Different Yet the Same, and that's Okay

When I was pregnant with Brinnley we lived in Rexburg and I was doing my student teaching in Ashton. That means 5 days a week I had an hour to talk to the baby girl inside me and to wonder what she was going to be like. I often wondered if she would like the same things I like and if her personality would be similar to mine. The answer to those questions is yes and no. I admit that I was excited to share things with Brinnley that were important to me when I was little. I spent hours upon hours playing Barbies and dolls. I loved to play school. And I loved to put on concerts in the living room. For Christmas two years ago I spent days perusing all of the doll shelves in stores within a half hour of our home searching for the perfect Cabbage Patch doll. I have 3 from when I was a little girl and they were well loved. I wanted Brinnley to have one of her own that she could love as much as I loved mine. But when Christmas morning came I found she was less excited about it than I was hoping.

My baby is 5 now. And this is the conclusion I have come to. In our personalities, we are quite a bit different. Brinnley is confident, independent, and brave. I wasn't those things when I was her age. I was more reserved. But in other things we are similar. Brinnley is always concerned about others and always asking if there is anything she can do to help people. I have been told I am like that. Our likes too are similar and also different as well. While Brinnley is not as crazy about dolls and Barbies as I was, there are other things that we share a love for. We both love music. We love to color. We both use our imaginations. But rather than play house like I always did, Brinnley plays prince and princess. Where I was always the girl, Brinnley prefers to play the prince. (I think that preference comes form the fact that she wants to wear the cape and hold the sword. She was thrilled when Barbie and the Three Musketeers came out. Girls wearing capes, riding horses, and wielding swords? Awesome!) I prefer bright and colorful in anything and everything. Brinnley does too except for her stuffed animals. A horse needs to look like a horse. No tie dye please!

As a mother, some of these things took a while for me to embrace. It was hard to see that my daughter didn't love all of the things I did as a little girl. And of course I tried for a while to encourage her toward my preferences (chose the brightly colored stuffed animal!) But I have come to realize that we are individuals and with that comes a difference in preferences. I have learned that as a parent my job is to teach my children truth and love them unconditionally. So when Brinnley prefers playing soccer over dancing ballet, I say great, let's do it. She is making a choice that is fit for her. I hope that as my children grow they will do things that they like and that bring true happiness and joy and they will know that even if I may not like the same things they do, I will support them and encourage them. (So, if Porter chooses to play football, I will be there and I will learn to love it!)

Out of Sorts

This morning my mom hugged me good-bye at 5:20 a.m. I tried to go back to bed after she and Chant left for the airport, but I mostly just laid there. When the kids woke up at 6:30 everyone seemed to be a little edgy and out of sorts. The sky is gray today, a stark contrast to the beautiful sunny day yesterday. Mother nature must have sensed our mood. The kids and I have just been wandering around the house at a loss for what to do. Vacation is over and we are back to the daily grind. I am sure tomorrow will be fine. Today is just an adjustment period, an awkward day trying to get back into our routine. Even though she just left, we miss her already! Thanks for a wonderful visit! We love you Grandma!

Whoa, Grandma

Grandma has kept us busy in the 10 days she has been here! Tomorrow morning she flies back to Idaho. We will miss her! We have enjoyed having her here and showing her where we live and what our day to day is like. Quick recap of her visit. She spent lots of time with the kids outside, well, the few days it was nice anyway. Porter LOVES being outside and screams the loudest most intense scream when we have to come in.

The 26th we had two sets of Elders over for dinner. It was a birthday celebration for Elder Patterson. He had his birthday at our home last year too. Lucky us to have him both of his mission b-days!






















Grandma tried to do some reading but never seemed to be left alone long enough to make it through a paragraph.











But she was entertained with all of the Barbie movies the girls made her watch. The one show I know she will miss the most: Hi-5. ;)















She brought Porter a few more of his favorite blankets. He loves the fleece with tabs so he can shove them in his ears.
















Porter and Grandma talking on the "phone" or the Domino.












We love you Grandma and we are so happy you could come and see us! Until July!

Creative Juices are Flowing

Since my Mom got here we have been busy! We have done some redecorating. First we redid the mirror. It had Christmas berries and green branches on it. We ripped those off and replaced them with spring colored trinkets.












We found this cool lantern and put some fun flowers in it and voila, a nice spring accent for my boring shelf. The gnome, scary or cute?


















Mom brought a variety of recipes with her and we have been cooking up a storm. Last night we went to book club and everyone brought a treat from the book. (Recipes are part of the story.) Mom read the Carrot Cake Mystery and mine was Cream Puff Murder. SO that is what we took. So many yummy things to eat so little time!

We also redid the kids' bathroom. Now we have a bright and funky shower curtain with flamingo accents. I have no idea how we came up with flamingos other than the colors matched. But it works and we all love it!









































And the finished products. They look amazing! I was totally impressed with my mom's skills! You can't tell but the ties at the top are made from three different ribbons. She is amazing!

