Girly stuff

Here is a picture of Emi at the exact same age as Macy is now:

She was my little girl...she stood still for pictures, smiled when I asked her to, made all appropriate doggy/kitty sounds when asked. This was very refreshing after Hurricane Parker hit. I thought this was how all little girls were.

Ummmm, nope.

Can't keep a handle on this one at all. She's everywhere. This is her running circles around my driveway. Macy is curious and crazy. She's up, she's down, she's all around. She's in toilets. She's in garbage cans sucking down leftover drinks. She's trying to grab her poopy diaper before I can get it off her bum. She used to say doggy and kitty sounds, but now does this silly heavy breathing thing whenever asked. Any body part you ask her, she will touch her hair and laugh her head off because she knows she's wrong. Macy giggles in glee if you have to chase her through Blockbuster. She's truly a bubbly little blonde.

I'm not sure I'm ready for this again. I have 3 others to keep up with as well.

She did, however, sit very still for her first haircut with Natalie.

In other girl related news, about 3 weeks ago, I took Emi on a mommy/daughter ski day. The boys had done one the week before with perfect sunny weather. We were not so lucky. It was the coldest day I have ever skied. Winds were crazy and visibility sucked. We ended up going to the bunny hill because it was kind of shielded with trees. Needless to say, she wasn't thrilled about the whole event. She was even less thrilled to find out that her friends had gone to a special "American Girl" Valentine party at the library while we were freezing our tails off at the ski resort. I felt soooo bad that I hadn't had the forsight to make a better choice.

A mother's guilt (when it has to do with her daughter) is a big deal. I searched everywhere to see if this party was being done at any other library. It was, but right during one of the classes I taught. In steps my wonderful mother! She saved the day and took Emi to the other library. ANNNNNNDDDD....Emi got chosen to wear one of the costumes. Wait, it gets better. She was chosen to be Felicity. This was her first AG doll. The guilt gods were smiling upon me that night. She was so happy. There is redemption.

What's new with me

1. Snow...it was the lovely kind that is fluffy and doesn't stick to your driveway. I didn't have to go anywhere in it. Snow is welcome for about 7 more days, then I will really hate it.

2. Macy has moved to 1 nap. This is her as tired as can be after church. This one nap thing has made her wake up about an hour earlier than normal. I don't understand it. Poor thing is trying so hard to stay awake. In other news, Quinn has moved to no naps, so I'm basically accomplishing nothing!

3. I lost my sanctuary. Bill works from home most days. This is not permanent and I will truly miss the benefits when it's over, but I've lost my master bedroom. My office space (truly, the greatest part of my house) is perfect for me and my studio. Wouldn't be great for him as it doesn't close off. As happy as I was that Macy was a girl, it meant all bedrooms were going to be actual bedrooms. Sorry honey. I used to have this lovely corner in my bedroom....now this is what I see. I listen to these conference calls and have gotten to know people through their accents and voices. It's a strange little world.

4. My new FAVORITE THING! This watercolor. I kept seeing it and really felt it was for me. Sounds corny, but I know I was supposed to have it. This is how I've always pictured babies coming from the pre-existence. I cry when I look at it. Like everytime. I can stare at it forever. It's by Brian Kershisnik and I love it, love it, love it.

5. Recital stuff is in full swing. Costumes are all over my house and my creative juices are a-flowin. It's a big pain but it's MY big pain and I really love it.

6. My new knit cardigan from Down East. No one was home to snap the pic. It goes great with jeans, sweats, and skirts.

7. Emi's long lost slipper...has anyone seen it? I feel like I've searched all weekend for it. She's devastated.

8. Teeth in ........

...and teeth out.

9. A lot of yelling.....my kids have been hard. I will say it's not me always yelling. They are just noisy. Probably cause they are cooped up a lot these days. They yell, I yell, Macy has a piercing scream that leaves my deaf. I'm ready to throw them all into the backyard. Parker has pressed every last button on me and I'm just trying to remain sane. February is always his worst month of the year. We can't explain it, but every year, it hits like a hurricane.

