Proof that I Exist

I tease Steve that the girls are going to wonder why their Mom was not at any of their events because I'm not in many of the pictures; I'm usually the one behind the camera taking the pictures. Well yesterday morning Steve found an opportunity to snap a few pictures with me in them. We were taking it easy lounging around on a nice cool Saturday and Lila began to show Ellie how she was doing my hair Friday morning while I read a book and they thought it was great to do it together so here is my wonderful hair-do by my girls:

When I was done having them pull on my hair I sent them upstairs with all of the barretts and told them to put them in their dolls' hair.  They did that for a couple of hours and we found clips in even a the dolls with just a tuft of hair. I'll have to remember that idea for another rainy day.

Another note, this Utah spring is really driving me crazy. One day we're at 90 and then the next 5 days it's rainy and in the 60s--really that's almost a 30 degree change. So this morning I made scones (the girls were cute with the scones and kept asking if they could have another one and and another one and each time their smile reached Texas as I would say yes) and hot chocolate after FHE and recommended a nice warm bath to the girls. Steve teases me that Tucson spoiled me with lots of sunshine which is true, but it has been 107 there so I guess I'll just be grateful for the cool wet spring since my grass could really use it. My girls on the other hand are getting a little stir crazy.

Ellie's Officially 6

She took treats to her class; a yo-yo and unicorn candies.

When her friend in carpool dropped her off she said that the little brother was not feeling well and she had three yo-yos and candy left which was enough for the little brother, Lila, and herself so she gave him one--so sweet.  We checked the mail and she got a card from Grandpa and Grandma Moore with $6 which was so exciting. We went swimming with some friends in the afternoon which ended up being a good workout for me since Lila kept wanting to jump off the diving board so I would have to tread water to catch her (she was wearing a life jacket also). Then we came home showered and Ellie was trying to decide what she wanted me to fix for dinner. She had finally settled on Eggs Benedict after considering mac-and-cheese and pizza but Daddy won't let her have cheese pizza and then the power went out. So I decided I would vacuum since I couldn't make dinner and Ellie said, "Uh, Mom don't you need power for the vacuum?" Yes, yes I do so we just did a little straightening hoping that the power would come back on any time. After an hour Ellie decided she wanted In-N-Out probably because we always get their neapolitan milk shakes when we're there. Lila decided she was done with her cheeseburger with about 1/4 left so I said, "Let's let Daddy finish it off." Ellie then said, "I want to eat it." So yes, at 6 she ate her whole cheeseburger and the rest of Lila's. The power came back on shortly before bedtime so we watched a My Little Pony and then put the girls to bed. I'm so blessed to have such a darling little (can I still say little--she is growing so fast) girl who is concerned for others and wants to do what's right. Lots of love to my Ellie Bellie!

Total Eclipse

We had a fun filled crazy weekend. Friday night was Ellie's school carnival so we went and the kids had a ball playing on the big blow-up slides and playground equipment. We had dinner there and a piece of cake and then sent Daddy and the girls home with cotton candy while Mimi and I stayed and participated in the auction. We each bought a basket from the silent auction. I was still fighting a head cold and had acquired a migraine on top of it so that night was rough and made for a really tired Britney on Saturday. However the guys got up and mowed the lawn and began raking more grass seed in (this is our second time so hopefully the grass will start to fill in). Ellie had her final soccer game at 12:30--she is improving, but still a little timid to get in the mix and kick the ball.  It didn't help that in the 2nd quarter she took a ball right in face which resulted in tears and coming off the field for the rest of the quarter as follows:

She went back in and played. She was a little scared, but when they got their trophies she was on top of the moon--she didn't even care about the treat and was so excited to play next year for another trophy. Hopefully with some patience and encouragement she will start getting in their more.

We then took Nessa to the Brick Oven for lunch (it was supposed to be birthday lunch for Nate and Nessa, but Nate could not make it so we all ate a lot for him:) ). We hung out at the house for a while, ran a few errands, and then went up to Nate and Nessa's to help them with some yard work. After a couple of hours we headed home to put the girls in bed.


Sunday morning we had Stake Conference and then all enjoyed a little nap. After which we had a family dinner and cake and ice cream for Ellie's birthday (some of my fondest memories from my birthday are the evening my grandparents, and great-grandparents would come over for cake and ice cream--hopefully we can create a few of those memories for my kids now that we are closer).

Sunday evening there was a solar annular eclipse so Steve built a little device for us to view it (since you can't look directly at the sun). Unfortunately there was cloud cover at the peak, but we did enjoy seeing the moon move over and off the sun.

Side Note: The girls were enamored by Jake's girlfriend Marcee and she was so good to indulge them with extra attention. Oh the joys!

