Remembering the Precious Moments

So if anyone is still reading my blog... this may not sound precious to them. Don't judge.

I tend to get wrapped up in the daily skiffs and altercations. When I see my kids loving each other it really fills me with a feeling I can't quite describe. Precious. Helps me remember that I have good kids. That they love each other. That we just might have a chance at a happy family afterall :)

One such moment that recently touched me occurred just the other day. We were at a dealership and the salesman had given Jaedyn a balloon, with a promise for one for Lilia. Jaedyn was very happy with her balloon! It was pink... doesn't get much better than that. She was playing and sharing with her sister Lilia who also seemed content... for a bit. Then Lilia started reaching for Jaedyn's balloon and it became clear to her older sister, that it was time for this salesman to follow through on his promise. She came to me and told me that her sister needed a balloon as well.

Now you have to know Jaedyn like I know Jaedyn, to fully appreciate how events proceeded from there. Jaedyn, at home, is very rambunctious, very fun loving, and has a VERY strong personality. With new people however, she tends to be more reserved, shy, and ignores anything they say to her. She will not ask for things from people she doesn't know and if she has a request, she insists that I make it for her.

When Jaedyn told me that Lilia needed a balloon, I promptly told her to go ask that nice man if he was ready to get one for her. I often encourage her to try and take care of things that she can do for herself. She normally refuses. This time however, she immediately took Lilia by the hand, marched across the room to where they were conversing and asked the man if he would get a balloon for her sister now. It was a such a sweet thing for her to do! And totally unexpected! I often encourage her to do these things for herself. But to see her so willingly go and do for her sister, what I know she wouldn't have done for herself, it totally warmed my heart. She loves her, and she's looking out for her. And I want to remember that.

Birthday fun!

This year Jaedyn asked to celebrate her and her sister's birthdays together so though I hadn't planned to have a party this year, I found myself planning one about a week before the event. I felt bad though, doing nothing on the kids actual birthdays so...

Lilia's Birthday:

We went out to eat at Chick-Fil-A and played on the toys for over an hour!

Then we came home and opened presents just before bed

 

The throne for present opening... apparently.

The Birthday Party:

The day started off with the Smithfield Health Days Fun Run. We did it as a family... sorta. Chad had the kids in the stroller and took off. I could NOT keep up!

But I completed it :)

We then went to the block party in Providence where free pizza was being served along with cake and slushies. They had the bounce house slides out and the kids had fun on those for about 30 minutes before we decided we really needed to head home and prepare for the party.

Little Ms Jaedyn asked for a birthday cake with a princess chewing bubble gum in the afternoon. Baha! I was at a loss! But since her g-ma sent her a little pony as part of a birthday packet a month ago, it's been her favorite toy so I drew my inspiration from that.

We had a backyard BBQ with friends and their families. And our good friends the Harts even came from Idaho Falls! It was so good to see them... just wish we coulda spent more time together!

Backyard games included a water balloon fight (that really didn't last very long!), a ball pole toss, ring toss, pinata, and a fun game that Chad stole from the Dementia unit at work! Shhhh. It involved water noodles and a punch balloon. It was actually quite fun except the kids kept hitting them over the fence!

Oh, and did I mention hog-tying? Crazy kids! They were begging for it!

Thanks to all the friends and family who were able to come and show their love for my girls! We had a great time!

 Jaedyn's Birthday:

 It's not over yet, but so far today...

80+ degree weather! We've been out all day!

Here's Jaedyn helping Lilia keep her hat on

And who buys a pool that big that has to be inflated?! Chad. That's who. I ran outta air. He gets to finish blowing it up :)

We then took Jaedyn to her first day of swim lessons for the season. This lady, Marla Goldman, is fantastic! As I'm introducing them I realized I didn't know what she would want Jaedyn to call her, so I asked. "You can call me princess" was her response. They hit it off beautifully. And Jaedyn made such great progress in just one 40 minute session. At the end Marla told me that Jaedyn is "a natural". Great way to get more money :) But I had to agree, she did really well and she had a ton of fun!

Jaedyn got to pick where we went to eat for dinner. McDonalds. Ugh. Why do the golden arches have to put those playgrounds in their restaurants?? It's a conspiracy against parents I swear. If the toys weren't there... would it be anyone, even a child's, first pick?

This is Jaedyn telling Lilia, "Here Lilia, will you open this one for me?" So sweet. And Lilia, of course was very happy to oblige.

I love love LOVE this picture! She was so excited to open this gift from her g-ma! Her expression was priceless... and I just missed it with the camera. But by just missing it, I was able to capture the essence of her reaction. Thanks grandma Tina and Grandpa Damon!

I would also like to thank the timely good weather that contributed so much to our fun the last few days!

Little Ballerina

Jaedyn took ballet for the first time this Spring. She loved it... most days. It was fun to take her to her practices and peek through the little peep hole in the door and watch. Sometimes she was really intent on watching her movements in the mirror. Other times she was staring at the wall, or the other little dancers. Hehe. The company she's dancing with is the Cache Valley Civic Ballet School and they teach their students the real french terms so rather than Jaedyn standing on tip toes or pointing their toe she's learning releve and tendu.

And they had a real live recital... at the Ellen Eccles Theater on May 6. To help prep her for this I took her to the schools performance of Cinderella the weekend before. Her favorite was the Fairy Godmother but she says she wants to be Cinderella next year! We might have to have our own production :)

  

The girl on the far left here is Jaedyn's friend, Lauren McGrath. She was actually in a different class than Jaedyn.

And this was a fun surprise! This girl in the front middle is our good friend Sarah Watterson who was our neighbor when we lived on Marindale. 

No pix of Jaedyn dancing. I was recording the performance instead. But because it was longer than one minute, I can't upload it! Bummer. If anyone knows a way around that, I'd sure appreciate a lesson! I think it may have to do with the fact that our camera is really old and so the file is too large.

Jaedyn had a lot of fun up on stage. Afterward her Daddy gave her flowers and she was so thrilled. She's been showing them off for days to anyone who comes by the house!

Good job sweetie! You were beautiful up there! But more importantly you had so much fun! I look forward to every new performance your future brings... whatever they may be!!