Happy, Happy Birthday!

I just wanted to wish a Happy Birthday to two of my favorite people- my old roommates, Amie and Kassie, have birthdays today and tomorrow. They are two of the sweetest, best people I know. Some of my happiest, funnest memories are of hanging out with them at BYU in our apartments at the Villa and Liberty Square. (Yes, we lived the high life back in those days.) They are both the type of friend that would do anything for you. I have always appreciated their listening ears and kind words. Now, why do you guys have to live so darn far away from me?!
Anyway, I love you both. Happy Birthday. Live it up this year... next year we'll all be old. :)

...FINALLY!!

Yay!!!!!! Can you tell I'm excited?! As many of you may remember, last year before Leah was born we needed to buy a new car with more room. I wanted a minivan and Andrew wanted an SUV. Andrew and I fought for days about what it was going to be. I'm not kidding- we really fought hard. Even Andrew's parents were witnesses to our arguing and told one of his other siblings later that they had never seen us fight before. :) I guess we both felt pretty strongly about it. Anyway, after a few days, I gave in with the final words, "I think this is the biggest mistake we have ever made and I want to have nothing to do with it." And, ever since that awful day I have driven a car that I despised... and I have taken quite a few opportunities to let Andrew know that I hate it. I'll admit, I haven't been very nice. Don't get me wrong- it was a really nice car. I would have loved it if it hadn't been so hard to get three kids in and out of it. So, I may have lost the battle on that fateful day last April, but this week I won the war. We are now the proud owners (well, I'm proud... Andrew is being a good sport about it) of a minivan! We got a great deal (thanks to Andrew's Dad who really should have been a car salesman in this life) and the girls absolutely love it. The day was fairly eventful- Andrew and his Dad also got new cars too. I hope you smile at the pictures below. My new minivan. Isn't it pretty? The color wouldn't have been my first choice, but every time I look at it, I love it more and more. I even woke up the next morning and checked in the garage just to make sure it was really there. Yep, I'm lame.
Andrew's new truck- another killer deal.
Andrew's Dad's new (well, to him) 1981 Corvette... in perfect condition... isn't it beautiful? OK, so maybe he came out better than Andrew and I, but I really couldn't be happier.

Alexa's Post

Alexa informed me this morning that we hadn't posted anything on our blog for a long time. She's right, of course, but her idea of a fun post and my idea of one are totally different. However, I'm feeling nice this morning, so we are posting Alexa's blog. Yesterday the girls and I had an unfun errand to run for Andrew (taking pictures for an appraisal). We hardly ever do it and the girls hate it. I told them if they were good and didn't complain that we could go to the store and pick out new lip gloss (they LIVE for new lip gloss... they are such girls). So, Alexa decided we needed a picture . You can hardly see them in the picture, but Alexa is happy.

First Day of School

Yes, it is that time of year around St. George where school is now in session, even though the rest of the world still has weeks left till school starts. I suppose I will be glad when we are done in May next year and you are all still going strong till June. Can you believe I have a child in Kindergarten?! It is exciting and fun. Alexa loved her first week of school . I think she wishes it wasn't so short of a day. I am praying that all day Kindergarten hits our school before Callie goes. We walked her to school everyday this week. A few reasons for that: first, the school is only four blocks from our house; second, it's actually not that hot at 9 in the morning and the other girls like getting out; and third, Callie spent the majority of her week puking her little guts out and the thought of having her in the car was scary. I was lucky she did OK on the pick-up side. The one day we walked to pick her up was way too hot- we won't do that again till October or so. ANYWAY... so begins the life of schedules and time frames for us. No more escaping to my Mom's for weeks on end just because I feel like it, no more storytime at the library in the mornings (for Alexa anyway), and no more staying in our PJ's just because we feel like it. We've entered a new phase of life... and we LOVE it!! Alexa wouldn't smile because she said the sun was too bright... silly girl.
Her backpack that she is so proud of- it's almost as big as her, huh?
Alexa with our neighbors, Parker and Jordan. Jordan is also in Kindergarten. Parker is in 3rd grade. Alexa will be walking to school with them everyday. Isn't she lucky to have two cute bodyguards to care for her on the way to school? Actually, there are probably 20 kids in our neighborhood who walk to school. They should all pretty much be sticking together.

For Jodie

Here are the pictures you wanted. Hope they work for you. Let me know if you need anything else. The piece of plastic at the top has a name... I couldn't tell you what it is, though.
*For anyone else reading this- Erica's sister-in-law made this for me when I had Leah. Makes nursing so much easier. Check with Erica to see if Susan is still making them.

Just one more...

How many posts can you make in one day before people are finally sick of you?? I must have a lot to say today...

