Dancing Queen

Since September Cass has been learning the ins and outs (and skip-two-threes) of Irish Dance. She has an amazing teacher and the whole experience has just been so much fun. Today she participated in her first feis (pronounced "fesh") or competition. It was amazing!!

There were just over 300 dancers competing at Kearns High. Here she is putting on her ghillies just before her performance.

Her new friend Makenna, also making her debut at a feis.

And the results are in! 2nd place in her category. Way to go Cass!

It really was so much fun. I was so stressed about doing her hair with the tiara and hairpiece but thanks to about 75 bobby pins we made it work. Cass did two dances, the light jig and the reel and placed 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Mostly it was just fun to go a be a part of something like this. And of course McDonald's breakfast on the way home (we had to be there at the crackage of dawnage) didn't hurt, either! I told Cass she was born to Irish dance---CASSIDY is an Irish name, after all.

Birthday Week

It was a super-fun birthday week at our house. Sam turned 3, and I turned more than 3.

I was trying so hard to snap the perfect picture of the three-year-old. In typical three-year-old style, he stuck his finger up his nose, hid from the camera, and wanted me to take pictures of his feet. 

But then he redeemed himself (momentarily).

On Sam's birthday he played with friends.....

painted,

and decorated his own cupcake.

He really, really enjoyed opening presents: puzzles, trains, sleeping bag.....

We also had a blast at JumpOnIt. We were the only ones there and they let all of us go in the foam pit.

Especially glad that this big guy still comes and plays with us.

Happy Birthday Samuel James! We love you to pieces and can't imagine our lives without you. You are smart, funny, and kind and wonderful in a million different ways! Happy Birthday SJ!

Hoops

I love this game.

But I especially love this kid.

He plays with heart.

He plays with tongue (out). 

He plays to have fun.

And sometimes he even plays to win.

(But mostly he plays to have fun)

Christmas 2011

When I grow up, I want to be one of those bloggers who posts everyday (or at least every other day) with beautiful pictures of an immaculate house in the background and detailed tutorials of projects she's just completed and food she's just whipped up. But until I do grow up, you are just stuck with me---belated posts of albeit cute kids with a cluttered house in the background and ZERO projects completed and certainly no recipes whipped up. It's corndogs and cold cereal at this house, sister, on paper plates nonetheless. Honk if you can relate.

Now for the recap.....

Here we have 2 of my favorites at the Christmas school sing. I don't know why they call it a sing instead of a concert or something else---have you ever heard of sing being used as a noun? The look on Garrett's face really says how much he looks forward to participating in this event. 

Here's my G-Dawg at his class Christmas holiday party. I really enjoy being room-parent (have any of you every met any room dads that would require the usage of the term room-parent instead of room-mom? I'm just saying....) in his class. He has an amazing teacher and I love being in the classroom with him and 25 other first graders. Out of the mouths of first graders......come things that make me giggle!!

Another fun memory from this Christmas was the "Christmas tree camp-outs". The kids had sooo much fun taking over the living room on multiple nights, sleeping by the tree, or sleeping in each other's rooms.  Sam really got into it.

He still asks every night if he can sleep somewhere other than his bed.

We enjoyed lots of fun Christmas parties this year, with our neighbors and friends who ROCK!

We love love love our Christmas party each year with the Knoxes. There are always plenty of cheesy pictures by the tree, 

yummy food,

and first-rate entertainment. (Were any of YOU lucky enough to enjoy a piano-guitar-saxaphone concert this year?)

Finally we arrive at Christmas Day. It was fun to have everyone dressed in their Sunday best before we saw what Santa brought, and fun to wait until after church to open the rest, but not fun to have Grandma in the hospital and not with us. So glad she is home now and doing better.

And that's about it, the cat is out of the bag. We had a crazy, unorganized, wonderful, messy, joyful Christmas with 4 amazing, drive-you-crazy kids, 2 cats, 1 guinea pig, and a partridge in a pear tree.

It's that time of year....

It's that time of year when....

--the cats sleep in the puzzle box??!?

--the cats are in Christmas heaven sleeping under the tree and batting the bulbs

It's that time of year when...

---the shopping is not done

---the house is a disaster

---the Christmas cards are not mailed

---and everyone STILL expects me to make dinner each night

It's that time of year when...

--the kids want to frost sugar cookies

--I want to EAT sugar cookies (or maybe just lick the frosting off)

---the neighbor gifts are STILL not done or delivered

It's that time of year when..

---I vow to never get this behind again

---I recommit to focusing on the things that matter most

---I recommit to staying within my budget (beginning in January of course)

---I MARVEL at how much work fun Christmastime is and am so grateful for my drive-me-crazy family who I wouldn't trade for the world!

Shop till you Wobble....er, something like that

I'm always amazed at how much fun we have  Thanksgiving weekend, with our simple and silly traditions. 

There's always a jigsaw puzzle (or two) and plenty of yummy snacks (cranberry salsa is my favorite).

The feast is always delish. This year my homemade apple pie was a hit, but pumpkin is still the most popular.

Then of course Friday I had MORE FUN THAN ONE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO HAVE IN ONE DAY shopping with my favorite friends!! Oh the deals and laughs we shared......he he!!

Then Saturday......

we pulled memories out of boxes and sifted through years of Christmas joy as we decorated the tree and set up the decorations. It's such a fun day.

How can it be that another Christmastime is upon us? 

The Long and the Short of Cassidy's 74th Birthday

Cass' birthday was a super-fun day filled with shopping with friends, dinner at a favorite restaurant, and a haircut.

Several inches and a few pounds lighter, she is excited to try new styles and sport a new look.

There were also fun presents and fun grandparents, 

and a yummy cake with "74" on it because those were the only candles I could find!

She looks good for 74, don't you think?

Happy Birthday, Sis! We love you.