just keep swimming, just keep swimming

Q has been taking swim lessons at the Orem rec center 3 days a week for 30 min..... and she loves it! the girl just loves being in the water...now if she can actually pay attention long enough to learn some skills! She finished preschool 1 this week, and I've signed her up for preschool 2 that starts next week. Supposedly after preschool 2 they should be able to float on stomach and back unassisted...i'm hoping that with all these swim lessons, we will really have some fun at the waterpark this summer. They make the parents go and sit up in the galley and watch thru a window. Q had a couple day last friday, and was just being a beast for her teacher. she kept swimming off on her own, spitting water at kids, and not listening to instructions (poor teacher). I actually ended up coming down the pool area, and sat on a bench giving her the death mom glare for the remainder of the time. That girls sure gives me a run for my money sometimes.

Let's get together, whatdaya say we could have a swingin time.

Boy, I don't know what Q and I would do without these girls to hang out with. We have some good times, and it's fun for the girls to have somebody else to play with.

Last month, for valentine's day, Elsie and Kim came over and we made and decorated sugar cookies. I'm not a big fan of sugar cookies, so I never make them, but I forget how much I love decorating cookies. Q had a blast and got messy. but what fun! 

I had seen this art project on pinterest, and then a girl in Elsie's class brought it in for show and teach, so Kim had the idea to try it out with the girls. It was a hit. who knew that celery could make such pretty flowers?

The weather was soooooooo nice that day, so we broke out Elsie's scooter, and Q's bike and played outside for a bit. 

 What a great day. 

There's a new jumping place in orem, and a couple months ago they had a two for one deal on groupon, so Kim and I had both snatched one up. a couple weeks ago, we went for our first time to try it out. It's a little small than ones we had been to in the past, but it's new so the jumping things were clean, and we were the only ones in there the entire time...you can't beat that. The girls both enjoyed themselves, and Kim and I even got in on the action a bit. They had this huge jumping mat in the center, that was super fun...until the end, when Q got bounced a little too high, flopping her neck and back, and leaving her crying. she was fine after a little cuddling, but we were done with the jumping place and we all headed to our place to play a little bit more. 

Then one afternoon last week, I redboxed "Footloose", brought it over, and Kim and I watched it with smiles as the girls played around and watched a movie of their own. 

We love these girls so much!

When Irish eyes are smilin...

I'm gonna give myself a little pat on the back for these shelves...I just think they turned out so cute. 

I decorated little clay pots to look like Leprechaun hats. At first they didn't turned out as cute as I wanted, and I got a little frustrated. But then I just decided to glitter them to death...and I think I saved them. Of course Q had to add her little bit in, and we did a leprechaun hand print. I love it. I got this cute mossy basket from joann's on the clearance rack, and just think it's sooooooooo cute. I added some fake flowers I got at the $ store, and thought it completed the look. I plan on using the basket for my Easter shelves as well. 

I printed out another subway art printable. I liked this one because it was an Irish proverb, and little more festive. I found some vintage St. Patricks day card pictures, and this gold frame at the $ store. I added the balls because i thought they looked Celtic-ish, and fit into the theme. I love this shelf. 

This letters were on sale at Joann's, and I was super stoked. I added some paper and embellishments and they are perfect. Although not hung perfectly, but I'm not "measure and hang": type of person, and usually just eyeball it. oh well. still cute. 

Now we are ready for March!!

Thank you for being a friend, travel down the road and back again.

This past weekend, I decided to make an impromptu trip up to Washington.
1) It was my friend Michelle's birthday and I wanted to surprise her
2) I missed my friends and
3) I wanted to see Jared and the crew.
I had kind of sworn off driving long distances in the winter, since my car is getting really old and had some major issues last winter that really weren't awesome to deal with. But I had checked and double checked the weather and all road conditions from Utah to Pasco for the days driving, and felt okay about making the trip. I got some work done of my car before we left, so i would feel confident about driving.
We were going to head up Thursday early morning, driving straight thru to Pasco...be up there a couple days and drive straight thru again on Monday. Wednesday afternoon I got done with my work, and decided to pack Q and the car up and drive up to Burley to stay with Clinton for the night and cut our driving time the next day. We were planning on stopping and seeing Coco anyway, but this way we got more time with him.
Q is forgetting more and more about the people in Moses, which is sad, but for some reason she has not forgotten Coco and especially not the fact that she rode on his tractor on our way to Utah last spring. She was super excited to see Clinton, and did not leave him alone all night.

 I swear in all my pictures of Clinton he is making this same face...the kid cannot take a normal picture.

