Animals Anyone?

Today for playgroup, we went to a place called Crowe's Nest Farm. We were SO excited about it! My girls LOVE animals...especially Lucy. So when we got there and had to FIRST eat lunch...Lucy was not happy about it! But she reluctantly came along and did a little bit of eating and a lot of running around. When it was time to go for our little tour, we were so excited!! First we started off in the barn where they had pools with little turtles and salamanders. Then in another corner they had a room with snakes and reptiles. Ick! Lucy pretty much felt the way I did! But as we were leaving she said, "Iss(it's) not scary!" Then I didn't even bother taking any pictures of the tarantulas and hissing cock roaches! Yuck! Then we went over for a fun little hay ride. We got to see ostriches and even a bunch of their eggs! It was fun. Janae, Sadie and Evka.Averee, Lucy, Jazlynn.We stopped by to see the Longhorns (woohoo!) and once again, Lucy had no reservations! Don't worry, I made her stand back after that! Scary! They were fighting over the food and everything, and she is just laughing! Lucy, Longhorn, Jazlynn.Vivian and Sadie.They loved seeing the baby animals! Oh look, a CUTE picture of the two of them together! :) Lucy would not turn around (as she is standing there she is saying, "No turn around." and Sadie smiled for a second but I guess I wasn't fast enough!) After that we went over and saw a demonstration of how they milk a cow. The kids were fascinated! It was fun! They loved seeing the milk come out! When we were leaving and Lucy caught my eye, her face lit up and she cheered and clapped! She was in Heaven! We got to see so many animals! (Sorry there aren't a ton of pictures of Sadie; 1) she was off with the big kids being so independent and 2) I have to stay close to Lucy since she will try to climb right in with any of the animals! Plus Sadie would look and then be off to the next thing, whereas Lucy, well she could stay there forever. We even went into the Fairy woods. They had little fairy statues down this trail in the trees. Funny and cute.

Lucy, Sadie, Evka, Jazlynn, Janae, and Vivian.

They had a butterfly house, which we saw 3 total! One was flying around, one got smashed by a kid knocking over a garden globe thing and it fell on it, and one was on the ceiling. Not too exciting! Sadie loved seeing the owls, but I didn't get a picture of it. I didn't realize she liked it so much until she kept talking about it today. Oops. Then the trip ended with a "tragedy." We were watching two desert tortoises "wrestle," when the one on bottom got annoyed and turned around and was pushing the one into the side of the cage and final pushed him over! I had never seen turtles be so active before! But the kids were upset! Especially Lucy! She was crying and saying, "Oh NO! Turtle fell down!! Turtle needs a band aid!" She was so upset! So we went and told one of the farmers and she said that indeed they are mating and she was just out there 5 minutes ago to flip him back over! Funny! We had a blast! We came home and were pooped! We had such a fun time at the farm! We made the mistake of talking to them about it before bed, and they just were to excited and then had the hardest time falling asleep! Even after such a long day! It was just too fun!

Pumpkin Patch

We had such a good time at the pumpkin patch - despite Lucy crying in the picture. :) It is a rare moment that my kids will pose for a picture now days...they have gotten too sick of it over the years! :) They have a couple of the coolest old rusty trucks that I love and have high hopes for, but they are just too excited to stop and let ME play! I am okay...I still had fun and plenty of pictures to take! Sniff Sniff.Here is a rare moment, so I had to get it! Cute little Sadie striking a pose!!After a disgusting (outhouse) potty break - the girls were appalled that it was all just piled up in there - we headed over to a fun water race with water pumps. We seriously could have stayed here for hours! They were having SO MUCH FUN loading the pumpkins up and pumping the water pump to watch them slide the pumpkins down the drain! They loved it. Two were set up towards each other, so you could race! So the other persons pumpkins then dumped into your bucket of water! It was too cute!! Finally we figured we would give some other kids a turn. And we were off to feed the goats! Of course Lucy held onto her goat food since the moment we got it! She was so excited to feed them! Sadly as she was running over to the goats, she totally tripped. But got over it soon, after seeing the goats so close.
After the goats we RAN over to the horses and fed them some carrots. The girls, and the horses, LOVED that! Except Sadie was freaked out when the horse started drooling orange spit! They seriously chomped those things up in two seconds! Lucy on the other hand didn't mind at all and was right up bonking heads with the horses! She has no reservations with animals!Then we were off to the maze. It seemed that a lot of people had created their own shortcuts through, so we made it through quite easily. Even with all the kids running off in their own directions! "No Mommy, you have to turn this way!" and points the opposite direction that they are going! So independent! We had fun picking out a pumpkin to paint.And of course we had fun painting them! Lucy is so focused. Nice hair right!?! It was way windy! We got to the car feeling like we needed to brush our hair and take a shower! Camping feet! YUCK!

