Great Americans...

Busy Busy Wedding week...

We began the Fourth with our annual neighborhood parade at my mom's house. It's always so much fun for the kids and Grandma loves to show them all off. I had (have) come down with an awful cold so getting all four kids to the parade (dressed) by 8am was not as fun.

My mom lives only ten minutes away. The smoke we awoke to on the fourth was so bad you could not even see the mountains. So... we drove up to get a better view of the fire. View of the canyon with the fire...

Smoke

The view from my mom's house with the mountains hidden...

We came home and Alan took the older kids to the movies. We then went to his parents house for a bbq and swimming.
Here are the kids enjoying dinner...

Just a few of my important fourth of July shots. I look forward to dressing the kids up all patriotic every year. I love the flag!
Hailey and Sydney

All four kids somewhat together...
Later that night we headed back to my mom's house for fireworks and a party. My sister's new in laws arrived from out of town and we all met.
My sisters... Diana (L) the bride to be and Holly (R)
Diana showing Hailey sparklers. Don'y worry she never held it.
Daddy trying to get the girls more interested. They were pretty scared of the fireworks but enjoyed them from a far.

I love the Fourth of July and all it stands for. We live in a great country with so many privileges and freedoms. I try to remember how blessed I am living here!
Stay tuned for Wedding photos...

Wedding Bells...

It's been nearly ten years since Alan and I were married and its finally time for a wedding. My little sister is getting married Saturday. We are excitedly (is that word) more like crazyly trying to finish up all the details for her perfect day. All the kids are in the wedding, it will be quite a day. We all have fun matching clothing. I will be sure to post pics after... Here is the slide show I made for her program (its ten minutes so watch out). It's going to be a busy week, with wedding stuff, rehearsals, wedding dinners, and the wedding.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Life's Lessons... Forgiveness

This summer so far has had a lot of swimming, playing and going to bed way too late. It has also had a lot of bickering, fighting, and name calling. I have to admit that even though sibling rivalry is pretty normal it just makes me nuts! I worry that I am doing what is right to help them be good to each other, to be each others biggest cheer leaders ect...

So tonight we are preparing to drive home from dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's. I run inside to grab my forgotten cell phone (can't live without that one). I return to total mayhem in my car. Jacob is screaming and Lindsey is yelling at him. He tells me that she said something rude about his butt etc... I blocked out the exact phrase I think. I had just had enough of fighting and without much warning grounded Lindsey from her t.v privileges. She is upset that she cannot earn it back and whines and whines. Pretty soon I hear some crying surprisingly its Jacob not Lindsey. He is begging me to withhold the punishment, whaling. He says he has forgiven her why can't I? He says he cannot enjoy his shows without her, he won't be able to stop crying (pretty dramatic I know). I am totally stuck because his HUGE gesture was completely his own doing and not prompted by Lindsey. So... I told her she could "earn" her t.v back. I then told her to thank Jacob. Pretty soon I hear another tearful voice. She told Jacob that most brothers would be too happy that they got the punishment and would not care for their sister but he was the best... she was truly emotional saying it. I was touched! Maybe they are learning more about getting along then I give them credit for? Hailey was concerned in the back asking about why Lindsey called, "butts" and Why "Jacob was crying"?

Fountain fun...

A trip to the fountains at Gateway. True fun for the older kids! My niece Cali also enjoyed the water, but the little girls had no interest in experiencing any of it. They had a ball eating their picnic lunch and hanging out in the sun! It was clear it was time to leave when 50 daycare kids arrived and we could not see our kids anymore. One knocked Jacob flat and I was done! I hate going out to do fun things and having a crowd of unsupervised kids come and ruin it! We had a good two hours before any of that happened. Good day.


All the cousins together... miracle picture!!

The Fountains were glorious fun for the older kids.


Jacob and Andrew


Warming up in sun.

Hailey, Cali (cousin), Sydney ... good friends.

The girls... Sydney then Hailey (Sydney's signature expression).

Products I love...

Just thought I would share some of the products I love...
I am sure I will think of more after I post this. Please share yours in my comments :)

If you have not used this stuff you are really missing out. You will never use saran wrap again. It can cover the half of the water melon or the top of a bowl. It's amazing stuff!

I can't promise it tastes as good as butter, but its 0 calories and I love it!

