Happy Birthday Sissy!

Marissa turned 4 on August 11.

• She wanted the same birthday party she had last year, except with My Little Pony decorations. And of course, "No boys, Mommy. Only girls can come to my party." Perhaps a particular older brother has indirectly taught her to be wary of boys?



• She's the best older sister a girl could ask for. Sophie is extremely lucky to have her.



• Nightgowns are the "it" pajamas right now. And she can't sleep without a ponytail, which I find very strange because I can't sleep with a ponytail.



• She can finally write the the letter S. For the longest time she spelled her name MARIZZA. It was cute though. I have a bunch of examples saved in a folder.



• When I told her I was pregnant, she didn't believe me. "You're just tricking me," she said over and over.
  



• She finally believed when she saw my belly pop out. Then she was super excited and tells me every day that she's happy to have another baby sister. Whom she wants to name Roger.



• I love her voice. It is so sweet and soft.



• She's obedient, helpful, silly, and loving. Plus, I really think she has it going for her in the looks department. Sweet and beautiful--the perfect combination.



• Right now we're in a "debate" about John the Baptist and Jesus. She insists that Jesus baptized John the Baptist, instead of the other way around. Nothing I say can convince her, which is kind of scary since she's only 4.



• I don't know what I would do without her. We love you, Sissy!

The Fourth and Final

What do these 3 kids have in common (besides being extraordinarily cute)? They are all excited to have a new Baby SISTER in a few months!

If truth be told, Riley was slightly disappointed. He'll get over it though, once he sees that being the oldest and the only boy has some serious perks.

I really thought I was having a boy and even dreamed in baby blue all night. But now that I know it's a girl, I'm thrilled. I already bought my first bag of candy corn to celebrate.

Respect the Van

I've been waiting for one of these babies for a long time. For 2 1/2 years I crammed my 3 kids in the back seat and had to listen to fighting, screaming, and "Sophie's pinching me!" arguments. Yes, Sophie. She sat in the middle and bugged both older kids to death. I also really wanted tinted windows. The sun beats down too hard in Dixie.

I may or may not have gotten pregnant just so I could finally get a van. Ironically, our van seats 8 so I still cram all 3 in the back seat. They're easier to buckle and get in and out.

The tint is proving to be better than I ever imagined.

I haven't been this excited about something since you-know-who started all-day kindergarten.

He loves it too, OK?

The Story of the Four Little Pigs

This is the story of the Four Little Pigs.

This (sometimes naughty) little piggy starts kindergarten in August. Three weeks and counting...

This little piggy insists on dressing herself and doing her own hair. I've learned to just let it sliiiiiide...

This little piggy is as wild as the hills. Maybe even more wild.

And this little piggy will be joining our family on or before January 30th.

Not my baby but you get the drift.


We're hoping for a calm piggy this time. So far we're 0 for 3.

Better Late than Never

This is Sophie.



She turned 2 on April 4. You can see why we call her Sophie the Party Girl. She's always in the mood to have fun. We also call her Hoggle.
Hoggie.
Gongoler.
Gongoloo.
Bunny.
Bun.
Sophster.

Anything, really. Two important things to know about Sophie:

1. She loves her paci. Even more than Marissa, I think. But then, it's so hard to remember what life was like a year ago. We're slowly regaining out sanity around here.

2. She hates being dressed. She squirms out of all her pants by lunch.

Then she tries (unsuccessfully) to take her shirt off too. I used to care, but now, not so much. We live in Alabama after all.

Other things of interest:

• Her favorite words are Mine and No.


• She's a great eater but a so-so sleeper.


• She gets into everything. Recently I found her on top of the counter sucking on a cough drop from the medicine cabinet. A few hours later I found her on the counter again with a big wad of gum in her mouth. I may seem negligent, but man, the girl is fast!


• Usually the older sister is the bossy one, but Sophie is by far the bossier one of the two. Sweet, mothering Marissa puts up with a lot of 'tude from her baby sis. Sophie rewards her by pulling her hair and laughing hysterically while doing so.


• She's a daddy's girl and waves and shouts, "Hi daddy!" over and over when he gets home.


• She is definitely more spice than sugar.

I can't get enough of her blond curls, boisterous laugh, and sweet baby smell. We love you Sophie!

Man Alive! Riley's 5

Riley turns 5 today and boy-oh-boy has he had a busy year.

1. He gets mixed up and says "cemetery" instead of "military". "Hey mom, look at that huge cemetery helicopter!" I love this and don't plan or correcting him any time soon.


2. He carved his own pumpkin this year. Ryan cut the top off, but Riley scooped out the guts, traced the pattern, and cut out the face himself. He also set up the Christmas tree himself.


