I now prounce you...

...husband and wife.  Last weekend we took a trip to Big Sky for our nephew's wedding.  On the way there Kendall asked me "How do people become husband and wife?"  Figuring she was way too young for the birds and the bees, we talked about falling in love and promising to spend the rest of your life with someone.  She seemed satisfied with that direction.  She must have absorbed much of it, because at the end of the wedding ceremony she turned to me and said "True loves first kiss".  When I asked her where she had heard that, she replied "Shrek".  Of course!

On the way to Montana, we stopped at a wildlife park.  It was pretty awesome.  We saw (and have pictures of) tons of animals.  I will not bore you with all of them, but here is a beautiful bear that we saw.  He was literally only a few yards from our vehicle.  They look so soft and cuddly.  It is hard to imagine this gentle thing ripping a person to shreds.  Better to stay on the inside of the vehicle!

We saw a grizzly bear, black bears, a cow elk and her new calf, antelope, moose and pot bellied pigs.  There was also a petting zoo that the girls got a kick out of. 

Kevin took about 50 pictures of this baby bear cub.  Doesn't this look say it all?  "Are you done yet?"

The girls even had their first roller coaster ride.  Do not let Sidney's arms in the air and smile fool you.  The minute the coaster started to move she was screaming and hanging on for dear life.

I think this ride is much more her speed!

When we arrived at the ranch, we had a big barbecue and the festivities began.  It was truly a fun weekend filled with family, food and plenty of beverages (lemonade that is)!  Here are Tracey and Whitney, the bride and groom to be. 

We all stayed in amazing cabins on the ranch.  We could hardly call it "roughing it".  Here is Grandma Terrell with her daughters-in-law. 

All dressed up, the girls enjoyed a few laughs with their Grandma before the wedding.

My handsome husband and I managed to sneak in a picture.  Kendall was also shocked to learn that Kevin and I once had a wedding and became husband and wife.  "Really mommy, did you get to wear a pretty white dress too?"  Sure enough, I did.

A few of the cousins stopped playing long enough for a picture.

The girls insisted on picking bouquets of wild flowers.  Now I just hope they don't try that at home.

The handsome best man (aka brother of the groom).  Kyle looked so grown up and handsome.  Time has absolutely flown by.  Kyle was literally a baby when he was at our wedding.  That being said, I think I must have been 10 years old when I got married. 

Lisa, Roy, Terrell and Kevin. 

Ashlee, Sherry, Roy and Cody.

Chip, Lisa, Kami and Kaden.

It was such a fun weekend.  The girls did great on the trip.  Sidney has a hard time meeting new people, so on the way there we talked with her about how there were going to be a lot of people that would be excited to see her.  They would know her, but she would not necessarily know them.  We told her that when she met someone she needed to look at them and say hello.  This was not an easy task for her, but she did a terrific job.  On the way home, we asked her what her favorite part of the whole trip was and she said, "Saying hello to everyone".  Way to go Sid.  I know that everyone really appreciated hearing your sweet little hello!

Kendall was the life of the party at the wedding reception.  She closed the place down, literally.  She danced the entire night.  Daddy brought her back to the cabin shortly after midnight and she was beaming from ear to ear!  From what I heard, she danced with every single person at the reception.  She told me that her favorite dances were 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' and "her dance" as she dubbed it, 'Cha Cha Slide".

The whole weekend was amazing and fun.  We celebrated the beginning of Whitney and Tracey's life together.  We also remembered and missed David and Bridger.  It was a beautiful weekend with lots of laughs and a few tears.

Congratulations Tracey and Whitney!

The Art of Make-Believe.

A few weeks ago I took the girls to get their annual pictures together.  I typically try to pick their outfits myself for at least a few of the pictures, then I let them pick out a second outfit.  This year I wanted to capture the girls doing something they love...playing dress up.  They helped me fill their trunk up full of jewelry, wands and dress up clothes.  Then we headed to the studio.  They had a really good time taking these pictures.  Though I must say, it was quite a challenge to get them both to look at the camera and smile at the same time.  It was a good thing that I did not have that goal in mind!  The best part was that they begged me to wear their dress up clothes home.  I never realized how difficult it would be for them to walk in their plastic high heels on the pavement, but they managed and were thrilled to do so.

