I wasn't going to blog about this, but I decided to for a few reasons, one of which is the fact that this is one way to let people we care about but don't see often know what is going on in our lives.
I have been called to be the Primary President in our ward. I am still very overwhelmed and unsure about it. I have never served in primary at all before with the exception of being in the nursery the last few months, (which I loved and am really sad to leave) and that doesn't really count.
I know that this is where I am supposed to be and am grateful for the opportunity to serve and am excited to get to know my counselors, who I don't really know. I have been touched by the kind words of encouragement from others this last week. It is always so nice to have that little boost from people who I look up to and admire.

Upcycled

Check out these boring barstools that came from a friend...





And then turned into these cool little footstools/extra seating!

Sticky Gum on the Wall

Tyler, like most big brothers, likes to tease his sisters. One of the ways he does that is to make up names for Brenna and Braelynn like Hans Solo, Alfredo and other random things. They don't seem to mind and so neither do I. I think they love the attention he gives them.
On Sunday, he called Braelynn Petroleum Jelly. She turned to him and I could just see by the expression on her face that she was thinking about something. She said "gum...sticky gum..sticky gum on the wall"! Of course that brought about tickles and laughter from them and then eventually laughter for the whole family. He is such a good brother to them. He takes care of the them, reads them books and helps them out. Last night for FHE he helped Braelynn prepare and give her lesson. He did a great job and it was very heart warming to see him help teach her the gospel that he is gaining a testimony of.

Rube Golberg

I don't know if I spelled that right...I am still a little in the dark as to why it is called Rube Golberg, if that is how it is said or why we ended up doing one!
Veronica had a physics fair last week and took third place! She chose to do a Rube Golberg design. I gladly handed over all the parent responsibilities over to Joe on this one! Veronica drew up the design and between the two of them they brainstormed, built, tested and re-tested the project. Her goal was to pop a balloon using marbles and dominoes. It was fun to watch them work together and see the end result.
Congratulations, Veronica!

Birthday Girls

Brenna and Braelynn turned 5 this week! I am sure all the moms out there know about the excitement of a child before their birthday party but times that by two...I don't know if it was because the party wasn't until the afternoon or because I had tons of other things going on yesterday or the fact that Brenna was up at 6:15 AM asking to decorate or just because there were two of them and one of me. I thought I would go crazy with all of the excitement those two produced.
They wanted a Strawberry Shortcake party so we made cute invitations, passed them out and then started looking for Strawberry Shortcake stuff. And. Found. Nothing. I had just decided to go with a red, pink, and green theme when Aunt Cristie and Cousin Amanda came to the rescue. Brenna and Braelynn mentioned to Amanda on the phone that they were having a Strawberry Shortcake party and then that I couldn't find any decorations. I got a phone call the next day saying they found some things and were sending them our way! They sent a fun banner, streamers, tablecloth, a game and some other decorations.
Since there are 9 kids in their preschool group I told them they could either invite preschool friends or other neighborhood/family friends but not both. They chose to invite the preschool friends. It was sad to leave out all the other ones but I just was not up to the 20 kid party.
When I asked them what kind of cake they wanted Brenna was very specific. She wanted cheesecake (That's my girl!) with cut up strawberries around the sides and two strawberries on top with a Strawberry Shortcake doll on top. When I went to the store to find a doll there were none left and none were being ordered. After some frantic searching of the shelves I found a package that had one in it. It wasn't the $5 one I wanted but I counted that as part of their birthday present and went with it.
Braelynn just wanted a strawberry cake with frosting. We found Strawberry Shortcakes friend, Lemon Merange to go with the cake and decorated it accordingly.
Sometimes when I watch them together I can't believe I was so worried about having twins. They bring so much joy to our family. I love how they hold hands randomly, even when playing soccer. They have never fought like I thought they would. They have little spats once in a while but not very often.
We have always teased (out of their earshot) that Braelynn is Brenna's conscience and helps her to make good choices but I saw a new side of them recently when they were registering for kindergarten. Braelynn got a little nervous and hesitated for a few minutes while she remembered how to spell her name and Brenna jumped in trying to help her. The same when she thought j was i.
They looked so cute in their new dresses that Grandma gave them. They will choose a dress to wear every day if they have one clean and then leggings. Jeans are only chosen as a last resort.
Happy Birthday Girls!
Braelynn




Brenna

L-O-V-E

One of the moms in our mom-taught preschool group also teaches her own music group, Center Stage Music (I think). She taught them a song to sing at the recital. I am sure everyone knows this song and it was so cute to watch these kids perform it. Like most 4 year-olds Brenna and Braelynn love to sing. Especially Braelynn. I can usually tell where in the house she is by following the singing voice. Brenna loves to be on stage performing. It was fun to count down with them until the day of their performance. They told everyone they knew and even quite a few strangers about their upcoming performance. After they got done singing and sat back down with us to watch the rest of the program, Brenna climbed on my lap and repeatedly gave me hugs and kisses asking me to tell her how good she did.
Here is the video if you are interested. Brenna is in the black and white polka dot shirt and Braelynn is next to her in the white dress with ruffles on the bottom.

Weekend Away

I wanted to post about our weekend away. Every year Joe's work has a golf tournament in Mesquite, Nevada where he can golf either free or really inexpensive and we can get a hotel really inexpensive, also. The last two years we have taken advantage of this and spent a night or two away from the kids.
Last year was fast, a quick evening trip down and then back the next evening but this year we were able to get two nights. While I was down there, I was thinking (as I often do) about how important it is for couples to get away and how lucky I was to have that option.
We try to make a weekend a year without kids. I am blessed to live only 1 1/2 hours away from my parents and they always seem willing to take them for us, which I am very grateful for. Without them I don't think it would happen. While I am talking about them, I also wanted to mention how they try to come over for the kids' performances and activities whenever they can. It usually means that they have to leave right after work and then get home late in the evening. The kids always love it when any of their grandparents come and they feel so special.
Besides the fact that it is in Mesquite (don't really love that place..) it is perfect. He gets to golf, I get a few hours by myself and then we have the rest of the time together. We also were able to hang with my brother Alma and his cute wife, Matti. Alma golfed with Joe and Matti and I got some quality time laying by the pool and chatting. They taught us how to play Bingo, probably the funnest thing to do in a casino.
In all, it was the perfect weekend spent with my best friend!