Allison's Birthday #4!!!

Our little Alli Bug turned 4 on May 5th. We celebrated with everyone on the 3rd and had a lot of fun. And, Als had lots of fun playing and enjoyed all of the attetion. So, here's a recap of the day:



The night before, Justin set up the tent in the front room for the girls to sleep in. I think they stayed up until about midnight playing in it before they both zonked out for the night. What fun!


We invited everyone over for volleyball,


some grillin',


presents,


cake and ice cream.

Now for the gush! I love my little bug. She is such a joy to be around. She always has a great big smile and hug for everyone. She is such a big helper and loves her brother and sisters. We all love her more than anything. She is the best 4-year-old out there! I hope you had a great birthday, Alli. I LOVE YOU!!!

What the HECK?

Pictures of Allison's birthday party are on their way, but I just had to post about Rachel's latest...a new tooth. But, not just ANY tooth...a MOLAR!!! Seriously...what the HECK!?! She has a total of three teeth now. Her front two on the bottom and a top molar. Crazy! She's not even 1 until June 16th! No wonder she's been a little cranky the past few days. Poor kid...poor Mom!

Alli's Turning 4!!!

Our little Alli bug is turning 4 on May 5. She and Justin share the same birthday and we are all so excited! We are having a party for Als this Saturday at our house. Hope you can make it!

My Brother, John sent me this YouTube video of one of my piano idols. This guy is amazing. Hope you enjoy!

(p.s. Make sure you scroll down to the bottom of our blog page and pause our tunes first!)

Happy Easter!!!

We have had quite a week and weekend. The kids and I headed down to St. George to visit Grandma and Grandpa last Sunday and got home Thursday night. We had a lot of fun. I helped Jeri and Sally paint the dining room in St. George, we went shopping, the kids played on the rocks, we went to The Pizza Factory and lots of other fun stuff. I, unfortunately, forgot my camera so the only pictures we got were the ones that my mom took while she was with us. So, if you want to see pictures got see her blog HERE.
On Friday, Justin and I, after a long week apart, went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse and to see "Wicked" with two of my brothers and sisters-in-law. Let me just take a moment to say how wonderful and excellent and phenomenal and WOW "Wicked" was! I am so grateful to my parents who got us the tickets. Even Justin liked it and he's not much of a musical nut. Anyway, if you ever have the chance to see "Wicked," don't miss it!
So, on Saturday, we had dinner and colored eggs with Mike and Jeri and their family. Then, on Sunday, the kids woke up to find that the Easter Bunny had paid them a visit. The got to hunt for eggs and eat lots of treats from their baskets all before church! I know, horrible! Anyway, here are a few pictures from Sunday's festivities!



Here the kids pose with their Easter baskets.


Bo shows off the "Shake-n-go" car he got in his basket. The girls got little boxes with 6 rings in them and each of the bigger kids got chapstick, which apparently is a tradition since Marianne has asked for it for two years straight. Fun fun!


Rachel wanted nothing to do with her own basket but EVERYTHING to do with Bo's. Who can blame her? Her's had only fishy crackers and Bo's had CHOCOLATE!!!


Here Marianne finds an egg in the window sill. Sometimes the Easter Bunny doesn't hide the eggs very well.



Allison checks out the orange egg she found hiding in some decorations.


Bo found his eggs (with a little help from his big sisters). This one he found in my half-dead plant. I think I'll water my two plants today. I wish I was a gardener.


Here's a shot of all four kids after church. I made the girls' skirts and I was happy with how they turned out. I may even start making them to sell. So, check in soon to if I venture out on that endeavor!


Bo poses in his Easter duds. What a handsome kid!


Allison show off her pettiskirt.


Allison twirsl for the camerman (aka Justin).


Marianne posing for her shot. What a cutie!


Marianne gives her skirt a twirl!


Rachel was done taking pictures by this point, but she still looks cute in all her fluff!

