~Gymnastics~

Our little gymnast on the day the parents get to come watch. It is so fun to see how much she has learned and her self confidence grow. Now to get her signed up for the next two months before school gets out. She has already decided she wants to take gymnastics in the Fall as well. I can't say I am surprised!

~Max~

I had a good laugh today after school. After I picked up Jolene we headed down to get Raychel. Jolene talked nonstop, she told me all about her day. She told me about SFA and the test she took, the book she is reading and really liking, what specials she had, lunch and the fun she had at recess with her friends and of course the boy she likes and she is pretty sure he likes her because his friends said so and he looks at her then quickly looks away, she told me about math and how she loves it, the writing prompt they worked on. She asked me what was for dinner, what after school activities we had. We picked up Raychel and she still talked as we drove home. When we got home after talking with my little 9 year old in such a grown up way, she pulled Max out of the backpack. I laughed because even though she is growing up and becoming more independent she still needs Max and she still needs me!

~Guniea Pigs~

I love these pictures, every once in while Jolene will get the "pigs" out to play with them, feed them and just hold them. I love how Ella thought she would get up close and personal while the "pigs" ate. Jolene loves how they will eat from her and cuddle up in her legs to sleep. I think Santa did well when he thought of the "pigs" for a gift. The girls love them.

~Painting & Sleepovers~

Well, the painting has begun which makes for lots of sister sleepovers. Jolene and I were both sad for different reasons to cover the flowers. She was sad because she just loves the flowers, she was remembering when we painted them, she found the blue one she messed up on so it was smeared, she found the yellow one that had little green in it because she didn't clean it very well. It was fun remember with her. It made me sad becasue she is growing up, she is no longer my little baby, she is getting more independent and learning to express herself through her ideas. Tiime goes so fast! I don't want to miss a minute of this!

~ Room Makeover~

The room makeover is complete, and it looks great! This is the first time we have made over Jolene's room since she got out of the crib!

She loved the flowers on her wall, she loved her comforter and she loves the purple, but her taste has grown and now her room needs to grow with her.

She is loving zebras right now so she found her new comforter online, then we hit the paint store to find something to match and then we got busy!

It was so fun painting with her, she has such a cute little personality and talked to me the whole time about what ever crossed her mind!

I value this time with my kids, they make me laugh with their cute little jokes, stories, and thoughts.

I hope she will enjoy her new room as much as she did the old room.

The little zebra family was painted by Jolene

The middle painting and the black painting by Jolene

~Class Party~

The 3rd grade class party was a hit, when isn't a school party a hit?? I love helping in the girls classes during parties. The kids are always so happy, excited and full of energy. It is fun watching the kids mix with each other and having fun.

~From The One I Love~

The day before Valentine's Day Ward came home from work a little bit earlier then normal. I needed to run to the store so he drove and I vented! It has been one of those days. Lots of running around, a 9 year old who thinks she knows EVERYTHING, I didn't have all the ingredients for dinner, lots of homework, ect. You know the day, the kind when you can't wait to crawl back into bed. As he drove I went on and on about my day. He laughed, gave advice, but most of all he just listened and let me unload. When we got home I went in the house while he unloaded his car from work. I was already in the kitchen trying to finish an already late dinner when he walked in with beautiful roses, and a card for me along with a BIG box of chocolates for the girls. I read the card and cried, he always finds the one that was written just for us. He held me tight, whispered in my ear and made the whole day melt away.

I am so in love with this man my heart could burst!!

~Valentine Cookies~

Any reason to make cookies is a good reason! We love to make sugar cookies! The best part is decorating them. It's funny, the girls love making the dough, rolling it out, cutting them out, watching them bake, decorating them with as much creativity as possible and that's it. They don't eat them, they give away as many as they can and the rest just sit. They get looked at, but very rarely get eaten. I guess the fun is in creating them.

~Poetry~

Raychel had to write poems for her literature class this quarter. She really enjoyed the assignments and even making the book for it more! She got pretty creative in her poems and even go Jolene into writing some as well. It is funny when the girls really love something they are learning at school they can't wait to come home tell everyone about it and help each other do it as well. The book turned out great. The worst part is going to be waiting for the grade!
She said I could share an example of one of her poems. This one is a Three word poem. She really liked this style of writing.

Night

Moon, Stars, Dark
Stars, Dark, Quiet
Dark, Quiet, Cricket
Quiet, Cricket, Owl
Cricket, Owl, Wolf
Owl, Wolf, Music
Wolf, Music, Peaceful
Music, Peaceful, Quiet
Peaceful, Quiet, Sunrise
Quiet, Sunrise, Day