Dinosaur Birthday Party

We celebrated Parker's 5th birthday
with his buddies last week.

The "Dino-mite" invitations

The big (and might I add handsome) 5-year-old

(okay technically in this pic he is still 4 for 2 more days)

The party decor!

Parker has been adamant about having a dinosaur themed birthday party for the last six months or so. I was a bit worried wondering how we were going to entertain a bunch of little ones outside in the middle of July with a Jurassic theme without melting. I was thinking more along the line of sno-cones and water activities but dinosaurs are what he wanted. A dinosaur EGG hunt to be precise. So that is what he got.

I found some printable dinosaur party decor online which satisfied the cute factor I always crave at these things. It made my life much easier by just being able to print and cut out, rather than spending a fortune on a dino cricut cartridge, stressing over the color scheme, what paper to purchase which is another huge expense, not to mention all the hours spent assembling the homemade banners, favors, etc.

These, I just ordered (at a very reasonable price), printed, assembled and wallah. Still a bit of work but sooo much easier than I otherwise would have made it! You can check out the shop I ordered them from HERE. I highly recommend! 

The Games!:

Every good paleontologist needs a cute, sturdy bucket armed with a shovel and brush, right? Right. They not only worked out perfectly for their dino dig later, but as containers for Parker's MUCH anticipated

DINOSAUR EGG HUNT!
I scavenged through our Easter stuff, tossing out all the girly colored eggs and used the rest to fill with baby dinosaurs and treats to hide for the hunters. (I bought extras at Easter knowing that this was coming up) The kiddos really seemed to like it and I think it was a hit!

Next up was digging for dinosaurs. I found some awesome dinosaur skeletons on Amazon and they worked out PERFECT for this activity. The excavators loved digging for the dinosaur bones and got to take them home in their buckets. My kids are still playing with theirs in the sandbox almost everyday.

 

We played a bunch of other games including a dinosaur egg relay, "Hot dino egg"(Hot potato) to Dinosaur Train music, musical dinosaur feet (in place of musical chairs) and Dino Dino T-Rex (spin off of duck duck goose), just to name a few. It was great to see the kids having such a fun time.

The kids went nuts over the pinata! They were pretty excited to take down that brontosaurus. It took them awhile but it finally broke and spilled out their reward.

As you can see, Parker got a ton of great presents from his cute friends! We were so glad they could make it and hope they had as good a time as the birthday boy. Unfortunately, four of P's  buddies were out of town and unable to make the party. We definitely missed them, but I guess that's what happens when you have summer birthdays.

I think we can mark the "Dinosaur Egg Hunt Birthday Party" a big success. :)
Meanwhile, I am going to rest up for Emmie's princess party just a few weeks down the road....

Summer happenings

I'm so behind. LATE. Whatever you want to call it. Welcome to my life. Parker turned 5 today (more about that later - yes, it will be an over due post), and I just today received his birth certificate in the mail from Arizona. That's right. I finally registered to have it sent to me FIVE years after he was born. Good job Michelle. :)

So in trying to play catch up and keep my good-old, exciting blog up to date, here is a bit of what's been going on around here....

Why not start with Father's Day? That was only over a month ago now...


We had my Dad and that side of the fam over for dinner that Sunday night to celebrate.
I think everyone had a good time...?
& yes my kids look like complete ragamuffins...that is how it goes by the end of a Sunday. Or any day for that matter.
 Chris' big "surprise" gift was The Lord of the Rings extended edition blu-ray trilogy that he'd been waiting for to come out. It wasn't actually released until the next week, but I had it all ordered and he got it in the mail the beginning of July.
 Very exciting. Sadly (not really), I've never even seen a Lord of the Rings movie.
My husband is quite passionate about it (the movie) which means I must be a really good wife (since I don't care to share in his passion) or else he is a bit of a sci-fi geek. Okay so maybe it's a little of both.
What can I say except that I have extreme ADD, especially when science fiction/fantasy is made into a three hour spectacle.
I just can't do it.
I'd rather sit and pluck my leg hairs.
Really.
Like I said, I'm a good wife.

Moving on...

A few weeks ago we hit up Thanksgiving Point Farm. Emmie was in LOVE with her pony ride.

And her pony.

She was pretty miffed to only ride 1x.

