Notice Anything Different?

No training wheels for Ellie anymore! I could not believe it. She wanted to get on Libby's bike, but it was obviously too big, so I got a wild hair and lowered the seat on Eliza's old bike and had her get on. I thought I'd try a couple times with her to see if she could do it and seriously like the third time of trying, she was OFF! So I took off the training wheels on her bike and there is no looking back now. She was cruising and so pleased with herself. She for sure is my youngest to ride without training wheels--having just turned three in November. I was laughing as I was running trying to keep up with her pedaling, thinking--I can't believe she is doing this.

This morning Rachel and I ran from her house to the mountain, hiked it and ran back. It was cold! And dark! And a challenge! Since we only do it maybe once a week since we've started running, it it tougher, but it's a nice change.

Today my friend Jenny watched my girls so I could meet Eliza and Libby for lunch. Eliza's b-day is tomorrow, so I wanted to surprise her. I ate with Libby first, since her lunch is first. She seemed excited to see me. She was also the helper today in her class, so she was excited to talk about that. It was funny to see that she eats her chips first, then her snack, then her sandwich. We waited for Eliza to come in and Libby said, "When Eliza comes, I want you to go sit with her." I thought--what? you don't want me to eat with you?!?! LOL. Then she said, "..because it's her birthday!" Sweet. So when Eliza came, she was so surprised and excited, too. I ate with her, then headed out to the playground for recess. I got to help swing the jump rope. I had brought some change so Eliza could by a pickle, but the people didn't show up today. So she put it in her lunch sack to save for Monday. It was fun to see her include the same boy who is rather difficult in some of her playing. He was playing basketball and she went over and shot a couple baskets with him. Then she and a couple of her friends let him play "mouse trap" with the jump rope with them. She is a sweetheart. I walked back to her class, then headed home. She took in some Little Debbie treats for her class. When we were deciding what to bring in, she was concerned that one boy in her class doesn't like chocolate and another is allergic to vanilla. So she decided to get some chocolate treats and to get a bag of skittles for the little boy who doesn't like chocolate. She can be so thoughtful.

Tonight is Eliza's birthday sleepover with my parents. They are having a great time.

On another note--this looks so strange to me.

Hattie hasn't been interested in sitting in her high chair lately, so I decided to take it off tonight. I can't remember the last time we didn't have a high chair at the kitchen table. When one of my girls has graduated from the high chair, it was time for the next to start using it. It's a bit sad to me!

Not So Cute

Today I got a note from Libby that came because of a not so cute situation. Tonight was Libby's soccer practice from being off for two weeks. We picked up my nephew and headed over. I thought it would be fun to bring the other three girls' scooters for them to ride during practice. I'm not sure if that was what started it, but Libby didn't want to practice. She said she wanted to ride a scooter. Ugh. So it was an hour long awful time at soccer practice. She hid behind the bushes, kicked rocks, yelled, and so on. Brian couldn't be there, so I got to deal with it and try to keep track of everyone else. I was less than thrilled. Let's just say it was a terrible night. I tried to talk her into practicing. I tried to pick her up and take her over. After trying everything, I just told her she had some consequences. Brian came as we were walking out to the car and brought a broom for her first consequence. She had to sweep up the rocks she kicked. I ended up taking my girls and Luke to my in-laws while he dealt with her and got her to sweep them up. I am sure the people at the park thought we were just the meanest parents! We had to chase her around the car several times and then as I left, Brian was holding her as she was trying to get away all the while he is holding the broom. It'll be funnier in a few months I hope. Anyway...Brian brought the girls home while I went to the store and when I got home, Libby had written this note all on her own (except for the ampersand sign that Eliza tried to show her how to write)...(click on it to make it bigger).


On a better note--the girls' report cards came home yesterday and they are both doing great. So we couldn't be happier about that. Eliza is student of the month again and she gets to be tested for SEARCH again. She is really excited since she loved it so much last year.

Ellie and Hattie have enjoyed a couple of indoor picnics lately.

Cute Picture

In school, Libby had to write a sentence and draw a picture about what she did over the break. Here is her picture--I thought it was so cute.

Parenting Tip for Stubborn Kids

I get the e-mails from Love and Logic and the one that came last week was great! I'll paste it below. But it has worked great with Libby. We have used the questions with her since we got the e-mail and it's amazing how well it works. Now if I could just get an e-mail about how to make bedtime pleasant. Heck--I'd even pay top dollar for it if it worked.

***
Have you ever noticed how strong-willed kids love to be told what to do? Yeah, they love it, because it gives them a chance to get stubborn and to show us who's really the boss! All that's required to achieve their goal is to do the opposite of what we want, do it extremely slowly, or develop a severe case of temporary hearing loss.

Here's a little experiment that might make your life a little easier with stubborn kids:

Put a smile on your face and replace telling with asking.

Instead of saying, "Pick up your toys," experiment with putting a smile on your face and asking, "What needs to be put away here?"

