Lexi's First Date!

My daughter has now done something that I have never even attempted! Thursday, Dirk got Lexi out of school for a little Daddy-Daughter date. They headed up to Beaver Mountain for a half day of skiing. Lexi was so excited! She has been wanting to go all winter! She loved every minute of it. She came home telling all about her experience, right down to the cow doing flips on her blue skis! I was so shocked when Dirk told me they went down the mountain 12 times! I thought he would be lucky to get in 5 runs with having to teach Lexi and all. Lexi keeps asking me when she can go again. She is just dying for Ward Ski Night now.

She looks so comfortable standing there! Not awkward at all! I'm so proud. When she got home from skiing she had to go to her first sign language class. She is the youngest in her class by 2 years so I was a little nervous on how she would do. She came home an hour later and she knew the entire alphabet and how to do her name! It really amazes me how quick kids learn. She can't wait to go back to her class again next week!

Thankful Thursday

1. Pretend Monsters-The other day the kids were running away from a pretend monster. They thought they were so scared because they couldn't get away from it. Then Lexi decided to pray for the monster to go away. Afterwards she told Rayden that Heavenly Father got rid of the monster and they didn't need to run away anymore. I am thankful that through the power of pretend I can see their small testimonies or prayer.

2. Accountants-Because seriously, without ours I don't know if I could handle these business taxes. I am so afraid I am going to screw something up! Our accountant is golden and worth every penny we have to pay him!

3. Marble jars-We started marble jars with our kids a couple of years ago to good results. We reintroduced them a few months ago to excellent results! The basic idea is that if the kids do a chore of something nice for someone else they get marbles in their jar. The bigger the deed or the thought put into it. the more marbles they get. When they fill their jar they get a special treat. For our kids it is a trip to the dollar store. Lexi has really grasped this lately and has been doing all sorts of things to earn marbles. She has now made it a habit to make her bed in the morning. She even sometimes will make Mom and Dad's bed. She usually asks if she can have marbles as soon as she is done, but she is creating good habits for the future and I'm loving it!

Like Father, Like Son

Rayden started a soccer training course a couple of weeks ago. He is loving it! Almost everyday he asks me if he has soccer. He loves to get there early and just run and kick his ball. He has even shown me the different kinds of kicks that he is learning. He is in heaven. He never gets tired of it. He is one of the few kids who sticks it out the entire 45 minutes. He also really enjoys going so he can see 3 of his cousins who are in the class with him. He thinks it is just great! He can't wait until he is big enough to join his Dad's soccer team. (We haven't broken the news to him yet that by then Dad probably won't be playing anymore.) He is just so much fun to watch him learn and enjoy this fun sport! Okay, and I just have to say that I think the little shin guards are the cutest thing!

Thankful Thursday

1. Water Storage-You don't realize how important this is until you need it. I had to get my kids ready for school this morning with no running water. It was such a blessing to have water in our food storage. They at least got to brush their teeth and wash their faces before school. It was so nice to have some water and even better when Dirk turned the water main back on! (Just so you know our water main broke, again, but not real bad.)

2. Spaghetti-Because looking at my little boy's face at lunch today was just priceless! It brought a smile to my face which made him smile even bigger!

3. No place to go-On a day like today I am glad I didn't need to go into town! Ice storms are so bad! I am thankful that I could stay safely at home and that Dirk made it home safely as well.

A Few of Simon's Favorite Things!

I know, 3 posts in one day! A lot but then I've a lot to say about this past week! Here are some things that Simon mastered this week and he is very proud of himself!
My boy found the stairs! He discovered that he can climb them and has made it all the way to the top before I can get there! Guess it is time to install a gate at the bottom of the stairs now.

We already knew that Simon loves his daddy's planes. He also loves when Dad leaves them on the floor! He pulls himself up and walks along them. He actually pulls himself up to everything and sometimes he lets go and just stands there! It is scaring me how quick he is learning lately.


About a month or so ago Simon discovered that whatever Mom was drinking tasted better than what was in his cup. I would always give him a drink by pulling my straw out and let him suck from the bottom. He now has mastered drinking out of a straw all by himself. Straw drinkers beware! If there is one near him he believes it is all his and he WILL grab it and start drinking!

A TaiPan Weekend

I love going to TaiPan Trading! I have been wanting to go for weeks now! On Saturday I headed down to Ogden with Dirk's mom and sister. Lexi joined in on the girl fun. She didn't want to be left behind with the guys because they were going to the Hobby Store and she said it is "boring." I don't blame her! I found some awesome things. Here is this great clock (I love clocks!) that I found for my Scrapbook room.


I also found these great flowers! I think they are so cute and springy!


