Happy Birthday Kiera!

Wow. My little girl is 6 years old. Time goes by in a blink, doesn't it? Our lives have been so blessed because of this sweet little spirit. Just a few of the reasons we love our Kiera:
* She is SO thoughtful. She is always thinking of how other people feel. She notices people's emotions. She even puts her arms around the kids in her class if she thinks they're having a bad day.
* She is tender-hearted and sentimental. Once when she saw a "golden rock" at Granny's house, she asked if she could keep it. Granny said yes, and Kiera was so excited until it was time to leave. Then she started to softly cry, thinking the rock would miss Granny, or that Granny would miss her rock.
* She is sensitive.
* She is cautious and deliberate.
* She is so dang smart. And she thoroughly enjoys learning new things. She is constantly making her own books and sounding out new words.
* She always has "smiling eyes," and when she smiles it lights up the room.
* She is just naturally beautiful.
* She chooses the right. Doing good just comes naturally to her.
We love our Kiera SOOOOO much! Happy Birthday Sweetie Pie!

More Adventures

When Quentin got home from work this evening, we decided to brave the crowds and get a free ride on the new FrontRunner train thing. We drove to the Farmington station and got right on - not many people were there. We rode to the Gateway station, hopped on Trax for a couple of stops and went to Ben & Jerry's where they were giving away free ice cream cones to everyone. (Hey, we're all for free fun!) Then we came back home. The whole trip took us nearly 3 hours. Wow. But hey - we figured that short trip on FrontRunner would normally cost our little family $24, so I'm sure we won't be doing it again anytime soon. It was fun to check out the new train, and the girls had a lot of fun. Kasidee was even happy or sleeping the whole time. I'm not quite sure what to think of FrontRunner - it was a very nice ride, but there was a lot of waiting, a lot of walking and stair-climbing from the car to the station, and I'm not sure it's faster than driving. Quentin's employer will foot the $145/mo. fee, but he'd still have to drive or bike a few miles to a station, plus he'd have to leave about 30 minutes earlier for work - and if he ever drove to work, he wouldn't have a parking pass to park near his work! So who knows - it will be interesting to see how successful FrontRunner is. There are lots of pros for many people, so we'll see how it pans out!

Field Trip and Longneck

This has been a week that Kiera has been looking forward to for a VERY long time. We've counted down the days for about the last 2 months, and now (finally) it's birthday week!! Yes, we're not just celebrating her special day, she gets to celebrate the whole week! It started Monday, when we got to take her special poster to class, filled with pictures of her and drawings she made. And that marked the day that she gets to be the Line Leader. For some reason, this is like the coolest thing in the world - to be able to "butt" in front of everyone whenever there is a class line, and be the leader. I know - pretty cool stuff. The fun continued today when Kiera's class went on a walking field trip to a nearby farm. Makenna, Kasidee and I got to join them, and we saw chickens, lambs, bunnies, horses, cows and goats. The girls had a blast. And to top it all off (Kiera keeps saying, "I just can't believe it. This is the best day ever!"), she got to bring Longneck, the class turtle home. Yes, this is the pet with a bum that I've been dreading. But at least it has a cage. The girls freak out every time I open the lid to refresh it's water or give it a piece of zucchini or lettuce. But they've had fun shutting the blinds when the turtle needs a nap, and perching the cage on the windowsill to give Longneck some sun. Wow - all this fun, and it's not even her real birthday yet!

Chocolate Mess

Yay!! Our tile is finally done - well, pretty much. Quentin laid out then pre-cut all of the tiles last Friday and then spent most of the day (10 hours) on Saturday laying the tile with the cement stuff. And today we finally put the grout in. He began pouring the chocolate-colored goopy grout on the tile and working it into the grooves before he realized there was a little problem. He had to get all of the grout in before the mixture started to harden - but he also had to wipe off the excess grout about 20 minutes after he put it on. So basically he needed someone to follow him, wiping up the mess he made - and that's where I came in. But since it was such a strict time limit and basically once you start you can't stop, we needed to enlist some extra help. Kiera and Makenna became impromptu "babysitters" for Kasidee. They were so excited; they kept her occupied and safe in the toy room for about an hour while Quentin and I worked on the grout. Things went pretty smoothly and I think the girls feel pretty grown up to be called babysitters!

