Professional Bike Rider

Taylee got her big girl bike today. We dressed her in long pants and a long sleeve shirt. We made sure that she had on her knee pads, elbow pads, and helmet. We also gave her a pep talk about always getting back on the bike even if she got hurt and to never give up.
We put her on the bike. Sean started pushing her. I pulled out the bandaids. Sean let go. And off she went. Without ever falling.
I always thought that it was part of taking off the training wheels to have a few falls and bumps and bruises. Guess not. Taylee has been zooming around the neighborhood all afternoon. Crazy girl :-)



Sean's safety check! Haha!

Sad...

When you look over at your kids and they have both swiped a phone and are zoned in on playing games.

Preschool Graduation

Taylee had a graduation party on her last day of preschool. Her teacher played a slideshow of pictures that had been taken during the year and told us cute stories about each of the kids. It was so much fun! She's only been out of preschool for a week but she is already missing her friends and teacher :-( But she is excited for kindergarten and hopes that some of her friends will be in her class.

Double-Trouble Birthday Party

Brynlee celebrated her birthday with her cousin Asher. They were born less than 24 hours apart and are best friends...



Brynlee had a great time at her birthday party. Thanks to everyone who was able to come and celebrate with us!

Here is Brynlee's half of the cake.

And I love this picture! Asher tried to blow out Brynlee's candle and Brynlee tried to blow out Asher's candle. Asher was faster and did not want Brynlee's help. They are funny together!

Brynlee's Birthday

Brynlee turned 3!!! We call her our Bryn-zilla because she has such a spunky personality. She can make you laugh and want to tear your hair at the same time. Right now she wants to do everything that Taylee does. I hear "Me too" at least 10 times a day. She wants to be a big girl but still loves to cuddle with mommy. Oh how I love my Bryns!

She loved all her presents, but her favorite was the scooter she got from Taylee.
Of course, Daddy had to try it out as a safety precaution :-)

Taylee's Sacrifice

Taylee has been earning Kid Bucks for a new bike. She also was earning Kid Bucks for a birthday present for Brynlee. I talked to her about what she could get for Bryns and how much each would cost. After a while Taylee asked what she could get for Bryns if she spent ALL of her kid buck. The answer was a scooter. Taylee grinned and said she wanted to do it. All her Kid Bucks for a scooter for Brynlee. All because it would make Brynlee happy (that was her answer when Sean asked her why).
I love my little girl.

Stay Away...

From our house!! We are officially quarantined for at least a week. Paxton was diagnosed with an ear infection and viral pneumonia on Friday! And now Bryns is coming down with a cough and runny nose. Yuck! Maybe the Urgent Care will give us a discount :-)

Very Grateful

This morning I am very grateful for modern medicine and for antibiotics.

70 years ago when my grandfather was diagnosed with pneumonia the treatment was to literally cut into the lungs through the back and squirt in bacteria-killing liquid and then syringe the liquid back out. This was done over and over again until all the bacteria was gone. A child's survival rate was not very good. My grandfather was only a child (around 5) when this happened, but he can clearly recall how painful it was.

Last night Taylee was diagnosed with pneumonia. She was given a shot and a prescription of antibiotics which I will go pick up at Walmart.

Yep, I am feeling very grateful this morning for modern medicine.

Birthday Party

Paxton's Birthday Party was so much fun! I did a BIG whoops and picked out a cake with RED frosting (as you will see later). But it was still cute and Paxton loved the toys that came with it :-)

Paxton is showing off his new walking skills. He would still rather crawl, but I have seen him becoming more daring everyday:-)

Kid parties are so much fun! The cousins had a blast "bonking" each other with the party toys. And Paxton loved it all!




Paxton blowing out his cake.


Paxton trying the cake.


Paxton not liking the cake.


Getting his car.


Tryng the cake again with his car.


And now he loves his cake.


Until he gets it in his eyes.


But after a bath and some cuddle time with my mom, he is fine (and yes, the bath water was PINK when he was done).

Happy Birthday Pax!!!

Paxton is 1!!!

I cannot believe that my little guy is 1!! He is changing so quickly. He says "mama" when he is sad. He says "no-no" when he doesn't want something. He waves "bye-bye" to everyone. And he says "dada" to everything else.
And he is SOOO different from when the girls were babies. He rarely cries (except when he is hungry or tired) and loves to growl and wrestle. He only wants to play with (aka eat) cars or dinosaurs, though once in a while he makes an exception for a My-Little-Pony.
In one word, I would describe Paxton as fun. He is just fun. He make me laugh with his facial expressions, his fake laugh, the way he beats up his sisters (this probably won't be so cute in a year). Oh, I love my little boy. He has both Sean and I wrapped around his chubby little finger! In fact, as Sean packed for Phoenix last night he joked that he was going to make room in his bag and pack Paxton because he didn't want to leave him behind.
He had a great birthday and now our house has "boy" toys! Yay!

Dance Recital

Taylee's dace recital was at the end of April. Thanks to everyone who was able to come and support her! She loves to dance and was so excited to be on stage and have everyone watch her (yep, she does not suffer from stage fright!).
Taylee is in the middle (the super tall one!)


Here is a pic of Taylee with my mom! She had to sit with her class in the front row during the recital, but she snuck down to us during intermission to give everyone hugs:-)


After the recital Taylee recieved flowers from Sean and from my Aunt Deann. She LOVED them and thought she was pretty special. But she was such a sweetheart and shared with Brynlee. It made Bryns' night too! Here are my two angels! Whenever I see them together I can only think about how much trouble I am in when they are teenagers!! They are both so stink'n beautiful!

Billy Goats Gruff Presentation

Taylee has had such a great time in preschool. Her teacher is so sweet and is always doing fun things with the class. Taylee has learned over 50 words in sign langage, including 3 songs. We have truly enjoyed it. Brynlee cannot wait to go next year!
In April the class did a presentation of Billy Goats Gruff. They did the play twice so that they could play different parts. First Taylee was the Troll. This is her after she was thrown off of the bridge.

In the second go-around, Taylee is the 3rd Billy Goat Gruff and she is tossing the Troll off the bridge.

Aprons By Grandma

A few weeks ago I decided that I wanted to make some aprons for Taylee and Brynlee. They always help me when I bake and they always make a big mess. I bought myself a cute apron but could not find anything for kids. So, I took my kids to pick out fabric, some buttons and ribbon and we went to my mom's house. She had a pattern and agreed to help me. Well, my kids were naughty that day. So naughty that I didn't even pull out the fabric. I left it all there and brought my kids home with the plan to go over a different day to work on it.
But, lo and behold the next morning I get a knock on my door. My mom is standing there on her way to the temple holding both aprons. Completely finished. Isn't she awesome!!!!