Is It Naptime Yet

I like to post pictures of the roses Jon gives me for our anniversary. Even though they’re the same kind each year, I love to receive them and have them on our table.

We celebrated our anniversary by going out, but our actual anniversary was spent at home.

On Sunday Jon made a cute love note scavenger hunt while he was home supposedly studying. It was fun to find each thoughtful note and then try to figure out where the next one was.

I gave him books. The typical gift and later wrote him a love note to find in the morning.

I made us a special dinner on our anniversary night and we didn’t do anything particularly special or out of the ordinary.

Sometimes it’s just nice to be with your family and enjoy your happy life together.

Some days homeschooling seems impossible. Kids are ornery, mom is ornery and we are just not getting along. Other days it goes wonderfully. They ask for more “work” or ask me to read another story or just try so hard to figure things out. Some days we unschool and I let the girls do whatever they want.

What I do love is to look over and see my daughter has written her name for the first time all by herself.

Or the other is reading a book about ants and follows the words with her little finger.

Some days one school thing is enough for this momma and her girls. Some days one school thing is too much for this momma and her girls. Some days all we do is learn in both conventional and unconventional ways.

What I do know is these little kids are sponges and the soak up knowledge so quickly along with grow far too quickly.

Yesterday was an eventful day. It was my only nephew’s baptism. The girls and I went and I was asked to give a talk on the Holy Ghost. One thing I want to note is that families are in charge of getting the speakers and doing a musical number and if there’s more than one child both families or each family is asked to have someone give a talk etc. If your child is getting baptized the same day as another, try not to make the musical number all about him and if you’re giving a talk, try not to make the talk all about the relative that’s being baptized or your family history. I’m sure my nephew may not have picked up on this, but as an adult that was in the other family, I felt like I was an outsider at my own nephew’s baptism. Make it personal to your experiences yes, but also make it generic for the other child and their family. That’s all I’m going to say about that.

After the baptism my sister did a luncheon to celebrate my niece’s birthday which is coming up. We went to her house and the girls had lots of fun playing and eating cake. After doing this we stopped by my parents to pick up my mom’s sewing machine. Lilah wanted to see Grandpa  even though we had just seen him at Aunt Kristi’s, so he came out and checked her tooth out. Grandpa said it was ready to pull, but I was skeptical since it still seemed attached in the middle. He asked her if she wanted him to get a string and pull it out and Lilah shyly replied no, so he told me to do it once I got home, which I didn’t because it grosses me out.

Well, I guess the fact that Grandpa Harvey said her tooth was ready to come out stayed with Lilah. While in time out last night she pulled her own tooth out! I was a little grossed out but mostly curious about the whole lost tooth thing.

We took some pictures and a video and put it on Lilah’s blog in her own words. Since hers is a private blog I’ll just post the pictures and video here for my own records.

Which leads me to my IOU. While Lilah stood in time out I thought about what money I had on me, she hadn’t yet pulled the tooth out, but I knew it would come out soon and I knew I didn’t have much change or any small bills.  Since we almost solely use our credit card I never have a lot of cash on me or small bills. I wondered what I would do if her tooth did fall out and sadly I knew what I would have to do.

Raid the girls’ piggy bank.

So that’s what this momma did, I took four quarters from Lilah’s own piggy bank and placed them under her pillow last night as she slept. We are kinda encouraging the Tooth Fairy myth, but more in the ‘how do you know it’s not true if you never see who puts the money under your pillow’ sense. Lilah was sad to hear the Tooth Fairy took her tooth, so I said she just does tests and then gives it back to me. I think I’m going to write a little letter and mail it out tomorrow so it will come back in an intriguing way. I don’t know if Lilah does or does not believe in the Tooth Fairy or if she wants to. She says it’s a superstition, thank you Martha Speaks for the vocabulary word, and that fairies aren’t real, but I’m sure the child in her wants to believe in something magical, just as I did at that age.

So my daughter has lost her first tooth and I’ve learned that I need to start having ones and quarters on hand for the next few years.

They grow up too fast.

My niece Shauntae is having a girls weekend in Vegas with some friends. She flew down Thursday so she could visit with family. I had the pleasure of picking her up at the airport, which I got there at 10 am, just like she had predicted, even though her flight came in at 8:30 am. She brought reading material and people watched while she waited.

We tried to surprise my MIL since Shauntae hadn’t told her that she was coming to town, but Rawlin, Shauntae’s father, had told Grandma so our devious plan to just show up and surprise the grandparents was short lived. (We called ahead to make sure they were going to be home and me just dropping by wasn’t working since she knew I was suppose to pick Shauntae up.)

So we first swung by my in-laws and then I took Shauntae to her dad’s. After that I went home to clean, so my house was in a more acceptable form of organized chaos. We just have so much stuff that it always feel somewhat chaotic to me even after I’ve cleaned or organized.