The girl can scream.

Parker loved feeding the ducks and I still have a bizarre love for the goats. We ate at the Emporium afterwards before Chris jetted off to work. I kind of love his schedule which 3 days a week allows us  to spend a whole half a day with him before he leaves for work. It's kind of awesome.

SWIMMING!

After our St. George trip it was evident that not only Parker needed swim lessons this summer, but fearless, water-obsessed Miss Emmie needed them as well. They pretty much seemed to dominate our June but the kids absolutely LOVED them. They were private lessons, but taught simultaneously at a private residence. They ended up being more of survival lessons - which wasn't made clear to me before signing up. So I can't say that they actually learned how to SWIM, but the object was for them to be able to get themselves safe on their backs and stay afloat. I am still not sure how well it worked, going off the fact that I had to jump in and save Emmie after her class one day while P had an extended class....yah, long story, but the headline would go something like this...
"Fully clothed prego mom jumps into swimming pool to rescue toddler at survival swim class who fell off stairs and failed to utilize her newly taught survival techniques"...
There ya go. I always wanted to be a journalist.
Anyways, she was completely fine (I watched it all happen so my graceful leap into the pool was instantaneous). Me?  A little peeved, I'm not gonna lie. Not at E, but that this was Lesson #12(!), and I wasn't loving driving home in sopping wet clothing... Despite this incident, she was actually really quick at picking up the skills they taught and a great little learner. Overall, I think the lessons were good.
Parker now thinks he wants to become a swimmer.
We'll see how that goes when he hits high school swim team and has to wear a Speedo.
(Shudder) 
No thanks.

A few weeks ago we had a torrential down pour that resulted in a full, beautiful rainbow. The kids were finishing their nightly bath when I noticed it out the window. After they got their jams on Chris and I couldn't resist letting them go outside to view it. By then it was fading but they were pretty excited at the sight. (Can you spot it?) Emmie dances to everything that makes her happy so she was out doing ballet moves with her wild woman, post-bath hair, welcoming the rainbow....

KIDS CAMP...

This cute teenage, brother and sister in our ward started "Camp Fun-Doolah" last summer for kids in our neighborhood. (Um, genius way for teenie boppers to make some summer cash!) Parker absolutely LOVES it. This year they are only running it in July and he's gone to every one so far. (They are just once a week, 3 hours long) They always do a theme and P comes home with all kinds of crafts. Can you guess that this week was pirate week?

And last of all, my belly has been concentrating really hard on looking like a watermelon this last month as I've entered into my 3rd tri....

P & E came home with balloons from the craft store one day and thought they were pretty hilarious to wear the balloons under their shirts to look like mommy. I finally snapped some pictures of them after the joke had gone on for several days....it does seem to be an accurate depiction...
We don't look so "big" from the front, but turn sideways.... and
YOWSERS!
Ah well, what can I do but laugh?
Believe it or not - for the record, I am measuring small...
I'm just sayin'. :)

Fourth of July!

I love the Fourth of July.
It could very well be my favorite holiday.
Summertime, patriotism, parades, BBQ's, good food & fun is what it's all about.
With no gift giving or receiving.
I like that part too. ;)
I think some of my favorite childhood memories stem from this holiday.

& these two little monkeys were so excited for the celebrations.
We embarked on Independence Day Eve in good old red white & blue fashion....



& by fashion, I really mean it.

(10 points if you can spot the naked baby)

Yes, Emmie wore her sparkly red Jessie boots to church on Sunday.

It's totally normal to wear dress up boots to church, isn't it?

I thought so. :)
Hey at least it wasn't a princess dress.

On the morning of the Fourth the kiddos in our neighborhood went on a bike parade.

If you tell me that's not cute, I don't know what is.

& check out these little twinsies.

Completely adorable, right?

& this little cutie was pretty pumped up herself.

Yes, the Jessie boots were of course a necessary accessory for the celebration!

This little guy went around the parade route twice. He was tired, but a trooper. & I can't believe we let him ride without his helmet. :/ I guess all rules fly out the window when there's a holiday...sad but true that sounds about right. I think Emmie ate about 20 cookies that day at both BBQ's we attended.
The first (BBQ) was with the neighborhood following the parade, the next with our friends and neighbors on our street.

