High Tops

I went to The Children's Place Outlet on Friday. They always have AMAZING deals!!! They had all of there shoes on sale for $4.99 plus an additional 15% off for me, woohoo!!! I spotted these white dress shoes and flashed back to my 4 year old self, I would have LOVED these shoes! The look on Pantera's face was priceless when she saw them, she said "They're perfect, I am going to look so beautiful! Please can we buy them?" She was hilarious in them today!!! She thought she looked so good! She went up to a couple of lady's at church and said "I am 4 and a 1/2 but these shoes make me look 6." But she couldn't remember that they are called high heels, she kept asking if people liked her high tops, which made me laugh even harder! She kept walking up to people in the hall and shaking her foot at them to make the beads shake. Then after primary she came running up to me so excited and said "Good news, we don't have to buy maracas fro my birthday party, I'll just shake my high tops!"

Old McDonalds

Zeke is getting so big!!! We had him in urgent care over the weekend for a weird rash on his arm (don't ask, ugh!) and he weighs 22 lbs! The doctors always have to comment on how whatever his ailment is, it doesn't seem to bother him. He is such a happy baby. Zeke LOVES water. He tried pulling himself into the shower with me last night from his Johnny Jumper. Unfortunately for him it had a rubberband effect and he hit his head on the wall, but I felt bad and let him in so I guess it was a successful attempt after all.

He loves to give me kisses, wet ones and/or rub his face in my chest, then look up at Jess as if to say "I bet you wish you were me right now!" He is rolling over both ways, scooting around on his belly, and up rocking on all fours. Crawling is getting so close. Today Tera was giving me attitude so Zeke pulled her hair, really hard. I couldn't help but laugh.

Pantera carried a bug jar around for 2 days. She took it to the Memorial day picnic at the church. She set up bait for a Caterpillar right next to her jar, the leaves were as big as her head. It was hilarious, especially because she was going to name him "Smiffy."

Our stake is in charge of collecting items for the Ronald McDonald house. One of the things that they told the primary kids to collect was pop tabs. Pantera took this very seriously and has given Jess several lectures about saving the tabs for "Old McDonalds, but not the one we eat at. The hostible one for the sick kids." I thought this was very sweet, until yesterday. You see yesterday Pantera wanted me to go to the store to buy her a toy. I told her that she would have to earn a toy by helping around the house and not throwing fits. So naturally she threw a fit. She said "I don't like earning things and saving my money, that will take FOREVER!!! If you take me to the store and buy me a toy today, I will be nice to you." Uh, uh, I don't think so. I told her that she will have to walk to the store and steal the toy because with an attitude like hers I am not taking her anywhere or buying her anything. She started fuming and said "I won't steal a toy, I will pay for it!" I asked "With what?" She runs to the counter and grabs a fist full of pop tabs "With these!!!" I asked her if she really wanted to be selfish and use the pop tabs to buy herself a toy instead of helping sick kids. She replied "Well, I don't want to buy them toys!"

My little girl.

It has been a hard week for me. I have been such a crab and I don't know why!!! I feel so bad because I let Pantera get under my skin so easily. She really is a good girl, my life would be so dull without her. I need to figure out how to enjoy everyday with her because I know how fast she is growing up. Here are some things I love about Pantera:

1.She brings me flowers everyday. Dandelions are my favorite after all.

2. She is very enthusiastic.

3. She is SO SMART!

4. She makes me laugh, alot.

5. She loves to be held.

6. She is adventurous.

7. She is brave and bold.

8. She uses big words in the right context.

9. She is part super hero, part rockstar, part princess, and part dinosaur.

10. She looks in the mirror and says "I am beautiful, am I."

11. She forgives me when I am a jerk.

12. She loves to play pranks and "April's Jokes" all year.

13. She is persistent.

14. She loves the gospel.

15. She is the best big sister ever!

16. She can talk to anyone about anything.

17. She would stay outside all day if you let her.

18. She is always willing to try and cheer you up, even if she is the one who made you sad.

19. She likes to help.

20. She is PERFECT!!!

Slip N Slide

Here is my latest painting. This is probably one of the most special pieces I will ever do. This is my neighbor's son, she is 95. He died 58 years ago in the Korean war. All she had was a wallet size black and white picture of him in his uniform. She talks about him all the time, I really get the impression he was a very special man. 4th portrait to date, I'm getting there.

Today was HOT!!! Ok, it was about 85* but I have been away from Phoenix for a few years, so it felt hot. So we broke out the slip 'n slide! Pantera and Zeke had a blast! Zeke's girlfriend Macenzkie was over today with her mom. He is a traditional "dinner and a movie" kind of guy, they both nursed and watched baby Einsteins;) While Christine and I were nursing the babies, Pantera came in with her baby doll and a blanket to cover herself. She sat and pretended to nurse her baby with us. She told me earlier this week "I'm kind of like a boy-girl. Huh, mom?"

Homewrecker!

