{Catchin' UP}

Easter feels like a lifetime ago and it's been that long since I've posted - so here goes a lengthy post. This year we went with our friends Kaylee and Jen to a golf course for an Easter egg hunt. It ended up being kind of lame because there were so many kids and not enough eggs. So a little disappointing...we're going to do our own egg hunt next year with only a few kids.

{My cute little bunnies}

{They had cages with a bunch of bunnies that the girls got to pet. There were white bunnies with reddish-pink eyes - FREAKY!}

We also did the offical egg decorating. We used a glitter kit this year. Note to self: you can't peel the shell off without getting glitter on the egg. We used some of the eggs for 7 layer salad for Sunday dinner and Tata gets so grossed out by the dyed eggs. You know how the color can stain the egg - she thinks they look rotten. What a dork!

Austin had Easter Sunday off and got to spend the day with us. The Easter Bunny hid most of the eggs outside and the girls had a blast finding them. Miley wanted to find an egg and eat whatever treat was inside before moving on. I don't know about anybody else but after a week of baskets hanging around collecting all sorts of junk they mysteriously have a way of disappearing. I'm not one who has a problem getting rid of stuff. I can buy a $2 basket again next year and then throw that one away. It works well for us.

{The tie-dye version}

{As Miley would say "Mmmm, dat's dood!}

{I wonder what it must feel like to be 18 months old, have no idea of who or what the Easter Bunny is and wake up to a yard full of candy filled eggs. This is the life!}

Hailey started ballet. It was a 6 week program with the city (they offer lots of these classes - they're great because we're not committed to something...we can test it out and sign up for more if we want...or in the case of gymnastics we learn that not all gifts are given to everyone:)

Life has gotten crazier because after a few months off, I started work again. I'm back at the LOFT. It's nice because I already know everything and most everybody I worked with before is still there so I came back to lots of friends that I missed a lot. I work about 4 nights a week so it really chops my days up. I like the fact that it makes me get ready and gives me an excuse to leave the house for a while but I'd rather be home...maybe someday.

Austin is still in the residency program for Placer County Fire. We're keeping the faith that something will pay off in the near future. (Near meaning within the next year or so). He works a 24 hour shift nearly every Sunday so the girls and I are usually late for church every week. We go and visit him sometimes and the girls love it. Hailey gets to sit in the Engine. The station that Austin has been working out of was a double-wide trailer that the county has had for 30 years. He wouldn't care if they worked out of a tent as long as he was a paid firefighter. The county bought a new property with an existing house on it. They've done lots of improvements and it turned out really great. Next time the girls and I go for a visit, we'll try to remember to take the camera with us. The area that the station covers it pretty much out in the country. This should mean a lot of grass fires this summer and a lot of experience for Austin so we're really grateful that he has an opportunity to be involved with this program. Keep your fingers crossed for him!

Hailey had her kindergarten assessment yesterday which helps the staff determine what teacher they assign to the student. I'm kind of freaked out about her starting school - let me explain...They have 2 different start times = 9:20 and 8:00 am. What?!? I didn't think I'd have to deal with 8 am start time until Jr. High. They do not allow you to chose or give preference to what start time you have. I am so scared we're going to end up with the 8 am start time. School in general is going to take some adjustments getting used to but this will be a trial for us if we have to start that early. So when I say I'm freakEd out about her starting school I don't mean the extra 3 hours I'll have with only 1 kid instead of 2 - I'm actually really EXCITED about that part. So we won't know until August.

We finally get to take a trip back to Utah in June. It will have been over 2 years since we've last had a visit. We have lots of new cousins to meet. We're going to have family pictures done and there will be 9 (I think) more grandkids this picture with one more baking in the oven - no not me! I'm going to do a separate post with a schedule of things we're doing so everyone can come along!

Miley says all sorts of stuff now. Some of her ramblings...

'Sowwy mommy' = sorry mommy

mmm, dat's dood! = mmm, that's good

tute! = cute

bawbie = barbie

dat's mine = that's mine

ahme = ice cream

Pepa = pizza

wice = rice

TOP! = STOP

da-y = daddy

And for every nap she has to have her BB, Ba Ba and Bo Bo which translates to blanket, sippie and pillow.

{Sisters} A moment worth Posting!

I'm sure I'm not along in my frustration with parenting...it's just hard. I want my girls to be the best of friends and play together all day long but it's just not the case in our house. There's a lot of screaming and fighting BUT then I get these moments that make me smile. They do like each other...sometimes.

{I caught them in the back yard sitting on the bird poop covered bench. Hailey was reading Miley the Friend magazine.}

{Notice the swimsuit and t-shirt in March. The weather here is FABULOUS!}

Wall {ART}

So seeing as though we run a vinyl lettering business and all, I thought it would be appropriate to finally get some on the wall for the girls' room. I've been meaning to do it for about 8 months now and with Hailey's design approval, we got it done. Here's the proof--> {The pictures uploaded out of order, sometimes blogger really bugs me!}

{Let's explain this photo...Hailey decided she wanted to 'organize' her closet. Wish me LUCK!}

Here comes the plug...

