Winter Program

Parker's kindergarten class did not have a Christmas program and they have been preparing for a Winter program for the last little while. On the 23rd we were able to go to the kindergarten to watch Parker in his program. They sang songs and recited poems. It was fun to see him on stage. He has been singing songs at home the last few weeks and it was nice to be able to hear the whole song and to know what he was singing about. The program was as follows:
Once There Was A Snowman
A Chubby Little Snowman
Little Snowman (poem)
Down By The Bay
If You're Happy And You Know It
1,2,3 Little Groundhogs
5 Pretty Little Valentines (poem)
Gung Hay Fat Choy - Chinese New Year Song
Five Little Dragons
Happy Birthday Mr. Lincoln
This Little Light Of Mine

Parker did a pretty good job, although he must have been tired, because he seemed to yawn more than he sang!! Next program I will make sure he goes to bed earlier than usual!

Speedy Shoes

Last week I took the kids to get some new shoes, mostly Paige needed shoes, but Parker ended up getting some as well. We went to Target, have I mentioned that I love Target!! They were having some good deals and I can always find something to buy there. Paige got a pair of princess shoes and two pairs of flip flops for the summer. I found some with elastic on the backs and decided to snatch them up while they had them. I know if I wait until spring time they will all be gone in her size and I would have regretted not getting them. Parker said he needed new tennis shoes, although he did get some for Christmas, he was able to pick some shoes out as well. He is now in a size 13!! He picked out Lightning McQueen shoes, but they don't have character/cartoon shoes in his size anymore, he was disappointed. But we managed to find some nice looking lace up shoes. Even better, they were on clearance!!! He got a pair of flip flops and a pair of crocs as well. He also got a new pair of jeans because he has managed to wear holes in all of the pants I bought him last fall. So for the past few weeks he has been wearing holey pants, and will continue to do so until it is time for shorts. I refuse to buy him more pants!! How can a kid wear out 8 pairs of pants in 5 months!!!! So the shopping trip was a success!

I didn't realize how much Parker liked the shoes he got until he put them on again after he got his pajamas on that night. He was very excited to run next door and show grandma his new shoes. He spent about an hour over there and then came home. It wasn't until a few days later when my mom told me that when Parker was over showing her his shoes he said the funniest thing. He had on his new tennis shoes and told her. "these shoes came with extra speed!" while demonstrating how fast he could now run. She thought, "just what you need, extra speed!" It was pretty funny. Sometimes he says the funniest things and is so serious about it. He cracks me up!!

Valentine's Day

 

I try to do something special for each of the kids on all the holidays, whether it is a special activity, or suprise or a special treat. This year each of the kids woke up to a small gift bag with some candy, a gumball machine, and valentine pencils. Paxten got a stuffed sock money instead of pencils. I just always want my kids to know they are loved and that Matt and I think each one of them is special. We are so lucky to have 3 wonderful kids in our home that bring so much LOVE into our lives. Yay for a day filled with LOVE!!!

Matt got me the next movie in the Twilight Series: Breaking Dawn Part 1 and a box of chcolates. I got him some of his favorite candy, Reeses Peanut Butter Hearts and a Play Station 3 game, Madden 2012. Today we got enganged 8 years ago so Valentines day will always be special to us!! Happy Heart day!!

Paxten's Party

 

What to do with the third child for a birthday!!! Honestly I was a little disorganized this year, his birthday snuck right up on me. I did happen to order decorations and supplies in advance enough that I wasn’t running around last minute trying to decide what to do. We went with a dinosaur theme for Paxten and the invitations said “Rooaarr Invited….to my 1st birthday party.” I thought it was pretty cute! We had the party on the Saturday following his birthday. While Paige was at her princess party, Parker and I decorated and I made the cake. I made an orange dino cake, and it turned out pretty cute. We had pizza, tossed salad, fruit, and pop for dinner. We had grandparents there from both sides and Charyn, Mike, Jackson, and Zander were also able to make it.

Paxten didn’t really know what was going on, although I kept calling him birthday boy all day long. He did seem to enjoy the extra attention. When it came time for presents, he just wanted to play with a ball he found. I kept having to pull him back to my lap to open the next gift. He got some money to put in his piggy bank, several outfits, a camping chair, a toy golf set, a few books, a mini pillow pet, and a few toys. He did manage to get spoiled and seemed to love his new toys, so did the other kids.

Paxten has been my only kid to really eat his birthday cake. He was a little hesitant at first, but after giving him a fork and a taste, he dug right in and ate the entire piece he was given. That’s my boy!! We had a fun night and appreciate and love all our family and friends that made it special for Paxten.

Another Tooth

Parker lost yet another tooth. This time it happened while he was staying the night at his friend Mack’s house. His bottom left tooth next to the front tooth. I got a text message from Valeigha at about 8:00 p.m saying that Ladd had done it again, Parker let him pull another tooth out. So Parker came home with another tooth to put under his pillow. He sure is loosing a lot of teeth right now. He still has another small tooth on the bottom right side that is loose and will be out before we know it as well.

Princess Tea Party

The 11th turned out to be a busy day for all of us. In the evening we were having Paxten's first birthday party and that day was also the Princess tea party for Paige. My mom heard about this princess tea party out at Snake River High School and thought Paige would have a fun time going with her. We dresses her up like a princess, including fancy hair and a crown (compliments of Grandma Yancey) She was so excited to go!! I stayed home with the boys and got things ready for the party. When she got to the party she was assigned a little chaperone to help her out throughout the morning. Then each girl visited 5-6 different stations having to so with being a princess. There were several older high school aged girls that were dressed like princesses, from Ariel to Snow White, Rapunzel and Cinderella. Paige said that there was even a Flynn Rider there! She was excited to see all the princesses. She got to Dance with the Princesses at one station, Sing with the princesses at another station. They had a tea party including Chicken Salad sandwiches and fruit at one station, a puppet show at another and Charm school at another station. At the charm school they learned how to curtsy and how to walk like a princess. She also got her fingernails polished. She had quite the fun time, along with about 200 other little girls, my mom said it was very chaotic! Paige came home and talked about it for days. Every girls needs a day or two to be a princess!