It was a great visit. we sure do miss that guy.
The next morning we got up bright and early and made our way up to WA. The only hiccup that day was when the knob that controls the heating and cooling in the car decided to break off and for 30 minutes it was FREEZING in the car while I tried to fix it. Oh car, how you make me crazy.
We made it up to Washington a lot earlier than I thought we would, and I was excited to have time to stop and see my friend Melanie, her kids, and especially her newest addition to the family. I wish I would have gotten pictures of Q holding cute little Owen, cause she was in love. She loves babies, and loved being big enough to sit on the couch, hold him, and give him kisses. We hung out there a bit talking and of course LAUGHING. Gotta love Melanie. Also, a big shout out to Milo who entertained Q with books and voices. She loved it!
We then headed over to Jared's to drop off Q. Lindsay was kind enough to watch Q all weekend so I could hang out with Michelle all weekend. awesome right? Q was pretty excited as well, and was not sad to see me go. Q had a weekend full of wrestling, XBox dance, dolls, and lots of good times. (I will try and forget that Jared gave Q cheerios...as he knows that's a no no)

Jared and Lindsay have an Xbox Kinect...Q became a fan!

I then headed over to Michelle's house to surprise her...and I did!! I love birthdays, I love surprises, and I love it when a plan comes together. It was a fun weekend. With good food, seeing friends, an epic firepit, hanging out in comfy clothes watching shows, and pure relaxation.

I spent Sunday evening at Jared and Lindsay's so we could leave early Monday morning for our trip home. Q was excited to see me, and just wanted to cuddle. One thing I love about this girl is that she is happy when I leave her and happy when I come get her. She spent most of the afternoon on my lap, and even fell asleep cuddling. I was happy to hold her. 

We were both not excited to leave the next day but it had to be done. 

and thus the worst part of the trip...

I was super frustrated though cause it was snowing (it wasn't supposed to be), but I checked road reports and everything looked okay....

IT WAS NOT OKAY.

It was literally snowing the whole time, and was horrible in the Blues. Cars and semi's were in ditches, and it was so cold that the snow was freezing into ice on my windshield wipers, so I couldnt even see out of my window. To make matters worse, my check engine light started blinking in the midst of this mess, and my car started sputtering, and was not working properly at all. I was freakin out. The car would work okay if I went above 2 RPM, but with the weather so awful, I couldn't go fast and the car was basically sputtering at slow speeds. I made it to Le Grande and pulled over. Kim sent me numbers to auto shops in the area, and I got my car to one quickly. 2 hours, and $$$$ later I was back on the road with a new "ignition coil" and the knowledge that I was now positive that I would never drive long distance in winter again. My car is too old, and like me, HATES the cold. We drove thru snow all the way to Nampa, where we stopped for gas, lunch, and a text to Clinton to see if we could stop there again for the night, since my nerves were shot, and I knew I couldn't make it home without freakin out. We stopped for a bit, to kill time as Clinton was working, in Twin Falls and the moment I got out of the car I realized that I was not feeling well. I don't know if it was just nerves, or maybe motion sickness from driving in bad snow, but my body felt like it was perpetually in motion, my head was spinning, and I was just shakey. We got to Clinton's that night, I put on comfy clothes, laid on the couch, and was just happy to be out of the car. plus, Q was excited to see coco again. 

That next morning, we got up and slowly got ready and back on the road. the weather wasn't super awesome that day either, but we made it home fine. I felt super yucky that night and couldn't stand up without feeling like I was going to pass out. Q took good care of me, and we just laid around all day. 

It was a super fun trip, but I was glad to be home. 

I'm kind of sad about this whole car thing. I feel like a bird who's wings have been clipped. That my desires are held back now because I don't have the resources to do what I want. Q is so good in the car, and I quite enjoy long car rides, but it's just not possible anymore. My poor little escape has been a good car, and I need it to last a lot longer, so I guess I need to be kinder to it, and take it easy. sad sad day. 

I believe that children are our future...

Let's talk about this girl:

1. Every time I have the camera out, she says "me next", and proceeds to make silly faces or poses. She's such a goofball.

2. Whenever I am talking, either on the phone or in person, she feels the need to interrupt and get her two cents in. She's even been known to say things like "you're talking to much, my turn".

3. She will make anything into a sandwich. For instance, two pieces of paper put on top of each other is now a sandwich. She thinks she's very clever.

4. She is obsessed with collecting pieces of papers or "maps" as she calls them. She finds tags in stores, receipts on the ground, anything and wants to keep them all.

5. She says funny things like:
     "that's so strange"
     "you bought me a _______. give me hug. you're the best"
     "it's really tricky"
     "i don't need you anymore" -when she's throwing her fits
     "I'm not a baby! I'm qiana"

6. She, even more than me, HATES for the party to end. She cries about 99% of the time, and sometimes it grows into a humongous fit.

