Two Big Trees

It's the Holiday Season!!!

2011-12-04T23:13:00.000-07:00

Macy begs to take pictures. All the time. Today we set up the tripod because she wanted to do it all by herself. We did one of us all together first.

Then she wanted to do the rest.

I think we have a little photographer on our hands!

Halloween

2011-10-31T22:48:00.001-06:00

When you're 3, Halloween is a LONG day. We tried to break it up a bit by "trick-or-treating" at Sam's work and then mine. Then we went to lunch with friends. After a late nap we were ready to go trick-or-treating for real!

Macy is helping the White Rabbit play his horn. Don't get used to seeing the White Rabbit. We forgot him in all our other pictures.

Our neighbors Ashlee and Elsie. Don't look too closely at Ashlee's costume, because that is likely what I will wear next year. I've worn it before but I think it's my favorite costume my mom has made.

Saying it's hard to get a good picture of these kiddos is an understatement!

Alice and the Mad Hatter :)

The Red Queen, Mad Hatter, and Alice. It may not seem like it, but the make up was super hard to do this year. I mean, for Sam and me. Macy loved just putting on some of my make up. We also had a rough time with Sam's eyebrows. They didn't want to stay on. I told him it was because he already had bushy eyebrows :). And no matter what we did, we just couldn't get his make up to look like Johnny Depp's. We proved we aren't professionals this year!

Another one. Yep, no matter which angle I stand in, I still manage to look twice my normal size. What is with all my costumes? I seem to remember this problem last year... I think I have made an subconscious rule that says I am not allowed to wear anything flattering on Halloween!

And now we have the Cheshire Cat in this one.

Here's the close-up. Doesn't she look happy?

Macy finally figured out this year that the faster she got in and out of this wagon, the faster we could get to the next house. And it saved her from walking. Now if she could just get Elsie on the same page! Also on our trick-or-treating adventure, I was fired. I am no longer allowed to go up to the doors (or even move from my spot on the sidewalk in any way). Macy would put her hand up to me and as sternly as she could, say, "No, Mom. I can do it myself. You stay right there." Then she would eyeball me as she marched up to the door, making sure I really didn't move a muscle. Macy shouted "Trick or Treat!" as she knocked on the door, then said it again as they opened the door, and then made sure she thanked them and said Happy Halloween as she ran back to the wagon. Mom isn't cool any more. I don't think Mom ever was though.

After all that candy, maybe we should eat some super nutritious dinner at bedtime. These girls have never been happier.

Relaxing after the sugar rush, giggling at everything each other would do.

Checking out the stash. There are never enough suckers for this girl.

Making sure no one got near her property... at least until she went to bed and Mom and Dad could pick out what they wanted.

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-30T00:22:00.000-06:00

Have you ever had so much going on that you forget to make sure you have a meal planned for Sunday dinner... before Sunday? Well, today we forgot, and I was pleasantly surprised at what Sam came up with for dinner.

Here's our pizzas on tortillas. Seriously, they were delicious. Sam gets the Martha Stewart Award today.

We had Macy help scoop out her pumpkin this year but that didn't last long. She thought it was gross. Then we told her to draw what she wanted us to carve out on her pumpkin.

At first she drew a face, but then it became more elaborate. We started wondering how we were going to carve it out.

Here's the face/body up close.

This is serious business.

Her final product. Then it was Sam's job to try and carve that thing.

Macy has been getting into taking pictures, but I almost have a panic attack every time she touches my camera.

And here's our final creations. Macy's is my favorite. I love the spiky hair on the top, and yes those are legs coming out of the smile. Sam's is clever as always and I was a little grouchy when I was carving my pumpkin... not a surprise as to the theme of my pumpkin then.

Halloween Carnival

2011-10-29T00:45:00.000-06:00

Our church had a "Fall Festival" that the Young Women were in charge of... shoot me. I never want to be in charge of something so huge ever again. We planned for 275 people and all I know is that I didn't see many empty seats and I was too busy to try to count. Sam and I had an argument about costumes. Well, not what we were wearing (I had that planned a year in advance!) but when we would wear them. Sam said he only dressed up once each year. I told him he had to wear the costume because I wanted to win the costume contest, and for crying out loud, I was in charge of the thing and had to be the MC.

