Katie's first day of Kindergarten

My cute little Katie, off to her first day of School: 

This is the entrance to the Kindergarten classes. They have a separate entrance than the rest of school, because there are afternoon classes also. I went to Santaquin School, and I remember this Kindergarten entrance and play area. It's fun to see how things have changed, and how things have stayed the same.I remember the brick wall, and the plants around the school, oddly enough. But the play equipment has changed. I'm sure it is much safer.

Ryan stayed home with Elayna and Annalisa while I took Katie to school. She was very excited. We put her backpack on her hook, found her spot at the desk, and she started doing work. I kissed her goodbye on her head, but she didn't even look up to say goodbye. :(

Then, when I went to go get her, Amanda was picking up Abby at the same time. Katie didn't say much, and she was dragging her feet and acting pretty exhausted. I figured it was partly because Abby was there, and she was listening to what Abby did in her class. But then in the car, Katie said she didn't like Kindergarten very much because they didn't get snacks or anything. I acted surprised, and she said it was okay, but she wished they had had something to eat.  I asked her what she did in class, and she couldn't remember. Plus she was mumbling the whole time. She seemed discouraged and upset. I was really worried about her, and actually getting upset with her because she was whiney and moaning about anything I said.
Then she got took 1 bite of the ham sandwich I made, and said, "wow. this is so yummy. will you make this again?" I guess she was starving because she ate an entire sandwich, plus some pretzels and half a bottle of water. As she was eating, she told me the plot of the story they read, but I guess she didn't get a turn to answer the question the teacher asked because she just shouted out the answer instead of raising her hand to answer. She told me about a little boy she had seen at the park the other day, and how he said twice that he remembered her. She said recess was fun, but they just had to stay in the little playground, and that wasn't as fun as the other big playground we walked by when we brought her to school. She said there was a girl that she sat by that was really neat, and she liked her.
I think it was hard because Abby, Chase (a cousin), one boy from our ward that is in her Sunday class, and  a girl whose Mom I used to run with are all in the other morning class. She didn't know anyone in her class. She will make friends quickly though. I think there were about 12 kids in her class, so that's a pretty good size. I plan on going to help every other Wednesday morning. Amanda said she'll watch Elayna and Annalisa. Then on the days Amanda goes to Junior and Abby's classes, I'll watch Gracie.

Tomorrow I will make sure she has more than a half glass of milk and 1/3 of a piece of toast. I think she must have been so excited that she couldn't eat, even though I told her to eat more. Ryan will take her to school each day, and Amanda and I will alternate weeks of picking up. It will be nice for Ryan and Katie to have some time together, plus it will help Ryan get to work more consistently. He is usually pretty good about getting there between 9 and 930, but this will get him there at 9 every day, I think.

It is fun to have Katie in school. It gives me an excuse to spend some alone time with Elayna in the morning, and then Katie and I get to spend time together doing homework and reading in the afternoon.  Annalisa and I spend lots of time together. :)

A little of June and July

Ryan's cousin got married in the middle of June. Ryan, Katie, and Elayna drove down with Jerry, Irma, and Matthew in a neighbor's Expedition. I could have gone, I suppose, but I thought that a weekend of just me and Annalisa sounded pretty nice.

The first day (Saturday) I did some cleaning, took care of Annalisa, then went and visited my parents. Sunday I took care of Annalisa, slept, read, and watched movies until I went and had dinner at my parent's house. Monday I think I cleaned some more and just held Annalisa and relaxed.  They got home late Monday night, and I was very glad to see them. I missed them alot. After having Katie and Elayna around all day every day, it was a little boring having them gone.
I actually don't really know what they did while they were in Vegas. I think most of the time was taken up with wedding preparations and visiting family. Oh, and driving. This is one of the places they stopped on the way home. It is a rest stop at the Virgin River.

