JOLIE READING A BOOK

Jolie really loves books.  I find her reading to herself all the time. 

I recorded this a few weeks ago. 

AED

Yesterday was an exciting day for me.  Avery’s school received an AED.  An AED stands for an Automated External Defibrillator. 

We have a heart condition called Long QT.  When I say we, I mean me, Avery and Lainey.  (It’s genetic, my mom has it and gave it to me and three of my brothers.)  Basically it is an irregular heart beat and if our heart beats too fast or our body gets hit hard, our heart will stop start beating weird causing us to die. 

A defibrillator is the machine that shocks the heart to make it start beating regular again.  So it is really good to have one handy.  (Hopefully some day I can afford to have one in my own home.  They cost about $1200.)

Before the school year even started, I went to Avery’s school nurse and told her of her heart condition and asked if she could try to find any services who would donate an AED to the school or if she could formally ask the PTO to buy it.  I then joined the PTO to make sure we would pay for it when she asked. 

Avery’s school nurse was soooo great.  She found this club called the Pilots Club, who just this year, started to donate a portion of the cost of the AED, if she would teach the school compression only CPR.  It’s the new way to do CPR, no breathing in the mouth, only chest compressions.   So that is what she did. 

Then the PTO paid for the rest of the AED. 

AT the PTO meeting last night some of the Pilot club member came to see the school receive the AED and of course I had to come and say thank you. I took Avery too, so they could all see her cute face and know it will help a good cause if we ever need it.

Hopefully we will never have to use it. 

I told them about our heart condition and that my other daughter who has the same heart condition will be going to the school next year. 

They all took pictures of us with the AED.  They told us that we will probably be put in their newsletter too.

BANGS OR NO BANGS

We are at the point of either cutting Lainey's bangs or letting them grow out.  They are way below her eye brows right now.  

I think she looks cute either way. So I can't decide.  

What do you think?

Lainey with bangs?

Or no bangs?

SPRING BREAK

If Avery had a journal, here is what it would have said or something like this...

Friday - first day of Spring Break !!! Yeah! Went to Aunt Terry's retirement party. Afton and Rowan spent the night. Stayed up way too late.

Saturday - played with Rowan and Afton all morning. Went and cleaned grandpas office.  We made a fort. Played outside all day.

Sunday - went to church and made a fort.  Had dinner with the Woolf's. Mom made stew. We played with cousins and saw Chaz's turtle.

Monday - we made a fort. Went to play with grandma Jo while mommy took Jolie to the doctor to find out why she's walking funny.  Turns out she's just pigeon toed.

Tuesday - made fort. Went to Zoo with the Brown's and cousin Trey.  Saw tons of different animals and played in the water park.  Played with daddy in afternoon.

Wednesday - played at Halls house in morning. Had lunch and swam  in jacuzzi at Evie's house. Played at Trey's house in the afternoon.

Thursday - went to Jolie's ear doctor appointment with mommy. Went out to lunch with mommy's friend Linnea and her kids at Nelson's.  Mommy did not let me get ice cream there. I was sad. Grandma and Grandpa took us to a movie called Ink Heart. I liked it a lot. Had ice-cream after dinner.

Friday - mommy had a Young Women's meeting at my friend Abby's house, so we went and played there in the morning. Madeline and Kara came to play in afternoon. 

Saturday - Daddy took us shopping for Trey's birthday present. Mommy was gone all day cleaning other peoples houses.  Trey's pirate birthday party was a blast.

Sunday - Went to church. Had dinner at the Brown's.  I'm excited to go back to school tomorrow.

NO TIME TO BLOG

There has  been absolutely no time to blog this week.  Spring break is a full time job of entertaining the children.  More to come about our busy week.  

Why we build temples

">

YOU SHOULD READ THIS

The World and the Kingdom of God - How Great the Contrast

This is a link to my awesome brother KC's blog.  

I am not a great writer like my brothers.  KC say things so well.  

You should totally read this.

I agree.

SLUMBER PARTY PIG TAILS

Avery and Lainey had two of their favorite cousins over to have a slumber party. 

 Afton and Rowan are just the same age as them.  

In the morning I gave them all pig tails. 

They had a blast.

The pig tail girls. 

Jolie was taking a nap when these pictures were taken.  Or else I would have made her pig tails too.

YOUNG AUTHOR

Last week, Avery's school had a Young Authors night.  All the families were invited to come and see all that the kids have been writing.  A few students' writings got put up on the front bulletin board, it's right when you walk into the school.  Maybe one or two stories from each class were chosen to be put up.  

