Halfway Through...

This post is for the grandparents. Rachel is loving her reading lessons! We are about halfway through the book. Rachel is anxious for Audrey to be put down for a nap each day so that we can start her reading lessons. Anyhow, here's a somewhat long video that I took today, but one the grandparents should enjoy. This was the first time Rachel read through this passage and it was the longest passage she has read yet...

As we have been going through these reading lessons I have been reminded of what a messed up language English is. We all get over the little rules and words that are different, because we've been reading them for years. And we don't remember what it was like to learn to read. But it's kind of odd that we don't spell is "iz" or was "wuz". Because really that would make more sense. This book I'm going through with Rachel is very scripted and quite often I'm having her sound out a word and then telling her how to really say it, followed by the sentence, "It's a silly word." Anyhow, we certainly have a lot of silly words in English and it really makes one wonder who it was long ago that decided we would spell and say things the way we do...

Our Valentine's Day

Overall we had a pretty good Valentine's day. I actually got myself together and continued a Michaelson tradition by making pink, heart-shaped pancakes. And after a few bites Rachel asked for Cheerios and Audrey did her usual few bites (she's not much of a breakfast eater). At least Andy humored me and ate a few.... :) No wonder I don't bother making breakfast very often. But it was still fun and I enjoyed the pancakes!

We then went about our normal Monday morning routine - cycle and abs class for me while the girls have fun in the Kidzone. We did some chores once we got home and then for lunch I made hot dog hearts. Super simple and an idea from Family Fun Magazine. I used toothpicks instead of linguini. The girls gobbled them up. After naps we enjoyed decorating some cookies at a friends' house. We checked the mail on our way home and our mailbox was full of cards and packages from family and friends. The girls had fun opening the valentines that were sent to them! Dinner was just the girls and I, since Andy is crazy, busy at work. After the bedtime routine I enjoyed an episode of Castle, the one and only show I follow regularly. Definitely a good day!

I wanted to share the valentines that Rachel (and then Audrey joined in as well) made this year. I can't claim this idea as my own. My friend shared the idea with me from someone's blog. I took the pictures and then logged into picnik and spiffed them up a bit:

Can you tell who's a lefty and who's a righty??? :)

And then I made these cute suckers for Rachel's classmates, which turned out to be super easy. and luckily I had enough leftover candy canes from Christmas. Instead of using chocolate chips though I used candy wafers from Hobby Lobby, which are much easier to deal with and work great!

Even though the pink wallpaper in the girl's bathroom proved to be a great background for the pictures, I'm hoping next Valentine's the pink wallpaper won't exist. We've enjoyed it for several years and hopefully this is the last... :)

Friends

I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful friends. Whenever I have the opportunity to be around my friends I am always uplifted. I've had the opportunity in the past week to spend time with various friends and it has just hit me how much I depend on my friends. I depend on them for many things: watching my kids, picking up my kids, venting, laughing, crying, encouraging, listening, supporting, easing heartaches, helping me with projects, sharing ideas with, getting feedback from, strengthening me, etc... The list could go on. I am so grateful for the friends I have, near and far. I appreciate those who have kept in touch through the years. It means so much to me. It's my hope that I am able to be the type of friend my friends need as well. Life is good with friends...

I Am a Child of God

I was able to catch Audrey singing this morning. I love the message of this song. I'm so grateful for the knowledge that I am a child of God. I wish everyone had a knowledge of this simple and yet amazing belief. Audrey sings the words and probably doesn't quite comprehend what she is saying. It's my hope and prayer that one day she will realize and understand that she is a child of God and what a blessing that is...

Audrey reading...

Andy was able to sneak up on Audrey this morning as she was pretending to read. She had grabbed a book that we just got at the library yesterday, so I hadn't even read it to her yet. It's really funny because the book is about dinosaurs and dogs, but she's reading about Mommy and Audrey. I guess we kind of look like dinosaurs... :) Love it!

Audrey is quite the little pretender. She loves to pretend. And she knows it's "pretending". Rachel has taught her well! Audrey often comes up to me and says, "Mom you pretend to be ----- and I'll pretend to be ------". And it's whatever she happens to want to do. Sometimes it's animals and sometimes it's people. It's always fun to pretend with Audrey.

