Our Girls are Growing Up!

It seems like overnight our kids grow up. We all know that feeling, right? I've been feeling it a lot lately as I watch my two girls. It seems like they were just babies and now they are these independent, sassy little things. They both have minds of their own. Sometimes I think they couldn't be more different. Lizette is very thoughtful, concerned, almost obsessive about many things. She worries about doing the right thing...getting her homework done right and on time for example. She is tenderhearted and sensitive. Lexi is more of a free spirit. Always wanting to make us laugh.  Not too concerned about being responsible just yet. She does care for others feelings, but definitely sticks up for her own. She is sweet and kind and quite shy around most everyone other than her family, but once she feels comfortable, she is the life of the party. (It just take a long time to get her comfortable!) 

One minute they are best friends and the next minute they are fighting like cats and dogs. I guess it's that sisterly love/hate relationship thing. They will fight and fight and when I threaten to separate them they cry and beg me not to. 

Here are some random pictures we've taken over the past few months. They just remind me of how much they are growing up! 

A Fun Trip to Soda Springs

This post is a little out of order, but in May we traveled to Soda Springs for a fun visit with Grandma and Grandpa Rigby. Visits with them are always fun! They take so much time with the kids...I love it! The kids adore them. Our girls are about the shyest of all the Rigby grandkids, so it has taken a while for them to warm up and actually do a lot of the activities that Grandma and Grandpa have lined up to do. (They used to have to hold my hand or have me with them constantly). It's fun to see them developing these relationships. 

Grandpa helped them plant flowers in the beautiful pots they painted with Grandma. They loved this. And how lucky they were to learn from the expert...Grandpa has a green thumb! 

Making cookies with Grandma...a tradition! 

End of School Year - 2014

The end of school brought mixed emotions for both girls. Lizette loved her class, her teacher and almost everything about school. Although she was excited for summer, she didn't want to say goodbye. It was especially tough knowing that she wouldn't be coming back in the Fall (since we are going to homeschool). This tugged at my heartstrings as it was tough to make the decision to homeschool. We planned many playdates and this helped. I think as long as she will still get to see her friends, she will be happy. 

I was exhausted by the time school was out! There are so many "end of school" activities. Concerts, field days, class parties, luncheons, and other miscellaneous activities. It seemed like every day we had something going on. I was excited for summer too! 

Lizette at her 1st grade concert. She loved all the songs they got to sing!

At the Jog-A-Thon. She took this very seriously and wanted to run as many laps as she could. 

Having fun with Miss Armstrong at the class party. 

With one of her favorite people in the world now, Miss Armstrong. She was a wonderful teacher this year. 

 Lexi was brave and fed the giraffes at her zoo field trip! 

At the Botanical Gardens field trip...looking determined.

Last day of Preschool for Lexi! 

Both of the girls came so far this year! They enjoyed their friends and loved their teachers. Lexi went from not speaking at all in class to talking and interacting with friends. Lizette also gained a lot of confidence as she developed new friendships and grew academically in her classroom.

Spring Break!

In March we were able to take a fun Spring Break trip to Utah. We now have lots of family and friends to visit there! Aunt Abby, Aunt Karrie, Aunt Hilary, Diane, and Kim and all of their families. The girls had a great time! They always love their time with family. Aunt Abby taking time to teach them new things, playing with cousins and friends, seeing new fun places.

Aunt Abby teaching Lizette to crochet. Lizette loves it! And I think she might be getting the hang of it! 

The girls with Diane's daughter, Hailey, at the Dinosaur Museum in Lehi. Fun place! 

We went to visit Kim and family. The girls pictured here with Kim's daughter, Delaynie and Hailey. Such cuties! 

Another fun place...the Treehouse Museum in Ogden. The girls love this place. So fun for kids! 

Making cupcakes with Aunt Abby

Fun visit with Karrie, Andrea and family. The girls loved playing with cousin Kelsie! She is a ton of fun! 

Me and my sisters...lovely ladies!