Instead of telling, "You need to take out the trash before we leave," experiment with a friendly, "What do you need to do before we can leave?"

Instead of, "Quit jumping on the couch," experiment with asking, "What did I say about being on the couch?"

Why do questions up the odds for cooperation? First, they stimulate thinking. The more pondering kids do, the less resistant they become. Questions also communicate, "You are so bright! You can figure this out!" I don't know about you, but I'm always better behaved around those wonderful people who make me feel this way.
***

Try it!

It was nice to get back to a routine today, but I do have to say it felt like the first day of school almost and I worried about my girls. When they are home, they are safe with me and I know what I am teaching them and what influences they have, etc. So sending them off to school, I was feeling a bit protective, not wanting them to go. I did get quite a bit done though. I did some laundry--actually folding it when I took it out of the dryer instead of leaving a huge pile for Brian to do later.

After school was chores, playing outside, one of my girls (unnamed) getting her bike taken away, dinner, then family home evening. Brian gave a great lesson. He always thinks of the most creative things. We had it outside (BRRR!), but he had me bring out an egg. So he compared the egg to relationships and what do we need to do to take care of that "egg"? At the end, he talked about what happens if we are mean and unkind (e.g. drop it) and it fell on the ground and it broke, obviously. It was just a great lesson about how to take care of relationships and how we need to treat each other. He also mentioned how hard it is to repair something like that when it does get broken. Christ can put it back together, but it's better not to have "dropped" it at all. So tonight when they would start doing something unkind, I said, "Remember the egg." Which lead to eye rolling and sighing by again an unnamed daugther, but hopefully it's something they'll remember.

Funny

Yesterday I mentioned Libby getting everything ready for school. I was able to sneak a picture this morning before she got ready. I loved the socks in the shoes and the placement of everything, especially the ponytail and hair clips. Last night Eliza didn't get her stuff out for school, but she is already packed for her birthday sleepover with Grandpa and Grandma. She had me make some labels and she labeled her clothes and even tied them up with ribbon. Creative.


This morning, Hattie really wanted to wear a dress. So I put her skirt over her pants and she also insisted on carrying her new church bag and holding her new PJs. Funny.

Talk

Today church came bright and early. In the night, Brian and I woke up and all the girls (except Hattie) were in our bed! So we ditched our bed and I Love Lucy'd it and slept in Eliza and Libby's beds. Thus, I didn't hear my alarm and got up about a half hour later than I wanted. We were rushed, but we made it right when they were starting. Today was Ellie's first time in primary--Sunbeams. She just glowed with excitement. She even had to give the article of faith. Eliza wanted to help her, so she went up with her and whispered it in her ear. Ellie did great although she was very quiet and you couldn't hardly hear her. She seemed to do well and have a fun time in primary. Brian and I both slipped out once during Sunday school to peek in the window at her.

After church I brought the girls home--Brian had a planning meeting with just his class. As I was cleaning up my girls' lunch, I turned on BYU-TV and there was the best talk on. Here is the link--scroll down to Marriage Tips and Traps by Victor Harris. You can read the transcript, but if you have 50 minutes, I'd suggest listening to the audio. It's a bit different than the transcript (read: better). Brian and I listened to it tonight and loved it. It just has some great thoughts and ideas about marriage and parenting.

Oh--and if you have more time, check out A Brand New Year. It's a broadcast for youth, but it's really great--great message, great music and just really motivational to be a better you. I think most of the youth will watch it at a mutual or fireside coming up, but since I'm not in YW anymore (weep), I just watched it online with Eliza.

This afternoon we went to my parents' for an early dinner. Dan and Chris were able to come, so we were all there. We enjoyed a nice meal and visiting and kids playing. On the way home, Ellie was singing the song she learned in primary. So cute.

Tomorrow starts back to our regular school schedule. Libby is so excited. Tonight she set out her outfit, down to her ponytail and clip. She loves school.

Spontaneous Fun (and lots of pictures, too)

Last night my mom sent me a text message asking if we were taking our girls to the Fiesta Bowl Parade. I figured she was joking, so I told her I didn't think so. I guess that sparked some crazy ideas and before you know it, it was this morning and we went to the parade! I guess after being in so many parades when I was little, we got burned out, so we had to wait 24 years (seriously) to want to watch another one! I can't believe it was that long ago. I was really young when I was in it. We had such a great time--I am so glad we went. Brian had a young men planning meeting, so I took the girls with my parents. I went to their house, then we rode over together. Miraculously, we found a parking spot so close--like 20 yards from where we sat. We got there at 9:45 and the parade didn't start until 11, so we tried to entertain with snacks, looking at the clowns and street vendors. My mom bought my girls those little water balloon yoyos--$1 each.


We figured it was cheap fun. Then my dad got some cotton candy, so that was yum. My dad was talking to the parking police lady and another police officer pulled up and I was like...is that Ben Moore? He (and his family) are long time family friends, so my dad caught up with him for a while.

