Christmas 2009

We had a GREAT Christmas Season!!!

The entire month of December was really wonderful.  

We were able to be with so many of our friends and family.

Andraia had a Christmas concert this year.  The lower grades at our charter school all participated and there were SOO many fun songs.  Their music teachers did such a great job.

We celebrated Christmas Eve with my family at our annual family party.

We play a pretty competitive game of BINGO where we steal presents from each other.

So much commotion over Dollar Store gifts!!  It is so fun!

This year the party was a my sister's church.  So the kids had room to play in the gym.

The kids rode the Wiggle Cars and tried to get in on basketball with their cousins and uncles.

And Brayden did a bunch of hiding and wandering the halls.

That is actually a really good night for him!

More pictures coming later!  I need to hit the sack!!

Random

Cutie pie Chloe in the tub!!

We're all set up and ready for Christmas!  Come on Santa!!

Heaven's Very Special Child

We have some very wonderful, supportive friends. One of them gave me this poem.

Heaven's Very Special Child

A meeting was held quite far from Earth.
It was time again for another birth.
Said the Angels to the Lord above--
"This special child will need much love.
"Her progress may be very slow,
"Accomplishment she may not show.
"And she'll require extra care
"From the folks she meets down there.
"She may not run or laugh or play,
"Her thoughts may seem quite far away.
"So many times she will be labeled.
"'different,' 'helpless' and disabled.
"So, let's be careful where she's sent.
"We want her life to be content.
"Please, Lord, find the parents who
"Will do a special job for you.
"They will not realize right away
"The leading role they are asked to play.
"But with this child sent from above
"Comes stronger faith, and richer love
"And soon they'll know the privilege given
"In caring for their gift from Heaven.
"Their precious charge, so meek and mild
"Is Heaven's very special child."

We are SO blessed to have this sweet blessing from Heaven in our family. He is the best gift we could all ask for.
Thank you to all of our family and friends who help us remember that we are SO lucky to have him. And for being our strength and support when we just can't do it on our own.

Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

I LOVE this time of the year. I'm so excited to see the kids' faces when they open their presents. And to share the holidays with all of our awesome family and friends. It is amazing to me how many people we love and who love us. We are SO lucky. I am so thankful for my amazing husband, my sweet kids, my wonderful friends. You know who you are....those friends I have reconnected with after 'all these years', the friends who have been by my side through all the rough times and all the happy times, the friends I am getting to know better everyday, the friends who know all my crazy emotions and still put up with me! Love you all!!

My Hero

I know there are so many things to be thankful for.......I came here to re-read my list of Things To Be Thankful For.....but I'm finding it hard to concentrate.

We had to make a rough decision this week about Brayden. He is no longer fitting into our stroller. I know.........he's 10 for heaven sakes. He SHOULDN'T be fitting into his stroller. We've been pretty lucky in an odd way that he is so small. It makes it easier to care for him, carry him, hold him down when he doesn't want to take his medicine or brush his teeth, etc. But we had to make the decision of what to do now that he still doesn't have the stamina to walk long distances AND he doesn't fit the stroller.

So..seeing that we can't carry him all over the Festival of Trees, Disneyland, walks around the neighborhood, Hogle Zoo, Living Planet Aquarium or anywhere else that takes anything more than a short walk, we had to make the decision to buy a wheelchair for him. Just what every little boy wants right?

I know it probably sounds small and silly. I admit that in a way, it feels small and silly. But in a way it feels horrible and dark. It only serves to remind me of the things that he CAN'T do. I know. There are so many things he CAN do. I shouldn't focus on the negative. And I honestly try not to. But there are some moments, some decisions, some circumstances that kind of throw the negative in my face.

I know he is a perfect spirit. I know that with my whole heart. I know that he is a member of our family as a blessing for us. I know that the Celestial Kingdom will be his reward for living this life in a way that only he can. I know that he will ALWAYS be my hero. I know that he will touch more lives than I can even imagine.

But....I also know that, in this life, I won't hear him call me mom. I won't see him go on a mission. I won't meet his wife and watch them have babies together. I will be taking care of him as long as I can. I might always have him living with me. I HOPE I always have him living with me. It would kill me to have to send him to live somewhere else. That's why we're lucky that he is small. The bigger he gets, the harder it is for us to take care of him. I know that I have to plan for his future in a different way. If he outlives Earl and I, we have to know who will be taking care of him.

