Meet Joe

... the happy talking flower who loves sing, have his picture taken, and eat lots of green playdough for food. He prefers green light sabers and is not afraid of his new pal, Scruffy (the dog), and he thinks everything is so funny.

 

I enjoyed seeing him meticulously roll all the little balls of playdough at preschool, and he refused to leave until he was done.  I love Finley's imagination.

Birthday Boy #1

Honestly, I can't believe I have a 4 year old. It's really quite crazy I think. There are days when it's hard, but for the most part, I love my little guy. He really is the sweetest thing alive and I love being able to watch him grow up.

To my little Finn:

1. I love that you love having me tickle your back & arms when we snuggle on the couch. 

2. I love your crazy european hair, even when daddy thinks it's too long and needs a trim.

3. I love your big big eyes & pouty lips. Though everyone seems to think you are the spitting image of your dad, these two features come from me.

4. I laugh when you fake cry over something and you stick your pouty lips out and force them to quiver for added emphasis.

5. I love that you are such a good friend and that you will play (for the most part) with anyone - even your little sister who sometimes annoys you.

6. I love that you tell Berlin that she must share her snacks & treats with you, but somehow the rules change when she asks you to share with her. Hmmm.

7. I love your imagination and the silly games & stories you make up and share with me.

8. I love sitting with you at breakfast and listening to you tell me about your dreams.

9. I love it when you say prayers and how personal you make them.

10. I love that you and Bentley are buddies and that you love to throw the ball for him & play with him.

11. I love the silly songs you sing & hum all day (thanks to dad for creating such fun songs).

12. I envy your memory and your ability to remember the most minute details that I have often overlooked.

13. I love how blanky & scruffy are your dearest possessions - still. 

14. I love that you love to snuggle & read books with me.

15. You melt my heart when I walk into a room to find you playing tea-party with Berlin, or sharing your star wars paraphenelia with her, destroying monsters, sword fighting, cooking in the kitchen, reading her books - even the girly princess ones, and more. She may not tell you, but you are the BEST brother and you are so sweet to her (most of the time).

16. You brighten my day when you run over & hug me immediately upon seeing me enter your preschool. I hope you'll always be that happy to see me - even when you're 20.

17. I love watching you try new things, like the way you jumped (literally) right into your tumbling class and have LOVED it ever since.

18. I love tromping around the backyard & field looking for monsters & bad guys to shoot. Discovering new bugs & worms as you help me weed the flower garden and plant new flowers.

19. I love it when you say that dad is your bestest friend. Then mommy, then Berlin. I pray that never changes.

20. I love hearing you shout, "Hey mom! I went poo on the potty!" It's music to my ears.

Birthday Boy #2

We celebrated Finn's bday all weekend long with family & friends.  But before the celebrations could begin, he knew he had to be happy during his soccer game. Ryan said he pouted a little during the warm-up practice, but was awesome and enthusiastic once the game started. His team even sang "Happy Birthday" to him after the game.

He had a Star Wars party with 5 of his friends and despite having to move the party inside (thanks to cold, wind & heavy rain), it was so much fun.  I had attempted an r2-d2 cake (3-d of course), but after frosting the entire thing, the head cracked. I even tried holding it together with uncooked spaghetti noodles. No go. So after consulting with Ryan, into the trash it went and out came the chocolate cupcakes. Of course, I'm not to be outdone by a cake so I plan on making another one this week just to prove to myself I can do it. Silly me, I know.

Finley also had a small dinner party with just my family. The best part was when he opened the small box of Clone Wars legos saying, "Lego droides! Ooooooh, it's just want I wanted, Thank you! I have been dreaming about these. Now I can complete my collection!"  What 4 year old talks like this? I totally loved it. I wish I had been filming on the Flip mino instead of just taking still camera shots. It was priceless.

Rainy Day Fun

So what do you do when you're bored and tired of the rain and just want something fun to do?

Dress up in costumes meant for your build-a-bear bunny (or atleast according to Finn).

Busy, Busy Weekend

This weekend was super busy. I had a boutique on Thursday that went REALLY well! A playdate with cousins at the library where we learned all about dinosaurs. A primary activity at the church history musuem. I went to the temple with Ryan and my family to see my sister Val go thru for the first time. Bday parties, soccer games, church, and a couple family dinners. Needless to say, we are all super tired and a bit cranky today as we finally get a chance to catch our breath and relax (is cleaning house relaxing???). Anyhoo - I needed a break so here I am blogging.

Here are all the cousins on my side of the family, together for dinner at my sister's house. It was so much fun watching them run & play together. I really really really wish that someday everyone will move closer to us (I know, I know, I'm so selfish *smile*).

Spring is here ... and so is Soccer!

