Gap Tooth Grin!

And we have Mac's first missing tooth!  She has been very excited about her wiggly tooth, and isn't shy about moving it around with her fingers.  She got a little worried when it got really loose and started  not sitting in there quite right.  Leiden tried to be helpful and told Mac to eat an apple and maybe it would come out.  (As if Leiden would have EVER done that with a loose tooth!)  So Mac just bit right into that apple, pushing pretty hard on the tooth.  She stopped and told me it hurt, so I told her she certainly didn't have to bite the apple.  We cut it up so she could continue eating.  About 5 minutes later, she must have completely forgotten about the tooth, bit into an apple slice, and out it came!

Mac has got some awesomely straight teeth, so here begins the probable end of that, but I love the gappy smiles.  She's already telling me that the tooth next to the lost one is wiggly.   

She put the tooth in a baggie and put it under her pillow in hopes the tooth fairy will come visit her tonight.  :) 

Mimi has been so excited all week...she was assigned to bring the nursery snack today!  She chose string cheese and graham crackers, and got to bring it in the cute little tub they send home with them.

Art

Mimi has been making strides in her drawing, lately.  Here we have kids at the park, climbing the ladder and sliding down a twirly slide.  Pretty awesome.

The other side of the picture was a kid doing the monkey bars!  See the arms (too many, but okay...) going up to the rings?  I have always loved seeing them try to get on paper what they are thinking of. 

We also did a more directed art project...She was supposed to use a q-tip to make tiny little dot 'leaves' around the tree, but that got old quick, and she of course included the obligatory handprint.  Pretty for fall, nonetheless. 

Howdy!

Howdy, Partner!  Mimi was SO cute today for Howdy Day.  She got to wear her get up to school, where they 'roasted' marshmallows around a campfire, sang campfire songs, and got to ride a real pony!  She was thrilled when she came home.  This picture is particularly awesome as my friend pointed out, it looks like she's drawing her guns!  What a cutie!

Pretty exciting day!  I now am in possession of a car registered and licensed in Utah, and titled under my name!  Love it!

Mimi has howdy day tomorrow at school, and we went off in search of a cowgirl hat.  They had this lovely number for grown up girls, and we found one. although a little less blingy, for Mimi, too.   

FINALLY.  I've got these frames all caught up and hung on the wall!  I am VERY proud of myself.  It became almost this giant task, larger than life.  But it's done, and the girls have gone back to what they always have done with them...looking at them!  It is so fun to hear them talk about the pictures and remember the times when they were taken.

Mimi made a little flag today, which I completely forgot to take a picture of.  It was very colorfully striped.  Mac wanted in on it, too, and she decided to go with traditional.  SO cute. 

Busy Saturday.  It's definitely the day we get ready for Sunday!  Mac was super excited to be able to help vacuum her room.  She did a great job, and now her floor is free of little bits of stuff!

Leiden and I spent some time last night watching videos about how to do braids.  Waterfall and ladder braids, to be exact.  So this morning, when we had some time on a non school day, I put my new found skills to work.  For a first try, I would dare say it looks pretty great!

And of course, it was the big game day, U of U vs. BYU.  Go Utes!  I even bought a shirt for the occasion.  :)  And good thing I did, because they won!

Fall

It's fall!  I decided this year to do a fall porch.  All the pumpkins from the patch we found are being put to good use.  For Halloween it will be changed a bit and added to, but for now, here it is in its simplicity.

I found these awesome pedestals, and made the leafy beds for the pumpkins to rest on. 

I bought a bunch of mums and some additional gourds to add to the scene.   

My parents came tonight for...well, my DAD came tonight for Maryland crab cakes at our house.  My mom came for potatoes and jello.  :)  They brought dessert, and they treated us to a giant pot of worms and dirt!  The girls love this treat.  Mimi was initially a little concerned that the worms were real, but after we reassured her, she was good.  Yum yum!  And the crabcakes were awesome.  I would definitely make them again, but maybe not buy the crab at Market Street...it was pretty expensive.  Mom, you missed out! 

Found this today at the store.  It made me laugh, then it got put in my cart.  :)  FYI:  the inside of the egg really is green!  What fun for Halloween!

Drawing

Mimi has been into drawing, lately, and I've gotten some great pictures.  This one is a pegasus.

We have a school of fish... 

And her people are getting more detailed, with their arms and hands with fingers.  So cute. 

This was a cow...I didn't dare ask if it was old cow vandelay or not...

And Mac joined in on the drawing fun, with her picture of horseback riding.  Love it. 

