Christmas Card 2010

Dear family and friends,

This year has served up a full plate of delicious experiences and savory events for the Millett family. With the arrival of little Jacob, our kids now outnumber us 2:1. That makes for quite a few cooks in our kitchen these days. However you slice it, we have been richly blessed this year. We count our association with you as a key ingredient in our lives. We hope you enjoy the enclosed one-of-a-kind recipes. If you’d like to get the full scoop about what’s been cookin’ this year at the Millett household, check out our family blog at http://bkmillett.blogspot.com.

With love, from our kitchen to yours,

BERT and KELLI

“Do-It-Yourself” Recipe

From the Kitchen of Jane

Start with one darling two year old. Fold in 1 cup opinion, 2 cups fearlessless and 3 cups stubbornness. In a separate bowl sift a rapidly developing vocabulary and a raspy singing voice. Mix together until three years old. Top with the dress-up of your choice and garnish with a pair of princess panties.

Note: This recipe can do the backstroke in Grammy’s pool and ride Grammy’s horse if desired.

9’6 Pound Cake

From the Kitchen of Jacob

Begin cooking on August 31st.

1. Eat.

2. Sleep.

3. Smile.

Rock and cuddle mixture for 3 months until it more than doubles in size to a 20 pound cake.

Berto’s Breakfast Burritos

From the Kitchen of Bert

1. Head south of the (Mesa) border to work each day at a new job at Wallin Harrison.

2. Bring home the bacon.

3. Add a pinch of sleep and a generous amount of “honey-do’s.”

4. Scramble to meet volunteer commitments.

5. Add a healthly helping of family time and roll in a warm tortilla.

Sweet and Silly Sauce

From the Kitchen of Faith

kisses, hugs, friendliness, gentleness, silliness, babies, music, crazy outfits, drama, pretend play, horses, pink boots

Put all ingredients into the kindergarten bus before 7:55 AM. Enjoy with lots of love.

Bookworm Casserole

From the Kitchen of Sage

1 first grader

12 children’s magazines

dozens of library books

2 miles at the Turkey Trot Fun Run

6 Kino Swim meets

Stir together and then listen until finished. Slowly add new words and scripture study until she reads as much as her mother.

Midnight Pie

From the Kitchen of Kelli

3 girls

1 boy (newborn)

1 baby quilt

1 blog

9 book club books

30 years of life

First, drain out all the sleep and baby weight. Then add one husband to the mix and put in the bosch. Whip until you can’t keep your eyes open. Pour into whatever fits.

Nichols Cousins Party

Have you ever wondered how many people I can squeeze into my house? Saturday night we found out that 41 was just about the max. I'm pretty sure we were violating all sorts of fire code regulations.

We hosted the 2nd Annual party for all of Bert's roudy Nichols cousins. Last year's party at Jessica's house was such a blast that we felt like we had a lot to live up to. But this year was every bit as fun at 2009. There was good food and good times for all! I had tears from laughing so hard during the white elephant. There were some real treasures offered up this year but I think the gift of the night was Wayne's "leg" picture. I'll never forget the roar that came up from the crowd when Raylene opened it.

Part of me is relieved that the biggest party I've ever hosted is over. The other part of me is sad that it's already come and gone. I don't think I'm the only one who's already looking forward to next year.

It's Egg Nog Season

Is Christmas only two weeks away? Yikes! Where did December go? We've thoroughly enjoyed these gorgeous December days.

Bert, Sage and Faith picked out the biggest tree we've ever had. It's a real beauty and I love the smell permeating throughout the house. It's a good thing they got a big one because we barely fit all our ornaments. The longer our family is around and the more fun things we do, the more we add ornaments to our very exclusive collection.

Jacob is growing like a weed - or an evergreen. He hit the 20 pound mark a while back as hasn't stopped since. He continues to be a good, good baby and gives me lots of smiles. Once he's sleeping through the night he'll earn the title of "Perfect Baby."

The girls are fast approaching the end of school and a myriad of sugar-filled parties. I am frantically trying to make sure we all get enough sleep and vegetables to keep us healthy this December. Wish me luck.