Once again, we had to cut Lucy short of her time. It always seems as though we have to pull her away from each activity. Though she is so sweet and comes willingly. Especially since we are luring her with another fun activity. Her attention span is much larger than Sadie's. Sadie does one thing for a while and then is quickly ready for the next! So funny!Then the girls each picked out a pumpkin to take home and carve. We bought our pumpkins, and of course we had to buy some homemade ice cream! My favorite!So, carving the pumpkins was not their favorite thing. Sadie took one look and SMELL of the pumpkin and would have nothing to do with it!

Lucy thought it was "cold" but then got a little into it. But after a while, they were off playing and left me to do all their dirty work! So I tried to see if Sadie wanted to help draw the face, but she was playing in her kitchen and was getting dinner ready for our "walking Daddy." (apparently that means our REAL Daddy and not pretend - since her and Lucy are always playing Mommy and they are ALWAYS having to remind me that they are playing after I answer their "Mommy's.") So I didn't even get any help there! But it was all worth it when I called them over for dinner and to see the final results and Sadie says, "WOW MOM!! You are AMAZING! You are the best Mom in the whole world! How did you do that!?!" And then she gave me a big hug! What a great way to end a great day!

Fingernails

I remember when I was younger being annoyed by either a sibling or a friend (I can't remember) when they got fake nails for the first time. You know what I am talking about. Them trying not to smile, the exaggerated use of their hands, the constant clicking of their nails together, and the tapping on any flat service. Well, take all of that, and put that excitement into a four year old!No I did not take the girls to get fake nails, but we did get her those little stick on ones. (Which they are so nice now days! They already have the sticky on the nail and you just stick it on! I remember the sticky stuff being on paper and then trying to maneuver them onto your nails without it folding or whatever. Ugh!) Our babysitter had "real" fake nails a while back and Sadie has been asking about them ever since! So, we got some for her to do with the babysitter last night. She LOVED it! Being four years old, she had absolutely no reservations to hold back the tapping or whatever else that suited her fancy; as a normal teen would kind of know to hold back ("trying not to smile"). Sadie was all smiles and ALL taps and clicks. Even getting our attention to hear the different sounds as she tapped on different objects! And boy was she ever graceful with her hands. I just had to laugh as I remembered the annoyance of it as a youth. Also remember, I was a teen myself! So, snotty and impatient! She and our babysitter put them on last night, but then took them off. She wanted to put them on again this morning before church, but because she takes FOREVER with compromising on an outfit, we did not have time. Especially because we had to be on time today for the Primary Program; which went well. Chris and I are primary teachers, so I was on the stand as well, and Chris was down with Lucy. So a little before it was time for Sadie's part (which was "We read our Scriptures together." After the teacher asked ways they can strengthen their family) she turns around to me and is mouthing that her teacher said her part was "We read the Book of Mormon." So she was so concerned! I mouthed back that she can pick which one she wants to say. I later explained that it meant the same thing. :) So it gets to her turn and her teacher is holding the microphone to her and she shakes her head no and after a little coaxing from her teacher she whispers into the mic "I don't want to." I wasn't surprised because the past few times at practice she wasn't wanting to either. We are still so proud of her. Her favorite song from the program is, "I Love to See the Temple." I love to hear her sing that! When we were in Utah this summer she kept singing it at all the different Temples we saw, as Lucy was insisting that they were castles. :)

Anyway, the fingernails are fun for about a half an hour and then she decides to take them off. (Thank goodness, because that is probably all the tapping I can handle myself!) Lucy saw Sadie putting them on and wanted them too. She liked them for as long as it took to take the pictures and then she was done. :) Aren't girls fun! I love that I get to do these fun girly things with them. They are too cute! Not that cute of a picture though. Sadie, would not stop talking/suggesting ways to hold their hands, while Lucy could not stop looking at them. Ha Ha :)

A New Do

When we got Lucy's hair cut this summer Sadie had been talking about getting her hair cut short too. But when we were there she still wanted it long so we just trimmed it. She has kept talking about getting it cut short but is more adamant about it whereas before she would want it short one day and long the next. She is SO picky about her hair (and clothes) that I was hesitant to cut it, fearing she would want it long again. But I have told her a few times about the process and that she wouldn't be able to do braids or ponytails or anything. And that it will grow back but it will take a long time. But it is fun to have a change. I understand! So every time we talked about it, she said she DID want to cut it short. So we went today and made the plunge! Here she is on our way in before:Drama: the sun was in her eyes! I even had her come in the shade. Lucy thought Sadie was posing so she had to put her arm up too.Notice even though she is turned around her arms are still up! Silly Girl!The BIG cut!! She couldn't stop giggling after the lady did that and she saw! She was concerned that there were still long pieces, thinking that the hair cut was done!She did NOT like her braided hair! I showed it to her and she wanted to hold it and as we were leaving, she threw it away! Then later at home she took it out of the braid! "I didn't want it in a braid anymore!" Still particular when it isn't even attached to her head! Doesn't she look so cute though!Seriously, SO CUTE!! And can I have her highlights!?!! Lucky girl!So the second we get to the car, she asks if I can put it in a pony tail!! UGH! And then when we got home, she put a hat on and didn't take it off until bath time. But with Daddy home and him saying how much he loves it, I think she has warmed up to it! And after not needing detangler after the bath!! WooHoo!!! My only beef, she is going to be Alice in Wonderland for Halloween! I should have waited. Oh well, I didn't even think about it until after! She will still be the cutest Alice ever! :)

It's Over!

