Bathtime with Conner!

I think she just saw her hair! Too funny.

The excitement for her own birthday was almost to much...every 30 seconds she asked if she could open her gifts.

Seeing the Just dance for kids game.

it knocked her over!

Her birthday breakfast, she asked for waffles, ice cream and milk. She also didn't want anything for dinner. We took her to Superjump and let her jump for about an hour.

She insists on climbing from the toy box, chair and then the table. Usually she pushes everything off the table too.

What you don't sit on a bike and cook?

Watching a movie in their cars...test run for the birthday bash!

Easiest way to play with toys, don't have to keep standing up to get a new one!

I do have pictures to post about Alexis and her 5th birthday, but well I am too lazy to transfer the pictures. I love Alexis with all my heart, she is such a fun girl and so smart. She is very excited about starting Kindergarten! On the 31st her school had a back to school bbq and a meet your teacher night. We didn't know who her teacher would be until that night. She has Mrs. Maloney and got to see her classroom and find her backpack cubby, and her name tag at her table. She got to walk around the room and see where somethings are like the bathroom! My parents took Megan so that Alexis and I could go without a baby, funny thing is Alexis was upset when she realized Megan wasn't coming. Alexis has been carrying a purse around with us everywhere for the last week. It is cute to see her acting like such a big girl. She is very protective of her sister and wants her to do everything with her(except play in her room) she will pick her and carry her around. Megan adores her and they love to laugh and be silly.

Megan tickles people, it is cute! She also will no longer sit in a cart, no matter how tight I buckle her in she finds away to stand up. She is a petite thing which I think makes it easier to squirm her way out. She hasn't been sleeping well since her first molars have started emerging, one is almost all the way through! She has started the dreadful scream if things aren't done her way...it is not cute at all.

We had an awesome weekend with Britt home. He surprised Alexis by coming home for her birthday. His boss paid for his ticket and then he was going to drive his truck back with my dad. Long story but Britt wasn't allowed to enter Canada, I got him a flight using air miles, my dad tried to drive through but the check engine light came on and a tire started having trouble so he turned around and came back. Just a very frustrating end to his trip. So we are back to square one on getting him transportation. Well mom duties call so more later.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEXIS

WE LOVE YOU GIRL!

We are surviving Daddy being gone. I am actually surprised the kids are doing so well. Alexis is a bit snotty with me though telling me no a lot and being stubborn about doing things for me. So she has been loosing privileges for it and it seems to be helping. Megan is jabbering up a storm and is just cute. She says
Britt
hi dad
ses (Alexis)
mom
hi and waves at everyone
stop
one two (after I say it)
sit (to Rudy)

and probably a few others that my sleep deprived mind can't remember. She is getting all 4 of her 1 year molars right now, I guess in the long run all at once is quicker just not easier the poor little baby is not wanting to eat, but is hungry so she is nursing a lot.

Alexis is in swim lessons and is coming along well. On the first day she wouldn't float on her back without looking like a chuck of wood, it was funny to see her so stiff. Now she will lay her head back and let her teacher help her relax. She will dog paddle about 10 feet real well and does bobs where they have to go under all the way and blow bubbles out. She is kicking with straight legs and just all around doing better. I hope by the end of next week that she will be really comfortable with the floating and other swim stuff. I wish that the summer had been different and I could have put her in one more session, but it just couldn't happen.

Britt is starting to like the job more in Alaska. He is surprised at how the guys up there haul cars, not in a good way either. He has been trained so well by my dad and the others he has worked around for the past 10 years that he feels he has a lot to offer the company. We are trying really hard to figure out a way to get us up there. I sold my piano yesterday which put a big chunk of money towards the move. We are trying to decide now if we head up there and leave our house empty and try and make it for the next year or so with no renters or if we try and rent it. Renting is so stressful for me and leaving it empty is so tempting, but it will put a strain on our finances. Oh decisions to make sometimes being an adult is no fun...although I am sure Alexis at nearly 5 feels being a kid is not fun either because your mom is always telling you what to do!

Daddy is the big huge love
Mommy is the large love
Alexis is the little love
Megan is the tiny love

Thanks for clearing that up Alexis. So I have talked to Britt on the phone a bunch since he left, but tonight we Skyped and I got all teary eyed. Megan cried when she saw him. Alexis was really excited and talked is ear off for a few minutes. I don't think it will get easier and hopefully we will be re-united again soon. I am trying to think of this as a work deployment not just like in the military because he isn't in harms way fighting bad guys, but gone just the same. I just hope that as we read the scriptures and pray together still as a family or at least as a couple that it will help.

High or Hi

Today the girls were playing high five with daddy. Megan watched Daddy and Alexis play a few times and then he turned to her. When they got to "up high" she waved to him instead. It was really cute. The simple things that we don't think about.

Megan is a serious climber, if it is wide enough for her body she will try and scale it. She loves to play with the toilet paper(so if you come over and it is in a pile on the back of the toilet you know why) and she is so quick about it.