Thanksgiving Notes

1. Using a double boiler can be fun. - We had two pie contests this year and I slaved over my coconut cream. It was quite the project. Sage's Lemon Truffle was also delicious. I made Bert a very happy man because, not only did I win the Bodine contest but we also had tons of pie for the whole week after.
2. Get some exercise the morning of Thanksgiving. - We went to the Turkey Trot again. Bert and Micah did the 10K and I ran the 2 mile fun run with Sage. It was her first race and she was very excited. As we plotted along I could tell she was tiring but she just kept going. I'd encourage her or tell her to pass someone ahead of us. At point I told her that if we didn't speed it up we'd miss seeing Dad before his race and that really motivated her. At the last turn she took a pretty bad spill. She went down hard on both her knees but she popped right back up with smile and finished strong. I was so proud of her and had a good time running with my Sage girl.
3. Don't try to meet someone with your kids at the Turkey Trot. - We tried and it didn't go so smoothly. Marci couldn't get anywhere near where I ended so we had to meet quite a ways from the race. Jacob was hungry and Jane refused to walk. Then, try dodging across the race course with three little girls and a stroller. Much harder than you'd think! For about 10 minutes or so my girls just had to sit on the opposite side of the racers and wait for the crowd to die down before I could dart across again and get them. Next year all non-runners are staying home with a babysitter.
4. The Nichols sisters know how to cook. - Yes siree, it was a good spread. All the yummiest dishes to eat with all my favorite people. And how is is that I brought a cranberry salad and went home with a huge tin full of leftovers? It's like Thanksgiving magic.
5. Racing and eating makes you tired. - After we raced at the Turkey Trot and raced home to clean up and raced over to make it in time for 12:00 dinner, I was exhausted. I was so glad to just watch Toy Story 3 that evening and eat pie, of course.

The Terrorist Turns Three

We celebrated in grand fashion with cousins at the zoo. She'd been talking about going to the zoo on her birthday for two months so it was quite fulfilling to finally arrive there. I let Sage and Faith skip school so they could join us and Grammy and Aunt Marci came too. The giraffes and orangutans were everyone favorites. That night we had carrot cake with Grandma and Grandpa and put everyone to bed at 7:30. A perfect day for a three year old.

Jane is really a citizen now. She is proud to be a big sister and has handled Jacob's arrival with grace and patience. She loves to sing, be like a princess, dress-up, say "yea" instead of "yes," ride the horses and play with her sisters. Jane is an independent soul and likes to "do it myself." She is also a very determined little thing. Once her mind is made up there is no persuading her otherwise. You might as well try to move a mountain as try to change Jane's mind. As Bert always says, "Don't negotiate with a terrorist. They are totally committed to their demands, however irrational they may be." For example, at the zoo I wanted a picture of my girls and me but Jane did not want her picture taken. You can see how that played out.

But we love this little terrorist. As she gets older she is getting more and more delightful. Now that she speaks so well, I love to hear what comes out of her mouth and what she absorbs from the world around her. She's a good little sidekick in the mornings while her sisters are at school.

Halloween, Sage's 7th Birthday and Jacob Blessing

Whoa, another whirlwind week. We started off with Halloween celebrations galore. I skipped between MacArthur and Hermosa Vista watching the girls' parades and helping at Sage's classroom party. I am so flattered she wanted me to be there. It was fun to see her in class and with her little friends, even though it was pretty obvious that my help really wasn't needed. We did Halloween in Disney Princess style. Big surprise, right? After weeks of wearing their costumes around the house, to Grandma's, on the swing, to the bus stop, to bed, etc... Faith and Jane finally got to wear their costumes for real. They felt gorrrrrrgeous and Sage was feeling pretty cool wearing a black wig and mascara. Can you name that Disney princess? Bert was our dashing prince and Jacob was the pumpkin coach. We managed to do it all that night - the ward trunk or treat, a visit to the Bodine's and the Millett's. I was one tired Cinderella by evening's end.

