Our Little Princess is 5!

It's hard to believe that Kiersten is finally 5. We've been talking about this day, and counting down for (what feels like) months, and it is finally here! She started out her birthday morning by putting decorations on her cupcakes she was taking to preschool for show-and-tell. (A friend in preschool brought cupcakes for show and tell on her birthday, so that's what Kiersten figured she should do to.) She was very proud of herself - she even helped me make the "flowers" we put in the middle - her job was to stick on the "5" in the center. She did a great job!


Since we did a big party for Kiersten last year, that's what she figured we'd do again this year (even down to playing some of the same games!). I spent several weeks explaining to her that Daddy and I had decided we would do big parties every other year, and that on the years we didn't do a party she could choose a friend and go do something fun. She decided to invite her friends Hailey and Macy and go have lunch at Chick-fil-A and play at their play place. (She picked Chick-fil-A not for the food, but because of the play place!) So I picked up the girls from preschool and we headed out to lunch. Here they are waiting (not so patiently) for their food so they can get eating over with and get playing!
When they had had all the fun Mom could handle we loaded up and came back home. Earlier I had asked Kiersten what she wanted for her birthday dinner. I fully expected her to choose Sweet and Sour Meatballs, because that is what she usually chooses when ask her what she wants for dinner. I was completely surprised when she choose Velveta Shells and Cheese. So, that's what she and Tanner had (Nate had class that night so he came home later and I made something else for dinner for he and I). I told her she had to choose a vegetable and a fruit to go with it, so she chose carrots and ranch dressing (another surprise - I thought she'd choose corn) and cantaloupe (although, the cantaloupe I had in the fridge was moldy, so they had canned fruit cocktail, her second choice). Not what I would have chosen, but I wasn't complaining because it was a super easy meal to make and she and Tanner were happy and ate it. (Of course, it probably didn't hurt that they were starving - I realized later that she was so excited to get playing that she only ate a couple of french fries for lunch.)
After dinner I got them bathed and ready for bed and then Daddy got home. Kiersten got to open presents (her favorite part of birthdays she informed me). She was delighted with the Barbie set from Grandma and Grandpa Berrett (when she opened it she said, "This is just what I was hoping I'd get for Christmas!) and the princesses and stationary from Grandpa and Grandma Larsen (she thought it was amazing that Grandma Larsen happened to send the two princesses she didn't have).
After presents we finished the evening with cake and ice cream. She surprised me here too - she wanted carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for her cake and the cupcakes for preschool. This cake was the other half of the cake mix we used to make the cupcakes. I was not about to make up 2 cake mixes, because I didn't want that much cake around the house!

Sadly, by the time we finished cake and ice cream it was well past her bed time, so she had to go to bed without getting to play with her new toys. (We used the excuse that it would take a long time to get the presents out of the packages, so they wouldn't be ready to play with until morning anyway.) But the poor thing was so excited that she had a hard time getting to sleep that night. I think she was still awake when Nate and I went to bed that night at 10:30. But she was in heaven when I let her get up the next morning and play with princesses and her new Barbies before she had to get dressed or even eat breakfast!

Now that we've survived this birthday, she's already planning her next birthday . . . only 352 (or something like that) more days to go . . .!

Easter Pics

I finally got a picture of the kids in their Easter clothes - yeah!!! I had hoped to do it the week after Easter, but Kiersten was very adamant that she was not going to wear her Easter dress that week, but she was going to wear what she wanted to wear. Thankfully Grandma asked her to send her a picture of Kiersten wearing her Easter dress. So Kiersten was a little more workable the next week! (We've even figured out how to do sponge rollers in her hair for Saturday night so she's really easy to get ready - we do 3 pony tails - one on top, that stays in on Sunday, we just add a bow, and then one above each ear - that way the curlers don't get in the way while she's sleeping. Nate can even do her hair on Sundays if he needed to, although he looked a little green when I told him that!) Thankfully Tanner isn't nearly so picky - he'll wear whatever you put him in. He did think it was pretty neat to have a tie like Daddy has. He walked around all day saying, "tie" and holding up his tie for us to see.

'Lella!

Not too long ago we were at Payless looking for shoes for the kids - they needed it all: church shoes, summer sandals and tennis shoes. Tanner had absolutely no interest in trying on any shoe . . . that is until Kiersten found this pair of light-up princess flip flops. When she showed them to Tanner, he was smitten - he fell instantly in love with them. He wore them all around the store, walking and stomping because these shoes light up with each step he'd take. (I think he figured that the harder he stepped, the more it would light up!) And, of course, they were twice as big as Tanner's feet, so he had a hard time keeping them on. It was quite entertaining. Unfortunately, this discovery didn't help our shoe shopping mission - he still wouldn't try on any of the pairs of shoes I wanted! I ended up guessing what size to buy (and I think I bought a little too big) on one pair of church shoes and then had to carry him out of the store crying as loud as he could, "'Lella! (Cinderella!)" and "light!" But really, Nate would not have been pleased if I had spent $18 to buy Tanner a pair of light up princess flip flops that were 6 sizes too big!