We also saw Hilary and family along with Angel and her kids. It was such a quick visit, I forgot to take any pictures! Hilary lives in Daybreak in South Jordan which is also where Diane lives. She has a cute place there! I love Daybreak...it's so close to everything and there is a temple right in the middle of the neighborhood! Gotta love Utah. :)

Life Turned Upside Down...In a Good Way

My blogging habits are obviously not what they used to be. This may be the longest dry run I've ever had. However, this time I can say there is a major life event to blame. :)

In early March, I sat down one night and felt completely exhausted. I turned to Jeff and told him how tired I felt. He made a face as if to say "uh-oh". The thought immediately came to me that this feeling was very familiar. How could I have not seen this? I took a couple of pregnancy tests from the dollar store. Sure enough, they were positive! Just to be sure, I went to Fred Meyer and bought a more expensive pregnancy test.  :) (I'm not the only one who's ever done that, am I?) It was positive too! When I told Jeff, his face just went white and he was in a state of shock for a bit. Not in a bad way. He was happy, but very shocked. We both were. 

The thing is, here we had tried for so long with both of our girls to get pregnant. Having to take Clomid (fertility meds) with both of them. A while back, Jeff had suggested that I go off of "the pill" because we were both convinced they were causing my migraines. I said "What if I get pregnant?" His response was, "If you get pregnant, it will be a miracle and must be meant to be given our past history." I agreed and decided to go off the pill and take my chances. Thinking there would be no way I would get pregnant. Given the timing of my due date, I think we conceived within about a week of going off the pill! Guess this was meant to be!

So, for the last several months, I've been in a bit of a daze. Wondering how I'm going to do this. Preparing. Sitting on the couch in shock. Looking in the mirror, thinking that I'm beginning to show my age at 41, then looking down at my baby bump and remembering that I'm going to have a baby at 41! It's a lot to take in. I've wondered if I can handle this. Do I have the energy? The patience? Can I be a good mother to these three blessings we've been given? Of course more than anything I am excited! As overwhelming and a little scary as it is, I am thrilled. I know the Lord will bless me with what I need to be the mother I need to be. I will never be perfect...my family can tell you that. :) But I will do the best I can.

So, here we go with another blog catch up! I think I'll do it in individual posts so it's easier to read. There is so much, after all, to write about...end of school stuff, summer happenings, baby details, home schooling, trips, family news...my goodness! This could take me days and days. I will do my best. Why did I let this happen?! Oh yes, I already addressed that. I've been in a pregnancy daze. :)

Stay tuned! 

Field Trips, A Spelling Bee, Lost Teeth, Sewing, and Valentine's!

Some more catching up to do. :-)

Field Trip Fun!
Lexi had some fun field trips in January and February. Her preschool always does great field trips! In addition we are part of a little mom's group who gets together once a month and does a field trip or some sort of get together so we are never short on preschool fun. This time we hit the Discovery Center, the Fire Station and two super fun Valentine's Parties...one at her preschool and one with our mom's group.

Lizzy and The Bee...

This was a big deal. We found out there was going to be a spelling bee where you didn't just write down the words, but you had to get up in front of the class and spell the words OUT LOUD. "Out loud mom," she said. "You have to say the word and then spell it and then say the word again and then sit down. That's the rules!" She was so worried. Not about not being able to spell. Of course about having to get up in front of the class and spell. Let alone on stage in front of parents and judges if she happened to make it to the big Bee. Well, she did make it to the big Bee. She was one of the top three spellers in her class and she made it to the school spelling bee. Oh boy. So we practiced and practiced. We watched "Akeelah and the Bee". She watched the Arthur spelling bee movie in her class. 

She did not want to do it. She was in tears about having to go on stage in front of all those people. I was in tears for her. But I knew this would be so good for her. I asked her, "Would you rather go up there and spell, or would you rather go up there and sing?" "Spell," she said. "Well then, let's do this." 