10. A beautiful new necklace from Bill. It's got the SL temple on the front and says "Together Forever" on the back. It was hanging from my rear view mirror yesterday. I really, really needed it. Not to end on a bad note, but it's been a hard few months for me. It's a big mix of being highly overwhelmed, stressed, big-time anxiety, and a bit down. No biggie. Just nice to know I have someone cute in my court. Love you, honey!

What's new with all of you? (Who's really reading this...I want to know!)

Wait for it.....Christmas 2010!

Oh, can you believe it.....I had to throw on some of the latter part of December. I really had to do this before it was February. I'm sure all 2 of you who read my blog really care, but I do.

cookies at Grandma

Christmas Eve...they loved their new friends

After the other kids went to bed, Macy ate all the cookies to Santa. Luckily, she didn't drink Santa's coke. That would have REALLY ticked off Santa. Santa was up a long time. (See what I mean about Macy and her inability to keep her eyes open for a picture.) Not her best pic, but she does look pretty pleased with herself.

Parker

Emi

Macy

Quinn

Santa doesn't wrap at our house. I realize that is a big debate for some families. I give Santa the green light to do as he sees fit. He's got enough on his plate in December.

Look alike American Girl doll for Emi. She has to get her summer tan to really look like her. That's o.k., Emi is usually tan from March to November.

This scary creature is now part of our lives.....it was left in our milkbox after our Christmas party (people leave their unwanted white elephants at the host's house. I should have been more aware). Scared Parker to death one night. We then stuck it in the offending people's master bath window on Christmas Eve. This is how it was returned. They have 4 boys...this is a battle I don't see us winning.

We got to reunite with old friends. Sean (Parley) has moved into our ward. Jimmy is our long lost bachelor friend from L.A. They were my friends first at BYU, then Bill's, then they made sure we met. AWWWWWWWW. Would someone please marry Jimmy? He's the greatest.

New Year's Eve brought some "Just Dance" fun. Love Bill in this pic. I love a video game that I can actually win. The kids actually stayed up until midnight to see that it wasn't that great.

But they had fun anyway!

Merry Christmas!

Sweet 16 and always kissed

(She is not, however, the most photogenic child...most pics she is closing her eyes.)

Macy is a sweet sixteen months (yesterday). Can't believe it. She's so full of personality right now.

Here are some of her qualities I want to remember:

1- She loves to get everyone ready for school. She follows Emi around holding her lunchbox every morning. She doesn't want anyone to forget anything. She brings out boots, coats, everything.

2- She pretends like she is cleaning. She gets a napkins and will wipe down her little kitchen. She's pretty thorough....I don't think she learned this from watching me.

3- Macy isn't into rocking her baby dolls. She throws them out of the doll crib and prefers to rock herself crazy! She's a super, duper dancer though. Pom poms and everything.

4- For the life of her, she will not keep on her shoes and socks.

5- She keeps up with the boys.

6- She is happiest when pushing trucks around the dance studio. Seriously.

7- She's got a massive sweet tooth. If you leave the pantry door open, she's all over the oreos.

8- Feeding herself is turning into an issue between us.

9- Macy can dump stuff out of a drawer in a minute flat. She does this CONSTANTLY. It's making me a little crazy.

10- Her blonde hair is so fluffy (when there's not bananas in it) that we like to blow it like a dandelion. I'm seeing a future nickname.

She is a dream baby and we all can't get enough of her. Love you, Macy!

Happy Belated Birthday, Mr. Quinn

It's so typical. Middle child is getting the shaft. Quinn turned 4 on 1/11/11, and have not given him a birthday tribute as I did the rest of my family. He's the last in our string of b-days, and I have burned out. There will hardly be a picture or an interesting thing to say. I'm BURNED, BURNED, BURNED out on birthdays, birthday parties, cooped up children, taxes, and recital planning.