Thawed Out

We are thawed out down here. No snow to report, just a lot of ice... Even though it was a bit overblown I'm glad Andy stayed home. Last night on the news they said there were over 800 car accidents due to the ice. Definitely glad we were all safe! And there were parts of Texas that got snow, my parents (5 hours north of us) had about six inches of snow. The girls and I ventured out to a few stores yesterday afternoon and it was funny to see icicles on the stop and speed limit signs. The girls' playground even had quite the collection of icicles:

It's now 56 degrees outside and sunny. I've decided I am definitely a warm climate girl. Cold weather is okay every now and then, but months and months and months of it isn't my idea of fun. But I'll never say never, because you never know what life will bring...

While Andy tried to get some work done yesterday I tried to keep the girls distracted. We did some chores, played, and then I decided to try the oatmeal scotchies recipe. And they are delicious! The girls helped me in the kitchen. Both of them haven't helped me in a long time and it was fun. Rachel has mastered the cookie scooper and is pretty proud of herself.

Once we started mixing they were plugging their ears and then they discovered how it was fun to feel the vibrations...

Two girls, two beaters - perfect!

Rachel remembered the chef hat she had made at school on Thursday, so she put in on to check out the cookies. She has just figured out how to turn the oven light on and she's constantly checking on food in the oven...

Snow In Houston?

Andy's office is closed tomorrow (but work hours are still mandatory) and he was home around 4 PM today... We'll find out tomorrow if all this is for nothing. So far, no snow...

Things that make me laugh...

It seems like recently I have just been laughing a lot and it's usually at the expense of the girls. But they do get a kick out of it and boy does it feel good to laugh! Here are a few things that have made me smile or laugh recently:

• One day when I was frustrated I made the comment "everybody and their dog". So, Rachel proceeded to ask me whose dog it was, where was the dog was, and whether the dog was doing something wrong.
  
• The girls' lunch was ready and they were busy playing in Rachel's room. I knocked on the door and when Rachel answered I said, "Madam, your lunch is ready." Audrey then ran around the house saying, "Hi 'dam" over and over again. She hasn't said it since.
  
• Rachel informing me she knew how to spell H.E.B. "Mom, I can spell H.E.B, it's H-E-B!"
  
• Audrey coming up to me concerned about a hangnail. Seriously, she's barely two and she knows exactly what a hangnail is and they definitely concern her. She probably wishes I would take her more seriously...
• Rachel asking me during dinner if the sauce she spilled on her shirt was washable.
  
• The other day Audrey informed me she didn't want to go to GPS (which meant CVS)...
• Audrey's horror as we walked down the aisle of doll parts at Hobby Lobby. She was very concerned about the "broken babies".
• Rachel telling Andy he earned 3 pennies and she earned 2 pennies when he helped her make her bed.
  

Breakfast for Dinner Groundhog-style

Tonight I surprised myself by doing something fun for the girls and they actually ate most of it as well. Andy missed out, he'll have to warm up some green pancakes around 9:30 tonight. Here's my version of these:

A friend of mine posted this idea yesterday and I decided to give it a try. Mine are a bit altered - no PB, mini donuts cut in half, regular-sized M&M's, and green eggs. When I went shopping this morning I couldn't find several of the items, so I improvised. Next year if I'm up for the task I'll just do Cheerios for the ears. Now I have to make something with butterscotch chips (which I'm going to try this recipe).

The girls enjoyed their Groundhog dinner. Don't you love how they look at the end of the day??? Rachel's in her dress-up clothes, Audrey's wearing Rachel's sweater, and who knows what happened to Audrey's hair (nap time, I guess!)... But it's us! :)

A few weeks ago this article was circulating around. Well it has a lot of truths in it, the generalizations made me laugh. But we are all guilty of generalizations... I can't remember the last time I made cupcakes, Andy wore a flannel shirt, I did a craft with my girls, or had a party at my house. But I am very positive on my blog and this post would definitely classify as a typical Mormon housewife post. But that's what I am and I love it!

Just as a side note, another friend referred this blog to me. It has lots of cute ideas if you have the time and energy!

Parent-Teacher Conference

So today I had my first parent-teacher conference as a parent. It was kind of weird after participating in hundreds the other way around. And really it is hundreds. The last 3 years of teaching I had 50 students with conferences twice a year for sure and sometimes some in between if needed. Anyhow, it was odd to be on the other side.

But of course all was well. Rachel is doing great in school and is definitely ready for kindergarten. I'm so grateful to have a little girl who loves to learn and please. Mrs. Smith told me that Rachel always follows the rules and becomes quite concerned when others don't. So, I asked if Rachel tattled a lot. And Mrs. Smith said she doesn't ever tattle (just like me - I never wanted to get anyone in trouble) but she is bothered when others aren't doing what they are supposed to be doing. Rachel is a good helper at school and she did well on her testing. We are so happy that Rachel loves school so much!