Delicious

The other day, when we were driving home, we saw a couple calves close to the fence by the road we were driving on. I pointed them out to the kids and pulled over so we could see them up close. McKinley said, "Oh! They're so delicious!" She has probably heard people say that to describe something cute or say that a baby (like Canyon) was so cute they could eat him up. She was obviously not really talking about eating them, but I had to keep myself from laughing since we actually do eat cows.

Time with Daddy

Yesterday, as we sat down to eat breakfast as a family, Sage said excitedly, "Yeah! It's Mother's Day, so we get to spend time with Daddy!" I guess she was just evening out the score.;)

"I Love Mommy!"

It's Saturday, so Roy is home and was playing with River. He picked him up by his feet and was tickling him. River was laughing and having a great time. Roy said, "I love River!" as he set him down and River said, "I love Mommy!"

Professional Haircuts

I took the kids to get their hair cut at a real salon on Thursday. I have been the only one to cut their hair up to this point, but we had a coupon for a free kid's cut, so I decided to make it a special outing for all.

The man who owns the salon was super nice to the kids. He even washed the girls' hair! The girls felt like little princesses I think with all the special attention. River stayed pretty still for his cut and then wanted to play in the hair that was on the floor while the girls got their hair cut. It's pretty gross to think about, but I guess if you're a kid, it may seem like a soft sand box.

The Little Ski Instructor

McKinley is skiing right now with her Grandma Spaulding and two of her cousins (Sara, 10 and Heather, 6 1/2). This is their second trip up the mountain together since Sara and Heather have been here. When they went on Friday, Heather was skiing for her first time. According to Grandma, McKinley did all the teaching. She taught her the wedge (pizza) to slow herself down and straight (french fries) for going faster. Apparently, she covered everything from arm positions to wide turns and cutting across the mountain so they wouldn't go so fast. McKinley was skiing in front and having Heather follow her tracks just like we've done with her. It made me so proud to think of her as a little ski instructor. I wish I could've seen it!

Sage and River were very disappointed that they didn't get to go, but it would've been too much for Jeanne to take Sage with the other three. I could've gone to help, but since we only have one set of skis and boots for River and Sage to share, I would've been stuck with one of the kids at the bottom of the slopes anyway. It would've been a lot of work for not much play. Since the ski season is about over, they may have to wait until next year.

Wow! It's Been Forever!

I have been neglecting my blog for so long that everything has changed. Our family picture was taken in the hospital less than 24 hours after having River. Now we're going to have another boy in about 2 months. I guess it's time for some updates.

Roy has gone full time in his private practice and is the best MFT and Play Therapist around if you ask me. ;) He's currently serving as the Treasurer for the ID Association for MFTs and is one of 2 reps from our state at a training conference in Washington DC. He's having a great time there and learning some valuable things to help his pracice as well as the association.

McKinley is a great reader! She's one of the youngest in her 1st grade class (since she doesn't turn 7 until July), but she's the fastest reader. She loves to read and is disappointed several nights to have to interrupt a chapter book to go to bed. She loves riding her bike and rollerblading and loves to be with her younger siblings. She'll be a big help I'm sure when we have our baby.

Sage, age 4, is starting to read as well and loves preschool. She is quite the independent girl -- hardly ever letting me do her hair or help with anything. She loves to surprise family members by making their beds, cleaning a floor, or putting laundry away. She's a real sweetheart and wants to be just like her big sister. Anything McKinley does, Sage does too for the most part. They love to be together . . . I hope that continues. She also loves to dance and is very graceful; we need to get her into a class.

River, 2, is growing in his independence as well. He no longer wants my help in getting dressed in the morning, but wants to be with me and help me a lot still. Yesterday, when I asked who his best friend is (expecting him to say Jake), he said, "Mommy". He loves cars, trains, and sports. He often throws things to make a basket -- toys into their bins, food or washcloths in the sink, clothes into the washer or dryer, etc. -- and says, "Nice throw." He has a fun personality.

The night before St. Patrick's Day, McKinley was choosing her clothes for the holiday and was explaining the rules of the day to Sage (you have to wear green or you get pinched and if you wear red, you get kissed). McKinley was not content wearing a shirt with green on it, but wanted it to be all green. Sage on the other hand wanted to wear no green and wear red because she wanted to be "pinched and kissed". Boy are we in trouble!

I love being a mom! It's always something new . . . except of course the laundry, dishes, and other chores that I can never seem to get caught up with. Life on the whole is good.

Free Photo Books

I have gotten into making photo books since there have been a few free offers lately on different sites. I made one through Snapfish and just finished one through artscow.com. I loved artscow! There were so many options. Of course, with any new site, it takes a little experimenting to figure out how to do everything, but I think it's worth it to get such great deals.