Random pictures....

One night this week after homework had been done and bath time was over, Sydnie decided it was time to "teach" Jeff how to write. She got out the crayons and markers and gave him several demonstrations. The first demo was how to hold the marker correctly. The second demo was how to draw curved lines. And last, but most important was her explanation about not panicking if you made a mistake or didn't know how to do it correctly. She would give him an example of what would happen if you panicked (yelling and getting upset) and how to do it without the panic. It was hysterical. Her teacher must talk a lot about "don't panic", because it was the first time we've ever heard that in our house. Coming from Sydnie made it that much funnier.

This one is especially for Grandma Judy. She loves to tell a story about when I was little and I snuck behind the drapes and colored on the wall. When I was done with my masterpiece, I asked from behind the drapes how to spell "Hailey didn't do it". So, when Peyton discovered this under her desk I couldn't do anything but laugh, grab the camera and think of Grandma Judy. Isn't it just beautiful! When I asked Sydnie why she had drawn all over the underside of Peyton's desk she simply said, "because I couldn't find any paper". It was a perfectly logical answer to my question. I was just happy it was washable and not on my living room wall. :-)

It looks like she was practicing her letters. I can make out an E, S, L and a backwards J.

Go ahead and laugh Grandma Judy. I know you're enjoying all of the pay back I get from Sydnie.

These are blankets Grandma Vickie made for the girls for their birthdays. They love them and have them on their beds. They really are adorable! Sydnie's has the cutest cupcakes.

Peyton's has hearts.

Two silly sisters....

We decided now that Peyton is eight and her blanket was a pile of rags, it would be a good time to retire the beloved pink blanket from when she was a baby. Anytime we talked about it with her she would get very emotional, so I decided to take her to Build a Bear and use the blanket as stuffing in an animal. Now the blanket is safely tucked inside this new pink bear (of course it had to be pink) and she was much happier about parting with the blanket.

This little lady was very cute with Peyton and helped her stuff her bear with stuffing and parts of her blanket so it felt just right.

Then she got to pick a heart and had to rub it so it would have lots of love inside it.

She had to make a special wish before putting it inside.

Then the last piece of blanket went in before it was all sewn up.

This was the finished product. Notice the pink, suede boots with fringe on them. She had to have them. Keep these in mind as you scroll down to Sydnie's creation..... My little Peyton is so much like her aunt Kristy.

More silly sisters on a different day....

Jeff took Sydnie to Build a Bear for her birthday. She picked a monkey and of course it had to be dressed like a princess.

Here she is in all her glory. Sydnie even named the monkey Sydnie on the birth certificate they give you.

She always has to pick out the fanciest shoes for her animals. Last year with my mom she picked out sparkly red shoes like Dorothy's from the Wizard of Oz. Why the need to pick the fanciest shoes?

Well, so she can wear them, of course! She's a little miss matched, but she didn't care. Notice the big toe sticking out of the black one.

Now here's a view from the side...... She will put them on and walk or run all over the house. She actually asked me if we could go for a walk around the block in them one night. Oh, she makes me laugh.

I hope you enjoyed some random pictures and had some laughs. These girls of mine crack me up.

Sydnie's birthday

Wow, I can't believe it has been 3 weeks since the girls started school. Time goes by so quickly when the girls are gone and the house is quiet. They are both enjoying school and making lots of new friends. Sydnie turned 5 on Monday and here are some pictures of her day.


I always make cinnamon rolls (ok, they're Rhodes, but I bake them...) for the birthday person to wake up to. Sydnie wasn't thrilled to wake up to her family singing Happy Birthday to her and a pan full of cinnamon rolls with candles. She got over it once we were quiet and she could eat in peace.

Yummy!!!

Sydnie's class sang Happy Birthday to her again when I brought in birthday treats. I thought she would pick Princess cupcakes, but she decided on Sponge Bob instead. They were a hit with everyone!

Her Sponge Bob ring from the top of her cupcake. The little boy next to her is Tavares. I'm pretty sure she has a crush on him. I'm positive they shouldn't sit next to each other. It's trouble waiting to happen!!! He's just as full of it as she is.

