A delicious looking apple. "Looking" is the key word.

We knew one of these days Cali would try this. . .

Yeah, its not actually a real apple. But I guess she thought it tasted good.

And then she arranged the dining room chairs in her own little way, slanting each chair ever so slightly. . .

We can't leave this kid alone for 5 minutes without finding little surprises. :)

My 100% perfect impressive buttocks

Joey and I are always messing around with buttgrabs, spanks, slaps, etc. Its a fun little part of married life. If you and your spouse don't do it, then you 're just plain boring !) The other day Joey peeled this sticker off a banana and put it on my rear while I was making dinner. . .and I must say I thought it was rather sweet(even though the compliment is sooo untrue, but as long as he thinks so, I'm okay with that:).

The next day, Aubrey decided to slap a sticker on my bottom too. They learn from their parents(so be careful what you do around them:) We were all laughing at her creativity(and I gave her an extra scoop of icecream later-don't tell Ella- j/k:)

So, there you have it, 2 people say I have a nice tush. Life doesn't get any better than that right there.

Flowers for Lucy

You are loved, my sweet angel niece.

Little Celebrities!

If you look closely(bottom left), you can see pictures of Ella & Cali in this months kids magazine for our area. Aubrey was featured in this section a year or two ago so I thought I'd send in a couple of pictures of the younger two and they both got in! Ella's face when she saw the magazine yesterday afternoon was priceless. She is feeling quite famous today:)

First Day of School 2009

The first day of school has come and gone. . . and it went GREAT! Both girls were so excited for their first day. Ella walked right into her classroom without looking back:) And Aubrey, of course, is a pro at this now. Well, Cali was a different story. She wasn't too happy when she realized her big sisters were gone. :( It was really sad. She started screaming when we said goodbye to them. We were able to cheer her up though when we told her about the donuts in the cafeteria(for the Yahoo/Boohoo parent breakfast). Cali is a lover of sweets so the word donut turned that frown upside down:) We had a really nice day together-Joey took off work so he could see the kids off and be there to pick them up with me(such a sweet daddy! and lucky to have time off). It was so nice to have him home today. We spent time with Cali and took her to a nearby park. We did some shopping at Sam's Club(thats always fun to me:) and just hung out. When we picked up the girls, they were all smiles and had all kinds of exciting things to tell us about their day. They can't wait to go back tomorrow. That makes me so happy! Though I was sad to see them go, I know this is a part of life and I know they will learn so much, academically and socially. This also gives me the opportunity to spend some one on one time with Miss Cali:)

Here are a few of the pictures we took today. . .I do have to say I think they were two of the CUTEST most STYLISH kids at school today:)

Cali ran right up when she saw us get the camera out. She wants to be one of the big girls:)

Aubrey, the stylish second grader

Ella, Miss cutie pie kindergartner
Hugs goodbye

Cali after we were able to calm her down with donuts:) Chocolate fixes everything. . .

And I just have to share this sequence of pictures from after school. I made cookies and we had them as an after school treat. And well, I had a little fun. Warning: the fourth picture may frighten you... it frightens me even.

Someones Mommy stuck chocolate in her teeth. . .Ella's reaction here makes me laugh.

Joey missed the face I had made and just caught me laughing like a goof.

But don't worry, I made it again. . .I ain't shy.

Aubrey's face says it all.

I'm silly (or crazy, however you want to look at it).

Ella aka Kindergartner

I sit here tonight reflecting on the past 5 1/2 wonderful years with our little Ella. And I can't help but wipe away a few tears:( I can't believe tomorrow I will be sending her to school with her big sister, Aubrey. The time just flies by too quick-I really wish I could make it slow down. . . From the day she was born, Ella has been a huge joy and blessing in our lives. I remember when she was a baby we called her "smiley" or "our smiley baby" because she smiled the hugest smiles and was such a happy girl. She always has had a special little spirit-a spirit of love and kindness. She has a very creative mind and loves to make things. She especially loves to make things to give to others as gifts:) She is so thoughtful like that. She is a spunky kid who loves to dance and always makes us laugh with the funny things she says. She is also a persistent little girl who will sit for hours finishing puzzles or completing a task I wouldn't have the patience for. Anyone that knows Ella, loves her. There is nothing not to love about this girl! Not only does she have a shining inner beauty, but she is radiantly beautiful on the outside too. I am so proud of you Ella and the little lady you are becoming. Thank you for always choosing the right and setting a good example for others. Thank you for also being a loving daughter and sister. We love you and hope you have a wonderful first day of Kindergarten~ Love, Mommy & Daddy

Back to school stuff

This past week has been crazy busy(as I'm sure all you moms out there know). Thursday night was "Meet the Teacher." Its basically a chaotic night where you label your supplies, put them away, meet your new teacher, get a headache:) , popsicles afterwards, etc. Aubrey is a pro at this stuff now:) And Ella just soaked it all in. She is waaaaay excited to go to school-its so cute at this age the excitement they have for it all! I didn't take pictures but at the last second I remembered to bust out my camera and I snapped a shot of Ella at her future desk:) Lookin all grown-up. . .I decided not to make Aubrey pose in her class(she is a second grader after all).

Saturday morning was Park Day for the kindergartners. Each class was assigned to wear a certain color shirt and then met at the playground by the school. Its supposed to be a way for the kids to meet each other and play before the first day of school(a GREAT idea!). Ella had a fun time. . .here she is with a few of her fellow Glen Oaks Tigers.


I did all of my school shopping last month(go me!) so we spent the rest of Saturday having fun. We decided to try Rosati's pizza for lunch and WOW their pizza is incredible! LOVED it. We ordered a Chicago-style deep dish and we were impressed. See Cali's tongue sticking out as she eyes it? She couldn't wait to dig in.

