Happy Birthday Shelby!!!

Today was Shelby's 4th Birthday and she was SO excited. She woke up a half hour earlier than usual and came in to wake me up by saying, "Do you know what today is?!" She has been waiting for this day for weeks now and was thrilled it had finally come. We had our usual birthday breakfast of donuts which was more tasty than usual because we got Krispy Kremes. After breakfast it was time to get ready for church. I put her favorite black tank top on her so she could wear her favorite color. I stopped real quick to grab a picture of her with her balloons.

After church we let her open a few more gifts from mom and dad. She was thrilled to see she got the Captain America movie! And she's excited to take a bath tomorrow with her Captain America loofas.
She also loved the gift that I felt she HAD to have. Luckily for us it went on clearance after Christmas so we saved over 50%.

They are seriously the best sisters I know! Kadence has spent the whole day being just as excited for her sister as she is for her own birthday. She has tried to be extra nice you can tell without us even prompting her to be.

After presents we headed to Grandma and Grandpa Joys for her birthday dinner. She chose: Grilled Cheese and 3 kinds of ice cream (Also known as Neapolitan) Grandma and Grandpa elaborated a little and added strawberries, carrots and celery because they knew she would be excited. Grandpa also made her a cake. She had a great time with family, opened a few more presents, and immediately after leaving decided we needed to watch her new movie. She didn't make it to far into the movie before she was completely OUT. Kadence on the other hand was disappointed that we had to turn it off so she could get to bed at a decent time.

I love Shelby so much and can't imagine life without her. She was definitely supposed to be here because David and I weren't planning on me having another pregnancy. I'm glad God had a different plan because she brings so much energy and excitement to our home. I constantly say that if I didn't have a boy, at least I have a Shelby. She loves most things that would be classified as a 'boy' thing, loves the color black, she's adventurous, doesn't mind getting hurt if it was fun, likes bugs, monsters, and all things creepy. On the other side, she is definitely girly. She looks best in bright pink, is very tender hearted, loves to snuggle with her mommy, loves to help me cook.....well, she loves to help with anything really, loves to make people happy and loves her sister very much! She is such a sweet girl. The phrases she says most are "Guess What? CHICKEN BUTT!", "Sank you Sank you!" (thank you), "Can I help?" and "Why?" She is so incredibly smart and LOVES knowing different facts about things, especially animals. She likes to know why and how things work and she remembers some of the most random information she's heard or seen on tv. I love her so much and she will always be my Shelby Delby Doo.

Friday Confessional

I CONFESS....I love how excited my kids get for their birthdays. David and I decided that they will get a birthday party every year before the girls were born. I'll admit, its stressful at times getting things ready. In fact, right now I am kind of freaking out because Shelbys party is tomorrow and I still don't have everything ready yet. Despite it being stressful, I love doing it! I love the excitement and anticipation before the parties. The girls help me throughout the planning process and are always on cloud nine when we talk about their parties. That's not all! I LOVE watching them at their party. They are always the perfect definition of happy, I don't think they can get any happier! I sure love them!

I CONFESS....I have a hard time coming up with things to confess. I sit here and think "What weird or unknown thing do I want my kids to know about me in the future" Well the only answer to that is that I love them very much....but that's kind of cheesy.

I CONFESS....I love take out! I don't know which is more appealing, the fact that I don't have to cook or the fact that I don't have to clean up afterwards. It isn't great on the budget, or the waistline so we try to cut it back to once a week. Sometimes it works out, other times we can't resist. :)

I CONFESS....I am really picky about the way my pants and the girls pants fit. They have to touch the floor. Or at least the bottom of the shoes. If they don't, it makes me feel like we are wearing floods. It honestly drives me absolutely crazy. Having said that, Kadence often times has pants that are too short. (By my definition) She has such crazy long legs and then her brace makes them sit a little higher than normal too. Oh well, I try!