Sometimes I find myself mourning for him. For seeing him with his Primary class and truly realizing that he has Special Needs. Sometimes I can ignore it if I just see him at home. Seeing him with his peers, even those peers in his special class at school, forces me to recognize that he really is different. That there really are things that he won't be doing in this life.

Don't get me wrong. I love him. I can't tell you how much he blesses my life every day. I am truly lucky. He is here. For me to hug and kiss even if he doesn't like it. Even if he doesn't hug or kiss me. I have seen so many people I love experience loss. I would not trade my circumstances for theirs. Ever.

Just some days..............some days are hard. I never thought I would be picking a wheelchair for my 10 year old. Wondering if he will ever be potty trained. Wishing I could hear his voice.

But I do love him. Wouldn't trade him for anything. He will ALWAYS be my hero.

Festival of Trees

We had a WONDERFUL time at the Festival this year!!! We met up with our good friend Rebecca and her army of family members. It was so much fun! Her girls are gorgeous, just like their mommy. Andraia had the BEST time at the end of the night when she was able to sit down and hold baby Sabrina. She had been talking about it all day.

We saw many lovely trees. But I personally think the BEST part of the night was just hanging our with Becca and catching up on things. We have known her since Spencer was just a baby. We have all been through so much during the past 11 years. Love ya Becca!

This was Spencer's favorite tree.......Nightmare Before ChristmasWe are HUGE Disney fans, so we LOVED all of the Disney themed trees they had this year.


MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

Just a few snapshots of the kids decorating our tree. We LOVE this time of year. It is so much fun to see the wonder on the kids' faces when we go see Christmas lights, receive cards in the mail or just read a Christmas story together.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!!!!

Frivolous Thanks

This list may seem pretty frivolous, but I am so very thankful for:

online bill paying
direct deposit
microwaves
dishwashers
washer/dryer
text messaging
email
cellphones
parking in my garage each night
pedicures
AND...........super cute blog backgrounds........I might have to try a new one each day until the Holidays are over!!

etc., etc., etc.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

There is SOOOO much to be thankful for......
Wonderful hubby
Wild, crazy, loving kids
Medical technology
Amazing teachers
All of our fabulous family
Our fantastic friends
Playing piano and singing with my girls
Watching Spencer grow in his art
Temples
The Gospel

The list goes on and on......some days its easier to remember than others. I need to check back on my list when its 'one of THOSE days'.

Doing the Duck Walk

So, I met with Andraia's new eye doctor today for our parent consultation. They did lots of testing with her last week. The testing included: copying designs from one paper to another, circling backward letters, walking on a line on the floor, etc.

Today when I met with Dr. Price he showed me lots of info about how our eyes and brain work together to process what we are seeing. Andraia's eyes have a hard time focusing together on an object that is withing closer range. She also has problems tracking objects at the correct speed with both eyes working together. Poor girl. Dr. Price had me read a paragraph from a book while looking through a lens that would mimic what Andraia sees. I was so busy concentrating on reading the words, that I had no idea what I had read when I was done. And I just wanted to give up. It was so hard to focus on the page.

The issues she has with her eyes explain why her writing skills, reading skills, and even math skills are delayed. She can't process what she is seeing in order to learn from it.

Her vision training will work on helping her learn how to use the muscles in her eyes to focus and align her eyes properly. To do this, we will be starting with some large muscle exercises and work our way to the smaller muscles. Currently, we are doing duck walk, pigeon walk, army crawl, crab crawl and several other exercises that will help her learn to use large muscle groups. We will also be working with tracking bubbles and balloons to work on her larger eye muscles. And to help her use different parts of her brain at the appropriate times, we will be using magnetic letters to call out the name and color of the letter. Using both her right and left brain at the same time.

Chloe is very excited to play all of these new games with her Big Sissy.

I had tears in my eyes at several times during the office visit. I'M SO EXCITED to finally have something to focus on to help her!!!!!!!! YIPEE!!!! What a wonderful 'day before Thanksgiving'!

Our real therapy will start in January, so our insurance will cover at least a small part of the costs. She will be seeing Dr. Price 2 days a week for 3 months. Then one day a week for another 3 months. Then we will work with her for another 6 months at home with occasional check-ups in the office. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the next year brings!

The Wonderful Fashions of a 2 Year Old Woman!

So, you can tell Chloe is getting a mind of her own when it comes to her fashion choices! These pictures were taken days apart from each other but both include her Minnie Mouse shirt. We are certainly BIG Disney fans!!

In the first photo, she is a ballerina/princess combo. Must not have been able to find her Cinderella dress that is a staple in her dressing up choices!

