Another excuse to get together....

Tuesday Nov 18th at 11:30am come over to my house. Kids can play while moms make flower clips and hair bows. Bring a snack to share. Also if you have any cute buttons, ribbons, flowers, etc you want to use then bring it, if not just come and I have plenty. If you're not a mom of girls then come anyways and make one for yourself, or to give away, or to just get out of the house. Everyone is invited so come over for some fun! Just call, email, text, or leave a comment if you are coming.

Doin It Like Wendy

Wendy Darling (as in Peter Pan). Apparently this is how Wendy sleeps...with her shoes and socks on.

I'm trying to get Kaitlyn to take a nap so she's not a grump while she stays out late tonight at Disney on Ice. While she's 'supposed' to be napping I keep hearing these thumps. So I go upstairs to check on her and as I get into her room she jumps into bed and pretends to be sleeping (what a little terd). I ask her what she's doing, to which she replies "I'm doin it like Wendy"....oh how I wish I could see the inner workings of a 3 year old mind.

Halloween Festivities

We went on a Halloween cruise on the Provo River. It was pretty cute (a little -ok a lot- cheesey) but perfect for the kids - Well I guess just Kaitlyn since Makenzie didn't really care what was going on. We were serenaded by a Halloween Cd, a lot of Jack-o-lanterns lined the river, a pirate came and told jokes and passed out candy, and were told the story of the headless horseman.



For Halloween Kaitlyn was Snow White and Makenzie was an Angel, we went trick or treating around the block were home within a half hour!



Since I let Kaitlyn wear lipstick for Halloween, she thinks she can wear it all the time now. Since then, when the house is too quiet this is what I've found...

I also sometimes find this...

But my favorite is when I find this...

Pizza Party

Tuesday Nov 4th at noon come over to my house for a Pizza Party! Everyone will be able to make their own Pizza Face. Everyone is invited so come over for some fun! and a good way to get your kids to willingly eat vegetables Just call, email, text, or leave a comment if you are coming so we can have enough for everyone.

Thanksgiving Point

Today Lisa and I took our kids out to Thanksgiving Point. It was quite a bit warmer than last year, but the wind sure was strong. We milked the fake cow, rode the ponies (although once the pony started moving Kaitlyn wanted it to stop), made lots of animal noises (BTW Lisa does a really good "gobble gobble") , and had lots of fun!

This little piggie...

Turned 9 months today! She has officially been out longer than in. Makenzie is almost 28 inches and 16.5 lbs, and her head size is off the charts. We finally attempted some pig tails - they didn't turn out so well :( Maybe we'll try again in a few more months - give her hair some time to grow over that huge head of hers;) Makenzie's bottom two front teeth have FINALLY started to break through...YAY! She is one tuff little cookie . . . Today at her dr's appointment she got some blood drawn and she just smiled as she was watching the nurse the entire time. I guess it helps to have an older sister who beats up on you. Makenzie loves to eat, if she sees one of us eating or drinking anything she will come over to us and grunt (Dan says she gets that from her Allen genes...I think he's crazy). We discovered the other day that she is a little scared of dogs, and was quite dramatic about it too (Allen genes again?) When Makenzie gets tired she will just follow me around the house crying begging me to put her to bed. Makenzie thinks giving 5's is hillarious. And my absolute favorite is that she gives the best hugs!



*I know I'm so mean for posting this, but this is how dramatic she is

Getting away

Last weekend my mom and all of my sisters flew into Utah. We had a fun girls only (no kids) night at my Grandpa's cabin in Midway with my cousins and my mom's sisters. There was lots of talking, laughing, crying, dancing, watching(more like falling asleep to)movies, and of course eating delicious fudge and light as air belgian waffles.

Saturday we split up, some went shopping, and the really cool ones went to the BYU football game.


Later we met back up at my house for fondue, more chatting, assembling my ikea toy shelves, and watching (falling asleep to) movies. My sisters left on Sunday but my mom stayed behind to watch Kaitlyn and Makenzie while Dan and I enjoyed ourselves in Vegas - shopping, shows, sleeping in, and eating late. While my mom endured 2 ear infections and a teething, stubborn Makenzie who finally decided to take a bottle after 4 days of starving. Thanks Mom, you're the best!

*Mom, how do I never get any pictures of you? I know you were there, but why are you never infront of my camera. I know you had to be in someones pictures. Jen, Emily or Dawn, I think you took pictures can I get a copy of some? please and thank you

But how is she gonna put the feather back on?

