Girl's Day Out

For Christmas Grandma Reese (Ryan's grandma) gave the girls a certificate for a day of fun! I took them last Saturday to get manicures and pedicures. My sisters-in-law had told us about this fun salon that had pink butterfly chairs just for little girls.

So that's where we ended up! The girls loved it! And they even picked out the same paint colors for their fingers and their toes. I thought that was pretty impressive since they weren't sitting next to each other and there were plenty of colors to choose from! After the salon, we went to Subway for lunch where they were allowed to get a kids meal (which is pretty much unheard of for us. I usually make them split something in the name of thrift:)

And then on to Target for a mini shopping spree. I took them to the clothes first since I really did not want any more toys in the house. They picked out several outfits to try on and then we had the horrible task of trying to narrow them down! Finally the outfit was picked. And we went past the toy aisle. And then we stopped. And then they picked out toys. And we had to put the outfits back because we didn't have enough money for both.....sad. But it was their day! After that we headed out for ice cream and then in the car to go home. We had a great time and I loved our "girls only" outing. It's actually the only one we've had. I think a new tradition is in order!

Kyson Turns 2!

Kyson is entering (or should I say, has entered) the terrible 2's! He's actually been pretty "rotten" for the last 6 months ;) Perhaps rotten is a little strong.......he loves to be ornery but I'm sure if you asked him, he would say he's just playing! Here he is kicking off his birthday morning by licking the beater to his cake. And I am happy to report he no longer turns his head away from the camera.........he gives this smile instead!

Opening presents........with a little unsolicited help.

The birthday cake......he is in love with Buzz Lightyear. I figured this is as close to "to infinity and beyond" as we could get!

And the best moment for Kyson, blowing out the candles! We did it twice...... in honor of turning two!

Some of the things Kyson is doing right now. He is talking like crazy and it seems every time I turn around he's got another word he's using. He tried telling me something the other day using a word I'd never heard before. I hadn't been playing with him so I had no reference point. He said it twice with me vaguely responding with, "Oh, good. Is that right?" He looked at me like I was insane and said it again. I tried to guess. He frowned. I tried again. He grunted and shook his head. By the third time he stomped his foot at me and made a very disturbing noise, gave me a very disgusted look and ran off to play. I wish I knew what he was telling me!

1. He still loves to jump.

2. He can ride his razor scooter like nobody's business and has started doing "tricks'.

3. He loves his "sissy's". At night when I hear him getting out of bed, it is not unusual for me to find him sneaking into his sister's room because he wants to sleep with them.

4. He's very opinionated.

5. He loves baths and has recently been taking 2-3 a day on certain days. Not because I want him to but because I found that it is easier to take the 15 minutes and let him take one than put his clothes back on 20 times. Did I mention he can take them off by himself?

6. He's still a picky eater.

7. He loves his Buzz Lightyear pajamas and is often fighting to keep them on all day.

He flew home from Colorado in them.

8. He loves Pillow Pets. He is very affectionate and loves to give hugs and kisses. He feels that it is appropriate to hug his little friends/cousins even if they don't want it!

9. He's a flirt.

10. He's been a huge Mama's boy ever since we told him there was a new baby on the way. Talk about perceptive!

Overall, Kyson has been such fun little man in our family. Everyone loves him to death and he knows it!

Guess What?

So. I've neglected to tell you a big secret.....Reese baby #4 is on its way! Thankfully, I have survived the first 14 weeks and am starting to feel somewhat normal again. I do believe this pregnancy has made me more nauseous and has lasted longer than the other three. Of course it is also possible that I have just forgotten.

Speaking of forgetting.

I am much dumber. I can't seem to remember things. Important things. Like appointments I have made. I think my brain cells are frying as you read this. Or maybe being sucked into my womb in order to create the next Baby Einstien. Let me give you an example of my dumbness. The fact that Kendri has preschool every Tuesday and Thursday has yet to emblazon itself on my mind. (We're halfway through the year. I would think it should be habit by now, and yet.....)


And the children I watch after school almost everyday? I don't recall them even crossing my mind as I wrecklessly scheduled my last doctor's appointment. Luckily Ryan brought it to my attention the day before my appointment so I didn't have to pay $25 for a last minute reschedule. I've basically made a lot of work out of my daily routine by not remembering I have just that.....a daily routine. You should have seen me last week as I busily rearranged things that included three different families. Made sure notes were sent to school so children could ride the bus, changed plans so I could be to a certain place, made arrangements for child care. After I was done I realized I didn't need to do any of that. My regular schedule would've worked after all. See? Dumb.


But that's neither here nor there. So you can be expecting a gender announcement in the next couple of months! Any guesses?

Articles of Faith

Last year we made a goal as a family to work on the Articles of Faith for church. We worked on a new one each month with the hopes that we could have them memorized by the end of the year. And let me tell you, those 2 little girls worked their tails off and passed off all thirteen! Last week we were able to go to the Stake Center where they recognized all of the kids who had passed off all 13 Articles of Faith and then celebrated with some ice cream. Lexi and Kendri were thrilled to have met their goal and their mommy and daddy couldn't be prouder!

Way to go girls! We love you!

I Finally Did It.

I severed the ties of Kyson and his best friend. It was an unhealthy relationship. One that had gone on far too long. I showed no remorse. Snip, snip. I cut the tip off his binky.



I regretted it 3 hours later as I was trying to soothe a broken heart. Heartbroken is a mild term for what we endured over the next 24 hours. Without his "bink" he had nothing to lull him into the blissful state of sleep. By 1:00 in the morning, I was desperately shoving the mangled binky into his mouth with no result. Instead, he screamed and mourned the fate of his beloved friend. I did feel rather guilty. But I knew I wasn't strong enough to just hide it from him. It had to be permanantly damaged or the ties would never be severed.....from Kyson or me. I loved the "bink" almost as much as he did. It had an instantaneous effect on him. From screeching to small whimpers. From wide awake to heavy-lidded drowsiness. Yes, I loved it too.



Well. At any rate, it's done for. And since we've made it through 2 days of a mangled binky, I will venture to say that progress has been made. The crying is not as long nor as dramatic. The sleeping is still not great but it is being achieved. But I have to be honest. He is still sleeping with his friend. Although he can't suck on it any more he still uses it. So my question is this, does it count as breaking him of the binky if he still puts it in his mouth but doesn't suck on it? I can't really be sure how long it's even in his mouth. When I check on him before I go to bed it's usually laying beside him. I thought the hole would cause him to lose interest in it and he would give it up on his own. Instead I think he's developing a new addiction.

For now, I'll say I'm breaking him of it.

Happy New Years 2011!

We brought the New Year in with a bang! Okay, I'm lying. I was in bed by 10:30. Which is really only 9:30 California time. What can I say? That's my kind of par-tay! The girls told me they were going to stay up all night because THIS was the night they got to stay up as late as they want. I don't recall saying exactly that, but I did let them stay up past 8:00. As it turned out, I didn't really have to worry about the late night. Our biggest celebration was the milkshake shop that opened up......it is one of Pa's specialities and he has quite a following!

And this is what I meant about not having to worry about the "late" night. This is what I found about 20 minutes after Kendri assured me (with wide eyes) that she was not even tired. It was 9:30. Lexi gave no protest when I told her it was time for bed. Only 2 1/2 hours short of their goal. Maybe next year!