The second pic is her new snow boots that look so cute with her summery-flowery shorts!

Gotta love that girl!!!!

What did you say is wrong with my eyes?

Wow. After only 3 months at our new charter school, we have made a big leap in helping Andraia catch up with her academic and motor-skills. At the prompting of her new Occupational Therapist (the therapist who helps with her fine motor skills like writing) we had some special testing done for her vision. While she has perfect 20/20 vision, she has major problems with getting her eyes to focus on the right spot at the right time. One of the issues is called Convergence Insufficiency. Her eyes don't focus on a spot up close at the same time. This totally explains why she has a hard time following a line of words on a page, and why she knows the answer to a math question but can't actually write it down correctly.
Luckily, the fix for her eye issues doesn't require surgery, only a few months of vision therapy. Unluckily, this isn't covered by our health insurance. So, it won't be a quick, cheap fix. But we are determined to give her the best start in her academic life, so we will make sure that things get taken care of. I feel so blessed that we have been able to find out that there is something we can do to help her!!! To live in a time and place where this is something we can fix. We are so blessed.

Brayden's Birthday Party

Last night was Brayden's birthday party. Little stinker didn't care if we had one or not. Honestly, he probably would have been happier if we DIDN'T have one, but we did it anyway! We had the Thurston side of the family over for dinner.....pizza, garlic bread, salad....yummy stuff. We picked them for Brayden, after all, it was HIS birthday, but he didn't eat much. That isn't unusual lately.

After dinner, he insisted on going for a ride. Now, for a little guy who doesn't talk, he really knows how to get his point across. He will go find his shoes and socks and hunt you down. Then, he'll follow you all over the house, pulling at your arm and trying to hand you his shoes until you finally sit down with him and put them on. Believe me, it is best to listen to him! He will resort to THROWING the shoes AT YOU unless you get the point!

So, Earl took him and Chloe for an after dinner venture in the car. Arriving home just in time for The Ige Family to be here for birthday treats. We sang to him and tried to get him to open his presents, but he SERIOUSLY wasn't interested. So, we let him escape upstairs.

He got:
the biggest bag of pretzels I've ever seen
BBQ chips
new pants
chicken noodle soup
more chips
Goldfish crackers
Matchbox cars

you know, all the basics!

Now we just have to think of ideas for Christmas!!! This boy is SO HARD to shop for!!!

Holy Cow! He's 10!!

Brayden is 10!!
Where did all of the time go?
This is a picture of him dressed up for Halloween (he was a doctor). He is generally too wiggly to get pictures of, so we take what we can get! Yesterday (his birthday) he woke up with a hole in his smile. He has lost one of his top, front teeth and the other is loose. He is NOT THRILLED!! It is really irritating to him that his mouth feels funny. Now he doesn't want to eat.........back to that battle again. Oh well. He did eat some BBQ chips before school today. We are always trying to fatten-up the poor boy.

Yesterday his bus driver was surprised to learn that he is 10. She thought he was turning 6 or 7. It is hard to believe that there is only a bit less than 3 years between Brayden and Spencer. Brayden will always be my 'little guy'.

We are so BLESSED to have him in our family. I can't imagine life without him. He can melt hearts like no other person out there. He snuggles up to you and you just want to spend the day with him......everything else is so trivial.

I am so THANKFUL that we had no hospital trips this year.....that is an amazing record for us. His seizures have been more under control. I don't dare say that out loud, but hopefully typing it won't bring out the bad luck.

We have a special Spirit in our home because of Brayden. For FHE, the other day, we talked about what it is like to feel the Spirit. One of the kids mentioned that they didn't know what it was like to feel the Spirit.......I was a bit concerned........until Earl and I talked to them about it. Our basic conclusion...we feel the Spirit so much in our home that when the kids feel it elsewhere, it just feels 'normal'. We reminded them that what they are used to feeling IS the Spirit. Now we just have to help everyone remember that...and not take it for granted.

Brayden is our constant reminder that we are an eternal family. He is my personal motivation to LIVE BETTER, DO BETTER, BE BETTER. I want to make it where I need to be to truly know his as the incredible person that he is. I look forward to one day hearing his sweet voice and having a conversation with him about all the he knows. His physical body may not be normal, but his spirit is perfect and miraculous. I want to be like Brayden. He is my hero.

Dinner in a Pumpkin

Here's the recipe!