Katie and Elayna in Vegas at The Cliffs, the condo style hotels that we like to stay at:

July stuff----

For the 4th of July, Provo does a Balloon Launch really early in the morning. Ryan and I weren't interested in going, but Irma, Jerry, and Jonathan's family wanted to go. So I woke up Katie at about 6:30, and they came and picked her up. She got back from Provo about the time the rest of us were getting out of bed. She had so much fun. I guess only one balloon got up because of the wind, but she thought it was great. She spent half the day at the Bowman's house, playing with her cousins. She wanted to make sure Ryan saw this balloon:

My parent's neighbors were having a firework party, so we let the girls stay up late so we could go. I'm not sure if Katie was more excited that she got to stay up until it was dark outside, or that she got to see fireworks. She kept saying, "this is the best day ever!" The fireworks were amazing. Utah passed a law this year that allows airborne fireworks. They had to go above 150 feet, I believe. The were so cool! It was just like being at a professional firework display. They were beautiful! I held a blanket over Annalisa's ears, and held her to me tight, because she would jump everytime one would go off. Katie and Elayna absolutely loved them.

The Bowmans went up to the Palmer's cabin while Jonathan's family was here. I stayed home with the baby. Here are the 3 brothers, playing games.

Katie and Elayna really like going to the cabin. They get to play outside, get dirty, play (with adult supervision, of course) by a lake, canoe on a lake, etc. They have a blast. This is the second summer I haven't been up to the cabin. Last year I had a kidney infection, and this year I had Annalisa. I'll make it up there sometime this year.

Bowman Cousins-Katie, Scotty, Elayna, and Peter:

 

Katie was showing my parents a bag that she got from a birthday party. It was a little plastic one, with two holes in the top for a handle. Katie said, "my bag has a hole in it". Elayna replied with, "Oh, I hate that!". July 9, 2011

Ryan's CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) mask for sleep apnea can be slightly annoying at night. This is an example of how some nights go:
Me (noticing that Ryan's mask isn't sealed, and sounds like a leaf blower is sleeping next to me)Ryan, fix your mask.
Ryan then pushes his mask tighter on his face, which doesn't fix the problem, and falls asleep.

Then I tell him again, Ryan you need to fix the seal.
So he takes OFF the mask, and promptly falls asleep.

I tell him, Ryan, you need to fix your mask. He finally adjusts the seal, and falls asleep. Ryan, you need to put the mask back on! He puts it on and falls asleep. Ryan, you need to turn on the machine! He turns it on, and we BOTH get to fall back asleep. It is not fun at night, but pretty funny to think about in the morning.

Speaking of sleeping....

July 18, 2011
Annalisa was sucking on Ryan's face while I was reading Katie and Elayna their bedtime story. She was obviously hungry.

I was putting lotion on Annalisa (she has a little bit of eczema) and just smiling at her. Then I started humming I am a Child of God, which is a song I sing to the girls before bed. Annalisa must have recognized it, because she got this huge grin on her face, and started squirming around.

I was taking care of Gracie and Elayna while Amanda took Katie and Abby to gymnastics. I went in the back yard with them, and swept the patio while they played. They didn't play together really wonderful, so we got some bubbles out, and I blew them while they laughed, giggled, chased, and popped the bubbles. Then they wanted to take turns, so I held the bottle, and they would hold the wand and blow bubbles. Gracie was really good at it. She would get lots of bubbles from one blow. Elayna mostly just blew bubbles into Gracie's face. Good thing Gracie laughed about it.

Katie goes to Grandpa Craig's house to have singing lessons with Abby and Hannah every third Thursday. They will have a recital at the end of the summer. Josh, Joe, and Ben form one group, Nathaniel, Junior, and Bekah form another group.  Then they get to go swimming after the lesson is over. Katie is having lots of fun.

Irma had a "water party" one day for all the little cousins. Unfortunately, it was overcast, and not very hot, so the kids took a little while before they wanted to play in the water. Gillian and Jonathan were good sports and played in the water with the kids. I just watched. 

 

Irma had a sprinkler under the trampoline, a "Slip N Slide", a small pool with a waterfall on it, and water guns. My girls are incredibly spoiled and don't like cold water, but after they got wet, they had lots of fun.

Annalisa had her 2 month checkup on July 11. She weighed 13 lbs, and is 24 inches long.  The doctor said she looks really healthy. She is in the 90 or 95 percentile for height, weight and head circumference.