Ellie's Magical 6th Birthday Party

I had been trying to find a date for Ellie's party which was turning out to be difficult with soccer and the end of school stuff--then another mother said you should do it while they are out of school for those 4 days to do testing. What a great idea!  So we scheduled the party and sent out the invitation:

 Party for: Ellie

Date: Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Time: 11am-2pm lunch provided

Where: Moore Home

We invited 7 little girls and they each came, so we had 9 total with my two running around and it was great!

As the guests arrived we had them make bead "rainbow bracelets" and decorate bags with unicorn stickers.

The excitement in the room could barely be contained. The girls were talking, almost shouting on top of each other and making up stories and then laughing hysterically at it. Lila thought she was right in the mix and would jabber right along and then laugh. :)

As they finished their craft we made them their choice of sandwich, pb&j, grilled cheese, or meat & cheese (real fancy) which they enjoyed with rainbow fruit and gold fish.

Next there was a hunt for a treasure as grand as a rainbow hides.

Which lead to a unicorn pinata.

They got the head off and then we let them take whacks at the body on the ground.

Gathering the loot.

Opening presents. The girls were so fun and gave very thoughtful gifts. Thank you!  Ellie made them each Thank You card she passed out with a twisty lollipop (supposed to be like a unicorn horn).

Enjoying a rainbow cupcake.

They went upstairs and played for an hour and had a ball then we played "Pin the Horn on the Unicorn" while we waited for parents to pick the girls up.  It was such a pleasure to spend the time with these girls and get to know them a little better as we celebrated Ellie being in our lives!

Mother

I found this and thought it was a perfect description of the thoughtfulness of the women in my life!  Thank you to all the women who have:

• nurtured me
• bossed me around
• set me straight
• demonstrated kindness when they could have been critical
• loved my kids and worried about them with me
• let me borrow a cup of sugar
• let me vent and kept it private
• paid attention when I needed attention
• and are inspiring me to be better . . .

I love you so much. Happy Mother's Day.

Antelope Island

The Olenslagers invited us to join them on a picnic to Antelope Island this evening. We have never been and really enjoyed the experience. There was a light breeze so it kept the pesky bugs to a minimum and we enjoyed a picnic dinner and the kids loved playing in the water.  They could wade out for quite a distance without getting past mid-calf. After they were done playing in the water we drove around the island a bit and saw a lot of buffalo and had a good view of downtown Salt Lake. It was a lot of fun and something we may do more often.  Thanks O's!

The kids were picking-up rocks to skip.

The men chatting--a nice picture of the landscape behind them--a good view altogether. :)

Lila walked several yards away from us she was on a mission to get to that big rock protruding out of the water.

Nice shot of Ellie skipping a rock.

Once again Lila just wanted to keep going and see what she could see--notice how it still isn't very deep.

Show and Tell

Today is Ellie's show and tell day at school and the instructions are to draw a picture and write a sentence.

"This is the boat and it is called the Disney Magic (continued on back)."

Yesterday I told them they could watch a movie and relax so I could hit the treadmill (got to lose those pounds we packed on enjoying all the yummy food) so they began looking through their picture/autograph book and talking about which movie they wanted, "Princess Aurora, No Tiana, ooh what about Peter Pan."  It was so cute to watch.

Bon Voyage

Steve's parents offered to take us on a cruise after Steve graduated--in December we booked a Disney Cruise for the end of April and have just returned from a wonderful vacation. We told the girls that we would be going on a big boat with Mickey Mouse and of course they were excited and then we explained that we would have to ride a plane to get to the boat and the excitement level doubled. Lila would flap her arms and say we are going on a plane to get to a big boat and then she would add, "but I'm a little scaredy of the plane."  I asked her what she was worried about and she said, "well do Ellie and I have to sit in the back?" (I think she was comparing it to riding in the van). I told her we could all sit together and she was more comfortable with that idea.

We began getting ready on Saturday after Steve's half-marathon. I was worried that it would take me a little longer to get ready due to the fact that Steve was not moving at all--I was worried about how he would be able to move on the cruise and even suggested buying a crutch. Ellie was a huge help gathering things to take, cleaning, and entertaining Lila when I asked. After school on Tuesday, April 24 we had a quick lunch and headed to the airport.  We decided not to take a stroller this time and the girls were excellent--Ellie even pulled a bag for us which was a huge help since Steve was still limping around. Occasionally Lila did get tired and would want to be held, but over all I think we are glad we didn't have the stroller. As we got close to the terminal we ran into some friends from Rupert, Jim and Melanie McBride and enjoyed visiting with them for a while.  We also sat with them for the first leg of the flight to Denver where we didn't have to get off--that plane went on to Orlando. We got to our hotel around 10:30pm EDT so we tried to get the girls to sleep, but they were restless from traveling and with excitement about getting on the boat the next day.  We got up around 8am met Carole and Russ (who had taken a red-eye) in the lobby and had breakfast. Our ride out to the port came at 10:30am and we were off to the boat.  We got checked in and Minney Mouse was available for photos and Lila insisted that we see her even after I explained we would see a lot of her on the boat so Carole and Russ stood in line while we registered the kids for the kids club stuff. When we got to the front of the line Mickey traded Minney and we got our picture with Mickey--the girls loved it and it turned out to be a great picture so I'm so glad that Lila insisted.

