nervous when her teacher stands too far out in the water. Needless to say, she was worked hard today. Poor girl.

We bought a Bumbo for Hattie. We have a bouncy chair which she loves, but we thought we'd try this that sits her upright more. She likes it pretty well and it's nice to have another place for her when I can't hold her during the day.



Tonight was mutual and we had a great time. I thought it went well. I talked for a minute about using girls camp to pass off some personal progress goals. Then one of my laurels did a great job giving the other girls ideas for secret pal gifts at camp. And she also gave some suggestions for how to make the most out of camp. It was perfect! The remainder of the night, two of my laurels helped teach the rest of the girls the fun camp songs they'll be singing at camp. It was fun to learn them and I think the girls enjoyed it and will feel more prepared at camp than just hearing them there for the first time. For refreshments I had made a smores snack mix...just threw some golden graham cereal, mini marshmallows and broken up Hershey's chocolate bar in a bowl. It was a yummy treat. And we finished it up with some Capri-Sun type juices.

I can't believe it's already Thursday tomorrow! Tomorrow is art class in the morning and swim in the afternoon.

Libby had a little fun with Hattie and her swim goggles! Good thing Hattie is so patient!

Swimming Lessons Continued

Today it was back to the grind. Brian was back to work and we were back to our regularly scheduled summer. I think Ellie is glad to be back in her own bed! She slept great last night, had a long nap this morning and another nap after swimming lessons.

We have swimming lessons again this week. They had hard lessons today! Emily made them work. Eliza is working on her breathing so she breathes out in the water and only has to come up to inhale. And Libby needs to work on her "Barbie" arms. She told Libby that she would not move if Libby did big arms. But if she was dog-paddling, Emily would keep moving back. Well, once she did great, but once she didn't hardly do any arms so Emily kept moving back. But, Libby swam the entire length of the pool taking only one breath and kicking her feet ferociously! I was so impressed. Now if she can get the arms down, it'll be easy for her to do that since she obviously can do it! And Ellie did better. She still cried while Emily was working with her, but she sat on the step a couple of times when it wasn't her turn instead of getting out and sitting on a chair.

Tonight was Family Home Evening and for our game we played charades. We hadn't played in a while and we had a fun time acting out some different things than normal--Sportacus (from LazyTown), a sample giver-outer at Costco, a ladybug, mom running on the treadmill, a Weeble, etc. Speaking of me running. I took all my gear to go at the hotel, but after we got everyone sleeping at night, it was just too late! Ugh. Now I am going to have to get back into it. ...not looking forward to that.

Summer Regional

I thought I'd share some vignettes from our weekend at the Westin Kierland. So grab a refreshing drink and a snack and read on.

Let's start with Thursday. Thursday morning I took the girls to art class and they did some fun things for Father’s Day…they made foam frames, painted with balloons, made faces with construction paper and made these darling jumbo ties for Brian for Father’s Day. While I took them, Brian and Ellie went to the auction warehouse and picked up our bed. I still love it! When we all got home, we finished getting ready, then we left for the hotel. We got all settled in our room, then it was time for the fun to begin. We first had our picture taken. Then we dropped the girls off at the kids’ activities. Ellie and Hattie went to the same place and Eliza and Libby went together. Eliza and Libby were doing “fiesta” activities…piñata, water balloons, crafts, etc. They had a lot of fun. Hattie ate and slept and they loved her! And they said Ellie just ate and ate and ate. So funny. They said she was great, too. While they were entertained there, Brian and I had the welcome meeting for the summer regional. It was a “Blast to the Past” theme. Brian and I were in charge of the slide show to introduce everyone. We have been collecting high school photos of all the FAs (financial advisors) and we (I) compiled them into a slide show. It was a lot of work and took a lot of time, but it turned out good and everyone enjoyed it. Two couples did a “Spartan” cheer type thing, which was hilarious!


As a welcome gift, everyone got a cute gift box with IBC root beers in it. After that was over, we picked up the girls and went to dinner. It was Mexican food—yum. They also did an interactive Family Feud game. There was also a mini “carnival” with little games for the kids to play—parachute, relays, etc. Then it was time for the most interesting part of the day--—bed time…all of us in one room! When we got here I was like, “Let’s find out how much it is for another room.” We found out and it would be $450 for three nights. Well, we decided to just bear it. We brought a sheet and some tacks that we thought we could make a little sectioned off place for Ellie. Brian tried a couple times to put Ellie down, but she just cried and was really scared. She cried a lot which is totally unlike her. We ended up taking her to Brian’s parents’ house for a mini sleepover. She was able to stay there every night. My parents took her for a bit on Friday afternoon, then they brought her to us on Saturday and she played with us all Saturday.