Birthday Dinner

 

When Paxten turned 1, and since we weren't having his birthday party until Saturday, Matt and I decided to take the kids to dinner to celebrate. Of course Paxten didn't really understand why, but Parker and Paige sure loved the idea. We took them to McDonald's, every kids favorite, and ours are no exception. Paxten enjoyed some french fries and a bit or two of a chicken nugget. He wasn't really in a very good mood and seemed ready for a nap, but oh well. Any chance Parker and Paige have to eat at McDonalds, they will take it. They usually eat pretty good and I am usually suprised at how quickly their food is eaten. I am sure as Paxten gets bigger, he too will eat all his chicken nuggets!

Birthday Boy

I can't believe it is here, my baby is 1! I know all parents say this, but this last year has flown by so fast, it seems like yesterday I was lying in a hospital bed holding my new baby boy! And now here he is one year old! Wow! Paxten is such a fun little boy and we all love him so much, we can't even imagine life without him, he fits into our family so well and we just love having him in our home and in our family. Here are some fun things about him at 1 year old:
1. He is still a momma's boy, and loves to be held by me anytime he can.
2. His fifth tooth just broke through the other day. Next to his top right tooth.
3. He is walking all over the place and is pretty quiet, sometimes I will turn around and there he is!
4. He love to eat solid food, anything that we are eating. Although sometimes after he tries it he decided he doesn't like it.
5. His favorite things to eat are bananas, macaroni & cheese, go-gurts, cereal, popcorn, and chocolate (he is definitely my kid!)
6. He can say "Bye (while waving)," "Boom," "Bang," and "Hi" (sometimes he says other things, but then doesn't say them again)
7. He loves to play in the bath tub, but hates getting his hair washed.
8. He likes to play with Paige and Parker and often follows them around.
9. He only occasionally sleeps through the night, we are still working on this one!
10. We thing he is our cutest baby so far...the other two were cute at this age too, but Paxten seems to be cuter than they were.
11. He love to get into anything he can, any cupboard, drawer, garbage, or closet he can. He loves to stand in the fridge and look what is in there as well.

Those are just a few of the things that he is currently doing. We are celebrating his birthday on Saturday (because I have a R.S. meeting tonight) We are having a Dino Party and I am excited to see him dig into his cake. Happy Birthday Paxten!!!

Valentine's Cookies

There is something about a great sugar cookie, especially at Valentine's Day. I had been wanting to do something fun with the kids in celebration of Valentines Day, I made a treat last week and it just didn't hit the spot for me, in fact I ended up throwing them away!! So I still had the bug to do something fun and super yummy. I really wanted to make my Grandma Nila's sugar sookies, but I don't have the best of luck when it comes to sugar cookies and they don't walways turn out. But last time I made them they did work, so I was willing to try again. I think sugar cookies take a lot of practice to learn how to make, just like bread, so I am practicing! I think I discovered the secret to making good sugar cookies.....chill the dough for a long long time. This time I made it I divided the dough into 2 sections and I put one section of dough in the freezer about 2 hours before I was planning on rolling them out. It worked so good! The dough wasn't too firm to roll, but it didn't get gummy or sticky! They turned out great and I was able to share with quite a few neighbors and friends. Now I am not so afraid to make these cookies. Although they are a little time consuming, they are well worth it!!! The kids enjoyed decorating some for themselves to eat too! If you would like to try the cookies here is a link to the recipe Grandma Nila's Sugar Cookies

As Big As He Is

 

We have this beach ball that the kids recently thought it would be fun to get out. Well they were right, Paxten loves it!! In fact he loves any type of ball. He loves to throw a ball back and forth and he love to chase a ball around. This was particularly funny to me because the ball was just as big as he is! He would pick up the ball and carry it around all over the kitchen, not even seeing where he was going. He was smiling and laughing as he was doing it, which made it even cuter! He would try and throw it, but couldn't get it to go very far because it was so big compared to him, but he sure tried. Then he would walk over to it and pick it up again and do it all over. It was very entertaining to him and the rest of us!

Snaggle Tooth

 

Parker lost his first front tooth a while ago, back in December. His other front tooth seems like it has been loose since then, but for some reason didn't want to fall out. We have been bugging Parker to be wiggling the tooth to make it looser and we have been trying to get him to let us pull it out. He didn't want anyone touching it. We were lucky if he let us feel how loos it was every now and then. Well it got to the point that it was just barely haning on and he still wouldn't let me or Matt pull it out. It kept moving and he was beginning to look like a hillbilly with that front tooth just hanging there. We atarted calling it a snaggled tooth. Last week we had Parker's good friend Mack over to play, the boys didn't have school the next two days and wanted to have a sleep over. I said to Parker that he could't go to Mack's house until that tooth came out, I was of course joking, but I wanted to see how badly he wanted to go. Mack's dad, Ladd, was there to pick up his kids and asked Parker if he could pull it out. Parker told him yes! Ladd asked if he was serious and I encouraged him to do it if Parker would let him. He grabbed a paper towel and before I knew it he pulled the tooth right out. It didn't even look like he puller very hard. The tooth came right out!! I knew it was ready! So now Parker has no front teeth! The tooth fairy came 2 nights later, she forgot the first night! Ooops! Parker received $2 for that tooth. He was pretty excited to show any one that would look his missing tooth!