Potty Power!

Look at this fabulous girl. She decided this week that she was a big girl and potty trained herself. All that whining for nothing. Amber loves potty power. :) Look out preschool. Here she comes!

Miranda's Ice Skating Party

Miranda and her friends went to the ice arena for her birthday. They had a great time.

When Miranda first told me she wanted to do this, I worried that she and her friends might still be a little too young, but they fooled me. At first they were a bit timid, but before long they were fearless. As a matter of fact, they started going so fast that my pictures all turned out blurry. Go ice skating princesses!

Piano Recital!

Here's a picture of all of Mrs. Jensen's piano students after their recital. The boys were so glad to be done and get to the state baseball championship. Phew!

We missed most of Bethany's "Ode to Joy", but here's the end.

Here's the second half of "Ballade" by Aaron.

And Chad playing the first part of "The Entertainer".

Aaron Smith Baseball Rock Star!

Below is a slide show of the cutest first baseman around. You go, Cutie!

Mountain Birthday

We went to the mountains to cook out for Miranda's birthday on Friday. It was beautiful and so much cooler than it was in the city. We ate, hiked and had a great time - everyone except Chad, that is. Aunt Emily sang a new song that went a little something like, "The hills are alive with the sound of Chad groaning, La! La! La! La! with groans he has groaned, since he turned 13! La! La! La! La!" Ah, who cares about the spoil sport. The rest of us thought it was a blast.

Quote of the Day

"I hate potty tainin'. Potty tainin' tupid!" - Amber. I agree. Kill me now!

Miranda's Turning 6!

Friday is Miranda Panda's birthday. Yahoo! Our family is so lucky to have Miranda. She is such a princess! Miranda is trapped between two very strong-willed sisters so she has a really tough job in this family. She is the one who always tells me, "But, Mommy, I'm being good, aren't I? ", when I'm about to sell her sisters on Ebay. And it's usually (but not always) true. Miranda has always been a mama's girl. We just really enjoy each other's company. She calls me Mama Llama and says I'm the prettiest girl in the world and that she loves me the mostest. She rocks! Miranda loves her friends and teachers at kindergarten, she loves learning to read, she's a great little gymnast and she even started to like soccer towards the end of the season. But she says she's going to play T-ball next year so that she can get a pink, sparkly bat. We love you Precious! Don't forget to look at Miranda's slideshow.

Thanks Katherine!

My friend Teresa has a daughter named Katherine who is the coolest girl ever. She was on Aaron's rookie baseball team when she was in kindergarten. She was fabulous then and now you will not find any boy that can pitch or catch as well as her. My girls think she's the bomb and they especially love her this week because she went through her closet and gave them all of her hand-me-downs. Miranda and Bethany have been fighting over them all week and Miranda said in her prayers the other night, "Thank you that Katherine would give us all of her pretty clothes, so that we can be beautiful." Here they are are wearing some of the haul. Thanks Katherine!

This dress didn't belong to Katherine. I just took a picture of Amber because when I got out the camera she said "Do me too, mom".

Pathetic Princess

Poor Miranda has a cold. She tends towards the dramatic anyway, and being sick just gives her more of an excuse. She came up to me last night sobbing because she'd been trying to make her nose stop running all day and it just wouldn't stop. She needed Daddy's special lotion to put on her sore nose and she was too tired to brush her own teeth. Aw, the tragedy! Thankfully, things looked better after we got the lotion on and she even chippered up enough to convince Amber to use the toilet. Feel better, fairy princess, so that you can continue your potty training magic!

Snotty Teenagers

Here are some pictures of Chad and his friends at their jazz concert last night. Can you believe the attitude? This is, of course, after I asked them all to smile pretty for the camera. I'm not sure this whole having a teenager thing is working out for me. On the plus side though, they did rock the house. I felt like I was at a club in New Orleans. They are going to be on the radio on May 16th if anyone wants to hear their sheer awesomeness.