Friday Jon and I had a lunch date with Shauntae. She wanted to see her favorite uncle, though I don’t know if Jon is her favorite, but he sure is my favorite out of the Blake boys.

My MIL brought Shauntae by Friday morning and she got ready here. When I gave her the tour of our small, humble, abode the girls ran around like crazy people. I really don’t know what gets into them when people come over, but they act very silly.

I dropped the girls off at Beth’s, then we picked up Jon and treated Shauntae to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Lindo’s.  We stuffed ourselves and then it was time to return Jon to work. There was a motorcycle cop hanging out where we dropped him off and I’m sure it must have looked odd to have Jon receive a kiss from me and then get out and hug Shauntae.

We then got the girls and took Shauntae to the house that she and the other women were renting for the weekend.

I’m happy I got to chat and talk with her in all our driving together. It’s fun to see her since our relationship has mostly grown because of us both blogging. I wish they lived closer, as does Lilah who was so sad that we don’t see her more often and wanted to go to lunch with us, even after she learned she was going to the Jewitt’s, which shows you how much she loves you if she’ll skip her favorite babysitter.

Before I took Shauntae to her house I had Lilah take a picture of us and took one of them with their oldest cousin.

Aunt Lacey with Niece Shauntae. I can’t help but laugh when she calls me her aunt.

The oldest grandchild with the youngest grandchildren.

Jon planned for a package to be delivered today, so I had to stay home till it arrived. I knew it would be lavender roses, since those are my favorite and it has become the tradition.

I waited not so patiently and teased him around noon that he’d have to come home early if they weren’t here soon so I’d be able to shower for our date.

They arrived shortly after lunch and I opened them.

They were beautiful but not what I expected.

I was instant messaging Jon at the time and I teased or asked him if he had changed the order to have them match the roses we already had. (The girls and I got red roses on Sunday for Valentine’s day from our ward.) He played along like he had and I mostly wondered why he would get me a red, pink, and white rose bouquet, with baby’s breath. It just didn’t seem his style or mine.

He came home and looked at the roses and told me those weren’t what he ordered and now he fully understood what I meant by the roses matching because red would not have matched lavender.

He promptly checked his order and called costumer service and I should be receiving my intended bouquet of lavender roses on Tuesday, which will make our table very crowded.

I still love them  and I’ll love having two dozen roses on Tuesday.

To celebrate our 7 year anniversary we went to a restaurant called Fuduka, a Japanese sushi bar and grill. Carolyn mentioned how good it was while we were passing it on our Black Friday shopping trip and I made a mental note of it. Jon thought it was funny that I’d wait three months to go to a restaurant, but it’s a little more pricey that what we would normally spend on a date especially when we get appetizers and desert, which is a must on our Anniversary. The food was delicious and the chef superb. We sat around a grill where they cook the food right in front of you. The chef did fun tricks and it was nice to have piping hot food.

We enjoyed a lovely meal and free babysitting, since the girls had a birthday party to attend and the parents planned for the other parents to go have date time.

It was a wonderful night and I’ve really enjoyed celebrating our 7 year anniversary.

I love you Babe!

On Saturday the girls and I headed over to my sister Carolyn’s house to make cookies. It was to give Jon time alone to study and Carolyn’s co-worker was supposed to come over because we weren’t able to make Christmas cookies with her and she wanted to see Carolyn’s house. Instead her husband made her go to some timeshare thing so they could get two free airline tickets since they need to fly to their niece’s wedding later this year.

I packed what I thought was everything I needed and headed over to Carolyn’s. She had ordered pizzas for lunch so we ate and then got started making cookies.

While I was pulling everything out I realized I had forgotten the shortening for the frosting but since Carolyn lives so far from civilization the nearest store is like 5 miles away and I figured we’d just make cookies and the girls and I would have to frost them at home.

Then as I looked through the  basket I realized I left the heart-shaped cookie cutter I borrowed from Sam at home on my counter. So now I had to go to the store.

We finished the dough, and the girls and Carolyn settled in watching some TV while I went to the store.

I got shortening, cookie cutters, and some chocolate chip cookie dough since that was the cookie Derek requested to be made since we were coming over. (I almost did not buy it because Derek is so spoiled by his parents but I like chocolate chip cookies too and figured I’d take some home also.)

I got back and we baked cookies and then decorated them like the sweetheart candies you buy, only I don’t buy them and could only think of a handful of phrases. Carolyn was funny and I love some of the phrases she came up with.

Here’s the pictures of what I left with Carolyn on Saturday, and what we have left this morning. I don’t think I’m suppose to eat five cookies a day, but that’s what happens when you love sugar cookies and they’re in the house. Jon has also been eating them, so I think my ‘eat all you can get’ mentality kicked in, yeah that’s why I eat five a day, to get them out of the house sooner so Jon won’t eat them. I’ll take the hit. (I have had none today, but will probably eat one after lunch and one tonight. I just love sugar cookies and you have to eat them before they get stale and the girls would rather have candy.)