We had a great weekend. Thanks to Phil and Sally for letting us crash at their house last week. Thanks to my mom and dad for the wicked "Wicked" tickets. And, thanks to everyone who humors me by leaving comments on my blog. I LOVE YOU ALL!!! (hint hint)

Sleepy Boy

Allison, Bo, Rachel and I went for a bike ride today. I rode the bike I got for Christmas, Allison rode the trail-a-bike (which she was NOT comfortable with) and Bo and Rach were in the trailer behind Als. We rode to the library, about 6 blocks away. The kids loved it...Alli, not so much, but she got used to it when I told her if she didn't cry I'd give her ice cream when we got home. Anyway, it was great to get out and try out our setup in the nice spring weather. Well, I think Bo got a little worn out being in the sun or something. This is what I found about 5 minutes after I put him in bed with his book for a snooze...



He didn't even make it halfway through his Trucks book. Poor little guy.


Yup, he's under there...fast asleep. I love this little guy!

(By the way...that's a library book and it was like that when we borrowed it...promise!)

Marianne Learns to Ride a Bike...Take 1

On Saturday, Marianne had her first attempt at learning to ride a bike. Justin was excited to teach her and Marianne was very excited to learn. See exhibit A:


Exhibit A: Justin and Marianne posing for a picture before Justin sends her off down the little hill on her own. Just look how happy they are!


Marianne heads down the hill to see how far she can pedal before she loses her balance.

Marianne pedaling and pedaling trying to make it as far as she can before she has to put her foot down.

Bo helps Marianne push her bike up ths hill for another go at it.

Marianne made it down the hill a few times before she actually got hurt. She hit the inside of her leg on the seat when she lost her balance. Well, after that, it was a no go! See exhibit B:

Exhibit B: Marianne after the "fall." Mom (not knowing the ins and outs of learning/teaching to ride a bike) asked Marianne if she wanted to be done. She said, "Yes," and Dad shot a look at Mom. But, the damage was done and she was an emotional wreck until we let her stop for the day. So, keep on checking in for our next installment entitled "Marianne Learns to Ride a Bike...Take 2."

Tagged...By ME!

I just visited my friend's website, and she had this fabulous "tag" on her blog. I love it because it is a "tag yourself if you want to be tagged" so no pressure for anyone who doesn't want to do it!! How great is that?!So here are the rules: The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year.
4- You have no clue what it's going to be.

The catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!!!So there you have it! If you want me to make something for you...hmm, what could it be? A new toilet paper dispenser? just leave me a message.

The Survivors Club widget

My Happy List

My wonderful sister-in-law, Amy posted a list of 25 things that make her happy. I have been tagged on Facebook about a b-jillion times on people's "25 Random Things About Me" lists, so I thought I would do it here where all my loyal readers can enjoy it. I'm not that huge into Facebook, although it has connected me with quite a few long lost friends. I just like my blog better. Call me crazy! So, here goes:

1. Listening to my kids playing from a distance. They don't hold back like they do when they know someone is watching them.
2. Laying on Justin's lap while we watch a movie or our favorite T.V. shows.
3. Warm snowy days.
4. Hearing Allison read to Rachel. I probably enjoy this a little too much, as I sometimes put Alli in charge of Rachel while I finishi dinner, or bread, or vacuuming, or bathrooms......
5. Listening to Marianne sing. She has been such a good little singer since before she could talk. She would "uh" the tune to book of Mormon Stories when she was about 14 months old.
6. Watching Justin interact with our kids.
7. When Justin comes home. I miss him all day long. Sometimes I even play "Devil's Advocate" and try to get him to call in sick on days that I will be home all day.
8. The smell of fresh baked bread.
9. The taste of fresh baked bread, slathered in butter. Can you guess what I'm doing right now?
10. Newborn babies falling asleep on my chest in the fetal position as I burp them...then falling asleep with them.
11. Anything purple...Ashley, I want your purple house, too!
12. Singing in the car with the girls. We can belt out every song from "Enchanted," "Annie," "The Little Mermaid," and our favorite primary songs.
13. Watching Marianne and Allison write.
14. Listening to Allison talk. She has the cutest voice of all my kids. (Can I say that?)
15. T-shirts, jeans and flip-flops. I HATE real shoes.
16. Afternoon naps.
17. FINISHING a sewing project and seeing it on my kids.
18. Late night games of Sudoku right before I go to sleep. Sometimes I dream of little boxes and numbers. Is that weird?
19. Receiving emails. I love when I log on and have 10 new messages...doesn't happen very often, but I love it!
20. House hunting. Even though we aren't seriously looking, when we're ready to buy a house, we'll get the best deal out there!
21. HGTV
22. Campfires and S'mores, but only if someone makes them for me. I'm too impatient.
23. Doing hair...mostly just running my fingers or a comb through my girls' hair, but it's fun when they let me experiment with it.
24. My WHOLE family....Arringtons, Barbers, Groses, Winegars etc. etc. etc.
25. Finding long lost friends.

