Future Hairstylist

Well, it was bound to happen sometime. Emily found a pair of scissors the other day and cut the hair on the left side of her hair all the way to the back of her ear. Notice the difference in the length of ther hair in the back and in the front. Those are not bangs. she has one piece of hair by her ear that is about 1 inch long. It took Emily 4 years to grow her hair as long as it was and I am afraid it will take another 4 years to get it long agiain. I will take her in February to try to get the "layers" that emily created blended in to her hair. Silly girl

My Babies Turned 4!

This post is kind of in reverse order of events because of the way the pictures uploaded, but oh well, at least I am getting this documented right? The twins got bicycles and helmets for their big birthday gift from Daddy, Mommy, Abigail, Grand Nan, and Papa. They were thrilled because they have grown out their tricycles and were dying to ride as fast as Abigail. Abigail was excited to have some buddies to ride around with. We took the girls to the stake center parking lot cause I wasn't sure how the twins would do their first time on a bike. They did awesome and picked up riding very quickly.
Of course our resident fashionista, Emily, had to make sure that her outfit matched the bike so she could ride in style.
Elizabeth was more concerned with how fast she could go.
Emily picked up riding very easily, but was very willing to pose for a picture.
After about 20 minutes of chasing Elizabeth to get a picture of her, I finally got this one. She didn't want to be bothered with picture taking while she was having fun.
The twins chose to have Lunchables for their birthday lunch and eat a picnic on a blanket while they watched cartoons (please excuse the very messy playroom- the kids were making memories, right?)
For birthday breakfast we had rainbow pancakes (an idea I got off of pintrest) the girls loved it and I think these may become a birthday tradition.
I had to wake the twins up for their birthday breakfast, they were almost too tired to eat, but I couldn't wait any longer or Abigail would have been late for school. Abigail loved helping me prepare the breakfast. She is such a good big sister most of the time.
Notice the shirt that Elizabeth is wearing. It is a dinosaur shirt that Heather and Shane got her. Liz loves dinosaurs and the boys in pre-school thought she was pretty cool with her dinosaur shirt.
For birthday dinner we had Macaroni & Cheese, BBQ Hot dogs, Salad, and pink lemonade and for dessert we had donuts. Of course we had to eat the dinner on fairy plates. Again, notice Elizabeth is wearing a Cars shirt that Heather and Shane gave her for her birthday. She switched between her cars shirt and her dinosaur shirt every other day until I had to sneak them away from her to be washed in the laundry.

We are sure glad these twins joined our family four years ago. These last four years have been a blurr, but I wouldn't change it for anything.

A Rolling Birthday

Today we celebrated the twins birthday at the local skating rink. We just invited Heather and Shane and Grandma and Grandpa Ralphs and the twins very best friend from church Isabelle. The twins had a blast and I think that was the cheapest and easiest birthday party I have ever done. I am really into cheap and easy these days. Heather and Shane took Emily around the rink a few times so she could get the hang of things.

Abigail and Isabelle enjoy the cupcakes.

Make A Wish!

Getting practice with Isabelle in the little-kid area.

Grandma used to be quite the show-stopper on skates in her younger days and she gave Abigail some of her skating secrets, which helped Abigail gain confidence and improve by the end of the day.
Miss Independent
Opening Gifts!
Pretty Tinkerbell Cake from Wal-Mart
Happy 4th Birthday Elizabeth Claire
Always willing to pose for the camera - Abigail
Happy 4th Birthday Emily Celia
Best Friends Forever!

Too Soon

So among our many New Year's Resolutions is being more consistent with our family scripture study. I gave the twins their own Book of Mormon this morning on the way to church because they had their first day in sunbeams. We decided that Darin would be in charge of making sure that family scripture study happens every night as I am already feeling like my cup is full with other family responsibilities. Darin gave a nice kid-friendly introduction of the Book of Mormon and then we started at the beginning with 1st Nephi Chapter 1. Right in the middle of reading we look over and Elizabeth is "texting" with her scriptures closed. I didn't think I would have to impose a "no texting during scripture study" rule on a three-year old, but I guess I do. I had to snap a pic though before I asked her to put the phone away because I may not think this is so cute when she is 14. In the Book of Mormon Class Member Study Guide there is a quote from Marion G. Romney that I was really touched by. It says, "I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who swell theirn. The spirit of reverence will increase, mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom.Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity - the pure love of Christ - will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness." When I read this quote from president Romney, it was like an answer to a prayer. I have been racking my brain trying to think of a way for us to have a more peaceful home, and there was the answer. "Read the Book of Mormon, Duh!" Man, I am a slow learner. I hope to keep president Romney's promise in mind when I start to get a little distracted and make this the year we finish the Book of Mormon as a family.

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year

So, for our Christmas gift to each other Darin and I got a new bed. I am so thrilled. We have been sleeping on an old queen mattress on the floor for a while now and we were waking up every morning with a backache. We found this bed frame, night stand, and two matching dressers for a really good price. They were the perfect color and style! We found a new mattress at a Mattress Outlet and it is so comfortable. I have slept better in the last week than I have all year! My favorite thing besides the bed of course is the fire place / entertainment center that fits perfect in the little nook in our room. I love it! Such a wonderful thing to have during the winter time. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year full of good nights of sleep in 2012!!

Here's to a NEW YEAR

So, 2009 started off well, but quickly went down hill in a hurry. We had lots of sickness, and worst of all Darin was laid off in April of 2009 from IBM. There was also ALOT of extra drama that we delt with and it was a tough year. 2010 didn't get any better, in fact, it got worse, we moved twice across the country and delt with alot of emotional issues and adjustments. I was certainly happy to kiss 2010 good buy last New Year's Eve. 2011 started off with a bang with us moving into our new house on January 3rd of 2011. The year went well over all, lots of adjustments, but more stability in our lives. 2011 was not without it's stresses, but we still fared better than 2010 that's for sure. I feel like we are on our way up for 2012 and I am excited about it. On Friday, Darin got a full-time job offer with Salmon River Stages, a local trucking company. I think he finally feels like he has found something he likes doing, that pays pretty decently for this area of the country, and that works for our family. I am hoping that this lasts for awhile and we can have some job stability in our lives. We love our house, we are finally making some friends and feel like we are fitting in with our ward and community, and Darin has a stable job. Yippee!!! Here's to hoping that 2012 brings some peace and harmony to our lives.