So anyway, the grout is in; after 3 days we'll seal it and we can officially call it DONE! In the mean-time, we only need to re-install the toilet, cut and put up the beadboard and trim, prime and paint the walls, install the new faucet, paint the cabinets and install new knobs, install a new towel and toilet paper holder, and eventually install new light fixtures. Hmmm.... This was supposed to be a "quick" update, not a total remodel! But it will be worth it - we're so excited!

Singin' in the Rain

We had a LOUD thunderstorm in the middle of the night last night, and it has been raining and snowing off and on all day. Makenna was so excited to play in the rain with her "wee-wah-lah" (umbrella). She got all dressed up in her rain coat and got her umbrella out only to find the rain had stopped and the sun was beginning to peek out. She was so disappointed - until she saw a trickle running out of the roof rain gutter. She parked herself with her umbrella under the spout and splashed her cute little feet in the puddle. I love her sweet smile!

New Trick!

In the last week or so, Kasidee has learned to pull up - and she pulls up on EVERYTHING! A couple of days ago while I was giving Kiera and Makenna a bath, Kasidee crawled over and pulled up on the back of my shirt. Since it's a new trick, she's still trying to figure things out - and she started wiggling, lost her balance and toppled over, grazing the side of the wooden stepstool. Poor thing!!

Still on "Vacation!"

We've really been enjoying this past week of Quentin being off - we love "kickin' around" town and vegging out - just enjoying being a little family! Since we got back from Logan, Quentin has been working on the tile and the girls and I have been scrapbooking, making bracelets, and playing outside. Even though we're home, we're in vacation mode. It feels great!

This morning after we picked Kiera up from school (Fridays are early-out days), the 5 of us went to Banbury Cross Donuts in Salt Lake. When I worked at Trolley Square, we'd get these donuts every once in awhile, and let me tell you - you haven't lived until you've had a Banbury Cross donut - especially the cinnamon crumb ones. There is no comparison to other donuts. Oh yum. I've been telling the girls about a place that has the best donuts in the world, so of course we had to go there. We may have to make this a weekly trip!! (P.S. Makenna always eats her cookies and donuts "upside down" - it's so cute!)

Then we went to the Church History Museum, where they have a fun little exhibit about "I Am a Child of God." The girls got to dress up as if they lived in Jesus' time, follow the Rod of Iron, "paint" stained glass windows, and pretend they worked in a hospital nursery. They had a blast, and I'm always amazed at how many interesting things that museum has.

From there, we went to Temple Square and attempted to get some pics of the girls in their Easter dresses in front of the millions of beautiful flowers. It was, well, a lot of work. But we ended up getting a few cute pics - most of which were when they weren't looking. Then we went to the top of the Conference Center (we've never been on the roof before) and then had dinner at Rumbi's. Whew! It's been a fun week - and we still have a whole weekend in front of us!!

11 YEARS!

Wow - as of yesterday (yes, tax day) Quentin and I have been married for 11 years! What makes me feel even older is that we've known each other for 14 years. And I guess we know each other pretty well - we got each other the exact same gift (a windmill for our yard)! (This also happened for Valentine's Day and Christmas)

To celebrate our anniversary, we went on a little "trip" to Logan. Some of my friends make fun of me for taking our kids with us on our anniversary - but Quentin said, "You know, the day we got married, our family began - so our anniversary is not only a celebration of our marriage but also of our whole family." Awww.... Anyway, we wanted to go somewhere close but somewhere we had never really been. So Logan it was. And we had a blast in the 2 days we were there. Here are the highlights:

TUESDAY
* We picked Kiera up from school and stopped by Grandma Johnson's house to wish her a happy 86th birthday on our way to Logan.
* As we stopped to check out a hotel, we couldn't re-start our van. Our battery was dead. So Quentin flagged down a cop, who jumped us, and we drove to AutoZone where Quentin installed a new battery while the snow started to fall pretty heavily.
* We got a room at a hotel (Kiera called it her apartment), got some pizza, looked at an antiques mall, went swimming in the hotel pool, took baths/showers and vegged in our room.