Here's how it turned out. Sam refused to wear make up or the eyebrows. His way of rebelling. Someone pointed out (I'll keep the name confidential) that Sam looked like a pimp. They were right! See what happens when you only do half a costume?! Some people at the party didn't recognize me, which I was totally okay with. I also had to explain that Sam and I were characters from the new Alice in Wonderland and that Macy was the traditional Alice... I was also okay with that too. What I wasn't okay with was that my hat/hair was a little crooked and NO ONE told me the WHOLE night. Seriously?! I have no true friends. As it turned out, our family won the "Judge's Favorite" award. Macy was just happy to win more candy.

There's our Alice!

We had a children's costume parade across the stage, which was lined with all the pumpkins entered in the pumpkin carving contest. Here Macy is hamming it up with her friend Emma, aka Little Red Riding Hood, behind her. A big thanks to my friend Brooke, who took all the pictures of our family. Sam had the camera but the only ones that turned out were these next two...

This is Brooke's husband, Ben, and their littlest girl. He was a UFC fighter and had the coolest hair I've ever seen. It was awesome.

And I'm pretty sure there's never been a better looking Bumble Bee. Thanks for the random, yet somehow still great pictures Sam :).

Gearing Up For The Big Day

2011-10-25T01:07:00.000-06:00

Alice's photo shoot, featuring the White Rabbit.

Macy's scared face. The neighbor's decorations were apparently too much for Macy, even in the daylight.

We are so cheesy at this house...

and a little drama.

Little Miss Naughty

2011-10-15T23:00:00.003-06:00

If I had to describe Macy... this would sum it up. When she is sweet, she is really sweet. When she isn't, she really isn't. Oh, I could go on and on. Sam's conversation with her tonight (after the most dreadful, tantrum-ridden bedtime routine ever) tells all...

Sam: "It makes Dad sad when you are mean to Mom."

Macy: "When I yell at Mom, I love you more, and when I yell at you, I love Mom more." (pause... probably while Sam is trying to figure out how to respond) "What have you been eating?"

Sam: "Nothing."

Macy: " You smell like marshmallows."

Mother of the Year Award

2011-10-10T22:37:00.002-06:00

Macy had a fever this week. No other symptoms, though... at first. Well, no other symptoms besides waking up six times a night and being only slightly less energetic during the day.

Fever Day 2: No preschool for Macy. She was sad. So was Mom. By late afternoon Macy seemed to be doing quite well. Her fever was all the way down to 99.6. I was supposed to be at work and we were having a big meeting that was going to be hard to miss. My original plan was to take Macy to the soccer game (the last region game of the season) to hang out with my friend Anita until I could get there. I call a couple of friends and see what their opinion is on what I should do. I end up deciding to take Macy with me to work until my meeting started, then take her to the soccer game. I left my meeting early so that Macy was only at the soccer game without me for an hour. She seemed okay when I got there (oh, did I mention that it was cold and rainy and that all the kids were cocooned in blankets?) and we sat together for the rest of the first half. Macy sat through halftime but started falling asleep (anyone who knows Macy knows that this is totally abnormal). We ended up leaving just as the second half was starting.

On the way to the car Macy starts bawling and saying "My neck! My neck!" I ask her if it is inside her neck, and then tell her that it's called her throat. Macy cried all the way home and was so worked up by the time we got there that she threw up in the yard. We got inside and I asked her what the problem was and she said, "I just need to calm down!" Her temperature was creeping upwards of 101. I decide to look at her throat, and that's when I see these red bumps all over her tonsils and roof of her mouth. Eww.

After our visit to the doctor at 9:45pm, it's determined that she has a strain of the coxsackie virus (blisters in her throat). Mom of the Year Award. I win.

Service at the Care Center

2011-09-27T23:05:00.002-06:00

Macy had to come with me to a Young Women's activity tonight while Sam was at a game. We were in charge of a Family Home Evening at a local rehabilitation center. It was only a half hour, and we did musical numbers and sang hymns. This sounds horrible, but afterwards I told a few people that I liked Macy for a whole half hour... some days, this is quite a feat.

Macy LOVED it. She stood by me while we were in front of everyone singing hymns, and she "conducted" the songs with both hands. She put on quite the show for everyone. Then, when it was my turn to introduce myself, Macy told me she wanted to go to the microphone by herself. I knew this was either going to be really good, or really bad... but figured, why not? I had to hold Macy up in front of me so she could reach the microphone. She grabbed it with both hands and said quite clearly... "My name is Macy. My favorite color is pink. I like to go to the park... and I am three."

