HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE AINSLEY!

Our little baby Ainsley is TWO!!

And a spunky little two-year-old she is!

We are constantly being entertained by our "little monster," and are so glad she is a member of our family.

I had no idea how different little girls could be, but I think my two are night and day! And they love each other so much! It is so much fun to see them interact together. Ainsley is little miss attitude a lot of the time and has perfected the scowl. But she also has a contagious laugh, and you can't help but smile when she gives you one of her cheesy grins.

She loves to be around other little kids, and lives for going to nursery at church. She is always trying to get away from us in Sacrament Meeting, and a few weeks ago was able to make it almost all the way to the pulpit! I think she was just trying to embarrass me, as I was chucking down the aisle trying to catch up to her. She definitely knows what she wants!

We look forward to her waking every morning, as she is always full of joy.

She loves to splash water EVERYWHERE when she takes baths, and she needs to take baths often, as she makes artwork with her food every time she eats.

She LOVES the moon, and looks for it whenever she is outside.

There is so much more to our Ainsley Painsley, but what it comes down to, is we are absolutely crazy about this little girl. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!

An Organized Life....is a GREAT life!

Um, yeah. I KNOW it's been months.

So, a couple of years ago (just going into 2008), I recall making the New Years Resolution to become more disciplined. Two years later, I am finally making some headway... I think...

It all started with some organization classes my Relief Society started holding on Wednesday nights. I thought it sounded like something I'd be interested in, so I decided to attend the 8-week program. I'm sure some of the ladies in my ward will laugh when I say this, but I have to admit that these classes have totally transformed my life! Why?

MY HOUSE IS CLEAN!

(Please don't faint, Mom)

So why is having a clean house so transforming? Well, for me, everything all starts with my house. I cannot function at my best if my house is messy. Not that my house was always a disaster, but I just never felt like my housekeeping jobs were ever FINISHED, therefore I never wanted to start on them. But these days, usually by around 9am (remember I'm an early-riser), I can check housekeeping off my list and not worry about it for the rest of the day! !

Anyway, there's a lot more detail to it all, and it is applying to more areas of my life than just housekeeping. But my point is, I am getting my house in order, and it feels great! I've got more time on my hands, and I feel a semblance of control in my life. So I just HAD to let everyone know how excited I am about it!

Anyway, back to the fact that I haven't posted on my blog for months... It's okay. I'm starting fresh (again). My plan is to post something weekly from now on, and I am really going to put an honest effort into it. I even have it planned into my schedule... (don't laugh. and no taking bets on how long this "new me" is going to last).

Before I forget...

Cecily turned 4 on July 16, and I never posted about her birthday. She decided weeks before that she wanted to have a ballerina birthday party, so we really got into it this year!

My friend, Jenn, put this birthday invitation together for me. Didn't it turn out cute? She has started a little business doing things like this, so if you are ever in need, visit her blog.

A couple of weeks before Cecily's birthday, we took the girls over to the amphitheater by the Mt. Timpanogos temple and took some photos. The girls were being so cute, so I had fun playing around with my camera. (By the way, does anyone know of some good photography classes in the area? I'd love to learn to take better photos).

I love this photo below. Whenever Cecily points to something, she winks her eye. But if you try to get her to wink and any other time, she just doesn't get it!

She was pretending that her prince had to rescue her on this "balcony." Derrick had to go save her several times!

Wow, what a princess. Picking her nose and everything!

Cecily got a fun new jeep from Grandma and Papa. She ABSOLUTELY loves it!!

She also got a big-girl bike.

On her actual birthday, we went to the Steel Days Carnival. Cec had a blast on all of the rides.

She got a supergirl cape from Grandma Thomas, which she loves.

These 2 photos are a little out of order. But this is the cake from Cecily's birthday party. Yep, another one of my cake adventures. But I have to say, it turned out better than my last cake, the fairy cake, and WAY BETTER than the transvestite Cinderella cake!

Ainsley enjoying her licorice.

For the birthday party, Cecily invited a few of her little girlfriends over. When they came over, they each got magic ballerina glitter dust stars put on them and a new tutu. I was so excited about these tutus. My sister told me about haloheaven.com, where I got the tutus for $2. Then I hot-glued a flower on each of them. It didn't take much time, and I didn't have to pay a fortune. I was also able to get a bunch of stuff for the goody bags from the same website, such as butterfly tattoos, feather boas, and wands. I didn't get a photo of the bags, but I just took white gift bags and hot glued pink tulle to the inside and added a flower to the outside. I thought they turned out cute, and kept with the ballerina theme.

I had ballerina music playing and the girls danced and twirled while we waited for Miss Ashley, our "real" ballerina to come and teach the kids some ballerina steps and a little dance. I had contacted BYU's dance department to see if they knew of a ballerina who wanted some teaching experience with little kids, and they connected me with Ashley.

The kids were IN LOVE with Miss Ashley!

Here the kids are, eyes glued to Miss Ashley, as she performed a dance for them.

I have to say, the party was a success (although our air conditioner broke that day, and it was SO HOT)! Cecily still talks about Miss Ashley. She also prays every day that she will grow up to be a big ballerina.

I can't believe my little baby is already 4! I love this girl so much! She is honestly one of the sweetest little girls. She is such a good helper, and loves her little sister so much. She is so good to share her toys with Ainsley, and always tries to keep Ainsley happy. Cecily is very enthusiastic, and cannot hide her excitement when she is enjoying things. She will often stop what she is doing to come and tell me she loves me, or to give some kind of compliment. As her vocabulary grows, it is so fun to listen to her use it in her kind ways. She loves preschool, dancing, gymnastics and swimming. She loves to learn how to do things by herself, and is always wanting me to teach her how to do things from making lunch to cutting coupons. I am so lucky to have been able to get to know and be the mommy of this precious girl!

The Fisherwoman

We went to Derrick's parent's brand new cabin this weekend. It is at Scofield Reservoir, and we had such a nice time. Derrick left on Friday afternoon and took the girls with him. I met them there on Saturday afternoon. It was very relaxing, and the weather was so great. Cecily decided she was going to get serious about this fishing business (we bought her a purple and pink fishing pole a few weeks back when we were at Scofield for the 4th of July). Anyway, here are the results of her fishing endeavors:

Saturday night, Cecily getting a little help from Daddy.

A few nibbles, but no fish tonight!

Then on Sunday morning, Grandma Shonnie and Ainsley came along.

They must have been the luck Cecily needed, because she got 2 fish!!

I wish I had it on video. Only those who know Cecily can imagine how ecstatic she was! It was really sweet!