Once on the ship we had lunch at the buffet, took the girls to the clubhouse to see what it was like, and then at that point our rooms were open so we put the girls down for a nap. We had a wonderful trip and for the sake of time and space I won't do the day-to-day breakdown, but I will let you know that girls loved the characters! I had purchased them autograph books before we left that allows for pictures on the side next to the signature and they loved meeting the characters, getting autographs, and their pictures taken. I already have the printed pictures in their books and they are a treasure. The shows were great! Disney fun with the characters and the girls were very enthusiastic about them each night--I think a lot of the people sitting next to us enjoyed watching my girls' reactions more than the shows. Lila's eyes got the size of silver dollars and she would loudly proclaim "MICKEY MOUSE!" We don't even have the Disney channel, but there is something magical about Mickey and the gang. We enjoyed our rotating dinners and our server who rotated with us and took great care of his princesses as he called the girls--he even had some good magic tricks that had Grandpa stumped.  And we can't forget the Mickey ice cream bars with Mickey sprinkles that were a hit and dessert every night--even the adults ordered them a couple of times.

The servers made character hats one night and another night there was a pirate party. Lila still likes to make a hook with her finger and say, "ARR!"

 
They met, Mickey and Minney Mouse, Donald and Daisy Duck, Pluto, Goofy, Chip-n-Dale, Cinderella, Snow White, Tiana, Aurora, Belle, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Captain Hook and Smee--here we are a few of the character pictures:

Carole and I went in to port at Key West on Thursday, April 26 and did a lot walking and shopping.  She bought the girls some finger nail polish and some adorable Mickey hair clips from Del Sol that change color in the sun.  Steve and Russ ventured ashore for a bit also.  The girls were in the kids club with Snow White learning to Do-Si-Do.  After dinner we ventured up top to watch us pull out from port.

 
The next day, Friday, April 27 were were at sea all day so we spent the morning at the pools, where they were playing Jungle Book, and eating pizza from the pizzeria. The girls went to the kids club one more time to have story time with Belle.

When we reached Nassau on Saturday, April 28 we had a port adventure to Atlantis with a tour of the facility and aquariums.

Sunday, April 29 the last day of the cruise we were at Castaway Cay--Disney's Private Island. The weather was not great, but we still managed to venture out and enjoy the island for a few hours. Steve and Carole went snorkeling and the girls spent the whole time playing on the beach.

After two days without a nap Lila could not make it through dinner. The girls also enjoyed finding a different towel animal in our room every night--they loved the monkey pictured below and a dog where they used the Sleepy (from Snow White) chocolates for eyes and put my sun glasses on him.

 




Monday, April 30 we were docked at Port Canaveral again and the girls were not happy to be leaving the big boat with all the food (they ate a ton this trip) and characters and attention from Grandpa and Grandma.  We made it back to the airport around 10am and had several hours to kill before our 2:20 flight. Carole and Russ weren't scheduled to leave until 5pm so we hung out before security for several hours. Grandpa and Steve made airplanes and were flying them around. Grandma let Lila color on her phone and played a tag game with blankets. Then another nice family from the cruise showed up with their five girls and they all played together for a couple of hours. 

We finally said our farewell and went through security around 1pm. Just as we got settled the notified us that our flight was delayed until 5. They re-booked everyone's connecting flights to later flights which meant we would not get into Salt Lake until midnight--grrr! This did mean that we would be able to hook up with Carole and Russ again in Phoenix since we both had layovers there. When we got to Phoenix they told a few passengers if they hurried they could still make their original flights so I told Steve we should just let everyone get off since we weren't in a hurry so we were the last ones to saunter off the plane. I headed over to the monitors to see if I could find where Russ and Carole were coming in only to realize our original flight said Boarding. So we hustled over to a desk and asked if we could still make it. He said probably, but our luggage wouldn't--I said forget the luggage I'll go back and get it--I wanted to go to Costco any way and the airport is only about 10 minutes past that and getting my girls to bed 3 hours earlier was a done deal. The problem was it was miles away in the Phoenix airport so we tried running with Steve's limp still and then a nice guy with a cart pulled up and told us to hop on--he sped us through the airport, we checked in, walked on and they shut the gate behind us. The girls were sad not to see Grandpa and Grandma again, but so happy to be in their own beds when we got home.

 









On the drive home, the light was red after getting off the freeway and I told the girls in an attempt to keep Lila awake that we had to chant, "one, two, three, green." It didn't work so Ellie said, "No. No. It's Bippity-boppity-boo!" And the light changed she was so excited and changed every light with those magical words.  
Thank you Carole and Russ for a wonderful vacation full of magical memories for our girls and us! WE LOVE YOU!