We ended the day with on of Sydnie's favorite dinners, chickalada's (chicken enchilada's) and brownie's for her cake. She loves her chocolate!

Make a wish and blow.

The day wouldn't be complete without presents. She got most of her presents in SLC in July, but Jeff and I made her wait for ours.

This was a sassy Barbie from Jake and Nikki. I'm still not sure if Jake or Uncle Andy picked it out. She had a very cute swimming suit on. Sydnie loved it!

The rest of the presents were Tiny Tink stuff. Sydnie loves fairies and princesses and anything girly! Judging from the smile on her face I think she enjoyed her day!

The first day of school......

Summer is over and the first day of school is here. During our first week of summer I was worried it would take forever before school started again. Peyton's always been on year round school, so I was a little concerned about 2 1/2 months of summer when we've been used to 3-6 weeks in the past. Although there were certainly times when the girls were tired of each other and fights would break out, we all made it through and the first day of school came faster than I imagined.

Peyton was my best shopping buddy the past couple of weeks. She LOVES to shop! Not only did she go with me to pick out her school clothes, but she and I went again this weekend to pick out all of Sydnie's clothes and the school supplies. Sydnie is so much like me and she would rather not be bothered by shopping. So, on Saturday, Sydnie and Jeff headed to the nursery for dirt for our front yard and Peyton and I headed to the store for Sydnie's clothes and all of the school supplies on their back to school lists.

Here is Peyton this morning all ready for her first day of 3rd grade. I can hardly believe how big she is getting! She wanted to wear pink from head to toe and that included her flip flops, back pack and her lunch box.

We decided to send Sydnie to Kindergarten after all. There were many discussions and lots of hesitation, but after talking wither her preschool teacher from last year, we decided to go for it. So, both my girls are in school and I'm not sure where the time has gone. It is very weird to be home in a quite house with just me and Zuri.

Sydnie decided to go with a purple outfit. Her only request for her school supplies was a Hello Kitty backpack. She is also getting so big and I can't believe she is in school!

All ready to walk out the door!

We live close enough to walk to school. The girls were both so excited! It was really hot, but we all made it to school on time.

Sydnie waiting in line. She was so excited and a little nervous. I can't wait to pick her up and hear all about her first day. I still need to write the teacher a note asking her to only believe about 1/2 of what comes out of Sydnie's mouth. She is so full of it lately! :-)

Our new addition.....

Yes, we've done it again...... We bought a puppy on our way home from Utah. This time we prepared ourselves a little better, we chose a little more wisely and this time we made the decision together. So far, we are happy. It was a complete surprise for the girls. We didn't tell them until we were at the breeders house going to pick her up. They were both so excited!

Bringing Zuri home.... She got to sit in the back seat between the girls. We picked her up in Filmore, so it was a long drive home for her. She just laid down and slept next to Peyton. She didn't whine or cry, she's just very mellow about everything.
Playtime! Zuri and Peyton have become the best of friends. Peyton loves to play with her and hang out with her.

Tug o' war.....

One tired puppy. This is what she does most of the day. She lies under my desk while I work and just sleeps the day away.

Peyton and Zuri hanging out.

She is a golden doodle, yes I know, we find the strangest dogs at our house. She is 1/4 golden retriever and 3/4 poodle. She should be about 20-25 lbs, fully grown. She is so sweet and mellow and is doing great at our house. We start puppy school tomorrow night. The whole family is going so everyone can be involved.

Red Butte Garden

We decided to head over to Red Butte Gardens while we were in Salt Lake. We packed up the cousins and had a great time!


Sydnie loves to swing. If there is a swing, she has to try it out.

The kids spent so long feeding this little squirrel fish crackers. Peyton would have stayed there all day.

Brylee and Nikki having a snack.

Sydnie in the garden.

Sydnie on a giant lizard.

Nikki was a little more cautious about the lizards.

The big red sand box. The kids loved this! The sand was so fine and cool, they were covered in it. I guess it didn't help that we let them play in the fountains before they got in the sand box. Next time we'll do it the other way around. :-)

Peyton in the garden with a huge birthday cake, complete with giant candles.

Brylee in the fountain.

Jake, Sydnie and Petyon in the fountains.