Bikers

My camera is running low on batteries, so I didn't get many pictures of Nikki's birthday party. I think Alli took a couple for me. The cousins came over and swam and had lots of fun. It's pouring rain outside right now, but it was perfect weather this morning. Nikki loved her new purple bike and Sherrie got her a Dora helmet. Alli got her a sleeping bag that came with a tent and a blow up chair and flash light. It is really cute, and she thinks they are great. A really fun day. It's hard to believe our baby is four years old!

Nikki's swimming pool cake

For me, the birthday cake is really the biggest part of the birthday party. I thought this was a really cute cake and should have been pretty easy to make, but nothing I do ever turns out simple. I ended up making two cakes. The first one broke when I was putting the top layer on, and then when I added the jello to the middle it pushed the sides of the cake out. I thought if I propped it up and refrigerated it then maybe it would harden enough to stay together. That's what the bananas and apples are for. It didn't work, though. I even stuck it with about half a box of toothpicks. The second time worked much better. Nikki loved it.

A bad way to lose weight & my organ master class

My body found a really cruel way to be kind. I figure it was because I didn't exercise all week that yesterday my body took over its own weight-loss regimen (okay, maybe it was only because Nikki was sick the day before =}). I was so sick I couldn't stand up without having to make a run to the bathroom. What a day! Nikki and I were supposed to go spend the morning at Hannah's school for field day, but Nikki was so sweet to me even with having to stay home. Then our realtor called and said that someone wanted to come view our house. It about did me in, but I got the laundry folded and put a few things away. I had to call Nate to come home, and he was an angel. I really don't think I could have driven anywhere, but with the help of a great family I made it through. I had no idea a digestive tract could hold so much material! Okay, that's gross so I'll move on.

I was a little worried because today I was supposed to play in an organ master class in Raleigh and I really didn't want to bail out. This morning I was much better. I stuck with a couple of graham crackers for breakfast and everything was fine. The master class was really neat. There were 5 organ students who played a prepared piece for Dr. Jack Mitchener, an organ professor at The School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. Then he would give ideas on how to improve. He was trying to get me to put more accents in certain spots and be more musical, and all I could think was that I wished I was sitting at a piano. It would have been so much easier to follow his advice that way. The other students were all working on bachelor or doctorate degrees in organ, so my little piece was pretty simple compared to the rest of them. Actually, I think my piece was a nice break on the ears because the other students played these incredibly difficult, not very pretty pieces. Everyone was surprised that I had only been playing the organ for 4 months. It was a great experience.

Carolina On My Mind

My friend Kristen sent me this quiz about North Carolina. There were a few I wasn't sure about, but I ended up with 100%. Nate got a 79% which I thought was pretty good for a Utah boy. It was fun trivia.

Carolina quiz

After reading Kellee's most recent blog posts about Mom & Dad and Grandma & Granddaddy, I really feel so grateful to be a part of my family. However, before I even read what she wrote I was missing Mom this morning. Nikki is sick. She threw up all over the carpet right by the entryway in the living room -- that'll be a great selling point for our house. She can't even keep a couple of sips of water down. While she was throwing up, my heart just broke for her. I remembered how sweet Mom always was when I was sick. She would hold my hair for me and rub my back, and that was so comforting. I remember when I stayed home from school sick and Dad was trying to take care of me, I would always make him call Mom at work before I would eat any soup or drink any Sprite he tried to give me. I feel bad about that now. That really wasn't very nice, but sometimes you just need your mom. Sometimes I still do. I think she would just love our girls, and I would love to see her interact with them. It's interesting to think how different life would be if my parents were still here, but I know the Lord knows what is best for all of us. So, until I see them again, I will cherish the memories I have of them and try to live my life as close to the Lord as I can. I want my parents to be able to look at my life and be proud of me.

Pool fun

The girls broke in our new swimming pool this afternoon. They went out as soon as Hannah got home from school and stayed out until suppertime. They had a blast. They posed for this picture themselves. I thought it was so cute.

Am I old enough to be a parent?

This morning the first thing I heard from the girls was fussing over who got to spread their blanket and lay on the hall floor outside of our bedroom door. What a wake-up call. So, later they went outside with Nate and I had a little bit of peace while I was cleaning the bathrooms. When they came in still whining and fighting with each other, I picked them up one in each arm and took them to their room. As I left them there, Hannah curled up on the bed crying and Nikki sat with her arms folded glaring at me with a very defiant look on her face. I thought, "I am in way over my head with this parenting stuff." I have taken a few parenting and child development classes, I've read some parenting and discipline books, but I still feel such a loss sometimes as to how to be a good parent. First of all, the girls have such different personalities that it amazes me. They are like night and day. Generally, they are really good girls. And thankfully they get along really well most of the time. The situation this morning ended well. When I went back in their room they were laying on their bed reading books together. I even managed to get them to laugh. That's just one more example of how they can let things blow over and don't hold grudges or resentment. It's just overwhelming to think about the resonsibility we have as parents to teach these little ones so many things -- how to deal with anger, how to get along, how to have empathy for others, how to take responsibility for their actions, how to be honest. The list is endless. Although, as I think about it, it is nice that there are so many places to turn for help. I'm so thankful to have Nate. I can't imagine trying to be a parent by myself. We have an excellent extended family who are great examples to us. The scriptures and leaders of the church teach us so much, as well as having the guidance of the Spirit. So, while it can be overwhelming, I am grateful to be a parent. Sometimes I just have to remind myself of the sweet notes and pictures and flowers (mostly dandelions) they give to me because those things help put their little squabbles in perspective.

Nikki's Pronunciation

Nikki picked out a movie from the library last week called The Letter Factory, and she absolutely loves it. It goes through each letter and teaches the sounds they make. It's pretty cute, but the thing I'm so excited about is that she has really tried to pronounce all of the sounds correctly. She has a hard time with a lot of her consonants, especially her "k" sound. Since her name is Nikki, it's kind of important that she learns how to say it. Whenever someone asks her what her name is, they just can't decipher "Nitti." I took a language development class in college, and the professor said that you shouldn't correct children's pronunciations because as they develop they will hear on their own that they are saying it differently than you and will correct it themselves when they are developmentally ready. Any corrections you try to make for them will just make them frustrated and self-conscious. So, I haven't corrected her a lot, but I have been starting to think that she needs to get it right soon or she'll be in kindergarten with a speech impediment. So, with this video I think she has really started listening more to the sounds as she pronounces them. She recognized she wasn't pronouncing the "k" right, and she asked me do it. After watching me, she got it after a few tries. Then finally after singing along with this movie all week (and she has watched it ALL week), she came to me today and got it right on the first try! I was so excited for her. Now I don't feel so bad about her getting more movies than books from the library last week.

My independent girls

I slept in until almost 8 am this morning. How amazing is that! This week is spring break, so I didn't have to get Hannah ready for school. The girls woke up and Hannah got cereal for them AND she remembered to put the milk back in the refrigerator. She also left me a bowl and spoon on the table in my spot for when I woke up. What a sweet girl. Nikki used the bathroom all by herself, so I didn't have to get up for that. After breakfast they didn't want to bother me so they went into the toy room and were playing quietly together. I'm just so proud of how they have grown up so much. I remember being up with Hannah one night when she was about 2 months old. I thought to myself that it would be another 18 years before I got a full night of rest like I wanted, and then since we wanted more children it really would be longer than that. I'm so glad I was wrong. I really am a much nicer person when I get plenty of sleep.

Easter eggs

The cutest girls ever!