If You Give A...

If you have young children, then you are probably familiar with Laura Numeroff books. Some of my children's favorites are "If You Give A Pig A Pancake" and "If You Give A Moose A Muffin". (If you haven't shared Laura Numeroff's stories with your children, please do! They'll love them!)



With that theme in mind, the following is my personal version:

IF YOU GIVE A BREE A BLACKBERRY

BY: Cara




If you give a Bree a blackberry








She'll set aside her Eggo cereal








To free up her hands








For smearing said blackberry all over her legs








And arms

And face and clothes.



If you give a Bree a blackberry

She'll be mighty proud of the mess she's made of herself.



If you give a Bree a blackberry








She'll expect a bath right away



Even if you've got someplace to be








So if you give a Bree a blackberry



She's going to want a bath to go with it.




TO BE CONTINUED....

Felicity's First Day

Since she knew what preschool was, Felicity has been asking when she could go. She has looked forward to being a student, just like her older siblings. She has anticipated riding the bus to preschool with her BFF Brynna. She begged for a backpack. She asked lots of questions.

And then, yesterday, it was our last day together before she became a student. Once I made sure her backpack was full of school supplies, I decided that a few more things were in order.

First, and most importantly, Felicity needed a haircut--her first haircut, no less!



Never did you see a little girl more excited for her first haircut!




Here's a BEFORE picture.





Lucky girl, Felicity. She was able to watch a movie of her choice while she got her hair cut. She chose "Space Buddies". Felicity loves the puppies.





Yes, her hair really is that thin and strawberry blond. She got it from me. That's what I looked like as a little girl.




Felicity held very still through the whole process.





When she was done, Felicity asked for her hair to be put in a ponytail. The stylist even sprayed Felicity's hair with gold glitter! She felt so pretty.




As you can probably tell from the pictures, the stylist didn't cut much hair off. Felicity didn't actually NEED a haircut, but I had promised her one before her first day of school.



Since we were already there, I decided to treat Bree to her first haircut as well!



Bree held onto a water spray bottle while her hair got cut.




She actually held very still.




Bree enjoyed sucking on the water spray bottle, too. Silly girl!




Here she is getting her first bangs....




Sittin' pretty.




Let's go! Bree's ready to drive away.



Obviously the stylist didn't cut much hair off Bree either, but she did tame Bree's mullet!



Today was the big day. The day I sent my Sweet Felicity away to school. It was a big step of independence for her, and an important one, too. But it was nonetheless gut-wrenching for me. Felicity and I share a special bond--we have since the day she was born.

I've been told that she's my "mini-me".

Her daddy walked her to the bus stop this morning--I didn't think I could do it. I sent them with the camera so Rich could take a few pictures before the bus pulled away. No sooner did the bus pull to the curb than Felicity tried to jump on it. Rich had to call her back to catch pictures!



She couldn't wait to go!



Of course the BFF's chose to sit next to each other.



And they're off!



I couldn't believe how much I missed my Sweet Felicity while she was at school. And oh, how excited I was to meet her at the bus stop this afternoon! While we ate lunch together today, she told me all about her day. What a great one it was! And so, you guessed it, she can't wait to go back again tomorrow. I already feel as though she is slipping away from me...



Which makes me even more grateful that she and I had a special day together yesterday. After the girls' haircuts, I took Felicity to the shoe store for some new sandals, and to McDonald's for lunch.




Here is the little doll that came in her Happy Meal. Felicity named her Little Cinderella.



Once home, Bree down for a nap, we ate together and I read her stories. Then she watched a movie and I painted her nails and put make-up and perfume on her. We had a nice day together.



I'm hoping for many more.

Cara

For The Love of Shoes

Like any self-respecting woman, I love shoes. As a little girl I always wanted to play dress-up with my mom's shoes, though I was never permitted to.

Now that I'm a mother of three little girls, I find that my daughters like to play with my shoes on a daily basis.




Mostly Bree just likes to chew on my shoes like a puppy, though someday that will change. Someday she'll want to model them like her sister does.




Felicity's first word was "shoes".




"Boots" came soon thereafter.






High heels. The higher, the better.




I'm a model...




You know what I mean...




And I do my little turn on the catwalk...





Daddy's shoes are a little harder to fill!




But Felicity makes them look good.






So pretty. All dressed-up with nowhere to go...




So Felicity changed back into her regular clothes.




And now it's time to play with Mom's make-up. Something else I always wanted to do as a little girl and was never allowed to. But shoes are still Felicity's favorite.

I'm happy that my girls want to play and use their imagination. Even when they make a big mess in the meantime.


Cara

How Many Times?