Vinyl lettering makes a great gift. Especially for Mother's Day which is right around the corner! It is really easy to apply and we've got some great new designs. We're happy to custom design wall art at no extra charge! I don't know if you can see from the pictures but our walls are pretty heavily textured and I was able to get the vinyl to stick with no problem. You can visit our website at http://www.bloomingwords.com/. Contact me for a Friends & Family discount!

And Oh yeah...We now carry vinyl and transfer tape for Personal Craft Cutters!

Chocolate {Mint} Cookies

These cookies are so good we've made them twice in the last couple of weeks. They're like a soft thin mint cookie. It makes a ton so make sure to have reasons to give them away. It makes about 60 cookies. ENJOY!

3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons water
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate one time and it worked great too!)
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 package Andes Mints
Parchment Paper

In a large suace pan over low heat, cook butter, brown sugar and water until melted. Add chocolate chips. Stir until partially melted. Remove from heat and stir until all melted. Cool for 10 min. With mixer, add one egg at a time. Then add dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Chill dough about 2 hrs. Roll teaspoons of dough into balls. {I used a small cookie scoop and it was perfect!} Bake for 12-13 minutes at 350 on PARCHMENT PAPER. Remove from oven and immediately place 1/2 mint on each cookie. Allow to melt and swirl with the bottom of a spoon. Cool completely. Makes about 60 cookies.

My baby is 5

My little girl is now 5. I can hardly believe it. She has such a bright personality and is such a spawn of her dad. Her daddy is her world and she's learning how to be a sweet big sissy. We registered her for kindergarten a few days after her birthday which is so exciting for her. She is so excited to learn and meet new friends. For her birthday this year, she wanted to be with her best friend Kaylee. The two hung out and played until they passed out in the car driving Kaylee home. It was a fun day!

{At lunch @ Noodles & Co.}

If I had to have Mac & Cheese for lunch it was not going to be from a box!

{Hailey's contribution to the cake decorating. She got the back half of the cake}

{This Ariel cake was actually really easy! We used a bundt pan and left the cake on the inside of

the pan and it held Ariel perfectly. The icing was easy because it didn't have to be perfect and smooth. We used graham crackers for the sand}

{Goofin'} Off

I never have my camera with me when I need it but this night I did. We were at the party store searching for some goodies for Hailey's b-day party and came across these goofy glasses. Here's our family with some cheap entertainment.

Disney On Ice

Meet our friends Jen and Kaylee. We don't get to hang out often but we really enjoy getting together. Kaylee and Hailey became the best of friends almost immediately so I'm really glad their friendship gave me a new buddy too. Jen's fiancee went through a fire academy at the same time as Austin and so they're going through the exact same process as us right now.

Disney on Ice was in town so we decided it would be fun for the girls. They got all dressed up and we headed out. There are looks of pure joy on Hailey's face in some of these pictures. She loved it! Miley also loved the first half. Second half felt a little like church with all the squirming and wiggling but overall she did good. It was a fun day!

Austin spent the day doing Fill the Boot so he didn't get to come along. We were going to visit him after the show but we didn't quite make it there before he was done. Oh well...hopefully there will be many more opportunities in the future (keep your fingers crossed!).

Happy {LOVE} Day!

To my girls and my hubby...I Love Ya!

It's kind of a bummer that Austin had to work at the fire station today but because Valentine's fell on a Sunday, we wouldn't have gone out anyways. So what do ya do? We manage. We gave the girls their gift last night and Austin left a fun surprise for the girls this morning. He was gone before they woke up. I got up early with him and fixed him breakfast and got the kids' breakfast ready to go. Hailey painted and decorated a picture frame and hid it in daddy's work bag. It had a cute picture of them from Disneyland. I gave Austin a card with a pair of 'Boo' Bees on it. Get it? There were two bzzzz bees saying boo. I thought it would embarrass him a little. The kids ate a 'love'ly breakfast and off to church we went. We had a relaxing Sunday afternoon in our 65 degree weather (sorry to brag Utah & Colorado peeps!). Here's some pics from our day...

Is this swimsuit not the cutest thing ever?! Miley got a pink one just like it but the stinker already sent hers to the laundry before I got a picture of her cute bum. I tried it on her on Saturday night and she pee'd in it 30 seconds into our fashion show. I'll have to take a picture and post it too.

Magic Kingdom 2010

I apologize if this post gets a little wordy, it's not to turn away those few people who actually look at this blog - it's more for me. I am terrible (can you really be terrible at something you've never done?) at writing in a journal or writing stuff down. So here it goes...our trip to DISNEYLAND ---

The trip was a Christmas present from mom and dad (THANKS!) and we decided to keep it a secret from Hailey. Well, one part of me wanted to tell her because I knew the anticipation of it all would be fun for HER - I think I was saving the rest of us from the torturous assignment of counting down the days. Come on, we just got done doing that with Christmas. So we had decided we would tell her the day of but we weren't quite sure how we were going to do it.