This is perfect for smoothing your hair (no more fly aways). Smells great too. I love it!

This stuff is a staple in my house for stain removal. Most of you already know how great it is.

This is my favorite carpet cleaner. You could only get it through Chem dry for a while, but its back at Home Depot.

I could not live without this one. It has saved SO many clothes!

I also love...
Crystal light packs that go in your water bottles.
Tivo
Spray sunscreen
Miracle grow
Mr clean magic eraser
Shout wipes (great for in the car or on the go)
Huggies bibsters
I could go on and on...

Anyway please pop in and share your finds.

Swim Lessons

We really are quite lucky you see. Grandpa and Grandma have a swimming pool. This means in the summer we all live in the pool. It's getting more fun as the twins adjust more to the water. At the beginning of the summer we get private swim lessons too. Here are a few shots ..
Hailey has mastered her floaties. She just floats around like a cork content as can be, she never wants out. Sydney is not as interested in swimming. She gets in and gets out fairly quickly. She will get it faster though watching Hailey do it. Hailey kept calling to Sydney "look at me, look at me" she was so proud of herself!


The mom and me class

Sydney and Hailey

Jacob is learning to swim without floaties...

Cali,Sydney and Hailey (cousins)

Hailey and her floating skills.
She doesn't get to use these during the mom and me class though.

Lindsey with Hailey. Lindsey is quite a good swimmer!
(I missed her lesson so I did not get pics).

Sydney tired by the pool.

Father's Day....

So for Alan's card I used a little survey I copied from someone else.. Here it goes:

How old is Dad?

Jacob-5

Lindsey-34

Laura-34
How tall is Dad?

Jacob-Wait let me check -9ft long

Lindsey-no idea

Laura-6.2
What is Dad's favorite color?
Jacob-Blue

Lindsey-Silver and black

Laura-Silver and Black

What is Dad's favorite food?
Jacob-cookies

Lindsey-alligator tails

Laura-Steak

Where is Dad's favorite place to go?

Jacob-Disneyland

Lindsey-california where he used to live, somewhere with his children.

Laura-Anywhere on vacation!
What is your favorite thing to do with Dad?
Jacob-Learn how to ride a two wheeler

Lindsey-Go places with him like the Mayan.

Laura- talk
What is Dad's favorite thing to do?
Jacob-Go on trips

Lindsey-Go on hikes and stuff.

Laura-his hobbies
What does Dad do around the house?
Jacob-Sometimes he sleeps and restes and thats all. (not really true)

Lindsey-Sleeps and takes care of the twins.

Laura- All the yardwork and fix it projects, help and play with kids
What do you want to say to your dad?
Jacob- I like you and I have something else in my mind- Happy Father's Day!

Lindsey-Happy Father's Day! Everything I Could say would be like what is nice.

Laura-I love and appreciate you SO much!

What's Dad's favorite song?
Jacob-I am a child of God

Lindsey- I like to look for Rainbows.

Laura- I believe I can fly
What's Dad's favorite show?
Jacob-The police men thing (Cops)

Lindsey-Cops

Laura- Survivor
What's Dad's favorite dinner?
Jacob-Roast beef

Lindsey-Pancakes

Laura-Roast beef
What's Dad's favorite game to play?
Jacob-Soccer, Actually Golf

Lindsey-Rock

Laura-Golf

What else do you know about your dad?

Jacob-I know that he loves the twins, and he likes to eat.

Lindsey-He goes to work and stuff and works hard. He helps people. He likes to eat dinner.

Laura-I know that everything he does is for his family. All his life is about making his family happy.

We love you!

After Lindsey read this we had him answer the questions. He was a little miffed about the eating and sleeping comments so to be funny he tried to change all his answers to be about eating and sleeping even his favorite song. He had the kids (and me) rolling! He is so funny!

I do appreciate Alan so much. He is so hardworking. He comes home from work and never takes time for himself. He immediately is playing with the kids till bedtime. You can tell he spends a lot of his time with them because they are very close to him and adore him! I could not have been blessed with a better father or example for my children!