The next Friday our sweet Number One turned seven. I still can't believe it. Have I really been a mom for seven years? We love her more and more as she grows. She is the perfect first child and takes care of all of us. We started her birthday with what seems to becoming a tradition - cinnamon rolls for breakfast dyed with the Birthday Girl's favorite color. (Sage's is green.) She went to school where Grandma met her for lunch in the cafeteria. That night we celebrated with all of MacArthur school at their annual carnival. It was a ball. Bert and I were both impressed that Sage wanted to do the rock wall. Too bad the line was much longer than we were willing to brave but we're feeling a Christmas present come out of this. A kiddie harness, perhaps, to compliment the rest of Bert's climbing gear?

Saturday, with Kolstad's in town, we did another baby photo shoot. It went much smoother without our kids there but it was still crazy with three babies. Look at how sweet these three are. And isn't Kasey's Annie a doll? I love all these little guys and I can't wait to add Stephanie's to the mix and watch them all grow up together. Saturday night we had a crazy costume/BBQ/belated Bodine birthday party. Let's just say the Gorilla made an appearance and there were lots of leftover donuts.
Sunday was Jacob's blessing. Boy, is he a sweet guy. We sure love him and already have a very strong feeling that he is special. He is going be a remarkable man and we are honored to be his parents. We felt so loved to have all our family there, including almost all of Jacob's great-grandparents. Bert even invited his great Uncle Bert Randall to participate in the circle. He felt like a Randall needed to be there since that is who we named Jacob for. It was also nice to have McKinley Hyatt blessed that day. We love their family and hoping Jacob and McKinley will hook-up in 20 years or so.Okay, now this is nothing really important but I feel like it needs some documenting. It's just too hilarious to forget. Before Jacob was born I meticulously searched the internet for the perfect blessing outfit. I'm kinda picky about what boys wear - I think babies look uncomfortable in ties or suits and I don't like anything feminine. I found the perfect little South American style set that I love! I think it's called a guayavaera or something like that. Anyway, I ordered it and it hung in the closet until two weeks ago when I thought I'd better try it on the heavy-weight. There was no way that outfit was going to fit it. I went to great lengths to find my Ebay seller (because I of course trashed all the receipts and emails) and got his 3 month outfit exchanged for a 6 month outfit. It came in the mail last week and again, didn't fit at all! How was I know that the 6 month size wouldn't fit? Are South American babies that much smaller? So Sunday morning my dear mother put inserts in the sides of the shirt to give him more breathing room. You guessed it, still to snug. Therefore, for his blessing and all his pictures his chub is hanging out everywhere. We could barely keep the buttons fastened! Sadly, that will be the one and only time Jacob wears his darling blessing outfit that I obsessed over. Maybe one of his sons can wear it as long as they're not as big as their daddy.

Jacob is a Thug

We just got back from his two month check-up and Jacob weighed in at 16 pounds, 8 ounces. As predicted, he is off the charts in the 99th percentile. The doctor even asked me if my husband was a big man. Well, he's tall but not 99th percentile big. I guess Jacob is just ahead of the curve on his weight gain. Way to go fatso!

In other news, I just came from Target where I bought two new kitchen appliances. Our toaster only toasts on one side and I'm tired of half done toast so I got a new one. Uncle Micah will inherit our defective one. And, I got a hand blender. I've now killed off three of these since we got married but for people who each as much homemade salsa and guacamole as we do, a hand blender is an indispensable part of the kitchen.

"Why is the whole blog about Jacob?" asks Sage.

Because he's a baby and he's stinkin' cute. Need I say more?


But despite what the blog reflects, the girls have been very busy these last few weeks. Here's a smattering of what we've been up to.


First of all, Faith and Jane have been really into dress-ups lately. We're talking multiple outfits a day. They prefer a Sunday dress or their respective Halloween costumes. One night, after I insisted that Jane wear jammies to bed, I found that she later got up and changed back into her Snow White dress and Snow White panties. That little turkey. Faith is more reasonable with dressing up but sometimes her choice of school clothes is completely off the wall. Here's a lovely ensemble she put together the other day. I felt like taping sign to her back that read, "I dressed myself." I used to mock the mothers who let their children out of the house in crazy clothes and, alas, now I am one of them. When Aunt Whitney was in town we had oodles of fun. You already saw the results of our insane photo shoot. Here's Whit getting some good auntie-time with her nieces. Our tutus are starting to look very "loved" from all the dance classes and dressing up they inspire. And, the reason Auntie was here was for Kasey's baby shower. Aunt Gwen graciously opened her house for the party - and a great party it was! That baby girl is going to be one well-dressed chick. No surprise since Kasey is definitely the most well-dressed sister. Here's Whit and me 4 weeks postpartum and Kasey three weeks from delivery. Note that I didn't include of full shot of us.