Carolyn thought of: Heart U, Nice Bum, Hot Stuff, Hot Lips, Heart Breaker, (which was made with the last of the frosting and we didn’t have enough of either color so she did half and half). I made:  I heart you, Love, and Cutie Pie.

I also made a Babe, Hey Babe, Dad and a Sexy cookie, which Jon ate. Carolyn attempted to make a sexy cookie with sprinkles, but she only could fit  “sex” on the cookie and decided to make it all sprinkles. (It’s the yellow cookie with sprinkles in the previous picture.)

Eden only ate maybe half a piece of pizza but she had three cookies, I guess she takes after her mom.

Lilah had lots of fun decorating them for other people and then having us eat them, she did eventually eat one.

We had lots of fun at Carolyn’s house and left around 5:30pm. I was so sleepy on the way home because I get sleepy in the afternoons and it was a very relaxing drive home.

The girls had so much fun since they got to play and jump on all of Carolyn’s pillows. Lilah was sad that we don’t go to Carolyn’s more often and said we should go there whenever she needs to bake cookies. I probably would visit Carolyn if she lived closer and if she wasn’t so busy working all the time. I just hate taking up all her free time with my two silly girls.

Time for some random pictures I’ve taken lately, though they each have their own reason, I just don’t want to make several posts about each subject and instead will roll them into one.

Here is Eden holding cutie pie Zarina when Andrea and Brien were down.

I just think they’re cute.

Next, while on vacation Jon decided to grow a beard. The only problem, I can’t stand kissing him when he has facial hair, and I have no idea how any woman can kiss a man with a beard or mustache.

To remedy this, Jon shaved around the mouth and left just a  beard along his jaw line.

I kept calling him Amish, which he didn’t mind, and I teased that he could have been in a Weird Al video.

It grew on me if his glasses weren’t on, it was a little rebellious, but once the glasses were on all I could think was Amish.

I dared him to go to work with the beard, but he shaved it off.

Giving me a silly look.

Hello Brother Jonathan, or whatever the Amish call each other.

Deep in thought. The funny thing is this and the eyebrow lift, are probably two of the most used poses of Jon’s. He’s so silly.

The next set of random pictures are of my necklace.
No one has asked to see it, but I love it so much, partially because I love my girl’s names so much, I had to post pictures of it.

Next we have the nursing cover I made for Sam. It has a piece of boning that bends and opens the top of the cover to help the mom see her child and what’s going on down there.

The blankets are made of lightweight flannel since she’s having Matilda in the winter, but I don’t think the weather has gotten the memo that it’s winter. It was like 70 degrees today. Very crazy weather this year. The week we had snow has probably been the longest and coldest and then everything else has been above average temperatures.

Lastly, here are my silly girls wearing every dress up necklace and items we have practically.

The girls were sick the very first Sunday of this year, so the second Sunday, or the eleventh, was their first Sunday of Primary, more specifically Eden’s very first Sunday of Primary and Lilah’s first Sunday with a new teacher, but it was a substitute and she’ll have her regular teacher next week.

They wore the dresses I picked out with Carolyn at Old Navy on Black Friday, and I later picked up the tights at Target.

I think they’re adorable and I can’t believe that Eden is now in Primary.

I asked Jon to get pictures, and these are the three he took. Lilah as been such a ham in pictures lately so these are true to her current silliness.

Not sure what Lilah is doing here.

I guess we are going to church and Lilah is assuming the correct position, just not the most reverent of faces.

Again, not sure what exactly is going through her mind.

Eden seemed to have a fun first day and when Jon and I separately checked in on her she seemed to be doing just fine.

Lilah’s teacher was a substitute, but we knew the sister, so her first Sunday in a new class went smoothly also. She talked, knew how to read trust when it was written on the board, and was very well behaved.

I don’t want them to grow up, but they sure are cute.

With getting the girls to bed late on Christmas Eve, and since Eden did not get a nap, they slept in. Lilah was the first girl awake, Eden had come into our bed sometime in the wee hours, but she fell back asleep. Lilah woke up at 7:45 am or so and Jon was about to let her look through her stocking, but I woke up Eden so they looked together.

Jon wanted to open presents right away, I think in previous years we’ve had breakfast first, so the girls immediately started dividing the gifts. Lilah did just fine, but Eden kept looking at the ‘from’ name and putting presents in the wrong piles.

Lilah insisted that Daddy open the present they gave him first. It was too cute. After Jon opened the first present Lilah actually wanted him to open his next one, but he declined and we had the girls begin opening gifts.

Overall they did take turns watching each other open gifts. Then the gifts that were for both of them they opened together.

Eden’s gift from her friend Gracie.

