A New Friend

Nicole has found a new "friend"

...her reflection in the sliding glass window.

Do you remember the scene from Anne of Green Gables when Anne speaks to her reflection in the window at the orphanage?

This reminds me of that scene. Every time we sit down to eat or color, Nicole has to part the drapes and smile at herself in the reflection.

She LOVES to watch her new "friend", SMILE to her new "friend", WAVE to her new "friend", and TALK to her "friend" in the window.

Our family will sit down to eat and Nicole will walk over to the drapes, pull them to the side, and say "I need to see my friend." She than smiles to her "friend" and has to sit in the CORRECT spot so she can see her "friend."

It makes us all laugh...including Nicole!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR TAYLOR!!

My adorable, feisty, SILLY Little Girl is 4!!

WE love our Taylor and she keeps us pretty entertained with her independent remarks, serious facial expressions, teasing, spunky personality. She is very petite, but don't let that fool you. She is full of energy and determination!!

TAYLORISMS - IMAGINE ALL OF THESE WITH A SLIGHT "R" SOUND SPEECH IMPEDIMENT.

- Yesterday, she ran up to me yelling, "I need to go potty." I told her she was 4 years old now and could do it all by herself. She looked at me with her hands on her hips and said, "I not 4 yet. I still 3. Once I blow out my cake, I will be 4 and than I do it by MYSELF!!"

- "It's my birthday!! You do what I say." (Says this with a HUGE smile on her face)

- "MOM. You not doing it!!" (This is what she says every time she asks for something and if you don't do it right away...this is what I hear. Patience is something we are working towards!)

- When she is sad, she starts naming off everyone she loves. "I need my Mama, Papa, Dada, Colie, Kelee, Coco, Etc...)

- "I don't like you snow. You are mean!!" she said this after she fell on some ice. If something bad happens to someone or herself, she will name the object that did the offending, and will get very upset with it.

- "I need LUVS!!" she reaches out her arms and once you reach her, she collapses into your arms!!

- "I really need to put on my jammies and need my blanky and Ruffy." She will put on her jammies in the middle of the day because she wants to be snuggled or is exhausted.

- "Mom. Don't I look pretty." She says this ALL the time while she swirls around in a tutu or any dress.

- When she is not quite sure of something or wants to persuade you to share her opinion , she will tilt her head and say in a questioning voice, something like "It's not too cold outside, and look Mom, I have long sleeves. I don't need a jacket." (**Smile with a little twinkle in her eyes) Or "I not too tired, just a little tired. So I not need to go to bed." (Once again, smile with a little twinkle in her eyes. )

WE LOVE THIS LITTLE GIRL THAT KEEPS US ON OUR TOES!! Couldn't imagine my life without her spunky, sensitive, sweet self!!

9 YEAR OLD WISDOM

In honor of Kaylee's birthday (which was a couple of weeks ago), here are 9 random things from my 9 year old and her GREAT wisdom

1) Why do you like having your own room?
So I can have privacy from "them" (she says this as she tilts her head towards her 2 sisters who are busy playing school)

2) What is your favorite movie and why?
Harry Potter 2 because it is scary. Well, it's not really scary...it's wizardy...it's magic!!

3) What is something "crazy" that people eat?
Spaghetti cause it is disgusting!!

4) What is your favorite scripture story and why?
The story when Jesus heals all those sick people, the lepers or something. And only 1 says thank you. It is cool because He can heal them.

5) Name one of the Presidents of the United States. Why do we have a President?
I don't know. I wasn't alive with any of them (Really Kaylee??) I mean I wasn't alive during any of the really old ones. Alright...George Washington was a president.
(Laughing hysterically) The President tells us to eat!! And tells us to do the right things, like follow the laws.
6) Why do you have to learn your division and multiplication facts?
Because you can learn math and cause you can do things that show up in life.

7) What do you want to be when you grow up?
A Kindergarten Teacher because I can work with itty, bitty, tiny peoples. And help people with speech problems or other thing-a-ma-bob-ies.

8) Why can people be so mean to each other?
People are mean to them and so they are mean right back because they get their feelings hurt.

9) Why do we have chores?
So the house is clean and no, I don't like doing them

KAYLEE IS 9....WHAT!?

A couple of weeks age, Kaylee turned 9 years old!! Kaylee was so excited and she had a wonderful couple of days. At first, she wasn't too thrilled about having her birthday on a Sunday. But, she survived because we spent the entire weekend celebrating. Grandma and Grandpa came on Friday to celebrate with Kaylee and on Saturday night, Kaylee and I went to a play at the Highschool entitled "Broadway Show Stoppers." The school sang songs from Hairspray, Grease, Mama Mia, Cats, Phantom of the Opera, Cabaret, Rent, and Miss Saigon. She loved the songs from Grease....

Grandma and Grandpa gave Kaylee some cute jammies for her American Girl doll, Chrissa.

On Sunday, we had a great day. We have church later in the day, so we were so happy to have a leisure morning with our birthday girl. Kaylee wanted french toast and powdered donuts. She LOVES powdered donuts!!


I always give the girls a new birthday outfit...and Kaylee picked this shirt out of a Justice catalog. She loved it and desperately wanted a new scarf.

I love these BIG HUGS!! Taylor picked out a Ballet Leotard for Kaylee..

Kaylee new what she was opening when she saw this present...She has been wanting this for a couple of years now. She had the biggest smile on her face when she saw the shape of the box.


MOLLY!! Kaylee loves this doll and loves her stories. She thinks this doll looks just like her Aunt Mollie, so Kaylee decided to change to spelling of the dolls name to be like her Aunts. What do you think? Do Mollie and Mollie look alike?

All Mollie needs is a little Beret and her hair in 2 braids. ..

Kaylee properly introduced Chrissa and Mollie...She told them they were going to be great friends and they needed to get along because they would be sharing a bed and room.

Warren than surprised Kaylee with some new skiis. These are not "Baby" skiis. These are FANCY skiis. They look HUGE, but Kaylee can't wait to try them out. She has kept them in her room by her bed since Warren gave them to her.


ICE CREAM CAKE TO END THE CELEBRATION. Kaylee doesn't really like cake or frosting. So, this year she decided to go with Homemade Ice Cream Cake (Some years she eats pie?)

I love my little Kaylee and it is so FUN to watch her mature into a beautiful daughter of God. WE LOVE HER A TON...

Piano Recital

Over the Christmas Holidays, Kaylee played the piano in a "piano recital" held at a Nursing Home. It was a great idea and she had a great time. 4 students played Christmas songs and the people in the nursing home loved watching and listening to these girls. Kaylee played "We Three Kings," "Angels We Have Heard on High," and "Away in a Manger." The elderly at the home would sing along to the songs and their favorite, out of the ones Kaylee played, was "We Three Kings."

(Taylor, Mia, Nicole, Justin, Rachel, Katelyn)

The siblings of the piano students were dressed as elves and walked around handing out candy to the audience. I don't know what the audience liked better...the beautiful music or the cute little kids running around making noise.

Taylor and Mia...good buddies!!

It was a great experience for Kaylee. Kaylee surprises me with her many talents. She is so unlike her mother in one major way - she plays the piano BETTER when she performs. When I was her age, I would FREAK OUT when I had to do something in front of someone. I would cry, have panic attacks, etc. Not Kaylee...she thrives when it comes to performing on the piano.