It has all come full circle......

When I was about 8 I had hair that was down to my bum. I had grown it out forever. I decided that I wanted it chopped off and my mother had a really hard time letting me cut it. She has always told me that she had to call her mother, my grandmother, for strength to chop of my beautiful long hair. I won out and she let me chop it off.


Well yesterday I had this same experience. Josey decided that she wanted her hair cut. Her beautiful long hair that she has been growing out for almost the last three years. I have to admit that I really like her long hair. She has this amazingly thick hair that had all these different colors in it. It worked for her because of the fact that she has a lot of curl underneath and straight hair on top and when it was longer it kinda pulled the curl down so that it just looked wavy and not crazy underneath. But there was no persuading her otherwise. She was tired of the tangles and I was really tired of the tears EVERY TIME we had to brush it. So I called my mom for the strength to drive her to the salon and chop it off.


She was so funny because she couldn't stop crying but she kept insisting that she wanted to cut it. I would look over and she would have this face........

Something in between miserable and excited. It made me think that probably she didn't want to cut it. But she had already decided that it was time to cut and I COULD NOT persuade her otherwise.


Here she is after the hair cut. It looks a little funky because the lady put some weird product in it. But today after we washed it and dried it looks a little better.




She didn't want to chop it off so we cut it a little past her shoulders. She LOVES it and I have to keep telling myself that she is happy with it and that is what matters. I will admit that I don't love it! Her hair is so hard to deal with. The lady put layers in it at the bottom that I am figuring out now doesn't work with Josey's hair. She now looks like she has this straight blunt cut on top with the curly edges poking out the bottom.

Maddy was happy that they have about the same length hair now and they wanted a picture together. It will grow right? I think I need you Alli to tell me how to fix it and what to do with it!

Josey's day and the last official day of spring break

So today was Josey's day to plan our spring break adventures.

So after MUCH deliberating..... and I mean it took FOREVER for her to make a decision she decided to go here. She just could not decide between the Children's Museum or walking around the mall or the zoo etc. She had list after list that she would keep writing down trying to make the best decision. Then when she would decide something she would want to run it by Maddy. I had to keep reminding her that this was HER day and that it didn't matter what anyone else wanted to do. She is always so concerned that everyone is happy and has such a hard time choosing something if there are other people involved. She is definitely a sweet heart!

So we stopped off to get her some new church shoes she needed. She picked these!

Then we headed over to see our movie "Hotel For Dogs". And then played in the nickel arcade for an hour or so. She had a great time as did everyone else. This is the loot she came home with from the arcade.

Maddy got a few things as well but this sticky ball was her favorite.

And Lilly had already destroyed the items she got and gobbled up the candy.

So spring break is over.......mixed feelings. I have loved being able to sleep in and to have the older girls to help entertain Lilly during the day. But honestly I miss having a few quiet minutes during the day when they are at school and Lilly is in bed. But it has been fun. And I think that letting them plan a day has been fun for them and made them feel like they actually had a fun spring break.

Josey's last supper is homemade clam chowder that she is SUPER excited to help make and wear my apron! And she wants it with apples, corn, homemade french fries and a cake. We will see if the cake gets made but I think we can handle the rest!

Lilly's Day

So today was Lilly's day. We decided to go a little out of order because I had so many things to get done today and I wanted Josey to feel just as special as Maddy did on her day. Since Lilly doesn't really care we gave her today. I didn't get any pictures however because she was such a PILL! My day started out early! I had reserved the canner from the the cannery like 2 months ago to can some flour and wheat we have had for WAY to long sitting around in bags. So of course I hadn't realized it but I had reserved it for spring break! So I picked it up on Tuesday of this week but I wasn't able to get anything done with it. So yesterday came and again the day got away from me and I completely forgot about the canner in my van. So last night at about 11:00 I realized that I needed to return it today by noon and I had done nothing! So I woke up early this morning and started trying to figure the silly thing out. Dustin was helping me drag our 50 pound bags of wheat and flour into the kitchen before he left for work. All of the sudden Maddy and Josey start to take notice of what I am doing and they want in on the action! So they decided that they were going to help me fill the cans. Then from there as only seems possible with my girls it turned into princesses filling cans for poor people and shipping them off. And then I became the queen and they were having a grand time filling cans full of wheat.....what can I say, they are the product of their fathers imagination I think.

