Candlelight Christmas

Last night we went to This is the Place's Candlelight Christmas. Quentin got free tickets from work and we had planned about 4 times to go this month but things kept popping up. But we finally got to go last night, and I'll tell ya - it really helped get us in the Christmas spirit. And it's something we would like to go to each year. It was magical! We bundled up in blankets and took a train ride around the whole park, stopped off at Brigham Young's house for hot cider, listened to a quartet playing music, listened to roaming carolers, warmed our hands by an open fire, saw some "real live" reindeer, visited Father Christmas, made Christmas decorations by candlelight (cinnamon sachets and wooden gingerbread ornaments), wrote letters to Santa and delivered them to a "magic chimmney," and met lots of "pioneer people" who wished us a "Happy Christmas to Ya!" So charming!

'Tis the Season!

Yesterday we went to Quentin's brother Chris and Wendy's house near Tremonton for their annual Christmas party. It is always so fun to hang out at their "party house" - they are always such welcoming hosts and have such fun activities planned. We had lunch, rode around on their 4-wheelers in the snow, had storytime with Uncle Dallin, watched the game, and had brownies and banana splits. The highlights were Wendy's adorable photo ornaments (she made 120 of them for friends and family!), the DVD Wendy made with pictures of everyone, and (of course) Santa's surprise visit! (It's strange - Santa looks a lot like Uncle Chris!!) He had a present for everyone! Wow! Thanks, Chris and Wendy, for creating such sweet memories for our families!

Christmas Craziness

Yesterday Kiera and Makenna had their school Christmas programs - Makenna's started at 2:30 and Kiera's started at 2:40. Hmmm. I still haven't figured out how to be at 2 different places at the same time. Thank goodness Granny was there to help be the "other parent!" She went to Kiera's talent show (where Kiera hula-hooped!) and took pictures for me. I went to Makenna's Christmas program and got to Kiera's as soon as we could. Crazy.

Last night, my mom treated Quentin and me to a date!! She offered us tickets to Rodgers Memorial Theater and even babysat for us (thanks Mom!) This has been kind of strange for us - Quentin and I have had 3 dates in 3 weeks! Wow!

Kiera was so stoked yesterday. Apparently her class got to write letters to Santa Claus, and yesterday they each received a letter from an elf! Kiera's was from Ella the Elf, and her penmanship was so fancy - lots of swirls and hearts for each dot. Kiera just couldn't believe it - what a treasure!

Quentin's Birthday - Part 2

I know you've all been anxiously awaiting my next post, since I promised an update on how Quentin's birthday celebration went yesterday. It was, well, interesting to say the least. It started out okay - I made poppy seed muffins for breakfast (Quentin's favorite), we dropped Kiera off to school and then we took Kasidee in for a checkup at the dentist. When we got back, Mom came over to visit and Quentin got lots of phone calls. Then, just as we were about to leave to do something fun, we heard Kasidee screaming and Makenna had a horrified look on her face. Apparently Makenna and Kasidee were playing "doctor" and Makenna was checking Kasidee's ears with...a toothpick. Aahhhh! No blood, and the screaming soon stopped, but we called the doctor and couldn't get in for an hour. So we waited and worried, then took her in to the doctor (no damage, thank goodness, except to Makenna's little soul - she was terrified that she had hurt Kasidee). Then on to pick Kiera up from school. We were looking forward to finally having some fun. Quentin chose to go to Game Crazy and we spent over an hour there. I hate that place, but I have to admit it wasn't so bad yesterday. They had an awesome sale and we were able to save about $70 on some Wii games (plus while I was waiting I answered a survey that an old lady was doing and scored a $10 gift card to Game Crazy. Yahoo!) Then Quentin suggested we go to Gardner Village. I thought he was just saying that for me since I love that place, but he really wanted to go and look. So off to Gardner Village to browse at some stores and check out the little Elf displays they have. It was bitter cold, so we didn't stay too long. Then we hopped in the car, got french fries at McDonalds for the girls and went to Cafe Rio for some yummy dinner. When we got home, we planned on watching "Horton Hears a Who" but it was getting late and we decided to save it for another day. Whew!

Happy Birthday Quentin!

Happy 33rd birthday to Quentin today! Yipee! He was supposed to work today (bummer). He has used up all his sick time and vacation time, but his manager tempted him yesterday by telling him he could take the day off without pay. Although "Responsible Quentin" kept telling me that he would work because we really needed the money, I figured he would cave. And I'm glad he decided to take the day off. He's so sweet to schedule the girls' birthdays, my birthday, and our anniversary off, but getting time off in December is hard for him and he never complains. But today he's off! I'll have to post more about how we will celebrate! Happy birthday, Quentin!

