Fancy Nancy 6 Year Old

Ginny's Birthday FINALLY arrived!!

She'd been planning her 6th Birthday Party for about 10 or 11 months, so I was happy to see the day finally come (maybe we will get a break from birthday talk for a month or two).

I told her we would plan her party on her actual birthday, then surprised her a few days early. DJ picked her up from school and surprised her with some "Fancy Nancy" dress ups. He told her to change in the car so she could surprise me when she got home. Unfortunately, I had changed into my fancy clothes and left my phone in my pants, up in my closet, so I didn't get the call warning us that she was coming home. So instead, Ginny surprised us by just walking in the front door.

Even though the surprise part didn't work out as planned, Ginny said that it was the best party ever... except I forgot confetti and "one of those things that you whack with a stick". Maybe next year!All of her friends dressed in their fancy clothes.
It was the perfect "girl" party. We painted nails, did glittery makeup, made fancy purses, and then the girls got to go shopping at my fancy store for their party favors. What more can a six year old girl ask for? (except confetti and a pinata)

Bright and early on her actual birthday...

Her surprise party reminded me of my 8th birthday.

My Mom planned a surprise party for me, and she put my neighbor/sister from another mother, Becky, in charge of handing out my invitations. Becky was so excited that she was totally obvious about handing out the invites. She asked me who my friends were, then made me hide behind an umbrella while she passed them out. I knew something was up so I asked my best friend Kim what was going on. Of course she told me about the party but made me promise not to tell (girls can't keep secrets). So when the big day finally came, everyone yelled "Surprise", and even though it wasn't a surprise I totally started crying. Funny, considering I'm don't cry too often.... DJ's the family softy.

So anyway, Happy Birthday to my hilarious, funny, crazy 6 year old whom I love to death!!!!

A 2 Year Olds Survival Kit

If you ever come over to our house and see Reese carrying around a big white mixing bowl, let me explain what that is. It's her barf bowl. She got the stomache flu several months ago, and we have a "barf bowl" that we use (don't worry, we won't show up to a potluck with this bowl... we keep it in the bathroom cupboard).

Well, after Reese was sick she would always claim that she needed the barf bowl. If she ate too much, she would get out the bowl. If she didn't want to go to bed, she would pull ou the bowl and claim she was sick. Eventually, she just kept it out all of the time. After a while, she discovered that it can carry alot of treasures. Here is a list of her usual treasures that get carried around in the barf bowl:

• Her heat pack that her aunt gave her for Christmas (I guess if she was in an emergency situation, she could eat the dried corn inside)
• Lipgloss (a must in any survival kit)
• Purple exam gloves from the ENT Doctor (usually she is seen wearing these, while carrying the bowl)
• A Hello Kitty flashlight
• A miniature gift bag (?)
• Sunglasses
• Her Charm bracelet
• Her potty watch (in case she forgets that she has to pee)
• And her favorite, a pocket sized German dictionary

I have to say that the German Dictionary is my favorite too. She will sit and "read" that thing for 15 minutes at a time. I won't be surprised when she breaks out in German one day. In fact, she's probabably already speaking it. I can't understand half of what she says. Just this morning she was frantic about something. I finally realized that she was saying, "I can't find my baby German book, it's lost. Help me look mom." We finally found it, and it was promptly put back into the barf bowl.

In other news, she WAS potty trained, then decided she wasn't. Luckily, I hadn't made the transition to underwear yet, so my carpets aren't yellow. She kept saying that she was a baby, not a big girl and even took to crawling occasionally. I finally got out her underwear the other day and told her that if she goes pee or poo in them, that I will give them to Chucky. So far this has done the trick... not a single accident. She has even survived grocery shopping at Walmart. She did inform me yesterday, that Chucky doesn't have a butt, so he can't wear her undies. Smart kid, considering Chucky is just a mask, so he technically does not have a butt.

That Chucky mask is golden... best $2.50 I've ever spent.

Cat Got Your Tongue?

WARNING: Nasty pictures...

Before stitches... (these pictures make the cut look mild)

After Stitches.

This is what happens when your 2 yr old likes to climb on the stool, pull herself onto the counter to drink from the faucet, then misses the stool on the way down and catches herself with her chin on the edge of the counter... and don't forget her tongue was between her teeth.

I discovered why I was meant to have girls. Stitches don't happen too often in a house full of girls, and for that I am thankful. I was fine with the blood but once I saw that big chunk of tongue just hanging down, my stomache did a little flip.

The Doctor said it was bad enough for stitches, but warned us that the tongue is the hardest part to stitch.... that was an understatement!

Reese was fine until the Dr gave her a shot in the tongue, then she wouldn't open her mouth for anyone.

It took 4 adults holding her down, and after a half an hour, she was only able to get 2 stitches in. The poor nurse had to force her tongue out with a tongue depressor (resulting in those gross sores on the corner of her mouth) while the Dr tried to grab and keep a hold of her tongue with one hand, while stitching with the other.

Let's just say that Reese is freakishly strong for her size, and we were all dripping sweat when it was over with. Why they didn't drug her, I will never know.

So, if you ever have a kid who needs stitches in the mouth, make sure that they give them something strong to relax them.

It's pretty funny watching Reese try to eat or drink now. She holds her cup to the one corner of her mouth and drinks sideways. Today at lunch she pointed to her face and said, "Dis side have owie, but not dis side. I dwink wif dis side."

