Dancing Daradie

It's wonderful to see your children grow up to be sooo cool. I mean pretty. That's a discussion we have daily. Things are not cool, they are pretty when talking about girl things. Daradie loves to dance. She can't wait to wear toe shoes and I'm sure she'd settle for ballet shoes. Her ballet instructors teach them bare-foot before they have shoes. She got her costume for her recital this summer. It is the cutest thing I've ever seen. She is a "Mama Coyote" and really truly, she is one of the best dancers in her class. That girl listens first off, knows where she's suppose to be and even gets a bit bugged when the other girls in her class goof off. Wow. This is one of the many recitals we have in our living room.

Everytime I see her face, I go directly to her freckles. Her freckles never seem to stay put. One day she'll have five on her nose and the next day, they danced over to her right cheek. Everything about her seems to just keep moving.

While getting ready for a weiner roast, we discovered Daradie paying homage to the gods. She said that if we sit like this and think about things, it will help us relax. It's scary what she picks up from t.v. She even mentioned to me that I need to buy the eye make-up in an orange bottle so my eyelashes can be really super long and thick. Plus, a bag and a vacuum and yogurt so I can be like the other moms on the television.

Peace. Dance. Happiness. You Go Girl!

The Many Sides of Koen

Koen. I'm not quite sure what it is about him, but man that kid makes me laugh. I know a huge part of it is his eyes. If eyes could laugh, they'd let out a big Julia Roberts guffaw. His eyes just smile right off his face.
He went through a phase of wishing for bunkbeds. This is his take on sleeping on the bottom bunk. And yes, we'd put him to bed in his bed and then find him, his blanket, and pillow under his bed. (You can only imagine the panic I went through the first time he did this. I looked everywhere for him in the house thinking I was crazy since I swore I put him in his bed but he was no longer there. Talk about a mild stroke.)

Self portraits of a three year old....

I had 73 pictures of close-ups, lots of carpet, windows, computer screen, toes and the list goes on. Koen captured that infamous runny nose of his perfectly. Don't lean in too close!

Times like this you just gotta give yourself a pat on the back. After church we couldn't find Koen in the house--he never came in from the car. We discovered him sitting in his chair...

reading his Book of Mormon. He's already working towards the new standard for missionaries.

While pregnant with Koen, I prayed faithfully that I'd have a child that could fall asleep anywhere. Not that Daradie is/was a bad sleeper. She was just a kid that needed a bed and four walls and she'd be snoring in no time. Well, prayers really do come true. And yes, that is the kitchen floor strewn with puzzle pieces.

Love you Koen

Why I Love Being a Mom

It brings me great joy to see my kids really love each other. Of course there are the fights and slamming doors but overall, these guys are ultimately great friends. I love how Koen kisses Daradie before she goes to preschool. I love how Daradie introduces Koen to everyone she meets (the conversation goes something like this, "I'm Daradie. I'm five. This is my little brother Koen. He's three. I'm five. My name is Daradie."). I love how they take turns reading stories to each other. I love how I am able to even appreciate these things about my children--a very humbling blessing.

It's amazing how awesome it really is for me to be a mom.

Okay, now you can wipe the smiles off your faces and stop reflecting about your own children. You're suppose to be focusing on how GREAT mine are.

Movie Night with the Pecks

Daradie has just begun to recognize the existence of Hannah Montana. She carried the microphone around for days acting like the star. I don't remember if this is on the clip or not, but while singing Daradie would sing the following phrases: "I belong to Jesus Christ. I know who I am. I'm Hannah Montana. I love you (and then point throughout the crowd)! I love you all!" **Sorry about the need to tilt your head. I now know that I can not turn the camera on the side due to lack of editing options later on. Sorry about that.

So that Koen can not be out done, he's performing his version of "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree." Take it away, Koen...... (and yes, tilt your head on this one as well)

Easter fun for sure! This year the Easter Bunny was BRILLIANT and put umbrellas in the kid's baskets. They had a blast! The kids played with them for days and days. Half the fun was watching them come up with ways to use their new multi-purpose toy.

Mom, they had fun making their Easter necklaces. Thanks! Daradie picked a Ladybug one and Koen wanted a Curious George Monkey necklace. Easter Bunny made a huge maze with yarn for the kiddos to follow. At the end of the maze were their baskets. Koen had to tell everyone that the Easter Bunny left a big spiderweb at his house.

