Happy 4 years...

I feel like we've been celebrating Reese's 4th birthday for over a month! 2 parties and now the official day. Reese had a special birthday breakfast, played with friends, and spent a fun afternoon shopping with Aunt Jen and Mycol. This kid is spoiled. But I love her like crazy and can't believe it's already been 4 years.

Happy happy birthday my little pieces!!

4 year interview

What's your favorite... 

food - corn and orange juice
drink - I just said orange juice mom!
treat - The snake things. They the sour one's you eat. (I think she means sour gummy worms?) oh oh oh...and candy corn!! I loooovvve candy corn!
surprise - to see my friends! I so surprise to see my friends.
T.V. show - My Little Pony
movie - The Incredibles
book - I think the George book (Curious George)
color - yellow and purple
song - Give Said the Little Stream
place to go - The Beach and Chuck E Cheese
thing to do - Paint with sparkles (glitter)
friends - Rowan, Lucy, Clair, Brynny, and maybe Tyler Gavin if I need boys
thing about mommy - I just really love you mom, we just best best best friends
thing about daddy - When he swings me all around and around
thing about Anni - playing with her

What's the best thing about turning 4? 
I can glue stuff all by myself
(I have no idea where the gluing thing comes from. I can't even remember the last time we glued anything, and where she got the idea that she can do it by herself now. The crazy mind of a 4 year old.)


...some other funny things she says...

Reese: That Craig on the phone mom?
Me: uhhh...you mean grandpa??
Reese: His name Craig mom! Don't ya know that?

I'm not sure where this recent obsession to call everyone by their first name came from...but I really don't like it!


While putting Reese to bed tonight I explained to her that if she wanted to stay up late and go to the firework show tomorrow night, then she needed to stay in bed and go to sleep. As I was leaving the room...

Me: Goodnight. I love you.
Reese: one second mom, sparkle (her stuffed unicorn) wants to tell you something.
Me: OK, what does sparkle need?
Reese: (puts sparkles head to her ear) ah ha, ok, ok (talking to herself)...ok mom, sparkle wants me to tell you that she doesn't want to stay in bed.
Me: then you tell sparkle that if she doesn't stay in bed and go to sleep, then she won't be able to go to the firework show tomorrow night either.
Reese: (looking at me like I'm crazy)...umm mom...sparkle's just a stuffed animal, she doesn't care about fireworks.
Me: Oh so we're back to reality? Then sparkles just a stuffed animal and she doesn't care about going to sleep.
Reese: (has no come back...and clearing realizing that mommy's smarter than she thought.)


Reese: Mom I know how to say bubble bath in spanish.
Me: you do?
Reese: ya, it's bubadooba.
Me: or really? who taught you that?
Reese: no one, I just made it up. You can just make up words in Spanish mom. It's not real, it all just made up.
Me: Spanish isn't made up honey. It's a real language that some people speak.
Reese: But that what Dora say's and her just made up.
Me: Well she's a pretend cartoon character, but she speaks a real language. There are lots of people all over the world that speak all kinds of languages. Like daddy knows how to speak French.
Reese: That kinda funny mom. Maybe I want to know spanish.
Me: Well when you get older you can take classes in school and lean a different language.
Reese: That be so awesome mom!


I'm packing and organizing stuff in preparation for our move and listening to music...kind of loud. Reese comes upstairs and yells...

Reese: MOM!! MOM!! Turn down dis music!! It way too loud MOM!!

I think I'll need to remember this moment for when she's 16!

Deer...ing

I grew up in a hunting family. I don't remember the first time I realized what "hunting" really entailed. I don't remember if it was traumatizing, or just a gradual understanding and acceptance of the circle of life. After all, our family always used the meat, and we were taught to love and respect all animals. Unlike many other members of my extended family...I didn't conform to the hunting traditions to which I was raised. I don't have anything against it, I just don't like to do it myself. I don't like the taste of deer meat or elk meat...or any other kind of wild game. I don't even like to "deal" with conventional raw meat. I do it...but I don't like it. In fact I'm convinced somewhere deep inside me is a vegetarian...buried under the part of me that loves a good steak, and fried chicken, and pork chops...and...well, you get the point. I know it's completely hypocritical and probably a bit juvenile, but I just don't like to know where it comes from, or see the process.

So, when I happen to be at my parents house during hunting season, and my dad "gets" a deer, while it's slightly nostalgic, it also,for lack of a better expression, just grosses me out!!