I guess if I had boys, this would have been no big deal...

Our Amazing Grandma Ginger

Have I ever told you about my amazing Grandma Ginger?

Well, she's amazing. So amazing, that I was named after her. I think that my parents were hoping that I would turn out to be just as great... sorry to dissapoint you Mom and Dad!

Well, I was blessed to have her in my life for 31 1/2 happy years.

My Grandma could do anything! She could bake the most wonderful desserts and breads, all without a recipe. She could take just about any boring item and turn it into something beautiful. When I was little, she crocheted a pair of leg warmers and a matching bag for me... I thought I was the stuff going back to school after Christmas break. She taught my girls how to make the most beautiful paper dolls. She was a beautiful writer and story teller. All though she grew up a city girl, she went on to help run a ranch in the middle of Montana, without electricity or running water. Later in her life, she went on to serve a mission with my Grandpa in Sau Paulo, Brazil. This meant that she had to learn to speak Portuguese, even though she was in her 60's. My Grandpa used to tell us that she could shoot a gun better than any man he knew.

All this, and she also raised 6 kids.

4 years ago, my Grandma was told that she had lung cancer and only had a couple of months to live. Well, a couple of months was not enough for her so she decided that she was going to stick around for a few more years... so she did.

My Grandma Ginger passed away peacefully on Christmas morning. I was able to see her the night before and tell her goodbye. It was such a sacred experience.

Although I will miss her terribly, I am so happy to have had such an amazing women in my life. I went away from her funeral wanting to be a better person and to try to live up to her name. I hope that my girls will remember her and her amazing strength.

I can't wait until the day I get to see her again (well, maybe I can wait about 50 or 60 years). I am going to miss her!

She's Freaky!

So we made our annual trip up to Temple Square to see the lights. We headed downtown early, and totally missed the crowds. The weather was great and we had a fun time. Of course we can't have an outing without some crazy comment from Ginny. We were watching the nativity and DJ asked her if she liked Mary the best. Her reply was, "No, she's totally fake, and she's freaky!" So there you have it.

The next comment from her was, "I would rather go to Vegas. Atleast it's warm and fun there."
So apparently she wasn't too impressed with the lights. You can't win them all, I guess.

Reese has outgrown her hat, so all night it kept sliding up her head. It looked like she had a cone head. Time to dig out one of our bigger hats.

In other news, the kids got their booster H1N1 doses. Now usually we end up holding Taylor down while she freaks out, but not this time. She took a deep breath and got it over with. I guess turning 10 made her grow up. Now if we could just figure out how to get DJ to overcome his fear of needles......

Merry Christmas!

I'm Too Young To Have a 10 Year Old!!!

I really don't feel that old. Maybe because I don't act my age

(that's probably a bad thing... oh well)

With Taylor turning 10, I have learned that the older they get, the more expensive the gifts get.

Here is her list of things that she wants:

• A puppy. This has been on her list for the last 8 years, and will stay there until she has a husband to buy her one.... sorry kid!
• A Nintendo DS (not gonna happen)
• A laptop (keep dreaming)
• A camcorder (you can have my giant old one, it still works)
• An Ipod

Well, we caved and got her the last item on her list. We got her a refurbished Ipod and saved $50. The smile says it all.

We celebrated by going to see "The Princess and the Frog", making a replica of her favorite dish from Noodles and Co (yummy), and finishing the day watching "It's a Wonderful Life".
The next day we had a party for her and her cousin, where she got lots of Itunes money, real money, and a cute shirt. You couldn't find a happier kid around!
Speaking of happy kid, Taylor is so wonderfully happy. Not only is she happy, but she has made us happy for the last 10 years. I couldn't ask for a better girl. She is so genuinely kind and loving. Taylor is a little replica of her dad... minus the hairy body and boy parts.

Happy Birthday kid..... everyone who knows you, loves you!!!

Nativity:101, and Christmas Disclaimer

If it seems like I'm always talking about Ginny, it's because I am. That girl is my constant form of entertainment. Here's a look at some recent conversations:

Ginny and Reese are dancing to Christmas music the other day. I walk in and Ginny informs me that she is the angel, and Reese is "that lady who had the baby".

Now I promise I have taught my kids about the birth of Jesus. In fact, not only have we discussed it at home, but they just learned about it in primary on Sunday.

Fast forward a few days:

Ginny had a baby in a little basket. She said it was for part of our Christmas decorations.

Ginny: Mom, that is so sad that baby Jesus' Mom had to send him away down the river. The princess had to take care of him.... wait, was that another guy, or was it Jesus?

Me: That was Moses, Ginny

The next day:

Ginny: Mom, I love your statues of Mary, Moses, and Jesus.

Me: His name is Joseph, not Moses. Moses was the baby who was sent down the river.

Ginny: Yah, whatever.

I guess she's not that good with names. Atleast it made me laugh.

Also, here is my Christmas disclaimer:

Due to the fact that I want to enjoy Christmas this year, I will not be sending out christmas cards, or doing neighbor gifts. Sometimes I skip a year here or there, but it's because I run out of time. I end up worrying about it all month long. This year I just decided up front, not to do them. Now I get to sit back and enjoy Tay's birthday and the Christmas season.

Bah Humbug!!