Videos

I had the privilege of watching my sweet little niece Brylee yesterday. She was a little fussy so I was holding her.....Shelby also wanted my attention RIGHT that second. I told her that I needed to hold Brylee and if she kept being so needy I would have Brylee get her! I then lunged toward her with Brylee down close to her. Shelby squealed as expected, but then something fabulous happened....Brylee laughed hysterically. We chased Shelby for about 5 minutes and we all laughed and laughed. Then I sat down figuring Brylee had probably laughed enough and I didn't want it to turn into a scream. Shelby started walking toward us so Brylee started laughing. We did it a few times before I decided to grab my camera. Then I captured her cute little laugh on camera. Shelby and I loved having Brylee come play with us!

I keep thinking that I need to record Kadence reading. She brings home different colored books from Kindergarten to read along with doing her homework. She started out needing to sound out every word, and now she is able to just read it by sounding it out in her head. I think its cute so I wanted to capture it so I can listen to it when she's 16 and SCREAMING at me. Hopefully cute videos and pictures will help my kids survive through the teenage years. :)

Friday Confessional

I CONFESS...I absolutely can NOT stand when the bottom of my pants gets wet. I would rather fold my pant up and look ridiculous while walking outside than have my pants get wet. (I do unfold them when I get into a building) It just annoys me so bad! Both of my girls hate wet pants too so when their pants are wet they promptly change into PJ pants. They have such a nice daddy who has on occasion gotten the blow dryer out to dry their pants for them. (Pampered princesses!)

I CONFESS....I have struggled lately to find motivation. I have ideas of things I could do that would be fun with Shelby, or to organize, or new recipes to try, etc. None of my ideas are difficult, but I find it extremely difficult to ACTUALLY do it. This isn't really like me and it drives me crazy.

I CONFESS....I am really liking going to the gym. I don't do much because I am really out of shape and my knee isn't strong enough, but I enjoy going. I exercise for 10-15 minutes each time and go 3 times a week. I'm hoping to get up to a half an hour work out 3 times a week though. It has helped my knee, kept my resolution AND made me feel a little better about myself. I am not someone who enjoys working out, but I do like how I feel after. And if I make it to the end of the year still working out 10 minutes a few times a week, that is still better than I have done the past few years.

I CONFESS....Disney Channel shows that aren't cartoons drive me up the wall! My girls are in between the older shows and the cartoons right now and I am sad to see the cartoons starting to go. I think the older shows are absolutely annoying....but they like them so I just put up with it. Although there are a few shows that I change the channel.

Friday Confessional

I confess....I am so incredibly proud of Davids brother, Jeff! He was just hired as a 4th grade teacher in Davis District. He barely graduated in December so getting a job in January is an incredible thing. I was so excited and happy that I almost cried. He's like part of our family....ok, I realize that he IS part of our family but I mean part of our immediate family. I am so excited for him, for the school that gets him, and for the students. He will be a great teacher!

I confess....I have watched Alice in Wonderland 3 times already today. Once Shelby gets hooked on a movie, she really gets hooked! I am not one who hates watching the same movie over and over so it doesn't really bother me at all.

I confess....I don't really mind grocery shopping, but I hate putting the groceries away. I honestly put away anything perishable and leave the rest in the trunk until David can get to it. I figure if I do the shopping (which he hates) he can put it all away. :)

I confess....I am getting really excited about the possibility of Disneyland. We have been saving all our change and now that we are past the holidays we are saving our weekly budget left overs too. In a few short weeks we have saved about $200 and I am hoping we can keep the momentum going so we can FINALLY make it back to the magical kingdom. I say "finally" but I think that is just the addictive quality of Disneyland talking. I didn't go to Disneyland until I was 25 years old and my girls both went before they were even 5 years old so they are spoiled rotten! (Or has Kadence says, they are "rotten eggs")

Really Random...

Today I have had a bunch of really random thoughts that normally would have made it to the Facebook status but since I am trying to FB less, I figured I'd put them on here. It seems that once I get my thoughts out I can finally relax.