I get such a kick out of seeing their work and watching them develop their skills.

Reading

Leiden caught this one today, while I was reading with the girls...I really was happy to be reading with them... :)  Notice Mimi's got Leiden's helmet.  She's always prepared, and loves helmets!

Carnival

Today was the school carnival!  The girls have been excited to go all weekend.  There were giant bouncy slides.

And rock climbing walls.  Leiden is in the black on the left.  She ALMOST made it to the top! 

Mimi even took a turn, too. 

As did Mac. 

Meeting up with friends and getting hair spray dyed was also another hit of the evening. 

Bapa joined us there tonight to watch the girls have a great time.  We had gross carnival food for dinner, and snacked on pink cotton candy.  What a fun night! 

Fall Dinner

Today was the big family dinner at my mom's house.  She and her brothers take turns having everyone to their homes for dinner, and today it was her turn.  She has been working very hard trying to get her home all decorated for fall, and it looks beautiful.

Her Santos doll is particularly funny.  She's wearing a harvest crown, a lovely orange sash, and one of my mom's blingy necklaces.  Very decked out for fall! 

This picture is probably only funny for me and maybe my dad...we were having stew for dinner, and the places had been set, but with no spoons.  So when we sat down to eat our stew, there were no spoons! 

Today my parents and I took a trip up through Weber Canyon, though Morgan, and on to East Canyon, then up Parley's through to Heber for lunch and antique shopping.  The trip was actually to see the leaves through all the canyons, which KSL said we could see...um, no.  The leaves were not changing yet.  It was still a nice drive on a mostly cloudy day.  The shopping in Heber was fun, too.  I found some things for my fall porch.  Best of all, we passed a pumpkin patch roadside market selling white ghost pumpkins!  We saw it on the way up to Ogden, and ended up driving back up after coming to SLC down Parley's.  But it was worth it.  We piled up the back of the car with pumpkins for our respective porches.  I LOVE the white ones.  They are so pretty.

The girls were outside waiting for Brad to come get them and they were 'hiding' in the grass when cars came by.  Pretty funny to watch.  They would be running around playing, and as soon as they would hear a car coming they would throw themselves down flat on the ground.  I'm sure no one saw them.  :)

Patriot's Day

September 11.  I actually didn't realize the day had been given a name until this year.  Patriot's Day.  I like this neighborhood...the youth in the ward come by on each 'flag' holiday and put them in the front lawn of each house.  I haven't ever paid anything for it, or signed up, so I think they do it for all the houses.  Which is awesome.

I have such an admiring love for all the men and women who serve our country in the armed forces.  Their sacrifices benefit us all, and many around the world are made safe through their efforts.  I am so grateful for their willingness to serve.

Little Mac is loving Kindergarten.  She marches right in each afternoon with no trouble at all.  She told me that there were kids who weren't listening at school.  We talked about how that's not good, and she needs to always make sure she is listening to her teacher.  She agreed.  Then she came home the next day and told me that it was just boys who were not listening now.  I told her that would pretty much not ever change!  

This afternoon was makeup time.  Mimi prefers to apply her own.

Leiden likes me to put it on her.  She is, however, becoming a LITTLE more aware of where makeup actually goes...she gets lipstick, and today was the first time she specifically asked for color on her eyelids.  Very funny.  There may need to be some tutoring involved when the time comes!  I spared myself the indignity of taking MY picture after we were done.  :)

Sunday

Quiet, meaning not everyone, dinner at Grandmere's tonight.  Lovely Dunford donuts for dessert, which Mimi clearly enjoyed to its fullest.

Our gardening skills left much to be desired this year...I'm just glad we aren't depending on our harvest to keep us alive during the winter!  We wouldn't make it two days.  Somehow all the things we planted had billions of flowers, but no fruit to speak of.  Tiny watermelons that just stopped growing, and that's about it.  Until we went out and looked very carefully.  That's a pumpkin!  It's still pretty small, but there it is.  We are not sure why nothing worked, but we are going to keep trying until we get it right.  Hopefully this will turn orange in time for Halloween! 

Peach Jelly

Whew!  So on Monday we headed up to Brigham City to get peaches...I was hoping we weren't too late, but I was able to get a giant bushel for very cheap.  Which means peach jelly!  After a long and sticky day, I have 20 half pints of jelly.  And I don't think that's quite enough...I will have to remember to double up next year!  The girls will want nothing but jelly on bread and sandwiches for weeks to come!

I decided to treat myself (and the girls, of course) to some frozen yogurt.  Leiden took a picture to commemorate the occasion. 

I did, too.  :)