And the winner is....

Oh, the baker in me is so proud. A couple of days ago Olivia came home from school and announced that she wanted to enter the cake decorating contest at school. I had already thrown the rules out the previous week thinking that we wouldn't have time and that neither of the girls would be that interested. Since it was all her own idea, I felt that we should make it happen. I emailed her teacher and asked her for the rules. She did most of the work herself (which was one of the rules). I love it when my kids get their own ideas and I really have nothing to do with it and then they succeed. Her cute spider cupcakes won for the 3rd grade. It took almost 2 hours for her to decorate them and my kitchen was a mess with chocolate sprinkles. Well worth the effort.

Apple Days

October seems to be filled with endless events. It seems like everyday I get a note from the school asking us to bring in something for some fun thing they are doing. Pumpkin carving kits, t-shirts to paint, cowgirl outfit, bags of candy, 3 apples of different colors, cake contest, pajama day. Seriously, nearly every day.
The kindergarteners put on a "Apple Days" performance for the parents. They sang cute apple rhymes with their apple painted t-shirts that they had made. Then we were invited to sit with our little kindergarteners and enjoy apple snacks and treats. It was fun to be at school with Sammie and Abby was thrilled to finally be able to go somewhere at the school. (She is still begging to go.)

Baptism Day

Yesterday was a special day. This little sweetheart was baptized.

It was a great day. I remembered back to my own baptism. I wrote in my journal that day some of my feelings. I jotted down that I was baptized and got the gift of the Holy Ghost and that my family came over for lunch. Then at the very end of my entry I wrote,

"Someday I will see my kids get baptized. They will be happy like I was. And today I know what is right and someday my kids will know what is right. And I love my family and they love me."

When I was little, I always looked forward to being a mom. And I looked forward to experiencing the important moments of my children's lives with them. It was a tender feeling yesterday seeing how happy Olivia was as she made the choice to be baptized. As she was sitting so sweetly in her seat waiting to be confirmed, surrounded by my brothers, my husband, my father-in-law, my dad, and bishop, my thoughts went to those lines of my journal entry I had written so many years ago. I felt such peace knowing that our Heavenly Father knows us. Each one of us. We are His. I felt so happy and so blessed. The family is truly a divine unit. I am so happy for Olivia. She is an amazing little girl.

While my sisters are at school

I forgot how simple life is with just a 2 year old at home. Abby's day is filled with little moments that are exciting to her, like a walk to the mailbox. Every morning we walk the girls to the bus stop. Abby wears a back pack too (she insists) and isn't quite sure why she can't get on the bus. She asks me if she can nearly every day. I tell her no, not yet. I'm wondering if this conversation will continue for the next almost 3 years before she starts kindergarten. Some days she will line up with the other kids and sort of hide behind her sisters. When the bus comes she glances over at me to see if I'm looking. When she catches my glance she gives me a pleading look. "Can I go onna buuus?" If I wasn't watching, I know she would sneak on. Our day is spent on the trampoline, or playing play-doh, or riding her scooter. I love it. Everything is new and exciting to her. She is actually a very fun little companion to have.

The Fair

We went to the fair last weekend and my girls wanted to do this:Go inside these giant clear beach balls that were floating in a shallow pool of water. They spun. They jumped. They ran into the sides. They went crazy. Good times.We haven't been to the fair in a couple of years. It was very crowded, but the girls had a good time. They went on the carousel and the ferris wheel and enjoyed a good ol' corndog.

It was Abby's first time to see all the farm animals. She was excited at first until we got a little closer. None of my girls are animal lovers. You either have it, or you don't. They mostly made "eww. gross," comments while swatting flies and avoiding poop. I always enjoy the pigs the most. Those things are so huge! It was a fun evening together and we left the crowds to enjoy some icecream after. Came home dusty and tired, a little cranky, and went right to bed.

Sammie's Scrapbook

When we were buying school supplies just before the start of school, we picked up a spiral notebook for each of the girls. Sammie has turned hers into her "scrapbook." In it she carefully places her treasures: photos of her family, stickers that she earns at school, pictures she colors, drawings, things that she finds. Whenever she colors something now, it goes into her scrapbook. She is very proud of this book. "I'm going to keep this forever," she says.
Sammie is so sentimental. She cherishes little things that she finds. It makes me smile each time she is working on her scrapbook. Even Abby one day said to me, "Mawm? Can yoo buy me a scap-ook?" Her little collection is quite impressive.

Grandparents Day

I love my girls' school. Every year they celebrate Grandparents Day and invite all of the grandparents to come and spend the morning at the school. It happened to fall on the same day as Olivia's birthday so my parents were here for both events. It was great to see them even if it was only for day. The girls were so happy to have Grandma and Grandpa tag along.

Happy Birthday Olivia!

I must say that it is definitely great to be 8. I can't believe how fast time goes by. We had a great party yesterday for Olivia. Colorful, artsy, and creative--just like Olivia. As she was waiting for the party to start she was just like this all afternoon-absorbed in her book. Things start to change when you turn 8. You still like toys, but you're just getting a little older. You like crafts and clothes and books.
The party was a blast and very messy. The girls started off painting and then it turned into hand painting and then a little paint throwing. (Good thing I told everyone to wear clothes they could paint in) Probably the best party activity ever. My friend helped me out with the cake. It turned out so awesome. I loved the colorful surprise inside. It's crazy that Olivia will be baptized in a few weeks. It seems so weird that just a few years ago she was my only little one. Life moves so fast. My little baby is growing up!