Friday:
Brian had meetings in the morning, so I took the girls to breakfast, then I had a spouses' meeting to go to. While I was there, Eliza, Libby and Hattie went to kids' club and babysitting. This time, their theme was "luau". In the spouses meeting, each spouse of an FA, got a cute notebook that could be used as a travel journal. It was one of those cute journals from Target that the regional leader's wife had covered with paper and embellished, adding ribbon at the top. They were so cute. She also had Haley Volk who took the family pictures on Thursday talk a little bit about taking better photos and how to stand in a photo. Then we watched the video called "Johnny the Bagger." It is so inspirational. On the last night, those who helped out with something at the summer regional meetings were give the book The Simple Truths of Service. I love it. I am trying to think how I can apply it in my life and Brian is thinking how he can apply it to his work. I think it will make a difference. They also played a video called 212 degrees. I love that entire concept and it can be applied to anything--life, work, family, church, etc. Just that extra little bit--that extra degree can make a huge difference. We are going to have a small 212 degree sign made out of vinyl lettering and we are going to put it up at Brian's office for that constant reminder.

After the meetings that day, we went to the pool. Brian and I took turns with Hattie and with Eliza and Libby in the water. They had fun in the pool, going down the slide and in the lazy river. The lazy river was definitley my favorite part.






Friday night was our 70's themed dinner. We dressed in our 70's clothes and rocked to 70's music as we ate dinner. After dinner, the kids got to paint their own pet rocks--in honor of the 70s--and the adults played a trivia game and did karaoke.





On Saturday morning, Brian had meetings again until noon. He was lucky--everyone in the region who referred someone who was hired didn't have to dress in business casual--they got to come in casual/pool attire. They also got to sit in pool lounge chairs, sip virgin strawberry daquiaris, have some treats, got a beach towel, etc. That was great for him! During his meetings, my parents brought Ellie and met me at Kierland COmmons. The girls played in the water area for a little bit and we did a little bit of shopping.



Unfortunatley the girls didn't last long, so we headed back around 11. Brian was done at noon. After he got back to the room, we joined three other families at Carlos O' Brian's for lunch. Then Brian took Ellie, Libby and Eliza to the pools and I took Hattie with me back to Kierland to do some more shopping. We only had an hour, but I bought some really cute serving platters and things at Crate & Barrel. They had a few good sales, so I took advantage.

After we all got back to the room, Brian took Ellie back to his parents' for the night and I got ready for our final dinner and awards night. We took the girls back down to their pizza party and fun at the kids' club and Hattie got to go to babysitter where she slept most of the time. The theme of the dinner (to go along with Blast to the Past) was Casablanca: A Magical Night in Black and White.



We had a very nice, delicious dinner--salad, rolls, steak, salmon, rice, carrots, asparagus and choclate cake (which also was our table centerpiece). Throughout the night, they gave out several awards, some funny--just for fun--and the rest serious to recognize the work the FAs are doing. There are two FAs who do some funny awards each year and basically "make fun" of some people. So when they say your name, it's like, "Yikes...what are they going to say about you?" They did mention Brian and they said, "Brian Trimble...it's time to grow some wiskers, man." :) I guess they all think he still looks young. That wasn't bad compared to some other funny things they said about others! Brian also got a couple of other serious awards that I am proud of him for! One was a production award--given to FAs who reach a certain level of production and how much gross commition they generate in a year. Way to go, babe! Also, Edward Jones conducted their first customor satisfaction survey that measured customer service for each office and how well they are doing, if the clients trust their FA, and a whole series of other questions. Anyway..out of the entire Grand Canyon region, Brian ranked fourth in the Customer Service Excellence survey. That is huge and awesome! After dinner, we picked up the girls. They had made shirts--basically drew a picture and had their friends sign it. She said she made it for Brian and insisted that he try it on. The problem is that is was probably a kids size XL. Brian tried it on and it was skin tight! She was sad he didn't want (couldn't) wear it. She was so thoughtful!

