I love shoe shopping...even when it's not for me:)

When in comes to kids clothes, I'm cheap! They are either going to grow out of it or stain it within a couple months, so why spend a lot of money on it?! Anyways, I am trying a different approach when it comes to shoes...we'll see how it turns out.

Since Tyson started Kindergarten in September, he has been through about 5 pairs of sneakers. This last pair I bought from Target and they lasted about 1 month. I finally decided to spend a little more money and get him something that hopefully won't fall apart before he outgrows them.

Here are his new digs:) He specifically asked for Nikes!

We also picked up these cute church sandals for Kya to wear after she gets baptized. Aren't they the cutest ever?!

34

I really thought by this age I would have everything figured out. I was wrong. The longer I live, the more I think I will never have it all figured out. Life keeps moving forward and I keep getting older...whether I like it or not. Hopefully I will just keep learning and growing closer to the person I want to be.

This year I got a little spoiled. Mike and the kids got me a kindle...although I have been stewing over what book to download first.

My new Kichenaid mixer is ordered and on its way (courtesy of my mom and dad)!

And I got to spend my day with my favorite people in the whole wide world.

Now if time could just slow down a little and let me enjoy my 30s...I'm in no hurry to get to my 40s!!

Summer of '96

Yesterday I was driving home from Walmart and turned my radio to the country station (something I don't do very often anymore). Alan Jackson's song Chattahoochee was on and it just about brought me to tears.

There was a summer...I think it was 1996. Tina and I were home from college and we had zero luck finding jobs. What a fabulous time we had listening to country music (Alan Jackson, John Michael Montgomery, Brooks and Dunn, Tim McGraw), suntanning (just about every day), painting the house, memorizing scriptures, taking pictures, doing aerobics in the living room...and the list goes on. I can barely remember those days of being so carefree! Even though we didn't make much money that summer, those memories are some of my best.

Love you and miss you Tina:)

At the murky Aldergrove lake last summer

Overscheduled

When my kids were little I watched this TV program about "over scheduled" kids and thought "that will NEVER be my kids!!" Well, little by little I (not sure about my kids) have become OVER SCHEDULED!! I have decided, when everything is over in the next month or two, we are going to have to cut down the amount of extra curricular activities the kids do AND the amount of volunteering I do. Here' what is making me so crazy:

Jordan has...piano, volleyball and jazz.

Kya has...gymnastics, softball and jazz.

Tyson has...tee ball and coach (after school sports class).

I have...Primary, Softball (team mom), 3 classrooms, not to mention driving around, taking care of the kids, and cleaning my house!!

When I break it down, it doesn't look so bad...but it is. Time management is tricky as well as keeping our bank account out of the red! So, come summer we have NOTHING!! I can't wait. AND come fall, I think we'll take it down to 2 things per kid. The hard part is giving something up. I want my kids to get a taste of everything, so they can find what they enjoy and what they are good at. I guess we'll just have to experience things 2 at a time:)

Sorry no pictures...our computer is having issues!!

Piano Girl

Jordan had her piano recital this past weekend. She did wonderfully (I tried 3 times to upload the video without success, so you just get to see a picture). She has been playing for almost 2 years now and still LOVES it...although it is getting harder to get her to practice every day:)

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:)