The girls and I had a ball over October break. It was just like the good old days when we didn't have to hurry out the door for school and could lay around in jammies (or the costumes) until lunchtime. We decided to do one fun thing a day. We visited the museum, played at the park, baked and watched movies. One highlight was venturing to the far reaches of the valley to visit Bert at work. (He works at Higley and the San Tan.) Anyone who knows us well knows that we don't drive anywhere out of a 3 mile radius so this was a big deal. Jane and Jacob fell asleep on the way there but we managed to rouse everyone in order to shake-up Dad's sleepy office and raid the candy bowl on the front desk. Then he treated us all to lunch at Joe's Farm Grill. What a treat to see Bert right in the middle of the day.

We took the weekend and joined Grammy and Grandad at the cabin. Bert and I haven't been up for a long time and it was so nice to fall back into the cabin routine of good food, good family and good fun. Here's the brave grandparents taking all the girls for a horse ride. They love these horses. Faith got her first solo riding lesson with Grammy. When did she grow up like that? Bert and I also did a spin on the horses and had a really enjoyable ride. Our sore backsides confirmed that we are wimpy city slickers when it comes to horses.

If you think letting our kids on the horses is risky, take a look at the next picture. I don't know how we allowed it to evolve but by Saturday afternoon Sage was taking everyone, including Jane on quad rides around the cabin. I think I either need to insist on helmets or outlaw this in the future. What do you think?Sage and Faith got more good Grandad time the next weekend when he took all the granddaughter up to his Father/Daughter outing in the RV. When I saw those 5 little girls all squealing and bouncing off the walls of the RV I dedcided that Dad and Glen are just about the bravest men I know.

Bert I took advantage of only having the little two and we hit Usery park for some hiking. This was another thing we haven't done in a long time and it felt so good. I love the trail, a cool desert and my perfectly-matched hiking partner. I am looking forward to many more outings like this now that the weather is cooling off and we have a trip to train for. Jane and Jacob proved to be delightful hiking companions. Jane was especially taken with any holes in the ground where an animal might live.

Our Handsome Boy

• Photos courtesy of Auntie Whitney


• Pretty blue afghan courtesy of Aunt Gwen


• Obnoxiously cute accessories courtesy of Erin Whitmer

Try a totally amateur photo shoot with two newborns, three extremely silly girls and one Mr. Grumpy Pants. Not to mention that we only had about a half an hour. I'm sad none of the owl hat pictures really turned out. Those were the last ones we did. Actually Whitney was doing the babies solo because I was frantically making dinner for all the hungry kiddies. But I included one anyways to give you an idea how the shoot really went.

My personal favorite of Mr. J. is the last one. Enjoy all the baby cuteness and fatness.

Jacob's Friends

Jacob has quite a few little baby friends. Allie Kolstad was the first of the 4 Bodine babies to arrive and he finally got to meet her. Isn't she a doll? He is markedly bigger than her - the little brute. We had so much fun with Allison and Whitney when they came last week. We couldn't get enough of them. Next time, you have to stay longer Aunt Whitney. More about our crazy photo shoot later - after Aunt Whitney edits a few pictures for me.

In our ward at church there were nine babies born this summer, including the set of twins who are second and third from the left. Their mom organized a newborn playdate and we were able to get six of the nine together. They are lined up oldest to youngest with Jacob at the end. With all these big boys we joke that our ward could staff one mean football team in 17 years. Aunt Kasey, do you notice that he's wearing his shoes?