This morning we ate breakfast at Nellie Cashman's at the hotel, then came home, picking up Ellie on our way. It is good to be home and I think everyone was glad to get into their own bed tonight. But it was a great weekend. I am so glad we decided to go with Edward Jones for Brian's career. It is a great company to work for and Brian really enjoys what he does. They also take great care of us and the families for the FAs. If you are intersted in working for such a great place, let Brian know--he'd love to talk to you about it and would even take you out to dinner to talk about it over the meal! Or if you just want a great person to help you meet your financial goals, give him a call, too. Nothing like a little advertising for him!

Today for dinner we went to my brother's house for Father's Day dinner. We had Mexican food and my assignment was dessert. I made a double chocolate dip and a chocolate trifle. The chocolate dip is on the new platter and bowl I got at Crate & Barrel. It was really sweet and rich and I think I would have liked it better with regular graham cracker sticks or just by itself.





Finally, Happy Father's Day!!! We got Brian a pair of Keen shoes that he's had his eyes on lately for all of his outdoor adventures. He is such a great dad. He loves to play with our girls and is willing to take them on fun outings. Many times he watches all four without any complaints while I do work, do things for my young women's calling or just have some "me time." Love you, Brian!

Man--if you're still reading this, you deserve a prize!

This and That

Swimming lessons are going pretty well. Eliza is a little fish. She started learning the backstroke today. Libby is doing great. She was nervous yesterday; she thought Miss Emily was too far out for her to swim too. But she did well today. Ellie isn't crying as much and she's even kicking a little and blowing bubbles.

Yesterday Eliza wanted to make a special dinner for Brian for Father's Day. We didn't make anything too fancy, but she set up the table and even made him a menu. She is going to be my little hostess.


Today I decided to take some photos of places that had Libby's touch on them. She is my little helper and will often just clean or tidy things up. Yesterday she cleaned my room and bathroom and today without me knowing, she took on the playroom. Here is what she did all by herself.


And as I was vacuuming their room, here is what I found next to her bed.
I think she is going to be my tidy child. Cute!

Today was cleaning day. I must be a little OCD, but before I leave on a trip, I have to make sure the house is clean. I have a much better time knowing I am coming home to a clean house. So that was today--bathrooms, floors and kitchen. Ahh! We can leave now!

Swimming

Today was the first day of swimming lessons. Eliza and Libby were so excited all day and couldn't wait. They asked me every hour--is it time to go to swimming??? Their lessons aren't until 2:30, so it made for a long day waiting! Eliza and Libby were in class together and they did well. She already had Eliza jump off the diving board and swim the length of the pool. And Libby was swimming a lot, too, doing better putting her face in the water. Ellie's lesson was at 3 and she didn't like it!! She cried and let everyone know she didn't like it! But the teacher still made her do everything. I think it'll take a few days and she'll get used to it. I hope so. It kills me to hear her cry!

Here is a funny story of the day. This evening we had to go to Costco for diapers and wipes, then we headed over to Savers. One of the dinners at our Edward Jones getaway is a 70s theme and we are supposed to dress up, so we went there in search of 70s clothes. Brian found a great shirt and some hideous brownish pants and I found a shirt/top thing with a groovy print. So, I went in the dressing room to try on the top and discovered that I had been wearing my shirt inside out all afternoon! Nice. You couldn't tell too too much except for the tag on the side and the buttons at the top. Nice. What a nerd. I wonder who noticed and thought, "I wonder if she knows..." I even saw someone I knew at Costco. Oops! Oh well. Hope tomorrow is not so "backwards!"

High School Musical

Today was the day we went to see High School Musical at the Herberger. It was put on by Valley Youth Theater. Brian and I took Eliza. It was very well done and fun to watch. Eliza was really tired during the first act, so during intermission we got her a cookie and took her outside to wake her up a bit. She did great the second act and really enjoyed it. One time I looked over and she was singing right along with the actors. The young (and older) actors did a fantastic job singing and acting--they are very talented. The Herberger is a nice venue. It's smaller than I pictured but very intimate and nice. We were in the second row, so we were right up there with the action. But I don't think there would be a bad seat in the house.

I just got back from the gym--now I need to shower up and get ready for an early morning! Bye.

We snapped the first picture before the camera police at the Herberger yelled at everyone to put their cameras away!

