Paige's Birthday Part 1

We survived our 3rd birthday party in about 4 weeks! Now I know how my mom and dad felt during the month of June!! (4 of the 7 people in my family have birthdays in June). Paige has actually had (or will have, I should say) a couple nights of opening presents. (It's been a pretty crazy week, to put it simply!)

Here are pictures and videos of the party we had with G'ma and G'pa A. the night before Paige's actual birthday. It was so fun having them here to help celebrate. Paige and Austin absolutely ADORE both sets of grandparents and we LOVE it when they come to visit and play with us!

To start things off, here's the age-old birthday song. Watch Paige's face while we're singing. She LOVES being the being sung to and being the center of attention, don't you think?

Paige LOVED her "Pink Daisy" cake. I was planning on making it a traditional white cake, but Paige insisted on it being PINK!! Just one of her favorite colors! Austin (and everyone else) LOVED the marshmallows, of course!

Paige modeling one of her jackets from G'ma and G'pa A. She loves these little jackets because they are so soft! They're perfect for nice Spring days!!
Dr. Paige. We think she'll follow in Brian's footsteps quite well with those glasses on!! ;0)
Oh, how we love Grandmas and Grandpas!!!!!!!
Paige was extra spoiled this birthday. She got THREE polly pocket style princesses...Snow White, Ariel and Sleeping Beauty. She has played them almost every second she possibly can since she's gotten them. I'm not so sure about the itty-bitty shoes that Paige insists I put on because I'm "strong", but they definitely are very cute and occupy Paige for a very, very long time throughout the day!! :0)
We got Paige a few dress-up clothes. She has almost the whole outfit on and, as you can see, is trying to keep them on! :0) Yes, I have a little "taking in" to do, but isn't she an ADORABLE princess?!?

We really did plan on having another little party while Aunt Kandra was here, but things were quite busy around here. Between having to practice and play the music for our Relief Society program, Dr. appointments (thankfully well-child visits!!), and doing fun projects with Kandra, we couldn't find a time when everyone was home and awake. So....hopefully tomorrow she'll be able to open the rest of her presents. She's been so patient with us!

Bad hair day, anyone?

Paige has been very creative with hair-dos lately (which 3-year-old girl, isn't?!?). She loves to get ALL of her bow and clips out and either put them in my hair or her own. Here's some of pics of Paige's creations!

Luckily I have found someone in my ward who cuts and styles my hair in a much more "pleasing" fashion! :0) Hopefully I'll be able to get a few pics of my new hairstyle and color posted soon. (Don't worry...it's nothing drastic!) :0)

Did you wear GREEN today?!?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Today was a very busy day, so we did most of our "projects", as Paige calls them last week. We made Paige's lovely Lephrechaun hat (the "L" was for "lephrechaun" and the "P" was for Paige) and made yummy sugar cookies. Between the 4 of us, these were gone in about 3 days. Sad, but true. That's why I don't make sugar cookies very often! You have to love how Paige put the sprinkles on some cookies and none on others! She had so much fun decorating them!

Guess who's 3!!!

Make a scrapbook - it's easy! We can't believe Paige is 3-years-old already! This year has flown by!!

Paige, we love you so much and we are so blessed to have you in our family! You amaze us with all of your talents. You definitely keep us on our toes, but you know what? We wouldn't want it any other way!! Happy Birthday, Sweet Paigers!!

Austin's 1st Birthday!

So, we survived Austin's 1st birthday. It actually was a very laid back event. Grandma N. came to visit and help celebrate. That made Austin and Paige's day, that's for sure!! I still can't believe that Austin is 1 already! This year has gone by WAY too quickly for my liking. Oh well. That's just how it goes, I guess! Anyway, here are some pictures and videos of the big event. As you can see, Austin is developing quite the personality!! :0)

These first 4 pictures were taken a couple days before the B-day. Paige wanted to make Austin a card and this is the final product. Austin absolutely LOVED it and got very angry when we tried to take it away from him.

Austin's loot! Yeah....some boy toys!!!!Austin's construction cake. I saw the idea on the Kraft website. Very easy and quite cute. I realized after I made the cake that I didn't have anything to write the #1 with, so Oreo cookies became the next option. Oh well! (Also, for all you farmers out there, yes...I know that a combine harvester isn't a construction truck, but it's the only thing I had!) :0)
Cheesing it for the camera. Can you tell he liked his birthday cupcake?!?