Well, for the most part...morning sickness! Seriously this pregnancy has been SO much better than my other ones. I wasn't nearly as sick and it ended so much sooner! So I am glad! As of right now, I have not enjoyed being pregnant though. This first little bit just stinks! You just feel sick and FAT! I won't even say how much weight I have ALREADY gained!! The baby is two inches right now, right!?! Plus because of my scare a couple weeks ago, I can't even workout! I went back to the Dr. on Tuesday hoping I would get the okay to exercise again, but no! I have to wait another 2 weeks until my next appointment! Not helping with the weight gain. For those of you that don't know, I started heavily bleeding a couple weeks ago. I was told to lay low and stay off my feet. So the kids were fending for themselves! I got up to change Lucy's diaper and lay her down for her nap but that was it. Later I started bleeding again and a ton! So we went to the Dr. thinking we had lost the baby. But as soon as they put the ultra sound thing on my tummy we could instantly see the baby moving around and his/her heartbeat was great! YEAH! They think a pocket of blood formed when it was attaching to the uterine wall or maybe it attached too close to a blood vessel. It finally worked its way out. Crazy! We are so relieved that everything is okay! And praying that it will remain that way! So as long as I have a healthy baby I am happy and am willing to get fat! :)

Since I haven't been as sick this time, everyone is saying it is a boy. When I went in to the Dr. on Tuesday I told the Dr. that we want to find out the sex, so if she can tell, don't be shy! I am only 12 weeks so obviously we couldn't tell yet. So we'll have to wait and see! But maybe I have just gotten better at knowing what my body needs! Or I found a better multi-vitamin! I took one from the Dr. for a few days and the two days I took it I felt HORRIBLE! So I stopped, and I felt better! Anyway, it has been funny to notice the different things that are main staples for me during my pregnancies. With Sadie and Lucy, I had to have eggs a lot! Yes, Twilight fans, Bella copied me! ;) Now with this one,

Milk! If I start to feel yucky I either have a nice glass of milk or a go-gurt and my tummy is settled! But the go-gurts have to be frozen! YUMMY! And for the first tri-mester, cheerios! Whether it be plain or honey nut! Delicious! So I am glad for these things that have gotten me through the yucky times! They are precious to me! Oh, the joys of being pregnant! We can't wait for this little one to join or family!

Patience

As a mother of two crazy little girls, this is a trait that I am continuously struggling with and praying for more of! I have realized this more, as I am learning that patience is a trait that Lucy is JUST learning! And as she is learning it, she is testing mine!!

We will be in the car and she will ask for her drink or one of her two "precious" Belle Princesses (notice you can see them in the picture above!). Since I am driving, usually just backing up, because she instantly becomes needy of things the second we start moving, I can't get them for her right away. So I say, "Okay Lucy, just a minute." She then continues to ask and whine for whatever it was she was asking for like I hadn't said anything at all to her! So I answer her again, "Okay Lucy, just a minute." With each time she asks, I get more stern (not so patient) with my answer! She doesn't stop until she gets what she was asking for! (Patience Mommy!)

Her other famous words right now are, "Just a minute." Every time I ask her to do something or come here or lets get out of the car, she answers, "Just a minute." And she does it in the cutest "sing - song" voice! But when she says "just a minute" it does not mean just a minute. She just keeps doing what she is doing and has no intentions of listening to any one's request! Once again, patience! Like whenever we are getting in or out of the car, she has to get in the back row and buckle all the seat belts, or some other necessity that HAS to be done before we go! But even though she is testing my patience, I just can't get enough of her. She is so fun and so silly! She just came in with an oven mitt on her hand and said, "Mommy, hi-five mac-n-cheese?" Which means Chuck E Cheese. Our girls are always just brave enough to give Chuck E Cheese a hi-five, they get to touch him but still have their distance by Mommy or Daddy. Whenever Lucy puts a glove or anything on her hand she asks everyone to give mac-n-cheese a high five and I love it!

Even though there are moments of frustration, I would not trade any of it for the world! I am glad that I have such cute teachers to help me learn the things I need to learn! Right now, that is patience. I have a feeling I will be working on this one for a LONG time! But I am ready!

Taken by Sadie this morning at McDonald's. We went for breakfast so Daddy could sleep! He has been working late EVERY night this week and then Sadie keeps coming in our bed at night and she "snuggles" with Chris. Translation: kicks, hits and lays across! She is the roughest sleeper ever! So, he hasn't gotten much sleep lately!