3. He prefers non-fiction books to fiction. Lately he's into ones about space, dinosaurs, and volcanoes.


4. We took off his training wheels in May. I had him dressed in layers so when he fell he wouldn't get too many scrapes. But instead of falling he hopped on that bike and never looked back.


5. Every time I don't know the answer to one of his questions, he says, "It's OK mom. I'll just look it up online." Or sometimes he says, "It's OK mom. I'll ask daddy. He's smarter than you because he's older." (If only that were the reason!)


6. He hates being by himself and won't play by himself.


7. He takes a nap most days and is an excellent eater.


8. He can't wait to go to kindergarten and ride the bus.


9. A few months ago he was trying to decide who to marry: Lauren or Isabella (the cutie in the slide show). He loves girls and his best friends have always been girls.


10. He had a naughty year.

• He painted Marissa's toenails in her room and got red toenail polish all over her carpet.
• He poured dish soap all over Marissa's head and dumped sand on her head a dozen times at least.
• One day I couldn't find my wedding rings. I searched and searched and a few days later I was cleaning Riley's room and found them behind his bookshelf.
• Then there was the time he cut a hole in his screen and went outside when he was supposed to be napping.
• I could go on and on.

Happy Birthday Bruisey! We love you!

Thirty

Lately I've been in a bit of a blogging rut. I'm blaming it all on that I'm turning 30 this year. Today, as a matter of fact. So you want to know a little more about me?

1. I used to wear overalls like there was no tomorrow. I wore them in high school, college, post-college, and even while pregnant with Riley. I had 2 identical pairs. It's quite embarrassing to admit.

2. I always buy my own birthday gift. I'm OK with it and even prefer it. I do not, however, like to buy my own Christmas gift(s).

3. This year I bought myself a pair of designer jeans. When I brought them home and showed them to Ryan, he flipped. He went nuts. He told me to take them back. But I'm not going to, of course. I'm through with skinny, low-rise, ill-fitting jeans. Those are for the twenty-something crowd. UPDATE: OK, so maybe "flipped" and "went nuts" was a bit of an exaggeration. Ryan's a pretty calm guy. What he actually did was "question the economical value" of the jeans.

4. I must renege on a few items in my 100 list. It seems that back then, I didn't text, wear high heels, or get pedicures. I do all of those things now.

5. C-sections are a piece of cake for me. I've had 3 and getting my wisdom teeth out was 100 times worse.

6. I'm militant about washing my face and brushing my teeth before going to bed.

7. My sister and I are 16 months apart and did everything together growing up. I loved my childhood and loved being so close in age to my sister. I hope Marissa and Sophie are always best friends.

8. If I could relive any time in my life it would be college. I loved the 4 1/2 years I spent at BYU.

9. I paid big bucks for a spray-on tan this summer. So not worth the money.

10. My blood pressure starts to rise when I think about dinner. It's not so much the mess it leaves as it is the planning, shopping, and execution.

11. Which is why if I didn't have kids I would live on eggs, toast, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Ryan would make do with cereal and Taco Bell.

12. My mom made Easter dresses for my sister and me for several years. Learning to sew is on my to do list.

My favorite Easter dress.

13. I regret giving up tap and ballet and can't wait for my girls to dance.

14. I played softball for 6 years and made All-stars twice, but I stopped playing when I didn't make the high school team.

15. Food storage and emergency preparedness haunt me. My dream is a huge pantry with an inventory list taped to the wall.

16. I mowed the lawn for the first time this summer and actually enjoyed it. I like to capture that sweaty, gritty feeling occasionally.

17. Sleep is a necessary evil. I hate that I have to sleep when I could be reading a good book, watching Netflix, or cleaning my house.

18. I always go to bed way too late when Ryan's out of town and never sleep very well.

19. My short-term memory is great. I can remember appointments, game times, and grocery lists without writing them down. Now my long-term memory...not so great.

20. I came in 2nd place in the 3rd grade spelling bee because I forgot to add a "t" to the word "glisten." Or was it "listen"?

21. I've never liked my silhouette.

22. I giggle when I hear people curse. I can't help it.

23. The only store-bought cookies that are acceptable are Oreos.

24. I dislike Walmart but feel it's my duty to shop there because they have the lowest prices.

25. I don't coupon. At all.

26. I hate being tickled.

27. See these adorable kids?

I don't want to see a single adorable face past 8:00 pm. Make that 7:30 for the one in the middle. That said, I don't mind them waking up early in the morning.

28. All I own are T-shirts in a variety of colors. Short sleeves in the summer and long sleeves in the winter. I think I'm an excellent candidate for TLC's What Not to Wear.

29. It annoys me when people use too many exclamation points in their writing.

30. I may never forgive my mom for my first-grade appearance: a ridiculously short hair cut followed by a perm.

Now on to the next 3o years!