First of all...Something someone said in Sunday School today drove me crazy. The fact nobody (myself included) said anything about it also drove me crazy. Someone said, "Paying your tithing is a way to secure your status with the church." To me tithing is between yourself, the bishop and the Lord, so how does it affect your "status" with the church? Secondly, there is no "status" in the church. We aren't compared to one another, we are only judged on our own actions, efforts and struggles. It REALLY bothered me. Luckily, that was one persons opinion and this is simply my opinion. (This would have NEVER been a FB status by the way)

Next, I absolutely feel that I have the best kids ever! My kids clear their plates from the table without being asked, throw away their own garbage without being asked, say sorry when they bump into you, usually use their manners, love each other, play well together, are best friends, and so much more! If they get a privilege taken away the don't cry about it, they simply understand that it was a consequence of their actions. For example: Shelby kept shoving 2 feet into one slipper today. David told her that she couldn't wear her slippers for the rest of the day. This is a huge deal because she absolutely loves her slippers. She simply went and put them where shoes go and went on with her day. No biggie, it's crazy. Then later tonight she went to put them on and I reminded her she couldn't wear them and all she said was "oh yeah" and went on playing. I honestly love my kids to death!

Having said that I love my kids to death and they are amazing doesn't mean they don't push my buttons. I get to the point that I just want to scream or lock myself in my room. Time away is fantastic and always much needed. I sometimes feel that I am too honest with my Love/annoyed/Love relationship with my kids. I am pretty blunt and straight forward about sometimes wanting to smack their mouths, lock them in their room, etc. (For the record I haven't ever spanked or smacked my kids) I am honest because I KNOW I am not alone. I don't think we do anyone a service by hiding the fact that we get frustrated with our kids. I think it is so helpful when someone else says "I've had days like that too." Just to know you aren't alone is such a nice thing. So if you ever hear me being brutaly honest just know that I DO indeed love my girls very much. I don't know what I would do without them, they are my world!

Almost every Sunday David and I are able to take about an hour nap. The girls just go in Kadences room and play. Its fantastic!

I may have bought a few too many prizes for Shelbys carnival birthday party. I went down to organize all of her birthday things since her birthday is 3 weeks away and I said "Oops!" Oh well, the more the merrier! THEN I went to decide what would be given as prizes for games and what would already be in their goodie bags. I finally figured it all out and then I couldn't find the bags I had bought. I am freaking out and hoping that I can find them because they were the perfect size for a day at the carnival and I got them for a steal of a deal. I'm a tad bit stressed by the whole thing.


Lastly, I am so happy that I have such a fantastic husband. He treats me well, helps with the house, helps cook, and is the best dad ever! The best part is that the girls see his example of how a man should treat a woman and hopefully they will have high standards when they start dating.

Friday Confessional

I CONFESS....I usually don't make New Years Resolutions. Don't get me wrong, I make positive changes to my life. I just feel that if a change is needed its worth changing no matter what the time of year is. This year I did make two somewhat general resolutions though: to Facebook less and to be more active. They are kind of vague but that works for me. I am mostly going to focus on being more active. This doesn't mean hit the gym every day, just to do a little more this year compared to my almost sedentary lifestyle I have been living.

I CONFESS....My kids make me crazy, but they also make me laugh daily so it cancels out the crazy. For example: Kadence ruins just about everything I put on her. (coats, shirts, pants, shoes, bows) BUT then when I am busy being mad she'll say something like 'I want to wear a meatloaf dress like Lady Gaga.' Shes completely joking and is referring to when Lady Gaga wore a dress made out of meat but it makes me laugh all the same. I think humor can change any mood.

I CONFESS...I check my own butt out in the mirror on a daily basis. I feel it's my best asset and try to only buy pants that flatter my butt.

I CONFESS....I love tucking my girls into bed at night. There's something that seems absolutely perfect about chatting for a minute, singing a song, and kissing your babies goodnight. David and I switch off which girl we take and they get our undivided attention for a few peaceful....and sometimes silly....moments. I sure love my family!

Christmas Lights

As a youngin' I used to go to Temple Square to see the lights. David doesn't remember ever going before meeting me. (Doesn't mean he didn't though) I want to make it a tradition to go with the girls every year. What better way to enjoy the season than walking around and admiring beautiful lights and seeing the different nativities. We went down on a Sunday evening because it was the best day to fit it in and Jeff came along with us. It was fun to see the girls get excited about all the different things.

