M's 5th Birthday Part ONE

We started Maddie's birthDAY off with chocolate chip pancakes, peaches, and hot chocolate per request :)

Then it was time to get ready for school!

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How old are you Maddie?....."Fiiiiiive"

I rode my bike to school with the kids in the bike trailer per request as well {and I have to admit I was sweating to death upon returning home}

I met up with Maddie for lunch and ate with her and her cute kindergarten friends---although they go to lunch at 10:55am so I wasn't that hungry.  We bought lunch at the cafeteria and I had to catch up her account from back charges. Speaking of which...funny story:

Apparently several weeks ago she realized she could just walk up to the cafeteria ladies and buy a chocolate milk on her card without telling me.  Finally her teacher e-mailed me saying that she wasn't allowed to buy milk at lunch anymore until we updated her account {ie: payed up}.  What????  I didn't even know that they would allow a child to buy things off a card that has NO MONEY on it.  Needless to say Maddie and I had a discussion about this and I promptly paid up. 

 After eating lunch, Maddie asked if I would come to the remaining of lunch recess with her.  It was so neat to stay and watch her interact with all the kids at school.  I always have this worry that my kids won't have friends, will be picked on, or just plain not fit in (I am sure every mom worries about this), but it was fun to see Maddie run around with all sorts of friends and play.  She has a fun group of about 12 girlies that ran with her, played Red Rover, chased boys, talked about silly bands, and all searched to find ladybugs in the grass with.  I even felt like a rock star!  They all thought I was awesome being at school and would run over and tell me all kinds of funny things!  Wow, I never knew a group of kindergarteners could make me feel so good about myself :)

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Finally it was time to come home and begin the cooking/cleaning in preparation for Maddie's family birthday party.  Robby and Eli were little champs in the kitchen helping me.  After Maddie got home from school, we had last minute touch ups to the meal and dessert before familiy arrived. 

Maddie with her balloons!

The yummy food buffet style as usual

Maddie's requests for dinner were:

#1 Chicken

#2 Broccoli

#3 Strawberries

*I think I can handle that*

The cute three year old cousins!  Kaylin of course with her baby in tow and Robby with his "little blankie"



I am in LOVE with this little man's eyes {Zacky}

Papa with Eli

It is always amazing to me how much all my kids adore their Papa.  He truly has a way with children and it shows.  They know when they are with him he will protect them, play with them, include them in what he's doing, and more than anything love them with all his heart.  Many thanks to Jesse's father for showing my kids unconditional love

Cousin Kaylin

I accidentally bumped into Lori spilling on her shirt....good thing she has a little Sis like me to clean up my mess :)

{I LOVE this cute apron my Sissy-in-law gave me for my birthday}

Maddie with her "cake" (Berry Trifle Dish)

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I had been trying and trying to decide what I was going to make on her actual birthday for dessert.  I didn't want to do my traditional Giant Cupcake because I had just made it the day before for Nona and Joanna's birthday.  And besides, I was already planning on making that on Saturday for her friend party.  I was in quite the dilemma until Maddie mentioned to me she wanted "berries" on her birthday {specifically strawberries}.  That was when the lightbulb turned on and I made a trifle instead.  I have to admit it was delicious....now I just need another excuse to make it again.....

Maddie with her Aunt Jo

Joanna, Maddie, Esther, Lori and Kaylin

Maddie holding her Mylar Balloon that she loved.  I don't know what it is about kids and balloons, but mine are pretty much obsessed with getting balloons for birthdays.  I made sure I picked up enough so that each of the kids got to play with one.

My sweet brother, Ben, even came all the way out to our house for the party.  I was so excited to see him, even with all the chaos that a normal family party entails.

This year Maddie had a specific wish list of things she wanted for her birthday:

#1 "Big Girl" Scooter

#2 Barbies

#3 Barbie Movies

#4 Silly Bands

#5 Make up

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It was hilarous to see how excited she was for her presents.  She especially LOVED the new Mermaid Barbie doll we got her.  Awhile ago we rented a Barbie Mermaid Movie and it was the same doll that was in that movie.  She was hilarious as she went from present to present saying "ohhh thanks".

While Maddie was busy opening presents, Robby entertained himself by trying his hand at the new scooter

Even Eli joined in on the scooter fun

It felt like non-stop partying, or preparing to party from the time I woke up until I went to bed, but we had so much fun!  When Maddie went to bed that night she said "Mom I had so much fun on my birthday....can it still be my birthday tomorrow"

:)



Five Years Ago today....

...this spicy little Miss entered the world and made me a Mommy!

Even though it has been five years, I can still remember the worry, anticipation, excitement and joy there was as we anxiously awaited her arrival.  I had the Nursey all decorated, clothes washed, diapers purchased, and house cleaned for weeks while I waited and waited for the moment to arrive.  It felt like time was going by so quick, and yet it felt like the day would never arrive when I could finally have my own little piece of joy to care for and love.  I remember the first signs of labor and how nervous Jesse and I both felt.  We packed the bag and were READY to go and have the child immediately.  Then the waiting game started.  I labored forever at the hospital...like 18 hours.  Even though it took soo long, I can still remember the rush of emotions that overtook me when the hospital staff layed her on my chest for the very first time.  I remember staring at my little girl for hours at a time in amazement at the precious miracle that had been entrusted into my keeping.  Nothing can compare to that.

