2190 days and counting.......

Today Mike and I celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary. We spent a romantic day out and about with our little family in the lovely 108 degree heat. Mike is taking next week off of work, so that is when we will actually celebrate it. Two kids in six years, that means I have another six years to work on the next two, hahahaha. I'll take the next six years and enjoy my two :)

I really love looking back and seeing the growth we have made in our marriage. Our foundation is stronger, and our relationship is better. Marriage takes work, and lots of it. It feels good when you can see progress being made. I love the person Mike is. His motivation and determination pours over into every aspect of his life. Here's to another year!

Fro Man

Last Sunday we were all hanging out at Jamie's. We were attempting to play some Rock Band, which didn't happen cause the XBOX ended up crashing. I wanted to show everyone what kind of a fro Paxton could sport, so I grabbed a brush and started combing his hair out. Can you believe how big it can get! I was laughing so hard. Mike thought I was being mean by having Paxton be the joke, but I got a good kick out of it. His hair absolutely amazes me. It literally gets curlier as it gets longer. When I wash his hair, it easily reaches a few inches past his shoulders. I won't cut it until I absolutely have to!

Here is a "normal" shot of his hair, taken by Jamie's friend, Tiffany, while she was here.

What Happens When...

This is what happens when you are a little boy constantly surrounded by girls. Paxton watches me paint my nails and Lyric's, and always wants his done. That is not something Mike particularly approves of, so I respect that. Well, Paxton took it upon himself to do his own toes when mommy was gone and daddy was distracted with sister. I laughed so hard when I got home. He actually did a pretty good job!

Recital 2009

Yesterday was the big recital. Lyric was so excited for it. This year was extra special, because cousins Jordyn and Lexi were in the same class as Lyric. They did their dance to a really cute song called "Baby, Take a Bow." The week leading up to it was crazy busy filled with pictures, recital practice, and then the real thing!

This was Lyric's third year in her Tap/Ballet/Jazz class. This summer she is going to try a straight ballet class. She has expressed interest in this. I love watching her confidence and talents grow. She absolutely loves dance class, and I hope she always will!

I Wish

Paxton has a deep fascination with the potty. He's never actually gone in it, but he likes to pretend. He loves joining anyone who will let him in the bathroom with them. He especially loves to follow cousin Peyton and watch her go potty. I wish I could blink my eyes and have potty training over with! I am not going to rush him into it. I am going to let him take the lead!

Siblings

Lyric was trying to read Paxton a book the other day, and I caught the sequence of events as Paxton became less interested in reading, and more interested in teasing! They both do their fair share of teasing. It just amazes me how young they learn how to push buttons!

Disneyland

On Monday, my best friend, Tiffani, called and asked how spontaneous I was feeling. She invited us to drive down and go to Disneyland and California Adventure with them the next day. I couldn't pass up an opportunity to see her, since she was going to be so close, so I loaded everything up and headed out at 6:30 the next morning!

After a seamless 3 hour drive, we were there! It was such a fun day. The weather was so perfect. We were able to hit both parks. The kids had a blast as well. Our two oldest are 9 months apart, and our two youngest are 5 1/2 months apart.

We stayed the night at a hotel and then went to Knott's Berry Farm the next morning for a yummy breakfast. We said our goodbyes and headed home! It was a short trip, but well worth it!

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.