I'm raising Divas

After brushing her teeth tonight, Libby looks in the mirror and says, "I'm going to soon be a part-time pop star". I could only say, "Really?" and try my best not to laugh. What else is there to say to that? We don't even have cable, but she can still throw out a Hannah Montana line like nobody's business.

Better yet, was Libby's comment on Sunday. I was taking photos of the girls in their Christmas dresses and Libby was going all out. She was posing like a little model. Noelle, on the other hand, was not. I love my girls equally, but they are not equally photogenic. So, I was laughing and commenting on how I couldn't get a decent picture of Noelle, but had plenty of Libby. Libby says, "It's called stage presence Noelle." Well, well what kind of monster have I created?

Of course Noelle is cute enough that I managed to get some good photos of her, but I had to delete quite a few!

The Kindergarten Program

What a little dolly! Libby just LOVES to perform, so she really enjoyed her kindergarten Christmas program today. Notice the bows- I made them for the girls last night. Not my best work ever, but hey at least I got them done.Even Daddy was able to make it! Noelle was there too- causing trouble. The minute we enter North Park, Noelle starts saying she needs to go potty (even if she just went at home). She loves that the sinks in the bathroom are her height. We did make one token potty trip, after the performance.

Libby's grand entrance.

For the past couple of weeks, Libby has come home from school singing the songs they have been practicing for the program. She really likes singing Feliz Navidad (one of the worst Christmas songs ever, in my humble opinion). I helped her with the correct Spanish accent (since I was the V.P. of the Spanish Club in High School) and as you can see by this video she takes this song very seriously. Good Job Libby!

PS The person sitting in front of me and in front of Libby were a delight to work with as I attempted to document this event!

Grandpa Wally's Christmas Tree

For the second year in a row we were able to go and help Grandpa Wally decorate his Christmas tree. Libby even missed school for this special day. Since Grandma passed away I have realized the importance of taking advantage of the time we have to spend with our grandparents, so I don't feel bad about taking her out of school. Grandpa was happy we were there and we had fun decorating the tree with 50 year old candy canes and setting up the train (all while listening to Anne Murray's Christmas CD- Grandpa's favorite, not mine).

Did I mention how I'm just learning to be a mom?

I have no fun pictures to post, just a need to write. Just some random things I did today to make it through...

1. Dyed Noelles banana creme pie yogurt green (with food coloring). She wanted Key Lime Pie flavor and I didn't have any. I improvised and she ate it.
2. Let Noelle crack two of the four eggs required for the cookies I was making. Only about 1 1/2 eggs actually made it into the bowl.
3. Let Libby use MY scrapbook paper to do a "craft". This was a sacrifice.
4. Provided Libby with her own ribbon, so she could make bows too.
5. Put Noelle in zip up jammies and pinned them on her - prior to laying her down for her nap. This prevented her pooping in her crib and then spreading it around for my cleaning pleasure. (The child is potty trained!-I only put a diaper on her at bedtime and naptime).
6. Made Daren cookies for his clients.
7. Cleaned the bathrooms. Noelle kept telling me I needed to clean the toilets. Yes, my 2 1/2 year old complains when the toilets are not clean enough.
8. Showered (although it wasn't until about 1 pm). Noelle told me this morning that I was stinky and I need to shower. That was a real boost to my self esteem.
9. Took the girls to the ward Christmas party, without Daren. Daren is officiating b-ball tonight. I hate going to ward things without Daren, but Libby wanted to see Santa (to ask for a new bike) and her friends. Ellie wanted to see friends too, but NOT Santa. She told me she did not want to sit with Santa and she kept her distance from him tonight. Without me even asking her to, Libby went and told Santa what Noelle wants (a baby doll). After we got home tonight Ellie was asking where her baby doll was. I explained that Santa would come to our house Christmas Eve and leave it for her. You should have seen the look of pure terror on her face. She has no interest in Santa coming to our home. I had to tell her he wasn't coming at all to get her to calm down.
10. I know there are about 20 more things I did, but my mind is fried. I am thankful for my girls. I realized today that I probably wouldn't get out of bed if it wasn't for them. Don't get me wrong, I would love to sleep in every now and then, but it would get old after a while. Daren and the girls keep me motivated and that is a blessing. I guess I can do it again tomorrow....

The Tree is Up

Well, we've created a new tradition at the Jackson home. We now put the Christmas tree up on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. I am thrilled to blog this event, especially because I found a Christmas song from my childhood to add to my playlist for this month (Barbra Streisand's "Jingle Bells"). Jess, Brig, Dave, and Ty- this song is for you!

