New Year's Eve 2011

What a year our family has had and how much the girls have grown, literally. Every time Izzy opens her mouth I tell those around me,. "Can you believe she can talk?" It impresses me that she can recite poems, sing complex songs, read basic sight words, copy sentences, and solve addition/subtraction problems. She is such a smarty. As well, she is kind, friendly, loving, sweet, silly, girly, animal lover, and happy. She wants to be friends with all and will wave to new kids and ask if they want to play with her. She is also a lovely dancer and beginning to sing to songs. Rees, like her sister, is friendly but usually only to those she knows. She is sassy, determined, smart, (wow! is this kid smart), talkative, almost potty trained, sweet, and happy. The amount of language she has is unbelievable. She can communicate all of her needs, likes to color, play with her sister, okay bother her sister most of the time, and is an outstanding sleeper. Most days 2-4 hour nap and goes to bed at 7pm and wakes up at 7am. We have come a long way from our sweetheart who had GER and vomited all over us every single day. And we have only had our second ER visit this time requiring glue in the chin because she fell off a chair and put her teeth through the chin. The doctors and her physician were so impressed by her calmness and for allowing them to treat her without complaints. That's our girl. She has ALWAYS been flexible since the moment she was born. She just goes with the flow and deals. Just love her.
I look forward to seeing what 2012 brings to our girls, family, and life. We have big changes for our family this year including hopefully a new job for Paul, Izzy going to kindergarten, and Reesie's transition to preschool in the fall and potty training.

Boycott Snapfish Photo Service

I love ordering pictures from online companies like Shutterfly, Kodak, and Snapfish. I order my photo books, prints, posters, puzzles, coasters, etc. you name it and I have ordered it. I even order invitations and our beloved family Christmas cards. This year however I will start with my absolute disappointment of a company... Snapfish. I order 30 4x6 prints of our family at the Pumpkin Patch to be used in our Christmas card. I ordered them December 1st and was told they would be there within 3-5 business days. By December 9th they were still not there. By Dec 14th they still had not come. I contacted customer service who tried to explain that the company was experiencing high volumes and that my order would be delayed. I tried to explain to him I ordered it 2 weeks ago and that I beat the rush for their sale. He did not care. I contacted them again 2 days later and got the same response, this time I was left in a pickle with no pictures for my photo Christmas cards. I canceled the order from Snapfish and ordered from Shutterfly and received my pictures the very next day. Why is it that they couldn't print 30 of the same print and then throw it in an envelope? or give me a better response and care that I actually had an important purpose for those prints. Therefore, I ask you in computer-land... avoid Snapfish they do not care about you and your photo products especially when you need them. Go with Shutterfly and Kodak they always get the job done.

25 Days of Christmas: Coloring Night

This is such a fun idea. Last year, I bought a coloring/look and find book at Barnes and Noble when it was 50% off. So I was able to pull this out. The idea is that you color just one page each Christmas as a family, sign and date it.

 As you can see, Rees did some coloring and some face painting. I was impressed that her lines were so straight and she actually looks like she was attempting to become a cat.

We signed and dated our drawing. Izzy even signed Rees all by herself. Absolutely no help! I figured we have 36 more years with this book. So exciting to start this new tradition.

Can't miss a funny picture of our Family.

25 Days of Christmas: Extra Bubbly

We had a great time with our extra bubbly, bubble bath night. I have lots of cute pictures, but I am using my discretion to not show. It is always fun to watch the girls in our big bath tub, because it is like a small pool and they just make such a mess. In the end it is just water and worth the clean up.

25 Days of Christmas: Paper Snowflakes

We had a fun night making paper snowflakes. I was so impressed by our creativity and fun we were having. I can't want to see our snowflakes progress in the next few years when their cutting skills become more advanced. I know for sure I will be saving these and putting them up for years to come.

25 Days of Christmas: Apple Cider in Fancy Glasses

For our 4th night we had Sparkling Apple Cider in our fancy Christmas glasses. It was easy and yummy. Izzy wants her drinks in the glasses every night.

25 Days of Christmas: Letter to Santa

We wrote a letter to Santa. She asked for birdhouses, head phones, and a toy horse. Sorry kid. You're getting 2 out of 3. She even told Paul when she was picking out the bird houses at Michael's that she liked, that she didn't want them painted, she wanted to paint them. So cute.

25 Days of Christmas: Day 1

Our first night of 25 Days of Christmas we made a Christmas chain. It was suppose to be our countdown to Christmas, but Izzy made one at school. So we made a pretty chain for our chandelier. Izzy did comment that it was much easier to staple then use glue like she had to use at school. 

Lucky 400

This is our 400th posting. Time has flown by. I started this blog when Izzy was about a month old and here we are almost 5 years later. Can you believe it??? 5????

Christmas Traditions

We start our 25 days of Christmas tomorrow. I had some of these green bags that my dad had given me and I put an index card with an activity in it, one for each day. I am planning to keep the cost down so I picked things like painting toe nails, Christmas tree picnic dinner, sparking apple cider at dinner, movie night (and yes I will sit down for the movie. Normally, I can't sit to watch I have so much I want/could/should be doing), etc. So stay tuned to our daily adventures to celebrate the month of December and the birth of Jesus.