Leah had her tubes put in this morning. It went really well. She didn't cry when the nurse took her away and she didn't cry when she came out of the anesthetic and she didn't cry the rest of the day. We were so happy! And, we were in and out in exactly one hour, which made it even better. I think Leah must have a high pain tolerance. Seven ear infections in a matter of ten months can do that to a kid, I guess. Anyway, hopefully it will make this winter a little more pleasant than last winter.

My little brother, David, got engaged on Saturday. Thanks a whole heck of a lot for waiting till Monday to tell me the news. No, no- thanks for letting me find out from our sister on Monday that you had good news to share. You know I'm just kidding... kind of. Anyway, we LOVE Angie and are so grateful she will be a part of our family. My girls adore her. Hey- didn't you guys promise to come visit sometime?


I have to give a talk on Sunday... again. That brings the total up to 5 in three years, folks. Do I need to learn something that I'm not aware of?? Luckily, I have the help of a couple of sisters and a mom who agreed to be "guinea pigs" this week for me. We'll see how it goes. It's a good thing I don't have an aversion to speaking or I totally would have gone inactive ages ago.

School starts for Alexa on Tuesday. One week!! We are getting really excited around here. We found out yesterday who her teacher is and what class she will be in. There are seven other kids from our ward in her class. OK, you family from Washington will laugh at this: 8 kids from our ward in her class and that is one of six kindergarten classes. The REST of the kids in our ward who will be in Kindergarten are dispersed in the other 5 classes. Funny, huh? Anyway, she is thrilled and we are thrilled for her. We are now in the process of convincing Callie that it will be fun to be the "big" sister at home while Alexa is gone everyday. That will be the hard part.

I started and finished Breaking Dawn on Saturday... thank goodness. I needed to read it and move on with my life. It is now out of my house and probably won't be back for awhile- there is already a waiting list of friends who want it. It was really good! Nothing like what I expected, but the perfect close to the series.

OK, I think that is all the news I have to share.

This is For Tracey

OK, I know you will all read this post, but it really is just for Tracey.

Hey, is there a reason I can't comment on your blog?! I've been trying for ages and still can't leave a message for you. Glad to see everything is going well- love the pictures. I tried calling- I'll try again once I get the whole time thing figured out... How many hours is it? By the way- are you missing a Cars Leapster cartridge? I think I may have found it. Let me know and I'll send it.

I am horrified that this link even exists (found it on someone else's blog) and even more horrified that I was curious enough to take the quiz and TRULY horrified that it tells me I could fight off 15 five year olds if I had to. Good thing I'm no longer in Primary.... OK, I know you're all dying to take this quiz too, so go to it.
15

"Funktown"

So, one day last week my friend Stacy and I swapped kids. She took Alexa to play with Joslyn and I took her daughter, Jaide. Callie and Jaide are so cute together. They danced to Camp Rock music, carried purses around, played in the sprinklers outside for awhile, rode bikes and acted "cool". Callie got her sunglasses out for them to wear and kept saying, "Let's go to Funktown". I have no idea where she heard it or where she thinks Funktown is, but it took all I had to not laugh at them. I had to get a pictures of them in all their glory. They were so funny! I love three-year olds.

Bugged

OK, irritated is a little better description of what I am feeling. So, last Thursday I went to Costco and bought a pair of jeans. My friend, Kami, had told me they were a great deal (which they were) and were really cute (which they are). I bought a pair and LOVED them, so I thought I would go back and buy another pair. Then, as I was going over the receipt, I realized they charged me too much. So, the next day I went back and told them and they looked it up and told me the price they rang up as was what they were. I went back and looked at the sign and they had changed the price. OK, I'm not crazy- I know how much the sign said they were when I bought them. I know how much Kami paid for hers. You mean to tell me that in a matter of less than 24 hours they can change the price and I get screwed?! I called my mom and raged over the phone. She, of course, told me to just go buy another pair even though I was totally ripped off because they are so great. You know how hard it is to find jeans that you think are cute... So, is it the principle of the matter that I not buy another pair or do I just suck it up and forgive Costco for being stupid?

Hooray For Short Hair In The HOT, HOT Summer!

So, I got my hair cut this week. I LOVE it! I should have cut it short ages ago. DeAnna did a great job and it's way easier to do than I thought it would be- I think that is why I was so terrified of short hair. The pictures below really don't do it justice- it's an A-line, stacked in the back. I haven't had hair this short since that fateful day in the spring of '96 when a beloved sister kept saying, "let me just even it out a bit more". (Does anyone remember that?) Anyway, I'll try to take better pictures some other time- it really does look great and I love it.