Wyatt Goes to Preschool

Wyatt started preschool today. It is a home-based preschool with eight kids and a great teacher. I think it will be just right for him. He was a little nervous when I dropped him off this morning, but he came home so excited.

Puppy Party

We celebrated Madison's birthday on Friday with 10 of her friends. She invited girls from primary, school, girl scouts, and the neighborhood. Just before the party started, I was a little intimidated, knowing I would be severely outnumbered by little girls. No need to fear...they were amazingly well-behaved and we had a great time. We had hot dogs for dinner, then played "pin the nose on the puppy" and "puppy walk" (like a cake walk except they walked on puppy paw prints, and the prizes were stuffed puppies). After all of them won a puppy, they got to choose a name for their puppies. Then Darin engraved the names on little dog tags for them, and we attached them to a little puppy collar. After cake (don't miss my amazing cake decorating skills) and ice cream and a big pile of presents, the girls all spread out their blankets and pillows and we watched the movie "Bolt" about a super dog. I'm so proud of my super seven-year-old. Happy Birthday, Madison!

Can't believe she's 7!!!
Doing the Puppy Walk--I love that Madison is wiggling loose teeth as she walks!

All of the girls with their puppies.

Cute girls! I'm so glad she has such fun, nice girls as friends.
Amazing, huh? The dumb sprinkles wouldn't even stick to the cake. Just call me if you are in need of my services for your next party.

You Got It Going On

"The Amaaaazing Madison" and her cousin "The Amaaaaazing Sarah" put on a fashion show for me the other day. I was cracking up at the music they chose for their modeling walk: "You got it, got it, got it, got it going on..."

My Babies

I finally took my kids to get their pictures taken with all three of them together. I may be just slightly biased, but I think they're pretty darn cute. Take a look...

Dear Miss Manners,

I have an etiquette question. What do you do when your daughter gets sick in the middle of a playdate? And we have invited the whole family to come for a playdate. And we have just met this family. And the playdate happens to involve making sugar cookies for St. Patrick's Day. And sick daughter has touched nearly all of the cookie dough. And then all of a sudden she needs to tell me something. Whisper, whisper, "I think I'm going to throw up." Proceed to bathroom. Throw up. Throw up again.

Now...do I send them home? Do I throw all of the cookies away?

I left it up to the other mother. We went with the "all the germs cook out" theory or the "it might have been something she ate" theory. Anyway, sorry new friends.

Happy Green Day!

Going to the Mountains

When we asked Madison what she wanted to do while she was on spring break, the only thing she came up with was "go to the mountains." So go to the mountains we did. We drove around and hiked around. We roasted hot dogs. I think the kids were a little concerned about the whole fire thing. Their dad's job is to put out fires...and here he is making one. I love getting them out in nature. I love to see how their personalities shift a little and some of their normal fears and inhibitions are gone. Madison and Wyatt went off hiking up the hill by themselves. I overheard: "Wyatt, you might get a little scratched up, but that's just part of hiking." (From my children who almost always have at least one band aid on, and four or five is not all too uncommon). And then: "Wyatt, remember, break sticks, break sticks, break sticks." Then Wyatt's chant starts: "break sticks, break sticks, break sticks." What little trail-blazers. Even Levi got a taste of the great outdoors (literally). We tried (unsuccessfully) to teach them to skip rocks, a skill that Darin is really good at, and I seem to have completely lost any skill I once had.

Tucson Festival of Books

The kids and I went to the Tucson Festival of Books Saturday at the U of A. They had a great time collecting cheap little prizes and seeing storybook characters. Wyatt thought they were cool to look at but wouldn't get close to them, while Madison had to hug every one. They had some great activities for the kids...I don't even know how many different bookmarks we made! Levi was a good sport and rode happily in the stroller almost the whole four hours we were there. It was also fun to show the kids where I went to college and explain to them about college life. I have so many good memories there. It was crazy to see how much everything has changed in the few years I've been away. I asked the kids after if they were going to go to college. Madison: "Yeah, but I'm not going to live at college." Wyatt: "Me too. I'm not going to live at college either." They may change their minds in a few years! We had a fun day. It was nice to have an excuse to be outside all day because it was fabulous weather.

Madison with Ronald McDonald.


Happy Levi.


Wyatt decorating a canvas bag.

Goofy Wyatt making a bookmark.

Madison with the mouse from "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie."

Letters Y and X.

Fun Tag

If you read this, then you've been tagged.The things in bold are things you've done. Just copy, paste and change it to apply to you!
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Italy
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in person
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a pig
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (do fish count?)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92.????
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Been on the news