1 medium pumpkin-cleaned out!
1 chopped onion
1.5-2 lbs ground beef
2T soy sauce
2T brown sugar
4 oz can mushrooms
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1.5 C cooked rice
8 oz can water chestnuts, drained

Preheat oven to 350.
Brown ground beef and onions. Remove any fat.
Add soy sauce, brown sugar, mushrooms and soup.
Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add cooked rice and water chestnuts.
Spoon into pumpkin.
Replace pumpkin top. Place on baking sheet.
Bake 1 hour or until pumpkin is tender.

You can use cooked pumpkin for your veggie. My kids weren't really into eating the pumpkin. Earl and I ate some, but you'll want to season it to taste.

For me, the pumpkin is more for presentation and tradition than for eating as part of the meal, but we love it!!

I've Been Tagged

Thanks Mindy, I think.....
I'm supposed to post 10 Random Things about myself. I won't be nearly as entertaining as Mindy. She always cracks me up!

So, here goes..........

1. Earl and I dated for only one month before we got married.....I was only 19....don't let my kids do that to me!!!
2. I have a horrible addiction to Oreos.
3. I'm always trying to learn/try something new. In fact, I just learned how to make my own laundry detergent.....exciting huh?
4. I LOVE,LOVE,LOVE to cook!!!
5. I lived in France for a summer when I was in high school......and NO I don't still speak the language.
6. I'm always looking for a way to help people....not always the best at knowing what to do....but I try.
7. I love to scrapbook....haven't done it for far to long, but it is a great creative outlet.
8. I was a member of FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) when I was in high school.
9. I am a Disneyland groupie.....would move closer if it didn't mean leaving my comfort zone in Orem!
10. I love comments on my blog....so, if you're reading this....will you comment? I don't care if its something stupid....just let me know you're out there?!?!

Hope you didn't fall asleep!

......oh, oh, oh......one more!!!
11. I am not a very outgoing person, but I'm vowing to change my ways and get to know people. It has blessed my life to get to know more wonderful people in the past few months....so if you ever see me being a wall flower.....kick my butt!!!

Carving Pumpkins

This is the aftermath of our pumpkin carving/painting extravaganza! Lots of paints were used, only one pumpkin was carved, but fun was had by all!





These are pictures of our traditional pumpkin dinner. This tradition is from Earl's family, but my mom actually added the recipe to her own 'Family Cookbook'. Its a really easy recipe that you cook separately then bake in the pumpkin. It is YUMMY!!!!


Can't wait for Trunk-or-Treat tonight! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

Gratitude

*******I know the font on this post is messed up. Darn it! I'll try and fix it later!************There has been so much going on in our crazy lives lately that I just forget sometimes to sit down and breathe. Do moms get to do that? I know we're supposed to make time for it, but with Halloween costumes, sick kids, housework, helping with homework, making dinner............who can fit it in?!?!

So, now that everyone else is settled for a few minutes and they haven't realized that I'm taking some time to myself, I thought I better sit down and fulfill my promise to myself to keep up with our blog.
In this small moment of quiet time I find myself thinking about all of the things we have to be grateful for. Most of all is wonderful friends and family!!! We are truly so blessed. I have watched our ward go through so many trials lately. I feel the comfort of all those around me as we pull together to help each other.....no matter what the need.
One dear family in our ward just lost their young father. He was an amazing man. I only regret that I didn't know him better. Our paths didn't seem to cross too often, but I watched him with his family and always knew he was a great example of what I want to be. I'm so thankful for his example. It will always be with me. Like I said, I just wish I would have made more of an effort to know him better. Now I have more resolve to come out of hibernation and put myself out there to be a better friend, neighbor and ward member. So watch out everyone! :)

I'm so thankful for the efforts of ward members on behalf of our children. Spencer is turning into an amazing young man. 12.....Deacon....Junior High.....'almost' a teenager....... He wouldn't be so amazing if it were only left up to us. His teachers and advisers have been wonderful!

Brayden had the opportunity to participate in the Primary Program again this year. It always WOWs me when he does something new. This year, he stood up and held a picture of our family. Last year he needed more prodding and help, so we ARE making progress! When it was time to go sit down he walked right past our bench where Earl was sitting. He found my friend, Ariane, and snuggled up with her. He melts hearts so easily. What talent!

Andraia actually spoke into the microphone during the program! Last year, she knew her part so well, but clammed up when it was time to 'perform'. She did so great! She has had so many wonderful teachers in primary and nursery. What a blessing!

And little Chloe. She is a major source of comic relief for our family, and I hope she is letting her personality shine through in nursery. She really enjoys playing with all of her friends once we get her there and settled. She still thinks Mom and/or Dad need to be there with her and not just drop her off, but she's getting better. We're so thankful for patient teachers who will take her and keep her busy until she decides she really is happy about being there!