During our visit, Kadence decided it would be funny to stick her tongue out in almost every picture.
Here's the family....and Kadence's tongue.
The girls admiring the nativity.
It took a while but I got a tongue-free picture

Then we FINALLY went and saw "Big Jesus" as Shelby calls it. Shelby has been absolutely dying to go see "Big Jesus" and repeatedly told us "You promised we would go!" It was so cute because you could tell it was everything she hoped it would be.

I didn't bring my camera, but we also went to Christmas Village which was a tradition for both David and I. Again, it was fun to watch the girls get so excited looking at all the lights and displays. Jeff joined us again too which always makes the girls excited! This was the first year that the girls didn't have to hold our hand the whole time and were able to run to each display. We skip Santa every year because the line is long and its a cold wait. I'd rather see him at the mall. (Which we did two or three times) After Christmas Village it is our new tradition to go to Starbucks and get a white chocolate hot chocolate with peppermint added in. YUM! This year I had gotten a gift card for free from entering codes from our Huggies so it worked out great! The girls haven't like hot chocolate before, but they LOVED the white chocolate. (Although they didn't want any peppermint added in) I love going to both places for lights, and I hope that the girls will continue to love it as they grow up.

Confessional

I CONFESS....I am overwhelmed by the idea of blogging our Christmas. It isn't that difficult, but it just seems like a lot of work. I do this so that I can have a more permanent way of keeping our memories so I'm sure I will get to it.

I CONFESS....I am so happy to be able to go back to school this semester. I am excited, yet nervous. I haven't had to balance being a mom, taking care of the house, school AND school drop offs/pick ups all at once before. I'm hoping I can balance it all and do well this next semester!

I CONFESS....Our basement used to just be a giant storage shed. I honestly just ignored the fact that it was part of the house to be honest. Our food storage room and laundry room were basically the only rooms that I used in the basement and I shoved anything semi crafty or decorative in my "craft room." That all changed this winter break! I had been slowly clearing out what would be a family room the past month and with David home, the holidays over, and two pretty cooperative kids we finally cleaned the room out....well, mostly. There are still a few things in there that don't go in there, but the girls can go down and play in there now. Because the girls now have somewhere to play downstairs, David and I have been able to spend more time cleaning other areas of our basement. I now have a downstairs bathroom. The girls were so surprised we even had another bathroom. (I'm telling ya, it was bad!) David and I are continuing to work on our respective rooms and are hoping to have them drastically improved before the new year. Of course my craft room and his office will never be clean, they will actually have a function now which is fantastic. This is an embarrassing little confession, but I'm glad I am working on fixing it. :)

Graduation and Gingerbread Men

We were SO incredibly proud to see Davids brother, Jeff, graduate with his Bachelors! I got Kadence out of school so that we could all be there to support him. I thought of getting the girls in their fancy Christmas dresses but then I realized that would leave me fighting them all day to keep their dress down, keep their legs closed, etc. That seemed like a few fights I would like to avoid so I decided to just put them in purple shirts for Weber State. The girls were so excited to see Jeffy graduate and Shelby even told me "I'm so proud of him." Kadence is excited to graduate Kindergarten now so she can be like Jeff.

Here's Shelby waiting for the ceremony to start

Here's Kadence waiting
Here are Dale, Connie, Elaine, and Judy

Shelby was a little bored by the graduation speeches.

Jeff getting ready to walk

I got a picture of what family was still there at the end

We are so excited to watch Jeff become the amazing teacher we know he will be and are so proud of this accomplishment.

After the graduation we were going to go to decorate gingerbread houses with the Joys. They do this every year and we love going. Unfortunately David wasn't feeling great all day so we didn't end up making it. His pain meds made him feel really woozy and disconnected. He didn't think that he would have a good time. He started feeling a little better toward the end of the night so we decided to decorate gingerbread men at our house. I was sad to miss the family decorating party, but was happy that our girls didn't miss out.

My finished gingerbread man

The girls decorating

Shelbys finished gingerbread man

Kadences finished gingerbread man

Jeff came to decorate too

Jason and Sage came to keep us company...and Brylee slept the whole time in Kadences room

Here's Davids finished project. Its Gingy, chained up, eating Santa (Did I mention he was on pain meds?)

Here is Jeffs finished project

We all had fun, but I'm hoping we can do it with the whole family next year.