You have to have the birthday song, right?!?

Sorry this is so long, but Austin was so funny opening up his presents, that I had to include one of the videos we took. Enjoy!

Yesterday and Today

Yesterday felt like Spring. The sun was shining and I was so excited to see these little beauties on our tree outside.

Today, Winter has shown it's mean, ol' face again. It's been snowing all morning and is still at it. (I'm sure all of you Ohioans are laughing at me right now!! It's definitely NOT a blizzard, but still!) :0) Just one question....When's it gonna end?!?

More Paige-isms

Yesterday, Paige, Austin, and I were playing with some toy animals. Paige put the sheep on the giraffe's back. (She's so silly!) I laughed and asked if the giraffe was giving the sheep a piggy-back ride. She looked at me as if I said something stupid and said, "No, Mommy, he's giving a giraffe-back ride!" Oops, my bad!!

Then today Paige was putting Lucky, her little stuffed dalmation puppy, and Lamb to bed in the family room. She had them laying on a pillow and wrapped up in one of her blankets. She had a stack of books next to them and she was reading to them. She had all of the lights turned off because they had to go to sleep. I asked her to turn the lights on so she could get dressed and she said, "But, Mom, they're scared of the light...the lights need to be off!" Isn't it usually the other way around?!? :0)

I love the imagination and quickness of Paige. She keeps us on our toes constantly and is such a joy to have in our house, even when she thinks she's the boss and refuses to take naps except maybe once a week!! (Yeah, I'm sad about this one!!)

Help!

OK, all you blog-stalkers out there!! :0) I'm trying to find someone who has the sheet music for a song called "The Woman I Was Before" from the Women of Destiny Vol. 2 CD. It's written by Doug Walker and Sherry Marks Walker. I'm supposed to be singing it for our Relief Society Birthday Celebration, but we are having a difficult time finding the music for it. One of the counselors in the presidency was told that it's out of print now, so.... If any of you have a copy or know where to get a copy, PLEASE let me know!! Happy searching! :0)

Paige tells it like it is?!?

So, Brian was home during his lunch hour and we were just talking in the living room. Paige was telling Daddy everything that she did this morning. She told him that she used her crayons to draw on her "Leprechaun hat". Then she said, "Mommy, your so big and strong, you can open my crayon box for me" (it's a tupperware container that she has a hard time opening up sometimes). "What about Daddy?" I asked her. Instantly, she said, "Daddy's not strong...he's just big." Needless to say, Brian and I had good, hard laugh after this comment!! Gotta love what comes out of a 3-year old's mouth!

My Sweet Birthday Boy!!

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

His birthday is not until Saturday, but I couldn't help but post this a couple days early!! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!!

OK, I'm a slacker

I was on the phone with one of my friends this morning and she mentioned that she really didn't know what I've been up to because I haven't updated my blog for a while. Oops!! I AM a slacker!! Sorry.

Let's see, we just got back from a weekend in Utah which was very fun because we were able to get Paige and Austin together with their cousins. The weather was great on Friday and Saturday morning, but slowly got colder and colder through Sunday. We enjoyed it while it latest, though. Here are a couple videos from our time there.

OK, here's the video I MEANT to post the first time. Oops! (Thanks, Bekah, for tipping me off about it!) :0)

We've also been celebrating Austin's 1st Birthday, even though his birthday isn't until Saturday. He's already a pro with the "Birthday Cupcake" and has already gotten a bit of practice with opening presents. Here's a few pictures from his birthday activities.

Here's Austin's very first cupcake. "Look, Ma, no hands!!"

G'ma and G'pa A. came over and gave Austin his birthday presents a little early. He LOVES his car books and his animals. Thank you, G'ma and G'pa!!!

We had a little party last Monday with a couple other boys Austin's age. (They are all just a month apart.) It was so much fun. I loved the little cupcakes with their initials. Here's a video of part of the birthday song. I was a little late in getting the camera ready! ;0)

Some extra info

When I posted about our Valentine's Day project, I forgot to let you all know where I got the idea. I wish I could take credit for it, but, alas, I'm not that creative! (I'm good at copying other people's creations!) ;0) The website is called "A Little Hut" and is found here. So many cute ideas!!