Lights

Last night, sort of on the spur of the moment, we got the girls all ready for bed, loaded up the car with slippers and blankets, and took a drive to see the little light display in Layton Park (you just drive around and look). The girls loved it. And I'll tell ya, there's nothing that brings the Christmas mood quite like a huge lit-up pink elephant or fire-breathing dragon. Hmmm....

Christmas Surprise

We have a dear neighbor whose 4 boys are grown and she doesn't have any grandkids yet - and since we moved in, she has treated our girls as her own grandkids. She's had them over to decorate cookies, she has lent us books from when she was a kindergarten teacher, and she has embroidered special pillows and blankets for them. Today when she and her husband dropped off some Martha Stewart-esque cookies for Christmas, they also had a special package for the girls - bright, colorful aprons - one for Kiera, one for Makenna, and 2 tiny ones for their dolls! This lady is so kind and so talented - there seriously is nothing she can't do. We're lucky to have her as our friend and neighbor!

Gingerbread Houses

We were bummed about a family party being postponed till next week because of the big snowstorm today, but then we remembered we would be able to make it to do the Lowe's project - wooden gingerbread houses! The girls were so stoked and loved making them. And now they're busy wrapping tiny presents in toilet paper and putting them inside the hinged roof! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!

New Beds - Again

After nearly 2 years of thinking about it, and 3 months of waiting, we finally have new bunk beds. Yay! We've needed them for a long time but have been waiting for the right kind and the right price. Kiera has been using the bed I had as a little girl for quite awhile now, but Makenna had still been in her beloved little toddler bed - and has quickly outgrown it. When we originally looked at bunk beds, we thought that we could just use one of the beds for Makenna's "big girl" bed and save the bunk bed option for later - if we ever needed it. But the girls got too excited knowing they could have bunk beds. So we put them up and the girls love 'em. The only downside: they seem monstrous (but at least now there's room for a "reading corner.") And I have no clue how to make a top bunk bed without falling on my head. Oh well. I guess we'll figure that one out. Kiera and Makenna have been so excited about their new beds that they've happily made their beds every day. Wahoo! (P.S. As expected, Kiera got sad when Quentin took down her "old" bed - but she was comforted knowing it can "hang out" in the storage room with her old toddler bed. And one day Kasidee will use it!)

Lunch with the Mayor

Okay, so I have to brag. Yesterday Kiera (along with only 5 other students from our school, one from each grade as well as the principal) got to get out of school and ride in a fire truck to the Farmington City Complex. There, they met a few students from other schools and had lunch with the Mayor of Farmington. Then they got to ride back to school in a police car. Cool, eh? Kiera was nominated by her teacher because (and I quote), "Kiera is kind to everyone, is respectful and polite to everyone, and is always willing to help others." Her teacher later emailed me and wrote, "I chose Kiera because of her kind, sensitive nature. Children are often noticed for grades and academics but I feel those who go out of their way to be kind and thoughtful to others should also be recognized. She is a wonderful little girl. You should be very proud of her." Oh, we are!

Countdown

Well, I guess the countdown to Christmas is officially on. Boy, it sure came fast this year. I'm not sure I'm ready for this. But last night we dug out our little advent calendar, hoping that the "Elves" will fill it each night for a little surprise in the morning. So this morning we checked it out. After reminding the girls that we can only open ONE box each morning, they carefully opened the first box and found a little "Mary" finger puppet. In the excitement, Makenna quickly opened box #2 and pulled out a "Joseph" finger puppet. Kiera and I looked at her incredulously and gasped - "Wait Makenna! You can't do that!" She got a horrified look and ran from the room, sobbing. After much consoling and comforting and assurance that she didn't do anything wrong and that, yes, I'm sure Santa will still think she's a good girl, all is well. I guess we'll just have to skip opening the box tomorrow. Ugh. It's going to be a long month.

Mommy Paradox

The other night my sister-in-law and I went on a "date." It was a long-anticipated evening of no kids and adult conversation. We went to a play at the Hale Center Theater and then grabbed a bite to eat at Costa Vida. It was SOOOO nice to be able to "get away" for a little while. But I have to admit that as I was leaving my house and the girls' noses were pressed against the window, waving goodbye to me, I experienced what I call the "Mommy Paradox." So many times I think to myself, "Oh, I wish I could just have time to myself for once" - and then when I finally get that time to do what I want to do, I start missing my girls! Our "date" was great - it felt so nice to be free for just a little while and to have some good company. But nothing beats being home with my girls (and honey)!

