easter morning

Dilemma: How to get all the kids up and dressed for church and still have them enjoy their Easter baskets in the morning. This was my solution.

Happy Easter cute little Dallin & Ella
Do you think you have been a good girl & fella?
A basket is hiding for each of you.
All you have to do is find the next clue.
It will tell you the things you need to get done.
To get ready for Sunday and have lots of fun!
Go to Mom’s favorite place to read.
You’ll find the colorful egg that you need!

Get clean underwear on – that’s the goal.
Then the next clue is hiding in a bowl.

Eat up till you’re full. Don’t forget to clear your place.
Then look for an egg hiding in a suitcase.

There are clothes to put on – Quick! Hurry! Rush!
Then get the next clue that’s by a toothbrush.

When teeth and hair are sparkly and done
Go to the room we make music and have fun.
Enjoy your baskets and always remember when
Three days after his death, Christ lived again.

It worked like a charm. We had a lovely Easter morning and were even early to Karen's church where she spoke. The bliss lasted until nap time. I had already lectured Dallin and Ella's brains out about getting to sleep so we could go to GGs for Easter dinner. An hour later I came in to see both kids in Ella's bed in a giant fort they had made with all of their blankets. They had lined books around the edges of the bed and had every ball balancing on top. I about lost it.

Karen had once told me... if your kids ever do something that upsets you - take a picture - you'll probably laugh about it later. Oh, I was racing for the camera because I was furious! Our beautiful Easter morning had taken a turn for the worse as I had to hold to the predetermined punishment (I hate that!) and took away their Easter baskets. It didn't even phase 'em. Grrrr..

just because

This was my "Just Because" project this weekend. Here's how it usually goes. I decide to make something and think it's so great that I want to do it in bulk thinking it would be a great business venture... then after inundating myself with supplies and hype, my momentum fizzles. I know Troy just shakes his head and doesn't understand why I do it... (or why my sewing room is full of tassels, car seats, aprons, frames, tutus etc.) so the blanket name I use for all my projects is, "Just Because". That's all there is to it.

After trying to buy car seat covers for Allison & Auburn I decided to "go custom"and have loved the seats I made my girls. The only problem with making them for others now is each time I make a new design I want to change mine... This one I actually made in record time. I have been cursing Graco because each seat I have made a cover for somehow has been a different size or shape.. resulting in a completely new pattern design. But I must have found them all, because this seat just seemed to fit the first time... Yea!

So if you ask why we ate cereal for dinner and why my sister had to fill my kids' Easter baskets for me and why I had all my children tangled in thread as entertainment.. I'll say..

Just Because.

little itty bitty whitty

Happy Birthday Whitney!

The original Paul girls. (We missed Jean of course.) Pictures with this bunch is a riot... seems we all have something witty and funny to say right as they camera flashes. (at least we think it's witty and funny.. the picture taker most likely finds it silly and obnoxious) We all wanted to be next to Whitney's pregnant tummy so ours' wouldn't look as big!

All Whitney wanted for her birthday was to not be at work. So she took the day off and we did exactly what she wanted... nothing. And there are no other people I would love to do nothing with in the whole world!

Later that night the whole family came over to color Easter eggs and have "Dad's pancakes"!

Dad was the man of the night making his pancakes which deserve a post of their own. They are a large thick crepe filled with cinnamon and powdered sugar... lots and lots of butter. Oh delicious... I'm craving them now! He even did his own dishes.

Easter egg dyeing usually consists of the kids doing a few and then Dad and Whitney taking all night scheming up their creative egg masterpieces. Those two were seriously cut from the same mold!

Hyper Dash is Mom's new favorite game for the kids... running around, hitting things, noise... they loved it!

This is all we have to do to get our home evacuated after a party!
Bottom's up to a good time!

the next marth stewart

So I have been just waiting for an excuse to try these darling little things. So finally Whitney's birthday rolled around and I busted out the cake pops.. I obviously couldn't execute the directions as described.. so they turned into balls instead of cute cupcakes. Oh well. Nobody thought they tasted good anyway. So I was left with all these cake pops in my fridge.

And as luck would have it... they tasted better with age. So I got to enjoy all the cake pops myself. I just went to Bakerella to get the picture of her cupcakes and found out they going to be featured on Martha Stewart on April 3rd. So maybe I can learn how to make them the right way!

stapley easter celebration

It's amazing that anything could be this organized when so many kids get together... but down to the smallest detail, Roberta has it planned out and ready. We just have to show up, follow instructions (of which I rarely get right) and enjoy.

This year we made Easter service baskets for different families. Well, I should say, Hillary made service baskets while we ran around eating jelly beans or something.

The kids made fun cookies with Gma where all the ingredients have to do with Christ and Easter... (they are like meringues that are hollow in the center... just like the tomb was empty on the third day... cute huh?) Another Hillary contribution.

(this post should be called "Hillary saves Easter")

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After lunch and an Easter egg hunt there was Silly String.. I mean what's Easter without Silly String, right? I don't think the kids had nearly as much fun as the boys.