And now for a few pictures in the outfits that I picked out (kind of).  Kendall was adamant on wearing her "fruit" dress.  Sid was pretty picky as well.  I tried to get her to wear coordinating shorts and top, but she was insistent that she wear a dress too!  So I guess in the end, I did not have much of a say at all:)

I never want this stage to pass.  I can only hope that the next one will bring even more fun.  Gotta love it...!

Beware of the Flying Fish.

One of our yard sale finds was this amazing fish kite.  We headed over to the elementary school this afternoon to give the fish a try.

Although the wind was not totally cooperating,  Kevin did manage to get the fish flying several times.

At one time, the fish looked like he was going to come in for a landing and headed straight for the girls and I .  It was pretty hilarious watching the girls screaming and running from the kite.

After the kite flying, the girls played on the equipment.  Here is Kendall mid-flight (or fall) from the monkey bars.   

Lately Kendall has been doing a lot of baby talk, which is probably very normal.  But along with the baby talk comes baby acting, such as not knowing how to tell people thank you etc.  Today at church we had such an occurrence.  When we got into the car, Kevin tried talking with her about it and it seemed to go in one ear and out the other ear.  So the second time around, the big guns came out and we got her attention.  Moving forward if she talks and acts like a baby  to adults (outside of playing around with her friends), she does not get to pick out her clothes the following day.  YIKES!  That certainly got her attention.  All day she has been talking about it.  She is quite the fashionista (Pippi Longstocking style).  As we explained, babies are not big enough to pick out their own outfits.  That is something that only big girls know how to do.  I "think" that will be the end of that.  Who knows...I have "thought" other things before...

Treasure Hunting 101.

The last couple of weekends we have introduced the girls to the art of treasure hunting (aka yard saling).  They are hooked.  This morning Sid woke up asking if we could go yard saling.  Today they truly scored.  We found matching pink scooters (the beginner kind) for $2 each.  What a bargain.  They were so excited to come home and try them out.  By the time we made it home and each of the girls had gotten a nap in, the rain was coming down in Boise.  Is this really the middle of June?  So they went for their inaugural spin in the garage.  First they had to follow the rules that Daddy laid down.  Tennis shoes and helmets.  Knee and elbow pads optional, but recommended.  They opted to fore go the pads today.  I suspect they will be using them in the future as Kendall was already thinking it was a good idea after a few minor crashes.

After gearing up they were ready to go.  Kevin has some pretty funny crash pictures, but we will have to get those off his phone.  They had a good time and are excited to take them out onto the sidewalk.

The treasures were plentiful today.  The girls got new outfits, scooters, a Disney princess board game, workbooks, a play piano and books galore.  I scored some scentsy candle wax.  Kevin scored some stereo speakers.  Last week he managed to get a Kenmore mini-fridge for work.  We plugged it in and it is fantastic.  I also scored a few new stamp sets.  I always like yard sales.  It truly is a reflection of  "one mans trash is another mans treasure".  I always find myself purging our closets and toy bins only to fill them back up.  It is fun to keep things fresh! 

I do not believe I have posted these pictures, but here they are.  My mom does custom window treatments.  She is AMAZING!  Her work is incredible.  Being her daughter, I have reaped the rewards of her talents.  My home is filled with custom window treatments and blinds that I otherwise could never afford.  For Christmas she made the girls duvet covers and has been following up with matching valances.  Sidney's window covering arrived a couple of weeks ago.  It is absolutely adorable.

Now we are waiting patiently for Kendall's matching valance.  We are so fortunate to have such talent in the family.  These coverings are not even the tip of the iceberg.  My mom is one creative woman!

A Very Special Day.

Last Tuesday was my birthday and it was one of the top 5 birthdays I have ever had.  Since I have only had about 20 birthdays, that is pretty good (go ahead, I dare you to challenge that number).  Kevin did an amazing job making it a very special day.  He started the "top secret" planning about a week ago.  It was such a thrill for me to watch the excitement from the girls.  Kendall could barely contain herself.  She constantly kept bringing up the "secret surprises".  I literally had to talk her out of spilling the beans.  Sid on the other hand was a totally different story.  The day before my birthday, her and I were out and about.  Being the detective that I am, I thought I would pump her for some of the details:

Me:  Sid who's birthday is it tomorrow?

