Documentary of the Morning

Oh! I dropped my purse!

Uh, oh!

Daddy, will you help me pick the money up?

D’oh. They’re stickers! April Fool!

The girls and I set this up while Rob was in the shower. Hunter and Emma also brought some of these stickers to school and put them on people’s desks and the floor. I tried to think of a good blog prank to pull this year, but since I got so many of you last year, I couldn’t come up with anything you would buy. Happy April 1st!

March Up Tos

– I paid the $90.00 ticket for talking on my cell phone while driving. I was talking to Hunter who was home alone to let him know I was running late so he wouldn’t worry, 30 seconds tops… Of course a cop was sitting there ready when I turned the corner.

– Hannah and I went whale watching with her preschool class and saw some beautiful whales and dolphins. She and her friends had the most fun barking at the seals though.

– Rob found an as-is large screen TV at auction and we picked it up for a good price. Then we discovered the color was off and that this model was part of a class action lawsuit requiring the company to replace faulty parts. Fortunately for us, the parts were on super back order so they offered to replace ours with a brand new flat screen plasma TV. This is by far the best deal we’ve ever stumbled upon. We had a movie party on Friday night, and there will be many more ahead I’m sure!

– I worked at the Calligraphy/Hornbook station for the 5th grade Colonial Day. We practiced writing with feathers and ink wells.  All of the 5th grade classes spent the whole day dressed in colonial clothing, and doing colonial things: whittling, square dances, buzz saw toys, corn husk dolls, quilting, embroidery, tin punching, painting… It was a lot of fun for me, and for Hunter too.

– Emma took a mini-drama class and played the part of “Baker” in The Gingerbread Girl.  She did a great job remembering her lines and looked so cute. Our girl sure loves to be on stage.

– I finished my beginner Photoshop Elements class and passed the final with a 97%. I haven’t really had time to do much with what I’ve learned yet, but hope to soon.

-The transition, after the boundary changes, into our new ward has been great. We’re all happy and still doing our best to keep up with our friends who are now in other wards.

– Rob got a new calling in the ward. I can’t tell you yet what it is yet, but he’s a little nervous. I know he’ll be great! Our new bishop assured me that he has a job waiting for me, but until then I’ve been filling in the gaps while our new ward is staffed (nursery, sunbeams, and leading music-the toughest so far-).

– I tallied laps at the school Jog a Thon and let me tell you, it’s no easy task when they’re all wearing the same t-shirt! I told my four kids they had to give me a high five every time to make sure they were counted for each lap. They all had fun running, dumping water on their heads, and eating popsicles afterward.

So that’s the gist of what we’ve been up to this month. Here’s hoping that April will be a better blogging month. I have some March photos in the gallery now too.

Delivery from Hannah

Hannah made this e-card for her preschool teacher and I thought it was so cute, I just had to share it with you!

Make a Smilebox greeting

The Library, The Waiting Room, Seeing a Man About a Horse…

What do these things have in common? All are nicknames for the bathroom, and I have spent more than my fair share of time in them this week… It’s potty training time!

It’s been a long time coming, but Sabrina has committed to potty training and it seems to be for good. She has had fleeting interest in the past so I’ve had a lot of moments where I questioned: “Is this really it? Should I buy anymore diapers or should I make her go cold turkey?” But the day finally came when she wanted to have underwear and refused to wear a diaper or a pull up. And to my amazement she had done very well.

However, I have been sitting on a step stool next to the potty a lot this week reading books and having toddler chit chat. Especially because Hannah wanted to have the same kind of attention paid for her potty adventures too. I am thrilled at the idea of no more diapers! This is one milestone I am thrilled to see passed for the last time.

This is just a fun picture I took of the girls trying on the cute hand-me-downs from their cousins. We love hand-me-downs almost as much as we love cousins!

Thank You Notes

Dear Aunt Erica, Uncle Jed, Owen, Davis, & Kate:

Thank you for the Cords activity game. I have been playing with it a lot and love making pictures of faces. I also love the purple shirt with the ruffles. I wish Mommy washed it more often. Love, Brina

Dear Auntie J, Uncle Dan, & La La:

Thank you for the pretty pink dress.  It is nice and puffy for when I twirl around. Thumbelina has been with me all the time and I like to get her wings on just right. Love, Sabrina

Dear Nana & Papa:

Thank you for letting me pick out this princess bracelet. My favorite part is how it has every princess on it and it is purple. Love, Sabrina

Sabrina Turns 3

Happy Birthday to Sabrina! Now it’s been almost a week, but we had so much fun celebrating Sabrina’s birthday last Saturday. We made hoe cakes at her request for breakfast, spent the afternoon at Downtown Disney and had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. Then we came home to have pizza for dinner, and piggie cake with chocolate ice cream (mud) for dessert. We all adore Sabrina and smile every time she comes into a room. She is beautiful and a sweet cutie pie.

Some of Sabrina’s favorites:

princess: Belle and Ariel

cereal bowl: yellow, because it’s Belle’s color

hairstyle: ponytail or twisties

friends: her princess playgroup- She wishes it was every day.

fruit: strawberries

board game: Simpsons Clue- She and Hannah love to play house with the little people

clothing: skirts and tutus

animal: piggies and panda bears

pajamas: piggie shirt and piggie pants with a tutu (I finally was able to find a replacement for her beloved snail shirt)

thing to do at Disneyland: eat ice cream cones

talent: singing and dancing with her sisters, and then pushing them aside so she can have a turn by herself.

We recently replaced our TV and it’s too big for the entertainment center (another story). Hunter, Emma and Hannah decorated it and turned it into a princess float for Sabrina’s birthday parade. Here she and Hannah are waving as Emma sings the birthday song.

California Water Crisis

I grew up in California’s central valley, and I know that the agriculture industry there is really hurting. The California farmers can’t water, so they won’t plant their fields. That means our produce prices will only get higher, and we will have to rely more on food imported from other countries or grown ourselves. (Go here to learn about food storage and gardening.) It may be time to plant a garden in containers or our yard. Scary when we have an economic crisis and a food crisis too. Is there any way to help these farmers get some water? I hope so.

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