Lilah opening her gift from Eden. (It was skittles and nail polish.)

An activity book for Lilah.

Opening the gift from Santa together. (I give one gift from Santa, and usually it’s that years Pixar.)

Wall-E

Jon wearing the Batman shirt the girls gave him right away. Batman is Jon’s favorite super hero. He’s just a regular guy with really cool gadgets.

Opening my necklace.

Showing off my new DVD.
I attached a video of Eden opening her gift. It was the most eventful video we took, and shortest, and in a way it’s also a good example of how our Christmas was. ( She offers her gift to Lilah at one point.)

A funny thing. I was opening my gift and it happened to be a necklace so Lilah says “Oh, he went to Jared’s.” it was too cute. My necklace is not fancy, just two circles with each of the girl’s names stamped on them. It’s kinda the new mother’s necklace, rather than having birth stones. I saw it on a blog a while back and decided I wanted one and sent Jon a e-mail with specific on-line stores he could get them.

After having our traditional breakfast of cinnamon rolls, sausage and eggs, or in Jon’s and my case fried tofu with veggies, I got dressed and then motivated my family to get ready.

We headed out the door to his parents house a little before noon.

The girl’s in front of the tree with Dara and Jason. Lilah was being silly and Eden was being bashful.

Jason, Jon, Lilah, Grandpa Blake, Eden, Grandma Blake, and Dara.

Dara and Jason waited to open gifts til we were there. The calendars I made for them via Costco were a big hit, they got here on the 24th, definitely cut that close, and Jon’s mom wants one and Jon himself wants one for his office. (I told Jon we should have made his parents one, but were were trying to conserve our money at that point and we had already gotten them something.)

So if anyone else wants a calender of my girls let me know. The first calender has a higher fee of $4 and something for shipping, then it goes down to like $1.50 shipping per each after wards. (I’m some what joking about people wanting a calendar of my girls, but serious at the same time, it costs less to get them all at once rather than see them and decide it’s cute and want one more. Each calendar can also be different, or personalized too, but if you don’t get one this year, you might get one next year. ( I could put wedding pictures for the month you were married or vacation pictures if we visited your family or went somewhere together.))

After spending some time at Jon’s parents we went directly to my parents house per the girls request. I just wanted to take a nap, so as long as I got one I didn’t care. The girls watched Wall-E while I slept and Jon tapped into some one’s insecure wireless network on his Mac.

Eventually some family showed up, while others left and we ate dinner. We stayed rather late this year to make sure we saw Derek, Carolyn’s husband. We wanted to make sure he felt included, or at least loved, since he had to work so late on Christmas, well not that late, but he arrived at the normal time we would have left.

A gift my dad got at a party and gave to Derek. Derek is a huge baseball fan and knows everything about baseball.  I took this picture because Derek was in a goofy mood and was actually smiling. (If you look at Carolyn’s blog he never smiles in pictures. )
After being at my parents for far too long we headed home with two slightly hyper little girls, though Eden was asleep before we even got to the freeway.

It was a Merry Christmas filled with family, fun, food, gifts and definitely silliness.

Due to the record snow fall in Las Vegas yesterday, Jon was sent home early that evening. He wanted to make a snowman and play in the snow, so I got layers on the girls, found their hats and gloves and got them ready to have some snow evening fun.

First we built a double sided snowman/ snow teddy bear.

Having fun.

Acting like a kid. ( Isn’t he so cute though?)

Getting the head ready.

Patting the snow down.

Cute smile.

Getting more snow on the head.

Putting on the face.

Putting on buttons.

Lilah working on her side.

Final product on one side.

Eden showing me snow…

…and then starting a snow ball fight.

Lilah’s final snowman. (Mommy helped with the face since Jon’s hands were so frozen and he and Eden were busy having a snowball fight.)

The aftermath.

wet shoes

And wet clothes in both bathrooms.

The family warming up.

Jon didn’t have gloves thus he hands got a little too cold and were still not the same this morning. We think he may have suffered some nerve damage all for the sake of having a snowball fight with Eden and us. Eden was having lots of fun ‘throwing’ the snow. Since she can’t throw far and she knows it, she would gather it in her hands walk up to you and then hit you with the snow point blank by hitting you with her hand and a handful of snow.  Eden’s thumb also was hurting when she got inside, but there have been no complaints today so I imagine she’s fine.

In Henderson my sister still had about 4 inches on the ground and Clark County called off school for the day due to the snow. Oh how unprepared we are for snow in Las Vegas.

Our snow started melting in the night, we got rain after 8 pm or so, and we had a nice wet driveway this morning and afternoon.

We were thinking of visiting Mount Charleston over the break sometime, but honestly I think I’ve had enough snow for the winter.

We don’t have the proper clothing and it gets everything so wet and that’s just not that fun to clean up afterwords or be in.