Sid:  Mommy's birthday!

Me:  What are you going to do for mommy?

Sid:  I can't tell (shake of the head).

Me:  What kind of cake are you making?

Sid:  I can't tell (shake of the head).

I came home from work to a banner and balloons.  The girls (and Kevin) had birthday tiaras and mardi gras beads on.  They were yelling Happy Birthday at the top of their lungs.  Kevin had ordered my favorite dinner - pizza. 

The girls had each painted a wooden picture frame (flower pot) for me.  They also each picked out a gift for me.  Each of the girls picked out bubble gum.  They told Kevin that mommy would really like that.  By the end of the night Kendall was asking if she could have another piece of "her" bubble gum.  Then for dessert we had cheesecake (decorated by the girls). 

Kevin caught the first moment of Kendall giving me the "Seriously mom, you are weird look".  I suspect as she gets older we will see more and more of that look.   Along with the "you embarrass me mom look".  I can still remember shopping with my mom.  My sister and I would be trying on clothes in the dressing room and my mom would come in yelling "HEATHER, STEPHANIE, WHERE ARE YOU?"  Of course we would never reply because we were SO EMBARRASSED.  Good times!

It was a very special birthday.  I appreciate all of the thought that Kevin put into the evening.  He truly thought of everything that I would love.   Thank you!!!

Artwork 2011

The girls have been very busy this past year making all kinds of awesome art projects.  Me being the crazy, organized creature that I am had to have a game plan.  At the beginning of the year, I bought each of the girls a big plastic tote box and put their names on them.  Whenever they bring home artwork they hang it on the refrigerator or put it in the tote.  When they take something off the refrigerator, it goes in their tote.

Since the last day of school was a couple of weeks ago, we decided to pull out the totes and look back on all of the creations they had made.  I devised a clothespin hanging contraption and the girls each took turns hanging their artwork up for a picture.  In the end we ceremoniously tossed the artwork and kept the pictures.  Yay!  It was a win-win situation and they seemed pretty okay with the festivities.  Here are a few pictures of some of my favorites:

Kendall's projects:

Laminated Pumpkin.  This one looked very cool hanging from the ceiling.

Sandpaper Gingerbread Girl.  Who would have thought of that?

Crazy Free Form Art.  This is probably my absolutely favorite, as it reminds me so much of Kendall's personality.  I still remember the day that she made this one.  She was not quite finished with it when I came to pick her up.  So she asked the teacher for a cup to put all of her "treasures" in .  Then she came home and sat at the table for nearly 45 minutes carefully placing and gluing the "treasures" exactly where she wanted them.

Sidney's projects:

Bubble Wrap Corn.  Again, who would have thought?

Reindeer.  Made out of Sidney's sweet little hands and adorable little foot.  Need I say more?

Penguin Feet.  Ever since my dreaded time in Antarctica, I have a special spot for penguins.  They were the most colorful thing on the continent.  Did you know that emperor penguins actually have beautiful shades of purple, red and yellow on the sides of their faces.  Emperor penguins are as tall as I am and can slide "super-fast" on their bellies!

There are many more projects where these came from, but I just thought we would share a few...

Soccer Girl

Sid had her last soccer class.  Her cousin Dylan and Grandma Terrell went to watch her.  Dylan was kind enough to take a few videos.  Here is clip of Sid in action.

We are hoping for more soccer, but as of today she is insisting upon dance next year.  I am sure it is to be with her big sis.  She will make a great ballerina indeed!

Fish, Froggies and A Few Other Random Thoughts.

Kevin just returned from a fishing trip with his brother Roy and our nephew Cody.  From what I am told, they had a great trip.  When asked what they talked about..."nothing".  Really?  3 days of fishing and you talked about nothing.  Boys, I will never understand them.