Finally the parade started and my girls were entertained for two hours. It was a LONG parade, but they loved every minute.

Me circa 1985


Me circa 2059?? LOL








Libby was so excited to get a ball from someone in the parade and a coin for a free Krispy Kreme. (only if they had one on our side of town!)


These were cute outfits for a school, but we thought those shoes would be awful to march in!

We thought they had the best uniforms...the cheerleaders had cute western outfits, too.

Experiencing cotton candy for the first time. She wasn't sure at first, but she ended up liking it.

These things are my favorite. They make me laugh anytime I see one.

Any time any soldiers came by, the crowd stood up and cheered. It was neat!


While we were gone, Brian went on a bike ride on the New River Road trail. It was 12 miles and he had a great time. The pictures he sent me were so pretty! When we got home, Hattie napped and the other girls went out front with Brian for a while. I actually took a nap! I was tired from the morning! It was a great last day of winter break.

Ouchie

Today I got up and hiked with Terri and Leslie. My foot has been killing me! I hope I can get it figured out because it hurts really bad! I came home and Brian headed into work. We had a lazy morning, then after lunch we went to Costco. That didn't turn out to be the best choice. It was so busy first of all. We had a return, so we waited in line to do that, then we had a couple things to get. It was just crazy with the people and my girls wanting to ride in the cart, then walk and eat a sample, etc. One of the samples was pistachios, which my girls like, but I was holding Hattie, pushing the cart, holding the pistachios, trying to get the shells off and holding the shells for my girls. Then Eliza tells me that Ellie at the entire pistachio--shell and all. So I had to fish that out of her mouth, too! We survived, but came right home.

This afternoon when Brian got home from work, he took Eliza and Libby on a bike ride. They enjoyed that with their new bikes. We had dinner, I iced my foot, then took Ellie and Eliza with me to make a couple final returns and to get a couple things at Fry's. I'm beat!

New Year's Day

Today we got up and did a little house work, then headed out for a little outdoor fun. We wanted to do a picnic and hike, so we went to the newest Maricopa County Park--Spur Cross out in Carefree/Cave Creek. We ate first, then headed out on a hike. The first stretch was so pretty--we had to cross over rocks several times over the creek. The girls really enjoyed doing that. But we saw desert--lots of cactus, but also lots of green. The last part was harder as it was really just desert and the girls were worn out. So Brian and I traded off carrying Ellie and Hattie. Overall we hiked about 3.7 miles, so I was happy that the girls were troopers and did it! The weather couldn't have been any better either!

Hattie found a rock pile to play in on the way back to the car.

The trees had such beautiful leaves on them.

Eliza--our photographer! I got stuck carrying backpacks about midway through the hike.



We were imitating the cactus' arms.

So proud after crossing the river!

We crossed that!











After the hike!

We came home and tried to rest for a little bit. The girls and Brian went out front for a bit--I was inside making dinner. After dinner, we popped in one of the movies we got from Jared and Chrystalyn for Christmas--Tinkerbell. I loved it! (So did everyone else). It is a really cute movie with a great message. They brought in some great poeple for the voices, too. It was interesting though as we were watching the credits--thre wasn't nary an American name on there! About 99% of the people who worked on the animation were from a far, far away country. Must be cheaper labor?

Brian is working tomorrow, then it's the weekend! I love these midweek holidays.

New Year's for Old People

This morning, Susan and I were up and running fairly early--6:40. After I got home, I got ready and helped everyone else get ready. I took my girls to Terri's and she watched them while I went to one last VT appointment. I went back and picked up Eliza, Ellie and Hattie, but Libby stayed for a play date with Carson. We came home, had lunch and played outside for a bit before putting E & H down for a nap. The rest of the afternoon was hodge podge. We spent some time outside. Brian took Eliza and Ellie on a hike. Libby didn't want to go and I didn't want to have to get re-showered, so we stayed home, made pizza and had dinner. We hung out at home and played a couple of her new games until about 8 PM. I picked up the babysitter, but the catch was--(well, I think all the young women were doing something tonight) we had to be home by 11 so our sitter could go do her New Year's Eve festivities. LOL. I guess that is what happens when you get old! But the Davises had invited us over, so we went over there and had some munchies and played some games. It was a great time visiting and catching up. We left around 11, then came home and hung out till the "ball dropped." Funny how it's not as thrilling as when you are young. We almost missed it. Brian was watching that dare devil do the jump on his motocross bike and I looked at the clock and it was 11:59. So we hurried and turned the channel! Just in time to see it drop! Happy New Year. I am looking forward to what's in store for this year. Overall we had a good 2008...we had lots of highs:
--vacations, family time, starting a hiking/running routine, bike riding, house projects, potty training, bread making, family and friends.
and a few lows--
--being released as YW president, the economy, a miscarriage, potty training,...

So here's to 2009. Make it great. 2009--that is crazy to say!