So she did. The day of the big Bee came and she did it. And here she is:

She made it through all the rounds to the second grade words and got out on animals. I was so proud of her! She was poised, confident and carried herself very well. So glad she had this experience!

Another lost tooth!

Lizette has an agreement with the Tooth Fairy to keep her teeth. :-) 

I Can Sew! 

I have never been brave enough to sew anything beyond pillows and curtains. The thought of sewing a zipper has freaked me out. But for some reason, the bug hit me and I wanted to at least attempt it. I've seen some cute skirts and thought "Maybe I could?" The thought of following a pattern makes my head want to explode and talking to people who know how to sew is actually really intimidating to me. They start talking about zipper foots and facing and I'm totally lost. But these days there are so many online tutorials and You Tube videos that even a novice like me can get out there with some confidence and go for it. So I found a tutorial on Pinterest for this cute skirt and tried it out. The material wasn't the best choice...a little Minnie Mouseish, but I can always use it for a Halloween costume, right? And it was great practice for my first one. I can pick a cute chevron print the next time or something. I'm excited to try it again or maybe a cute maxi skirt! 

Valentine's Party...

We had our mom's group and a couple of neighbors over for a Valentine's party on Thursday and had a Valentine exchange. The kids had fun and were so cute to watch!

Lizette's School Valentine Party...

And that's all she wrote!

For now...

The Catch Up of All Catch Up Posts

How do I begin this post? Did you think I had fallen off the face of the earth? I really don't know what the deal is here with the blog.  I guess I've just been busy with life. I keep putting off the blog thinking that one of these days I'll catch up. But procrastination is not a good thing. I never have liked it and I hate when I do it. So here I am with tons of pictures to post. It goes back to first day of school pics for goodness sake!

Oh well. There's only like two people that are going to read this anyway. You won't mind the scrolling will you? I have to post it all so that I can get my blog book published for the year or else our family history will not be complete! This is why I do this blog in the first place. Those blog books really are the best aren't they? Love 'em! You would think I would do a better job of blogging then, wouldn't you? 

Here goes!

First day of School Pics

Lizette is attending First Grade at Christine Donnell School of the Arts. It is an art magnet school in the Meridian School District and as you may remember we were very excited to get her in there. It is a lottery system to get in and the spots are quite coveted. She was so excited her first day to go back and see her friends from Kindergarten. Callie Sue, her best friend from Kindergarten is in her class again this year and she was very happy about that. Callie Sue and Lizette are complete opposites. Callie Sue is out going, doesn't know a stranger and will give anyone the "what for" if they mess with her (or Lizette). And Lizette is...shy. They are a good pair. 

Lexi is attending preschool at Lake Hazel Montessori. This is the same preschool that Lizette attended that used to be Little Joys Academy and her instructor, Becky, has changed it to a Montessori program now. I love it! Becky is so great and is doing great things there. Lexi is extremely shy and will not talk at preschool, but she loves going.  She comes home singing the songs and talking about the things she has learned but she refuses to talk to her teachers or interact much with the kids there. Hopefully as the year progresses she will come around. One day I went to pick her up and her teachers were thrilled because Lexi had said one word. They were practically jumping up and down. This is the level of shyness we are talking about folks. 

The School Carnival

I was asked to be in charge of the school carnival at Lizette's school in September. This was no easy task! Their school carnival is HUGE! At least I think so. :-) And the kicker. I was asked to do it about six weeks away from the carnival! So it was six weeks of non-stop stress! Phone calls, e-mails, trips to the school, meetings, more meetings. It was a lot of work. But in the end, it turned out well. In the end, we raised about $4,000 for the school and the kids had a great time. Our theme was Wild West Carnival. I had a great committee of moms working with me. It's amazing how when a bunch of moms come together things can get done. I was really grateful for all the help I received. And I met so many nice people in the process of working on it. It was actually a lot of fun. I love feeling part of things and feeling part of my community. 

We had horse rides, ponies, a bounce house, snow cones, dunk tank, face painting, art tent, cupcake walk, hairspray, photo booth, a sound guy playing country music and a bunch of games like bean bag tosses and sucker trees, etc. Plus we had some great food!

Jeff helped me a lot. We were up until midnight making cotton candy the night before in our garage. He was a good sport. He also helped set up and run all sorts of errands for me. He even took the day of the carnival off of work because he knew I would be going crazy that day. What a guy! 

My friend Jamie helped with the cotton candy too and made the amazing baskets four our basket auction.

The one thing I did regret was that I didn't get to actually spend any time with my girls at the carnival. I was running around like a crazy woman that night and barely got to see them! Thankfully my friend snapped these pics for me. 

The Birthdays

I told the girls they could have a party every other year. This year was the party year. 20 girls at our house. Pink all over. I was prepared for mayhem. But it actually wasn't that bad. It turned out their birthdays were in the middle of the week during teacher inservice days so we had the party early in the afternoon on a Friday and it worked well. I was super impressed at the behavior of all the kids. For having 20 kids in our house, the chaos was kept to a minimum! We split the girls into their age groups and thankfully Abby and Jamie were here to help me with crowd control. I had prepared crafts and games for both groups of kids and it all went off pretty well. Whew! 

Lizette turned 7 and Lexi turned 4. They are growing up so fast! 

At 7 Lizette loves school, loves to read, loves her friends and loves American Girl dolls. She is so thoughtful of others. She worries about her friends feelings and if they are feeling left out or sad. I love this about her. She absolutely loves anything having to do with art. Drawing, painting, coloring...she could spend all day on art projects. Her favorite songs are "What does the Fox Say" and "Call Me Maybe" :-) She loves gymnastics much more than ballet she says. I guess her next round of lessons will be gymnastics then. She loves to run too. She likes to practice running fast. Maybe she will take after her dad and be a runner some day! He ran cross country. She definitely doesn't get that running gene from her mom. :-)

At 4 Lexi loves babies, loves to be read to, loves playing with her sister and loves playing with friends. When she gets comfortable around people she warms up to them and will talk about them non stop and want them to come play all the time. She idolizes Lizette and copies everything she does. Lexi also loves to dance. When a song comes on, she will shake her little bootie almost instantly until she realizes someone is watching and then she gets embarrassed and stops. Back to babies. She is obsessed. When she sees a baby, she wants to hold it. She loves all babies real babies or dolls. She wants me to have a baby so that we can have our own. Oh my. She is also our funny girl. Always coming up with the funniest one liners. 

 

Friends from school. Pictured above with Callie Sue and Bailey on the left and Elle and Ariah on the Right

 

Friends from the neighborhood. With Morgan Nelson on the left and Lily Balanoff on the right. Lily was our neighbor and moved just recently. Lizette was sooo sad! Lily came over a lot to play and was such a great friend to Lizette. They were BFFs and she was so good to Lizette. She is 12 and was a good sport to play with the little girls. Liztte cried so hard when she moved. 

The famous Callie Sue! 

Fall Fun!
It wouldn't seem like Fall to us without a trip to one of the local pumpkin patches. We headed out to Linder Farms this year and had a great time. They do a fantastic job with the great atmosphere and fun rides for the kiddos. Our only mistake this year was buying mini donuts before the hayride out to get our pumpkins. This attracted bees in a major way. I finally had to drop the donuts in the pumpkin patch and run! Sorry to litter Linder Farms, but we were desperate. Bees were no bueno for our nice family outing. Lesson learned. Next year, no donuts until after the pumpkin has been purchased. :-)

Halloween

We had a fun Halloween. The girls dressed up as Lalaloopsies (sort of) and were super cute! Of course, Lizette refused to wear the cute boots and bow that went with her costume and I was not very happy because I thought it made the costume. So we had a "moment". But then I got over it and sent her on her way as a cute pink whatever. I guess I have to learn to let these things go sometimes. But seriously the Lalaloopsy would have been so cute! Why can she not just trust me in these matters? I'm always right. :-) 

