Anna's Rapunzel Birthday

     Annalyn had a hard time coming up with a theme for her birthday party this year. At first she wanted another bear party, then a butterfly party, then a ducky party, then a Rapunzel party, then a Cinderella party, then a butterfly party, then she finally settled on a Rapunzel party. Her main requests were to have a pinata, go on a train ride, have a treasure hunt, and to make some princess crowns. I wasn't so sure about driving the train around our little subdivision but Joel told her he would make that work.

     For the pinata this year we just painted an oatmeal box and decorated it so it looked like Rapunzel's tower. Anna also had a hard time deciding who to invite to this party. She really wanted her aunt Alesha to come and she kept giving her a bad time about missing her last birthday party so Alesha drove over from Rexburg so she could come to Anna's birthday party. Anna also wanted to invite her sisters and her family and several of Brynlee's friends. We invited Josie who is older than Brynlee but she is one of Anna's favorite people. We invited her cousin Jakobee and Anna's friend Keira but Keira couldn't come. We invited one girl from our new ward who is older than Anna but she was the only other person Annalyn wanted to invite. The girl from our ward had a birthday party the day before Annalyn did so Annalyn got to go to her party too. For the invitations I had Anna color some pictures of Rapunzel and we glued them to a card that we wrote inside. I made everything pretty simple for her. Annalyn's only request for a cake was that it be pink and she wanted it to be a circle. That was easy enough. She wanted to help decorate it so I let her and Brynlee do most of the decorating. Brynlee said the cake looked like the greatest cake ever and I think Anna was pretty proud of it. I wrote the words and helped a little but they did most of the decorating.

     We started out the party by decorating our crowns. I hid the cake and had a treasure hunt set up where the kids had to perform all of these different tasks to they could get the next clue that would help them find the cake. I lined the stairs with crepe paper to make it look like Rapunzel's hair and the kids had to climb up the hair to the top of the tower, aka, the bonus room. Then I had Alesha come up and she pretended to be a bad guy that the kids had to tie up with Rapunzel's hair. They really got into that. Alesha gave them the next clue which told them that they needed to untie her. They liked that too. Their next task was to play a quick game of pin the nose on Flynn Ryder. Annalyn colored the poster for me. One of Anna's friends ended up missing the poster completely and stuck her nose on the wall. Annalyn started balling about that. She ran to Alesha and told her "that was so rude. She ruined my party!" It took Anna a long time to calm down. Jakobee didn't want to put the blind fold on so I just gave him a nose and he put it on the wall as well. I don't think they got that game.

     After the games we went out for a train ride. Joel took them for a good fifteen minute ride and the kids had a blast. I tried to get Kyla to go for a ride in the train the night Joel brought it home and she would not even let me get near the train, she was so scared of it. Alesha rode with her on this ride and she was pretty scared of it and cried for me at first but by the end of the ride she did not want to get off. She has gone on it by herself since then and begged to ride it everyday since. We did the pinata after that. Jakobee was the one to break it open. Really he just broke off the top of the pinata so Joel took the lid off of the oatmeal box and dumped the candy out. Annalyn didn't get her bag completely filled with candy so she cried about that for a while. Josie had to leave by then but the rest of us went inside for a dance party. 

     After our dance party we found the cake that was hidden in Anna's room. Then we let Anna open her presents. She loved everything she got. We got her a pony surprise since that is what she asked for. My mom took her shopping and let Anna pick out her own dress and she even got some new shoes. She loved the extra time and attention from Grandma. My mom said Anna tried on several dresses, twirled in each one, and spent a great deal of time admiring herself in the mirror. When it came time to open her present from grandma she got really concerned because she already knew what it was. "I should have never seen this!' she wailed. She was not happy that the surprise was ruined. 

     We ended Anna's party with cake and ice cream and then it was time for everyone to go home. I think Anna had a pretty great party and she was one happy little girl. 

