Ode to DaCiE!

Since Dacie went ahead and kept potty training, when I had pretty much GIVEN UP-

She deserves a complete post!

We can safely say that she is now POTTY TRAINED (except for the rare "accident") this includes naps & most nights (even though we are not brave enough to stray from pull-ups at night)
Here is the "beloved" princess crown chart. The small jewel stickers were for #1, the large hearts were for #2,10 stickers earned her new underwear, first poop earned her a new Barbie DVD, and from then on to chocolate... and that led onto new pairs of girly underwear!

You can tell we really got lazy at the end...and it has sorta tapered right out!

Oh HECK what would I do without this little girl?

It seems when the other kids and even Dan are going through some "off" stages she will climb in bed with me and say, "Mom, I your best friend in your whole life"

Oh yes, Dacie you are!
...if she really only knew how true that is!

She is just so dang fun and funny... and SO ALL GIRL!

Here she is jumping into our leaf pile from our Saturday burning and mowing. She almost stayed outside with Dan and I, the entire five hours we were outside working on our Saturday chores!

She has always been my little gardening buddy and was always taken around on a backpack while I was mowing the yards.

~

*NOTICE the red sparkly UNMATCHING Dorothy shoes and fairy wings?!!!-these are not odd accessories to her outfits lately
It is not infrequent to see her in this garb running around with a wand in tote as well

A Shucks... just another cute preschool outfit kinda day!

Never wanting to miss out on a photo shoot she requested the hat and then some pictures from Sterling's fiesta!





At the Ripe ol' age of 2--She can also count to 13 and sing the ABC's!!!
Watch her videos below!!! (if we can get her brothers to STOP "helping")

Our Thanksgiving!!!

So this Thanksgiving was a FIRST for us.

We hosted our first Thanksgiving!

Along with the hosting responsibilities we cooked our first Turkey.

After taking notes and talking with a few "pro's"

we bought ourselves a baster, turkey bag, roaster and

TURKEY

Dan did a majority of it...and I have to say it did not turn out so bad!

(Uncle John wanted some gravy with our juices...so we let him go for it!)

(after hanging with the red-headed Aunts all day...Dacie's hair started looking a little red herself!)

We had my sisters Cara (and her hubby) and Amberlyn (who ironically all live in Arizona now) over, and then our little crew.

We typically go down to Dan's parents, but his family was all in Utah spending it with his sister who just had a baby.

When my sisters heard we were going to be in town-they opted for our house

....thus our First Thanksgiving story began

The kids were pretty excited to help decorate name tags (check out my name!)

We watched the parade earlier that day and into the afternoon. Kept the kids occupied with a great game of Thanksgiving Bingo and tent/tunnel/tepee in the front yard...along with trying to shoot the gopher that is tearing up our front lawn with a pellet gun!

Everyone contributed to dinner and it turned out YUMMY! I could only manage one serving this year (I am running out of tummy room already)...and serious amounts of rolls.

Our after dinner activity included a mad picture neighborhood scavenger hunt.

We divided into car teams

Had a list of items to find and take pictures of (thanks Family Fun magazine)

IF we could not find and item as it was getting dark, we allowed artistic freedom to find something to take its place!

My team (booboo, Sterling and I) rocked the house-with a little help of Internet pictures (no rules) and extra credit for pulling over and going INTO a total strangers house we saw eating Turkey dinner (My sister Booboo has GUTS)---too bad her camera is busted or I could give you the ENTIRE list with 2 extra credits pictures in its entirety!

Dan (team Colton and Dan) thought that a picture of a port-a--potty and a palm tree could replace his FALL and Holiday filled list items he was missing...and he finally, at last, resorted to having Colton tape him squealing his tires in the empty Fry's parking lot

it really was quite fun!~
I would recommend it to anyone

Then we did a game of spelling T-Day words with our bodies

When the kids were in bed the adults got a game in too!

These pictures are compliments of team Dan

one is a turkey decoration hanging on a wall and the other someone playing football!

Friday day- the sisters went shopping in town to do some Black Friday Christmas shopping. Although we went into one store...a couple of kids taken to the car numerous times, 2 haircuts, dividing kids and hours later... we had our fill!

That night our little clan and Booboo headed down to Phoenix.

Saturday, Dan and I went to the temple and capitalized on a cheesecake factory gift certificate from last Christmas (thanks Shaun!) on the way home.

all while Amberlyn was getting in some quality Auntie time with pizza, parks, and walking Grandpa's dog.

That night with light rain sprinkles we headed over to the Glendale Glitters

We got in some serious walking

Fun Christmas lights...

AND a whole Lotta POUTING!

We took Dacie and Ryland 2 years ago as babies, and I had forgotten how commercialized (state fair type) it was. The boys were going NUTS not being allowed to buy or ride anything

There was allot of "this is so dumb"

amidst the break dancers they were mesmerized by and the pretty lights!

*just keeping it real, so I never forget our family was NOT perfect!

We took our time getting back to Cottonwood Sunday evening...and NO ONE wanted to be home!

I say that was a pretty good indication of a great weekend

Wouldn't you?

We had a Great Thanksgiving, how about you?

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

(scroll down, pause my music...and ENJOY!!!!!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tuwid8_O8dk&feature=player_embedded

The world is a GOOD place!!!!

51/2 Month Check- Up and its a THUMBS UP!

(this is the ultrasound from last month where we found out the sex)

I just got back from my OB/GYN today and ALL IS WELL!

No infections (for once)

Blood Pressure- good

Babies heartbeat- good

My tummy weighing in the right size-good

My triple screening for neuro defects and down syndrome came back- negative

Scales- BAD!

(I have been able to stay about a 4 pound weight gain this entire pregnancy...but now it is 10- AAAH!!! that is even with the stomach flu in ONE month)

Since this could very possibly be my last pregnancy I was determined to take cute belly pictures every month for records sake...however, my belly is not cooperating this pregnancy.

The baby is really carrying high this time, my upper stomach is ball round... but that leaves the left over belly from the boys with nothing to fill down below (you get my drift..sorry guys) so tummy pictures are not quite there yet. I KNOW it will all fill in...but I will wait for that before publishing!
So for now you get little Miss Dacie...who ran in and said...."look mommy! I have a baby in my tummy!"

Here is the official document from the ultrasound tech telling us what sex we were having (it was sealed in an envelope!)

Before Dacie even found out we were having a boy I kept asking her, "don't you want a sister to play with?" and she kept responding "no, a brother." I figured she was inspired or knew she would not have to share her toys...or that she would get her own room as a teenager...or that she solidified princess status! ha ha ha

Soccer Season is OVER!

It's FinISHED!!

Ryland's first soccer season is over
We brought our last snacks (yogurt) and said our final farewells to our coach and team
NOT before we had some soccer cupcakes and they received their first beloved trophies!!!!
Go RYLAND!

Thanksgiving Playgroup!!!

MOM, I NEED new shoes!!!

SO the other day Sterling comes to me and says, "Mom it is time for me to have new shoes." Thinking that he was growing tired of his 'favorite' pair (really) and just wanted a new style I told him, "the ones you have work just fine Sterling." To which he replied, "BUT MOM, they have a hole all the way through the bottom." Thinking to myself, that as a really good mom I think I would have noticed that I said, "no they don't I have not seen the hole...bring them to me." This is what he brought to me... pictures below. Needless to say we went out the next day and got him some (since it was raining).

I am an old woman who lived in a shoe who had so many children she did not know what to do!