Today was Finley's first game of the Spring Soccer Season and it went just as we expected ... total excitement and energy when we first get there. Someone takes his ball during the 20 minute practice/warmup, temper tantrum ensues, crying & pouting for the rest of practice. Grumpily plays the first quarter. Sits out on the sidelines pouting & whining for snacks the 2nd & 3rd quarter, happily runs out for the 4th quarter all pumped up and ready to go. Here's to hoping the grumpy attitude goes away in future games. If past seasons are any indicators, they will (hooray!).

First Quarter = tempermental fits

Fourth Quarter = FUN!!!

Whatcha doing Boo?

I caught Berlin standing on the toy bins & shelves today. When I asked her what she was doing she grunted, "I reading and POOPing!"  Sure enough she was.  Awwwww ... the honesty! Here she is caught in the act!

 

The last couple weeks have been busy, but I finally got a few minutes last night to finish this little dress for Berlin.  I took a dress apart that I bought from gymboree on clearance last year (tag says 2T). Style was darling, but the fabric was atrocious - denim & sunflowers - need I say more? Anywhoo, I used that as my pattern. Guess I should have tried the dress on Berlin BEFORE I took it apart to see if it fit. But I didn't and when the new dress was all sewn and done, it was HUGE! Berlin was so disappointed when she couldn't wear it to church today. I was tempted to try it on Finley to see if it fit his size, but held back, cause that would just be weird wouldn't it? I wouldn't want him to hold it against me for the rest of my life.  So it will be added to Boo's 3T box of clothes that I'm hoping will fit her next year. I love the pintuck bib - my fave part (each of the 5 rows is made up of 4 tiny pleats). I made all the tiny rows of pintucks myself - a first for me. There is also an inverted pleat down the front and crocheted trim along the mustard trim. I love the retro look & feel to the poppy fabric (mustard yellow has always been a fave color of mine). What do you think?

PS: I'll try and piece back the original dress later this week so you can what the original looked like. 

 

Happy Easter

This last weekend was so much fun. On Saturday we went to the Real Salt Lake soccer game and we WON! 

On Sunday we had a visit from a little bunny. The kids were thrilled and of course got hopped up on jellybeans and m&m's (dark chocolate of course). After church my sister Valerie came over for some Easter Ham & Cheesey Potatoes. Then we colored our Easter Eggs. Finley was a pro and took charge while Berlin looked on (she was a bit sleepy by then). It was a very relaxed day - just the way it should be.

And of course, we had an Easter Egg Hunt yesterday for FHE with Ryan's family. We also celebrated Finley's upcoming bday after the egg-hunt. In one of the pics Finley is with Grandma Lynne in the hot-seat, where everyone says all the things they like about him. He wanted popsicles for his treat so I got a little cup of frozen lemonade so he'd have something for his candles.

The slide-show has pics from our entire weekend. We hope your Easter weekend was one to remember.

Spaghetti Factory's 40th Anniversary

Our family LOVES the Old Spaghetti Factory. It is Finley's favorite restaurant by far and it is the ONLY place that he will eat a salad (and eat it all he does)! We actually went there a few weeks ago with the kids and found out that they are having a 40th anniversary celebration. Going on right now thru May 26th, every Tuesday night their special menu is 40% off. Such a good deal!  Needless to say we'll be hitting it the Tues before Finn's bday for sure!

Movie Review - Twilight

WARNING: if you are looking for a thumbs up, feel good review, then this post is NOT for you.

Yes, I've read all the books. I liked the books - they were entertaining quick reads. Ryan has read the first one and part of the second one. We didn't see the movie in the theaters because well, the trailers & casting looked awful. So we knew we'd wait to see it on DVD. 

Now, we knew going into this that the movie wasn't going to rock our world. We had heard from too many of our friends and family who had seen it and knew that it was what it was. Unfortunately, the movie turned out being WAY worse than I could ever have imagined.

Lets start with the casting? Or the lack of casting in this case. I blame Stephanie Meyers for this awful cast. She apparently had these lame "age restrictions" on the actors. Thanks to only being willing to hire actors under your age limit, you cast some pretty amazingly awful actors.  

1. Honestly, I don't remember Data (trekkie fans you know who I'm talking about) being in the book. Oh wait, that was Jasper. Pardon my confusion, for they had the same blank stare on their face it was hard not to get confused. He looked brainless and no offense, a bit mentally challenged in the movie. 

2. Rosalie is supposed to be this ethereal beauty. All I saw was a troll. Ok, so I'm harsh, but honestly, they could have found someone a bit prettier than her for the role.

3. Alice, was ok. Probably one of the more decent ones, but again, the perfect person for this role would have been ... Rachel Leigh Cook. Oh wait, you had an age limit. Boo on you! 

4. Carlisle - the best you could do was Peter Facinelli?????????? I'm sure that there are plenty of actors with more talent in their pinky than this guy. And really? Bleached hair? That compounded the awfulness ten-fold.

5. Jacob. Blame it on the way too bright (white) teeth or his ridiculous hair, but it just wasn't working for me. At the end of the movie at the prom, he looked like a cheesey stripper from the 80's/90's Chippendale posters. I don't think I was supposed to laugh everytime he came onscreen.