It was the cutest thing. It made my day (well, just being at the care center with all of those people made my day, but this was the cherry on top). When Sam got home I had Macy tell him about it. She told Sam that there were a bunch of old people, and that they were sad (I never said that to her!). When Sam asked why they were sad, she said, "Because they don't have enough customers." After a few giggles, I said, "Do you mean visitors?" Who says little ones don't understand what's going on?

Random Thoughts at FHE

2011-08-22T00:01:00.003-06:00

This picture is compliments of Ashlee. Macy is getting so big, we can hardly believe it. Anyway, tonight we had Family Home Evening. Macy loves it. Her favorite place to go is the temple visitor's center. We probably end up going once a month, mostly because Mom and Dad need a break from it every once and a while :). So here is a random conversation I had with Macy as we were getting ready to go:

"Mom? I think you need a different name. Not Danielle."

"Well what should it be then?"

"Witch." (Imagine Sam turning to walk away so Macy can't hear him laugh.)

"Hmm. That might be kind of confusing. Aren't witches bad?"

"Well some are bad, but some are good."

"What kind of witch am I?"

"You're a mom witch."
"Are mom witches good or bad?"

"They're good."

Well as long as we've made that clear, right? After this kind of conversation I knew the visitor's center should be interesting. Macy was on one. As soon as we walk in, a sweet older sister missionary comes over to talk to Macy. She asks Macy where she is from. Macy looks at her, pauses briefly, and says "Earth." The sister missionary tells her that is the best answer she's heard all day. After listening to the audio for the Christus statue, a younger sister missionary asks a few kids what kinds of things they can do to show Jesus their love for Him. Macy immediately signs "sit" over and over. Maybe she does listen when we tell her how to be reverent.

I'm not sure how parents do it. We have entered the age of asking a million questions that we don't know how to answer... at least in her language. Most of the hard questions come when she asks things like:

"Why did Jesus die?"

"Why did they put him on the cross?"

"Did he cry?"

"Is Jesus in the temple?"

"Where is the Holy Ghost?"

And there are more where those came from. Many, many more. We are excited to see our nephew, Easton, be baptized next month. We are talking to Macy about it and she is thrilled, but she says she doesn't want to be baptized because she doesn't want to go under the water (she's not exactly a fish). Macy also keeps asking if Easton will be able to get his ears pierced after he is baptized. (I tell her she can choose to get her ears pierced when she is eight. It seems to be backfiring on me at the moment.) Ahh, kids.

3 Year Pictures are Here!

2011-08-13T02:38:00.005-06:00

Kolob Arch

2011-08-02T23:15:00.000-06:00

Why did I agree to do this? Seriously. Kolob Arch is a 14 mile hike. After the car accident, I have been slow to exercise without pain. So I "trained" for this hike for a month, walking 3 miles a day as fast as I could on the treadmill. I am so lame! Actually, we were supposed to do the Narrows hike in Zions but there was too big of a chance of rain. So, some of our young men and women, along with three leaders (I was the only girl) ventured out for an all day excursion.

7:45am. I haven't been out to see anything this early in the morning since... I'm not even sure!

We found itty bitty frogs and loads of tadpoles along the way.

The kids were good sports about finding scat so I could show Macy (scat obsession thanks to Grandma Kaiser).

The first five miles or so were downhill. And I mean straight downhill. We walked another two miles along the stream and then hiked a half mile up to see the arch. Here it is. The world's second largest free-standing arch. I must admit, I was a little disappointed that I hiked all the way there to only get this close. I don't know what I expected...

Here's the crew, minus me, taking the picture.

And me with the young women. Such cute girls.

We ate lunch here and then turned back to hike out the same way we hiked in. I did fine until we hit the last five miles, which were now straight uphill. Oh, I can't tell you how I thought we would never get out. I drank a ton of water, but still overheated. I wanted to cry but didn't want to lose face in front of these super energetic kids. I am so old. Some of the kids were pretty dead, but they all made it without major injuries or complaining! We hiked for 11 hours total. I went home and laid on the floor for like an hour before I thought I could get into the shower. I kept telling Sam that my toes hurt, but I think he thought I was a big wimp about the whole thing. I can remember two things he said. 1. "Welcome to your thirties." and 2. "I would have rocked that hike." Lovely. And supportive, huh? Almost a week later, I decided to take off my toenail polish to check out the damage...

