First Day of Preschool 2011/12

This year, Grayce and Emma started preschool.  They are going to "A Leap Ahead Preschool."  Their teacher is Miss Cathie.  She is amazing!!  We love her so much - she does an incredible job with the kids.
The open house was a little scary for Grayce.  She was very shy and scared.  But, since then, she has grown to love preschool.
The girls go to school Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:30-11:45a.m.
Preschool is done in Miss Cathie's house (in her basement).  That was a concept that was a little bit hard to understand at first.
Now, it is a countdown every day to when they go to school.  I really feel like this year has been such a great preparation for kindergarten next year.

Grayce and Emma turned 4!!!

What a fun day.  My little babies are 4!  They have been looking forward to their birthday ever since they realized they were having one (about 7 months ago when Maggie and Abby had their birthdays).
We had a little party for them with some of our friends that love our girls - Ricky and Annalese Evans (and their kids Kade, Lauren, Lexi, and Ty).  We did some swimming, had some cake/ice cream (of course it was a princess cake), and opened presents.
Nick and I took the girls to Build-A-Bear too.  They had a lot of fun dressing up their new bears in ballet clothes.
After the party, we took them to Trafalga where they rode the rides and had a great time celebrating.  It was a great day!! I really can't believe it has been 4 years since they were born.  I feel so blessed to have them both in our family, but even more so to have had them come together.  They are such special friends.  I can't imagine them being apart from each other.

Happy birthday girls!

Dance!!

Grayce and Emma started a little dance class this fall.  They do ballet, tap, and jazz.  It is pretty cute to watch them.  I think they really enjoy it and often come home telling us the songs they danced to and the moves they learned.
Just before Christmas the girls performed in their first dance recital.  They did so much better than their mother did at their age.  At my first recital they opened the curtains and I absolutely froze.  I was so scared by the fact that there were so many people there watching that I didn't move the whole time.
Grayce and Emma, on the other hand, did the entire dance as well as I had seen them do it.  They smiled and seemed to really enjoy the dancing.  Part of it may have been that Santa was there narrating the whole thing.  Whatever the reason, they did great.
Their performance was the story of the Grinch.  They performed with many other dancers from the same studio where they take dance.  So, they only had a small number.  They were dressed up as the little DaWhos from Whoville.  They had adorable hair and were so cute.
Who knows, maybe we found something they will love to do!!

The Mud Incident

I finally got a picture so I could document this great story.
It was about a month ago and we were up in Idaho for a short visit. It was the middle of April so it was still a little chilly and wet outside.
The kids were all happy to be outside playing at my mom and dad's house. Nick was at his sister's house working on fixing their computer. My sisters (Diana and Kara) were both at my parent's house too. We were checking on the kids about every 10 minutes or so.
Well, on one of my checks of the kids, this is what I found...



It looks innocent enough, I know. In fact, I was checking on them and almost went back to what I was doing thinking they were okay. Luckily I stayed and watched for a minute. A funny thing happened.... nothing. They didn't move one bit. I watched a little longer.... nothing. My curiosity was peaked now. Then, the tears came and the loud cries for help quickly followed. Then, I realized - they were absolutely stuck in the mud.
Like a good mom, I ran out to help them only to stop at the edge of the mud not wanting to get dirty or stuck. So, I was about 20 feet away and they were in tears and couldn't move one bit! I wasn't quite sure what to do - although thoughts of getting someone else to go after them did go through my mind.
Finally, I decided that the only way they were coming out of the mud was if I went in after them and got them out. So, I handed off the baby and took off my shoes and socks, rolled up my pantlegs, and in I went. They were so stuck that it took quite a lot to get them out.



Finally, after much pulling, out they popped - without their shoes. The shoes had to be fished out afterward. The mud was quick to get cold - very cold. My toes were freezing. There was no way that I was using the hose outside to wash off. So, it was into my mom's poor bathtub for all three of us.
It took a while, but we got clean, the girls got a good bath, my feet were soft and smooth (what a great mud bath).
The takeaway - now everytime we go anywhere with dirt of any kind, one of the girls will say to me - "We don't go in the mud, Mom." So, at least we learned something!!
And, just so we are clear... we love dirt and digging and mud and usually don't mind the outside messes. However, it was so cold (notice the snow in the background), and Nick was gone (not a good combination).

Hats, hats, and more hats!!

I am starting a new adventure. I have been busy making these cute hats. I am doing my first craft show with them this weekend. So, as part of the display I took some pictures of the girls with them on. I have still to take some of Abby with some on - she was playing with her cousins when I took these pictures.
I am hopeful that they will sell well. It has been fun making them, so the most I lose is a few dollars of yarn and some time! My kids love wearing them and they are so stinkin' cute (the girls and the hats)!
Wish me luck!!