Busy, busy day but so much fun!

& that night we had my Dad, Chris' brother Zach and sis Bethany and her husband Brett over for more treats and fireworks. This is the first time ever my kids have watched street fireworks. In previous years, they have always been long in bed by the time it's finally dark (with the exception of Stadium of Fire last year).

Parker was sooooo excited when Chris told him that he bought a box of 50 fireworks.
Parker kept saying, "Are you serious, Dad? Really? Are you kidding me?".
He was sooo looking forward to them, but it was Emmie who enjoyed them the most. She squealed and cheered for them, while P held his hands over his ears.
Later I even found him back sitting by the front door on our porch.
As I sat down beside him, his explanation was,
 "I just feel safer over here, Mom".
I love that he said that. :)
With all the aerial fireworks going off in every direction we looked (via the new lift of the law prohibiting them) I couldn't help but agree. It was very cool and exciting, but a little unnerving to me to say the least.

For such a cautious little boy, our P-Man sure does get hurt a lot.
Did you notice his his right eye?
I'll save that story for another day....

HAPPY FOURTH!!!

The Graduate

Parker's preschool graduation was on June 8th.



Isn't the graduate cute?;)


& aren't THEY cute? One of Parker's best buddies lives right across the street from us and these two blonde haired, blue-eyed amigos were in the same preschool class this year. Parker just adores Owen and going to school together made it even more fun for them.
Yes, they have the exact same tie on, and no, it wasn't planned! (& you may notice that P looks like a complete shrimp next to Owen...for the record, Owen is extra super tall for his age. and... on the contrary... as you can guess, P is not:)

Parker and his teacher, Miss Kristi.

P absolutely adored her. In fact, he adored everything about school. This kid is such a sponge and LOVES to learn. Our wake up call each morning is usually started with Parker's onslaught of never-ending questions, ranging from "What states have volcanoes?", to "How do the clouds in the sky hold all the rain?", to "If Obama is going to be our president for another year, why are they already having an election?"... I don't know about you, but I wasn't too interested in politics and earth science at the age of four... I'm telling you, this kid never stops chattering away with the questions & analysis of everything around him. His incessant curiosity has helped him to be one smart little dude (& leaves Chris and I desiring a little silence once in a while - I'm not gonna lie). Probably the most exciting thing he's learned this past year though is to begin reading. Nothing super complicated, just things like, "The cat sat on the bed", etc, but it's been really fun to watch him hit those milestones.
With a mid-July "swing" birthday, he could go either way as far as starting Kindergarten this year or next. Although we think he would do great academically if he were to start this year, and even fine socially, we feel it will be advantageous for him down the line to have that extra year of maturity under his belt during the teenage years if he is the oldest in his class opposed to the very youngest. Therefore, he'll be going back to get his Masters in Preschool this Fall! It's been a hard decision, but in the long run we feel it will be best for his future.

Back to the graduation....Parker sang his little heart out for the program. SO much fun to watch! Big thanks to Aunts Sarah and Bethany who came out for the big ceremony, as well as Grandpa Todd.
Gma and Gpa Hansen would have been there too but they were out of town!

Thumbs up to a great year of preschool! :):)

23 weeks

Yes, I am large, and just going to get larger.

But whatdoyado?

I just say enjoy the one time in life, besides your toddler/diaper days, that it's accepted and considered somewhat "cute" to have a protruding belly and equally growing back side.....

(....Talk to me in another 10 weeks though:/)

So here she is:

(Picture taken at 21 1/2 weeks)

Well, I am finally past the half way mark!

I experienced pretty intense morning/all-day sickness with this pregnancy right from the start, and it lasted all the way through last week (22 weeks). Yes, that was a past tense I used there...I think I am finally coming out of it (YAY!) - because I haven't been REALLY sick for a whole week now

(just a couple days but Zofran quickly came to my rescue).

 I'm really optimistic that the worst is behind me!

  Preterm labor set in  at 31 weeks with Emmie, so I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous of the prospect of repeating that scenario. I am really hopeful however that my body will hold out better this time around. Every pregnancy is different, right? :) Only time will tell.