Also, a few people have asked where I got Paige's Ballerina book. It's an Usbourne book. You can get it from any Usbourne book consultant (my mom is one). My sister is actually hosting an e-show in the next few weeks, so if you want to see what other books there are, let me know and I'll send you a link to the e-show. They are amazing books and my kids LOVE them!

I think that's all on that front. Austin had a big day today with a couple firsts. He went down the stairs by himself for the first time today. He's been going up forever, but he's always been too chicken to go down. He's finally jumped that hurdle! Yeah!! He also tried to say "peek-a-boo". It was so cute. It came out more like "a-ga-oo", but I knew what he was saying, especially because he was playing peek-a-boo with his bedroom door! :0) He also stood by himself for a couple minutes. Seriously, he's been the biggest chicken when it comes to standing or walking, so this is huge!! ;0) He will walk if he's holding onto one of our hands, but no solo attempts. I'll keep you posted!

I hope you're having a great week!! Tomorrow's FRIDAY, yeah!!

Some random pics and videos

Paige's new dance steps. (Don't you love her outfit?)

Taking Baby for a ride on her Barbie bike
Tamale dinner videos

Fun in the...

SNOW!!

I was surprised how much Austin liked the snow. That is, until he realized how frustrating it was to crawl and not go anywhere because his snow suit was so big and slippery. Oh well. Next year, Austin, next year!! :0)

Once there was a snowman...

Paige wanted to build a snowman so badly, that Brian decided to help her out. The bad thing was the snow was so powdery that Paige and Brian had to add water to it. That's what Paige is doing in the picture below. Taking a bucket of water to Daddy so the snowman won't crumble to pieces!

Paige giving her snow buddy a hug.
It snowed quite a bit the next day and Paige was a little worried that her snowman wouldn't be able to see, but all was well. Too bad we had a minor heat wave soon after and her snowman melted. You should have seen her sad face whenever she looked outside and saw it drooping a little more each day!

Valentine's Day 2008

Here's Paige's Valentine's Day project. It's made out of a cardboard egg carton. Paige painted each of the egg carton cups and I glued them on the background papers. She did such a great job and was very proud of the finished product, as you can see! :0)
Here are the V-day gifts for Paige, Brian and Austin. Paige and Austin absolutely LOVE their books. Paige's book shows her how to do dances, such as "The Sugarplum Fairy dance", a Clogging dance, a dance from "Swan Lake" and a few others. It came with a CD of the music from several ballets. She loves, loves, loves it!! Austin has really gotten into his books lately and loves his "Find the Teddy" book. Brian's present was a candy bouquet and each candy bar had a little "love note" on it. It's cheesy, I know, but very cute, right?!? :0) I think my favorite one was "My heart plays 'Twix' on me whenever you smile!" :0) There are others that I don't think are quite appropriate to post on here, but Brian sure liked them! :0)

I hope all of you had a great Valentine's Day. Oh yeah. Brian's present to me was....

Yes, that's right, Jim Brickman's "An Evening of Romance" concert!! It was such a fun date! He is such an amazing pianist. Thank you, Brian, for enduring the jokes your friends made about going to his concert and taking me. :0) I love you!!

Oops!

One of my friends pointed out that I spelled my husband's name wrong. Brain instead of Brian. Oops! I really do know how to spell his name, I promise! :0) He is a brain, though, because he's so darn smart! Thanks, Gwen, for pointing it out!! :0)

A little something about my sweet hubby

A couple pictures of my one and only. I absolutely LOVE this picture of him with Paige. Such a sweet daddy, isn't he?!?

What is his name? Brain Patrick

How long have you been married? 6 ½ years

How long did you date? We worked together the summer of 2000 and then dated for 6 months after that. It took him all summer to actually hold a true conversation with me! (Just kidding, but not by much!) :0) We were engaged for 4 months and sealed for time and all eternity in the Bountiful Temple on August 16th, 2001.

Who said I love you first? Brian

Who is taller? Brian

Who can sing better? We both sing a little, but I have to say that I really love Brian's voice. He's very good at singing parts. I've finally been able to get him to sing in the Ward Choir, but only because I'm the director! :0)

Who is smarter? I'd have to say Brian. He just amazes me.

Who does the laundry? Me

Who pays the bills? Me. I have to agree with Laurie and Heather...thank goodness for online bill pay! I even pay our rent online. So nice!!