Then I found this glass and easter eggs. I think I will use this as a center piece on my dining table. I teased Dirk that I bought the glass so we could empty an entire bottle of sparkling cider into it to share! Now that I've said it, though, it doesn't sound like an half bad idea!


I am feeling a little Spring Fever right now. Too bad we still have a few more months of cold! It was so nice getting out of the valley for some fun with the girls! I hope we can do it again sometime soon!

It's Done!

Alright everyone, I am forgoing breakfast and a shower right now so I can get this picture posted! I also have a 9 month old behind me who is NOT very happy that his mom isn't putting him down for his nap! I've been meaning all weekend to post the final pic of my room but I have been having too much fun being in it!

The desk is just awesome!! Thanks, Chanelle, for Dave's skills! It turned out perfect! I am loving this desk! Have I said how much I love my new room? As I have said many times this last week, Dirk spoils me rotten!

Thankful Thursday

1. One Neat Kid-I am completely amazed at Rayden this week. He usually is my kid who rolls around on the floor and pretends he can't hear you when you ask him a question. He doesn't enjoy doing chores or anything of the sort. This week he has done a complete 180. He has been doing things without being asked and volunteering to help out. I am in complete shock. He is so awesome! He helped me make his bed this morning without being asked and he has been very attentive to his sister and brother. Yesterday I gave him his vitamin but Lexi had already gone to school. As soon as she came home he reminded me to give her one too, "So she can stay healthy, Mom!" He has become so thoughtful! I am very proud of my big helper!

2. Fresh and New Smell-I don't know if anyone else is like this but I LOVE the smell of new paint. It makes me feel all fresh and new. I have been spending lots of time in my scrapbook room and it isn't just because I got my new toy! (OK, that is a HUGE part of it though!) I love to sit in there with my eyes closed and breath in the scent of newness. I also can smell the fresh, new wood scent of the desk. It makes me feel good inside. Am I weird?

3. My phone-I spent all weekend without my cell phone. I know that shouldn't feel like a big deal but since my phone is also the house phone, I wasn't too happy with myself. I couldn't for the life of me remember where I left it. I finally remembered that I had last used it at a restaurant on Saturday but I hadn't seen it since. I tried calling it from Dirk's phone but it was off. That does not bode well. I called the restaurant on Tuesday because they were closed on Monday. No sign of it. I had to replace it yesterday and as much as I hate having to buy a new phone I am so glad I have it back! I don't talk on the phone a lot but it sure is nice feeling connected to the world again!

Scrapbook Room

Since I knew that my scrapbook desk was coming Monday, Dirk and I took the oppurtunity of an empty room. We painted the entire area a new color. I was extremely excited that Dirk picked out this terracotta orange color. I LOVE this color and have always wanted to paint a room like this but Dirk was always nervous. He really surprised me by choosing this. I guess he is adapting to my bold color palette! Silly me forgot to take any before pictures. I had good intentions to and then I forgot. You can kind of see the old color in this picture.

I also didn't get a shot of the mess in the room before it was all cleaned up. Here is the new color completely done on the walls.

Monday afternoon the guys came and installed the desk. I was so excited! (Still am!) I LOVE how they turned out! Hopefully tonight I will get the desktop and then I am all set to go! I have already started to fill in all the drawers and ALL of the paper cubbies are full. It is so nice seeing my paper out where I can find it all! I have to admit that Dirk definitely spoils me! As soon as the desktops are on I will take more pictures of the completed room!

Thankful Thursday

1. New Job-So it has been a year since Dirk switched jobs and I have tos ay I am so thankful that he did. He really hit me this week how much happier he is and also how much more time he gets to spend with the family. We went to the store the other night after dinner and we ran into one of Dirk's old coworkers. He was just barely getting off of work and it was 7pm. Dirk and I started talking about how we wouldn't be able to go anywhere during the week since he got off work late and then had to shower and eat. By that time it was time for the kids to go to bed. I hope that I never get complacent about this blessing in our lives of having Dirk around more often.

2. Holiday breaks-In one way I am glad that my kids are back in school now. We are back on schedules and things around the house are getting done again, but I LOVED having my kids home for a couple of weeks. We got to spend so much time together. We didn't get to do all that I wanted to do but we still had fun. During the break my kids were able to get psyched up again about school and learning. The break was a great strengthing time for our family.

3. Crawlers-Ok so this one is kind of two-sided and bittersweet. I am so excited to announce that Simon is all over the place now! He has decided that crawling does benefit him. He can follow Mom and Dad everywhere and he loves to get into his toy basket all by himself. I am so sad that he is growing up so quick. I swear I just had the kid! The growing up years just don't last very long! :( I am a little nervous about Simon figuring out that he can get into lots of stuff but I am so excited that he is learning new things!