Easter and The Bunny

So this year Kiersten completely cracked me up. All she could talk about was "The Bunny." And the way she said it, you could practically hear the capital letters as she spoke. She wanted to get a basket of eggs ready to leave for The Bunny (like we left Santa a plate of cookies at Christmas time). It was funny because once she saw The Bunny at an Easter party, she wouldn't even give him a high 5 - she was terrified of The Bunny. Maybe someday I'll have pictures of my children sitting on the Eater Bunny's lap, or even Santa's lap for that matter . . . maybe someday!

We started out our Easter celebration the week before Easter with a primary Easter Egg hunt/activity at the park. My favorite game to watch was when they had the kids put a lemon between their knees and walk a distance and then drop the lemon in a glass without using their hands. If only I had gotten my camera out and gotten into position in time . . . !
I'm not quite sure what Tanner was up to, but it probably involved "Ready, Set, GO!" since he's always about to take off! I don't think he ever learned how to walk - he just runs!

Kiersten did very well at balancing an egg on her spoon - I don't think she dropped it even once!

Kiersten has always loved sack racing, ever since she and I tried it a year ago. Luckily there were lots of other children who wanted to participate so I didn't have to this time! (It just isn't pretty, especially when I'm way too big for the sack and have to lean over just to keep it up!

Tanner was super happy to find just one or two eggs - he didn't get that he was supposed to get all that he could. Oh well, this was one of the times in his life that he was very good about sharing with the other kids!

Then on Sunday I let Kiersten wear her Easter dress since Easter Sunday was General Conference and we weren't going to church. I'll have to post pictures later - like when I take some. (With 8am church it's a mad dash out the door every Sunday and I figure we're doing well to have everyone fully and appropriately clothed and there on time. I can't remember to take pictures too!)

Then Kiersten had all week to look forward to dying Easter eggs once Daddy got home from work on Friday. They had lots of fun, while I did my best to keep Tanner from making a big mess and dying more than just the eggs!

On Saturday, the day before Easter, Kiersten's dance class was asked to perform at the local Easter celebration. They did very well, for having learned the entire dance in just 4 weeks. Some things never change, and Kiersten is still very concerned about making sure she is right on her polk-a-dot.

After the girls danced, I'm not sure how it happened, but we ended up with an entire jumping castle to ourselves for 20 minutes or so, so I took Tanner in and let him jump until he was exhausted (which, we learned, was not even enough to satisfy him!). He had a ball, and thought he was pretty big stuff.
Easter Sunday morning Nate and I were woken up to Kiersten running down the hall and telling us that The Bunny had been to our house, and that he'd left Tanner an Easter basket, but he hadn't left her one. I assured her that He didn't forget about her and that if she would just look harder I was sure she would find hers too. Then I rolled over and Nate and I went back to sleep! Eventually she found her basket on the other side of the couch and she was delighted with her Cinderella doll and Tanner LOVES his bubble gun - I think in just 2 days we've managed to go through all the bubble solution that came with the gun - good thing I have gallons more!

I didn't think we'd put that many sweets in their baskets, but Tanner decided he needed to try and eat all of it before breakfast. So it was no surprise when he spit up chocolate only a few hours later. Thankfully he did that on my tile . . . unfortunately he walked through it and on to my just-professionally-cleaned carpets (thanks Jamie - I loved Jim - he did such a good job!) to show me how yucky he was. And the best part is that I've now put away their baskets, with most of their treats still in them (at least what Tanner didn't eat in that first hour or two), and they seem to have forgotten about them!

Kiersten's Scripture

A few weeks ago Kiersten was assigned to give the scripture in Primary. During quiet time on the week she was given the assignment (so a week before she actually gave it), she decided to write out her own scripture, or talk as she calls it. (It doesn't matter if she's asked to give the scripture, article of faith or an actual talk, she calls them all talks!) Here's what I found: If I remember correctly, it says (I know this because she read it to me!) the first couple of lines are "crazy writing" (nonsense). Then it says "verse 4; in Adam (chapter) twenty five We believe that men will be punished and not for Adams transgressions."

Well, at least we know she was listening at some point to some thing!

Kiersten's First Post

kiersten we
wa
ud
wont
yor
frends
kam
help
selabrat
my
brthday
i
love
my
famley
i
love
skoowl
in
skoowl
the
ledr
i
tokt
a
baot
is
keoo
wen
i
gro
up
i
wont
to
bey
a
mthr
wen
igro
up
i
wont
to
bey
a
mathr
wen
i
gro
up
i
love
it
wen
i
hav
a
brathr
i
lik
my
brathr
and
tanner
thegnks
it
is
fun
to
hav
a
big
sistr
the
wacky
substitute
my
frens
are
hailey
masy
cordr
wyitt
jona
sidney
kiersten
i
love
you

Laughing and Jumping

This post is really for Grandmas and Grandpas and anyone else who might care. (Don't worry, we won't be offended if you don't watch the videos - we won't even know!)

We thought this video was a pretty cute shot of Tanner laughing and jumping, over a light-up bouncy ball that . . . bounced!

I was going to post a couple of other videos, but apparently the files are HUGE and either won't load, or will take all night, so I'm not going to post them. They weren't that great anyway! :)