Sometimes I just amaze myself at how awesome ideas just come to me. My kids love Kung Fu Panda. Yes, their favorite activity for family night is to play Kung Fu Panda. How do you play such a game? Well, you pretend fight. Daradie is always Tigress, I'm Vipress, Koen is Tilon (the mean purple tiger) and naturally Dan is Po. Daradie and Koen can go for it forever. Did I mention they can play that f o r e v e r? Anyway, we had Chinese food one night with chopsticks. Daradie and Koen have always turned their noses up to it but Daradie took one bite of the Sweet-Sour Chicken and loved it. Koen opted for the sure fire thing of a bowl of pineapple and rice. They used their chopsticks and easily picked up food on the first try. They had a blast using them.

My Bucket List

I've had this VERY spiritual person in my ward tell me how she had a dream the other day (this was a few months back) about me dying. The crazy thing is, this is the second or third time she's had this particular dream. I prefer to call it more a nightmare. The crazy things you start to think about while washing dishes or driving in the car or running on the treadmill while watching an intriguing episode of Clifford, the Big Red Dog....

1. (and in no particular order) learn to tie knots
2. master homemade gravy
3. be known/recognized as a "swimmer" rather than know just for survival purposes and to learn how to dive with grace
4. use my first-aid skills on a victim--interstate, drowning--not picky
5. grow my hair out to the middle of my back
6. run a full marathon
7. visit 7 wonders of the world
8. travel across USA in an RV and visit every state
9. whiten my teeth professionally
10. have a personal trainer
11. learn to play the piano better--5 hymns minimum
12. be asked to hold a wedding reception in my backyard because it's so awesome
13. do something with my varicose veins (too much information?)
14. get my FIRST pedicure
15. get a passport and use it
16. own a Buckskin horse and have it tame enough to just walk up to me without bribing it
17. remember the feeling of hitting a home run
18. make 2 3 pointers in a row...maybe start smaller and just 2 free throws
19. write a children's book (already have the title figured out and 2 pages)
20. own a family cabin
21. water ski better
22. attend every temple (refer to #15 and 8)
23. own a house with a stained glass window, cottage step stones, and a porch with 2 rocking chairs on it
24. create a scholarship fund
25. MC an event (picture something like a pageant, spotlight, the microphone--I'm getting goosebumps just thinking of the good time)
26. plan/organize a major event: wedding, county fair, etc.
27. host a fondue party and finally use one of twelve pots we've been given
28. learn how to french braid inside out--the one that pokes out
29. learn how to ice skate
30. carve a REALLY cool pumpkin

And there you have it. Trust me, just like past Christmas wish lists, this particular check-off list will continue to grow and expand and bulge out rapidly (maybe I should move that personal trainer to the top of the list). While talking about death the following songs I'd accept sung at my funeral: Because I Have Been Given Much, Amazing Grace, Have I Done Any Good?, Scatter Sunshine, and Down by the River. No one is allowed to sing How Great Thou Art, Families Forever, I am a Child of God, and 'Til We Meet Again. Understood? Good. (Not that they're bad songs, it's just too predictable.) One more thing, you can totally have I Hope You Had the Time of Your Life (by GreenDay) playing anywhere in the background and hey, why not, a violin--but not at the same time.

What's on your bucket list?

Shout out to Angel Grocery Shopper

Koen was having a tantrum of all tantrums in the grocery store. While wandering up and down the isles he was screaming. I know some of you don't really believe that he can be anything but happy but with every rainbow precedes a cloudy storm. He was screaming. Employees stopped and stared and every single female over the age of 20 looked at me like I was nuts. Half way through the store (and yes, I'm as cool as ever and no sarcasm in that comment) I caught a glimmer of hope from an angel...or soon to be one. A nice lady came out of her way and said, "You're doing a nice job. Keep your chin up." If I was a "cryer" I would have bursted out in tears and sobbed right on her shoulder. But I am not. If I get a chance to vote for you in heaven, you'll get two of my votes nice lady in the grocery store.

Makes you feel good inside to know that there are still nice people out there cheering ya on.