Time for an update

This picture was taken in 2004.  Since then, we have gotten new tile, a new stove, and a different table.  Otherwise, it looked exactly the same.
Well, we randomly decided to do a little painting.  We're not too brave, so we're taking it one step at a time.  For now our kitchen looks like this:

I know it's not a huge change.  A little paint, a little more decor- but I think it just looks more "homey" and it really ties in the colors from the living room part of the great room.

It's fun to beautify.  We're not really able to do major renovation, nor do we want to since this isn't the house we plan on staying in forever, but a little attention to a room can make a big difference.  Thanks for looking, and don't tell me if you hate it.  

Imagination

I love watching my kids play.  I often wish I could do nothing at that particular moment but hide and observe the way they play.  They are so imaginative.

I especially like observing the difference between my son and my daughter.  They often play with the exact same toy in totally different ways.

Take, for instance, these ponies-- here are ponies sleeping.

Here is a pony being "prettied up".

And then, here is a pony being run over by a tank.

Can you tell which one Kyle was playing with?

Emma Dancing

We weren't allowed to videotape the actual recital, so these are from her dress rehearsal.

In this one, I just laugh because most of the time the kids have no idea what they are supposed to do. Maybe it was being up on a huge stage in front of people, or maybe they just don't know this dance well. A few times Emma actually does the dance right, but no one else does, so she looks totally wrong! Oh well....

And Laura, I did change Emma's costume after seeing how different her costume was from everyone else.

You will have to click on the videos twice to see the full screen- which is necessary because Emma is on the end.

This next one was their "main" dance. They worked hard on this for months. Still, getting up on that big stage without their teacher definitely threw them for a loop. They're all so cute, though. Emma starts the song in the back row, all the way on the right end.

I'm sure some day we will all look back on this with chagrin, but for now I am happy that Emma has learned so much since January, and just loves dancing. Maybe that will be her "thing", maybe not. I'm just thankful we can provide her with the experience.

Grandma Kathy Came to Town

My mom came to town, and we had so much fun playing with the kids.

We spent Thursday afternoon at the Foothills Aquatic center.

Drew didn't quite make it through the afternoon.

We went to Emma's rehearsal for her recital on Thursday night.  Here's Emma with her friends Kylie and Madison.

Imagine this cuteness on stage.

On Friday, we went to the Sea Life Aquarium at the Arizona Mills mall.  Kyle really liked the tide pool.  He grabbed the starfish right off the wall and played with it.  That kid has no fear.

The aquarium was overpriced, but the kids really enjoyed seeing it, and it had some great photo opportunities.

Even Drew got in on the fun.

After the aquarium, we ate lunch at Paradise Bakery and, of course, rode the carousel.

Marcus took the kids to see Toy Story 3, while we got some errands done.  Then we went to Emma's dance recital Saturday afternoon.  It was so fun to see her dance on the stage, even though half the time they looked like they didn't know what they were doing.  Emma has such enthusiasm for dance.  She loves her teacher Miss Rosemary, and she is always the one telling everyone else what comes next.  I can't wait to watch her skill level grow.

Sunday was church and Father's Day.  We had IHOP's recipe of buttermilk pancakes and scrambled eggs for breakfast.  I gave Marcus our blog posts made into a book, and I had his suits and dress shirts dry-cleaned.  This may not sound like a great gift, but I HATE ironing (do it as little as possible) and we never take things to the dry cleaners, so it was just a little treat for him to have nicely pressed shirts and suits.

Monday was our last day with Grandma, so she took us out to lunch after the kids' swim class.  We really enjoyed having her here and already miss her tons!

Sickness

In a week where we lost a wonderful patriarch of the Simmons/Earnest family, I am ever more thankful when sickness turns out to be mild, no matter how inconvenient.

Marcus' Grandpa "Curly" Simmons passed away unexpectedly last week. I didn't know him well, but I know how loved and respected he was by his family. That tells me all I need to know about him.

After much discussion, Marcus decided to drive to Utah for the funeral with his sister, and I decided to stay behind with the kids. It was a good choice, in hindsight, as right after Marcus left, I came down with a terrible stomach bug that left me unable to get up off the couch except to empty the contents of my stomach. Somehow I made it to lunch and quiet/naptime, where miraculously all three children fell asleep at the same time for about two hours, allowing me some much needed sleep as well. I was able to function after that, and with my wonderful friend Margaret helping me with dinner and the kids, I made it through the rest of the day. I awoke Friday feeling a little weak, but much better, and I was fine until Marcus got home late Saturday night.

The kids, on the other hand, did not get the stomach bug, but did have some viral infection. Our house was full of hacking, sneezing, and runny noses. Poor Drew got it the worst- he was having such trouble breathing that I had to take him to the ER last night, inconveniently as Marcus was just leaving to go out of town again- this time for work. My dear friend Cheryl watched Emma and Kyle so I could get Drew treated.

They ruled out the usual suspects- RSV, the flu, and pneumonia. He does have an acute ear infection, and they gave him a breathing treatment on a nebulizer to help ease his breathing. Whatever he has, they can't test for, so we are at home, resting lots, and giving Drew breathing treatments every 4-6 hours on our very own nebulizer!

15 minutes of this= 15 minutes of screaming. Poor kid.

Weeks like this make me thankful for kind friends, modern medicine, and my husband. It's exhausting being sick/having sick kids to take care of by myself. I'm glad Marcus is usually here, and that he is a caring and helpful father and husband. I'm glad that when he can't be here, others are willing to help in whatever ways are needed.

On a bit lighter note, today I left Drew in the living room in his Exersaucer while I put some laundry away, and when I came back out, this is what I found.

Oh, the joy of having older brothers to pick on you.  Little do you know what awaits you, Drew.  Little do you know.

I'm Just Sayin'

Don't offer to get the towels after a family water fight because you're "the least wet".

Especially when standing next to someone with a full bucket of water.

You won't be the least wet for long.

8 Months

I almost didn't realize that Drew is 8 months old now.  Someone asked me how old he was at church yesterday, and I suddenly remembered that it was the 6th, and therefore he was now 8 months old.  I actually like saying that he is older because he is a big boy, and people don't seem to care as much that he is chubby if he is older.  Personally, I think the rolls are cute, and since his doctor doesn't think he is too big, I don't either.

At 8 Months, Drew

• sleeps a little later in the mornings- usually 6:30 or 6:45 instead of 5:30am.  Thank goodness!
• loves all food.  I have yet to give him something he won't eat.  He learned how to pick food up seemingly overnight, so now he is enjoying finger foods like Cheerios, puffs, crackers, and yogurt melts.
• Can drink from a sippy cup, but not hold it himself.
• Rolls all over the place, especially in his crib, where I find him in all sorts of places and positions when I check on him.
• Doesn't crawl, but pushes himself backwards and in a circle, and will fall forward onto his tummy from a sitting position.  

• Loves bath time now that he can sit up and play with toys.
• Thinks Emma is hilarious.  

• Is finally cutting his first tooth- which has made for a lot of screaming and night wakings.  Usually he settles himself back to sleep, but we do have the odd night where he needs a lot of help settling back down.  I have a feeling teething is going to be a long, sleepless process for me and my grumpy boy.
• Always bites his lower lip, which drives me nuts, but I guess is kind of cute.

Emma wanted to get in on the picture taking, so here is one of her.  She just came home from swim class, so don't mind the messy hair.

Now we're on to summer, triple-digit heat, and all the fun that comes along with that.  I swear I am less tolerant of the heat this summer, and it is only June!  Do you lose tolerance for heat as you have more children?  Or maybe it is just because it takes more time and effort to get three kids in and out of the car/store/restaurant .... 

Thank goodness for air-conditioning and Sonic slushes.