     Anna's real birthday was the next day which was a sunday and she was real confused about why she was having a birthday again. "How old am I going to be this time?" she questioned. I tried to explain about how she just had a party and that tomorrow was really her birthday and she got really mad. She kept crying about how "We never should have broken my pinata. This is terrible. Now we have to make a new one!" She really wanted me to make her a new pinata because she really thought she needed one for her birthday. My grandma made a little cake for Anna at her house and we ate that the next day. In the end we sang to her again and let her blow out some candles off of the cake grandma made her but that was it. She wanted to know where the rest of her presents were and she was a little disappointed that she didn't get a whole bunch. My aunt did get her a little something so that made things much better and in the end she was pretty happy and had another great day.

Annalyn is Four!

     Miss Anna has officially turned four. She has really been a challenge for me lately but she is seriously the sweetest and most cuddly girl you will ever meet. If you give her a little bit of attention she will sit right in your lap and be your best buddy. She can play by herself and keep herself entertained no matter where we are. She has the best imagination and is super content to just stay home and play with her toys. She loves it the most when Brynlee plays with her but she is starting to play with Kyla a little bit. If Kyla gets in the way of a toy she wants then Anna pushes Kyla out of the way and is rough with her. If her sisters are not around then Anna likes to just play by herself. We tried to have a friend over to play and they played well together at first but then they ended up playing in separate rooms all by themselves. The friends Annalyn likes to play with the most are Brynlee's friends. I had an interview with Annalyn so here are the facts she told me about herself. 

Facts About Annalyn:
Favorite Color: Pink
Favorite Movie(s): All of the princess movies 
Best Friends: Keira, Brynlee, Kyla Mae, and Josie
Favorite Thing to do: Jump on the Trampoline
Favorite Food(s): Chicken Nuggets and French fries and Tater tots
Favorite Song: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Favorite Toys: My chickie and my duck (her stuffed animals) and polly pockets
Favorite Games: Hide and Go Seek, Duck Duck Goose, and The Animal Game (animal charades)
Favorite Book: Sleeping Beauty that I got from the library
Favorite Animals: Ducks 
Favorite thing to do with Family: Play with them
What she want to be when she grows up: A mommy
Height: 40.25 in. (72%)
Weight: 39 lb. (48%)

     Lately every time Annalyn does not get her way, she runs to her room and cries dramatically until someone comes in and talks to her. If she gets in trouble she does the same thing. She gets upset pretty easily and cries a lot. She is also one of the loudest kids I know. She cannot whisper. This new house echoes so I can hear Annalyn playing no matter where I am at. At church Joel and I are constantly trying to get her to whisper. She is not good at it. Annalyn is also good at making messes and is terrible at cleaning them up. She likes to play in the water in the bathroom and I caught her in there several times painting my counters with toothpaste with her toothbrush. 

     Annalyn still loves all stuffed animals, pretend animals, and dolls to play with. She is really good at puzzles and is great at coloring. She loves all things pink and sparkly. She likes to line up her shoes and get herself dressed in the morning. Some of her outfit choices are pretty crazy. She has also learned how to do her own pony tail and she likes to surprise me by getting dressed and fixing her hair all on her own. Her ponytails are getting better but at first she would make them without brushing her hair. I had a hard time letting her go to church with her hair in the little ponytails she made but since she was completely convinced that she looked beautiful, I just let it go and she felt pretty proud of herself.  

      Annalyn has gotten really good at writing the letter A and she likes to write them on all of her papers. She can write all of the other letters in her name as well except she still struggles with the Y. She still struggles with the ABC song and with saying some of her letters but she has improved a lot in the last year. 

     Annalyn likes to play outside and she has gotten pretty good at riding her little scooter. Whenever we ride it to the park she has to stop and rest several time and she usually ends up climbing in the wagon on the way home. She still does somersaults all over our living room and everywhere else we go. Somersaults are often her preferred mode of transportation. 