And Avery's was one of them! 

She wrote a story all about her family.  She also drew really good pictures to go along with the story.  It is so cute.  The last page has a picture of a baby.  She says she wants me to have another baby, a boy this time.  

We are so proud of her.  She's our little smarty pants.

TANNING

This last Wednesday, the kids got out at noon from school. 

What to do, oh what to do? 

It was such a gorgeous day outside, I suggested the girls go get a tan.  So they got all the sunbathing necessities and off they went to the back.

They got their towels, books, sunglasses, and tunes blaring in the background. 

It didn’t last long.  Just a couple minutes after taking these pictures, I looked out the window and saw them swinging. 

At least they stayed out of the house for a long while.  That was nice.

We love Arizona in the spring. 

 

JOLIES READY FOR SURGERY

Jolie did great during her visit to the hospital. 

She left with two new tiny tubes is her ears.  

No more ear infections, YEAH!!! (i hope)

I LOVE

I love Lainey.   

I could go on and on for the reasons I love her.

I just do.

PIG-TAILS

Jolie's hair is long enough to do pig-tails.  

Not enough hair on top to make it into the piggies.

I love this shot, even though you can't see much of her pig-tails, just for her belly.  She's little but not through the middle.

Pig-tails are when the hair is put in two ponys.  A pony tail is when there is only one. 

Well that's our definitions.

My sister in law Jayme thinks I should cut her hair.  I'm still not sure.

SURGERY

My sweet little Jolie is having surgery tomorrow.  She is getting tubes in her ears.  She has had at least 6 ear infections in her short little life.  I am nervous and anxious for her to get it done.  But I know it will be for the good.  

The doctor who is doing it, only does surgery in Casa Grande.  So we have to wake up super early tomorrow to get there in time.  

Pray for her that it will all go well. Thanks! 

These pictures are the complete opposite of when Jolie has an ear infection.  They are not fun.

SWING SET

This is our swing set.  It is not at all like the others you've seen in backyards.  Because it is older than me.  I asked my dad the other day exactly how old it was.  He said they had it made for our family in 1976.  And it has been in the family since.  When me and my siblings were to big for it, my aunt Arlene had it for a while in her back yard.  When her kids were too big for it, luckily, I had a back yard and kids who would love it.  Since it has been so nice out side, I don't think a day has gone  by without my kids going out in the back to play on it.  Sometimes we go out as a family and swing on the glider (that is what we call the big-silver-6-seater thing in the middle.

Here is a bunch of kids swinging.  These are our Flagstaff friends who were over last month for a get together.  The only problem with it is, you have to watch the very little ones around it, cause if they walk by too close to the swinging glider, it a concussion for sure.  

Oh, and it can't fit "everybody". Notice Lainey off to the side. She couldn't fit I guess.

This is what broke my camera.  I think it was trying too hard to focus on the swinging and couldn't handle it.  No more pictures for that day  :(
I told the girls what I use to do with the swings when I was their age.  We would make a double decker swing.  So they had to try it.  It is their favorite thing to do now.

LAUNDRY

Jolie really likes to take things out of things and bring them to me.  The other day she got into her dirty laundry basket.  She handed each item to me and whined till I put it on her. 

 She is a silly girl.

This is her saying "Cheese".  She does this a lot when I have the camera pointing at her.

This is all the dirty clothes she brought me and put on.

This is what she was wearing under it all.

Pay it forward

Pay it forward

So, here's how this game works-the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, a handmade gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well. Before you leave your comment, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going (or be lazy and copy and paste like I did). Then come back, let me know you're going to play and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift! Please keep in mind that gifts may have to be adjusted based on your location...hahaha...you may have to be flexible on the handmade part if you live far, far away.

THE DOMINATOR

So I've noticed that my sweet little Jolie has been dominating my blog posts.  The rest of us in the family just don't do so many super cute things. And we don't change as fast as her,  so I'm taking the most pictures of her little funny things she does. 

For example:

Here she is, my little princess.

Jolie enjoying the sunshine at the park.

I love new shoes like all women.  But getting new little shoes for Jolie is way more fun.  Here are her new little flip-flop sandals I got at The Children's Place.  Two pair for $5.00. 

You can't beat that.

She still loves her toes.  

I'm not sure who took this picture.  I just found it on my camera.  

So you see why I can't help myself, I just have to share all her super cuteness with everyone.