Ready, Set, Hike!

These two love to play with their daddy. Lately, he's been teaching them how to hike a ball. They get the biggest kick out of it! Definitely a daddy game!

Shhhhh

This is what Paxton does to me in the car when I start to sing. He does not want to hear my voice! He gets quite upset when I don't listen to him, and I get quite a kick out of it!

Independence

This is Miss Independent. Now that she's 4 1/2, she can make all decisions on her own, right? I really have tried to let her clothes be a choice she can make. I know that this is a healthy expression of her taste and personality. But, let me tell you, this is sooooooo hard for me. I cannot even begin to describe. I seriously want to hold up a sign that says she picked out her clothes, not me! I know that seems so shallow of me, it's just one of those pety things I am trying to let go of as a mom! I complement her on her choice of clothes and style of hair. She is still sometimes ok with me doing her hair or picking out her clothes, especially for church :)

Adventure Week

This "adventure" took place about a month ago, but I still had to blog about it! The week of March 22, my mom and I, along with Lyric and Paxton, took a somewhat spontaneous trip to Southern California. We told Lyric we were going on an adventure, because we weren't quite sure where we were going to end up! It certainly ended up being a fun filled adventurous week.

We stopped and stayed the night at my grandma's, which felt really special. I haven't been able to do that in so long. It was really good to spend some time with her. It is really an experience to watch what the natural progression of age does to people. I think she really enjoyed our company.

The next day we headed down to San Diego. We got a hotel and then ate at the Hard Rock Cafe there. Then on Monday, which also happened to be my birthday, we went to Sea World. I hadn't been there since I was 12, and my kids had never been there. We caught all of the fun shows they had and went on some rides.

The next day, our adventure was at Legoland. None of us had been there. I really like how kid oriented it was. It really was amazing to see all of the things made out of legos.

For the third adventure, we headed back up to Anaheim, and went to California Adventure. None of us had been there either. This was probably my favorite. There was a guy selling tickets out front, so we got an awesome deal! Right when we got in, the infamous High School Musical show was about to start, so we were able to sit and watch that while we melted in the afternoon sun! There were lots of fun rides there and lots of fun shows.

For our final adventure, we went to Knott's Berry Farm. That probably had the most kid rides out of them all. It was probably also the most low key. There were a few rides that Lyric ended up going on by herself, because my mom and I just couldn't get that dizzy!

Lyric was sad to see the week end. She was ready to go-go-go! It really was a fun week. We were all in bed by 8:30 each night, so it felt very doable. Also, most of the parks closed by 5 0r 6 so the days weren't too long. My mom was such a good sport. It has been years since I have been to an adventure park with her, let alone four in one week! Lots of fun memories were definitely created.

Mickey

Lyric loves watching Playhouse Disney in the mornings. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse has been one of her favorites for probably 2 1/2 years. The other day she was singing the song which goes, "It's the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, come inside it's fun inside."
Instead, she was singing, "It's the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, come inside apologize." For some reason it made me laugh really hard! It's so funny to hear what lyrics kids pull out of songs.
I remember when I was little, I thought "You make me feel like a natural woman," said, "you make me feel like a man woman."

Four?

I think my daughter is aging mentally and emotionally faster than she is physically. There is no way she acts four! More like 14. As a mom, I didn't know that I could be pushed to limits like she is pushing me! It is a daily struggle. I actually think I need to take some sort of class on how to be a good mom to her. I try, but fall terribly short. Patience has never been one of my virtues, and that definitely doesn't help anything! She is such a passionate girl, so that can be really good, but can also make things really hard. Her emotions are so strong, which leads to really dramatic breakdowns at least sixty times a day. I feel guilty looking forward to bedtime at 10 am! It just reaffirms to me that I was not meant to have 14 kids like I said I was going to when I was younger :)

Easter '09

Mike had to stay home cause his back has been killing him

This year, the Easter bunny made a stop to our house while we were at church. Lyric was anxious to see what he left, and Paxton was just anxious to get his hands on the candy! I decided to have the baskets waiting after church rather than before, because Sunday mornings already push my patience without adding in candy covered church clothes!

After church, my dad had us over for a delicious dinner. He made BBQ'd chicken, garlic bread, salad, and lots of steamed veges. Jamie and her family were in Utah, and my mom drove down to my grandma's to spend Easter Sunday with her. We had a fun, casual time eating and playing.

Spring Break

This past week was a fun, relaxing week. It was Mike's spring break, so he decided to also take work off. We headed to Monterey for a few days. We took the kids to the aquarium and walked around Cannery Row and Fisherman's Wharf.
The weather was decent. There was a mixture of a little sun, rain, and coldness! We took Lyric and Paxton down to the beach a few times. Paxton literally cried whenever a wave came a shore. It was actually a little funny. He eventually got somewhat used to it. He loved climbing the rocks with Mike.
Within 2 minutes of getting there, Lyric fell completely in the water. It actually felt like ice water. I had to go across the street and find an inexpensive sweater so she didn't die from hypothermia! The next day, she was actually intentionally going into the freezing water.
We enjoyed trying about twenty types of clam chowder. Every little shop would hand out samples. I think that was Lyric's favorite part. Every place we ate at, she requested clam chowder.
You may wonder why I wouldn't post pictures from such a fun trip? Well, a ghost decided to steal my camera while we were gone. I think the hotel we stayed at was haunted. Either that, or our hotel room got really hungry and ate it. It makes me feel really sad and crazy that it literally disappeared into thin air! I tried to not let it ruin the rest of our trip, but it was really hard. Oh well!