A Couch and a Life Lesson

Long story. A couple days ago we decided to finally get rid of our old couch. It's one we got nearly 12 years ago. It wore out so we put a slipcover on it a few years ago, but it was way past its prime. Clear back in May, we got a nice, new cranberry sofa to replace it but we weren't quite sure what to do with the old one, so it sat "temporarily" (for 6 months!) behind our loveseat in the living room. It looked like a redneck seating arrangement. Anyway, there's nothing like having company over that makes you all of a sudden find a good reason to "get 'er done." Since we're hosting Thanksgiving this year, we decided we needed to make our living room look like a real living room again. So it was time for the old couch to go. Quentin and I loaded it on the trailer then loaded the girls in the van for a "D.I. Run." As soon as Kiera and Makenna saw our old couch on the trailer they gasped. "Wait! What are we doing with our couch?!" So we had The Talk - we explained that we have loved that couch but we just don't need it anymore so we'd like to give it to the D.I. so someone who might not even have a couch would be able to get it.... Well, they didn't like that idea. "Why can't we keep it? I could have it when I'm a grown up. We could buy it back." Kiera was in tears, worried that the poor couch would miss us. I knew how she was feeling. As a kid, even though in my mind I knew that THINGS didn't have emotions, I still FELT things FOR them. I remember how hard it was for me when my parents sold our old gray Oldsmobile. I didn't want the car to "feel" abandoned.

I worried that this little couch experience would tramatize the girls. But we all talked about how important it is to take care of the things we have. But it's also important to not hold onto EVERYTHING even if we don't need it anymore. It's good to give to others who may not have the things we do. That evening we watched the movie "Kit Kitteridge," which drove this point home even more. Being a kid and learning these "life lessons" can be tough. But I guess that's what life is all about!

Sleepover!

Last night the girls had their very first "friend sleepover" with their best friends Chloe and Sophie. Kiera's been wanting a sleepover for months but I wasn't sure she was quite old enough yet and frankly I pretty much knew we'd get a phone call in the middle of the night to pick her up (which would be okay). However, the moms talked about making the sleepover idea a reality and for a week the girls giggled at the very thought. Plans weren't "official," but we decided quickly that it would be okay and Chloe and Sophie ended up coming to our house for the night. It was crazy, it was loud, but it was oh, so fun. I couldn't believe how excited the girls were. They goofed around, played Wii Bowling, watched a Strawberry Shortcake video and ate popcorn, made huts, had a pillow fight, read books, brushed teeth and said prayers together and then - lights out. But I didn't hear the giggling stop till nearly 11:30 (sorry, Chloe & Sophie's mom!) Sophie and Kiera slept in Kiera's bed, and Chloe chose to sleep next to the bed on the floor in her sleeping bag. As soon as Makenna got tired, she ditched her sleeping bag and crawled in bed with me (Quentin was over at his brother's house). So all was well and we all got some good sleep till 7:45 when I awoke to lots of giggling. We had waffles for breakfast, played a little, then got things ready to take Chloe and Sophie home. What fun, and what good memories we're making!

ALL 5 GIRLS LOVE TO PLAY TOGETHER!


BRUSHING AND FLOSSING...


PILLOW FIGHT! (No, those aren't feathers flying around - just spots on my camera!)


SECRET HUDDLE


NIGHT NIGHT!

Field Trip

(DON'T YA LOVE HOW FIRST-GRADERS LOVE TO HOLD HANDS WITH THEIR FRIENDS? SO CUTE!)

Thanks to Granny for watching Makenna (AND taking her to preschool) and Kasidee for 5 hours today so I could go with Kiera on her first-grade field trip! We boarded the big yellow school busses and went to the Repertory Dance Theater and watched a dance show then went on a tour at the State Capitol. Both were very interesting and fun, but Kiera liked eating lunch at the park the best!

Magic Eraser

Okay, I realize I'm a little behind the times, but oh my gosh - I just tried the Magic Eraser for the first time. I got the inspiration from Makenna's preschool teacher. I was admiring the pristine preschool tables - no signs of paint, ink, markers, crayons, etc. and the teacher smiled and said, "Magic Eraser!" I had given up hope of "restoring" our old wood table that Kasidee drew all over with a pen. Granted, it's an 11-year-old table that isn't in the best shape anyway, but we still use it (it's got our fish tank on it) and it looks horrible with pen ALL over it. But I picked up a Magic Eraser at Walmart, came home and tried it, and wah-lah (or is it viola?) it magically came off - all of it! I am in awe. How does it do that?? Crazy stuff. Now if only I could find something that would take Kasidee's artwork off of our couch!!

R.I.P.