Road Trip

It seems like Brian and I have been all over the valley today! Well, we kind of have. Tonight for our date we got Sarah at 3:45 because we wanted to go out to Potato Barn in Higley to look for a furniture piece for the playroom. Potato Barn is a big warehouse of furniture. So we trekked out there. Traffic was bad but we made it in time. We found one big bookcase that we liked, but I didn't want to pay that much before looking around first. So we left there and grabbed dinner at Rumbi. My parents like it, so we thought we'd give it a try. It was worth it! We loved it. I had a chicken and steak rice bowl and Brian had the Luau Pork Plate. Delicious, too. We also had the chips and salsa. That was so good. The chips were good and hot and the salsa is sweet and delicious. You should give it a try.

From there we decided to go to the Phoenix Furniture Auction. We heard about it from a friend and we've always wanted to give it a try. I knew it was on Indian School, but I thought it was off the 101. After driving around for a while, I called Sarah to have her look it up. It was on 23rd Ave. and Indian School. So we got there and "registered." You have to give a $50 cash deposit that either goes towards what you buy or you get it back. We didn't have cash, so the lady accepted Brian's driver's license. We got a number and looked around the floor. We found a headboard/foot board/rails that we liked--wood with a leather insert in the headboard. They said they would bring it up for auction. It was fun to sit and watch all the items be auctioned off. The headboard came up and I was so nervous--not knowing what the bidding would start at and I couldn't hardly understand the auctioneer. We decided before that we would go up to $400 for it. So I used my paddle/number and got the bed for $150. We were so stoked!! What a steal! We still have to get mattresses, but we saved so much on the bed. That is all we got tonight, but I think we'll be back next week until we get the furnishings we need. It's fun.

Before and After

Yesterday I bought this little shelf with drawers for Eliza and Libby's room. When I saw it, I knew I'd have to change out the knobs to make it fit better in their room. I think it turned out so cute and will be perfect.



This morning was their first art class through the city. They did chalks, clay, and painting. They both really enjoyed it and are excited to go again.

Fun in a Box

Yesterday I had a couple of boxes in the living room and Ellie and Libby had a hay-day playing in them. So cute.

Today I had a conference call for Big Picture Scrapbooking, so I went to Brian's office where I could listen without too many interruptions. Since I had already gotten a babysitter, I decided to do a few errands. I want to finish decorating Eliza and Libby's room, so I went on the hunt for accessories. I was successful at Ross and Target. Now I just have to put things up...I get so nervous to do that as I don't want things to be crooked or to put unneeded holes in the wall! Oh the pressure!

Tonight was water softball for mutual. Each base was a little baby pool with water and there was a slip and slide into home. Luckily I hardly got wet but I had a fun time.

Ellie had ponytails for church on Sunday. What a doll!

Adventure #2

I wasn't going to let yesterday's misadventure to the mall keep me from going anywhere. So I decided to go to Razmataz. We are going to be doing some renovations so Hattie has a room instead of just our closet. But I am looking for an entertainment type unit for what will be the new playroom (I think). Anyway...on the way Hattie got pretty fussy and by the time we got there she was crying. I figured she would stop, so I put her car seat in the stroller and just held Ellie. Well, she didn't stop crying, but continued to scream in the store. So we made it down one isle and turned right around and went back out the door. I didn't want anyone's shopping trip to be ruined by a screaming baby. I wonder what we'll do tomorrow!

Despite my new "workout" playlist, running was killer tonight. Yesterday was a breeze!--2 miles in fact and it was easy. I was tired after 1 today. It probably didn't help that I played 2 on 4 volleyball tonight (we had the 2). I was worn out before I even started.

Before volleyball I went over to Becky's for a scrapbook Enrichment activity. Karolyn and I actually just stayed in the kitchen and made some super cute and super easy hair clips for our girls. I'll take some pictures and post tomorrow.

Good night.

Pictures

Here are a couple of pictures Eliza and Libby have done lately.


This is Eliza's picture that was inspired by our trip to Cabela's

Eliza wanted to write her name in cursive. It's a start!

Eliza's family picture

Libby's picture of two people.

Last night was our young women's class presidency training meeting. We did a "Round Up" western theme and focused on "circles" and having the girls include everyone in their circle instead of forming little cliques or circles. My mom helped me make each girl a pillowcase in a western print to help them remember what we talked about. I gave that to them at the end. I think it went well overall.

