The Mormon Miracle Pageant

Our main reason for taking a trip down to Fairview was so that we could watch the Manti Pageant and not have to make the long drive home the same night. Our girls hadn't ever seen it and we thought it would be a fun experience.

We even got to see some of the cast members up close, including a young Joseph Smith. But I think my girls were more interested in the Lamanites.

By the end of the show, we only had one child awake. I had even dozed off a few times. But it was still fun. Thankfully we had Brady and Jordan to help us back to the car with the sleepy girls.

Fairview

Our family decided to have a quick weekend getaway this weekend. We went to Fairview and stayed at Grandma and Grandpa's Brown's place. Thanks to Gary and Lisa, Josh and the girls got to enjoy some four wheeling.

Brady and Jordan came too and thanks to Brady, Emma got to join in the fun.

The resort has a pool and the girls got to enjoy their first swim for the summer. For some reason, my kids are fearless in the water. There's a big slide there and Sadie went running up the steps to go down by herself. The only problem is that it ends in the deep end of the pool and Sadie can't swim yet. Thankfully Jordan and I spotted her and Jordan got in the water to catch her at the bottom. The girls were jumping off the diving board and everything. I can tell they're a little rusty on the skills they learned in swim. Time for another round of lessons. Ashlyn couldn't enter the pool since she's not completely potty trained, but they had a little plastic pool that she got to play in and that was just as good to her.

Thumb Sucker

I think I might have a thumb sucker on my hands. She hasn't been taking her pacifier very well lately and every time she's been crying and suddenly goes quiet, she's got her thumb in her mouth. The other night she slept seven hours without waking up. I decided to go check on her, and once again, her thumb was in her mouth. I've heard that it's a hard habit to break, but I really debate taking it out of her mouth when it gives me a few more hours of sleep at night.

Etiquette Dinner

For family home evening tonight, we decided to do a formal etiquette dinner. We're constantly reminding the girls to act like princesses at the table but have felt the need to be a little more specific in teach them some manners. Josh taught the lesson, and some of the things he taught were new to me too. I could have used a lesson like this long ago. The girls thought it was great. When they saw the table cloth on the table, the were squealing and could hardly wait for dinner. Unfortunately our table is a little small so we couldn't fit everything, but I think it was enough to get the basic idea across for the older girls.

Ashlyn had just woken up from a short late nap and couldn't even keep her head up. In a couple of pictures, her chin was up and her head was resting clear back on the chair behind her. We finally gave up and laid her back down on the couch.

Look Alike

I get comments on a daily basis about how much Emmalyn looks like Sadie. I'm never a good judge, but I definitely see some similarities. I'll let you be the judge for yourself.

Jason's Band

Jason had a free concert at a park in Magna tonight so we took advantage of the opportunity to go hear him play. He is so talented musically that it's amazing. The girls love going because they get to dance the whole time. And this time, we made an evening of it. We brought a sub sandwich picnic and let the girls play at the playground before the concert. Then they danced and played with some of the cousins while Jason was palying. And last but not least, there was a bounce house that they got to enjoy for part of the time. We could have stayed for a free movie that they were showing, but it was past the girls bedtime and I already knew that they had used up so much energy that they would sleep well so we called it a night.

Ashlyn

I was taking a picture of Sadie to show her her new haircut when Ashlyn insisted that I take a picture of her too. I wish I had taken it with my real camera and not my phone because I think it turned out super cute.

I remember when I was pregnant with Ashlyn and found out I'd be having another girl, I was a little disappointed. But after having her as a part of our family for only a short time, I was so grateful she's who she is. She is such a character!

She's being potty trained and is doing such a good job. I wouldn't say that she's got it down, but she's much younger than my other girls were so I'm very proud of her. It's funny because a simple sticker or marshmallows is more than enough of an incentive for her to go on the potty.

I'm shocked at how well she pretends. She loves to play with Barbies and puts them in time out, has them go potty, or takes them on carriage rides. She also loves to dress up in what she calls "the biggest princess dress" and then dances around the room holding the sides of her dress and moves up and down on her tippy toes just like a princess.

And some of the things that come out of her mouth just make us smile. She loves the phrase "kind of" and has said phrases like "that's kind of fantastic" or "that's kind of mine". Any time we call for her she says, "I will coming" or when we tell her to do something she says, "I are doing that". She's a little smarty pants.

3 Months Old

Time is flying by so fast. I can hardly believe Emma is already 3 months old. She's really been a good baby. For the most part she's happy and although she's not the best at night, she's not the worst either. She's quick to smile and wants to talk so badly. She gets so excited when I talk to her that her eyes will water and she'll be spitting in an attempt to get sounds to squeak out. Then she makes some really loud sighs and other babbling noises. It's so much fun to watch. But because she's such a mommy's girl, she usually saves the talking for me.

Emmalyn's Baby Blessing

Emma was blessed today and got to wear the same blessing dress as all her sisters.

We had a ton of family and friends that came to join in the celebration. As a matter of fact, we knew that we would have such a large crowd that we decided to hold the open house the night before at our stake center. that way they didn't have to suffer in our hot house with no room to move. It turned out nice.

In her blessing she was told that her middle name, Rae, was given to her as a reminder of a wonderful person (Grandma Parry) and to help her think of that person.

Butterfly Award

Kali gave Josh and I an invitation to come to her school and see all that she had been learning over the last couple of months. Her class had been studying the life cycle of a butterfly and each kid had their own butterfly that they had watched go through the life cycle. Today they released them as part of their celebration of learning.

Then Mr. Dalton gave out two awards that he called "The Butterfly Award". He explained that is was an award for the students he felt came into first grade like a butterfly, ready to learn, lead and fly, and that they continued to do it throughout the entire school year. Well Kali was one of the two recipients. I was so proud of her. She really is a good girl.

Mr. Dalton typed up a paper to tell why he gave her this award and this is what he said:

Kali came to school ready to learn. She has been an amazing example to not only her crew mates but also to all those around her. She is constantly giving her best and being happy in the process. She shows a great love of learning that helps others around her to try hard too. We are so proud of her. Her smile makes everyone happy. And her willingness to help others makes them feel important. The other students like to be with her.