Happy Birthday Riley and Chloe!

This is before the party started. These girls were so excited all week, and were so happy that the day finally came. Here they are before the guests arrived. It was a really small party, each girl picked 4 friends to invite. It was the perfect size! Chloe turned 3 last week and Riley will turn 5 next week - such big girls!

We decorated Strawberry Shortcake hats.


Made candy necklaces

Ate cupcakes

Played a cute little “Pin the Strawberry on the Stem game”

And opened presents


It was so much fun!

Riley and Chloe loved spending this time with all their sweet little friends!

Getting Ready for the Baby!

One last belly shot at 37 weeks. I am loving being pregnant, I know that sounds crazy, but I do. We are so excited to meet this little guy!


Riley and Chloe are testing out the bjorn. They thought they were so cool walking around with their babies attached to them.

One of my goals this last month has been to take my girls on lots of outings, so I can spend as much time with them as possible, before baby boy takes all my time and energy.

Our first trip was to the Discovery Museum. We hadn't been there in probably 2 years, and it was finally our time! It was a little chaotic, but completely worth it.

The next week we went to Barnes & Noble, I know that doesn't sound like much, but Riley ALWAYS asks me to go, so with it raining all week, we did just that. We were there for 2 1/2 hours, just reading. Oh and 3 different bathroom trips, not just for me.

Its always fun to be in a quiet place and have your daughter scream:
" Mommy I have to go poopy! Hurry! Its coming right now!" {Love Chloe}

Next, on our list of things to do:

Beach (if the weather permits, which isn't likely)

Visit a farm

Go on a picnic to their fav park with a lake and one of our favorite walking paths.

Hopefully I'll make it OK to all these trips!

Happy Valentines Day Mike!

I would like to dedicate this to my bff Michael



I Love you
I love laughing with you
will you slow dance with me now?

Riley Roo

I need to record the things that my kids say or else I'll forget them!



Last week we were driving in the car and Riley begins a conversation with this:

R: Mom, I know a lot of things. I know pretty much everything. But there is one thing that I don't know. Can I ask you?

Me: Sure. What is it? (I'm thinking of some profound spiritual question is coming)

R: Where do chickens poop?

Me: Um - on the ground?

R: Oh, ok

And that was it. Now she knows everything. I was laughing so hard.



Another one happened this morning:

Riley loves to draw pictures, and fold them up and give them to me a s a present. This morning she asks me

How do you spell - dear - I tell her.

Then she says:

Mom, How do you spell:

Dear Mom, I want you to know that you are my secret best friend

Oh melt my heart, I love her!

A package from Grammy

I don't think there is anything more fun than to open your front door and find an unexpected package!

Well, we got one last week from Grandma Pratt! It was so fun! My Mom sent all sorts of little goodies, like clothes, crafts, treats, a new baby blanket, aprons, and dress up. I think it offered hours of fun!

Here are the girls with their decorated picture frames, and wearing their new necklaces.


And here is Chloe posing in the new apron, necklaces, and the bow that came around the blanket. She wore this for most of the afternoon, so precious!

Thank you Grandma!!

The Oakland Zoo

Our good friends invited us to the Oakland Zoo {free of charge, I might add}. It was seriously the most beautiful day there! We saw lots of different animals, that I didn't take pictures of, but here are some that I took. It was so much fun!!

Keeping Busy!

Chloe girl started Soccer! This isn't a league or anything, its just a Daddy and me learning time every Saturday with a cute program called Kids Love Soccer. The first day, they learned not to use their hands. Of course, she picked up the ball a number of times!
I loved watching her face while she was listening to the coach, she had this happy little grin, and I just knew she was thinking "I'm such a big girl, this is so cool" She had been so excited all week long and talking about it. I'm glad we have somewhere to release her energy! Go Chloe!





Riley started Gymnastics! Riley has also been talking about this all week, asking everyday "How many more days now Mom?
She was very eager and excited the whole time and did everything almost quicker than the teacher could ask her. They stretched first, then practiced somersaults, back rolls, donkey kicks, walking up the wall, and balance beam. After each of them, she says "That's easy!" Go Riley!

I have been working on a project that I saw in Real Simple right before Christmas, then I went to Utah, and my sister in-law had almost the same thing in her kitchen that they had done at a church enrichment night. It was so cute! So I resolved to try it. So, I have to say that I love being crafty, I'm not super good at it, but I love it nonetheless :)

1. I bought an old frame at the Goodwill. $5.99

2. Took out the picture, and stained the frame dark brown

3. Cleaned off the glass and measured some craft paper (that I had at home already) to the size of the glass. This was 2 pieces of paper just taped together. Ran a brown ribbon down the middle. Then stuck on these "chip board stickers" on for a menu and a shopping list.

4. Got some dry erase markers and, and now I have an easy place to keep my kitchen {somewhat} organized.

5. After one day, I realized the paper I had chosen was too busy, and we couldn't even see the writing, so I changed it out to this pretty blue paper.

I seriously love it! The moment I think of something I need to get, I go write it down. Before I was always trying to find a paper to write down on. I also try a lot harder to fill out a weekly menu ahead of time...Not to mention, I think it looks really cute

Names

So, we are having a baby boy in a couple of months and are completely stuck for a name. I think my sisters have given us numerous suggestions, However we just can't narrow one down! Its driving me crazy!! For now we call him baby boy, and I'm getting a little tired of it.

I'm taking suggestions, if you are willing to share! **If you want to comment - click the time below my post.

On the topic of baby boy, here's a funny conversation with my "almost 3 year old":

The other night I was talking about the baby boy...

Chloe says: I not a baby!
Me: I'm not calling you a baby, I was talking about the baby in my tummy
Chloe: That's NOT a baby in your tummy!
Me: Really? Its not?? Well what is it inside my tummy??
Chloe: ITS A DOLPHIN!
Me: Hmm, a dolphin, interesting.

Not really sure where she got that.

Now, back to the point: What do we name our baby boy??

Christmas 2010

We had such a great Christmas this year! We were able to go to St. George for 10 days! There was all the normal activities, like playing games, watching movies, going out to eat ( Cafe Rio in the house) and eating ENTIRELY too many sweets! My Mom taught Mike how to make english toffee - mainly so he could eat it! They made it like 3 times!

Anyways, I'm too lazy to describe everything in these pictures, but here are some of the things going on in the pictures below:
Visiting the temple
Playing on bikes{and stuff} in front of Jon and April's house
Girls painting each other's nails
Boys doing nothing around the TV (probably some game)

Here is Christmas Day! Riley loved: Her new jewelery box, with a bead making kit, and a remote control Strawberry Shortcake car. Chloe loved: A big dress up treasure box, and a Rapunzel doll along with the prince.

We were so grateful for such a wonderful Holiday, we are so blessed to have spent it with family.

I also want to say Thank You for all the Christmas cards we got, we loved each and every one of them. We didn't send any out this year - we're aiming for 2011! Which reminds me - Happy New Year! Hope its going good for you so far!

Pictures by the Christmas Tree

Why I'm happy:

We are going to visit our family this Christmas! Where I know my Mom has her house beautifully decorated, with possibly a Christmas tree in every room. With Holiday treats made and ready for her children and grandchildren!

Why I'm sad:

We aren't going to wake up around our Christmas tree in our own home. We had quite a few fiasco's getting the tree up and decorated, so it seems sad that it won't fulfill its Christmas duty in towering over all the Christmas presents on Christmas morning.

My Compromise:

Take pictures in front of it, so that we can remember the things we did here for this Christmas season

Mike's Holiday Work Party

(Warning:Ugly belly shot)

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The Nutcracker

Riley and I got to go to the ballet together! We loved it! It was so fun to just have that time alone with her. She chose that red sweater because it had sparkles in it, and that makes it look fancy. And my Chloe got to take a picture with me too

The girls Christmas Dresses

I'm lovin' sweater dresses this year! I loved these cute black ones that had both their sizes. Mike took these pics. Don't tell him...but I would have really loved a whole body shot, so you could actually see the whole "ensemble" I'll be OK. I love the stocking on the tree (even thought it doesn't "go", again - I'll be OK) Riley put it there for Santa, little does she know that there is a much bigger one waiting for her. These pictures were fun to look at because of Chloe, she was laughing in each of them, this was the only one with her eyes open.

See you next year, dear Christmas Tree!