So today I was tyring to think of some things to so we weren't bored at home and just for a little diversion. There was a big sale at Bath and Body Works, so I decided we would go there. I can take all four girls to the grocery store--not a big deal, but the mall is a little tricky in that the stroller situation is hard. I need Ellie in a stroller or I'd be chasing her, but I also need Hattie in one, too. We don't have one that fits Hattie's seat and can fit Ellie, too. So I decided to take our double umbrella stroller but was a little worried about Hattie "sitting" in there. It does recline back so it actually worked really well. We got to the store just fine and shopped for a while and things were pretty smoothly. Eliza and Libby liked smelling all the lotions and such, Ellie snacked on a bag of Lucky Charms and Hattie fell asleep. After buying quite a bit (how can you resist $3 shower gels, $4 lotions, $1 soaps, etc), we made our purchases and I looked over the receipt to make sure things rang up correctly. Just my luck, one of the lotions I bought wasn't on sale--someone had put it in the wrong place so I thought it was on sale. So I had to wait in line to return it. Long story short, I had to wait for one specific person--the return girl apparently--and it was a long wait. In the meantime, Hattie starts crying and worked herself up into a loud cry. And Ellie thought it would a good time to whine for things and to get out and just be loud. I am sure people were like, "Get out of here, lady!" It took so long that I ended up getting Hattie out and when we left, I was carrying Hattie, pushing the stroller (big double stroller in small spaces) and carrying a huge, heavy bag from the store). It was a sight. People were definitely staring at us. One lady even said she would clear the way for us! She said, "Follow me." And she cleared the isles so we could get out. Oh my! It was a good idea in theory. We were planning go to the play area, but we bagged that and just came home. We took them back tonight though since they were so good about having to leave this afternoon! Hmmmm...wonder what our adventure will be tomorrow!! ;)

A Fun Saturday

Today we decided we were going to take the girls to the Kid's Faire at the Cardinals Stadium. So we headed out there and got parked. When we walked up to the arena, we saw a HUGE, HUGE line of people. ...worse than Disneyland. It was seriously probably over a 1/4 mile long. The actual event was inside, but the wait was outside and we heard it was at least an hour long. It was pretty hot out there and we certainly didn't want to wait. So we thought really fast and told the girls what the status was and told them we would go over to Cabela's, look at all the animals, get lunch and get a treat. They totally thought that sounded good and were excited to go. I was prepared for tantrums and such since they were so excited to go see the shows they were going to have at the kid's faire. So that was a pleasant surprise! We turned right back around, got in the car and went to Cabela's for a fun afternoon. Ellie loved all the animals, so she was entertained, too!





I did not want to go to the gym tonight! But I didn't give in and instead went over. I took my iPod this time and it made running a breeze! Before I knew it, I was about at a mile. I was able to go over 1.5 miles and it wasn't boring at all. I do need to create a "workout" playlist though. I think I'll work on that as I do some late night work. Better get to it!

Rest of the Week

The rest of our week has been a bit busy with normal goings on. Wednesday night was mutual and we played a fun "game." When we got there the leader in charge had created a web out of string with about 30 holes in it. The goal was to get everyone to the other side of the web with out talking, only one personal could go through each hole, and the person's hair, clothes or body couldn't touch the string or we all had to start over. After starting over LOTS of times, we finally were successful after about an hour. After we were through we sat down and made some connections to life. It was great.

On Wed. night Eliza and Libby spent the night at Brian's parents' house. Brian's cousin and her family came into town for the reunion on Monday and they have kids around our kids' age, so they were able to play. They had a great time and played so well together. When I picked them up on Thursday, Eliza was so sad because her "new best friend" was moving to Idaho. She wishes they lived here.

That night Brian and I were able to go to the temple with our friends the Davises. Tanner went through as he is leaving on his mission in about 3 weeks. After that we went to Rosas for dinner with several people who came. I was good and got a salad. It was good still.

Today we needed a lazy day with no where to be or go. We just hung out at home and colored and played Polly Pockets. Ellie even played--she loved holding the dolls and had a fun time.

This evening we got Sarah to babysit and we had a little date. We had to get a couple of things at Target, then we grabbed some dinner and I spent some of my gift card I got from my parents for my birthday. I found some shirts and accessories on sale at Pac Sun. I also got some flip flops at Payless and Brian snagged some cool shorts at Old Navy.

Now I am home and have a bunch of work to do! I have quite a bit of copy that I need to send off tonight!

Happy June!