Wow, that was fun! Hope you enjoyed learning a little more about me and my little fam. I would add my encouragement to Amy's. Do this every couple of years and see how much it changes. Thanks for your example, Amy! You ROCK!!!

Changes

To start off, I have to admit something. I love to change around furniture! I have done it quite often since I was able to single-handedly move furniture around in my bedroom years ago. Well, I finally got Justin to agree to move things around downstairs, which started a chain reaction. We moved the entertainment center over, then the kids toys downstairs where the entertainment center used to be, then we finished by moving Bo out of his big sisters' room and Rachel out of our room and into a room with her big brother. Anyone confused or tired, yet? Here are some pictures to show off all of our hard work! Thanks Justin! I love you!



Here's Marianne and Allison's spacious room. Now that the crib and changing table are out, they have room to actually breathe!


Here's a picture from the doorway of Bo and Rachel's new room (aka old playroom).


Here's Rachey in her crib. Since moving her out of our room, she has slept through the night and I have had to wake her up at 7:00 am to eat. (Yes, I am nursing ;)


Rachel LOVES her new crib! And I love those bright eyes! What a cute little stink!


Here's a picture of out new seating arrangment downstairs. You can see some of the kids toys behind the futon.


And, here's another view of the t.v. viewing arrangement. One of these days we'll have a nice plasma t.v...one can dream, right?


Here's a shot of the kids's new playroom. They love all the space and all the light from the big windows. What they DON'T love, though, is that it's about 10 degrees cooler in the basement than unpstairs. We make sure they have socks on their little toesies, for sure!


Another shot of the new playroom. The big magnet board you see is one that our friend, Aaron Harkness, built before he died. We feel very forutnate to have a couple of his pieces in our home. We miss him dearly!

So, there you have it! We have been very busy and are enjoying the new set up. The kids love their new sleeping arrangement and their new playroom and Justin and I are enjoying having our bedroom back to ourselves!

Bo's Flying Bum Leap

Last night Bo was being adventurous. He loves to jump off of things. Well, he has taken it to a new level! Last night he was climbing onto my leg as I sat on the floor. He would then squat down and jump off my leg, pull his legs up and land flat on his little tushy. We were laughing so hard! I love this picture Justin got as he was mid-air. Check out the look on his face! What a stud! Love you, Bo man!


Bo's now-famous "Flying Bum Leap!"

Marianne Turns 5!!!

Marianne turned 5 on January 25th! I just can't believe that I have a 5-year-old! It's amazing! This year, it seemed like Marianne's birthday lasted a whole week. Her actual birthday fell on a Sunday, so we celebrated just about every other day around it! Here's a little synopsis of what we did!

Saturday, January 24th - Swimming at the South Davis Recreation Center

We went swimming at the South Davis Rec. Center in Bountiful. Jeri, Sadie, Aubry, Carley, Madie and Cody went with us, too. It was so much fun. But, next time we go, we're leaving Bo and Rachel with someone else. They HATED it!


Marianne (always the poser), Bo and Allison waiting for the rest of our group to arrive before heading to the dressing rooms.