WEDNESDAY
* Took a tour of Crumb Brothers - they took us in their huge kitchen and showed us how they make their artisan breads. We also got some delicious samples!
* Walked down Main Street and browsed at some of the "old-fashioned" shops.
* Went to a candy shop.
* Went to the Gossner Cheese Factory. We heard they give tours, but they had to discontinue giving them after Sept. 11. So though we didn't get to see how cheese is made (actually, that might be a good thing), we got plenty of samples of cheese and flavored milk. And we HAD to buy some "squeaky cheese" because the girls thought it was so cool.
* Went to the Pepperidge Farm outlet.
* Drove by the Logan Temple (we didn't get out because it was snowing).
* Went to Cox Honeyland where we got to see inside a beehive, taste different honeys and syrups, and look at the gift shop full of "bee things."

And now we're home! We only did half of the things on our "idea list," but I guess that gives us reason to go back some other time. Even though we weren't gone very long, I think we all got a little homesick. Tuesday night during Kiera's bath, she started to cry and said she missed our home. She wanted to call it to make sure it was okay. It's nice to get away every once in awhile, but there's nothing like home! (P.S. Kiera is hoping her kindergarten class will throw her a surprise party when she returns to school tomorrow after missing a day of class!!)

Tiling Update - Halfway There!

Well, I guess the worst part is over. Quentin's "I'll hurry and rip up this tile real quick" turned into a 38 hour (spread over 9 days) project. But the ugly white tile is gone! And so is our toilet (well, it's waiting in the bathtub). I guess that's what you get when your husband is a perfectionist even when it comes to demolishing things. Taking the tile out was a bigger job than we expected. And grinding down the cement stuff to make the floor smooth was way messier than we imagined. Quentin had to repeatedly wipe the dust off the light fixtures in the bathroom just so he could see! He has worked so hard and has had so much fun (I can't imagine why!). Now that the ugly tile is gone, the room looks quite a bit smaller. Which is good - I thought the white tile made the bathroom seem huge and cold and sterile. I can't wait for the warm beige tile to be put in and the rest of the "remodel" to be done! We'll keep you "posted!!"

Oh, and we're still on "vacation." While Quentin worked on the tile this morning, the girls and I worked on their scrapbooks, something we've been wanting to do for a long time. And as soon as Quentin gets showered and ready, the 5 of us are going to go do something fun! Yay!

We're on "Vacation!"

We're on vacation - sort of. Our anniversary is next week, and Quentin took the whole week off of work. We had originally planned on going on a trip somewhere, but then realized that it's hard to go very far for very long with a baby and a child in school. So, while we'll still probably spend a night or two (all 5 of us!) in Logan (I know, pretty exotic, huh?), the rest of the time we're going to focus on doing some fun projects around the house and going on little day trips - you know, just enjoying being together as a little family.

So this morning we went to Lowe's for their free kid's project. This is the second time we've done it, and we all love it. The girls get an apron and goggles that they get to keep, plus a little patch to sew on their aprons when their project is complete. A couple of weeks ago they built a little golf game out of wood, and today they each made a little ant house - we can't wait to go find some ants! I can't believe how much fun they have building their little projects and they've made us promise to go each time (it's twice a month). So now that we've done that, we'll see what other fun things we can come up with this week!

A New Love

I have a new love. Kohls. Why? Let me count the ways. Maybe it's because there is a brand-new one within a couple miles of my house. Or maybe it's because I got a free $10 gift card for their grand opening and felt like I had a license to shop. Or perhaps it was because I was able to browse and try on things for a whole leisurely hour (although I had all 3 girls in tow, they were quiet, stayed right by me and were amazingly patient). But I think I know the real reason I love Kohls. Because I was able to find cute clothes that FIT and were a good price! I even found a much-needed new swimsuit (I HATE to try on/buy swimming suits), and it didn't even hurt! :0) Now, nothing will ever compare to my favorite store - Target - but I am just so excited about Kohls!