     Annalyn can be pretty stubborn once she has made her mind up about something but for the most part she is a pretty easy going kid. She has taught me to slow down and enjoy life to its fullest. She takes her time with stuff and is never in a hurry. She enjoys staying home but it usually up for any adventure that everyone else wants to do. She is quick to laugh and smile when she is happy and she makes our home a much brighter and happier place. We all love this girl a lot and we feel pretty lucky to have her in our family. 

Kyla 21 Months

  My baby just keeps growing and is really not a baby anymore. She will be two in just a few short months. Kyla still likes to tell me she is my baby and then she snuggles up in my arms so I can rock her like a baby. She is a pretty cuddly girl. When she wants something she just looks at me with these cute little eyes and tilts her head all nice and cute and says "peas." I have a hard time not giving into her every request. Here are Kyla's 21 month pictures for this month. She was pretty cooperative this time and didn't have a problem laying still for me. She really is such a great little toddler. She is easy to take places with me and I can usually count on her to be pretty good. Granted she has her moments and church has been hard. She can not be quiet at church, but whenever I take her to the library or to the store I can count on her to just sit and watch what is going on. She likes to just sit and observe the world around her.

     Kyla still sucks on her left thumb all the time, she calls it her "numb." Then her little right hand is either rubbing her belly or her ear or her neck, although usually it is her belly that she likes to rub. Let's just hope she stops that habit before her permanent teeth come in. 

     Kyla has got a pretty great little vocabulary and she likes to talk. She gets shy around other people but at home she talks all day. She is pretty good at saying "peas" and "tank you." She is using full sentences and tells me things like "mom, I tirsty" and she will tell me to "watch dis" all the time before she does some kind of a trick. She also like to tell me "I need dat," usually while she is running away with my phone or taking away the pen I was just using. She asks me "why" All The Time. Lately that has been her response every time I tell her something. I took her with me to my last doctor appointment and my doctor was super impressed with her vocabulary. She said the "why phase" should not start until she is at least two or three. Kyla loves to give hugs and kisses and will ask us for "ugs and tisses" before bed every night. She will also tell us "I wub you," and it just melts my heart. She is the sweetest girl. She still loves to read books and will often request that we "tount" (count) all of the pictures on the pages. She then tries to count with me. There are usually a lot of twos and sixes in her counting. Kyla likes to pretend to eat all of the food on the pages of the books as well. Whenever we ask her what color of something she wants she usually says "purp" and can identify the purple things about half of the time. 

     Kyla loves to let me fix her hair and she likes playing outside and helping dad. She is still great at helping to pick up messes. Kyla will not stay off of my kitchen counters and keeps climbing up in my pantry to get the food I try to hide from her. She prefers to eat with big people cups and utensils and she uses them really well. I just have to watch her because as soon as she is done eating she has started to play with her food. She likes to dump her water on her plate or put all of her food into her cup.  As soon as I start making dinner Kyla runs for the table and climbs up into her seat. She usually has to sit there for a long time and she does not wait patiently. She eats most of what we prepare for her still but she prefers all things sweet. Her favorite snacks are oranges and fruit snacks. I quit buying fruit snacks for a while because I could not get her to stay out of them and she would just cry for a long time when I wouldn't give them to her. 

     Kyla is not at all afraid of heights. She climbs up the tall slide at the park with no fear and we went to this play place that had all of these tall things to climb and play in. Annalyn was super hesitant about climbing up there. Brynlee lead the way and Kyla followed right behind her the whole time. She was scared of the mechanical moving cars and things and would not let me even get close to them but she had no problem climbing to the top of the playground equipment. 

     Kyla is still scared of dogs and most animals. She likes to get her teeth brushed, say the prayer, and read scriptures by copying what her mom or dad says. I am usually pretty impressed with how well she can pronounce the big words from the scriptures. Kyla says she needs to go potty every time Brynlee or Anna say they need to go. Then Kyla runs with them to the bathroom and has to sit on the big potty, flush the toilet, and wash her hands. She doesn't actually use the potty chair but at least she likes to sit on it. I will often find Kyla in the bathroom getting a drink right out of the faucet or playing in the water in there. Last night she stuck her feet in the sink and her legs were soaked. 