Yep, those are crazy-bruised toenails! So gross, I know. No wonder they hurt! I should have had them drained or something. I prayed I wouldn't lose them, but as I write this two months later, I am sad to say I don't think I will avoid that. It's going to take forever for them to grow out. Until then... lots of two-coat polish for me! I'm not sure I will ever do that hike again :).

Summer Snapshots

2011-07-22T22:53:00.004-06:00

Ever behind on the blog. I know. Here are a few pictures from the summer. I will eventually make these individual posts, but at least this is something, right?

Another birthday, another ice cream cake! The cakes get more and more interesting as time goes by, mostly because of Macy's input :). As long as it's edible...

Cousins and the Little Mermaid. Combining some of Macy's favorites!

Sam's family all in one place for the 4th of July! (Well, except Matthew in Brazil)

We can't get enough of these guys...

Sweet shades.

The first year that we've actually liked the water slide. Now all we have to do is pass our swimming class next time.

Goofin' around with Grandma and Grandpa.

First trip to the Hoover Dam. (and Jason and Jackson's first trip to Utah/out West)

I hope Gabe wants a new shadow, because she got one. A hyper, loud one, but she got one!

3 Year Pictures (Preview)

2011-07-12T22:12:00.003-06:00

Once again, my friend Anita has outdone herself. Here's a preview of Macy's three year picture shoot. She has transformed from a toddler to a little girl!

Macy took this picture of us. Good one. Well, minus the fact that I look like a pear shaped pregnant girl. For those of you who I've not seen for awhile, don't ask, I'm not pregnant :).

School's Out!

2011-05-25T00:19:00.001-06:00

Another year down! Let the summer begin! Sam came home with some good stories this year. His kids are so funny. I have a couple of favorite stories, and Sam does an impression of one of his kids that makes me laugh pretty hard... but this story is my favorite:

At the beginning of the school year, Sam's school did a lot of talking with the students about bullying. They created a "Buddy Box" (which Sam always called a "bully box" so I'm not sure what's up with that) for the students to anonymously write any bullying behavior they see at school. Note: the Buddy Box is not to be confused with Sam's Tattle Turtle. As the story goes, for nearly three months not one form was ever put into the box. That is, until November 3, 2010...

On this day, the school counselors came to Sam, laughing. This picture was taken by a cell phone, so it's hard to see. It says that the name of the person who "needs help" for bullying is Mr. Johnston, and instead of writing the details of the bullying behavior, this student used his art skills to depict the issue. Mr. Johnston is yelling "Idiots!" and the two kids are saying "We were just playing a game!"

I can't tell you how hard I laughed... and still laugh when I think about it. And just so you know, Sam says he's never called anyone an idiot. Lesson learned: don't make the kids in special ed mad :)

According to Macy; 3 years old

2011-04-28T14:26:00.007-06:00

*What is your favorite color? Pink
*What is your favorite movie? Strawberry Shortcake

*What is your favorite food? Pears, Veggie Straws (not her usual answers)

*What do you like to eat? Pizza, Sprinkles (parmesan cheese), Cheddar Bunnies

*What don't you like to eat? Toes, Easter Bunnies
*What do you want to be when you grow up? Rapunzel, but Mom can't be a bad lady (aka Mother Gothel)
*Who do you love? Easton, Addie and Liya, Mommy, Dad, Dolphy (Shamu), Blankies
*What is your favorite thing to do? Go to the park.
*What is your favorite TV show? Max and Ruby, Dora

*What is your favorite song? Twinkle Twinkle Little Cheddar Bunnies

*What is your favorite treat? Candy
*Who are your friends? Easton, Addie, Liya, Emma, Ady, Bailey, Ezra
*What makes you happy? Candy, Lollipops
*What makes you sad? Smoke Alarm (the smoke detector above her bed)
*What are you going to do when you are a big girl? Not poop. (she pooped in her pants today)
*What is your favorite toy? Ball Hopper (the bouncy balls with handles on them. do they have a name?)