Bug Look

I think Kasidee spent the first six months of her life with her cute little mouth open (except for eating, of course). But the last couple of months, she's been sporting what I call the "bug look." She clenches her teeth, which makes her little cheeks poke out. She looks like a cute little bug! I've tried to capture this look on camera - but every time I get the camera out, she erases her bug look. But I was able to get it today. Please excuse the crazy hair (it seemed to get long almost overnight!). Her look is even cuter in "real life," and it's like her cheeks are asking to be kissed!

Golden Baheetos

I made lasagna for dinner. And foccacia. And my girls won't touch either one of them. Well, Makenna will agree that it's gross in front of Kiera but then will want to try some later. Anyway, everytime I make lasagna, I roll up the leftover noodle strips into little "flowers." The girls love to dip them in dressing, pasta sauce, and Makenna has even suggested ice cream. Tonight, Kiera wanted to pretend she had her own cooking show and had me video her making the little flower roll-ups, but she she called them "Golden Baheetos." Yummy, eh?

The Best Kind of Pet

I have to agree with Jen when she says the best kind of pet is either temporary or doesn't have a bum. Well, tonight we got one that has both advantages. Kiera got to bring home the Kindgergarten "Bunny Rabbit" - a stuffed animal that includes treats, books, and a journal to record what you do with Bunny. Kiera has had a blast with Bunny, taking him to the store, eating lunch with him, and taking him to her friend's house to play. After reading in the journal that basically every kid in the class has had Bunny in his/her bed for the night, I got the willies. But Kiera wanted to make him a special little bed right by her own. She even let him borrow her toothbrush (ergh!) and Kasidee's shirt for a nightgown. It will be hard to give him back tomorrow, but I guess we can look forward to when we get "Longneck," the class turtle, for a day (but this turtle is real and has a bum!)

New Things

Just checking in. I changed my blog template and a few people have had trouble viewing it. Can I get a "roll call" of people to see who is having trouble seeing it? Also, something else that is new - check out my "GoodReads" link on the right-hand side. I saw this on my friend Katie's blog and was intrigued. You can list the books you've read, give reviews, read other reviews, recommend books, etc. It's so fun! Check it out, and you can start your own "bookshelf" too!

Our New Project

It started out simple enough. Really. When we moved into our house, I was thrilled that everything was finished AND updated. But after a year of living here, we've realized that our downstairs bathroom just didn't seem to "fit" the rest of the house. It was the only room in the house that hadn't been updated. Big deal, I can hear you saying - it's the downstairs bathroom for crying out loud. BUT we've come to find out that the basement is where we hang out the most and we (and our visitors) are always using that bathroom. So I decided I was up for a little "updating project" - I thought some bright paint and a little beadboard would do the trick. I planned on doing this all myself and surprise Quentin, but when I realized that some of the beadboard would have to be cut with a table saw, I consulted The Man of The House. He was all for my project, but then he said, "You know, if we're going to do that, we may as well replace the tile first. White beadboard against white tile would be too much white." Okay, I think I'm the only one in my whole immediate and extended family that hates the tile. It's white - glossy white. Which means it's a pain in the neck to keep looking clean. Any little drop of water or tiny little hair, and it's like it's magnified. I hate it. Quentin knows this, and I know this, but I figured I just had to live with it. Then Quentin took a tiling class at Home Depot just to see what it's all about. He came home excited and said, "I can do this - this will be easy." So we bought tile and tools and got ready to do it. Then I chickened out. I thought it was too big of a project that Quentin would mainly have to do all by his lonesome; it wasn't really necessary; and we had other projects that were more pressing. I think I burst Quentin's bubble though - he was gung-ho on getting it done. Always up for a challenge, he said he had never done tiling work before and this would be a good excuse for him to learn something new. So... that's a really long background about our new tiling project. Last Saturday when we realized we didn't have any plans, Quentin said, "Well, maybe I'll just rip up the tile real quick." Hmmm - an hour and a half later, he had removed precisely 2 tiles. Apparently whoever put in the ugly tile used the wrong stuff to cement it in. So I begged him to stop right there. It wasn't worth it, plus the tiles he ripped up were in the closet - no one would even know. But he has continued to work on it for 3 nights now and is still having fun with it. He's crazy. I'll be sure to post the "after" pictures!!