Anyway, it only took me like an hour to finish it up which was nice but I didn't exactly have to get up so early....darnitt. So we got that returned and then I raced back home to try and work before it was too late on the east coast. And then I loaded everyone up for the library and McDonald's. It was nice when we got there they were having some kids music guy performing that the girls sort of liked. Lilly was in rare form with all her naughty words flying everywhere, of course. She was so tired for some reason and it showed. I took us 30 minutes just to get out the door because I was trying to be nice and let her pick out whatever she wanted to wear on her special day. We changed dresses over and over and over again. I finally had to put my foot down and tell her no more which resulted in a crying fit for the books. She has definite opinions but then can't make up her mind which is very frustrating! In my previous post you saw how she has to wear all the dress-ups at the same time because she can't decide which one she wants the most. This time too she had to bring along three pairs of shoes because she just couldn't quite decided which ones she wanted to wear! What a funny kid.

So for dinner, I didn't exactly give her the choice of what we were having. I had some chicken I needed to cook. And I figure that if you ever ask her what she wants for dinner the majority of the time she says, "chicken, noodles and syrup". Once again just another instance of her opinionated yet indecisive character! So she is getting one out of the three. I think that is pretty good!

The Day After

Oh my goodness! Wicked was so fun! Seriously it was great and our seats were awesome and it was so nice to go do something different with Dustin. We met at the Heathman Restaurant, which is just a really nice restaurant that I have wanted to try. Dustin had a dozen red roses waiting for me and the Anniversary Plate waiting. I was (of course) quite late after picking up the babysitter and trying to get out of the house on time. So we had to kinda scarf our food down to make it over to the Keller Auditorium on time. But it was YUMMY and fun.

The play was so amazing and we both loved. We were laughing because Dustin actually said, while we were watching the play, that it was fabulous. I had to laugh that my husband said the word fabulous while watching a musical theatre performance. I am glad that he enjoys these things as well! He immediately came home and downloaded all the music so that we could listen to it and let the girls listen to it. Pretty funny!

The girl that played the wicked witch was the young Cosette from les Miserables. She is actually the one that is one the CD which just seemed so weird to me because I listened to that cd more times than I could ever count. And just to think that that is the voice of the little girl I listened to over and over again all grown up. She was seriously AMAZING! So many times I had goose bumps her voice was so powerful.

ANYWAY! So since we didn't get to anywhere for spring break like the girls and I were planning. I told them they could each pick a day to plan a fun outing and then choose dinner and help me cook it. So today was Maddy's day! She was very excited!

She decided to go to the OMSI, the science museum. So we headed out and spent like 4 HOURS there! It isn't the easiest place to go by yourself with kids ranging in ages from 2 to 8. They didn't exactly want to be in the same places at the same time. But we worked it out pretty good. They had this really cool Leonardo DiVinci exhibit that the girls found very interesting! I think their favorite was the face painting we found. This is what they turned out like.

Maddy the Tiger

Josey the Princess

And Lilly the Princess

So Maddy has decided on breakfast burritos and pancakes for dinner and we are off to do some master chefing in the kitchen! Tomorrow is Josey's day!

GREAT NEWS!

I am so excited!

First of all tomorrow Dustin got us tickets to go see the musical Wicked for our anniversary. I really want to go see this musical and I wasn't sure if it was going to happen because we couldn't find a good day or reasonably priced tickets. But Dustin pulled it off and I am so excited!!!