Last night we had the Elders, Paul, and Justin over for dinner. Pantera has to be the center of attention anytime anyone is at the house. Let me rephrase that, Pantera has to be the center of attention EVERYWHERE she goes. Anyways, Paul was talking to someone else and Pantera wanted his attention. After trying to shout in his face over and over, she did what any girl would, grabbed his face and planted a kiss right on his lips! I have no idea where she learned this from! She was laughing along with everyone else, until I asked her what Paul's wife would think. She said "Don't tell Shawna!" So we called Shawna and Tera talked to her, I just heard Shawna ask "Have you been kissing my husband?" And I hoped it would be the last time I would hear this conversation involving my daughter! But this wasn't the first time. At Disneyland when she was 2 she grabbed Mr. Incredible by the face and planted one on him as well! Then we got to hear her talk about it for the rest of the trip "I bissed him on the yips. I love him!"

Zeke is going through a growth spurt I think. He is eating nonstop! He wants solids more now, but not baby food and he needs variety. He yelled at his sister for the first time today. She was giving me attitude and he started crying then screaming at her until she went in another room.

Jess and I watch deadliest catch almost every night. Zeke loves to watch it with us and tries to stay up until we turn it off. Someone gave him a little toy boat, he is a natural. Captain Zeke Hammond!

We got our pics from the Temple. Jess and I didn't have wedding pictures so a friend came out and took some of our special day. Yay kissy face pictures!

Happy??? Mothers day.

What a day!!! Pantera started out Mother's day right by telling me that she "shouldn't have made me a card" because she was mad at me. She was horrible during sacrament meeting, near the end she was saying "This talk is boring, this is boring!" so loud I had to take her out into the foyer. Then tonight she got mad that I wouldn't let her ride bikes with the neighbor boy 1. on Sunday and 2. unsupervised. She kept saying "What, you don't love me?!?" or "I guess you don't love me if you don't let me do that." Then she started mocking us and saying in a high pitched mimic voice "Hey, I'm Tera's family. Hmmm, we don't love Tera." It is so hard not to laugh at her sometimes. Then she pretended to give me a hug and slapped me across the face instead. I really have no idea what to do with her anymore other then to take all of her stickhorses to goodwill. She did say something cute today. I told her I am afraid of talking trains (I really don't like Thomas btw.) she asked why. I told her I am uncomfortable around something that talks and has the power to crush a semi. She said "Don't worry mom, if one tries to get you I will have my Book of Mormon and my legs. So I can kick it, then teach it the gospel." Maybe we should share this technique with the MTC.

So here is the scoop on the puppy: We had a dog named Sassy. Zeke had watery eyes and a runny stuffed up nose for like 5 months. The doctors wouldn't give us a straight answer as to why so we assumed he was allergic to the dog. She shed so much it was ridiculous!!! We tried everything we could think of but out of desperation, we had to take her back. 7 ear infections later, a couple hundred dollars in copays, and a trip to the ENT doctor later, they think it is Acid reflux, not allergies. That would have been good to know 5 months ago!!! Sassy came with her own baggage being a pound puppy, so maybe it was a blessing in disguise. So now we have Lacey a 8 week old boxer pup. I did alot of research and it came down to her or a basset hound. Jess has always wanted a boxer and she has been a good girl so far. I am going to get her into training, has anyone taken a Petsmart course before??? Just wondering if they are any good.

So cute!!!

"Schwing, schwing, schwing"

We have had 2 MAJOR temper tantrums in the past 3 days. The first one was over something I still find completely hilarious! We were doing a which Disney princess are you quiz. Pantera wanted to be Ariel, but she picked all of Cinderella's interests so the computer made her Cinderella...go figure. She was being a snot about it, so being the loving mom that I am, I took my quiz and made sure to pick everything underwaterish. I was Ariel, hehehehe. She FLIPPED! So I took pictures of her kicking and punching and screaming. I told her that I was calling the police. She said that she would "Kick the police officer's butt open." I don't know where she got that from. So I couldn't just leave it at that, I had to push her a little further "You are going to kick his butt open. That is not good for 2 reasons. One you will be charged with assaulting a police officer and you will be arrested. Two, if you kick his butt open poop will spray all over your face and everyone will call you 'Poopy Girl.'" She did not like this at all so she attacked me again, but I did get to call her Poopy Girl for the rest of the night and she probably won't be threatening to kick anyone's butt open for a long time.

Zeke insisted on sitting up in the bathtub last night. It was so cute watching him grab at the water coming out of the faucet, then he would look down at his hands so confused when nothing was in them! He also may be a pervert in training, I am a little concerned. You know that part in Wayne's World when they do pelvic thrusts at the women and say "Schwing" well Zeke totally does that when he wants you to pick him up, or when he is excited....yikes.

I finished another painting, this is my cousin's son Talmage.

Tough Tera

Just a little piece of my life from tonight...

Zeke

If you can't tell, I am digging Picasa!!! It is amazing! I take SO many pictures, it is nice to have such an easy way to show some of them. These were all from yesterday and today, I LOVE my new camera!