Wednesday, September 28, 2011

NM State Fair

I love this time of the year. Fall brings so many great things...cooler weather, brilliant colors, and fun family activities. We plan on taking full advantage of the nice weather here (70s to mid 80s) and enjoy all the fall activities including pumpkin picking, corn mazes, hay rides, and the state fair which happens to be the first event on our list.

We went down to the New Mexico state fair as a family last week. Wed is 2 for 1 day which is awesome because the kids are free so it only cost us $7 to get in. Good thing too because we neglected to check the weather report.

We got to the fair and I came to the realization that most fairs are not very classy. Let's face it...carnival rides and the people that participate in the fair tend to be lower class. Not to say we didn't have fun but the state fair tends to draw some pretty shady people. I guess it is all that fried food. Anyways, we went and rode on a few rides and walked around a bit before it started to rain, scratch that more like pour down on us. It didn't look like it was going to let up any time soon so we decided to call it a day after only 2 hours at the fair. The kids thought it was great. Jackson was really brave and rode on a caterpillar roller coaster with me that was surprisingly fast. Liz rode on the dinosaur ride by herself because by that time it had started to rain and Jackson just wanted to go home. On our way out we bought a yummy corn dog (my favorite fair food) and some deep fried Oreos that were DELICIOUS.



Here is the problem...I grew up with the Puyallup fair. The BEST fair ever. They have grounds set up specifically for the fair. The rides are like a mini amusement park, the food is AMAZING, and all the other attractions can not be beat. I think in fair terms I was spoiled and so any fair I go to doesn't compare and I tend to be disappointed.

We still had fun even if it wasn't the best day or place to go.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Pretty Girl, Smart Dude

Elizabeth is just getting more beautiful every day. I recently made a mustard and gray dress for her and couldn't resist spending some quality photo time with my girl while Jackson was sleeping.






Jackson has been going to Joy School the last 2 weeks and he is loving it...as am I. For those of you who don't know what this is it is a home preschool program that rotates between houses of the mom's that are involved. We each teach a week and then get 3 weeks off. I love that he is learning knew things, socializing with the kids, and spending time away from me (because he is such a mama's boy). He has a lot of fun and I get to spend 2.5 hours a day 2 times a week with Elizabeth.

I really haven't had a lot of opportunities to spend time alone with her. She really is a funny girl. She helps me clean the house and we play with the baby dolls, brushing their hair and serving them tea. She is such a girly girl and I have to admit I love it.

Jackson is speaking really well lately, using phrases most adults use. He is a very social kid, making friends every where he goes. And I love that he is getting older so we can play games now and do more advanced crafts like painting or cutting.

This week we made pumpkins. I cut out the pieces and he glued them together. He knew where every piece is suppose to go. He made one of me, himself, and Liz...there wasn't room for dad so he told Brandon he would make one for him "maybe later".


It cracks me up how observant he is about things like that. He always makes sure his clothes match when he gets dressed in the morning and if something is out of place he points it out.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Costume Party

A few weeks ago our play group had a costume party. It was so much fun seeing all the kids dressed up as their favorite characters. Some of the kids brought multiple outfits. I think it is a great idea for a playdate because it encourages imagination and creativity. Plus it give them an excuse to bust out all the old Halloween costumes. Lizzy wore her tutu and Jackson went as Jack Sparrow. However while we were there the kids traded and tried on some of the other costumes including an Elmo costume for Liz. There were princesses, monsters, and superheros. At the end we got a really cute picture of all the kids dressed up. I hope they decide to do this once a month because we all had a blast.




Lizzy doing "The Smolder"

Sunday, September 18, 2011

YO HO A Pirate's Life for Me



Jackson is obsessed with pirates. Jack Sparrow and Jake (from Jake and the Neverland Pirates a Disney cartoon). He already has a Jack Sparrow costume that I bought from Costco, so this weekend I made him a Jake costume. I took an old white shirt of his, cut off the collar and sleeves and added the ties in the front. Then I made the vest out of felt and some bias tape. Now he can play pirates all he wants with his pirate swords and new pirate costumes. We will have to see which one he will choose for Halloween, only 6 weeks away (he is counting down).








Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Scrap Tutu

This week I made a scrap fabric tutu for Elizabeth. For all the information go check out my craft blog.








We went to our weekly church park playdate today. It was so much fun. The kids had a blast playing at the park with the other kids (for 2.5 hours!) and I got to know some of the amazing women in our new ward. I have a really good feeling about this ward. Everyone is super nice and really active. They have something going on almost every day. Story time, park playdates, volleyball Wed nights, sewing enrichments, book club...all my favorite activities. And I met one girl who it turns out actually took the cooking class at BYU and I was her TA. What a small world! As much as I miss AZ and all our family and friends there I am really starting to like Albuquerque as well. Link

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Last week my mom and sister went shopping. Not just any shopping...wig shopping. As the doctor told her she will most likely loose her hair after this weeks treatment so she decided to be prepared. I am really bummed I couldn't be there but I have to say they made a good decision. The wig they choose actually looks like my mom's hair about 10 years ago, but not dated.

Long and curly...my mom loves long hair. Not your style mom.


Short and stylish. This is actually my favorite.

AND THE WINNER IS...

If you are going wig shopping I couldn't have choose a better shopping partner than Sarah. What can I say...the girl knows hair.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Happy 2nd Birthday Baby Girl

Today Elizabeth turns 2. Man this year has flown by. It is amazing how much they change in a year but even more amazing how much they change that second year. She went from no hair, barely walking, barely talking, to the skipping, galloping, bossy girl, giggly girl I know today. Here are a few things I know about Elizabeth today:

-She is fiesty.
-She likes to be tickled but will tickle back.
-She is already starting to rebel. If I do something she doesn't like she fights back by doing something she knows I don't like. For instance, she says "no mom...I'm going to take out my pony tail" Or "no mom, I am going to take the train set apart." But she says it in a raised voice like she is daring me to stop her.
-She talks in full sentences and has a very good vocabulary. Probably over 300 words.
-She loves pigs.
-She loves Tangled and watches it nearly every day. That and "Meet the Robinsons" (but not as much as Tangled.
-She loves the playground.
-She climbs on everything.
-She likes putting on makeup with mom, having her toenails painted, and wearing pretty princess dresses.
-Her favorite food is soup (all soup) and eggs.
-She loves to take care of her babies.
-She likes galloping everywhere.
-She has an amazing memory and can tell me what her favorite books say or repeat her favorite songs including the full alphabet.
-She loves to sing songs and dance.
-She puts her arms in the air when we go under bridges and says "whooo".
-She loves bubbles.
-She makes the best faces on demand including the innocent face and the smolder.
-She likes to come up and whisper things in your ear, especially I LOVE YOU.

She is a sweet little girl and I love her so much. Sometimes I watch her or lay down in her bed with her and I just cherish her little personality and what she brings to our lives.

We had a pig party to celebrate her birthday with a few friends. I even made a pig pinata that she and Jackson helped make.


Then today we had a family day. We went to see the fishies at the aquarium (her request) and then to the bio park. Later tonight we went to a Japananese steak house for some cooking entertainment and of course eggs and soup. She didn't like the fire but enjoyed the onion volcano they made. Afterwards we came back to house and enjoyed some pig cupcakes and opened presents. It really was a great day together!

Tangled Doll

Princess Dresses
Lama Lama and Time for Bed

Pig Beanie

Play dough Ice Cream set