Earl is going to be teaching primary now! He loves kids, so this is an awesome opportunity for him. He will be fantastic!

So much to be grateful for......I could go on and on, but the kids figured out that I'm hiding and the ruckus is getting a bit loud!

Have a lovely day!

Pumpkin Time

Pictures from the Pumpkin Patch. Can you tell Spencer really wanted his picture taken?!?! Gotta love that boy! BTW-he's now taller than me......help!!!

Time to Get My Rear in Gear

As you can tell from the previous October posts, Andraia was trying to tell me something. "Mom, get with the program! Update your blog!!" I should have taken her advice much sooner! I have really slacked off with the blog since our trip to Moab for Spring Break. I know, I know....how rude of me to just stop posting!

This summer was crazy, busy. Running 3 different kids to all of their different summer activities. Poor Chloe had to go everywhere with everyone, so we spent tons of time in the car!

I'll have to update later with pics of our trip to Disney in August.

One reason I am vowing to keep up with my blog is to let my out of area family in on what's going on with our kids. My sister, Marie, lives in Oregon. My brother, Mike, lives in Moab. We do a pretty good job of keeping in touch, but when our kids are growing so fast..........its hard to keep everyone up to date!

Another reason is because I've decided this is much easier than making myself sick with guilt for not keeping up with the scrapbooks and my journal.

So, wish me luck! We're here trying again!

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Spencer's A Great Kid!!!

We always knew Spencer was great. When we lived in American Fork, I nominated him to be the Junior Grand Marshall of the Steel Days Parade because he is such a great brother to Brayden. He was awarded the honor of leading the children's parade and got an position of honor in the grand parade also.

Now, he has been honored with a Great Kid Award from the Provo-Orem Chamber of Commerce. A few weeks ago, we received a letter in the mail saying he was being honored, but we weren't quite sure why he had received the award.

After some sleuthing on our parts, we found out that all of the elementary schools in Provo and Orem honor one boy and one girl for this award. We still weren't quite sure WHY he got the award, but it sounded pretty cool to us.

Tonight at the award ceremony, we found out that the chamber sent a letter to the school asking them to recognize a student who was doing their best. They weren't looking for a child who was only focused on one area of their life. They wanted someone who had some balance in all of their activities.

Ms. Seedall said she nominated Spencer because he is such a good kid and doesn't do anything to bring attention to himself. We are so proud of him. It is great to see him get recognized!

I'll post pics ASAP!!

Moab

We had a wonderful Spring Break in Moab, Utah with our kids last week. My brother, Mike, and his wife, Shannon, recently moved to Moab, so we were really excited to see the great scenery and visit with some of our favorite people.
The kids had a great time hiking, swimming, and especially chasing Mike and Shannon's dog, Oliver.
This first picture is of Double Arch. It is famous for being in an Indiana Jones movie. Our kids LOVED this arch. It was a very short walk. Brayden hated the walk, but loved scampering around on the rocks. He giggled the entire time. Spencer and the girls all did great! They were real troopers. And great rock climbers!

This next picture is of Delicate Arch. It is the arch pictured on the Utah state license plates.

This is a really beautiful tree that we passed on our hike to Landscape Arch.

And this is Landscape Arch. It would span a football field. Wow! That's big!! This hike really wore out our younger kids. I'm glad we did it. The view was really worth it. Andraia met many friendly people on her hike. She showed everyone her 'baby' rocks that she was collecting. She can't wait to take her collection to school for show and tell.

And these are our tired girls on the way home. Peaceful and sleeping. Everyone did really great in the car this time. Its about a 3 hour drive one way. Not even close to the long drive to California, but it does give me hope for a smoother trip to Disney in July!

Thanks For Tuning In!

We're in the midst of ANOTHER crazy week. Do you ever feel like you're on a treadmill, or better yet, in a hamster ball, and you can't find your way out? It gets that way sometimes, but we wouldn't be having as much fun if we weren't so busy. Right?

Spencer had a great Court of Honor last night. We had so much fun. All of the scouts in our ward are hilarious. And their leaders are just as great! Spencer received his Tenderfoot and Second Class Scout advancements last night. He also received a merit badge (Public Health). We are so proud of him. And he didn't even poke me when he was pinning on the 'Mother's Pins'. Good Boy! Maybe I didn't need to threaten him with being grounded...