     Kyla is finally sleeping in her own bed through the night and she is falling asleep in there for her naps and at night all by herself. It was no easy task making that happen. Joel and I spent hours for at least a week up with her constantly coming out of bed. She would beg for a story, a "dink," or for a "rock." When I would tuck her back in she would pat her pillow and beg me to lay by her. Then she would crawl in Brynlee's bed and get Brynlee to read her books. She kept keeping Brynlee up. We tried staggering their bedtimes but Kyla just took so long to fall asleep. Even now Joel and I can often hear Kyla talking in her room for an hour or two after we put her in bed and she still likes to climb in bed with Brynlee sometimes. I am glad Bryn is a pretty good sport about sharing a room with her little sister. Those girls really loves each other. 

     Kyla knows and can say the names of everyone in our family. She calls for "Binlee and Nana" all the times and loves to play with them. Kyla and Anna play together a lot when Brynlee is at school. They really love to draw pictures together. Kyla is very intense when she colors and I am always amazed at how long she will sit and paint or write. She likes to pretend she is drawing a "Art" (heart) and can identify a heart and a star shape. Kyla also loves to wait for Brynlee to come home from the bus and is sure to get a hug from her right away. Kyla does not like having to share attention from her mom and every time Brynlee or Anna tries to sit on my lap she tries to push them off and tells them "dat my pot." (That's my spot.) I am a little worried about how she till handle having a baby sister in a few months. She loves babies and is usually pretty gentle with them but last time I held another baby she was not happy with me. She tried to climb right on my lap with the baby.  

Kyla is a pretty fun little girl to be around and we sure do love her. 

February 2016

     Another month has come and gone and we are feeling good and all moved into our home. We are adjusting to our new schedule and our new house. Although little Kyla is still not loving her new bed. We did some crafts to get ready for Valentines' Day during the last week of January. The girls all love painting and each painted several hearts. We also spent lots of time painting with watercolors and making Valentine's Cards. We had fun celebrating the holidays.

     We went to the park a few times and played outside a little this month. Joel is working on the yard so the kids can play out there more but he had to spend a lot of his time working on his trucks. His little buggy was having problems so he had to do some work on his four runner so he could drive it while he did the extensive work needed for his other truck.  He had to get an emissions test on his four runner and on the way to get one his truck overheated. Needless to say the truck did not pass so he has got to work on his truck some more. Our yard is pretty muddy but the kids still love playing on the big rock pile. Really they can entertain themselves with just about anything.

     On the days when it was too cold to go outside the girls played a lot upstairs in the toy room. I love that room. It is a complete mess but at least the mess is out of the way. The girls also enjoy reading books and playing pretend. We did some cooking together, the girls love to help me in the kitchen. Joel likes to make cookies with them after church on Sundays and they love doing that. Annalyn keeps trying to sneak toys downstairs and she likes to line everything up and organize. I have been getting more and more uncomfortable and tired during the day with this pregnancy so I am grateful that the kids all play well together. 

     My camera was acting funny so a lot of the picture I took lately have turned our blurry. The girls all wanted me to curl their hair several days this month. Kyla's was too short to curl so she had to settle for some pony tails. I sure do loves these girls like crazy. They have been pretty challenging lately. Annalyn has had a hard time at church. The last Sunday of the month I picked her up from her class and she was throwing a major temper tantrum. She kept saying, "I hate this church. I want to go to my nursery at my old church. I am never coming to this church again." She protested a little but went to church just fine the next week. Still she has not been listening and getting into lots of trouble lately. Kyla is still struggling with her new bed, and Brynlee has been super bossy lately. Despite all of the challenges I love these girls with all my heart and really enjoy spending my days with them. Joel has been home so much more and he is such a big help to me. I am lucky to have him.