For comparisons:
Katie at 2 months-23.5 inches long, 11 lbs, 7 oz.

Elayna at 2 months-22.5 inches long, 13 lbs.

Katie and Elayna wanted to play in the sprinklers at the beginning of July. Both pictures of Elayna were so cute, I couldn't choose just one.

 

 Elayna mostly played with the umbrella, but Katie tried to play in the sprinklers a little.

 

Katie rode her bike without training wheels for the first time on July 22, 2011.  I held the back for a bit, then let go, and she just took off, just like that! She is so excited and pleased with herself. She rode to Grandma Paula and Grandpa Craig's house, with me starting her each time she leaned too far, or couldn't go around corners. Then, 2 days later, she wanted to ride, but I was feeding Annalisa so I told her she needed to wait. Next thing I know, she is out there, riding all by herself. She has really picked it up fast. The day that she started all by herself, I went outside to do some yard work, and she was riding up and down the street. I was keeping an eye on her, and then I couldn't see her. I waited for her to come back, then waited some more, and I was getting nervous, when she appeared from the opposite direction of the way she had left. She had ridden all the way around the block, without letting me know that is what she was doing. We talked about that, and staying close to the side of the road, instead of right in the middle of it, and watching for cars.

Katie can also do a headstand against the wall, if I help her feet get up there. Once her feet are against the wall, she can hold the headstand for about 10 seconds. She has also learned how to lay flat on her back, put her hands by her head, and push up into a back bend.  July 22, 2011

Katie was telling me about a "DS" game (Nintendo game boy thing) she was playing at Abby's house. She said she won with the turtle, because the turtle always wins because it sucks. Me- "What?"  Katie-The turtle sucks. Me-What does that mean?  Katie- I don't know....it sucks.....something, I guess. Maybe it just sucks drinks or something? I don't know. It just jumps and knocks other Bakugans over...

Annalisa has been sleeping in the swing, since she will only wake up once to eat around 4, then sleep from 8 pm to 9 am. I didn't want to give that up, but I wanted her to get used to sleeping in a crib. So, July 28, we put her to sleep in the crib, and she slept the same way as she did in the swing. She has done that 2 nights in a row, and she takes all her naps in the crib also.

This girl sure loves her Daddy, just like her sisters. 

 

Annalisa's Blessing

Ryan gave Annalisa her Name Blessing on June 26, 2011.

This is Annalisa right after her bath, happy to see me:

 

A closeup. Her baby acne has just about completely cleared up, thank goodness. I was afraid it wouldn't go away any time soon.

Her dress is so beautiful!

My three girls:

Our family now:

My parents let us use their house, again, for the luncheon after the blessing. Our families are just too large to have at my house, unless it is in our backyard. Since it was very hot that day, we decided having it inside would be the best option. We had Taco Salad, and everyone brought part of the dinner. Irma's beans, Clarissa's rice, and everything else was delicious! My parents and siblings decided that I need to learn how to cook lilke a Mexican so we can have yummy food like that all the time.

Thank you to my parents for the use of their home. They are always so generous, and I appreciate them so much. Thank you to all the rest of our family, expecially Jerry and Irma for all the help they give us. We are so blessed to be able to have both parents near by. We love you!

Cute pictures and sayings

My Aunt Betty passed away the end of May. She was actually my mother's aunt, but we always called her Aunt Betty. My mother has actually been Betty's caretaker for at least 4 years because Mom decided she wanted to make sure Betty was taken care of. It was really hard on my Mom. She was very close to Betty, and Betty was such a big part of Mom's days. Mom would go check on her almost every day.

After Betty died, but before the funeral, Katie and I had this conversation. She had heard me tell other people about Betty, so she had an idea that she was gone.

Katie-When will we see Betty?

Me- What do you mean? (wondering how best to explain that Betty has passed away)

Katie- You know, that place where your Mom's Mom and Dad are? (cemetery)


In June, Katie and Elayna were discussing how Annalisa had gotten into my tummy. Ryan said, "I put the baby in Mommy's tummy." Both girls just stared at him, and I said, "are you sure you want to bring that up?" Then Ryan and I laughed, and Katie said, "Dad! You are just teasing us."


