Pierced Ears!

I know. Before I even have to say anything, I can feel some criticism and judgment coming on. Ella is only 4, an age that apparently most people feel is way too young to have her ears pierced. I'm kind of surprised how strongly some people feel about it. I was 4 years old when I got my ears pierced and I vividly remember begging, and begging to get my ears pierced. I wanted it so badly! I think I finally probably just drove my mom crazy, so she broke down and let me get them pierced. So when Ella started asking and asking and asking I said "sure" because I remember being there. Also, I really don't think it's a big deal. There are so many other things that I do feel strongly about and that are a big deal and pierced ears isn't even in the same league.

I took her to Claire's at the mall. I called ahead and made sure that there were 2 girls there so they could do both ears at the same time. So we drove over, I filled out the paperwork, opened up my purse to get my ID and my wallet was not there. I remember earlier in the day getting it out for info I needed on the computer and I left it on the desk. Ella had been waiting so patiently and excitedly for today that I couldn't disappoint her. We turned around and drove home and I got my wallet. The only problem was when we got back to Claire's there was only 1 girl there, so that meant she had to have her ears done one at a time. She said she still wanted to do it. Based on her very dramatic, violent reaction to getting a flu shot last week, I was almost positive that we would be leaving with only one ear pierced, but I promised, so we proceeded.

She did great! She looked a little surprised and panicked after each ear was done and her little lip started quivering (isn't that the sweetest sad picture) but she held it together and a few seconds later was all smiles. She was so cute after we were done she walked around holding her hair up in a ponytail so everyone could see her pierced ears! Seeing how excited and happy she was just melted my heart and made me so glad I let her do it.

Soccer

Ella started soccer this week. A few months ago she told me she really wanted to play. I'm not sure if she even knew what it was, or why she was interested, but she kept asking so I signed her up. She had her first practice last Wednesday, which was so hilarious. There were nine little four year-old girls running all over the place, bumping into each other, kicking their balls, and when that wasn't working so well, they would just pick them up to get them where they wanted. Pure chaos!

Down the field, at practice

A goal!

Then yesterday was her first game. Her team is called the "Unicorns" - very appropriate sounding team name for 4-year old girls. Coincidentally, the team they played were also the "Unicorns." So for the game they play four girls from each team, obviously not playing positions, and no goalie. Pretty much the whole game there were eight girls crowded around the ball trying to get it going the right direction. Ella was cracking us up! Seeing how she doesn't have older siblings and really hasn't been that exposed to soccer, I'm not sure she completely understood her role on the field. She was just trotting around the field with a big goofy smile on her face. She got some good kicks in and almost scored a goal but mostly kind of stood back a little and waited for the ball to roll her way.

Warming up before the game. Nice kick, Ella!

Game on! (Although if I'm not mistaken, I think
you're supposed to kick the ball, not carry it!)

Ready to start the game! What fierce looking Unicorns!

This is pretty much how every picture from the
game looked - the ball, surrounded by eight little girls

After the game we went to lunch and Jeramy and I were telling her how great she did and were telling her that when you play soccer you're supposed to run really hard after the ball and try and steal the ball away from the other team. Her response "Am I allowed to do that?" Clearly, we had a bit of a communication breakdown somewhere. :)

Regardless if soccer will be her thing, or not, she said she had a great time (besides "getting too hot") and is excited to be playing soccer. She has a great coach and I think it's really good for her to play on a team. Let's hope we all feel the same way at the end of the season!

Labor Day

This morning when I went to get Finn out of his crib, I opened the door to find him holding on to the front rail, standing up! It's the first time he's pulled himself up. He looked so big but little at the same time. It was so cute I had to grab my camera. Wow, just the past week he hardly seems like a little baby anymore! I wish he would stop trying to grow up so quickly!

The majority of the day was spent "laboring" in the yard. We've been gone so much this summer that our yard has been a little neglected. We mowed, trimmed shrubs, weeded and shoveled rock. Not very fun, but the yard looks so much better.

