I guess I'll just have to wait until Mother's Day

When I imagined being the mother of two little girls, I always envisioned frilly pink dresses, ribbons and hair bows, and...matching Easter dresses, right?! Well, once I actually became a mother, I soon learned kids have a mind of their own!! My girls have always had their own opinions about what they wear AND how I do their hair.

Jordan

Clothes:

When Jordan was little she LOVED dressing up. Anything pink, princess or sparkly, she was wearing it. That all changed when she hit about 2nd grade and decided she was a "tom boy". Now that she's 10, she definitely has a style of her own (which is usually quite cute). She has told me on more than one occasion not to buy her clothes without her being there--seriously?! Anyways, this past Easter Sunday, she didn't want to wear her Easter dress from last year...and I couldn't force her. It's the end of an era!!

Jordan in one of her many princess dresses

Hair:

Anyone who hasn't seen Jordan's gorgeous hair is really missing out! This girl has long, thick, perfectly blond hair. My hair dresser once told her that if she wanted to, she could sell it for $10, 000!! Anyways, with such pretty hair, you'd think she'd want to do cute, fun things with it all the time right? Not so much!! I had to set a rule that I brush her hair everyday, because she would go DAYS without even brushing it. The only thing she ever wants me to do with her hair is one low pony. Seriously?! That girl doesn't know how lucky she is!

See how cute she is when she lets me curl her hair?!

Kya

Clothes:

Kya is all about comfort. She never liked dressing up much and she was never a princess (unless her big sister forced her). She inherited dozens of CUTE CUTE CUTE pairs of jeans from Jordan which she refuses to wear because they are not comfortable! She also thinks just about every church dress is itchy. She even had to tuck paper towel under her straps from her tap costume last year because it was so uncomfortable. Her pants drawer is now filled with nothing but yoga pants, leggings and sweats!!

Here's a pile of jeans that are Kya's size, but she refuses to wear!

Hair:

Kya has always wanted short hair, which I think is adorable. This past year though, she has decided she wants to grow it long (just to see how it looks). Now that her hair is actually long enough to do stuff with, I am just begging her to let me, but NOPE. Every clip or pony tail is uncomfortable. She has started letting me put ponytails in for Softball and Gymnastics. Maybe there is hope.

French Braids are so cute!

So what is our compromise? Mother's Day. We have a deal that on Mother's Day I, yes I, get to pick what they wear AND how we do their hair. I can't wait.

Both girls in french braids and matching dresses (made by Grandma).
Perfection!!

I am part Finnish...it's about time I acted like it:)

It was Multicultural Day yesterday at Jordan and Tyson's school. What a fantastic day to learn about so many different cultures!! Each class had 7 or 8 parents come in and run a 24 min. station teaching about a different country. I taught about Finland and how to braid Finnish Pulla using four strands of dough (something that my grandparents had taught me when I was young--although I had forgotten and had to watch a YouTube video to relearn it). It was a great opportunity for me to research and learn more about my Finnish heritage, as well as master my Pulla making skills:) I have a new appreciation for woman who used to have to make bread on a daily basis--holy cow, it's a lot of work! Anyways, it was a lot of work, but all the kids seemed to have good time and they all loved eating the yummy Pulla.

This was actually my first loaf that I "forgot" to let rise

My braiding got pretty good by the end of it!

I was going to teach them how to make these, but quickly realized that rye flour and rice might not be the yummiest thing to introduce to a bunch of 10 year- olds.

Priceless

I was going through some pictures of Kya for a slide show I am making for her baptism (even though it's not until July). I found so many pictures that were PRICELESS., so I had to share:

I thought Kya was quite the trouble maker (until I had Tyson)

She never fell asleep in her bed!
Ah...LazytownMy little make up artist:)

I have been blessed

Sometimes I get tired of the monotony in my life, but I would take monotony any day over the tragedy and horror that so many others are living through. Here's a quick glimpse into our simple life the past week or so.

We checked out a new park...
We have had a few really nice warm day, so we had to set up the sprinkler...

We checked out the ice cream truck at "First Fridays" with some friends...
We worked on Kya's science project (what type of bean soaks up the most water)...
We picked a lot of oranges and made some (kinda sour) juice...

Classic

I just finished "To Kill a Mockingbird." What a great book! Now I am headed back to the library...I think I might just go back to "The Classics" shelf again.

It's that time of year again

Mike and I met in March...during March Madness. Every year since, we have filled out brackets together. Now that our kids are older, they really look forward to filling out their own brackets. Jordan and Kya actually look at the rankings of the teams now, so they don't pick BYU to win the entire tournament anymore:) Tyson, on the other hand was a riot. Any guesses why he picked Butler, Bucknell or Morehead? I'll give you a clue: "BUTTler", "BUTT NOW "(Buknell) and MORE HEAD!! He was laughing hysterically. Too cute. Now we wait and see who wins...I actually do beat Mike most years:)

PG 13? Not Quite!!

I don't watch R rated movies. Don't get me wrong, I have watched a few, but each time I do I am either disgusted by the intense gore, embarrassed by the amount of nudity or sex, or I cringe at how vulgar the language is. With books it's a little trickier.

I just finished reading The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. It's a bestseller and I heard so many glowing reviews about this book, but after reading it, I would never recommend it!! It's true that the book is riveting (except for the first 50 pages which are absolute torture to get through), but boy does it have some AWFUL stuff in it!! I don't know who would want to read detailed descriptions of sex crimes and brutal murders? Gosh, they didn't even tie up the one love story that was somewhat sweet.

So I have decided that I need to find some sort of "rating" system for books. When they are published they should be rated just like movies. I don't want to read half a book before realizing it's full of garbage. By then I am too invested in the story and I need to find out what happens!!

Maybe I'll stick to young adult fiction...or do a little more research before starting a new book!

Opening Day

Today was Opening Day for both softball (Kya) and tee ball (Tyson)!! As much as I complain about softball taking over our lives, it really was a great day. Tyson also had his first official "game" today too!! We were at the field ALL day--good thing it is just a quick 2 min. walk from our house:) It's so sad that Mike had to miss it!

Opening Ceremonies
(8:45am-10am)
It was SO hot, which was actually quite unexpected since it's been pretty chilly lately. The kids got free doughnuts and we baked in the hot sun for over an hour.

Bat-a-Thon
(12pm-12:30pm)
Kya had a great time hitting balls and racking up points. Her team actually had the high score!!!

Tyson's Game
(1:30pm-2:30pm)
Tyson did amazingly well in his very first Tee Ball game. He hit hard and caught just about ever ball that the other team hit. I was very impressed with how well he threw it to first base each time. He did get one "talking to" from his coach because he was fighting over the ball:)

Tyson hitting


Tyson catching


Throw-a-Thon
(2:30-3pm)
The Tee Ball kids got to see how far they could throw the ball. Tyson had a great time throwing as hard as he could, and watching his coach try to beat his team's scores! It was very cute.


Overall a great day...I might even have a little sunburn:)