7. She is a hugger. Whenever we say goodbye she likes to give hugs, and kisses all around. If she doesn't get to do this...another fit may occur. (The other night, as we were leaving Kim's she threw the hugest fit, and even refused to give hugs, since she was to busy literally kicking and screaming in my arms...she then proceeded to throw another fit in the car because she didn't give out hugs and kisses....it was a no win situation)

8. She acts out books. Her favorite is "five little monkeys and nothing to do". She comes up and says "i'm bored", so i have to give her the chores (in the right order) from the book.

9. She will sing and act along with movies. She seriously quotes the movies along as we watch, and loves to act out scenes. her favorite is the "I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream" from Sleeping Beauty. She also does a great job of singing "man or a muppet" from the muppets. Whenever she hears "whip my tail" from the chippette's she turns around and shakes her booty.

10. She has a few books memorized, and I love having her "read" them to me. these books include: the foot book, old hat/new hat, and sheep take a hike.

11. She is quite aware that her coloring (ethnicity) is very different from those around her, and likes to point out when people, or cartoon characters, or dolls, or things in books are "brown like her".  It's a little awkward when it's super loud and the person is standing right in front of you. She likes to point out that she is brown and I am yellow. whatever.

12. She is getting to the age where she can get her own food out of the fridge, or cupboards, and will let me take a little nap while she quietly watches a show or movie. I love this growing independence.

13. She's got quite a memory. She will point out the theaters where we saw certain movies, will point out when I have forgotten to do or get her something, and knows who gave her certain presents.

14. She likes her bedtime routine, and won't stray from it. 1 show, two books, glowstick (yes, she sleeps with a glowstick every night (good thing I can get them at the dollar store), blankets layed just right, 2 songs in bed, kiss and hug,  then I put on her disney mix as she goes to sleep.

15. yellow is her favorite color. "it's in the rainbow" as she says.

16. She loves pigs. I am very proud. I did not force this upon her, she just picked it up. I like peppa pig, olivia, and of course the amazing Miss Piggy had something to do with it. But I will support this love.

17. she will tell you when she loves you. This girl is such a loving child. She is openly affectionate and loves hugs, cuddles, kisses, words of affirmation, and attention.

18. the term "too close" does not apply to her. She has no spacial issues. It gets a little annoying. She will always just be "right there". right on my lap, right in my face, right by my side...and she loves it. She can't get close enough.

19. She is loving preschool, and is getting better with her letters, counting, shapes, and coloring.

20. She is very aware that (as she says) "I don't have a daddy". Thanks to Yo gabba she learned all about the different kinds of families, and just kind of states, as a matter of fact, that she doesn't have a daddy, but has a mommy. She gives me big hugs and says "you're my family" all the time.  To her, it's just how it is, and that her and I are a happy family.

Love is in the air...every where I look around.

I'm not a super fan of Valentine's day, but I do love me some crafting and there are just tons of cute ideas for Valentine's crafts so I couldn't resist getting my craft on. 

I'm pretty happy with how it all turned out, and Q has been very good with the compliments about them, so that is good enough for me. 

I of course made a wreath for my door.

Kim and I spent an afternoon hanging some shelves in my family area. It was my first time using a drill and leveler (I usually just eyeball everything I hang up on the wall cause I;m super lazy that way, and it's kind of a project doing it the "right way"). But I love how they turned out. I wanted a place that I could change out decor for each of the seasons and holidays, and not have to worry about moving all my regular decorations every time. 

I got these wood blocks at a craft place, and decoupaged a bunch of vintage victorian valentines all over them, then tied a bow as a little pop of color.

Q made the bird valentine one night, and wanted me to put it in a frame, so I added it to the rest of the decorations. 

Pinterest has tons of links to these "subway art" printables for practically every holiday or season, so I plan on putting one up that matches the celebration.

The little letters (just painted with vinyl lettering) and hearts (painted, decoupage paper, and glitter) were simple and fun, and good way to round out the decor. 

I love my holiday shelves. 

today is such a special day

Little Elsie had a birthday this past month, and it was so fun to be around to celebrate with her. The kids enjoyed playing a couple games, running around, watching Elsie open presents, and eating delicious cupcakes. Kim threw together a little rainbow themed party last minute and I think it turned out super cute.

 Q went crazy eating the m&m's and ended up with a little chimo stache. It was awesome.

 Q was super excited to give Elsie the pocahontas doll, and actually insisted on bringing her own pocahontas over to play. I had to make her promise not to tell Elsie what she was getting before she opened it...and surprisingly she kept the secret.

 Happy Birthday Elsie!!