Rees Specs

Our Rees just had her 18 month old check up. She was...

• 29 lbs 5.1 oz (96% percentile)
• 2 feet 10.5 in. (99% percentile)

She is beginning to do some very toddler things... umm climbing on furniture, being sassy, exerting independence, but also responsibility (can put clothes in the dirty laundry basket, put away mail keys, put away shoes, put trash in the trash, and the worst... open doors).  The opening doors will be a benefit because then she can let the dogs in, but at this point I wouldn't hold her to staying in the house if she got the chance.

Bishop's Pumpkin Patch (Trip #2)

Sisters sitting and waiting to eat

Just practicing sitting in the tree

Getting so tall

1st standing up on her own Bishop's picture

Mommy finally let her try the big slide this year. Thankfully Sydney went with her to show her the ropes and make sure the bigger kids didn't push her around.

We love Bishop's. Every year we have a Claussen-Weddle trip. We had sandwiches, a train ride, slides and marble mining, and yummy desserts. I have never been at Bishop's when it was dark. So it was fun to have family time eating their wonderful treats while chatting in the dark. Definitely a great day.

So Aware

Izzy is fascinated with the cemetery when we pass it on the way to shopping.She first thought people died there. We have been trying to correct that to people are buried there. On our way to Halloween, I am sitting in the middle of the girls in the back, Paul and Auntie Kari are in the front. We pass the cemetery and Izzy yells out that is where people are buried. She then spouted out that people who are buried there go to heaven. She says, "Hey Auntie Kari? Do you know who is in heaven?" Auntie Kari doesn't even get a chance to reply when Izzy says, "Auntie Lindsay is in heaven. She was Mommy's very best friend." So of course I can barely contain the tears. She has never said anything like this nor made the connection before. That girl is just too sweet. Just wish Auntie Lindsay had more time. She would have loved Izzy (and Rees too).

Time to Brag

My children have been blowing me away with their awesomeness! I say to myself all day long I need a camera/I need to blog this. So here is what I can remember.

• Rees is going potty on the potty almost every time we put her on. Ms. Donna is amazing with her and makes her go before and after her naps. She is also wearing pull-ups and looks so cute with her fairies and unicorns. On weekends, we practice with panties. We are aiming for fully potty trained by 2 years and we are not pushing her at all. We ask her and she runs to the potty and starts yanking at her clothes. 
• Isabella is beginning to know all her letters and sounds. She even tonight wrote 5 of her sight words while coloring. Also, she can write her whole name first and last. We are so proud of her progress and know that she will continue to make leaps and bounds till the end of June when she graduates from preschool.
• Rees loves to give hugs. They are the sweetest squeezes. My favorite are the unprompted ones. She fills my hug bucket.
• Rees loves reading. She will have me read 4 books each night before bed. Izzy and I even caught her today sitting behind her chair in her bedroom by herself reading a book. Her favorite are the touchy feeley or ones with windows or peek a boos.
• Oh, peek a boo. Rees plays the cutiest peek a boo game. We base it off of her Peek a Boo book. She says, "Petta...boo". I love it!
• She says her name. You can ask her what her name is and she says, "Ray-ss". It is like she has an accent.
• Isabella is the sweetest sister. She plays with her sister and is so gentle. Sometimes she needs reminders that she is not as big as her, but most of the time she is looking out for her and wanting to make her laugh.

I could probably go on forever, but I shall go to sleep so I can play with these two tomorrow.

Bishop's Pumpkin Patch 2011 (Trip #1)

Reesie's first experience with "petting zoo" animals. She was a little nervous and need a little prodding to see the animals.

Mommy and Reesie on the train

Reesie on her pumpkin. Much better than last year when I had to crouch behind the pumpkin to prop her up.

My girls!

Daddy and Izzy on the hay ride

Daddy and Ms. Donna out in the pumpkin fields

Rees is way more interested in playing in the dirt in the fields than actually seeing the pumpkins.

The Three Friends.

The Three together with the addition of Rees who just wants to be like the big kids.

Fall

We love Fall at our house. There is nothing like walks with our hoods on and sweaters. We also like to play with the "Bibbidi-Boppidi-Boo" wands.

A Weekend in Utah

Paul and Izzy spent the weekend in Provo, Utah to celebrate the marriage of Kevin and Mallory Burton plus to see all of the Burton's. Izzy wouldn't miss a trip to see her friends Brody and Ella who live in Texas. Here she is, at I quote from Paul, "One of the best dinosaur museums he has ever been to."

Izzy, Ella, and Brody

Daddy and Izzy at the museum

Future paleontologists

Rainbow over Utah

BYU

One of the highlights of their trip. On their way back from Utah they stopped at the world famous Bonneville Salt Flats right at sunrise.

So next time you are at our house, you will have to come see our salt straight from the flats.

Happy Reesie

Can't get a smile bigger than this!

 This is her faces when we say, "Do you want to go see (Ava, Evan, or Lana) her friends?"