Sibling Class

On Saturday, we took the troops to the hospital where I'll be having our baby at for a 'Sibling Class'. We didn't really know what to expect, but I think it was a good time. Each kid got to choose a baby to take care of.

They learned how to change a diaper.

And how to swaddle and rock a baby to sleep while singing 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'. They also got a 'I'm a Big Sister/Brother' coloring book and a Certificate declaring them ready to be a 'Big Sister/Brother'. There was a 12 hour newborn in the birthing center that they got to see too. Great fun!

So...baby Torah, your siblings are ready for you to come...and so am I. I'd like to be able to bend over again and relieve my toes from being little sausages. Plus...we're ready to meet you!!!

School is Out! Summer is HERE!

This was a shot of Elle's last day of Kindergarten! Way to go Elle! It is crazy to think that she will be in 1st grade in the fall. She has done an absolutely amazing job in Kindergarten and is definitely ready for 1st grade (I keep saying Grade 1 and she always corrects me..."That is NOT how they say it here, Mom!"). It has been fun having Elle around all day so far this summer and we will certainly miss her in the fall.
Bryn got to come with me to Elle's last day party. There was a great magician show and pizza and cookies...delicious! Oh..and face painting!
Summer brings heat (thankfully not super hot yet), so we have been spending time at our friend's pool. The girls are so excited to have swimsuit tan lines. How cool that it looks like you are wearing a swimsuit even when you don't have a swimming suit on??!!!
And finally...Elle completed Headsprout (an online 'learn to read' program) which got us to Yogurt Creations (the girls' most favorite place in the world). Way to go!

Bryn is 4!

So...Bryn turned 4 last week, which was absolutely fabulous. She starting requesting and announcing a Monkey birthday cake before I even knew about it. My cake skills are poor, so I think I did alright. Bryn has been 'saving' a pink cake mix for this occasion for about 3 months. It was great to FINALLY get to use it :)

We were going to have her party at our house, but decided to ask a couple in our ward (with a killer pool) if we could have it at their pool. Thankfully, they agreed and it was amazing. Not only did all the kids have a great time, but I didn't have to plan any games or activities (which is why my 9 months prego self liked the pool idea so much). I'll be forever indebted to our ward friends that let us use their pool. It made a 4 year old's day (and mine) for sure!

Here is Bryn scoping out some of her gifts wearing a new swimuit from Grandma and Grandpa.

Wade is hilarious in the pool. This was a new one for us though. Normally he just wears the life jacket, but...he decided...just to be safe...to have the life jacket, pool noodle and a tube around his neck. He was quite content..and fairly safe too!


To top off the day, we went as a family to see the new Shrek movie (3D style). It was great fun! Happy Birthday Bryn!!!



There are many things that make Bryn especially cool (besides the 3D glasses). Here are some:

She is quick to give up a fight and find a solution. This is amazing to me for her age. She compromises well and comes up with solutions much better than I would (as long as she is not tired).
She is a very happy girl (granted she has enough sleep). It is hard to not be smiling when you are around her. Plus, she has great jokes.
Bryn is very athletic and coordinated. She rides her 2 wheeler like a champ and is currently working on mastering the jump rope.

We also re-celebrated her birthday yesterday at Grandma's and Grandpa's which was entirely too much fun. Who doesn't love beating Tinkerbell to death?? Bryn finished her off with a few kicks to the gut. Take that Tink!

Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival

We also went to the Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival this weekend, which was fun and a little crazy. One of my favorite vendor booths had this:

They had really cool African (from the Ivory Coast) wood art. I especially like the giraffe. Brandon was quick to spot this one. If only we had the $1250 to buy it for Rixa.

There were plenty of 'name' booths, where they would put your name on something. And fortunately for Brandon, his name was displayed at most of these booths. We almost bought this one:

I think my absolute favorite booth was the soccer collies. Wade could have stayed here all day. And yes...he is wearing a pink hat.

We happened to be there during a demonstration, where they let kids go in the goals and the dogs would score on the kids. Great fun. And it made we want to get a border collie.

We ate lunch at the only shaded place we could find...behind the dumpsters and past the port-o-potties. Somehow it wasn't stinky and no one threw trash on us. The girls did find some killer flowers though.

When I asked the girls what their favorite part was, they said...without question....THE BUS RIDE! We parked our car at one of the 'free parking lots' and then bussed into the event. Next time, we'll just stay on the bus for 3 hours.

Bob Jones Bike Trail and Memorial Day

We started Memorial Day by heading to the Bob Jones Bike Trail in Avila. It's a 2.3 mile paved trail that goes right to Avila Beach. When the girls figured out how to ride 2 wheelers a while back, I thought it would be a great trail for them to ride on with Brandon (since I can't really ride a bike right now). So, we decided to give it a try. I dropped them off at the trail head and they successfully biked in.

This was Bryn's first time going on the 16 inch bike for an extended trip (she has been using a 12 inch bike from some friends, but we gave that bike back on Sunday). Still she did great.

Brandon's parents got to the trail ahead of us and I met them near the end of the trail. We all walked back on the trail till we found the troops. Then Grandma and Grandpa helped them walk their bikes across the bridge to the trail end.

Wade chilled(as usual) in the iBert. The kids then played at the Avila Beach playground for a while before we went home to get ready for a killer barbecue at the Grandparents. It was a most excellent Memorial Day!