But he deserves the love:

1. Quinn has a constant soundtrack going on. He's always singing something, being someone, or just chatting to no one in his cute, high-pitched, Mickey Mouse voice.

2. He has watched his 30 min "Mater's Tall Tales" everyday since he got it at Christmas. He still laughs like it's the first time.

3. He is the ultimate little boy. I'm not sure if it's because he's our last little boy, or if it's because our little boy experience was vastly different with Parker and his disability, but Bill and I thoroughly enjoy his little antics and games. However.......

4. ....with all the extreme cuteness, he his highly emotional and cries at the drop of a hat. He's a little tender. We've resorted to "toughen up". It's heartless, but we don't want him crying at scout camp one day.

5. Li-Li is a huge part of his life, as he has been for 3 full years now. But he's not weird about it. He doesn't drag it everywhere, but he's just around. Li-Li waits for him to come home from pre-school, eats meals with him, sleeps with him, and watches movies with him. It's rare he takes him anywhere, which is good because the world would end if we lost him. Again, the scout camp thing worries me a little. We might have to have an intervention one day. I can't imagine a day where Li-Li doesn't exist in his world. I will be heartbroken.

(Li-Li)

6. He refers to several things as boring. Not sure why. He always loves them afterwards.

7. You can practically see through his skin. So very albino. I stress our Coronado week every year, though he has yet to totally burn.

8. There are times I think he looks like a Precious Moments kid. I don't even like those, but I still think he's cute like them.

9. He was my fastest potty trainer. Maybe this won't mean anything to him in the future, but I will be eternally grateful to him for this. It's always my worst parenting moment.

10. He is the sweetest little boy. Cute, adorable, loves to be outside, loves to drink chocolate milk, loves snow, loves leaves, loves his cars and trains, loves his Grandparents.....he is sweetness personified and I love him dearly. Happy Birthday, Quinn-quinn-quinners.

P.s. I added a new pic to my header....this is the view from my favorite restaurant in Coronado. I need a little tropical view right about now.

I could not ask for more....yet I always do

Yesterday was Emi's baptism day....it was wonderful. She looked like an angel and we had a lot of support from family and friends.

(this pic was taken on Christmas Eve....her lips are blue. I've cured her of ever getting married in December like I did)

It was sweet, simple, and spiritual...just as it should be. Her BFF Jade was also baptized yesterday.

So fun. So great to have a husband that can perform these ordinances and sustains his priesthood.

About 5 days ago, I was listening to a song on the radio called "I Could Not Ask for More" or something like that. It truly echoed my feelings. I'm blessed like crazy.

I didn't really do a Thanksgiving post, so this is in place of that:

1- Awesome husband...well...I won't mention his desire to go to the bike shop yesterday while I was trying to get ready for the baptism "after party", but other than that, he's stellar. I often fall into blessings without knowing it. He appeared in my life when I was otherwise engaged. After a series of me not committing to guys and guys not committing to me in various drama-filled episodes, he just appeared. I'm blessed. I wouldn't have said it was easy at the time, but in the eternal scheme of things, it was easy.

2- 4 great kids They got here without major drama that accompanies so many of my friend's lives. Yeah, pregnancy was not easy for me, I miscarried once, but it worked. The older I get, I recognize this blessing. I'm extremely lucky.

3- They are healthy So far (knock on wood). Sure, Asperger's was not my first choice as a mother, but I'll take it. He's pretty great. My kids really love each other.

4- My super house Yet again, another thing I fell into. First house we toured, I knew the owner, it was in my close friend's neighborhood, and oh yeah......IT HAD A DANCE STUDIO BUILT IN! Could I be more watched over? Love my floor plan, love the neighborhood to pieces, and I will love the changes I'm dying to make to my kitchen.