Yeah, it happened. Already. One of our fishies died, not even a week after we got it. When we were considering getting fish, we explained to the girls that fish don't usually live very long and that's just part of how it goes. Kiera was mortified and wondered what we would do with a fish that died. She wouldn't hear of flushing it down the toilet or even putting it in a box and burying it. She seemed okay with putting the dead thing in a pond, but we told her not to think about all that - this whole discussion happened in the car while we were bringing our new fish home! Anyway, from the beginning we noticed that one of our fish didn't eat much and seemed to be "un-energetic." And sure enough it died. Quentin found it after the girls had gone to bed and scooped it up, so at least they didn't have to see the poor thing floating around upside down. But the next morning the girls noticed one of the fish was gone and I had to explain what happened. A few tears were shed, but it wasn't the drama like I expected. I think Kiera especially is sensitive to the sanctity of and has reverence for LIFE - any life, even a fish's. (Hmmm - she'll probably be a life-long vegetarian!) We knew what we were in for when we got these fish, and I think we're all learning some important life lessons!

Our New Pet

They must have been talking about pets in Makenna's preschool class lately or something because for the last couple of weeks that's all we've heard about from her. The latest thing is that she wants a "mice" - not a mouse but a mice. Well, there's no way we'll ever have a "mice" for a pet, so we settled on a fish. We figured it was time. So we dug out Quentin's old fish tank, cleaned it up and went to Petco. Each of the girls picked out a fish - and now we have Sparkles, Molly, and Baba. The only thing is Makenna's constant questions have changed from "Can I have a pet?" or "Can I get a mice?" to "Can I hold my fish?" and "Can I put my fish in the bathtub?" and "Can I just pet my fish?" I think this has made me realize that we probably should get a "real" pet someday. I always figured I'd have a dog when I had kids, but I think the hair/pee/bad breath/dirty paws/etc./etc. kind of wig me out. But maybe giving up a clean home would be worth the joy a "real" pet would bring to the kids. Hmmm. Maybe someday.

Junie B. Jones

I am totally stoked. Kiera has always liked books from the time I began reading them to her as a baby, and she really enjoyed learning to read last year in Kindergarten. This year in first grade, I'm amazed at how she has really taken off in her reading and spelling abilities. For weeks she's been talking about the Junie B. Jones books. I guess her teacher has been reading them to the class and she LOVES them - and she thinks it's cool that they're "chapter books." She said that as soon as she gets done with the Houghton-Mifflin (?) set that is required for nightly homework, she can begin taking home the Junie B. Jones books to read by herself. So she's been bringing home 2 books of the required reading each night so she can get through them fast and get on to the Junie B. Jones books.

Anyway, she saw the Junie B. Jones books for sale the other day at the store and begged to buy some - she would even use her own money. As a compromise, I told her we could check some out at the library. So last night we did. I can't believe how engrossed she was with those books! She spent over an hour reading them and read 5 chapters (about 40 pages). I literally had to turn the light out on her at 9:30 so she would finally go to bed. I can't tell you how thrilled I am that she loves reading so much!

Hey Blue Eyes

When Ben & Jen sent Kasidee this cute dress when she was just a newborn, I thought it would be forever till she would be able to fit in it (it's a 12-month size). Well, we tried it on for church Sunday - so cute!! And I love how the denim brings out the blue in her pretty eyes!

Happy Halloween!

Well, we survived Halloween. After a month of counting down, it finally came. We visited Mom and Grandma during the day then got ready for our big night out. For weeks, Makenna talked about her Tinkerbell costume that we have in the dress-up box. But then about 3 days ago she decided she wanted to be a ghost instead. After searching for a ghost costume and coming up empty, we modified an old costume (she kind of looked like Mary from Biblical times instead of a ghost). But then, when searching the DI costume section, we found this adorable "China Girl" outfit that Makenna fell in love with. So all was well. Kiera borrowed the witch costume from Grandma Stephens, and we just couldn't pass up buying Kasidee's little candy corn costume (though she has loads of hand-me-down costumes and dress-ups).

While we waited for Quentin to get home from work (unfortunately it was his "late" night and he couldn't get home till 7:00), the girls had a blast answering the door and handing out the candy. Then when Daddy got home the 5 of us started going around the block. We didn't think Kasidee would last very long, so after a few houses Quentin volunteered to go back home and answer the door while the girls and I continued till Kasidee got tired. Then I would take her home and Quentin would take Kiera and Makenna around some more. Well, Kasidee didn't get tired. In fact, she ended up lasting longer than the other girls! We eventually went home, got Quentin and we all finished going around the block (about 30 houses). Kasidee insisted on walking the whole time and screamed if we picked her up or tried to put her in the stroller. So it was slow going, but she had SO much fun! At each door, she would pick out a piece of candy from her bucket and try to give it to the person handing out candy! She's such a cutie!

So I guess Halloween isn't really over till the candy's all gone. The girls made a pretty good dent in their collection last night, but I'm afraid some of it is going to have to "disappear." That much candy is just nasty! Hope everyone had a very happy Halloween!