I have been feeling her move for a couple months now, and sometimes I forget that she's even in there until I am jolted by her little kicks and somersaults. It really is such a miracle to have a little human being growing inside of you. What an amazing experience and so worth any amount of nausea/bedrest etc we might have to encounter along the way.

We have a few names in mind, and one in particular keeps floating through my head every time I think of her. We are still open to suggestions though so if you have any good ones, send them over! :) I love to hear what names people like... even though it's all so subjective. I'd really love to use a vowel name because I think they sound cutest with Emmie, but vowel starting or not, I'd love to hear what you think!;)

Just dance

As I've mentioned before, Emmie loooves to dance. She is always twirling from one place to the next.
Sooo...I decided to sign her up for a dance class this month at our local community center thinking that she would love it, and love is an understatement. She thinks it's the greatest! Parker is always the one going to soccer or preschool or something fun. She has wanted so badly to be a big kid and participate in her own thing, and I think (for the moment) we've found it!

Soccer Season

Parker's spring soccer season came to a close a few weeks back.
It felt more like winter soccer with the frigid spring we had here, and with a few of the games even being snowed out. But all in all Parker had a great time being on the field again. He had to stop playing after his September accident last Fall, so it was good to see him back at it again and having fun with his friends on the field.
Per his request, he is all signed up to play again next Fall, so I guess I am officially a soccer mom! He also threw in a request out of the blue that he would like to play T-Ball as well, so we'll have to look into it...although I am not sure that I want to be that scheduled up with a new baby coming in October...

Random happenings

I can't believe that the end of June is fast approaching.
Time flies when you're having fun...
and sick and pregnant....
and busy chasing kids and cleaning up the perpetual tornado wreckage they are so good at whipping out...
am I the only one that feels like I can't keep up with it all?

Anyhow, here are a few recent randoms...

 

Parker's last day of preschool was on June 9th! The (left) pic above is from "crazy hair day" at school. (That's as crazy as we could get in the 30 seconds we had before bounding out the door.) They also had a picnic at the park during his last week and a water day complete with a bouncy water slide. Parker LOVES to learn and absolutely loved everything about his preschool this year!

More on his graduation to come...

Another ending to a fun thing recently was our neighborhood playgroup for the summer. We feel so blessed to have soooo many awesome friends for our kids living right here on our dead end street, all within just a few houses of one another. While we don't love all aspects of our house (which we unfortunately felt so pressured to buy at the peak of the market, post our move back from AZ) we truly couldn't have found a better place or STREET for that matter to raise our kids on. Not to mention the beauty we are surrounded by and one of the best elementary schools in the state just down the road!
You just can't put a price on those things and we really love it here! 

Emmie often puts on one of her "pimpess" dresses and recruits her prince to be her dance partner. This girl loooves to dance and sing and we love to watch her. Parker is a great sport to go along with her and SUCH a good big brother! (most of the time...)
Good thing....
I think he has a lot of princess play time ahead of him with yet another sister on the way!

St George trip

The day before Mother's Day, we set out for an 8 day vacation to St. George and to visit my Mom and Reed.

We fit a lot in and had a great time!

Here are a few highlights:

We celebrated Mother's Day, got pedicures on my Mom's birthday (the 11th), had barbeques, Emmie got her manicure from Grandma J, bounced around at Jumpin' Jacks, and the kids went on a fun treasure hunt hosted by Grandma Jane.
 (& no those aren't antennas in Emmie's hair, just curlers:)
The first weekday we were there was cold and rainy, so we got brave and decided to utilize our day to the fullest by spending it  in Vegas, where the weather was a little warmer. Yes, we might be a little crazy to take our 2 and 4 year olds to Sin City, but I did have extra motivation in going (besides a visit to H&M). My Uncle is the mastermind behind many famous attractions in Las Vegas (& around the world), one of the most well-known being the fountain at the Bellagio Hotel. I thought the kids would love seeing it, and although we weren't situated in the best viewing spot, I was right - they loved it! Especially Parker who wanted to go back every 30 minutes to watch it go off. My Uncle Mark also did the volcano at the Mirage as well as his newest fountains there at the brand new Aria Hotel.
I also experienced my first shopping trip to the much-talked about H&M (loved it- 3 floors of great clothes at el cheapo prices- just my style!), ate lunch at Planet Hollywood, and had gelato in Caesars Palace. It was hard explaining to Parker that he couldn't play the slot machines as he thought he had just entered what appeared to be video game heaven, and maneuvering a double stroller around Vegas sidewalks and casinos isn't so easy. But I was glad we made trip... especially knowing that soon it will be a near impossible one to make. Two kids in Vegas was manageable, but three kids - forget about it!


