Janie Jane

My little Janie turned 4 on Sunday- where does the time go? She has grown up so fast. You can tell she's the baby in the family- she gets her way most of the time and she'll do whatever it takes to get it. She is always cracking us up with her faces and the things she says. Her hair is finally getting some length (hallelujah!) and she's excited for the day that I can put it in a braid or curl it. Today was her first day of preschool and she couldn't have been more excited. Every day for the last month she would ask "Am I 4 yet? Do I get to go to school yet?" and today I was able to say YES to both! I love you Janie girl!

Day 1

Surprisingly, the first day of school went quite well over here. The kids woke up on their own and got themselves dressed while I made breakfast and packed lunches. Teeth brushed, hair done, snapped a few pics, and Derek dropped them off on his way to work. He said Clay walked right in with no hesitation, and once Clara's teacher greeted her, she was just fine. No tears- hallelujah! They both have amazing teachers this year, so I'm not a bit worried. Just a few more weeks until Janie starts preschool- what will I do with all my free time?

A Day of Teeth

I took Clay bright and early this morning to the dentist for his baby root canal (yes, I'm a terrible mother and hardly ever help the kids brush- things are gonna change!).

My b-i-l Chris did a little drilling only to find out that the cavity went so far that the only option was to pull the tooth.

He was a trooper, and didn't even shed a tear! We headed back to my mom's to pick up the girls and Clara was waiting to show me this:

She let my mom pull her tooth that has been loose for months!

Tonight there'll be 2 kids getting visits from the tooth fairy!

Tonsils

Clay had his tonsils and adenoids removed Monday morning. The poor kid didn't know what was coming- every day for the past week he's started his day with "Is today the day I get my tonsils out?" with excitement, like it's a really fun thing. And I guess it was fun, in the beginning. He got to watch movies, play Nintendo, color, decorate his mask, and go for a wagon ride. This was my first experience with surgery as the parent and I was so nervous! I have a fear of being "put under" and not waking up and with Clay having a heart murmur, it made me extra anxious. Everything went extremely well and the surgery itself was so quick- maybe 20 minutes. He was beside himself when he first woke up, but he eventually calmed down and by Monday night, you wouldn't have even known he'd had surgery that morning! He's hurting a little today, but I think it would've been too good to be true if he didn't have some pain. His concern now is that he won't be able to eat some of the the foods he likes. Yesterday he said "I want my tonsils back in now, so I can eat crunchy food." I assured him his soft diet was only for a few more days. I'm just glad it's over and done with and now he can start feeling good. This should improve his speech, hearing, sleeping, and weight!

Update

It's been a crazy couple of weeks! Candice and I had our final girls' chorus "Silly Songs" concert- we have loved singing with these girls and will miss doing this!

Clara had her Kindergarten play, "Little Red Riding Hood"- she was a beautiful butterfly!

My sweet Grandpa Darwin passed away last week. We will miss him so much, but it was really good to have him in Mesa for a month and we had some wonderful visits. It's bittersweet because he's gone, but I know he had a joyous reunion on the other side with my Grandma Olive. His funeral will be on Saturday, and although not a fun occasion, it means we get to have Mason, Kelli, and J.D. in town for a few days!

And last, but not least, Candice had her baby on Saturday! Grant William Drew was around 9 lbs (the scale at the hospital was broken, so they'll never really know how much he weighed) and he couldn't be cuter. I can't get enough of this sweet boy.

Babies

With the arrival of Jacey, Mason and Amanda's little girl, Candice being due in a couple of weeks, and friends finding out they're expecting, it's made me a little baby hungry. We walked outside this afternoon to find this sitting on top of the window:

With these little guys sitting inside:

Is there anything cuter? Maybe this will tide me over for a little while. :)

Spring Break

Family time, cousin sleepovers, lunch dates, and trips to the mall were just a few ways we spent our week long break. It sure was nice to sleep in and laze around the house. I'm looking forward to the long Easter weekend!

Announcement

We are now the proud parents of not one, but two boys!

Okay, not really, but I just couldn't resist a picture like this. Janie decided to have a hay day with the scissors and this was the only way to salvage what hair she had left.

Looks like we'll be stockin' up on dresses and headbands.

Kindergarten

I was a nervous wreck sending Clara to her first day of school. I was worried she wouldn't know where to go, or what to do at lunch time, or that she'd feel lonely and shy and not have anyone to play with at recess. There were a few tears shed (on Clara's part) when we walked her to class and I was anxious all day wondering how her day would be. Lucky for me (and her) she LOVES kindergarten! Her teacher is very good at keeping tabs on the kids so that they all stay together and she has lots of fun friends from the ward in her class. I definitely miss her while she's gone, but I know she's having fun and I love picking her up and having her tell me all about the day.

Girls' Chorus!

Sisterly Love

I don't know about you, but my kids have been fighting nonstop this summer! I've been at a loss about what to do about it. They go to time out for not listening or for talking back, but if I put them in time out for fighting, they'd be there all day long. I remembered when I was little if there was arguing between siblings, my Mom would make us sit together and hold hands until we were happy again. So I tried it. It actually works pretty quickly! They have to sit together holding hands and smiling at each other. Once they're happy with each other I make them hug and kiss and say "I love you" and then they can go play. It puts them in a good mood almost instantly and it's even funnier to watch.

Summer Fun

I can't believe summer is more than half over! It's gone by way too quickly and I feel like I haven't gotten to do nearly as much as I'd like to with my kids. Here are a few things we have been able to do so far:

Rainforest Cafe

Chuck E. Cheese

Parker's (and Emma's, but no picture) Musical Theatre Performances

Camping with Friends

Swimming Lessons

One of these things...

... is not like the others. Clay might need a brother.

Girls' Chorus Valentine's Concert

This was probably my favorite concert yet! The girls are so fun to watch and they were very animated. Jeepers Creepers was by far the favorite song; for us and the girls! We performed at a nursing home, so the pictures and video are just from practice- but you get the idea.