(L-R) Carley, Rachel, Aubry, Bo, Allison, Jeri, Marianne, Madie and Sadie in the women's dressing room. We're ready to get wet!


Marianne climbs the rock wall after her swim.


Allison is very brave...she didn't even cry when Justin let her go. (At least not as much as her big sister did!)


Bo wants a turn to climb, too. What a brave little guy!

Actual Birthday - Sunday, January 25th

We went to church where the primary sang to Marianne. I was subbing in Alli's class so I got to be there. We came home and lunch and took a snooze. Then, Marianne opened her presents from us...clothes and a My Little Pony play rug. We took invitations around to our family and friends and ended up at Grandma and Grandpa Arrington's house to play with cousins.

Spotlight Day at Preschool - Monday, January 26th

Justin and I took all the younger kids to Marianne's preschool to read to her class for her spotlight day. Her spotlight poster was up for the whole week and she decided to share the dum-dum suckers she got from the Boli for her birthday. Her favorite book is The Cat in the Hat, but a close second is Green Eggs and Ham. So, we got to read both! It was tons of fun!

Birthday Party - Friday, January 30th


The cake, of course. Marianne wanted a rainbow and Justin came up with the idea of using Skittles for the colors. The clouds are made of mini marshmallows. All the kids went nuts! Yummy!


Marianne opens her gifts. Here, she's holding up a Ring Pop and some candy necklaces from Koby and Sam.



Marianne opening her new pink camoflauge sleeping bag from Jim, Austin, Kyle and Josh.



I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture of my little Marianne. Isn't she gorgeous!?!



Blowing out the candles. I have no idea what she wished for. She wouldn't tell me lest it not come true!


Justin and I had tried for about a year and a half to get pregnant. When I finally decided to switch doctors to Dr. Healy, it only took us a month for the fertility drugs to work. I found out I was pregnant the night before my Grandma Grose died. Justin and I decided, when we found out we were having a girl that we were going to name her after my Grandma, Mary. We had basically decided on Lauren Mary. But, about a month before Marianne was born, we went to the temple. When we came out, I was asking Justin how he enjoyed the session. He said that it was great and that he had the feeling that we should name our baby girl Marianne. My sweet Grandpa Grose called my grandma his little Mary Ann and even has the sweetest song for her. When we asked my Grandpa if we could name her after my Grandma, his eyes filled with tears and he told us that would be wonderful. So, that's how Marianne's name came about.

I love Marianne. She is such a great helper. She loves to take care of her little brother and sisters. She helps me almost every time I ask her to! She is so stinkin' smart. She can count to 100, write her whole name by herself, knows all her letters and numbers and can write them all, too. Her favorite thing to do is color pictures for people. She works tirelessly on pictures (ususally for an entire family), writes "for" and each person's name on every single picture, then autographs it. For those of you who have received these pictures, you better save them. They may be priceless some day! It nevers ceases to amaze me how much joy a child can bring into your life. Yes, it is difficult, but the rewards are a million times more than the trials! I can't think of a better way to have started off our little family. I love you, Mariannie!

Two of Rachel's Firsts

Rachel has had a few firsts lately. Her first first was rolling over, which she did about a month and a half ago. Next came sitting up all by herself. She mastered that about three weeks ago. Well, we decided that since she is OVER six months old now, that she should probably start trying some solid food. I don't know why I hadn't started this earlier. I started Marianne and Bo at 4 months and Allison at 5 months. Oh well, she has been growing just fine without it. But, here are some pictures to document our first attempt at rice cereal...not too productive!


Me trying to pry her mouth open with the spoon. This girl has got an iron jaw!


MOM!!!! What are you feeding me?


Really?!? You want me to swallow this?

Am I done yet?

She has done better each day. Today, I think she actually MEANT to swallow the cereal. Good girl, Rach!

And, here's the first that I am most excited about....

RACHEL'S FIRST HAIRDO!!!

She was such a trooper and it only took me about a minute to get this elastic in her hair. I added a little clippy later, but it kind of hid the piggy. Go Rachel! I'm so pumped!