I am so grateful to have Maddie in our little family; she is such a helper and does pretty well with sharing things with her brothers.  Here are some fun things I don't want to forget about her at 5:

She loves to sing. I have to admit I hardly ever turn music on at home, but she loves her primary songs and is constantly "teaching" me the songs she learns at school as well.  She also loves to sing to "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "All the Single Ladies" on the radio in the car; as well as the Star Spangled Banner that she learned at Miss Tanya's preschool last year.  She has even taken a few turns on her Aunt Abby's karoake machine!

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Maddie can be such a drama queen :)  The other day she dropped something on her foot at her grandparents house and sat and hobbled all over the house for a good 30 minutes.  At that point she forgot it was injured.

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She LOVES gymnastics!  She asks me every day if she can go to her class {right now she does go twice a week to a class called "Mighty Mites"}.  She is so proud of herself for almost climbing to the top of the rope and wants to practice that every day. She also loves to play gymnastics at home with Robby and teach him how to roll and cartwheel.

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She loves jewelry: necklaces, flowers/bows, earrings, bracelets {specifically Silly Bands}, makeup and pretty much anything else that is girly.  She begs me on a daily basis to wear makeup and quite ejoys to have her hair done "hot" (straight with a flat iron) or "all curly".
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Even though she is girly, she is also not afraid to play rough with boys.  She has two younger brothers and it sures shows up in this way.  She is down for a game of tackling, playing trains, or just plain playing in the mud.  She begged me to buy her some shoes so that she could "run faster than all the boys at school during recess."
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She is hilarious in some of her requests.  For her birthday she announced that she wanted a "candy buffet" and when I hadn't a clue what she was referring to, she accurately described exactly what it was.  I later googled it and was shocked to find out that it was exactly what she said.  Where she came up with this...I will never know
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Maddie loves to do gardens on her back at bedtime as well as guess the letter/number.  I for one am a big fan of this, because I always score a backrub or two out of this :) 

did I mention?

The beginning of August my super cool, handsome, spiritual, stylin', SINGLE, *jokester* brother-in-law returned from a two year LDS mission in Milan, Italy. My kids were BEYOND excited to see him and Maddie literally would not leave him alone.  Brett ended up carrying her all the way to the elevators on his shoulders because she begged to have him hold her.  Even after we got back to the grandparents house she sat on his lap the whole time hugging him over and over again.  I reminded him that as much as he missed her....I was sure she would wear out her welcome. Luckily that hasn't happened yet :)  We are so proud of him and cannot wait to see what the future holds in store. For now, we are all loving hanging out at Nona & Papa's and the kids love having another Uncle to spoil them rotten!

Robby, Uncle Brett and Miss Maddie

Miss M loved rubbing her hands on his freshly buzzed hair :)

Just Because

 While cleaning out my e-mail inbox, I discovered these beauties that were taken last summer by my all-time FAVORITE swim teacher of all time, Darla Sandy.  I cannot believe how much Robby has grown in a years time. crazy.  One thing that hasn't changed though, is how much I love this little/big guy.  As naughty as he can be {frequently}, he is also the sweetest little boy at times.  These days he is LOVING all the momma time he gets during the day while his sister is at school.  He always gives me a big hug in the morning and tells me how much he loves me, he loves to do "eskimo kisses", he enjoys me holding him to and from the car when we drop Miss M off at school (I don't love this so much though--too heavy), he loves to read "Hansel and Diesel" and "The Three Little Rigs", he will spend hours playing with his matchbox cars, trains, and digging outside in the dirt with his shovel and dump trucks. Love you buddy!!!

and that is all!

Sweetness

 Sometimes in life you get so caught up in the fighting, tears, fighting, kicking, yelling, hitting, name calling,  and of course more fighting between the kids that you tend to forget that they really are the best of buddies.  The other day when we went to pick up Miss M from kindergarten I witnessed a tender moment for me as a mother.  Robby sprinted straight over to the fence where Maddie came walking through and gave her a meaningful, joyful, bear hug and said "I missed you so much Sissie".  He had a look of pure excitement that his friend, dare I say best friend, was finally home from school and ready to play with him.  I have to admit that they hardly fought that night and played like best buddies until bed time.  I even heard Robby tell her several times "Did you know your my best friend?!"

{too bad the very next evening they were back to fighting like true frenemies--at least I know that there is som lovin' in there!}

(at the Phoenix Zoo this summer)

Bryce Canyon/Trip to Utah

Several weeks ago we went up to Utah for a family reunion.  It was a great excuse to be able to go on a vacation and spend time togehter as a family. We stayed in this little town called Panguitch in Utah and we were able to go to Bryce Canyone while up there.  Originally we were going to make the trip a bit bigger and go up for more than a few days, visit with family, and possibly hike and see more of the canyons.  But, with Maddie's school already starting, and my brother in law's homecoming talk that Sunday we cut the trp down to three days, including travel time. 