Halloween 2008

The carved pumpkins aren't much to look at. I do the bare minimum when it comes to carving pumpkins. Just enough to make the kiddos happy. They aren't even clean enough to put a candle in. Next year I will have to do a better job or better yet I will have to enlist the help of Daren (ya, right- he hates slimy/sticky things on his hands!).

Noelle only wore the hat portion of her costume for this picture. I couldn't get her to wear it any other time. Libby loved being a cheerleader and wearing some make-up for the evening. Don't ask me why there is a stuffed dog in the photo. They insisted Ellie hold it in the photo and it had to come with us trick-or-treating.

Snow on October 13th!!!

We woke up to snow a couple of weeks ago, so I took the girls to the bus stop early and let them play in the snow. It's the simple things that make them happy.

Temple Square for UEA

We didn't go on any fantastic vacations for UEA weekend, but Jess, mom, and I decided to take the kids to Temple Square. It was a beautiful day and we had fun. We ate lunch at the Nauvoo cafe and went to the Church History museum. Isaak thought the organ music coming from the tabernacle was "vampire" music (it was pretty hard core organ).

New countertops

We had new countertops installed a couple of weeks ago, so our kitchen sink was not an option. Is there anything sexier than my husband doing the dishes in the bathroom?!
Still working on the potty training... this a typical look for Noelle these days. Cruisin' in the undies.
My new counter tops! I love them. So much better than the old "leather look" formica. They are smooth and CLEAN.

Libby's birthday and a whole lot more!

It has been so busy since school started so I'm behind in my blogging.

Libby's birthday was on Sept. 5th. She was spoiled and had three different celebrations. We went to McDonalds on her birthday (lucky us!), we had kabobs, cake, and ice cream with the extended fam on Sunday, and the next Saturday she had a "Fancy Nancy" birthday party with her friends. I'm not doing as much next year. All the preparations were exhausting.

Camp Steiner

Another Labor Day has passed and so to has a trip to camp Steiner. This year it was just me and Libs. Daren and Noelle stayed home. It was a good compromise. Daren didn't have to camp and I didn't have to be up all night with Noelle (not that I wasn't up all night anyway!). We had a good time. It was a little crowded this time around, but still a beautiful place to be and a good time to catch up with the extended fam.

First Day of Kindergarten

All summer I have been so excited for Libby to start school. She is bored at home and I am tired of trying to entertain her. However, the first day of kindergarten finally came today and it wasn't as great as I thought it was going to be. In fact, it was heart-breaking. Watching her get on that bus (and not look back!) was tough. Noelle and I cried all the way home. Libby did great though and I think she will have fun at school. If only I could keep her from getting hurt, lonely, sad, etc. It is a tough job to be a parent-- in more ways than one.

Libby insisted that we crimp her pony tail today! That combined with her outfit, made her a total 80's chic! Who would have guessed? It really isn't an era worth reliving, but she sure is a fan of the side pony, crimping hair, and leggings.

Playing at the Park

After spending about 90% of last Friday feeling sorry for myself, I finally packed up a picnic and hauled the girls to the park. They had a good time and I got over my grumpiness- somewhat.

Thunderstorm Solution

The other night there was a thunderstorm right about bedtime. Libby said, "I can hear the lightning". I explained that what she could hear was the thunder. Of course, that didn't make her feel any better, so she asked for her ear muffs. I obliged and she fell right to sleep!

Bath Time

My absolute favorite part of the day. Two kids trapped in the tub. They are generally happy during this time, plus they are getting clean. Sometimes if I'm lucky I can even read a book while they are bathing! Check out those dirty faces!!! Ah, summer.

Ellie's Bedtime

My children are notorious for poor sleeping habits. Hence, "the cage" placed over Noelle's crib. If it is not there then she will jump out of her crib and stay up ALL night. Noelle and Libby NEVER just fall asleep. They don't crash out on the couch in front of a movie, the car does not lull them to sleep, they never fall asleep at the dinner table, and they don't fall asleep at church- NOT EVER!!!! I took these photos to showcase Noelle's entourage she takes to bed with her. They are affectionately known as "Daddy duck", "pink ducky", "Mommy duck", and "Donkey". You can thank Grandma Chris for the Donkey addition.

The 24th of July

Sometimes summer holidays aren't the greatest at our house. That's what happens when you are in the Shaved Ice business! I don't fault Daren. He works so hard and makes it possible for me to be at home with the girls. I do, however, enjoy his company. So, when we were able to fit the North Logan Breakfast and parade into our schedule, I was pleased to say the least. Libby was a cowgirl in the parade-- forget that bonnet and dress stuff!! Noelle was shy as usual. She only enjoys parades from a distance. You can see in one photo that she spent a lot of time cuddling with Daren.