The day came to leave and we really hadn't devised much of a plan. We decided to wing it. I had the pleasure of packing in secret the week before which was really a treat. I wanted to take some of the girls' new Christmas clothes but it was really hard to take new clothes out of Hailey's drawer without noticing so that was an accomplishment in itself. We headed off to the airport but we told Hailey we were dropping daddy off at the fire station. As we pulled into the airport we still didn't know exactly how we were going to tell her and just decided to see how far we could get without her catching on.

So we get there and she asks why we're at the airport. We tell her that daddy is going to a fire station far away and he has to fly there (that's why we were driving him, duh!). Okay - first white lie went off without a hitch. So we pulled up to the sky cab and checked "daddy's" luggage. We asked Hailey if she just wanted to drop daddy off at the curb or if she wanted to park the car and go inside with him until his plane left. Luckily she wanted to go inside (otherwise this story -keep reading- wouldn't have been as fun). We told her that we could wait inside at the gate - she had no clue that you can't go through security without a boarding pass. Aftering playing around for a while waiting at the gate it was time to board. Here's the fun part: {Playing around at the gate}

She gave daddy kisses and hugs goodbye and then daddy suddenly asked "Do you want to help find me a seat on the plane?" She was super excited but understood that after we found daddy a seat and we waited for all the people to board the plane, we would have to get off. We 'pretended' to put on our seat belts as if we were really going to go with daddy and without warning, the doors shut. Hailey looked sick like someone was going to haul her off to jail. Her eyes got all big and she was really nervous. She asked if the lady was going to kick us off the plane. I told her that if we stayed really quiet that she might not notice. She couldn't believe that we actually were going to fly on a plane. Just then, the flight attendant came our way and I told Hailey she was probably coming to make us get off before the plane backed away from the airport (I think I about broke her heart) - but she kept on walking. Before long we were in the air and the story continues...

Yeah, we pulled a fast one on her up to the point but she's not dumb. Where are we going to stay? What are we going to wear? We decided that we'd have to find a hotel and maybe buy some clothes and toothpaste. But how fun would it be if daddy could spend some time with us on our little adventure. Too bad he had to work. But maybe he didn't. I told Hailey to ask daddy if we would go somewhere different. He said he could call his boss and get permission to miss work. Well, if daddy didn't have to work couldn't the pilot fly us somewhere fun? "If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?", said mommy, "Disneyland", said Hailey. When the flight attendant brought our drinks we WINK-WINK asked her if she could ask the pilot to Disneyland. She said she's ask him. Later, with another WINK-WINK the flight attendant told Hailey to listen extra careful upon final descent to hear a special message from the pilot. He came on overhead and said "The little girl who's going to Disneyland, have fun!" Up until that time Hailey still wasn't sure if we got to go or not. It was official, we were off to Disneyland.

But wait, there was a 2nd secret. We got to the hotel and took the elevator to our floor. We walked around the corner and Tata, Papo, Ashley and Kevin were waiting for us. Hailey was very surprised. They had all flown in the day before.

The first two days were mostly Disneyland with a little time spent at California Adventure. The kids played in A Bug's Life while the big kids went on The Tower of Terror. This was probably the best/scariest ride EVER! Holy crud! DEFINITELY not a Hailey ride. We thought it would traumatize her for life. We did sneak her on to Splash Mountain and she loved it. The drop didn't scare her a bit. Dumbo, tea-cups, and the carousel were Miley's favorite. Most days we went to the park first thing and headed back to the hotel early afternoon for some lunch and naps. We'd head back to the park about 5 ish. The rest of the crew had to leave a day before us so we spent our 3rd day at California Adventure.

After Hailey did so well with Splash Mountain we asked her if she wanted to go on a really scary ride that she might cry on. She really wanted to go. So, Austin took her on Tower of Terror. Miley and I waited very impatiently for them to come out because I was so frightened that she would hate us for life. I saw her and Austin come running around the corner with huge SMILES. She insisted that she go on again and...again. It was a Tuesday and there were NO lines so we walked right on. She went two times with Austin and once with me. Brave kid!

It was time to head home. Bummer! But we had so much fun! We'll remember this trip for a long time.

{Buggin' Out!}

{Miley on our first day at Disneyland - it was still mid morning and we didn't even need jackets. It was 75-80 each day...I love California}

{Flicker's ride in Bug's Life}

{Finally! No fear when it comes to characters. This is a milestone!}

{Waiting for our afternoon shuttle}

{All wiped out! Meet 'Tink' - she's a new part of our family}

{Take a second look, how many straws can 1 baby possible force into that cup?}

{Breakfast fun!}

{Disneyland Fire Dept.}

{Ash & Vuvvy - or Puppy or Kevin}