Family Update

This little guy is growing up fast! He is a planner!!

- He is always laying out his clothes all over his floor so that he can pick out his weeks/summers worth of outfits complete with underwear and socks... Sadly that organization never lasts long, because he has a little sister, so really I am an organizer too and have to clean it all back up to support his habit.

- He also has his whole birthday planned out... It is still far away!

- In the second picture he said, "Look at my SALAD mom!" -anything is healthy if you call it a salad!

- Oh and he is in the stage of saying the best prayers! -not always in this order but he always prays, "Thank you for elk, deer, turkeys, Halloween, and Christmas. Thank you for superheroes, trucks, and princesses." -What more does a boy need?!

So this is new at our house. Not the best comparison pictures, but we went from a small rickety table and folding chairs whose seats were cracked and falling apart to a new table and chairs set! It has made a huge difference; like learning each others names so we can ask for food to be passed now! Thank you craigslist!!

Paisley is our "way-too-capable" baby! (Baby locks should have been tested by her.) She now is staying in this toddler bed rather than crawling out of her crib. Oh and she eats everything disgusting!!! Not joking- dipping toilet paper into the toilet and sucking the water dry, taking a spoon to the house plant's dirt to name a couple. AND look at these poor crayons! At least she leaves the sharp end for us to still use. Nothing is safe, but nothing feels neglected around her not even dirt. 

 Some days I get all the challenging, dangerous, and gross things put away and then she just gets bored...  [see the movie]

And this is why people include family pets into the chaos of family pictures. Demitri has never smiled so well! We are dog-sitting two puppies this week, clearly we need just one more dog.

Daphney and I love our one on one time during nap time. I LOVE that she didn't attend preschool! Who needs school when you can just stay at home and take art lessons from mom?! We need to invest in a paper company though... we clearly keep them in business.

Girls Night Out!

This was so much fun! I was afraid Daphney would only enjoy five minutes, but she loved the whole thing (with the exception of the scary witch transition scene). What a fun night getting to hang with   my daughter who was eating up the show almost as much as my mom who gushed over every perfect hand position!  

Easter Eggstravaganza

"Demitri Dooley you have won a  Spider-man Scooter!" In that moment Demitri's life was complete and I began my prepping for Daphney's disappointment. I started trying to explain probability (apparently every kid wanted to enter to win that doll regardless of the number of entries) and talking up how happy another girl might be. My speech of not shooting for your dreams because of the number of fish in the pool was luckily cut short when they called "Daphney Dooley" and she skipped up to collect her prize. Never have I been so happy to be proven wrong. I hope she always shoots for her dreams no matter the difficulty ahead!

Okay seriously this is quite a difficult hunt! 

Paisley loved the games there and totally worked the baby card in order to get handfuls of candy! She loved the pocket of her overalls. 

We loved being able to hold these baby chicks!  

"The Dream Life Tryptic"

Daphney brought me her artwork yesterday and explained them to me... They are a little scary!

"Look Mom! Here is me and Hyrum Scarlett Frienda. We are getting married, so now my name is Daphney Rose Frienda, but most people just call me Daphney. And those are my friends Peter and Parker that came to the wedding. We got married in the temple by the zoo!" (Haha don't worry guys she is not friends with spiderman -Peter Parker)

"This next picture is of us in our new house; we live right across from wherever you and dad live. And here you see our garden like grandad's and there is our fire place in the living room."

"And here I am at the doctors. I am having twins! They are named Scarlett and Valerine." 

-Where is your husband? "Oh he had to work. He works at Panda just like me... We work at the same place so that we can just ride there together. "

Notice there are no pictures of life after the kids are born!!! Parents don't really know what they are getting into!

I looked forward to this day with much anticipation... [The day Daphney faced her fear!]

She was in tears with fright and had all but talked herself out of doing it, but knowing that her dad was coming to support her she agreed to go to practice yesterday. She walked onto the field with her head down and avoided eye contact with her coach; his high five was all together ignored. 

But by the end of practice she was on top of the world. She happily boasted, "Mom, I didn't even sweat!" Then this morning I caught her drawing on a paper; she was decorating hearts all around the chicken scratched word- "SOCER!" 

Shane showed Daphney how to pose and then we got ready to go and Paisley just kept posing there exactly like had been modeled saying CHEESE!!!

We were hurrying to the field for Daphney's first game and Daphney was stressing, because I had just told her one that only one goal was meant for her team. She looked up at me all seriously, and said, "Mom this is no time to dance, right?" Yes dear this is high stakes now! 

I asked Daphney if there was anything she would like to remember about today and she said "oh yes, type that I got a GATORADE! -and some GOLD FISH!! Oh and I liked playing against Peter and holding hands with him even though he wasn't on my team! "

NEW YORK! NEW YORK!

Spring Break was the best! Loved us some family time even if the family time was in the car. All littles traveled pretty well. Paisley was a bit fussy but considering she had an ear infection that eventually ruptured she traveled amazingly! 

 

My kids pray in gratitude for Hotels every single time so appropriately that was a highlight of their vacation. 

 MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY:

I prepped my kids super well for New York by watching the movies, "Night at the Museum" and "Troll in Central Park". Consequently, the kids made sure to verify that we would not be walking over any bridges where trolls might hide and that we would only be visiting the museum in the daylight. The museum was so MASSIVE! We tried to find many of the main characters in the night of the museum movie, but since we didn't ever find the Easter Island Head Daphney says we have to go back. 

That magical dinosaur in the Natural History Museum sure knows how to make the babies smile! Look how huge some of those dinosaurs were!

 Our kid dominated crew got quite a few stares, and when I would push the twins people would tell me congratulations. Do you think I told them they were not mine? - NOPE!! Why thank you, yes I am great for carrying twins. Thanks for all the compliments and "God Blesses". :D

Sorry we didn't get a picture of the whale room... Demitri says that is why we have to go back. It is settled!

LIBERTY SCIENCE CENTER:

Can you read it?! If not then Paisley made it!!

 STATUE OF LIBERTY: 

 Sadly a huge snow storm came in and destroyed our plans to do lots of picnics, but the kids did get to go sledding using card board boxes. So grateful for dads!

We didn't let the snow kill our Statue of Liberty plans, but we definitely felt and looked more like homeless immigrants waiting in line for our ferry to Ellis Island.

 While on Ellis Island we were able to watch a movie about the Immigrants that came to the island. Demitri was able to catch a quick snooze to hold him over, but Daphney never stopped commentating the movie. "Oh that person is happy, that person is squished, that person is going to America to visit her sister I bet. Do you think her sister is getting ready for her and cleaning the house... "

During the movie there was an emotional appeal where the immigrants were quoted stating what they had with them. "You were lucky if you had one suitcase. I only had my shoes, dress, coat." There were several examples like this and Daphney turned to me unsympathetically said, "Mom they still have Heavenly Father and Jesus!" She could not understand why they were so sad even if they had nothing else. Her faith was touching.

Yes that is my son!

World Trade Center Memorial- 

was a sacred experience. Interesting to see how different even tourists act when in that area. 

  Trinity Church

What NY trip would be complete without feeding PIGEONS??!!