*What is your favorite book? Fancy Nancy
*How do you spell your name? m-a-c-y
*What do you want to do tomorrow? Go to the park.
*What color are your eyes? Blue
*What are you good at? Having Friends, Eating Popsicles with my Daddy
*How old are you? 3
*What language do you speak? "I love to see the temple, I'm going there someday."

*What do you like to do? Play all day.
*Where do you like to go? Park, Home
*What kind of hair do you have? Blonde.
*Who do you look like? "Shiloh, but not quite." (a 4 year old neighbor girl with straight, blonde hair)

*Where were you born? "At the hospital and you grow in my tummy." (meaning ... I grow in your tummy)
*Where do you live? At home, right here.
*What is your favorite animal? Piggy

Soccer already?

2011-03-11T23:22:00.003-07:00

I rarely take pictures of Sam while coaching, mostly because I am preoccupied with Macy. Today I attempted.

Thank heavens for these flags. What else would Sam do during the games? Seriously, he is always next to these flags. It's a trademark, I think.

The three amigos.

Halftime. At least one of these guys has to be listening, right?

Game-winning grin.

Mini Children's Museum

2011-03-07T22:35:00.000-07:00

We don't have a Children's Museum nearby, but this is as close as we get. It was kind of rainy outside today so we decided to take Macy and Ezra to play indoors. They loved it! Macy found a princess crown and had to wear it the entire time. My favorite picture is of Macy and Ezra smiling and giggling at each other in the convertible. Their first date :)

Bust Out the Spray Tan

2011-02-26T01:07:00.002-07:00

Friends

2011-02-24T23:27:00.002-07:00

We have these cute little neighbor girls that Macy adores. Emma is just one month younger than Macy, and for the past several weeks they have had lunch and a play date together once a week (Emma's older sister goes to preschool). They play so well together and it's been fun to watch.

Here they are, showing off the cookies in their mouth.

I've never seen Macy so patient in waiting her turn and sharing her Mobigo (video game).

Cute girls. Here's to many more play dates!

1st Birthday

2011-02-23T23:47:00.003-07:00

Our neighbor, Elsie turned one! I took a few pictures of her in her cute birthday outfit.

Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T03:07:00.004-07:00

Valentine's Day was a little different than I thought it'd be (I had a recent car accident and was trying to deal with that stuff), but we still had a good time. Macy and I made hearts for Sam's classroom and then surprised him for lunch. Macy was excited to wear her "Daddy's Girl" shirt. It's pretty fitting!

Saying cheese with a sucker in her mouth. Impossible to remove it.

Sam's "heart-attacked" desk.

Perma-grin. All she needs is candy.

After dinner, which didn't end up how I had planned at all, we gave Macy a few little Valentine goodies/gifts. She was pretty surprised. This is her looking at her silly bands.

Macy loved the gift Sam picked out for her. It was a little princess coloring book with some kind of magic appearing pictures/crayons. No gift is ever more special than the one Dad gets her!

Family Home Evening

2011-02-09T02:44:00.000-07:00

Lately we have been talking a lot about missionaries, as Sam's brother went on his mission last month. Macy likes to sing "I Hope They Call Me on a Mission" and "Called to Serve" (aka the King song). I had to take a picture of this picture Macy colored (with Sam's help on some objects in the background) for Matthew before we sent it. I hope Matthew likes pink and purple.

Sidewalk Chalk

2011-02-04T02:05:00.001-07:00

We love sidewalk chalk at our house.

Macy wanted Sam to draw the girl from the "Stripes book." Macy has been a little obsessed with it, but seems kind of scared of it at the same time. Kind of like a train wreck? One time we checked it out from the library and she made us return it like two days later because it was giving her nightmares. It really isn't scary. I don't get it.

She approves of Dad's sketch.

Our family, with Macy's additions.

Sam is quite the artist.

My drawings are not as elaborate.

This is my favorite picture. Good job Sam!

Voila!

Scones

2011-02-01T01:32:00.002-07:00

Sam's first scones. When Sam gets a craving for something, he doesn't mess around. Who cares if he hasn't made it before, that doesn't matter! Look how happy he is. I'm not sure he looked as happy once he tasted them, but we still ate them all, and they really weren't that bad!

A Delicious Piece of Disneyland

2011-01-31T01:22:00.002-07:00

Ashlee came back from her work trip with a special treat for Macy. You would have thought we actually went to Disneyland. A gummy, Minnie sucker. Perfect.