Saturday Is Just Right

 Saturday seems even more great after this lame night.  Maybe it is that Justin is back on call and I'm on my own.  Maybe it is because Hayden was mad we decided to play 'Memory', went to slam the door, and didn't realize Bennett's head was halfway through.  But now all the babes are sleeping and I'm getting some photoshop rejuvenation.

Anywho.  Saturday.  It ended up being one of those days where we had nothing on the schedule, but we headed out early and didn't come back until the kids were ready to crash right into bed.  Love those days!  J played some baseball, so happy dad.  The girls ended the night with ice cream, so happy children, of course.  I was feeling like I wanted to do a photoshoot with the kids, so happy mom.  One of them was not having it, can you guess which one?

 So, whatevs.  When we got back in the car, I said, "One nice thing about having three kids is that at least one of them is up for taking pictures if the others are being pills."  And surprise!  It was Hayden today--the one who typically has no interest.  I was happy about that.  And her new boots I picked up at the second-hand store--those also make me happy.

After a few stops, we wandered over to the fairy woods to build some houses:

 

 

As we were leaving, I was able to grab the two of them for a minute.  I stared at this picture for so long and got choked up seeing Abbey's protective arm and Hayden gently starting to hold her other hand.  Love these two, love that they are sisters.  I hope they figure out early how lucky they are to have each other.

 

 

The dude was crashed in the stroller but was looking rather handsome that morning, I think.

Smells Like Cabbage (6.25.11)

Time to backtrack.  Like, a year's worth!

I found myself with time on my hands this week.  Like, three times!  

It's been such a treat to have a little free time after the last busy...year.  I've been printing books with old blog posts and am loving how they turn out.  So don't want to miss out on 2011!  On to catching up...

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A new couple moved into our ward last summer and I would invite Chelsey along with us for the day if she was off work.  My girls adore her.  She took them for an afternoon after Bennett was born and Justin broke his ankle; hearts were won with a huge collection of nail polish!  She and her husband like to drive to Detroit to wander and explore.  We.  Don't.  She was surprised we only went there for Tiger's games, so we wandered with them one night to a carnival.

I love the next two photos.  Can you picture these two in about eleven years?  Cruising around together, Abbey focusing more on waving 'hi' than actually driving, Hayden happily lost in her own thoughts.  Scary :)

 

Not much more to say--just a fun summer night.

Wanderlust

Justin had a week off which means we have to get out of town!  He will go crazy.  So off to Chicago.

 

Cousin Jen lives in an adorable suburb of the city and I'm so glad we had the chance to spend a few days with her.  I love that girl.  She had the perfect insight and perspective on some struggles I've been wrestling with and was willing to stay up half the night discussing it :)

 We hit up a Jelly Belly factory.  Bonus: you can sample every single flavor.  Double bonus: even the Harry Potter gross flavors.  Abbey wouldn't go for it, but Hayden was up for a try:

 

Lately, Hayden is really into 'surprising' me with tasks she should do anyway (getting her shoes, coat, pj's on...)  It's awesome, actually.  She wanted to surprise me by brushing her teeth by herself and built a towel tower to reach the sink.  Love it.

Our day in the city was a bit of a bust.  Hayden got...car sick...two minutes before we parked.  She has the uncanny ability to hold it together until we pull up to our destination.  My main objectives for a Chicago trip would be to sit in on a taping of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me and a visit to the Aquarium.  I knew the taping wasn't going to work out this trip so my excitement aimed at checking out those beluga whales and jelly fish and it. was. packed.  Chicago Public School spring break.  Great.  Two lines stretched halfway to the next museum and after 90 minutes and about 10 yards of line advancement, we cut our losses and hit up the American Girl store.  Big hit with the girls, of course. 

 

(abbey picking out doll shoes)

I'm not sure where I land on the American Doll thing.  I simultaneously felt annoyed at moms giving in to spoiled girls throwing tantrums because they couldn't get two $30 outfits, disappointed that Abbey noticed immediately that these dolls have better hair than hers, and totally enchanted with the sweetness and little details (you can buy your doll a violin and/or grand piano?  come on!)

Then it was off to shop for some church clothes for the boy, deep dish pizza for Justin, playgrounds off the Magnificent Mile for the girls..it turned into a nice day. 

Although it is exhausting to travel with kids, I'm glad Justin has the need to roam.

A Year of Bennett

I printed these out this week and we laughed that it doesn't look like he's changed that much.
(saw this idea on Emily's blog--Happy Birthday to Ms. Lucy, too!)

Happy Birthday, sweet boy. We are all CRAZY about you!

My Spring Chickens

Happy Easter!

People Gonna Come From Everywhere

Abbey and Hayden's preschool has sure made an impact on how I parent. I am thoroughly grateful to have those teachers involved in my children's lives. They have done years and years of research on the way children's minds learn and behavior modification. I know there are so many great parenting strategies out there, but their theory just sits so right in my gut. It is also invaluable to me to have someone that knowledgeable who actually knows MY kid--how my kid works, how she reacts, why some typical rewards just don't seem to motivate her. I am not greatly confident in my own parenting and often find myself stumped with these charges of mine. I will bring her teachers a scenario that is frustrating me and they'll have some great ideas on how to work with it. Love them.


They give the kids just the right amount of freedom to explore and become confident in their ability to create, solve problems, and act on their ideas. My Abbey is not for lacking in the confidence department--I'm hoping this will get her through middle school! But I'm still working on how to incorporate that into our home, where sometimes it's not easy to give them full control of the reins--it's a tricky tight rope. Which brings me to today. And a restaurant.



Both girls are really into cooking. I'm talking, like, they'll watch Betty Crocker cake demonstrations on youtube for as long as I'll let them. It's been a hard balance to let them do their thing and, you know...cut down on the food waste that was going on (sorry...nobody's going to be eating up the yogurt, milky, cracker, orange combo). {Side note for my own records: last month we were making cupcakes and had the batter separated in several frosting bags. As I got started Hayden said, "Squirt a little on the plate first to avoid air bubbles!" A few moments later, Abbey piped in with, "Now just twist with your left hand and guide it with your right!" Thank you, Lee-Hanson-with-Betty-Crocker for my back seat bakers :) }

Last summer, my friend came across some large boxes and thought the girls could have fun making a restaurant in our basement.

They spent all day drawing pictures to decorate the walls, lining up the appliances, and discussing the menu. I felt bad taking it down a few weeks later, and I think that guilt surfaced when last night Abbey started constructing major plans for opening another restaurant. She asked if some friends could come over and I couldn't think of a good reason why not!

So today some very sweet friends indulged my little girl's dreams.

They were both very concerned over what outfit looked like 'real' restaurant wear. This is eventually what they decided :) I caught this picture just as Hayden noticed their first customer pulling into the driveway.

Not one customer sent their food back to the kitchen or complained that their order was wrong. Success!