We then decided that the poor kids needed a little fun so I loaded up Finn in the Burley (in his car seat) and attached it to my bike and Jeramy walked with Ella while she rode her bike and we went over to the park for a while. Finn had a great time in the swings, laughing and giggling. Do you love Finn's crazy faux-hawk? Just like his daddy's, but his hair's a little long.

This picture of Finn reminded me so much of one of Ella's first times in the swing. I went through some old pictures and found one of Ella at exactly 7 months old. It's kind of fun to compare the pictures of the kids - on the exact same swing and the same age, almost to the day. Such cutie pies!
While Finn was swinging away, Ella had a great time riding her bike around the park and then kicking the soccer ball around on the soccer field. She starts soccer this week and was excited for a little practice session.


Not our most fun, memorable Labor Day, but it was a productive day and fun to be together as a family.

Before I Was Your Mother.....

The other night I was talking to my sister-in-law, Lisa, about doing some photo books. She was telling me about a really cute template through Heritage Makers called "Before I Was Your Mother". It reminded me of when I used to scrapbook, I had always wanted to do a scrapbook about me. I have a ton of programs and tickets, notes, etc. saved from high school and college that need an organized home, but I mostly wanted to document that part of my life so my kids would someday know that I'm more than just a mom - I'm a person who has hobbies and interests and have done and enjoyed a lot in my life

Then today, on the drive home from church Ella somehow started talking about what she wanted to be when she grew up. She was talking away, rattling off a big list of potential careers - a cowgirl, dentist, vet, dancer, roofer (we're in the middle of getting a new roof). I guess she wasn't sure what she wanted to be the most because she asked me and Jeramy - "Can I be anything I want?" We told her "Anything!" Suddenly she was quiet then goes "Mom, you aren't ANYTHING!"

Even thought it was really funny (and kind of sad) and I explained that I used to be "something" but now I get to be "nothing" so I can be her mom all the time, it did get me to thinking. What would I tell me kids about myself before I was their mother? Off the top of my head here a few specifics (besides sister, daughter, etc.)

So Ella, before I was your mother....

1) I was a student. I went to school at Ricks and BYU and graduated with a Bachelor's and Master's in Accountancy.

2) I was a cheerleader. In junior high I was a cheerleader for football but by high school I decided cheering outside in below zero temperatures was nothing to cheer about! In high school I cheered for the basketball team and our cheer squad won provincials all three of my high school years.

3) I went to lots of concerts! I have always loved music and when daddy and I moved to Denver there were a lot of opportunities to see some great bands! Some fun concerts I've been to: Barenaked Ladies, Depeche Mode, U2, No Doubt, Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, Coldplay, Sarah McLachlan, The Killers, The Fray, Gwen Stefani.

4) I had a "career". A week after graduating from BYU I sat for the CPA exam and somehow managed to pass all four parts! (must have been a low curve that time) A few months later I started working for Ernst & Young, one of the "Big Four" accounting firms, as an external auditor. I also worked at a little startup (that went belly-up after a year) called CopiersNow as an accountant and IT project manager and then at First Data Corp in Coporate accounting.

5) I was a piano student and teacher. I started taking piano lessons when I was 8 until I was 16. During that time I did the Royal Conservatory of Music program complete with theory (yuck!) and exams. For a few years in high school I also taught lessons to a few students.

As you can see, Ella, before I was your mother I was "something"! I did have a job, even a career, I guess. But I knew it wasn't the "something" I wanted to do forever. When I became your mother I happily gave up "something" for "nothing" and have never looked back! Today, I told you when you grown up, you can be anything you want! I hope you find that "something" you are passionate about and want to be, but more than that I hope someday you get to experience how wonderful being "nothing" is.

First Day of School

Today was Ella's first day of preschool. This is her second year of preschool - she is now in the 4-year old class. She is back with Miss Tanya this year - whom we both adore!

She was so excited this morning, she got dressed without a fight and, of course, picked out all her accessories on her own (the girl knows what she likes and she does not want anyone else's opinion!).

Before I took her to school, she happily posed for a few pictures. I can't believe how grown up she is!

There are 9 kids in her class at school. A lot of them are returning from her class last year, which she is so excited about. There will also be some new kids which will be great for her to make new friends.