Dear Aunt Whitney,

We got your annoying phone message and I'm sorry my mother can't seem to get her act together and blog about how cute I am. You see, I keep her very busy. I like to eat and be held all day long. When she gets a minute to herself she likes to take a shower or sleep as opposed to blogging. So here's a bunch of pics of how handsome I am. I hope this will satisfy you for the time being.
- Love, Jacob

He's Here!

Introducing Jacob Randall Millett

At last week's appointment with Dr. Beck, he scheduled me for a 3am induction on Tuesday the 31st so I was a very busy bee getting ready. I typed out a schedule for the girls, cleaned the bathrooms one more time, got my pedicure... you know, all the most important things before baby comes. But when we called the hospital at bedtime, they said they were swamped. Don't come, they said. Don't call us, we'll call you. Talk about anti-climatic. Or maybe it was a gift of one more night's sleep.

Tuesday morning we went on walk around the mile loop. Bert did some work from home during the day, I took the girls swimming and we both sat on pins and needles waiting for the phone to ring. About 3:30 that afternoon - while the girls were watching Jungle Book and we were resigned to the fact that the hospital wasn't going to call us in that day - I felt some contractions which I promptly ignored. I'd already gotten my hopes up too many times and I couldn't bear the thought of this not being "it." But soon they got too pronounced to ignore and we headed down to the hospital. You see, if they are busy they can cancel everyone's inductions and c-sections. But they can't turn away a woman in labor on her own.

We checked in about 5:00 and Jacob was born three hours later exactly at 8:00pm. Despite our cancelled appointment he was determined to be an August baby. He weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds, 6 ounces and 22 inches long. No wonder I was dying that last couple weeks! And even though I wondered how the boy thing would go over after our three girls, it was love at first sight.

I just can't get enough of this guy. He's already so handsome! He's got a full head of blond hair that elicited ooh's and ahh's from everyone at the hospital, including the doctor. He already shows signs of a content little personality. He's sleeping as well as can be expected and eating like a fiend. This little 9 pounder just can't get enough. Hopefully, I'll catch up with his voracious appetite in the next day or two.

We think he looks a little like each of our girls. At breakfast the next day Bert told the girls, "He has Jane's eyes and Sage's nose and Faith's chin." Whether or not that proves to be true, they were beaming with pride. Right now he seems to favor Bert's maternal side, the Randalls. It seems appropriate that he'd look something like his great-great grandfather Bert Alfred Randall. And as for the name Jacob? That comes from my maternal side. I'm a direct descent of Jacob Hamblin. Bert has been reading his history and we're both taken with my adventurous yet peaceful ancestor. The icing on the cake is that our dear friend, Jacob Randal Hyatt, will always be around in his life to buddy up with and look up to.

The girls have been having the time of their lives being shuffled from one grandma to another. This weekend they went to Payson with Grammy Millett so I haven't seen too much of them. But they are so excited about the baby and are full of questions and observations. It'll be quite the adventure when they are home and we start out family life as six instead of five. But they are anxious to be good helpers and I think everyone's going to get along perfectly. Even Jane (the resident queen) has been babbling about Baby Jacob how she's a big sister.
For now, Bert and I are enjoying a quiet weekend here with Jacob. I'm spending my days and nights sleeping, holding him, staring at him and loving on him every chance I get. When I'm pregnant I have a hard time remembering how sweet little newborns are. Now that Jacob is here, I feel like I'm walking on cloud nine with all the love I feel for him and what a blessing he is to our family.

And if things couldn't get any better, Whitney had her little girl a week early. She actually delivered little Allison at the exact time we were leaving the hospital to go home. Auntie Kasey already dubbed her new niece and nephew "the twins." I wish she lived here instead of Yuma so we could get a picture of these two.

The Baby Can Now Come

When I was expecting Sage, Bert kept saying she couldn't come until he finished his substantial paper. Ever since then, it seems that certain things have to happen (or be finished) before the baby will come. So forget all those old wives tales about walking curbs and castor oil. Here's what we've done so our baby will arrive.