Speaking of differences, the other day I was driving with the girls.  I cannot remember what prompted the conversation.  It may have been that we were discussing Kendall's new favorite park, Gerber Park.  I cannot understand why this is her favorite park.  Aunt Stephie took them there when she visited and Kendall left her beloved Giraffe there.  Aunt Stephie giveth Giraffe and Aunt Stephie taketh away Giraffe.  No more lime green giraffe butt to caress Kendall's face every night.  Alright a little too much information, but Kevin and I have always marveled at how happy a green giraffe butt could make a child.  As I was saying, the girls and I were talking.  Somehow they got on the topic of how Grandma Karen is my mommy, Papa Mark is my daddy and Aunt Stephie is my sister.  I always ask the girls what their favorite part of something is.  So naturally, they wanted to know what my favorite thing about Aunt Stephie was.  I told them that my favorite thing about Aunt Stephie was how different she is from me.  My sister and I are polar opposites and I love her for that.  She is zany, spontaneous, loud, talks 100 miles a minute, trips over her own two feet, has the wildest hair in all the land (next to Sidney).  She lives life to the fullest.  When she is around there is never a dull moment.  She often tells me that I take myself too seriously, she is right!  As I watch my girls grow up and form their own bonds, I realize how lucky I am to have a sister.  There is not another relationship in the world like that of two sisters.  It is the most volatile, most loving, most safe relationship one could ever have.  Just to prove my point, here is my sister showing the girls how to properly use the sit and spin.

Kendall and Sidney had their last day of school for the summer.  They were very excited to take cupcakes in to celebrate with their friends.  On their request we made chocolate cupcakes.  On Kevin's request, we topped each one with a green frog.  Random!  Though I must say, the green frogs were a hit. 

I think I reported a month or so ago that Sidney was doing great in the potty training department.  It was a bit premature.  The following week she reverted back to diapers.  So last Friday when I picked them up from their last day of school for the summer, off went the diapers.  The following day, as we were visiting the Brandt's, I spotted the m&m jar.  Later that day I bought a clear glass jar, filled it full of m&m's.  I promised Sidney one m&m for each time she is dry and goes potty in the toilet.  She has been a peeing machine.  On Saturday she sat on the toilet for 20 minutes.  I kept urging her to get off because I was so bored, but no.  She sat there and did not take her eye of the candy jar.  I think I may have found the right motivator. 

One more random thought before I go.  Kendall has been very interested in driving lately.  She tells me that I have to wait my turn at the stop light or that would be very bad.  She says that we cannot push the car in front of us or that will be very bad, etc.  The other day, out of the blue she asks me if I will buy her a car when she grows up (for goodness sake she is only fours years old and still uses training wheels on her bicycle).  What is she going to do with a car?  So I told her "No".  She will have to save her money.  She thought about this and a few minutes later said, "Mom, we need to start the marbles back up in the morning.  I get lots of quarters when we do that." 

Slippery Fish & Clamshell Clap

Kendall had her first "on stage" dance recital a couple of weeks ago.  It was quite fun and I was very impressed with how efficient and professional the instructors were.  The recital was 20 classes full of 3-5 year old little girls.  The theme was "Under the Sea".  Kendall's two dances were Slippery Fish and Clamshell Clap.  After the recital she received flowers from Grandma T, Sidney and Daddy.  Grandma Karen got her a bouquet of balloons.  The day after the recital she insisted on taking her balloons out in the backyard.  Kevin warned her that they would fly away and advised against taking them outside.  A grand total of 30 seconds after taking them out, she came back in the house empty handed and announced "I am not going to cry.  I will get more balloons in my lifetime."  I only wish I was that rational when things like that happened to me.

The highlight for Kendall was having all of her family there to watch her.  Grandma Terrell flew all the way from Montana to see her dance.  Aunt Stephie, Dylan and Hallie were here for the state baseball tournament and were able to watch her recital. 

As luck would have it, both of our camera batteries went out minutes before Kendall went on.  Fortunately Grandma Terrell had her camera.  Afterward we asked her if she was nervous on the stage.  She said not at all.  She said the audience was all dark.  She could only see her teacher.  Kendall is the second ballerina from the left.

There is actually a video, if I am ever able to upload it.  The video is quite hilarious.  Wish me luck!

The week before I took her to get dance pictures.  I think the picture taking session was more overwhelming than the recital.