To my Dad,
He has always been a great example to me. Someone I knew would always be there. He taught me the value of education and I always have admired how smart he was. As an adult I have learned how important it is to have him around. He is always there for me when I need him. When I lost my ipod and was so devastated he bought a new one for me, when my car's battery died he was here fixing it and helping get a new one bought and installed, last week when my vacuum died he came over and took it apart and then took it to Oreck to get it repaired... he came home with a new one! It means a lot to me that even as an adult I have the security of knowing he is there for me. When I got married I truly felt his sadness when I was moving forward yet I think I have been closer to him as I have grown up and had my own children. I love you Dad.

To my Father in law,
Alan's Dad has always been there for me. He truly treats me like his real daughter. He has spent all his free time with my children and they adore him. He takes them out and plays with them. He is often referred to lovingly as the pied piper because the kids all adore him and run to be with him. The other day he took Jacob swimming when Jacob returned I asked Jacob how it was and he told me all the silly games he and his grandpa played together in the pool. Most adults sit on the side and simply supervise but this Grandpa was out there playing and Jacob remembers every moment. When I have had a worry or concern he has done whatever he could to fix it. He is a great example of a generous hearted person and has never stopped taking care of us.

We are so lucky to have these 3 amazing Dad's in our lives!

Summer Vacation week one...

First official week of summer vacation (although only one kid if officially in school)

I love...
Not having to get up at 7:30 to rush Lindsey off to school. Especially when Sydney and Hailey keep me up from 4am-6am throwing up. After four baths and several bed changes we were all slept in until 9am (no school deadlines). Staying home with sick little ones doesn't seem as hard when they can play in the backyard with water.

I love that kids can play outside and keep entertained with a variety of summer activities...

I love sunshine and warm weather. I could be happy with it all year round!

I love summer clothing, swimming suits, the smell of sunscreen. I love reliving childhood innocence in my own children everyday.

I love evenings where its light outside. Kids playing outside on the grass past normal bedtimes. We all feel a little more happy, a little less stressed this time of year (atleast today).

Here are a few pictures from this week... Hope you are enjoying some sunshine wherever you are.



Cousins Lindsey, Andrew and Jacob




Sydney and Hailey were not sure about the sprinklers but they have mastered the art of relaxing outside in their swimsuits...

Always giving love...

The sprinkler rocket... its very entertaining!

Rocket launchers...


Jacob showing his smile...


Enjoying their lunch outside, my favorite place to feed them...


Hailey eating her lunch inside. Unfortunately even though she kept trying to go outside, and even though she really wanted to, she was just to scared of the one or two giant ants. She is developing quite a fear of bugs. So she ate inside alone.

Life with twins..

Sydney and Hailey
Extra Extra Read all about it....

We officially made it through a full week where the girls did not take off their diapers! We did not use any duct tape or safety pins all week! It all began last Sunday when at nap time Sydney told me she did not need the tape she would not take off her diaper. I trusted her and she did indeed obey. Since then she inspired Hailey to join in the fun. So far so good!! I think potty training may indeed be on the horizon. I just have to decide when I ready... UGH!!

So life with the twins lately...

Fun stuff...
Love to feed each other their meals
Share everything, even already chewed gum. If one sister looses hers the other splits hers. You should see the small pieces of gum they end up chewing.
Lots of giggling
Game playing (they ride on each others backs)
Kisses and hugs
Learned all their colors... pink is a favorite.
Love baths
Love dresses
Love baby dolls
Love purses
Have to buckle the top buckle on the car seat
Have lots of opinions
Love Little Bear and Scooby Doo
Love to play night night (they each take turns being the baby).
Conversations all day talking talking talking. So fun to listen to.
Hugs
Parks
Special connection, always together, snuggling, thoughtful of one another, are not happy with something unless sister gets it.
Telling on each other (this isn't bad because its just too funny, especially since Hailey calls Sydney Hailey most of the time and is telling on herself).
Oh and they are SUPER CUTE which helps a lot!


Not so fun...
Tantrums times two
Screaming in Unison at stores
People giving me rude looks in stores
Scratching (even mommy at times)
Playing instead of napping
Lots of opinions
Falling asleep in the car = no nap time
Lots of opinions
Hates shopping
Wants everything/Doesn't want anything
Lots of opinions
Illness
Being Shy
Messes cereal on the floor, sugar on the floor, water on the floor etc...
Diaper changes
Collecting things like Ipods, money, and other things they are not allowed to have!
Only want mommy
Don't want sister to have mommy
words like Mine, NO, and NOT FAIR (I can't believe they already say not fair).
Doing errands (NIGHTMARE)
Riding in the stroller...