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Brian. He has to deal with the alarm in the morning, but I have to deal with Paige coming into our bed in the morning because I'm closest to the door.

Who mows the lawn? Brian and sometimes our sweet neighbor who just does it to be nice! Seriously, we are very lucky with the neighbors we have. To return the favor, Brian shovels the snow in his driveway.

Who cooks dinner? Me! Unless putting a frozen pizza in the oven counts as making dinner. Brian's very good at that! :0)

Who drives? Brian. I don't mind one bit!

Who is more stubborn? I think we're pretty even with this one. We can see this quality in our children also. Makes life interesting, that's for sure! :0)

Who kissed who first? Brian kissed me first, but he teases me that I wanted it more.

Who asked who out first? Brian asked me out. I was working with Intramural Volleyball as a supervisor and he was working as a lifeguard in the RB on BYU's campus. He saw me in the hall and asked me. Very romantic, I know. :0)

Who proposed? Brian. He put my engagment ring on my finger while I was asleep. I woke up a little confused and then full realization came and all I could say was, "Yes, yes, yes". Even before he asked me formally! :0)

Who has more siblings? Brian. He has 4 brothers and a sister. I have 3 brothers and a sister.

Who wears the pants? Depends on the issue at hand!

I love you, Brian, with all my heart! Thank you for all you do for the kids and me!

*** I tag Tammy A., Gwen A., and Brittany B.

Crazy 8's

OK, Tammy. I have to apologize for taking so long in answering your tag. This is a fun one, too, but life just seems to get in the way (especially when you have a sick baby). Austin is finally feeling better so here it goes! :0)

~Eight things I'm passionate about
1. My husband (more about him in a future post!) :0)
2. My two beautiful children
3. The Gospel of Jesus Christ
4. Playing the piano
5. Reading
6. Volleyball
7. Card making
8. Almost any other craft, especially paper crafts

~Eight things I want to do before I die
1. Go to Germany
2. Vacation in Hawaii (Can you tell I need a vacation?!?) :0)
3. Visit all of the Church History sites (Winter Quarters, Kirtland and Nauvoo are already checked off the list
4. Go on a cruise...that's right, I've never been on one. How sad is that!
5. Learn the correct way to lead a choir (I do the best I can right now with my ward choir, but I know I'm just winging it the entire time!)
6. Learn how to play the violin
7. Learn how to play the guitar
8. See all of my children sealed to their sweetheart in the temple

~Eight things I say often
1. Please make good choices!
2. I love you!
3. Oh my goodness
4. Be nice to Austin
5. Hey, bud!
6. Hurry home
7. It's clean up time
8. What do you want for dinner?

~Eight books I have read recently
1. Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
2. The Prelude to Glory series by Ron Carter (I'm on book 7 of 9)
3. The Elm Creek Quilts books by Jennifer Chiaverini
4. Sleeping Beauty
5. Little Mermaid
6. Pocahantas
7. Beauty and the Beast
8. 101 Dalmations (#4-8 have been about 1000 times in the last month. They rotate for each naptime and bedtime....exciting, I know)

~Eight songs I could listen to over and over
1. Any song by Jack Johnson
2. Any song by Jim Brickman (Brian's taking me to his concert for Valentine's Day, by the way!!)
3. The Prayer by Josh Groban and Charlotte Church
4. Bedtime Girl by Ralph Covert
5. Can't Stop Now by Keane
6. The Les Miserables Soundtrack
7. You're Beautiful by James Blunt
8. Two Points of Honesty by Guster

~Eight things I have learned this past year
1. Never have a baby and then 3 months later have your husband graduate from professional school and move across the country. It all worked out, but was VERY hectic!
2. How much I like living in a small town again.
3. Having 2 kids isn't as hard as I thought it would be (most of the time, anyway) :0)
4. It is wonderful to finally have an income and not have to live off of savings and school loans!!!
5. That I love my family more than anything!
6. I have the most dedicated husband who does an amazing job being a father and is also an amazing optometrist!
7. It is so nice living closer to family after living in Ohio for 4 years
8. We can all be guided by the Holy Ghost to make the best choices in our lives if we just listen!

~Eight lucky friends who get to do the "Crazy 8's"!!
1. Alecia R.
2. Laurie G.
3. Kiki C.
4. Kara H.
5. Kristy G.
6. Nancie M.
7. Tricia P.
8. Emily A.

Have fun!!