My Little Boy is TWO!!!

Yesterday was Colby's birthday and we had a fun day.  We went to Red Robin for dinner, then had cake and opened presents at home.  Take a look!

In this video, Clay brings out a basketball hoop.

He loves these tools from my mom.  He slept with the screwdriver last night.

He got a lot of sand box toys from Grandma Hayes.  Now he'll have something to play with outside.

And new clothes from my mom.  He looks very handsome.

Look at this awesome birthday cake!!!  My friend Amy used her great knowledge of cakes and helped me make this cake so I wouldn't have another disaster like last year.  Thanks Amy!

This video is of Colby, ah, not blowing out his candles.  He didn't quite get that part.

Happy birthday to my sweet little boy! 

Project Paint Girls' Rooms--Complete

A couple months ago Clay and I decided to let Savannah have her own room downstairs.  So a big project started.  First of all, the storage room would become Savannah's new room so I had to figure out where all the food and other stuff was going to go.  That took some planning and finagling but we got that figured out.  Then I started painting.  A lot.  As in 5 different colors.  By myself.  Savannah wanted two colors, so Dakotah did too, and I had to peel off a wallpaper border and prime Dakotah's room first.  I got Savannah's painted in 3 days (only painting while Colby napped, of course) and Dakotah's took a week but they are both finished and the girls are happily living in their own rooms.

Here are some before pics of the girls room

Dakotah's room!  We ordered some wall decals that will pretty up the walls a little more.

Savannah's new room! 

So next I am preparing for a yard sale I am having in June.  I'm getting rid of all my baby clothes, our TV and entertainment center since we bought a new one, toys, Clay's tool box for his truck (which hasn't lived in his truck for 8 years) and other various stuff.  Right now my sewing room is a mess with all the stuff I'm collecting.  It'll be good to get rid of it and have my sewing room back to its original cleanliness.

Oh, and stayed tuned for a surprise announcement coming in June!!

TAE KWON DO

We went to my mom's for spring break and the girls' favorite thing to do was to take a class at my brother-in-law's karate studio.  They loved it and I have to admit that he was a great teacher.  It was so fun to watch.  We'll probably do a class every time we visit now.

The goofy teacher is my brother-in-law.

Savannah got her white belt!

Dakotah got her white belt!

Success!!

We have been hard at work over here trying to learn the names of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  Last year during general conference, every time a new speaker started talking Savannah would say, "Who's that guy?"  It really bugged me because "those guys" are important people in our church!  So I bought their pictures and during Family Home Evenings we would concentrate on one at a time, reading the information about them on the back and then I would pin it on the wall in the dining room so we would see them often.

We finished learning them just before General Conference.  During conference was test time and my girls did great!!  Savannah would hardly pause before saying the entire name of the person.  Mission accomplished!!

Wretched Wind!

I really don't like the wind.

It is the thing that I don't like the most about living here in Washington.

It messes up my hair,  blows tumbleweeds everywhere, makes our sliding door hard to close, gets dirt in my eyes, and makes it colder outside.

But the #1 reason why I don't like the wind is because it blows away the things that we leave on Austin's grave.

Usually we find them somewhere nearby, but this time all Austin's presents are gone, save one.  We looked everywhere possible, but the wind has taken them away this time.  Three of his stuffed animals that had been left to keep him company have been blown away.  The remaining one, which fortunately is the most precious, has been stuffed into the flower vase where it can't go anywhere.

I have tried taping them to the headstone before, but it gets wet and then doesn't stick anymore.  So if anyone has any brilliant ideas about how to keep things from blowing away, I would greatly appreciate if you would share them with me.

She'll Laugh About It Someday

I hate it when our morning is going great, only to be disrupted by the dog.  Harsh to blame the dog?  Well, just wait until you read what she did...........

I've gotten into the habit of taking Cuddles with us to drop the kids off at school because it's easier than getting her into her carrier.  (She's not allowed to be free at home alone because of peeing reasons.)  So this morning she ran outside to the car with us.  When we got to school, I pulled up to the sidewalk for Savannah to get out and Cuddles escaped.  Here's where pandemonium broke out.  I didn't want to get out because I was in workout clothes and slippers.  I yelled at Savannah to run across the street and grab Cuddles.  As soon as Cuddles saw Savannah coming she zoomed down the street.  (Remember that a ton of cars are driving down this road to the school.)  Savannah would get close and Cuddles would take off again.   Finally Savannah came back to the car sobbing because she couldn't get Cuddles.  She may have been a little embarrassed at all the kids watching her try to catch this little wiener dog!  So I told her to go on to school and I would try to get Cuddles.  But things had gone too far for Savannah.  She climbed back into the van and cried that she didn't want to go to school.  (All the while, Cuddles is having a free for all on the neighbors lawns.)  So I was trying to keep an eye on Cuddles' location and trying not to lose it with Savannah.  Finally Cuddles nonchalantly came back across the road and I got her in the van.  Then I finally convinced Savannah to get out of the van and try to have a good day.   Rotten dog!


Side note: it is very difficult to exercise using the Wii Fit when Colby is trying to use it too.  I don't do very well with his body in the way.

It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

Dear Grandmas,

             We had another piano recital the other day!  We did so awesome!  All Mom's students memorized their songs.  Please watch the videos of us.  Savannah's video is at home because the one at the recital was too big to put on here.Oh, and the video of Dakotah is a little wiggly because Dad was trying to film and hold Colby at the same time.

We have also started playing soccer again.  This year we are on different teams so right now Saturdays are called Soccer Days. On each of our first games, Dakotah and Savannah both scored a goal!  It was exciting.  Colby loves soccer, too, and wishes he could play with us.  It makes Dad tired trying to keep Colby off the court.  Here is a video of Colby at our practice.  Mom will put more videos of soccer up when she remembers to take the camera again.  

Something else that happened is Dakotah is now a toothless wonder!!  She thinks it's fun having a lot of missing teeth. 

We love to read books to Colby.  He loves to read with us.  We are becoming really good readers.  Aren't we cute??

Love,  Savannah, Dakotah, and Colby