Thanks Mom, I know they wouldn't have look nearly as good had I done it myself.

We have 4 days left before she goes home and my to do list has considerably dwindled. But I am sure I can think of something else to keep her busy ;)

Grandmas=Projects

My mom got to town last Wed the 17th. In anticipation of her arrival I began a lengthy list of projects I wanted her to help me with. Our first 2 days we didn't do any of them. We spent the first day visiting a few of my friends. Friday we attended my nephew's graduation from Boot Camp at Fort Leonard Wood. We are so proud of him! To quote my mom, "He looked pretty sharp in his army outfit."

I figured after two days of slacking we needed to get to work. Our first project: jewelry. Mom has been obsessed with making bead watch bands. We made a few of those as well as bracelets and necklaces. I got a few new pieces and so did the girls. And we look pretty darn good in our new bling. Brinnley made all of her own things. She even got creative and made an anklet.

Next, Mom made me this fancy new apron. Love the bright greens, oranges and yellows!

The girls bathroom has been void of any decoration except for a Dora the Explorer shower curtain. We have redone their bathroom. It now has a bright funky shower curtain in pinks and turquoises. And we added flamingos for color. I will take pics!

The last project is in the works: spring dresses for the girls. Pictures to come of those when they are finished. Wish us luck because we are sans patterns and we are winging it!






























Just because. I think for leaving the house at 8:30 for church we look nice and relatively happy.

One Year Older and Wiser Too

I turned 28 on the 13th. I have always enjoyed my birthday. Really, I do find the 13th to be lucky. (It is also the date of my anniversary!) This year did not fail me. I put in my requests early. "No movies and no church dances." No offense, but I don't dance. Other than the previous criteria I told Chant to surprise me. And surprise he did. A friend of ours came over at noon to watch the kids. (Thanks Devin and Amie!) The first stop was lunch. Since my favorite place doesn't open till 4 on Saturdays (weird, huh!) we settled for The Cheesecake Factory. It was fabulous! I got this amazing pasta dish that was unlike any I have had before. The sauce was sweet and delicious. Next we ventured to "The Loop." Really it is a street that is lined with fun and unique shops. Loved it! Little clothing boutiques and the most darling book store. I could have made some real damage in there. As it was we window shopped. It was so nice! And the best part was I got to hold my sweetheart's hand since I was kid-free.

When we got home we had a pizza dinner and then the cake. The girls were so excited because they picked the cake out for me. Flip flops on the beach. I felt like I was back in Hawaii. I could smell the ocean and feel the breeze through my hair. Oh, it was bliss. Such sweet girls! I was gifted two movies, Sleepless in Seattle and I.Q. Perfect for my Valentine's Day viewing pleasure. Thanks family for making my birthday fabulous! And thanks friends for all the gifts and happy birthdays. I am the luckiest girl ever!

Help Wanted

K blogging buddies, I need your help! Make-up. We have a love-dislike relationship. I love the idea of it covering all my imperfections and giving me a nice even skin tone. But here's the deal, liquid or powder? Liquid is nice but heavy. Powder? I haven't decided yet. Maybe I just need to find the right brand/color. Any suggestions?

And eyeshadow. Big fan! I love the having choices. "Purples or browns today?" I ask myself each morning. So this morning I came across this Mary Kay Limited Edition Mineral Eye Color Bundle. Intriguing. It has 3 colors in a boxed set. There are four sets, one for blue eyes, brown, green, and hazel. It also comes with instructions for application, nice for those who have no idea what they are doing (like me). Anyone tried it? Will it really make my blue eyes pop? (Visit dangginagives.blogspot.com for your chance to win one of the bundles.)

Pressing questions all, don't you think ;)

Spring Fever

Spring Fever is definitely setting in at my house. Don't get me wrong, we love snow but I was just hoping it would stop for a little while. See, Grandma is coming on the 17th and I had visions of trips to the zoo dancing in my head. But alas, the snow and cold are putting a glitch in my plans. And my kids are getting a little stir crazy, as evident in the photos. We are resorting to cleaning the carpets and riding older sisters as if they were ponies for entertainment. Porter is dressing himself now, or at least adding the accessories. Pretty classy looking I think. But even though our agenda during Grandma's visit will be missing the outdoorsy adventures, I have plenty of projects, believe you me. The list includes making dresses and skirts for the girls, attempting craftiness with jewelry making and recovering pillows, and cooking, lots of cooking! I have to glean as many recipes from Mom's head as I can while she is here. We are in need of some new meal ideas.

In other news, I am addicted to reading. Anyone want to join a readers anonymous group with me? We will be discussing how to pull yourself away from a good book long enough to change the baby's diaper and keep the older ones from reeking havoc on your home. That, and sharing book titles. My current obsession is goodreads.com. SOO many books, too little time. At least that is one thing winter is good for, more reading time! Okay, I guess the snow can stay a little longer ;)