We DON'T Like Soda

As you can tell by this picture, we don't drink very much soda ;) I gave up on my "soda fast" a while back. I came to the conclusion that the caffeine is what doesn't mix well with my body. I must be ultra sensitive to it. So, I now drink diet caffeine-free Pepsi. Something that never interested me before, but I'm actually quite grateful for the stuff now! I drink it without feeling one yucky side effect. The only downfall is that diet caffeine-free doesn't come in any "fun" flavors. Oh well, totally worth it.

By the way, this is from three separate Target trips, it was in my trunk and finally got it out tonight. Whenever there is a good sale, I like to stalk up. Especially now that they come in the rip off eight packs, I will only pay a really good price for it.

Green Day

This morning, I spontaneously made Lyric, Peyton, and Paxton green eggs, in honor of St. Patrick's Day. How festive of me :) They actually turned out more of a teal color, but close enough for them! I wasn't sure if the color would be a turn off, but they gobbled them right up!

Shoes

Paxton is absolutely obsessed with shoes. As soon as he gets up in the mornings or from a nap, he finds his shoes for me to put on. He actually gets irritated when I take them off for naps or bedtime. Whenever Mike gives him a ride on his shoulders, Paxton doesn't like him touching his shoes! With the warmer weather coming I'm going to need to find some shoes his feet won't sweat in, so he can wear them around all day!

My Three Daughters

On Tuesdays, we have Peyton over. Lyric and Paxton enjoy playing with their cousin. She does quite well with either Lyric, who is about two years older, or Paxton, who is about 8 months younger. I try to make it my cleaning day, so I don't typically venture out with the three of them. The very few times I have, I typically get comments about "my three daughters."
I was at SaveMart a few weeks ago, and this older man leaned over to me and said, "You'd better stop at three girls, I've got five!" I smiled and gave a courteous answer. Now, this might sound confusing, beings that I actually only have one daughter. The other child is my niece, and the other child is my SON stupid.
I cannot tell who how often Paxton is referred to as a girl when I am out. I typically don't even correct them. For some reason I don't feel like saying, "actually, it's a boy." Maybe I should, but I normally feel so irritated I just ignore it. I know that if I shaved his head, that would quite possibly solve the problem, but I'm not willing to get rid of his curls, therefore, I will keep getting the mistake about my other daughter.
I'll hold your place in line so you can go get her, she'll never need a perm when she grows up, look at her curls, and about six billion other comments get made to me at least twice a week. I mean, I don't dress him in skirts and dresses, or girly colors! I actually feel I do the opposite. Oh well! Maybe I'll start having him wear a blue bow in his hair so people know he's a boy :)

Birthday Boy

Delicious cake made by Jamie

Mike posing for a birthday picture with Lys and Packy

Photo courtesy of our four year old, Lyric.

Yesterday was Mike's birthday, 28th to be exact. No, I didn't forget, we celebrated in some fashion or another for three days, so I decided to blog about all of them tonight.

First, Friday night we went to dinner, just the two of us. Lyric and Paxton went to Jamie's house to play with their cousins. Then, Saturday was the "Big" day! Lyric and I decorated while Mike was still sleeping. He woke up to lots of fun birthday decorations. We didn't do much, just hung out. Then, today we went over to Jamie and Tucker's for dinner and a little celebration. Since our birthdays are nine days apart, it was for the two of us. There was really good food, and of course, a really good cake! Thanks guys!

Mike informed me that he wishes he would have married someone with a birthday in July so that he wouldn't have to share with me :)

Happy 28th Birthday!!!!!! Wow, you're getting old :) We love you!

Good Times

After dance class today, I took Lyric and Paxton to SaveMart. I was pushing Paxton while Lyric was pushing her beloved "little cart." SaveMart is literally more exciting to Disneyland for her, because of their kid sized shopping carts. If she ever finds out that I've gone without her, she breaks down into tears!

So, we were going up and down the aisles decided what to make for dinner and she tells me she needs to go potty. I tell her to hold it, but she keeps insisting. I turn around and see her crossing her legs and I know she's serious. Before I can do anything she starts peeing on the floor! I wanted to get mad, but I knew it was purely an accident. So, I go tell an employee, and off we go to the car! Experiences like this are very humbling for me. Yes, that is my daughter's fluorescent yellow pee in the middle of the aisle that you have to walk around :)

Compliments to the Chef

Tonight I made lasagna for dinner. This morning I was watching the Today Show and there was a recipe that looked really yummy. It was my first time, so it was a bit time consuming. I dished up Lyric's plate and set it in front of her. She looked at it, and then smelled it and said, "Mom, it smells like throw up." Wow, that sure made me feel good about my cooking!