24 Hours of Fun

Last night, almost exactly 24 hours ago, we headed to the mall so Jade could use her Build-A-Bear giftcard. She chose a german shepherd puppy and actually got a good deal. At the stuffing station, Jade was cut by another girl. The mom felt bad and gave us a $10 off coupon she wasn't going to use. Then, when checking out, the cashier said Jade could buy a $10 giftcard for only $5! So instead of spending her entire giftcard plus her $10 birthday money just on the puppy and outfit, she only spend $3 of her own for the puppy, outfit, and giftcard. =)

 Meet Cuddles!

We stopped at Baskin-Robbins for dessert cause Jade and I both had coupons for a free scoop. Yum!

She's so big! Paisley chose "rainbow" ice cream

And then today we had Jade's friend party. We invited Aubrey to join us for the afternoon. Jade opened a couple presents, then we went to see The Lorax at a dine-in theater! Aubrey and Jade sat in their own row and felt so grown-up ordering their food! They even got a brownie sundae to share. We walked around the nearby mall before taking Aubrey home and stopping at Walmart on our way home.

Hymn book, CTR ring and necklace from Nana

Butterfly wings!

Pinkalicious book

Barbie Island Princess dress

A Special Day

Today was a very special day for Jade and Shyla - Jade was baptized and Shyla blessed! What a great thing to share with a sister!

Happy 8th Birthday, Jaders!

My sweet baby Jade turned 8 today! Can't believe how big she's getting. Jade is such an easy child - always cheerful and giggly, eager to please and very helpful. We're so blessed to have her in our family! Love you, sweetheart!

This year for Jade's birthday, our family in New Mexico were here for their spring break so she and Amber got pulled out of school to spend time with cousins at the Wildlife World Zoo! We all had so much fun with Zach, Tai, their kids, Lila, and Hunter. The weather was just beautiful and none of the kids threw any major fits (and neither baby had a blow-out or meltdown!) which made it quite enjoyable.

After the zoo, we came home and had terriyaki chicken, rice, veggies, and rolls for dinner with a pretty cupcake caterpillar for dessert.

Jade opened her presents and was delighted to receive her very own set of scriptures, a Build-a-Bear giftcard, CTR earrings and scripture tote from Grandma and Bobo, and $10 inside her bday card from Gma and Gpa Robertson.

Happy Birthday, Jade! Hope you got everything you wanted - though I know you did as all you asked for was a puppy.... haha

Cute Baby

Just a couple sweet pics of this not-so-little girl.

 Why do babies always figure out how to spit before swallowing?? Drool, anyone?

 Happy girl!

Making Friends

We introduced Harley to some of his new companions. The cats are starting to get used to him, but I think it may take awhile until all parties are comfortable around each other. Harley wants to play with them, but cats are cats.... Crook spent an hour chasing Harley around the backyard hissing and smacking him. Harley thought it was a game and had his tail wagging and tongue hanging out happy as can be the whole time. lol Raphael (the tortoise) doesn't care....but Harley has fun "pretending" he's being chased by Raph and will "run away" barking just to come back to check if Raph has moved yet. Very comical to watch. Harley has quickly learned that Paisley is the easiest target for face-licking, and to stay away from the grouchy giant orange cat cause he's the only one with claws.

Amber and Jade had a playdate today with a couple girls in our ward. Emma and Isabell came and spent the afternoon with us and all 5 girls (Paisley, too!) had a great time together. Afterwards, David took Amber and Jade to see John Carter at the drive-in.

And a pic of my cute baby snuggling her Daddy.

Meet Harley!

Today Amber and Jade had early release from school and got home at 11. David got us loaded in the van and headed to the Humane Society in Phoenix to look/play with puppies. I warned him that the girls would automatically assume we were bringing one home, but he assured me we were just looking. Ha! So....an hour after getting there, I found myself walking to the car with a puppy. We found this sweet boy and just fell in love! This baby boy is 3 months old and is a german shepard/hound mix. He's so well-mannered. Especially for a pup! He even loved Paisley's attention. After struggling to agree on a name (Paisley liked Dental and Bolt, Jade wanted Brownie, Amber suggested Max and Jack, David liked Sniffles, Patch, and Duncan, and my vote was Zuccini) we settled on Harley while looking at dog collars. Coincidentally, or not, we bought a Harley-Davidson collar and leash for him. =) After a really, really good bath, Harley quickly made himself at home and had a great time playing with the girls. Welcome to you new family, Harley!

Is this not the sweetest thing ever??

Pizza Night

At our house, Every Tuesday is Amber's night to choose dinner and every Wednesday is Jade's. This Tuesday, Amber chose homemade pizza. Well, I thought I'd be a fun mom and let the girls make their own individual pizzas. That's right. I can be a fun mom every now and then! =)

Paisley really enjoyed putting cheese on her pizza. She wouldn't stop sprinkling more and more on top!

Amber's and Jade's

Mine and Paisley's. Mine has alfredo sauce, tomatoes, spinach, and zuccini. All the black around Paisley's is the cheese that fell off her pizza. haha She ate her all gone which is impressive if you know how little any of my girls eat....

We Really, Really Do!

Have fun weekends together, that is! David and I try to do something fun as a family every Saturday. Building those great childhood memories! =) This weekend, David had to drive into Mesa to pick up a couple serves so we made a day of it. After getting his serves, we went to the temple to walk around and play in the grass. It was such a beautiful day outside! A little chilly in the shade, but the sun felt just wonderful!

We met up with Jami for lunch at Tia Rosa's. Paisley really liked this cute little burro in the courtyard.

We made a pitstop at Jami's house so I could nurse Shyla, then headed to the mall to get her little baby ears pierced. Sometimes I feel like a mean mom to have all my baby's ears pierced when they're soooo little, but I figure it's better this way cause they don't remember having it done. Also, since they have earrings pretty much their entire life, when they hit toddler-dom, they don't know any difference so they don't pull on or play with their earrings. And, after the initial shock of it, none of my girls have even noticed or cared when I clean them and twist them around. Besides, they are adorable and it's easier for people to tell I have a baby girl! =) Shyla did pretty good. She only cried for a couple minutes then fell asleep. And everytime I clean them, she just twists her head and tries to eat my hand. lol Jami was sweet and bought the three older girls a couple things each.

One more pitstop at Jami's and we headed to a basketball game at David's new school - Grand Canyon University. It's where he's getting his bachelor's in nursing. The school had firecrackers during the beginning of the game which terrified Paisley. She ducked down and was hiding under her seat screaming. Poor girl! But once the game started, she was all into it! Even chanting, "Go, Defense!" with the crowd. We only stayed till halftime as it was late and the girls were exhausted. But we sure had a fun day together!

My Girls Are Really Weird

I just want to have it documented so in the future I can use this post to embarrass the heck out of Amber and Jade. On Friday after school, Amber and Jade decided to play with makeup. I think they were going to be zombies? Not really sure. But here's the result:

That same night, we had chocolate-dipped strawberries for dessert. Yes, again. I know. But we're obsessed right now. I'm sure it will pass soon.... Anyways, Jade and Paisley are NOT the cleanest eaters. lol