This week has also found us being VERY grateful for employment. Several friends and ward members have suffered lay-offs. Earl's company is implementing a company wide pay cut, but we would rather lose a little bit of money than our whole income (or have Earl out of town all of the time to keep the same salary)! The company would rather do this than lay off people only to have to shell out the money to rehire and train new people when their business picks up again, and I totally agree. So, we're counting our blessings.

In other happenings, I have to opportunity to help with a fund raiser for Friday's Kids. This is the place that provides respite care 2 times a month for Brayden. They are having a silent auction to raise money and I am on the committee to collect the donations. We are having a great time contacting people in the community. Everyone is so generous!

And in the "Good News" category...Earl's brother, Bill, is graduating from college!!! We are so proud of him. His graduation is in May. It will be so cool to see him get his degree! He has worked so hard. Unfortunately, this conflicts with the Utah Autism Walk on May 2nd, so I won't be able to do that this year, but this graduation is once-in-a-lifetime. I'll for sure do the walk next year!

We can't wait for Conference Weekend. We really need that boost.
Have a great day!

Contest Entry

Mormon Mommy Blogs is having a really great contest this month. Some super fun prizes are available. Check it out here to enter!

Special Needs Carnival

Monday, we went to a carnival especially for kids with special needs and their families. It was so much fun! Spencer really enjoyed playing 'stomp the balloon tied to your opponents leg'. Yeah, complicated name....fun game! They also had cotton candy, a cake walk, dress up clothes, face painting, bowling, fish pond..... The girls especially had a blast. Brayden was feeling rather anxious that night, so he and Earl walked around the building. Spencer was a bit to old to enjoy most of the games, but he was a very good sport and made it a fun night.

The carnival was done by Andraia's kindergarten teacher and her ward. They have several teachers in their ward who work with kids with special needs. I was so impressed because EVERYONE was so loving and enthusiastic about what they were doing. It was a really special night!

Busy Week!

Wow! We sure had a busy, but very fun week! Most importantly, Chloe turned 2 Years Old!! I'm amazed at how fast she is growing up. She is by far our most mature child at this age. She is running all over the house, jumping on the trampoline with the big kids, singing songs (she knows lots of primary songs all on her own-'I am a Child of God' is her favorite), and talking up a storm. Sometimes she can pop out with a 7 word sentence and it just about knocks me over to hear her talking like a little lady!

We had our friends Mindy and Dennis (and their kids) over for birthday cupcakes and ice cream on Sunday. We had our big family party a couple of weeks ago with my parents and siblings, so this was a nice evening to just hang out with friends. We decorated with Mickey Mouse stuff because he is Chloe's favorite character right now. Actually, he has been for some time, and I don't see the infatuation fading any time soon. So, she got a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse playset and MegaBlocks from us. Mindy and Dennis also gave her a really cute doll that smells like lavender. She has carried it all over our house and given it the new babydoll blanket and burp cloth that my mom made for her.

Chloe and Andraia helped me make the cupcakes on Sunday and REALLY enjoyed licking the spoons when we were done!





Other things going on this week included taking Andraia to the BYU vs Utah Gymnastics Meet on Friday with her class from The Little Gym. She and I had a great Mom and Daughter Date! We met up with her friend, Ava, from kindergarten. It was nice to meet Ava's mom in person after spending some time on the phone planning class parties! Andraia got a t-shirt from Little Gym and got 'that close' to catching a t-shirt from the BYU mascot, Cosmo. It hit her in the eye, bounced off, and was grabbed by someone else. The little boy who ended up with it didn't know it had hit Andraia first, so I didn't say anything to him, but I did buy ice cream for Andraia to help her feel better!




Another 'event' this week was recovering the dining room chairs. We bought an inexpensive, but nice looking, dining set last year that we love. It is counter height and because it is solid wood, Brayden loves to stand on it and pound on it. Its a good thing it was cheap, because he has nicked it up quite a bit with his cars. But that's why we didn't spend much on it to begin with. In our house, things get pretty beaten up. If we ever teach Brayden not to bang things on the table, we'll get a nicer one, but for now this one is pretty great for us. My only problem with it was the fabric on the seats. The chocolate brown micro-suede looked great to begin with....until our kids had their way with it. It doesn't resist drink spills and sticky fingers like we had hoped, so I replaced it with chocolate brown vinyl and its FANTASTIC!!! Wipes clean. No stains. AAHH....relief!



PS--That picture at the top of our blog is of crocus from our own flower garden! Its lovely! We can't wait to see the rest of our spring flowers blooming!!