(171/2 weeks prego in this pic)

My Mom and I also had another first and got spray tans... & let me just tell you - it.was. AWESOME!

So super fast (literally 5 minutes), easy (you just stand in your birthday suit and turn), and totally private (done in a Mystic Tan machine). If I had a lot of money I would do it every week, and I'm not a girl who loves to spend time in salons and spas. But everyone looks better with a little color, right?! The quick and easy part sells me for sure.

We also headed over to Zions one day and had a picnic. We went with the intention of doing a low key hike... but long story as to why that didn't happen. The picnic was fun though and the surroundings beautiful and it was just nice to be outside.

Baby farm animals, a kiddie ride and sno cones were a hit at the Cotton Festival.

But the highlight of the trip would have to be the time we spent at the community pool.
My kids are MANIACS for the water!
If it hadn't been too chilly some of the days, we could have gone here everyday, all day, and they would have been perfectly happy
 (& I would have been happy having the poolside nachos everyday and basking up some rays...).
Parker couldn't get enough of that big water slide and went down (with Chris) at least 10 times. Emmie was completely fearless and kept trying to jump right into the deep end which helped me realize that swim lessons would be necessity for her ( & P) this summer.
They (swim lessons) are are most current summer adventure.

It was a fun trip and great as always to spend quality time with the kiddos!

The Dentist

I finally took these little munchkins to have their teeth cleaned back in April, something that's been on my to-do list for a good two years now. Sadly, this was Parker's first (non-emergency) dental appointment!

Having worked for a few years in dentistry, I definitely know better than to neglect their bi-annual oral hygiene appointments!

Trust me when I say that I'm so ashamed of myself. :(

The good news?

See those pearly whites of his?

He gets to keep them! If you remember back to his little accident HERE a few months back, he had fractured his front tooth and there was a good possibility of having his two front teeth pulled. But new x-rays revealed that the fracture is healing without indication of infection.

So our cute little guy gets to keep his teeth! 

For now anyways. :) 

Funny that my kids are so well-behaved and compliant in places like the dentist - a place that typically you expect that your child might have a major meltdown... like the little girl in the chair next to them.

Not these two.

 You would have thought P and E were at a Four Season Resort Spa. They just laid there, didn't make a single peep for their entire appointments, completely cooperative - with zero bribes for incentives to behave. Amazing!

Take them to the grocery store on the other hand and it's a complete fiasco.

I don't get it.

The sad news was, that despite my flossing efforts, Mr. Dimple Cheeks candy-addict has two small cavities.

This little guy is going to cost us a lot of money, I just know it.

Not to vent, BUT (okay, to vent!)....

The ER bill from hitting his mouth 6 weeks prior was $750 out of pocket (RIDICULOUS! If I had known, I might have stitched it myself! :),

& in case you were wondering, just his life flight bill from last fall was $16,000. That's right. THREE zeros. & I won't bother to tally up for you his time in the ER in St. G, his two ambulance rides and 5 days up at Primary Childrens...

 Don't get me wrong, it was the best chunk-a-money we've ever spent... to preserve the health of our precious P-Man. For sure!

 But my point?

If we contine in this pattern, Chris will be taking on a second job, I'll have to scrounge up some talent to sell homemade goods on ebay (which would be kinda fun - if I had talent)....& we might be moving back to AZ for a cheaper mortgage...(which wouldn't be so bad...bye bye snow, hello swimming pool!:).

Let's just say that it's probably good that we're having another girl.... :)

 Did I really just divulge all that over two little cavities?

I must be prego or something.:)

Moving on to patient #2:

This little girl thank goodness had no bugs (aka cavities at our house), and enjoyed her dental experience so much that she asks to go back on a weekly basis.

Can we blame her?

Kicking back and watching a little Dora the Explorer on a ceiling-mounted television, in an oh-so-comfy chair while getting a pedicure was not so bad.

Not so bad at all. :)

Okay so there was no pedicure.