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The whole trip was a little wild because I worked the night before we left {Wednesday night}, got home, packed, picked up kids from school, and left mid-day.  By the time we finally pulled out, I thought I was going to die.  I was so tired.  I had been up since Wednesday morning, had a splitting headache, and semi-whiny kids in the car.  I got very little sleep on the way up to say the least :(

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We didn't arrive in Panguitch until 11:30pm and once we unloaded into the hotel room, the kids were WIRED. Eli had slept for several hours in the car, and so he had defnintely gotten his second wind.  I even tried putting a movie on for the kids, but they were too busy jumping from bed to bed screaming at the top of their lungs. YIKES. Finally Jesse grabbed Robby and took him for a ride in the car, while I layed down with Miss M. We fell asleep listening to Eli babble and laugh in his pack'n'play.  Jesse told me later that Eli was still awake talking when he came back several hours later. 

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Needless to say, we were all exhausted the next at Bryce Canyon.  I had a sore throat, congestion, headache and was nauseated.  But the day still goes on right?!  Jesse and Tyler headed off on their bikes for a little mountain biking adventure in Bryce Canyon while the rest of us headed off to see the lookout points.  We were a little crammed in one vehicle, but were able to save the extra admission price and visit with one another while driving.
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We were all a little nervous about roaming around Bryce Canyons with 5 kids under the age of five, but we ended up having a lot of fun and thank goodness no one got hurt :)  We ended up with four adults and five children so we each assigned ourselves one child (+1 for me) on each lookout point and the kids had to hold hands with someone every time we were out of the car.  The results= the view points were beautiful, the kids were slightly cranky, we laughed, ate peanut butter sandwiches {yuck- I had forgotten my jelly back at the hotel room}, ate ding dongs, and eventually couldn't wait to pick up the boys {Jesse & Tyler} and head back.

The crew at Bryce Canyons: Robby, Grandma, Eli, Tiffany {me}, Maddie, Kaylin, Lori & Zack

Note to self: time to put some of the current clothes in Eli's wardrobe away and pull out the next size :)

"Natural Bridge"

Miss M, Mommy and Eli

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After we were finished at Bryce Canyon I was beat.  Thankfully we went back to the hotel room and I layed down for a nap.  Jesse took the kids with the rest of the family to Panguitch Lake where I heard it was beautiful!  Apparently the kids had a blast splashing in the water and soaking themselves.

Miss M

Eli

My wonderful hubby

They did manage to keep Eli out of the water, thus he returned to me slightly dirty but toasty dry. {Not too difficult seeing that he would rather throw rocks in water any day over swimming}

Grandma West (my kids great-grandma), Grandma Sheffield, Aunt Amy, Kaylin, and Lori

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That night my parents graciously allowed me to sleep in their hotel room in the extra bed so I could catch up on sleep.  Jesse was husband of the year on this trip, and managed to get all the kids to sleep in our hotel room all on his own.  As he said, "I do this three to four times a week at home." (but much different on a vacation in one room hunny!)  Thankfully I got some good sleep and felt much better in the morning!

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The next day we got ready and headed off to the family reunion/luncheon.  It was a little disappointing to not have ANY of my immediate cousins come, but still fun to be able to head up north out of the heat wave and spend quality time with the family.  I did have several aunts and uncles come, including my Aunt Amy that lives in Hawaii.

Tiffany {me} with Uncle Mike Criddle

Cute cousins: Maddie and Kaylin playing at the table

(Kaylin is Maddie's only girl cousin)

Robby with Uncle Mike Criddle

(Robby kept telling me he was scared of Uncle Mike :)

Our car packed up and ready to hit the road

Once she over her initial shyness at all the new people, Miss M had no problem acting like her silly self and crawling under the table

This is about as good as it gets with family pictures these days...

Robby, Mommy, Daddy, Eli and Maddie

(at least Eli is smiling and looking at the camera)

Yeah, I was not too thrilled that Jesse bought this little toy for our three year old.  It is now hidden in a very remote, dark place in our house that our kid will probably never discover :)

Mr E enjoying the yummy cake; he probably ate three slices of this stuff

Yet another attempt at a family picture...basically this is on here to prove how DIFFICULT it is too get a picture of all five of us together 

Aunt Lynn & Uncle Mike Criddle, Uncle LaMar & Aunt Sharon West, Grandma West, Maddie, Eli, Tiffany, Robby, Jesse, Mom Sheffield, Zack, Kaylin, Lori, Tyler, Dad Sheffield and Aunt Amy West
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After the reunion, we climbed in the car and drove back home.  We ended up getting home around 8:30pm Saturday night and were so excited that Uncle Adam was able to come out and visit with us/play with the kids before bedtime.  He had just flown in from Boston, for Uncle Brett's (Jesse's brother) homecoming the next day.

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Regardless of how crazy, eventful, sleep deprived our vacations may be it is still nice to get away every now & again and spend that quality time together!