We were invited to a Halloween party at some friends the following Saturday and I got my way and we all dressed up as the characters from Mary Poppins. The only problem was that we were the only ones at the party that dressed up! Ha! I felt just a little cheesy. Oh well. Jeff was able to say "I told you so". But I still think we looked super cute! Don't you? :-)

Katelyn's Baptism

Our cousin Katelyn was baptized and Lizette was soooo excited to attend! Lizette loves all of her cousins and she loves spending time with them. She and Katelyn have been lucky enough to live close to one another and Lizette looks up to Katelyn a lot. Katelyn is a great role model for her. Going to Katelyn's baptism makes her so excited for her own. 

Ouch The Outlet

The first graders were entered into a coloring contest sponsored by Idaho Power, and unbeknownst to us or Jeff's fellow employees, Lizette's picture was chosen out of like a thousand as a runner up in the Boise area schools. I came to the school one day and she and her teacher came running out and were so excited. They had each won $25 and Lizette's picture would be on display at the library and other locations. When she told me it was Idaho Power I was instantly concerned there might be a conflict of interest or something so I told her that Lizette's dad worked there and then I told Jeff about it but apparently it was all legit. The judges of the contest didn't know Lizette was related and she had won fair and square. :-) She was thrilled! Talk about a boost of confidence for a shy little thing! She came home saying, "Mom, I won because I can color really good!" She started sketching out more Ouch the Outlets in case some of her friends wanted copies. It was very cute. We went to the library where it was on display and the librarian was very nice to make a big deal out of it and take pictures of us with her picture for us. Then, the Idaho Power folks came and made a presentation in her class as well. Caught it all on video of course. And now Ouch the Outlet is hanging proudly in her room along with her ribbon. This may be the beginning of her career as an artist. 

Thanksgiving

We spent the day at Thayne and Angel's and they were lovely hosts. Lawrence, Marsha and Hilary came to town which was very fun. We had a great dinner and Angel had a fantastic idea to write letters to Veterans that evening. Loved it. Hilary played some guitar for us and sang for us too. The girl can sing! Some of the kiddos even sang for us too. It was a fun day. I ate way too much as I always do. I managed to steal some photos from Hilary's Facebook page since I didn't take any of my own! 

A good day.

The Rigby Family Christmas Party 2013

Each year the Rigby's gather to celebrate Christmas together usually during the first weekend in December. It's a fun time! This year it was in Soda Springs and Grandma and Grandpa Rigby did not disappoint. They had super fun games. Mrs. Claus came to visit with the Bishop and we read a great book about the meaning of Christmas. we had excellent meals. We made a trip to see Dr. Kaboom who taught us the science behind Santa. We shared memories of past Christmas'. The kids made candy with Grandma. It's always a fun time in Soda. And it's fun to see the kids getting older and still enjoying every minute. Once again I stole Hilary's pics. Thanks Hilary! 

Piano Guys

Jeff and I went to see Piano Guys at the Taco Bell Arena on December 10. I was so excited! I love their music and this concert was a Christmas concert which was going to be great. They are excellent performers but unfortunately, the Taco Bell Arena is probably too big of a venue for them. We didn't think the sound came off all that well. They probably would sound really good at like the Morrison Center or somewhere like that. I don't know. It was still really fun to go and they are amazing musicians! Sorry for the fuzzy pic. :-)

Snow Days

When it snowed just before Christmas the girls were thrilled. Even though we didn't get a ton, they were so excited to get out and build a snowman with their dad. 

Lexi's Concert

Lexi's preschool put on a Christmas concert and Lexi did great! She got up on stage and stood up there the entire time. We were so proud of our girl! That took a lot of courage for her. She practiced her songs all week and was so nervous. When it came time for the concert she didn't sing, but she didn't cry...until the very end at least. That was amazing for her. And I think the only reason she did was because she caught my eye and saw me smiling at her. Darn. 