• I finished piecing the quilt. Usually, I have the entire quilt finished but I was running a little behind schedule this time around. Not mention I had to make everything intricate, complicated and down-right time consuming. It is now up at Grammy's and with everyone putting a stitch in here and there, it'll be quilted in no time.
• The house is super clean. In step with Bodine family tradition, we had the cleaning crew over for FHE. Everyone came for two hours and took care of all the dirty jobs I've been too tired to tackle. We're not talking dishes and bathrooms. They cleaned fans, baseboards, blinds, under the fridge and even did the lawns. My sainted mother spent two hours scrubbing my tubs out and finishing the 2 square feet of grout around my toilet that I forgot to do a couple weeks ago. Nana and Papa even came and cleaned all my silk plants with a hose. In the past it's always been the nicest thing anyone does for me when I'm pregnant - and Monday night was no exception. When everyone had cleaned their hearts out and left, I looked around my house and felt like crying tears of joy. I've decided a pedicure and clean house are the only baby gifts I want from now on. So, a huge thank you to everyone to came and helped. It the best feeling knowing that my window sills are squeaky clean.
• Jane is potty-trained. Although we seem to have checked this off the list a month ago, it was still the number 1 to-do item before Baby Boy's arrival. And, well, we won't mention the major accident in nursery on Sunday. I'm sure it was a fluke.
• Bert and I did our major Costco run. We filled two carts on Saturday and stocked the fridge and freezers. We didn't beat the $300 bill we racked up before Jane was born but we got pretty close. Now we have all the staples to help me squeak through that first month when I don't leave the house.
• I've got at least 6 frozen dinners ready to go. For the past month, I've been making double of any casserole that will freeze well to have when Baby comes. I did this with Jane and it was a lifesaver. I'd take out a casserole the day before, pop it in the oven that evening and have dinner ready for 2 or 3 days.

The only things that I haven't finished are a series of sewing projects for me and my three new nieces - due to arrive shortly. So if I can finish those up and conquer the ironing pile by the end of the week, our Baby Boy should get the message that we are ready for him.

Big Girls

We've survived the first week of school and I still can't believe my babies are all grown-up and riding the bus to a public institution every day. They were both ridiculously excited for the first day of school; especially Sage. That morning Bert got up around 5:30 and walked down the hall. As he passed the girls' room, Sage sat up on the top-bunk, fully-dressed and announced she was ready to go to school. She'd just been waiting for the sun to come up.

I must admit that I'm nervous about her spending so much time away from home and being under the influence of kids that are different than her. But so far, she's taken my advice to sit in the front of the bus and has finished all her lunch every day so I think we're doing good. If I can keep up the habit of getting her hair done every day (a huge ordeal for our short-hair Sage) then we're really off to a good start. Miss Faith also rides the bus every morning. She gets picked up at our house and goes over to Hermosa Vista half-day kindergarten with 3 or 4 other students. It is the cutest things I've ever seen. We even have Bruce from last year to drive the bus. But the icing on the cake is definitely having Mrs. Burton for the second year in a row. She is everything a kindergarten teacher should be: not afraid of mess, blue fingernail polish, full of hugs and a classroom decorated like Hawaii, complete with a giant blow-up gorilla wearing a hula-shirt.

Faith has also done very well despite my concerns that she would go into shy mode. She's come home every day with funny stories about her class and all her new friends. Faith has been very particular about what to wear to school. She cried on Thursday because it was P.E. day I wouldn't let her wear a skirt. Thank goodness we got past that! I'm SO glad she's in the half-day class. She took a 2 hour nap on her first day of school and then went to bed at 7:30. Faith takes after her mom and needs a lot of sleep to be a happy girl.

So now Janie and I are all alone in the mornings. It's rather quiet around here and we're both getting used to the new dynamic. But it has been fun to have some one-on-one time with my Turnip. We've run errands and done puzzles and read lots of books. Little does she know that her world is going to change in about 2 1/2 weeks when our baby comes. Jane is growing up so hopefully she handles this change better than past interruptions in her life.

Here's the potty chart the girls' made for her and she completed a few weeks ago. I was tired of it in the bathroom so we took a picture before it came down. Move one space for a dry day and when you land on the princess, you get that little figurine. Boy, were those dollies are a hit! I spend half my day tracking them down when Jane sees one missing and go berserk.

