Saturday Fun...

Yae!!

Trevor's friend had a birthday party, and we got to skate too!

(Nick & Sage)

Warming up with Josh

Getting the hang of it!

Look Mom- Solo!

They were so proud of themselves for skating on their own... Sage even tried it backwards. Once they got the hang of it, they didn't want our help anymore, as long as I stayed very close. When they fell, they didn't want me to look (so I pretended not to notice ;) Very self determined. After skating, they had a ball with their brothers in the bounce zone- good excuse for my older boys to "play" in the bounce zone :) They were a big help with the girls.

Happy Birthday Nathaniel!

Thanks for sharing your goodie bags!

FFFF- "Gotcha Day" Outfit

I hesitated in this weeks FFFF, considering our Gotcha Day. The last time our girls wore these outfits (which they were so proud of), their whole world turned upside down. I hid them once we got home. Fortunately, as well as they've done, I knew they could handle it. So, I excitedly got them out and when they saw them, at first they were excited with me, but when I went to put them on them, they instantly, fearfully and sweetly said "no, not those". I reinforced that we would never leave them... Sophie was more willing to wear them then Sage, but they both put them on and started talking about mommy and daddy- and the rest of our family, reinforcing the fact that we aren't going anywhere.

"Gotcha Day" August 7, 2006 (3 years & 3 months old), they were beautiful from the start and so small

8 1/2 months later... They've grown so much and the clothes fit perfect now, could barely get the sandals on...

It wasn't long before we got smiles out of them, even if I had to be in half the pictures. I'd say this was good for them to help overcome some fears. What blessed girls! Very creative ideas Donna.

Visit Double Happiness for more Gotcha Day outfits and stories :)

"I'll Stand By You"

Well done American Idol! I was touched by last night's "giving back" show, and all the donations given for such an awesome cause! They've already raised over 60 million dollars to help children in extreme poverty in America and Africa. They're still taking donations...American Idol. Also, to help with orphaned children in China, go to one of my favorite charities Love Without Boundaries, every little bit goes a long way!

Big hugs from Sophie and Sage

We dressed ourselves :)

FFFF- Toddler Art

Sophie and Sage are very serious about their art. They love to color and draw! Right after they got home, they would simply throw away their work when finished. Now they are proud of each piece and wouldn't be caught dead throwing it away, so we have a large art collection. (I keep my favorites and secretly discard the rest :).

Click on Double Happiness for more stunning toddler art.
Masterpiece Complete! --- Refrigerator Art

They love tinkerbell, which reminds me... shortly after they were home, Sophie woke up in the night, so I gave her a hug and tucked her back in. She was half asleep and pointed to tinkerbell on the wall over her bed and said "mommy". I guess I'm watching over her while she sleeps.

Collages...

Many people have asked lately how I do the collages on my blog.

Click on collage to enlarge

For someone who isn't into scrapbooking (no patience or time for it), this is my style of keeping the memories alive- fun, quick and easy.

Click here for full details.

Busy Week...

Josh in brown shirt, Nick in black and white

Look at my fun boys. This was opening week-end of "Broadway Kidz- Hooray for Hollywood". They've put many hours into this and have some great parts. They wouldn't let me see the rehearsals (wanted to surprise me), except this one- I snuck in to get some pics. They're not in costume and lighting was bad, but I had to get pictures! No flash photography during the play.

Great show! I have thoroughly enjoyed watching them act, sing, and dance (they won't appreciate me telling everyone this). Keep up the good work boys!

I was brave and took Trevor(8) and the girls to see the show tonight, Paul had to work (We saw it on opening night). Yes, really brave- 1 adult, 2 busy 3 year olds, and a usually helpful, but also busy 8 year old to a 2 hour play. Sophie and Sage were so excited every time they saw Nick or Josh, they spent the whole play trying to see them on stage. Overall, it was a success with them and they sat still for most of the play, I'm sure the walk outside during intermission helped, they skipped :). Trevor was a great help and the generous lady next to us shared her popcorn with them;). After the show, they were both asleep on my lap and while I was waiting for the boys, 3 different ladies came to me and offered to help get them to the car. One gal even walked up to us and took their picture, right there asleep on my lap, thought they were so cute. (Kinda tacky, and I was surprised she didn't ask, but they were admiring the girls, it was sweet). I have to say, we live in a very nice community. Sometimes the attention gets annoying, but everywhere we go Sophie and Sage are enjoyed by others. They are loved by many! Thanks!

Another Great Easter Visit

What's Easter without Grandmas and Grandpas to spoil us, I mean love us up... We had a yummy Lasagna dinner, saw the fish in the stream, and played with Shadow (a dog? go figure), and yes, got one last goodie basket. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa, we love going to Grandmas and Grandpas!

FFFF- Pets

Sophie and Sage are very fond of Shadow, their Cat. For awhile they thought Shadow was the name for "cat", so every cat they saw they excitedly squealed "Shadow"... It confused them when we played with a black dog the other day named "Shadow". They love animals and it's good to see how gentle the girls are with them (most of the time). To see more cute pics of "pets", click on Donna's Double Happiness.

taken 11-27-06

We REALLY miss Panzer. We think of him often and the kids still talk about him and pray for him. It's comforting to know he is happy and with a great family! See Good-bye Panzer. I'm pleasantly surprised to see that Sage isn't allergic to cats- Yae!

Happy Easter

We spent most of Easter Sunday in the car, but we did watch some good Easter movies on the way home. So the next day we got dressed up to visit Grandma and Uncle Mike, we picked out our favorite shoes to wear with our dresses, don't they match well? Grandma even had a goody basket for all of us.

Thank you Grandma and Uncle Mike, we love the hard to pop bubbles, paddle ball, and watching the foam animals grow in the water, and thanks double Uncle Mike for sneaking some jelly beans and chocolate in our bag. It was a real treat seeing the chickens and gathering some real eggs. (Sorry about the broken one, they really are fragile :)

and enjoying a Jamba Juice on the way home...

Spring Break II- Scenic Lake Powell

Wish every day was Spring Break. Sophie and Sage loved cruising in the boat and playing in the water, true beach bums. The boys had a great time water skiing and touring the lake. Way to go Paul, great slalem! I like to slalem also, but I'm a real wimp in cold water- the weather was fabulous, but the water was too cold for my blood. The girls (and boys) traveled very well on this longggg road trip, they said "all done, no more," when we were almost there, and they kept checking to make sure the boat was still behind us. When we first saw the Lake, they about jumped out of their seats and shouted for joy- "Daddy did it!" The boys thought it was cool to have their own hotel room next to ours (scary, we need two now). We had a relaxing drive home on Sunday (well, most of it)- tried to drive through Zions National Park, but we couldn't with the boat. It was still a beautiful drive with the stunning redrock sandstone and the awesome mountain passes. Very fun traveling and playing with our family!

Spring Break I

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