Sorry Joey, I had to post this. . .cheese hanging off his chin and coming out of his mouth. Haha. Signs of a great pizza.
Cali has gotten to where she totally hams it up for cameras. . .as soon as I pointed it at her, she did this. Cutie.

Aubrey really loved it-she ate as much as I did! Thats my girl.

Ella eating a slice of pizza almost as big as her head.

This one just makes me laugh.

So basically, I really recommend this pizza place-YUM! The best pizza I've had since I was in Chicago last year.

After lunch we took Ella to get her ears pierced(see previous post), then came home, I went to Sam's Club, then took Ella to a birthday party, and then Joey and I took Aubrey to take some pictures. We got her baptism dress in the mail a few days ago and Joey took some AMAZING pictures of her in it. So so beautiful. I can't wait to post them!

It was a busy fun weekend. School starts tomorrow. AHHHH! Where did the summer go? Seriously?!!

Ella got her ears pierced!

Ella decided last week that she was ready to take the plunge and get her ears pierced. So today, amongst the tax-free crazy shoppers, we went to the mall to get it done. Here she is before. . .

And waiting in the chair(She was REALLY brave! ).

Seconds afterwards(She never cried, yelled, or made a sound!)

Checkin herself out

Yea!!! We're so proud of you Ella. You look beautiful(as always). Look closely and you can see she picked out these little crystal flowers-so pretty!

This kid is really ready for kindergarten now:) All grown up. . .sniff sniff.

Happy Birthday Jennifer!

Today one of my good friends, Jennifer, turns the big 30!!! I keep teasing her about being so old but the sad truth is, I'll be 30 next year. . .so I should just shutty. :) We partied hard the other night celebrating with friends at Panera Bread and then we watched the movie, The Time Traveler's Wife(good movie by the way, but sad!).

The gals from L to R: Sarah, Melissa, Kirsten, Me, Amanda, Sheri, Jennifer & Amanda R.

Kirsten made delicious confetti cupcakes, one of Jennie's faves.

Jennifer eating frosting off the lids(one of the reasons her and I get along so well. . .ain't no shame in her game:)
Getting ready to devour. . .she looks innocent but. . .

Baloonies.

Shocked by the Toblerone. . .

And get this, Jennifer brought gifts for all of us! She is a sweetheart:) And a nut. . . yet another picture that shows why her and I have become buddies this year. . .

Hope you enjoyed the party Jennie! And thanks for being an awesome friend. You always make me laugh-your sense of humor is hard to find. And you are also one of the most giving people I know. Happy Birthday my dear friend!

They love their Daddy

Many mornings as Joey drives off to work, this is what he sees. . .three little girls in pjs smiling and waving goodbye to their Daddy. When he walks out the door, they all run as fast as they can to our window to see him off:) The sound of their little feet is so sweet. Something about these pictures he took one day makes me get teary-eyed.

Is this not the sweetest sight? I can imagine this makes him sad to have to leave us:(

And the girls also never fail to welcome their Daddy home from work right. Many days Joey comes home to find little handwritten notes everywhere. . .this was one of my favorites. Ella taped it up to each side of the wall right where Joey walks into our home. And Aubrey wrote the words, "Welcome Home Daddy!" Great little teamwork going on:)

And if hes extra lucky, he'll even find a message on our driveway(hard to see but it says "Welcome Home Daddy". . .

Sweet, sweet girls. Daddy's girls to be exact:) He deserves every bit of the love. He is seriously SuperDad.

goodreads

I signed up at goodreads.com recently and LOVE it. I have to admit that for the past few years I haven't read much. Becoming a mommy has been a busy job and finding the time to read the scriptures was a challenge many days. However, this past year, when I read the Twilight series and Chronicles of Narnia books I rediscovered my love for the written word. I have read several books over the past year and its such a good feeling! Its the "me" time that I have been needing, well, besides blogging:) Not only is it fun, but its good for the mind and soul. When my friend, Katie, told me about goodreads last month, I signed right up. I love it because you can rate books you've read, write your own reviews, create "to-read" book lists, connect with friends who love reading, and most of all, get book recommendations from those friends. It has also inspired me to read more. For some reason, when I click "read" it gives me a high:) Its like a way to show someone that I did it, that I accomplished something that week. I know I may be one of the last people on earth to join, but I'm glad I did. If you are a goodreader, find me! If you aren't, become one!

I think goodreads.com should pay me for this bit of advertising:)

Hawaiian Falls!

We decided to make this weekend a "fun weekend" with the kids since we hadn't really done anything "big" this summer. We didn't want to go too big, so we stayed nearby and headed over to the local Hawaiian Falls waterpark for an end of summer vacay. We had never been there before and we loved it. All 3 of the kids had fun and we even got in half price(that makes any trip ten times better). We'll definitely try and go every summer now-its only 30 minutes away-yea! Good, cheap, closeby fun.

Can you tell Cali loved it? She was smiling so big.

Aubrey and Ella spent most of their time at this play area. Perfect for their age. Slides of all sizes.

Aubrey taking the plunge. . .

Even Ella did the big slides!

High five for Daddy

Sleeping Beauty. . .Cali fell asleep while Joey held her in the tube down the lazy river. We got many "awwww"s from people:)

Then she woke up later and shared a snack with her Mommy(who put the wrong mascara on that morning and looks like a zombie-I thought it was the waterproof one! Oh well. . .)

She actually went down her first waterslide while we were there. . .go Cali! She did it over and over again. This actual time(on the video below) she doesn't look too happy though. I think water squirted her in the eye at the top, so she wasn't too thrilled.

And here are Aubrey and Ella racing. . .Aubrey won. And Ella was cool with that:)