6. Emmett. I hated the hip-hop hoopty look they gave him with the sideways baseball cap and rapper sweat suit. I like Emmett in the book alot, but couldn't stand him onscreen.

7. Edward. Where was Edward? Did I miss him? Dangit! All I saw was Cedric Diggory hitting on Bella. Oh - Edward would have been so furious!

8. Bella. As far as casting goes, Kristen Stewart is a good Bella - lookswise that is. Actingwise she was a little weird. She made all these strange faces that were far from natural. But compared to the other actors she didn't bug me as much the farther we got into the movie.

And what was with the hair? Everyone (except Bella) looked ridiculous. They all had American Fork hair and that is NOT a good thing folks. Is that really what ridiculously handsome, beautiful, fashionable people look like? Thank heavens NO. 

Oh, and I can't forget to mention the special effects, or lack of. Both forest scenes with Bella and Edward were awful. In my opinion, if you can't do it right, don't do it at all. It looked like they took a picture of a spider monkey climbing a tree and pasted Edwards head on it's body.

I could go on and on about how awful this movie was. This is what I get for watching the movie. Total disappointment. I should have just stuck with the books and the characters as they played out in my mind. Though it was fun to laugh with Ryan while watching it.

Thankful Thursday

1. Super Strength Tylenol Quick Release Capsules - the only thing that's keeping my mind together with the stress of closing on this house.

2. Singing silly songs with my kids: Peanut Butter, Beetle Beetle, 5 monkeys and an alligator, etc.

3. Weeding with Finley. We spent the last 2 days weeding during Boos naptime and we had such a fun time hanging out together, talking about worms, bugs, dirt, flowers, and a gazillion other things.

4. Going to Costco and finding my fave flowers for sale (large flats of colorful RANUNCULUS) just in time to plant in our almost weeded flower bed.

5. For spring rain - it's given me an excuse to stay inside and sew on the 12 chair covers for our sunbeam class, finish a dress for Berlin, and start on my new Temple Skirt (cause after 2 babies I was kidding myself to think I'd ever be able to wear my other Temple Skirt again).

6. Crying - it's nice to cry and shed tears (and I'm not talking happy tears). It can help you sleep better, release stress, and can make you feel better about life in general.

Another little ditty I whipped up

You may be wondering why the heck I've been posting some of the projects I've done. If you've ever been to my house, you know that I have an addiction to fabric. Yes, fabric, and I must at all times have LOTS of it. So much, it's taken up over 5 x-large tubs in my storage room.  For all my cleaning, purging and organizing (which according to Ryan only happens to his stuff when he's not home to defend it's purpose), I can't seem to part with most of it. Thus, my new goal has been to do atleast 1 project a week - yes a week.  Any less and fabric will continue sitting in tubs waiting to be made into something magnificient (cause all things handmade are magnificient and the fate of all fabric should be so).

So here's the latest little ditty I whipped up yesterday while Berlin took her nap. It's a little big, despite the pattern being a 24 mos size. But atleast she can wear it now as more of a dress and then a top w/ jeans as she gets older. The fabric reminds me of what Maria used to make the children's playclothes in The Sound of Music. Funny thing - this fabric is a curtain panel bought from Urban Outfitters on clearance (for $4.99!) last Fall. It's my current fave fabric of all time. I bought enough to make Berlin's bedding for when we take down the crib, and I made my sister Val a darling cafe apron for Christmas.

  

Ever so pleased, ever so pleased.

Handmade Goodies

Those that know me, know that I don't like to bake. I just don't find much joy in it and would much rather leave it to others. These little handmade treats were another story. I LOVED making these - so easy & quick. The end result was much for satisfying than any sweet treat I could have baked up in the oven (and they're fat-free / calorie free / and last a lot longer!).

I decided to do these for the kids after seeing the darling felt food sets at Pottery Barn kids (over- priced as always). Both kids LOVE playing with the kithen and they are always making something for us - fruit tarts, eggs, cookies, etc. We have some wooden fruits & veggies, but that's about it, so I turned to my scraps of felt & fabric for inspiration and wha la! This is what I've done so far: heart shaped cookies, fried eggs, & bacon.

 

I am not quite done yet, I still have the hamburgers w/ cheese, tomato, lettuce & pickles, pepperoni pizza, the bowtie pasta, and cupcakes (or a cake) to make, but if I don't get them done in the next 2 weeks, these will be their Easter basket goodies.

Is it too much to ask

... that my children listen to what I say? 

I told Berlin 100 times today to LEAVE THE MARKERS ALONE. I had to answer some questions with the home appraiser and after letting him out, I came back into the family room to find Berlin applying green marker to her lips. Of course, this is only after she's colored all over her dress, white pants, and the inside of her palms.

Furious. That's all I can say.