Second, I finally got paid for that secret shopper oil change I did back in January. I found out after I did it that they pay 60 days from the last day of the month that you completed a shop. So I haven't been signing up for any other jobs for the past couple of months because I wanted to make sure that I actually get paid for doing the jobs! Now that I have been paid I think that I will start signing up for some more. They are kinda fun and a great way to get things for free! Woo-hoo!!

What happened over the last ten years?

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!

I guess I should say more like the last 12 years. Dustin and I met when we were 18 and here is the picture to prove it.

That picture was taken at "Preference" at BYU in 1996 after we had been dating about 1 month.

And then 3 years later and A LOT of letters we were married. We were both 21 years old.....that is terrifying.

And then 10 years, 3 kids, 4 states, 15 different houses, 6 cars, and over a dozen different jobs between us.....we turned into..........

THIS!!!!

How did that happen?

I love you so much Dustin! Thanks for being a great partner to go through the last 10 years with. When I start thinking over the last 10 years I can't believe all the things we have gone through together. It is amazing how young and naive we were when we got married and how much we have had to grow up and learn. And I wouldn't change a thing about it. I can't wait to see where we end up over the NEXT ten years....and what you are doing to make me laugh in the picture!

Fat Guy in a Little Coat....

I think it is time to get rid of these PJs. What do you think?

These were at one time footsie pajamas. When Lilly started to get to big for them I cut the feet out so she could still wear them. Dustin got her dressed for bed the other night and this is what he found to put on her. I don't know why these were still in her drawers!
She doesn't seem to mind though! Sorry about the house in the background. I have had the flu and a terrible sinus infection for the last week and my house is DEFINITELY showing it!

Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?

Lilly!!!!

That's who!

And apparently they wanted to be pushed around in the stroller.

Apparently less is not more.....

My incredibly talented mother-in-law made these beautiful dress ups for all her granddaughters a few years ago, before Lilly was born! Well Lilly has finally discovered them and they are all about her size and she is constantly changing into one and then another. Today she decided that she couldn't decide which one to wear.....so she wore them all!
She put not one.....not two.....but all three of her favorite skirts on.
And decided that she needed all three of the sparkly tops to complete the outfit.

She was a happy little princess all afternoon in the dress ups grandma made!

Final Curtain Call

Okay so here after long last are a million and one pictures of Maddy's play. And don't worry I still have lots more! They aren't in any particular order and most of them are from the first half of the dress rehearsal because that was all I was there for.
Maddy and the director.
Maddy and her play brother John. He was the sweetest boy. He treated her like she was his little brother on stage and just helped her everywhere and was always protecting her. I think that she got a taste of what it would have been like to have an older brother because he was constantly calling her midget. And he even got her a special Michael pin after the play was over.Josey was there just as much as Maddy and she made some fun friends as well.

It was so fun to have so many friends and family come and support her and make her feel even more special. This is a little friend from her class that came. He brought her a bouquet of flowers a stuffed animal and picked out a few toys back in the concession stand! He is the same boy that showered her with gifts on Valentines day.

Maddy and grandma Beth.

Lilly playing with her glow wand from the concession stand.

Josey picked out Captain Hook accessories. Please ignore the scary man in the background.

And Lilly liked those as well! Here she is giving us her mad face.

One of Maddy's good friends.

Another good friend from school.Getting "a talking too" from Captain Hook.

Her first flight up into the air in the play.

Getting tucked in.

Her biggest fans......seriously!

At one point Peter Pan goes and gets people in the audience to come up and crow with him on stage. This was during the dress rehearsal and Josey got to go up and was SO excited.

This way to Neverland.

Probably the only dog Maddy is ever going to have.

Well it is over and a little bit bitter-sweet. I am glad that I am not spending every spare moment up at that theatre anymore and that Maddy isn't up till midnight every other night. But it was a lot of fun and such a special experience for her. She just cried and cried when it was over because she didn't want it to end and she was going to miss everyone and I can't blame her. We are looking forward to doing the one next year. They are doing Cinderella and Josey is already practicing her audition! So grandmas and grandpas start looking for tickets?! jk