I've been getting annoyed with Kaitlyn's super long hair, so yesterday I finally took her to go get it chopped. When Carol (the haircutting lady at Regis) chopped the ponytail off Kaitlyn's head she tickled Kaitlyn's face with it and called it a feather. Kaitlyn was very concerned and asked "How is she gonna put that feather back on?" I thought we might have a melt down, but for the most part Kaitlyn didn't mind her hair 'melting' off her head.

Hi

The summer is finally over and we are (have been for 2 weeks now) back at home in Utah. We actually flew home on Dan's Birthday! I always feel bad because ever since we have been married we've been traveling home on all but one of his brithdays. This year I got him some new BYU apparel for the football games. And here he is just taking it all in before the first game. Go COUGS!


Kaitlyn was so excited to get back to Utah (although she really misses Virginia pool and her friends Alex and JJ) When we got back to our house, it felt like Christmas because she was so excited to see all of the toys we left behind. She kept saying "I remember this!" and "this is familiar!". Kaitlyn loves to help me make things in the kitchen and one day for lunch she decided to turn her barbeque chicken sandwhich into a smushed raspberry barbeque chicken sandwhich. Sounds really gross to me, but she insisted that it was "delicious" and "the best ever".




Makenzie is 8 1/2 months old now. She was a little confused when we got back to Utah and wanted to wake up at 4am, and wasn't too fond of her crib. But she got over that within a few days. Makenzie babbles all the time and can carry on quite the conversation. She sometimes feels that using her fingers to eat is a waste of time and energy,so she just dives right into the food mouth first. Makenzie is my little head shaker...she shakes her head when she's tired, when she's done eating, and when she dances. She really cracks me up.

Williamsburg

After an entire summer of being here, we finally made it out to visit Williamsburg. Dan wasn't too thrilled about driving all the way out there just to walk around on his one day off from walking around all day, but he sucked it up and did it anyways. Thanks Dude!

Here's Kaitlyn making here debut...I'm not sure where she got that pose from, but apparently that's her idea of how you are supposed to pose for a picture.


Family shot at the church


The Capital building, or as Kaitlyn insists Snow White's castle. She also spotted Cinderella on the street (one of workers wearing her 18th century duds)


We told Kaitlyn this was the Naughty Spot. She doesn't like this naughty spot and does NOT want to go there. Maybe I should get one for my house ;)

Oh how they make me smile :)

 

I just love the little quirky things about them, and watching them play together

A very happy unbirthday...to me!

Not that today anything spectacular or happy happened, it's just that today I finally got the pictures from my birthday (thanks Stacie). This year for my birthday the wives had a surprise party for me, and I was really really surprised! I really had no idea, so when I walked into my apartment and there were a bunch of balloons and girls there I was a bit flabbergasted. Thanks girls, it was fun! It's a little sad that half of you are gone, but I think we're all glad to (almost) be done with the summer :)

Some of the VA Beach wives


And these were the beautiful (and delicious) arrangements Lisa, Dan, and my mom gave me. Except for the chocolate covered strawberries which didn't make it past breakfast the next morning I was able to enjoy them and feel loved for 2 whole weeks which was quite miraculous because I can usually kill flowers within a day

FREEDOM!!!

Tonight Makenzie finally took a bottle!!! For the past 7 months Makenzie has liked eating from me and only me, not me in a bottle and especially not formula. Stubborness definately runs in our family. Don't get me wrong I love nursing (free, no bottles to clean up, and good for baby) but I've hated the uneasy feeling I would get whenever I would leave Makenzie. But after tonight I finally feel much better about leaving her for extended periods of times. good thing because next month I'll be leaving her for a week

I love sleeping kids

now if only they would sleep at the same time.

Makenzie is growing up way too fast, although I can tell she wishes she would grow up even faster. She is already trying to pull herself up - she makes it up on to her knees and can stand her feet with her bum up and head down, but is too wobbly to stand up all the way - and she gets really frustrated when she can't reach the top of something to pull herself up onto. Makenzie loves to follow Kaitlyn around and cracks up at just about everything she does. And she LOVES playing in the water. Unless she's tired or hungry she is just such an easy going and happy girl



Kaitlyn oh Kaitlyn, when did you grow up? I just love hearing her random thoughts and seeing her personality blossoming. As a nursery leader once told me, "she really is a firecracker" (compliment or criticism?) Kaitlyn loves Dora and Diego, going to the pool, and her current favorite movie is Ella Enchanted. She loves to look out for Makenzie and makes sure she always has plenty of toys. She is always so quick to say "I'm so sorry Mommy, I won't do that ever again" whenever she does something she shouldn't. And she loves to sing and dance her little heart out.