Christmas Cookies!

It is so difficult to not let the holiday season become so busy and not slow down to enjoy what is important. Every year I try to tell myself to not over do things, to not stress out, etc, etc. But it seems like every year it is the same thing. I find myself stressing out until the very end about delivering this and that and buying this and that. To find time do to the simplest of things with my family can sometimes seem impossible. I get frustrated that I have to "slow down" long enough to make cookies with my girls. What is that all about? These are the types of things I should be doing all the time. Actually, I guess I do. It's just that I'm stressing out during the process as I'm thinking, "Okay, I need to get this and that done next." Why do I do that?!!! I need to take a chill pill. 

Christmas

We enjoyed a lovely Christmas. Abby arrived the Wednesday before and we had lots of fun cooking, shopping and visiting. The girls were in heaven with all of the activities going on beforehand and could barely contain themselves the night before. Although, the Bronco game did help to calm things down just a bit. :-) We had Thayne and Angel and family over along with Abby's good friend Randy to watch the game. That helped keep little minds occupied while Santa prepared for the big day. I was the only one rooting for OSU (did you know that is my Alma Mater?) So I was happy with the end result. Sorry Bronco Nation. 

We ended the evening with our traditional reading of the Christmas Story and opening our pajamas and the girls' special gifts, which this year was a framed copy of the saying "I Love You a Bushel and a Peck and a Hug Around the Neck" for Lizette and "I Love You a Barrel and a Heap, You Bet Your Purdy Neck That I Do" for Lexi. They have special meaning to our family since my mom sang that song to me and I sing it to my girls now. So that was fun. 

Christmas morning was fun. Lizette was so excited to see miss Kit Kittredge waiting for her as she came downstairs. The American Girl doll she has been wanting and working to earn. She read her first 100 books and decided to buy one of the Target dolls and some accessories instead of a "real" American Girl doll. She's been reading another 100 books and working very hard at her reading. Santa decided that Kit was in order for Christmas. Lexi really wanted a baby doll and stroller for Christmas so she got a nice stroller and a Tub and Toot doll that makes bubbles in the bath. Very funny and so fitting of Lexi's personality. :-) 

I love Abby a Bushel and a Peck too! :-)

Abby made us all the coolest gifts. She took pictures of my mom and put them on those little View Finders that you look through. So fun and especially for the grandkids who didn't know Grandma Jackie. We love them!

Got Jeff a Darth Vader mask for Christmas. This is me wearing it. It says all sorts of Darth Vader sayings and then you can talk and it supposedly will be in his voice. Doesn't work real great to do that but it's still fun. I thought it might come in handy for him at work to keep employees in line. :-)

So that's it for the highlights for the end of the year! Otherwise, we have been staying busy, busy with the normal stuff. I keep busy with the kids volunteering in Lizette's classroom and helping out with field trips, class parties, and all things school it seems. I also have been staying busy with a new assignment at church. I am in charge of the monthly Relief Society meetings. We meet once a month on Tuesdays and have different activities. It's so fun! We do all sorts of different things and it's been a lot of fun to help plan. I work with great women and it's fun to be involved with. I've also been working for Thayne a bit with his web design business as sort of an admin assistant part time. That has been fun and a great gig for me as I can do it from home. 

Jeff is super busy at work and he works so hard. He comes home exhausted and I wish that his stress would let up. But, I don't think that is going to change any time soon. Such is life! Idaho Power is a great company, it's just that being a supervisor definitely has it's hard days. He also stays busy with his church calling as our ward clerk. And he also does some work for Thayne so he's a busy guy! He's been enjoying watching some Duck Dynasty lately and his favorite saying these days is "It's on like Donkey Kong!" :-) Gotta love him. 

We are looking forward to a great 2014. I can't promise that I will be any better at blogging. I sure hope I will! This catching up business is really difficult. 

I do like to blog more regularly because when I'm not on here I tend to not read all of my favorite blogs either so I am way behind. I have no idea what's going on!