Big Day - August 26th

First day of first grade! It will be an adjustment for all of us for her to be gone from 8am to 3pm! That's such a long day. I found myself looking at the clock a lot throughout the afternoon.

It was nice to see that there were still a lot of parents hanging around and watching as their student got settled. I know that will wear off as the years go by, but I was definitely one of those parents. And I started to tear up just a little bit as she sat there at her desk, ready for me to leave. I love her. How time will fly.

Charlotte and Eloise and I had our first Activity Time of the fall season, the Letter H. It feels good to be back into a routine with activity time again since I stopped doing it the last few weeks of summer. Eloise surprised me and wrote an H all by herself!

The kids and I spent the afternoon outside, missing Hazel.

Hazel LOVED school and she really seemed to enjoy gymnastics too which I was worried about. Somehow we squeezed in a violin practice and then Family Night! Busy busy day. We did Phippsite Nite, acting out the story of Zeezrom and Alma and Amulek. I have such a great husband.

August 21st - 25th

Belly shot at 26 weeks.

Tonight was Hazel's back-to-school night! We were excited to meet her Spanish immersion teacher from Spain, Mrs. Garcia.

Naturally we had to celebrate at Riverdale's new In-n-Out Burger.

Curtains are up, we have a new couch that I found lightly used on KSL that is wipable leather (yeah!), and I also bought some colorful new pillows. Loving our new front room.

Sometimes Hazel leaves us little love notes when we go out on a date; I love it. I made a commitment  to attend the temple once a week for the duration of my pregnancy in an attempt to increase the spirit in my life. I've been preparing some names of my own from the Dorsey line as well as doing some work from Grandpa Leonard. Tonight, David and I went to the Bountiful temple for sealings and it was PACKED. Luckily we made it in and I was able to be sealed for a women named Cinderella. I couldn't wait to tell Hazel.

Zucchini bread!

Four little birds.

Yet another Sunday dessert, as a reward for my endurance.

Weber county library book sale. Have to say I really look forward to this every single year because I score the best books!!

After the book sale, Hazel and I went on a mommy-daughter back to school date for some clothes and a lunchbox. Can't believe she'll be in first grade.

August 19th - 21st

Hazel wrote a dance routine for Charlotte. She drew the moves and wrote "DAN!" at the end, which was pronounced, "Done."

It's Monday! I've been trying to get the house cleaned so that I can start in on some major nesting projects, but the whole getting the house clean first part is proving to be very difficult.

Who says you can't scrub the bugs off the front of the car in a tutu??

We were so proud of our hard work that we decided to go out for ice cream. And we ate very bite.

Some projects I have completed...I turned this cupboard into a pantry since I really want one:) I bought these beautiful Fido jars that make our snacks look fancy and nice and I'm pleased with out it turned out. I moved our plates and bowls into the hutch. 

When David and I were engaged, we registered at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and the first thing I went to  scan with our little scanners was china. David felt VERY strongly that we shouldn't waste our gift money on such a superfluous thing. We ended up putting our scanners down and coming back at a better time. He eventually won, and we bought a box of cheap dishes that we've used for the past seven years, with the hope that we'd buy real china one day in Portugal or something. Well, then I found these beautiful dishes for practically the same price as our seven-year old dishes in a box, and decided they were just as good as Portuguese china. At least semi-comparable. Thank you, IKEA.

My favorite go-to activity for toddlers.

We love our walks here in Ogden. This is our last week of summer together! I really enjoyed the swim lessons the girls have been taking over the past few weeks at Lorrin Farr. It was fun to see them progress and enjoy it and have some one on one with my babies. Eloise won't really let me do her hair anymore, except for the occasional pigtails that eventually get pulled out. She only wears swimsuits or princess dresses and is very fond of her princess panties. But overall, she is quite independent and plays well on her own. She likes to carry her favorite toys around with her everywhere, a trait that Edison is catching onto. And Edison loves shoes. That was one of the major challenges at swim lessons was keeping him from running off with someone's flip-flop which meant I had to find it's match.

The kids were playing in the backyard and Edison had such a full diaper that got wet, that we took it off. Then he was so darn cute that we just kept it off. Because, is there anything better than a baby tush??

Heading down the slide, commando style!

August 9 - 16--add pic from dentist

Somehow David convinced Hazel to let him try to pull out her dead tooth with pliers. Didn't work.

My mom came into town on Friday and we took the kids to the children's museum at Gateway. 

Do you see Edison's cheese?

Fun night at North Shore aquatic center. It was a party thrown by an insurance guy we used once and we actually won an ice cream maker!

Lately, Edison gives us this super cheesy grin whenever we tell him to smile!

New sand in the sandbox! After the neighbor's cat defiled it.

Just a few days left of summer.

The front room is coming right along and I'm loving it.

Goofballs. P.S. Hazel told me the other night that she wants to be a horseback rider, a singer, and a surfer when she grows up.

On Wednesday, I took the girls to the dentist, which was good timing for Hazel's dead tooth. He actually advised that we leave it alone and let it fall out on its own, which I think Hazel was a little bummed about because she thought he might pull it out for her. Eloise bravely jumped into the seat and was wonderful all during her cleaning! She did fine sitting next to me while her sisters had their teeth cleaned (Edison was napping at home--thank goodness). And then, as sometimes happens, all HELL broke loose. Eloise started swinging her goodie bag at her sisters and wouldn't stop after several warnings so I had to take it away. And when Ellie loses it, there's almost nothing I can do to bring her back. Luckily, all the cleanings were done and we were just waiting to meet with the actual dentist, so I left Hazel and Charlotte there by the dentist chair and took Ellie, who was kicking and screaming at the top of her lungs, outside. It was there that she kicked off her shoes and peed her pants, which made me feel so sad (genuinely) for her because I know she didn't do it on purpose like Hazel used to. I stayed out there with her, trying everything to calm her and wondering what on earth I was going to do. Finally, I picked her up and carried her into the bathroom and tried to clean her up, which was close to impossible since she was pushing me away. I carried her back to where the girls were and spoke quickly to the dentist, who was so very understanding, about the girls' teeth. One of the assistants even tried to help with Eloise while the dentist peeked quickly at her teeth ("since her mouth is open anyway because she's screaming" he said). Then we left. Wow.

Wednesday night we took Charlotte on her hard-earned date for filling out her CTR shield! She chose a movie and a treat, so we saw Monster's University and she chose popcorn and a soda, with some encouragement from her Dad. And she tooted during one of the quietest parts of the movie. 

She made sure to save some popcorn for her sister.

Taping her mouth closed to "Dr. Haze" can hear her heartbeat better.

Look at that face.