Music to My Ears...

...and probably to my ears only since she can carry a tune about as well as her dad. But this is one of my favorite parts of being a mom. I just love hearing Kaitlyn tell her dolls stories and sing herself to sleep.

to listen click here since for some reason I was unable to upload it directly

*ps I videoed it in the dark and since I don't have night vision on my camera there's nothing to see, only something to hear

Iron Chef - Lime vs Coconut

Copycatting my sister Dawn who was inspired by the Food Network, tonight we had an Iron chef party - a fun version of pot luck with competition and prizes. We had to make something with either lime or coocnut, and were judged on presentation, taste, and originality. Everything that everyone brought was super yummy! And of course any excuse to get a group of lonely wives together to eat delicious food and chat is always fun! I think I have the worst attention span because I started to take pictures of all of the food but somehow I managed to miss a few things so I'll just list them: green-green guacamole, lime cookies, chicha morada (corn juice), and pina colada.

Memories...Let the memory live again...

So here's a fun game...

1. Add a comment on my blog, leave a few memories (or 1) you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me lots or know me a little... (Now let's play nice)

2. Next, repost these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I will return the favor

I can't stop singing that song from Cats, can you?
Mo I know you're singing it

Exciting Happenings of a SAHM in July

Actually I did not stay at home earlier this month...Dan took the office down to Raleigh, NC to work for a week, so the girls and I (and Erika) drove down there for 2 nights. It was a quick 3 hour drive and the girls slept almost the whole way there. See...









While we were there we watched Frosty the Snowman, walked around Target, saw Wall-E, and ate some yummy crepes. We also saw a lot more of Dan than we usually do (by alot I mean he was only gone from about 9:30am til about 10pm)


Later that weekend Makenzie beat up on Kaitlyn...OR we went to a Mary Kay party and Kaitlyn discovered her new calling as a make-up artist.

We got a new 'car'


Makenzie was introduced to Cheerios


And I caught married Cinderella helping Kaitlyn put all of the headbands (a.k.a. bracelets) on her arm.

For all your spoiled produce woes...

Rubbermaid Produce Saver

I kept walking by these at the store and always thought about buying them, but I was always a little skeptical. I finally decided to try them out, and now I'm a fan. Last week I bought a ton of strawberries, this week I went out of town and when I came back the strawberries were still as good as the day they came home from the store. When I get back to UT, and my bigger refrigerator, I will definately be buying more.

6 Months, 4th, & Laziness

MAKENZIE IS 6 MONTHS

The months are just flying by. Makenzie is halfway through her first year of life and she is such a joy to have around. She has the most adorable smile and smiles all the time but for some reason I can't capture it with my camera. Even while she's crying if you smile at her she will crack a smile mid cry another DRAMA queen in the making? Makenzie has been scooting around for a few weeks now but she's really starting to pick up some speed. She's just barely discoverd that she can use her arms to help her scoot. Before it was a knee and head scoot ::sigh:: so cute! Makenzie can also sit up by herself anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes, depending on how quickly she gets distracted or over excited. Currently her favorite food is avacado and she will only put a bottle in her mouth if it has water in it.

FOURTH OF JULY

One of my favorite things about the 4th is that Dan only works until 5pm. We had a bbq/pool party with all the people from the office. Afterwards Dan and I took the girls to go watch the Mount Trashmore fireworks from the Kmart parking lot. Sounds a little WT ok alot but we live right behind the Kmart and it had a pretty good view, and who really wants to deal with all the people and traffic, especially while toting tired kids around.

Kaitlyn at the pool before the bbq wondering where all her friends are...


Makenzie LOVED her first forward facing stroller ride, she laughed the entire time

Daddy and the girls before the fireworks


We saw the Johns at the Kmart parking lot and enjoyed the fireworks with them in the back of their truck


LAZY WEEKEND

Friday night Kaitlyn started to feel pretty crummy and had a fever. So her weekend pretty much consisted of sitting on the couch staring- I would occasionally turn on Dora, Diego, or Little Einsteins -and falling asleep on the floor.

Having a sick kid is always sad, but I did enjoy only having to clean up after Makenzie ;) Yesterday Kaitlyn was still feeling awful and burning up so I took her to the doctor and the poor girl has an ear infection. I was just glad it's nothing contagious. And today she is feeling much better!