Well last week, on the opening day of bow season, my dad got his first deer. I came home from running errands and made the mistake of coming through the garage. I should have known better when I saw my dads truck backed in...and I knew he'd been hunting. The wafting smell of dead animal is overwhelmingly repugnant. As I made my way into the house and saw Reese's little face greeting me, I was immediately concerned. We've never talked to her about hunting or the origin of the meat on her plate. The week before we had taken her fishing for the first time. She had just learned that those cute little fishy's she wants as a pet, are in the same family as the Salmon and Talapia she eats for lunch. Could she now handle another "realization" of food origin...so soon??? I told my mom that I didn't want her to see the deer or go anywhere near the garage. I was hoping to maybe ease her into the whole hunting experience.

A little while later I walked into the kitchen and found my dad at the sink, washing his hands. Reese was standing beside him. They were having a conversation. I missed the first part but caught the end.

Grandpa: I killed him, now I'm going to cut him up so we can eat him.
Reese: (very concerned) you killeded a deer??
Grandpa: Yes, but now we can eat him.
Reese: (looking at me) Grandpa killeded a deer. Mom, he not a very nice deer??

Having come into the conversation, I just stood there speechless. How do you answer a little 4 year olds innocent question of whether or not it was a nice deer??? My dad just looked at me...and I had nothing to say. So I let him answer.

Grandpa: Yes, he was a nice deer. But sometimes we kill animals for food.
Reese: oh. So some deer's we kill and some are nice deers that are friends.
Me: Sure.

What else can you say? I just let it go. Reese just skipped off with no more questions. How exactly do you help a 4 year old understand the animal food chain. Maybe I'm a wimp, I just don't want the harsh reality of life to settle into her little mind just yet. Can't she be innocent for a while longer??

Later that night she went out to ride her plasma car. She came running in.

Reese: Mom, there some blood on my plasma car. I think Grandpa did it when he was "deer-ing", can you wash it off?
Arnold: I'll clean it off for you.
Reese: Ok, thanks dad!

Welcome to my childhood. I guess I turned out ok...right??

Anni - 18 months

I wish I could make time stand still...but it's not happening!

We've been in Idaho for less than a month and I feel like Anni has grown up over night. She's changing almost daily! They say "it takes a village"...no truer words have ever been spoken. I've been working with Anni on new words for months, with little to no progress. But Grandma has the magic touch. Anything Grandma tells Anni to say, is immediately repeated.

Recent new words:
Cookie
Thank you
Please
Again
More
Yes and No
Grandpa
Grandma
doggy
Kitty ect...ect...ect...

Other fun/new changes:

Anni's hit the "climbing everything" phase. You can't turn your back on her for a second, or you might find her scaling counter tops or the dining room table. This new development has resulted in more falls and bruises than we can count. You many even notice in the picture below; a nice big one on her forehead.


Anni loves her sister more than ever. She has to do everything Reese does. She walks around mimicking Reese's every move. I find it adorable...Reese finds it annoying, but she's learning patience.

Anni loves loves loves shoes. No shoes are safe. Sometimes the first words out of her mouth in the morning are, "Shoes mama, shoes??"

The only downside to all her progress would be her increased stubborn independence. Anni suddenly thinks she's old enough to not only drink, but carry around a big girl cup. She wants to sleep in a "big" bed. She doesn't like her high chair. She try's to go way too fast on the plasma car. She's all over the place at the playground. I can't take my eyes off her for a split second! I'm not ready for all the "grown up" stuff. Can't she just stay my baby for a little while longer???

Another fun first...Ribs!!

Anni has always been our little carnivore. Grandpa introduced her to ribs...it was love!

Fishing with Grandpa...

Some of my favorite memories from childhood are fishing with my Grandpa's...and my dad! I'm so glad that Reese and Anni will get to have those memories too!

Reese's first time fishing.




First fish caught! Her face say's it all!








Grandpa made her touch it! She said, "Mom that fish crazy slimmy!"






Aunt Taylor was the "fisher-woman" of the night. She's a pro!


Crew's awesome catch!




Reese and Kendi were so excited when they discovered a "flying fish" in the lake.


It was really some leaves stuck together, but they were convinced they had found something magical!






I'm so excited that these two cuties will get to grow up together!!




Even Arnold caught a few! He hadn't been fishing since he was a boy.




Aunt Erika's catch!


Proof that even Grandma fished!


Anni didn't do any fishing...this time...maybe next year.


Kendi's catch.


Anni wasn't a fan of the dirt!




Just in case you're wondering, I did catch a fish too. A pretty big one at that!
It was a beautiful day of fishing with the fam!