I'm not sure how many times Richard and I have told the kids to not play ball in the garage. It's really not a safe place to play. The garage is full of tools, power tools, lawn equipment, chemicals, etc.

About 90 minutes ago, Elijah, Mimi and Felicity asked if they could play out back with the dog. Sure. No problem. In fact, it would do me a favor to have fewer children under foot while trying to make dinner with one hand.

Little did I know that the three of them moved their little party to the garage a while ago. Did they ask to play in the garage? No. Did I know they were in the garage? No.

A few minutes ago there was a loud noise that sounded like something had shattered. Gritting my teeth, I followed the sound out to the garage. On the garage floor lay what once was a beautiful slab of granite, now consisting of many chunks.

Not long after we moved into our house, we bought the slabs of granite with the intention of having them installed by a granite contractor. In the meantime, we had changed our minds on the color scheme we wanted in our home and chose a different granite.

So we have been storing the first-purchased slabs of granite in our garage for about three years, planning to sell them with the hopes of recovering some of the $2000 we spent on it.

But that dream, along with the granite, have been shattered. Apparently Richard and I are not allowed to have anything nice.

Whatever.

Cara

Bring On Monday

Normally I hate Mondays. Rich has to go back to work, we all have to get up before the sun to start our day, tons of laundry awaits me, and I know Felicity will ask where we are going and expect to be entertained. But tomorrow has to be better than the past two days have been.

As I contemplate the events of this past weekend, I can honestly say, "Good Riddance!" Yesterday is a day I hope to never experience again. The kids fought non-stop while we tried to scrub house. Mimi decided to play mommy to Felicity and boss her around all day. Dallin spent hours looking for a lost, overdue library book--which he still hasn't found. Elijah did nothing but play with Bree and wander around the house. Richard and I didn't get showers till just before bedtime. And while we were having dinner--leftovers--Bree launched herself off of Dallin's shoulders and hit the tile floor in the kitchen, likely giving herself a mild concussion.

I'd never been so scared as I was last night. I screamed so loud that Felicity was frightened. Bree didn't cry right away and quickly lost all color. She became lethargic and began to sweat profusely. My girlfriend, Christa, a pediatric nurse, came to check her out. By the time Christa got here, Bree was perking up and moving around. I think the incident took 10 years off my life.

If that wasn't enough, about an hour later, Bree was reaching for a toy and smacked her head on the leg of one of the end tables in our family room. Later that evening, Elijah was playing with her and the two of them bonked heads. Ahh! Three times to poor Bree's head in a matter of 90 minutes.

Today, Bree was pretty fussy, especially at church. You would be, too, if church was during your naptime! She made it through the first two hours of church, and then we cut our losses and went home. She slept for 10 minutes in the car on the way home, and that's it. Still, she didn't go down to bed till 7:15pm. Ahh... Finally. But wait--she was up again an hour later. Of course Richard was gone during this time at a church meeting with Dallin so I didn't have him to help me soothe Bree. That was frustrating since Rich has the magic touch with Bree at bedtime.

Finally everyone is in bed, asleep, and thus I must follow suit. Fingers crossed that tomorrow will be a better day. Please no more head injuries!

Cara

It's Good To Be Bree

On April Fools Day Bree was 11 months old. Where did the time go? I followed Bree around with my camera that day to catch her in various activities.




When you are 11 months old, you should spend the day at the Denver Childrens' Museum with your brothers and sisters...




...and touch everything you can get your hands on




...and be happy




...and hungry




...and put everything in your mouth.




When you are 11 months old, you should make a really big mess in the kitchen for Mommy to clean up.




When you are 11 months old, you should call all of your friends on your toy phone...




...and make time for your Jedi training.




When you are 11 months old, you should play with toys bigger than you are, and try to get them into your mouth...




...and pause for a picture.




When you are 11 months old, you should be able to read yourself a book...




...and program your favorite shows into your DVR.




When you are 11 months old, you should put your bib on before you eat...




...and then take it off...




...before feeding yourself some yummy delicious yogurt melts.




When you are 11 months old, you should explore Mommy's kitchen in your underwear...




...and put your little hand prints all over her stainless steel appliances.




When you are 11 months old, you should remain in your underwear while exploring Mommy's family room...




...and then take a break to play with one of your own toys.











When you are 11 months old, you should take advantage of your sister laying on the floor and climb all over her.





When you are 11 months old, you should suck on a binky, a habit you gave up 9 months earlier, because it feels good to your swollen, teething gums.




And when you are 11 months old, you should finish your day nursing on Mommy's lap.


It's good to be 11 months old, and it's good to be Bree.


Cara