Faith's Birthday Usually Marks the End of Summer

With the start of school fast approaching, we've packed as much as we can into these last few weeks. Where should we start? Sage finished up swim team in style. She qualified for the Divisional and Semi's in freestyle, breaststroke and butterfly. Another cooker watching from the stands but I was surrounded by good company. I can't believe how I'd swell with pride every time my girl took to the starting blocks. Bert even bought her a Kino Krawdads swim cap. They were both convinced it would make her go faster. We all had a very positive experience with swim team this year. I think we're going to be a swim team family from now on. Faith is already looking forward to when she'll be a Krawdad. At swim lessons a few weeks ago she told Grammy, "When I'm on swim team, I wonder what lane I'll be in." Talk about anticipation. My lucky big girls (that's what we call Sage and Faith) got some one-on-one time with Grandma and Grandpa. I wasn't up for the family reunion in Snowflake so my mom and dad took the girls along with them. It was so fun to get pictures of their adventures through-out the weekend. Every time I talked to the girls, they had a mouthful to tell me about parades and quilts and movies and cousins. I think my parents enjoyed the company, too. The only mishap of the weekend was when Faith fell asleep on a relative's floor and then wet her pants. I think it's been a while since that happened to Dad and laughed and laughed as he told be about it. With the wet pants and all the fun they had, I told my mom that their laundry the next was the stinkiest batch I've EVER laundered. I was pretty excited to use the "Heavy Duty" cycle on my new washer. I guess very dirty clothes are always an indication of a good time. We've also kept up our pace of daily swimming a general silliness. These pictures are just for fun. A small sampling of what a usual day entails. This is their homemade water slide - the only way to use the slide in the middle of summer. Grandma made these lovely treats. I thought this picture was so cute, I couldn't help but add it. And then an old fashioned game of Twister. Bert and I have found that it's much more fun to do away with the spinner and just tell everybody where to go. The big girls are getting better about left and right but Jane usually plops herself down where she can cause the most mischief. Not totally out of character for our little terrorist. For obvious reasons (being 8 months pregnant) I've, thus far, avoided the Twister dots.Faith's birthday was August 6th and I can't believe that our little Peanut is already 5 years old. That just flew by! We celebrate long and hard around here when it comes to birthdays and Faith has been talking about "being the Birthday Girl" for weeks. First off, sweet Faith lost her first tooth on her birthday. Isn't that a fitting way to start a year of being five? Then, we started the day with cinnamon rolls for birthday breakfast. I even dyed the frosting pink in honor of the girl who likes everything to be beautiful. It was like a page out of Pinkalicious.

Then we used passes from Uncle David to go see Toy Story 3 with Aunt Kasey. This was the first time the girls had been to the movies and they had a ball. They sat just like zombies for 2 hours - the very thing I expected. They were entranced with the huge screen and all the lights and blitz that comes with a trip to the movies. Faith was complaining about a hurt tummy the whole time so I diligently held the throw-up bag on her lap the whole movie. She is my one that gets carsick. But it turns out she just had an overdose of over-stimulation and cinnamon rolls. See how happy she is after the movies?

We met Grandma and Dad at Rubio's for lunch where we had to hand feed the girls and deal with a little grumpiness. It turns out they were just all tuckered out and each had a bad case of "getting-every-thing-you-want." But despite the moody birthday girl and the outdoor dining, we had a nice time. It's always a treat to see Dad in the middle of the day and get Grandma all to ourselves. And who doesn't like fish tacos at Rubio's?

That evening I diplomatically maneuvered the annual swim exhibition to double as Faith's birthday party. Yes, believe it or not, we weren't done celebrating yet. The exhibition was the most laid-back it's ever been. A smaller crowd and a shorter program. But once again, a good time was had by all with plenty of cake and ice cream to go around. Faith and Jane both did their signature moves; the front flip and the backstroke, respectively.

We sure love our sweet Faith. She is a affectionate and loving girl. Faith loves a good time and is definately the party girl of the family. She loves beautiful things and being lady-like. She makes friends quickly and is content to let others take the spotlight or be in charge. She's still learning how control her emotions and not collapse into dramatics when things don't go her way but that comes with the territory of being five. We sure love her and can't imagine our family without her.