5- My career.....crazy. I own a business?!?!? Never my aspiration really, but so happy about it. My first year of college, I wanted nothing to do with dance. I had burned out from my dedication to it in my younger years. It took that year to realize how much I missed it and that frankly, I was pretty good at it. That's when I tried out for BYU cheer which is one of the greatest experiences of my life. It was a year later that I finally could commit to it as a major (I had a few committal issues I've decided), and never turned back. My job is so good. So, so hard at times while juggling it with my family, but I'm my own boss. I set the terms. I teach how I see fit. What? B-L-E-S-S-E-D!

6-Parents....O.K. , my mom has a reputation in all of my sibling's neighborhoods as being ultra supportive. She's famous. I could on and on about this one (buying my kids awesome clothes, babysitting my kids and loving the job, super meals at the ready, etc, etc, etc), but let's just say she takes care of me. Mommies of young kids need this. Husbands do a pretty good job of it, but moms always know how to do it up right. My dad's super too!

7-Trips to California I get to go a lot. California (Coronado, mainly) feels like a second home to me. I love that I can live near skiing and mountains, but get to be a beach bum on a fairly regular basis. Love that aspect of my life.

8- My membership in the Gospel Born into it, lived in the worldwide headquarters of it, went to the university, get to bask in the knowledge of it's leaders often.....wow.

9- And lastly.....awesome friends. The kind you dream of. The kind you have silly traditions with and can count on for anything. The kind that won't judge you when your crying because your kids have taken you to the edge. Love to you all!

Count your blessings, name them one by one.

I will post about Christmas....probably in July.

2010....check!

Well, the end of another year. I will post about our wonderfully fun Christmas in a few days, but I must bid a fond farewell to an unforgettable year for us. I always get excited about planning my goals for the future year (full well knowing they will be forgotten in a few weeks), so I decided to list what I DID do in 2010. Forgive me if I'm a little self indulgent and braggy, but I need this.

1. I didn't kill my kids...I'm serious. Each one has pushed me the edge of insanity more than once, but they are still alive. Amazing self control on my part.

2. I taught approx. 300 dance classes and supervised around 250 other ones. No wonder my back hurts all the time. I produced a great recital (I think my best yet) and even performed.

3. We were in 2 earthquakes in California. Always fun.

4. I scrapbooked all of 2009 digitally. It's not great, but it's my family history.

5. I got 2 kids almost fully self-sufficient on skis. 2 down, 2 to go until we can ski as a family (and go bankrupt).

6. My marriage survived. I know this sounds strange, but after a bout of unemployment, this is worth mentioning. I obviously love my hubby and would never trade him for anyone (except maybe Dr. Drew, but that is a post for another day), but unemployment is a strain. It caused us some strife, but we got through and I'd like to think we are closer because of it.

7. I was sugar-mama. I supported my family. I personally think that is cool. We were extremely, EXTREMELY blessed during unemployment with a great severance, good planning, and my studio, but when you don't know how long it will last, you really learn to budget. This was good for me. I've always been blessed money-wise, and it was strangely fun for me to live in a tight budget. But not that fun. I must say, the week Bill got a job, I started tearing up in Wal-Mart knowing I could buy Macy Pampers instead of the cheap stuff. Sad.

8. I did p90X....not faithfully, but I stuck with it fairly well for awhile. I can't stand the tone of Tony Horton's voice anymore, but I did it. Not that you can tell under my holiday layer of fat. I also learned to like running again. That was nice.

9. I got away with my college girls! Finally. We've been threatening to do this for years, but pregnancies and nursing messed it up. It was so very rejuvenating and we are hoping to do it all again this year. I laughed all weekend, except when I got stomach flu for 12 hours.

10. I spoke my mind more. This wasn't always appreciated, but I'm proud of myself.

11. I took care of some things that were wearing me down. For example, my teeth had shifted again thanks to TMJ. I finally took the bull by the horns and got my braces on again, for the third time. Little things like that.

I hope we take a moment to look at what we did. Feel good, be happy and thankful for all that you were able to do.

Happy New Year!