My favorite compliment

I guess I'm getting old, old enough to be seriously complimented when my almost 5 year old neighbor says,

"When I first met you, I didn't think you were a mom."

I asked what that meant, of course, because "Mom" is my favorite name and the proudest accomplishment of my life. She went on to say,

"I thought you were a sister or something."

I can't remember the last time I felt so flattered. Really.

I Wonder...

How long will Dalton let Joe play with his big friends?
How long will he put up with Joe tipping over coffee tables in the middle of a losing game?
How long will he ask me to help him with homework?
How long will he be willing to babysit for $1 an hour?
How long will he be interested in helping me in the kitchen?

How long will Joseph hold my hand in public?
How long will he be willing to distract Jennie with "The Horsey Game" while I'm slipping out the door to Book Club?
How long will he help buckle the girls or give them pegs on his bike?
How long will he come to snuggle next to my bed when he's scared at night?
How long will he believe that he is the strongest 8 year old alive?

How long will Sophia and Jennie play kitten and puppy, carrying on for hours communicating exclusively in yelps and meows?
How long will Sophia beam while showing me her artwork?
How long will she build castles and play dress-up?
How long will she love pink?
How long will she snuggle with me, full bodied, when she hurts?

How long will Jennie look up to Sophia?
How long will she insist on sleeping with her silky blanky?
How long will she let me give her ringlets?
How long will she blame others for everything including who messed her bed/underwear/hair?
How long will she ache to kiss and hug her daddy before he leaves for work?
How long will she color outside the lines?

Jennie is 3!!!

Curls in the morning.

Curls in the afternoon.

Her 1st cavity :(

She wakes up to a NEW KITCHEN!

She loves hers as much as I love mine.

Happy!

Let the party begin!

Story time in her bedroom.

Make-up all around.

Oh, the drama.

A little too experienced.

Pink plates, pink juice, mac & cheese and grapes... the perfect menu.

The Butterfly Cake (Thank you Yolanda for the inspiration!)

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Jennie..."

Conference Packets

My kids LOVE "home church" (that's what we call Conference weekend). Maybe it's the treat making that goes on, or the prizes for good behavior, or the packets to entertain them, or the fact that Jennie's birthday is always around fall conference and Dalton's birthday is always around the spring conference, but they have a great time on Conference weekend.

I just printed my kids packets for Conference. I'm not a fan of cartooning the general authorities, so I printed them as follows.

Junior Primary Packet: pg 1,3,5,7,9,10,11,12,13,15,16,17,18,19,22.
Youth Packet: pg 2,4,5,6,7,8,9,11.
Senior Primary Packet: pg 13,16.

enjoy!

At play

My girls speak exclusively in gobbeldygook when they play make believe. Is it strange? Is it strange that they understand each other? The only English words they use are pleasantries and titles.
"Ga ba goo da la dee." Then Jennie hands Sophia a pony wrapped in last nights jammies.
"Thank you Miss Gala."
"Bee da ga loo ba doo?"
"Ga la monster goo da lee ga do."
"Help, lava rock!"
"Meeka, you're standing in lava rock!"
Sophia jumps onto the coffee table while protectively clutching her baby, (now a long green block wrapped in an enormous beach towel).

it goes on and on and on...

So Many Firsts!

First time making my sisters AWESOME home made play dough.
First day Sophia didn't wince while I styled her hair around her 3 staples.
First day of preschool for Jennie.
First day of Dance for Sophia, (well in Idaho anyway).
First time I've ever asked one of my children to call me "Miss Sherrie"
First time Sophia shares a seat belt with her friend on the way home from dance.
First day Joseph came home from 3rd grade in a good mood.
First day of PACE for Dalton, (Idaho's accelerated program).
First day of real piano lessons for Dalton.
First time I've been complimented on how advanced Dalton is in piano.
First day Joseph takes a shower on the first time he's asked... EVER.
First time Jennie steals a popsicle right out of the neighbors deep freeze.
First call to the home owners insurance.
First flavorful nectarine of the season.

The First Day of School 2010

Totally ready for 3rd/5th grade with loaded new backpacks, blessings from dad, and an egg burrito in their bellies.


New duds.


And they're off! "Have a good day at school, I love you, be nice, follow the rules" (I heard another mother 3 houses down shouting the same as her son ran to catch up with my boys).

Is Summer Over???

Spelunking through the lava tubes at Craters of the Moon.






Sometimes it's necessary to transport Dalton illegally, but only when we're picking up a new...


BBQ! Happy Fathers Day Doug!



Willis Water slide.




Idaho Falls Zoo with our friends the Bess girls.


Wild Huckleberry picking after the Ward campout.


A local told us that we weren't finished picking till our hands were stained.


Because Jennie doesn't nap anymore.





Blue Angles.






Swim lessons.





Sometimes the trips to the Zoo, Arizona, Lake Powell, Craters of the Moon, Reeds Dairy, and the Pool were just not enough.


I loved every bit of our summer and already miss my boys, but hey, now I have time to blog. Bring on the school year!

Isn't she beautiful!

Manina, Grandma Martha, Martha Secundina Lucero Dalton, whatever you call her, she's mine and I love her. I love her recipes, her attention to detail, her lipstick, her quesadillas, her card games, her stories, her faith in her Catholic Saints, her cusses... She's great!

Sophia is Happy

What's not to love about an almost 5 year old! Sophia loves coloring, cutting, gluing, and practicing all of her letters and numbers. She loves learning about Jesus, and remembers every detail of the stories she hears. She loves helping everyone else with their jobs, but doesn't necessarily like doing her own jobs (oh, that sounds a little too familiar:) She is understanding modesty lately and is sensitive about wearing shirts under her sleeveless dresses (I've always had her do that, but I've never made a really big deal about it.) She loves arranging the food on her plate so it looks just right before she eats it. Sometimes the food on her plate is too lovely to eat. She adores her Abuella, (who does make-up every time she sees her) her dad, (who's the best gentle wrestler around) her brothers, (who've been particularly accepting of her since she has started to respect their things). She loves me fiercely and is ALWAYS seeking my approval. She'll be starting pre-school in a couple of weeks and I won't be her teacher anymore. I'm a little sad to let her go, but she's so excited, I'd never hold her back.