Snowman Envy

We finally got the right snow at our house to make a snowman. Emily and I worked really hard and were proud of our snowman with grape eyes and carrot nose. (The little carrots sticking out are his arms. She pulled out my sticks and replaced them with baby carrots).

Then that afternoon Grandpa Brock took her out and built this with her.

I feel okay about my snowman because I let her be the architect. I am pretty sure Gpa did most of the work here....

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY BROCK

A week before Brock's birthday I decided to throw him a birthday party. I actually wanted to throw an extravaganza but there were some key factors hindering this idea. So I settled for a family party. I made some phone calls and put my plan into action. The 27th of February (the Saturday before Brock's birthday) I had my dad get Brock out of the house. I think he took him home teaching. While he was gone I hurried up and made his birthday linner. That is not a typo. A linner is a late lunch; early dinner. He loves these really easy chili cheese enchiladas. His step mom brought a 7 layer Mexican dip and chips, his mom brought a vegetable and I made a salad to go with. Yumm-O!Then I decorated. Emily and I had made the sign earlier in the week for craft time. She painted and I stenciled. All the while the guests are showing up. When grandma got to the house I borrowed her car and picked up the balloon bouquet from The Party Outlet.

He didn't suspect a thing and was surprised when he got home. We all hid around the corner by the stairs and jumped out at him.
The girls LOVE to help open presents.

And here is his cake chocolate with chocolate frosting (his favorite) complete with 30 candles. Emily and I made it on Friday and hid it in the food storage closet.

We had so much fun. Finally we are both in our 30's.

Two girls and a blanket

This is one of the girls' most favorite past times. They crawl into a blanket and get swung back and forth like a pendulum. I absolutely LOVE the giggles and squeals that go with it.

Emily Says things like....

Most siblings will call their siblings cute little pet names like "sweetie, baby, peanut, etc...

Emily calls Meghan cute names like "you little ray gun," "you pokey little sharp knife," "you popcorn," "you little golf ball" and today on the way home from church she called her a "little skunk"

I say to Emily "you make me smile" she answers with " I love you too."

While chopping vegetables for dinner I say "Emily, will you take out the recycling?" She says with a huge exasperated sigh, "I have to do everything!" Really? You do?

Today in sacrament we are sitting in our pew. It is after the opening and brother Harper is doing announcements. Suzy (name has been changed to protect the innocent) and her family come in the pew behind us. Emily says to Suzy. "It already started."

Grandpa Brock is talking to daddy Brock about the deer jerky he brought. Emily adamantly says "we don't say that word." Then I have to explain that we don't say Jerk but jerky is a type of meat (sort of) and that it is okay to say jerky blah, blah, blah.

She is the word police. She has yelled at grandma for saying gosh and stupid. And Brock who yelled out gosh after stubbing his toe. And me after yelling dang it when I couldn't take it any more. The list goes on. I apologize if she has policed anyone reading this. We are trying to teach her that other people may say things we don't. She's three.

Emily has her doctor kit out and is taking my blood pressure. I say, "are you a doctor Emily?" She says, "no I'm like a doctor." Oh, well, yeah.

I could go on and on. It is so fun to see what she will come up with next.

Fun times with my Sister

Here are some shots of the girls playing together in their various forms of fun.

They love to play in the laundry basket.

I rarely get a picture where they both are smiling. Here Meghan is actually laughing hysterically while Emily clearly doesn't want to share the chair.

Helping "clean up "the utensils after banana bread baking

In this one Emily is so happy to give hugs and Meghan is actually screaming to have her let go. Can't we all just get along?

This is one of my favorites. I love that they love books and I love that they are enjoying them together.

So Grandma got Emily this Princess bed set for Christmas and it came with a mask to sleep with. This is her a couple weeks ago. Well we haven't been able to find her mask and so tonight I had to get her a wet washcloth to lay over her eyes so she would go to sleep.

Thank goodness its what?

We've heard the phrase thank goodness its Friday. Well let me tell you about my Friday last.

*Come home to Emily being awake at 10:30 at night on Thursday night. Just hanging out on her bed playing and reading books. At least she was enlightening her mind.

She doesn't go to bed until after 11:00. So why would she wake up at 6:30 in the morning on Friday instead of sleeping in? I don't know maybe because she is psychotic.

*Get her and Meghan around, breakfasted, etc.. Give Emily breathing treatment. (Both girls have been on them for 2 weeks. Well, Emily one and Meghan 2).

* Have a business training meeting at 8:30. Meghan refuses to be put down with out screaming her head off and Emily will not sit and watch a movie so we won't be bothered. I remember some stuff.

*Give Meghan breathing treatment. That is the biggest joke. It is like torture for both parties. Get frustrated and bawl.

*Baby goes down for nap a little after 10 and right after treatment.

*Emily and I bake 3 tiered chocolate birthday cake for Brock's surprise birthday party the next day.

*Meg wakes up from nap.

*Lunch.

*Try to get house cleaned and ready for people coming next day. Decide to wait until kids go to bed.

*Meghan crawls around screaming and holding on to my leg while I try to decorate cake all the while fighting back toddler "helping" fingers.

*Put both girls down for nap

*Have no recollection of what I did. Other than get things ready for that night. (Pack diaper bag, etc...)

*Run upstairs to two screaming children. Emily did not make it to the bathroom after her nap and Meghan just woke up grumpy (yeah, surprise).

*Clean huge puddle on carpet (where does she store it all?)

*Decide she should just get a bath. It's been a few days. Might as well do the baby too. Her antibiotic causes diarrhea. Bath should help with rash.

*Get baby out of tub and dressed in jammies. Its only 4:30 but I am being proactive.

* Go into Emily's room to realize she had peed on the bed too. How many bladders does she have?

*Run the linens and some other clothes down and start load in washer.

*Run back up stairs to screams of "Mommy". I enter the bathroom to see Emily holding a very soggy lump. " Mom, Meghan threw the toilet paper into the tub." I notice that she also threw in a tampon or two. Unwrapped even.

*Scoop up as much T.P. shreds out of tub as I can, let water out, refill tub and wash toddler.

*Get her dressed in jammies as well and decide it is time for dinner.

* Open fridge to get our thawed venison to make spaghetti. Exclaim "Oh Great!" and clean up deer blood that leaked through the Ziploc bags s it was thawing. Come on lets make some more durable bags please.

Decide we are just having left overs. Emily white chicken chili, Meghan cheese to help with the diarrhea. I'm sure she ate something else but I don't remember.

*Anna comes over a little after 6.

*Brock comes home a little after her.

*We throw the girls into family car. Brock takes the girls to my dad's while he visits the accountant to get the taxes done and Anna and I go out for a well deserved break from sick kids and crazy life.

*We ate at Carlos O' Kelly's and went to the Home and Garden show to which I had gotten free tickets (yeah).

*Kids were in bed when I got home. Snuggled with hubby, watched the Olympics and went to bed.

Whew!