And after over twenty tries.. this is the Easter shot we came out with today. Let me introduce you to my sweet children, "Really Mom?", "Ouch, pain", "Huh" and "Lala Land". Thanks for playing kids! Maybe next time.

grandma gifts

Ella's blanket is disreputable. It started out this darling heirloom piece I made for her before she was born and has turned into a flimsy rag. So Mom decided she needed something to replace it. I agreed and started researching cute fabrics. Unfortunately Mom and Ella got to the fabric store before I did and came home with this gem. Fortunately it was only big enough to make a pillow instead of an entire blanket. Mom was equally horrified at the tackiness so insisted her pillow be stuffed with down feathers to compensate. Sooooo Deney! I walked in after Mom gave Ella her new pillow and she was already taking a nap with it on the floor in front of the fridge. Another Grandma success...you're the best! (upcoming posts.. Dallin's obnoxious Star Wars blanket, smocking for twins, and "they'll be so easy" (until the zippers break) matching dresses for all the granddaughters).

work it dallin

Dallin received his first phone number from a girl! And as you can tell from his ear to ear grin.. he was quite tickled! Every time I turned around he was somewhere with the phone trying to call the little girl from preschool. I don't think I'm ready for this!!!

welcome to the jungle

Dallin turned five and is going bananas! Dallin's monkey party turned out really cute. Dallin had so much fun running his invitations around because they were real bananas with little monkeys attached to them. He thought that was pretty funny. I thought it was just creative genius! :)

The kids played 'Pin the Banana on the Monkey'.. which I should remember never works for kids this age because they have an aversion to being blindfolded or closing their own eyes. Almost all of them put the banana exactly on the monkey's hand... amazing huh? :)

Gavin looks like your normal darling doesn't he with that sweet smile. But not when you put the pinata stick in his hand! Troy saw him as his executioner. Gavin had such a wild strong swing it almost decapitated my poor husband a few times.

So my monkey pinata proved indestructible after the multiple beatings it received... What can I say.. I make some pretty quality stuff around here! Troy ended up breaking the thing open so the kids could get their treats.

The party was fun, but after all was said and done, I realized (again) that they just don't care about all the "frills". They would have been just as happy playing out in the yard eating rice crispie treats (store bought ones at that!). But as long as I understand that all the fun themed stuff is for my own enjoyment.. it's all good.

happy birthday dallin..my little monkey!

january 24, 2008

happy birthday ella

This is how Ella's morning started. Her bib says it all.

Moody. Cranky. Adorable. Luckily Grandma stopped by. She gave her a birthday card that sings "I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream..." from Sleeping Beauty. Have you ever wondered how many times you could open one of those cards and hear the lovely recorded tune over and over and over before the batteries actually died and gave you some peace and quiet? Let me tell you.. more than a couple hundred. But after day 6 of "walking with you once upon a dream" it gave up the ghost. Thanks Mom! I'm not big on characters of any kind... so Ella's idea of having a 'My Little Pony' cake about made me nauseous. But.. look at those big brown eyes... could you say no to them? My Little Pony cake it is!
Ella has such darling friends. They were being attacked by the boys and had to run and hide together in the corner. You can see the look of terror in Ella's face!

Get used to it girls!

My little Ella is something else. She has more personality in her little pinky than most in their whole body. Troy & I find ourselves constantly shaking our heads thinking, "What have we got ourselves into?" She's just a sassy little thing and we wouldn't have her any other way!

happy birthday ella bella!

the dentist

1st dentist appointment! Well, I guess for Dallin it was technically his second. His first consisted of screaming and crying so hard that they asked me to take him home and come back in a year.

This go around we opted for a pediatric dentist that loaded them up with toys and stickers. Dallin did great this time. Ella, not so much. She kept whining loudly the whole time for candy. Nice.. all the dentists are looking at me like she's saying a four letter word. She proceeded to take after her big brother and we will be taking her back next year instead.

This is actually Ella's birthday.. but she doesn't know it. We had so many different things going that day that we just told her it was the next day. No harm done.

Happy Birthday ellabella

february 21, 2008

the napping house

I am one of those lucky moms whose children all still nap. Yep... all four down at 1:00 up at 3:00. (when all the stars align, of course) But today all four of them were on one. It was NOT the "Napping House, where everyone is sleeping" .. which resulted in one quiet car ride later that afternoon when they all cashed out. Too bad we were only dropping off the dry cleaning so the beloved nap time lasted all of 10 minutes.

president's day

It was such a gorgeous day outside. It was nice to have Troy home to help take the whole family on a walk to Grandma & Grandpa's house. That morning we had gone to the gym. Troy did a step class with me. Yes, Troy in "Step Challenge" (Summer, is the visual just hysterical?). Initially I was a bit embarrassed, ok more like mortified. I kept pleading for him to just go lift weights or something where he wouldn't make a spectacle. But Troy lives for spectacle! He stuck it out in step.. and to my amazement, did really well. The teacher kept referring to him as "the new stud in back". So after a grueling workout, the little "stroll" to and from my parents became a bit more challenging... not to mention pushing the limo stroller with Ella riding on top of it and carrying her big wheel that she was too tired to ride.

We spent the evening at Marty & Marci's where Allison & Auburn had their first bites of ice cream!

thank you

Karen sent us a little thank you note that Carter illustrated. Dallin saw it and wanted to write one back to them. In fact he wanted to send an exact copy back to them. I love that he even embellished his letters like Karen did. The funniest part is that this picture is actually just one of several identical copies he created over the next couple days. Each time I picked up another paper off the floor it was yet another replica of "the thank you letter". Thank You Karen!

february 13, 2008

at the farm

I took the kids to Killian's farm down the street and tried to get some pictures for our Valentine cards. (We decided to change it up a little from the traditional Christmas cards...that's us, always breaking the mold!) Unfortunately it was freezing and windy and they weren't too fond of sitting on cold mud.. although Allison loved eating it!

We went back later that evening as the sun was going down and the kids had a ball feeding the horses and stepping in all the fun smelly stuff that farms provide! The final product in miniature. february 7, 2008

matching game?

So I tricked Ella into thinking this was a great matching GAME!! She figured it out pretty quickly and I was left sorting socks alone.

february 5, 2008

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