Breaking Done

It is finished. At last, I can put these ridiculous pieces of silliness to rest. Creative, yes. Entertaining, OK. Sometimes boring. Sometimes laughable. And also alarmingly popular with a wide age range of women. Hmmmmmm.
You are welcome to profess your love for the series in my comments below--and I won't think less of you--but I just can't agree. It's not great literature. It doesn't add up to much more than a cheap romance novel under the name brand of an LDS author. And this last installment took things into bizarre territory with a weak, unresolved ending. Not that if she didn't write another one, I wouldn't read it. I just would be looking for something more than I would be likely to find here. So Kathy, you are finally getting your book back. It took me long enough!

Once Upon a Potty...

So here we go again. If you have any advice, here's your forum. This is attempt number I-can't-remember-anymore, but since we are out of diapers and between paychecks, we are motivated to get this one into the "I'm a big kid now" category soon.
I think we are on to something this time, though. With a chart full of boxes leading up to a princess Barbie, Ella seems to be on our team and excited to keep at it. In fact, after lunch today she showed us who No. 2 works for -- for the first time ever! She had to call daddy at work to tell him all about it. So, hopefully we will be joining the ranks of potty-users soon and out of diapers!

Lame is Rob

No, my title for this post is not an insult to Kyndel's husband. I had a linguistics professor one time that said he honestly had a student that misheard Les Miserables in that way, which is a random little nugget I find very funny.
What a great show. Any chance to see Les Mis is such a treat. It's the type of show that makes you want to be a better person. And to top it off, this production out at Tuacahn is fantastic. Not to embarrass her, but Jaime is amazing, so talented! She has a very strong voice and hands down steals the show as Eponine. We also really enjoyed the boy who played Gavroche; he had a charismatic personality that made his character very likeable.
We brought Avery along because she just seemed too little (OK age-wise, if you've been following my previous posts) to leave. I hope the people sitting behind me knew I had a baby and was not just rocking back and forth because I am crazy. Funny enough, she actually watched most of the show and only made a few peeps at the end because she was hungry.
I strongly recommend that if you haven't yet, you should go hear the people sing, singing the song of angry men. It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again...

Party all Knight

Yay! Little Miss Ella is 3 today! Although I should note that she seems to be living in the past; she vehemently denies her age and swears she is only 2. We had a fairy tale-themed party for her with ideas ripped off from Family Fun.


Here's the invitation. We rolled these up into little scrolls and attached a tag that said House of "Family Name."


And here is the spread. Nothing like a little fancy apples and PB for a 3-year-old's feast! And don't forget the Goldfish. We dressed our little knights up with foam swords and the little ladies with mini tiara barrettes. While we waited for our guests to arrive, the kiddos played in these cardboard castles that Bryson made and duelled with their swords.


Then we hunted for treasure in the seven dwarves' diamond mine, which you might recognize as the volleyball court. Also, you may be finding "treasure" there for the next two months. My recommendation: get a fish.


Bibbidy bobbidy boo! Ella showed her friends what Cinderella's fairy godmother says to cast a spell with her magic wand. And it worked! After decorating their cookie wands, the kids cast a spell that made all the cookies disappear.


What a lucky little princess! Ella loved all the dress up and princess items, Barbies, and candy to keep her creative little mind spinning full speed ahead. Thanks everyone for coming! We had a blast!

My Baby Can Eat Your Baby for Breakfast

And may have. We took Ella and Avery to the doctor's office today for Ella's three year visit and Avery's two month visit. Surprisingly, they weigh the same amount...
...just kidding. But close. Avery is topping out at a whopping 12.5 pounds and 24.5 inches at only two months old, which falls in the 97th percentile for height and 90th percentile for weight. Basically, the doctor followed her current weight and height over to the next upcoming milestone column and told me that she is the size of an average 4-month-old right now.
That explains a lot. For instance, why onesies that fit Ella up through 9 months are already a little short and tight. I thought somehow I had shrunk all of Ella's old clothes in the laundry. That's my girl!

It's Good to be Queen

Need I say more?

Artsplosion!

This week Ella has had an explosion of artistic creativity. Out of nowhere, her princess drawings have begun to have recognizable body parts like eyes, a head, hair, and a body. Sometimes they also have legs -- but never just two. They are octopus princesses, Ella says, and have had up to 27 legs. It's all or nothing in this house.
She spends about 45 minutes every morning constructing princess crowns and trying them on Avery's head. She cuts them the width way instead of the length way on the paper and ends up with a pile of bracelets. "Hmmm, doesn't fit. Avee, your head is toooooo big."
Nana, we will dedicate this post to you. If not for the "developmental purchases" of tape and scissors, our budding Picasso would have been stifled with only the MagnaDoodle.

Labor Day...no, really

With the crazy storm we had this weekend, we decided to throw caution to the wind and take a hike in Snow Canyon. If you live in Southern Utah, you know that this park is for some reason always about 30 degrees more scorching than anywhere else. Step outside the park boundaries, 90 degrees. Step inside, 120. So we usually only tackle this one in the winter. But this weekend, we decided to live on the edge...


Ella asked me probably about 100 times, "Momma, are you want to see me make my feets?" Then this. She is constantly excited about the mark she leaves on the world. And so far, it's a kid's size 8 with a flower logo.


Love it. This is my 3-year-old: adventure/outdoor meets glamour princess. She is actually wearing a diamond bracelet from her dress-up bin.


Note to self: Why do you bother bringing sandwiches when there are cookies in the pack?


Avery: not so much.


This hike is Jenny's Canyon. It's a shortie (kid-friendly) and ends in a little slot canyon full of hollowed-out sandstone hideaways. Playhouse heaven!