Ella will go to school M,W,F from 9:30 to 12:00. I thought it would be a great time for me to go do errands - grocery store, Costco, post office, Nordstrom Rack :) .....but Finn naps right around 9:30, then eats at 11:00. Sadly, I will be hanging out at home. At least I can clean my bathrooms without a helper.

Ella with Miss Tanya. Not sure why,
but she wanted a baton as a prop in the picture.

Ella and one of her best little friends,
Sierra Jensen. Fierce posing, girls!

Pictures

We just got our family pictures back from Rebecca Cooper. We did a photo session with her in Canada. It was a bit stressful, mostly in part because of my very uncooperative 4-year old! I was really nervous we wouldn't get any good pictures but I was really pleased with them - Rebecca is so talented!

I created a new blog header (top of the page) with some of my favorites. Here are some more of my favorites.

O Canada!

Well, we just got back from our trip to Canada. We have tried over the years to go back for July 1st - Canada's birthday. It is also the birthday of the town of Raymond - my hometown. It is such a fun time to be home - there are so many people around and lots of fun activities and family traditions.

Our trip to and from Canada was LONG - yes, we drove - but the visit went by so quickly. With so much family to see it always seems way too short.

One of our favorite things we did was eat at Chopstix, Jeramy's dad Gary's new restaurant in Lethbridge. It is similar to a Panda Express, which is not in Canada, but much yummier. Not only is the food better, but also the decor and Chopstix has a drive-thru. After eating there two times, mine and Jeramy's unanimous decision for best dish goes to Lemon Chicken!

Another -errr- memorable thing we did was have family pictures done. It did not go well! Ten minutes into the session we were getting eaten alive by the mosquitos and Ella was having a meltdown, despire numerous bribes involving ice cream and Polly Pockets. A little while later both kids fell asleep, which was actually quite cute. It will be a miracle if we get a decent family picture. The girl who did our photos, Rebecca Cooper, does amazing work so I'm optimistic that at least something turned out - stay tuned......

We also had a chance to go to Ridge Lake with Jeramy's dad, Bryan . He brought out the boat and we had a great time tubing (after waiting in the cars for an hour for the rain and lightning to clear). Ella was a maniac in the tube and was constantly giving Bryan the thumbs up to go faster.
As for my little snuggle-bug, Finn, he just burrowed down into his life jacket and took a snooze.

One of my favorite things about the trip was the fact that I did the Raymond 10k! Despite planning on doing the race for about3 or 4 months, I only ran about 5 or 6 times prior to the race and my longest run in training was 4 miles. Needless to say, I felt a little unprepared for the run. But on race day me, my sister Kim and my sister-in-law Jessica were there ready to run. I ended up running every step of the race with a finish time of 1:08 - which I realize is slow at an11-min pace but I was just happy to finish!

A few hours after the race we ended up going up to Waterton with my family. Whenever we go home, Waterton is a MUST in my books! Even if it is almost always windy it is still great to go. While there we stopped at Cameron Falls, had lunch at one of the camp kitchens, drove up to Cameron Lake and a did a short little hike with the kids. On the way down from Cameron Lake, Jeramy and I stopped at "our rock "and took a few pictures. The picture we ended up using for our wedding announcement was taken on the rock - fourteen years ago! YIKES! Now every time we go up to the lake, we stop and take a picture. After our pictures we headed back down to the townsite for some ice cream at Big Scoop - a must do!

We were able to visit with my good friend Melissa McKendrick at her parents home in Welling. It was so great to visit. While we were inside visiting, they got the horses out so the kids had a chance to ride a shetland pony. Ella was in heaven! Finn seemed to have a good time too!

On our last day of Canada was the Raymond parade. Such a fun tradition - especially now with all the little ones. It was rainy at the beginning but turned out to be a nice day. After the parade we all went to my parents house - grandpas, grandmas, aunts, uncles, counsins, etc. to eat and visit for the afternoon. It was great to catch up with everyone. The evening, and our trip, ended with fireworks. The next morning it was back on road back to Colorado. Now that the drive is a behind us, it was a great trip and we look forward to next year!