Obviously the good always outweighs the bad! These little girls are the joy of all our days. Watching them develop personalities, likes and dislikes and play together is the best! The park, pool, library will all be a lot different for our family this summer. They truly are a pair and they make our family perfect.

Teaching kids to work...

So summer is here and I am determined to have some schedule and organization to our days. First on my list is teaching my kids to do more chores and to get them done properly. I have had a few people recommend some good books for this and I plan to buy them, but I wanted to post it out on here and see what worked for you now or growing up.
Today I decided that during nap time I would have Lindsey clean out my car. Seemed like something she could do.
Here is the steps:
Step 1- Clean out toys in bag.
Step2- Clean out Garbage.
Step 3- Vacuum
Step 4- Wipe everything down

Seems easy enough. I started her on the task at 2pm (right when everyone went down for naps). My only break! I spent the entire nap time working with her, doing a lot of the work. She did vacuum the car out but it wasn't what I consider properly. It is now 4:40 and she is off to a friends house. It only took her 2 hr 4o minutes to complete a task that should take just 30 minutes and I feel like I did nearly everything over again showing her what to do. It was certainly more work than doing it myself. Somehow she still feels like the slave too.

As of right now my schedule for them is to get up, get dressed, clean room, make bed. They cannot go anywhere unless this is done. To me these are personal stuff. What I am working on is getting them to contribute more to the household work and learn to do it properly. It is very hard for me to let them do it and not redo it all my way. It just takes twice as long as doing it myself!

Anyway... I hope all your moms will share you best tips with me. I sure could use them!

Happy summer. It's freezing here. We went from 90 degrees to barley 55. I have the babies cold and they are still struggling with it too. Sydney still has no voice. I cannot believe how hard it is to get to the gym when I cannot go during the day. I still make it, but I am exhausted! Busy busy busy around here!

I love that...
Jacob learned to ride a two wheeler. He was so ready it took a matter of minutes and he was off. As I watch him ride and enjoy it, I remember the feeling of freedom learning to ride a bike brought me. I remember feeling like I had a car and I could go anywhere.



I love that...
Sydney found my ipod!!!

Yes you read that right. It was in a kids binocular case. I wasn't home (at the funeral) and she found it in the case and ran and brought it to my sister and said "mommy's Ipod". I don't really have two now, my Dad actually purchased my replacement in hopes that when the old one was found he would get it back. I had came to the point where I never believed it would be found.

more pictures from the day...

Family and Friends...


In order: My family, Our good friends, Lindsey Jacob, Andrew, My sister and her Fiance, Grandma and Grandpa Reese ,All the two year old girls- two sets of twins, Alan's brother and his family


Alan's brother and
my sister in law/best friend Lisa

Baptism Day...

Saturday was a very special day. Lindsey was baptized on a beautiful summer morning. Many family and friends were there. Lindsey enjoyed the attention and welcomed everyone with her sweet friendly spirit. Lindsey and her Aunt sang a song after and we were all touched by the spirit present. Lindsey told me after when I was getting her ready that she knew what it felt like to be perfect... and she was perfect the entire day, sweet and happy. Lindsey I am so proud of you and your desire to do what is right and be a good person. At just 8 yrs old you seem smarter than many. May you remember this special day, the feelings you had, and the desire you have in your heart to be close to your Heavenly Father. I love you so much and I am so proud of you.

All the kids in one place... did not last.

Family group...

Lindsey with mom and dad...

The day was very busy. The baptism ended in just enough time to get to Alan's grandma's funeral. It was a beautiful service. Lindsey decided to come and was quiet and perfect the whole time. I was so pleased with her. She was truly kind about sharing her day (canceling the luncheon planned after) with the funeral. Alan's grandma was a great lady and while we will miss her... her life and example will be with us always. Thank you to my mom who spent the entire day baby sitting. Sydney and Hailey were still very sick and not easy (its been a long week of illness for them). I have more pictures from other events (it was very busy) and some other interesting updates later. Thank you to everyone who posted to my "It feels..." post. I was feeling guilty for complaining but it helped very much to know everyone feels that way at times.