Britt is going to Alaska on Monday for work. I tell ya 1 month of unemployment is a huge stress, but we have grown as a couple and a family. I wouldn't want to go through it again, but I am grateful for this time that we have had together. We had planned on him taking a month of next summer because he was going to have 3 weeks vacation, so I guess we just got blessed with it early. We are going to miss him like crazy and are doing all we can to save up so that the girls and I can join him as soon as possible. We are planning on flying him home every 6 weeks or so. I am so torn between moving. It will be really fun to live somewhere new and at the same time scary. It also is sad to leave family, my girls have such a special relationship with my parents. They get the privilege of seeing them multiple times a week, going to church with them and just having a very close bond. I was moved from my grandparents when I was 11 and still to this day miss being with them(they are all in Heaven now). We will have to make really good and sure that we come back often so that they still get that grandparent time!

Alexis had a hard time sleeping last night she said because she was thinking about what school will be like. Sweet girl, I hope that she doesn't stress about it too much. She knows where her school is and even where her class will be, where she gets a lunch and the library. They do a free lunch at her school and I plan to take her over there a few more times before school starts so that she gets more familiar with the school.

upside down?

The other day we had pineapple upside down cake. We asked Alexis if she wanted a piece and she said no. We were confused because this girl loves pineapple. She cleared the confusion a few minutes later when she asked if she could have hers right side up because she didn't want it upside down.

Love her!

Cherry picking

if you look in the top of the tree you can see a yellow blob, that my friends is Britt.




She fell asleep just sitting next to Britt on the couch.

We went "camping" at Ensign ranch and stayed in a bunk house....I may never set a tent up again. It was so nice to be out of the dirt and have room to walk around indoors, especially for Megan. The other nice thing about the ranch is were our friends camped in tepees it was all grass. I think this is the cleanest we have ever stayed while camping! It was so warm and fun. Alexis rode a horse, slip and slide...they have a huge one built that is so fun, caught grasshoppers, played until she dropped, throw rocks and sticks and anything else into the lake and river. Megan walked around trying to keep up with the big kids and carried sticks and rocks to her hearts content. It was truly just what I need to regroup and relax. I came home with peace in my heart ready to pick up the job search again. I will post pictures soon of our fun weekend. We are already planning next years and will be staying at least one more night!

Alexis wishes Megan was 4. Megan ate another slug today, this time her mouth was coated in slim. Alexis plays so well with Megan and looks after her so sweetly. Megan loves to carry purses and bags on her arm. We got my barbie house from my parents and both girls have been having a blast playing with it. Life is moving along at a snails pace right now. I am tired of the stress so I am taking a vacation from it and going to move on. Things are what they are and thinking about it 24/7 will not change it. I have a great family and I love them with all my heart, that will never change and as long as we have each other nothing else matters. I got some good snuggle time in with Alexis last night because she couldn't sleep. Oh how I miss when she was a baby and she needed me to lay with her each night to go to sleep. I am so pleased with who she is becoming! What an amazing young lady we have!!!

Alexis has a little notebook with a lock on that she lovingly calls her diarrhea. It is the funniest thing and I laugh every time she says it. She was playing princess yesterday and tried dressing Megan up which she didn't like so she had Megan play the horse. True to a 1 year old she would not stay where the horse was supposed to and was sent to pasture to not play princess anymore. It was funny. Megan likes to follow the big kids around and around even if they run in circles. I love watching my beautiful daughters grow up! I love watching Megan adore Alexis and how much Alexis loves having a sister.

Last night Megan was playing with her stroller and would wave bye to us and walk away. These girls are really great to each other. Alexis loves to play with her, except when she pulls her hair. I really truly am blessed with amazing children and a great husband. We are currently in a career change and trying to decide if he should go to school or what. Either way we are putting all our faith in the Lord that he has a plan and that we will find the right thing.

Megan talking on the phone, funny story we were at my parents house and she had gone to the family room to see what Alexis was doing and the phone rang. I answered in because it was my mom. While we were talking I kept hearing buttons being pushed and asked my mom if it was her. It was not so I went to the family room and found Megan with the phone, pushed the talk button and was pushing buttons. She had to reach up on the table to get the phone and had pulled the charging station down with it. Such a smart little cookie.

I asked her to not smile, just look at me and I love it! Her eyes are open and she has such pretty skin and features! Not that her smile isn't gorgeous but she is in this funny phase with her smile that makes her eyes closed, or gives her surprised look...so it can be goofy.

Mud Mountain Dam Annual Ward Picnic! This is the dam is pretty cool with it's history and being the largest dirt and rock dam ever built. Wish they had the lower observation deck open!

This dirt spot was a favorite for the babies. We finally gave up and let them play. We ended up being the last from the ward to leave...it was that nice of a day.


Parachute time! Alexis just warms my heart with how full of energy and excitement she is. Everything she does is with passion!

Tonight Alexis informed us that she doesn't want to be the child, she wants to be the dad because dad's don't do anything and children do everything. I may ask her what she thinks daddy does at work.

Got my book signed by the authors! I love this cook book and that says a lot for my because I hate buying cook books, it stays on my counter!

These girls love their daddy!

A day at the park for a little play and a birthday with our friends!



Watching fireworks in Eatonville on the 3rd!

Some more daddy play time.