June 4. I thought the girls were dressed so cute for church, I just had to take pictures of them.

 

Ryan was laying on the couch, and had taken off his glasses. This is not an uncommon event. But Elayna, when she saw him, said "Daddy, you silly. you take your glasses off, you silly."


We were sitting at the table eating dinner, and Ryan said he would feed Annalisa so I could finish eating dinner. Elayna said, "Daddy can't feed the baby! You don't have...(pointing to her chest)...shoulders!"


Irma lets the girls wear her shirts when I forget to bring jackets for them. This was the beginning of May, and it was still a little chilly outside.

 

I think this has to be my favorite picture of Elayna. It captures her so perfectly. Her smile, her love to get dirty, her love to work, everything is just perfect.

Annalisa started smiling May 31, 2011-3 weeks old

Annalisa is holding her head up so well. She is sleeping well also. She slept from 10pm to 5 am on June 2. She is recognizing faces, and staying awake longer during the day.

The other day she grabbed my arm with both her arms, and held it tight to her chest. She was hungry and excited to see me.

When I'm burping or holding Annalisa, I can tell she is hungry because she bobs her head up and down like a chicken pecking for food. It is cute.

Elayna likes me to sing her 2 songs before she goes to bed. "walk in light and... other song is?" (Teach Me to Walk in the Light and I Am A Child Of God)

When I tell Elayna to stop doing something or say she isn't supposed to be doing whatever it is, she emphatically says, "I know!" and.... continues to do whatever she was doing.

These girls sure love to dig and play outside:

 

Isn't this the saddest face you've ever seen?! Elayna was sick one day, and just wanted to sit on the couch.

Elayna says "work" when she wants you to look at something. I didn't even realize it until Irma and Ryan pointed it out to me. I just figured, that is how she says "look".

I went in to check on the girls June 28. Elayna had taken off her pillowcase, and was sleeping inside the pillowcase. Such a funny girl.

Katie is taking gymnastics for the summer. We aren't sure if it we will keep her in it during school, but she is having so much fun! This is her starting to do a cartwheel. She says they are easy, and so are handstands, but she has someone spotting her when she does them, so of course they are easy. She is picking up on the moves and positions pretty well though. Abby is in her class too, so Amanda and I carpool, which works out well.

My crop of strawberries was amazing this year. We picked 3 bowls this full. And they were big perfect looking berries, and they tasted wonderful.

 

 Katie was so happy and excited that we had strawberries in our yard.

Elayna thought the bowl was "too heavy Mom"

I have some butcher paper from a Young Women's project that I hung on our wall in the hall. The girls really like to draw on it. The bad part is, Elayna starting drawing on the opposite wall, which doesn't have paper on it.

Ryan got a raise from work. He provides so well for our family. I'm so grateful that he works hard, that he enjoys what he does, that his work appreciates him, that I get to stay home with the girls instead of working outside the home, and that we are so blessed.

Elayna was getting dressed to go swimming at my parent's house. Mom was helping her go to the bathroom first, and as Elayna walked past Mom's full length mirror, she paused (naked) and said, while doing a little shake, "I looking good!" I'm positive she never learned that from me.

Speaking of swimming, Katie can now swim without water wings. She swims in the deep end, and she is fine. Maybe a little unsure still, but my father had her tread water for 10 seconds, and made sure she could swim to the sides from anywhere in the pool without help.

Big Sisters and Annalisa's first 2 months

May 11, 2011-Annalisa is 2 days old. Both girls were so happy to have her home.

May 12, 2011-3 days old. Almost a smile, and the relaxed sleeping pose that I love. Annalisa would squirm around, stretch, and in the middle of the stretch, fall fast asleep. So cute!

May 26, 2011-Katie was so excited to feed her.

May 29, 2011-Cute little mowhawk.

June 5, 2011- One of her first smiles:

I just love her asleep like this!

June 11,2011- Ryan was talking to her, and she was smiling and cooing back. 1 month old.

June 25, 2011- A little half smile-almost 7 weeks old.

Just hanging out:

 Smiling and talking: