Last month.....

Bailey came over to play ALL DAY LONG with Maddy. It was glorious. I didn't hear even one time "can I watch something" nor did I see any poutiness from a bored 10 year old. Bailey is coming over on July 14th to play (which is also, if you ask Maddy "Cow appreciation Day") Bailey needs to come over sooner than that. We love Bailey.

One of the activities they did was going to get their faces painted from my friend/neighbor who wanted some practice. She has been, and will set up a booth every weekend at various town celebrations. Santaquin has Orchard Days, Provo has the Freedom Festival, Payson has Onion Days (but I still don't know why). She needed some willing faces. We had 3.


Don't ask me why they're smiling all weird like that. Maybe they don't want to crinkle their artwork.


Ruby wanted pink and purple with sparkles, imagine that.

Did I mention, We Love Bailey.

Bailey, Mads and even Ruby did other stuff that day, as you can see, they played in the water, but this was the only thing exciting enough for me to get the camera out.

The End.

Shaving cream, be nice and clean?

Pretty much all Maddy wanted for her birthday was shaving cream. Not so she could shave anything, she just wanted to play with it. It's somewhere in the genes cuz her cousins Eliza and Kate asked for mustard and tinfoil for Christmas.

Anyway, My parents and Maddy's best friend, Bailey, gave her some. Bailey came to play the other day, and after a while of them doing nothing they asked if they could play in the tub with Maddy's shaving cream. :Sure", I said "change into one of Dads work shirts". Well, they changed into and some of Maddy's pajama shorts too, just to be safe.


Not to messy, this is fine. What a fun mom I am. twitch

Oh dear, at least the mess is all in the tub. twitch, twitch. I think I'm still fine.

I never learned, in beauty school, if shaving cream can double as a deep conditioner.
Uh, I'm getting a little worried. Since there is now shaving cream all over the toilet AND the cupboards.

Well that's it, Baileys mom is NEVER going to let her come play again. Am I still a fun mom? I think I'm having a mini stroke?

They had to clean up (of course) and take a, fully clothed, shower to de-gunk themselves. Which, by the way, set off the smoke alarm because of all the steam. (it wasn't their fault, the shower head in that bathroom is pretty much the cheapest one available)

They had loads of fun and they stayed in one place for over an hour. I think I still AM a fun mom, but I wasn't feeling it when I was re-cleaning the bathroom (it needed it anyway) the next morning. It's clean but there's still a slight shaving cream aroma in the air.

Mmmmmm, fresh.

Wednesday November 18th Thankfulness...

Today I am thankful for Bailey. Bailey, as you know, is Maddy's best ever friend. Today is her 10 year old birthday. She isn't Maddys "BFF" (best friends forever) because they think that is "totally lame". They've made up some other letter sequence that I think is equally weird, but I'm not nine (or ten in Bailey's case).

Bailey is fun and kind to most everyone, she has a bit of a hard time being nice to all the boys who like her. She loves Maddy big time. She is outgoing and super cute and loves our family like her own. She send me a text, and an email, on Mother's Day this past year. The email said "Happy Mother's Day, you are like a second Mom to me." I love that kid. She has helped Maddy be more outgoing and less shy. They are both the best kids you'll ever find.


I also love her parents just as much as I love Bailey. They love Maddy and are so sweet and kind to her. They are fun people too. They live into town and have horses and TONS of land and lots of fun stuff to do whenever Maddy goes over there. These are the sock puppets they made one day after school. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I am not that fun.


I think I wrote about this picture. It's when they used this "bucket" for a swimming pool, and then had to get in the bathtub to warm up. The are totally crazy.

They both will never let me take a NORMAL picture of them. Bailey had an apple slice in her mouth and I caught Maddy just AFTER she had pulled a strange face.

I am so thankful that Maddy and Bailey found each other, and that they are such great friends already. I didn't meet my super dooper best friend, Emily, until 7th grade. What a waste of elementary school. I hope we can keep Bailey around forever. She's a pleasure, just like Maddy.

Whats going on?

Let me explain the lack of blogginess. We have been super busy/boring for the past month. Max has gone on 2! hunting/camping trips in 4 weeks. I KNOW. I should be given a medal of some sort. Or maybe, at least, flowers (hint hint Honey).

I (along with the other leader) put on a Daddy Daughter Date for our Activity Day girls a few weeks ago. It was pretty fun. We served chili dogs, veggies and dip and root beer floats for dinner and then they carved pumpkins together. Prizes were given. It was lots of fun but I am glad it's over. Last year for our D/D date we played "Old country song" charades. It was pretty funny trying to get all the men to act out the songs. Dads aren't as fun as they used to be. My cute Dad gave his poor bald head a rug burn acting out Tumbling Tumbleweeds when we did this at my Daddy Daughter Date about 156 years ago.

This picture was a lot cuter in person.

Then, for Fall Break (which used to be called "Deer Hunt" then it was UEA for a while) we had Bailey come over. They had loads of fun. That is an apple slice in Baileys mouth. No photo cooperation, I tell you.

Last weekend, my friends Shan and Little Jessica went to NYC. I took care of Shans cat, Hank. And by "taking care of " I mean gave him food and water and 5 minutes of love. By Shan's house there is an AX. It concerns me a bit.

For all my strenuous labor, Shan brought my my very own "monu-mints" See my name? My VERY OWN. Plus, she brought me a candy bar from the Statue of Liberty. Not to shabby.

And another picture from the Daddy/Daughter Date. Maddy was not pleased, by the way, that Ruby was any were near her Dad on HER date.

Sisters can be such a pain.

Oh, what do you do in the summertime?

You go to Bailey's house for the afternoon, and make a swimming pool out of a hugie water barrel.

Never mind that it is probably NOT 80 degrees outside. See Maddy's purple lips?

The 80 degree rule was started by my Mom who, now I understand, was just TIRED of us asking to play in the water as soon as the snow was melted off the front lawn.

I think they're trying to hold in a shiver.


Then, when it's just too freezing, you give up and get in a nice warm tub-with a cool drink.

Ahhh warm. Bailey's house is FUN!

I just love those two punks.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road...

Bailey came over to play on Thursday, we went to the Castle for a snack. The Castle is the convenient store at the bottom of the hill by our house. It's name is "the Castle" because when it was being built, and before the gas bays were up, Roo said they were building a castle for us. It had that Dental molding around the top of the building and a big opening for the doors that looked like a castle door could have been installed. So "Castle" stuck.





Anyway, Bailey introduced me to my first taste of Funyuns. They weren't awful. In fact, they were delicious. I should have never tried one. Naughty Bailey.

The girls started playing dress up, which turned into a fashion show, with me as the audience. Little Jessica knows all about these shows. Her and I have been invited to many. The first fashion show looked like this:


Bailey as Scarecrow, Elasta Girl as Dorothy with a Toto in her basket and Roo as the Wicked Witch of the West. They were so cute and creative with our dress ups.

I didn't take any more pictures of them but the fashion shows soon turned into mini skits. One with EG as a pirate and Bay as the beautiful rich girl that the pirate stole from then made walk the plank - a cardboard box lay ed out flat. Another skit was Bailey as a Celebrity and EG as a crazed fan. They were pretty funny. Bailey and Elasta Girl are the best of friends, EG and her are all giggles when they are together. I'm so glad they have each other. I hope they are friends forever.

Roo thinks those two are WEIRD.

Oh, by the way, I painted this red, it used to be white I think it needs something more though. Maybe a black rub over the top. Any suggestions from anyone crafty?

soon...very soon

I'm swamped. I brought it upon myself, but it still doesn't change anything. Spring Break starts tomorrow and Elasta Girl has booked me for 2 of the three days that school is out.

Her BFF Bailey is coming over to play all day tomorrow. We love her and am soooo happy she is coming, but since I am going to be home I invited my friend Jeanne to come over. We are going to cut and color her head and I am going to see her sweet baby girl, who I have never seen in real life and, is nearly 2. But that bring us to my - making a mad dash to clean my house, No I mean REALLY clean it. I can surface clean with the best of them, but as for deep down good smelling, dust the light fixtures clean, I'm lost. So today I am trying my best. Her house is ALWAYS deep down clean, and she has never seen mine so I have to have every nook and cranny sparkly. I might not though, since I am finishing a HAPPY book my Heidi mother-in-law gave me and it is much more interesting than cleaning crannies.

On Friday Elasta Girl and I are going on a date. We decided, after a retarded tonsil nurse called her a boy, that it was time to get her ears pierced. So on Friday we are doing that, and also we are going to a movie just us. Roo is going to play with my Mom, who will probably have to tell many stories to her.

That leaves Thursday. Thursday I am going to my Little Jessica friends house so Elasta Girl and Roo can play with her chillins'. But really we are mostly going so we can play, and her and I can trade hair doing. I have nearly taken the scissors to my own head a couple of times these past weeks. Plus, I believe Shan is coming and Shan is very exciting. You can visit all these peoples blogs if you just click on their names on the right side of my page. I recommend it. I have some good and funny friends.

I'm swamped. I have oodles of pictures to blog about and will so soon. Mr Smith is going fishing far away for the weekend so maybe then. Tootles.

Giggle Giggle....cheese

It's been Party Central at our house this weekend. Starting with Thursday when I picked Elasta Girl and her best friend Bailey up from school so they could play. We stopped at the Red Barn for some ice cream - since it is the perfect weather for ice cream. 45 degrees seemed warm enough for us.

Here they are NOT smiling so I could take a NORMAL picture.

A cute smile but with Cookie Dough ice cream on the nose.

Lemon chiffon ice cream on the nose.

And lastly, Roo with chocolate peanut butter ice cream on the nose. Hers just looks dirty, or tan I don't know. What I do know is Roo wants to do EVERYTHING her big sister does. Even if it's weird.

We saw our old home teacher and his wife at the barn.( the built the barn but have retired many moons ago and left they're son in charge.) Our ward got split in two last May and they now live in the other half so we don't get to see them much anymore. It was nice to visit for a minute.

When we got home from ice cream, Elasta Girl and Bailey put on shadow puppet shows for Roo and I. After that they put on a Taylor Swift concert. They were so cute with their chap stick microphones and little embarrassed voices. Bailey wouldn't sing facing forward at first because she was shy, but she warmed up pretty quickly and turned around. I think my acting like a darn fool helped her not be shy. I was dancing and waving my arms and trying to sing but since I don't know any of the words it was a bit hard. The two girls kept "SHUSH"-ing Roo and I if we got to rowdy. It was funny.

After the concert I made them come and do their homework, after that Baileys mom came to get her. When the door bell rang Bailey started undoing her homework so she wouldn't have to go home as soon. Those girls are the best of friends.

Friday:

Roo and I went to my Moms to help Alzabeth pack up her room ( she is moving to SLC on Monday) I also cut her, and my parents hair. Alz's head is bleach blond now. I didn't do the bleaching ( I was against it) but the cut is wonderful. And, I didn't cut my finger off while doing it this time. (sometimes, the razor and I don't get along)

After the cutting and the cleaning, I went to my brothers house to pick up his daughter, Eliza for a sleep over. She and Elasta Girl are cousins born about 6 weeks apart. They hardly ever see each other but when they do they are inseparable, and giggle - A LOT.

They also preformed shadow puppet shows* for us. But mostly they giggles and said stuff like "I like cheese" and other things involving "cheese".

I tucked the two in bed at 9:15 (bed time is usually about 8) and continued to hear "whisper, whisper, Giggle Giggle" until about 10pm. Then it was quite until 6:30 in the morning when the "giggle giggle" started up again. On a side note: Elasta Girl was ready for bed at about 6:15 last night. Tuckered out from all that partying I guess.

These are the faces I got when I said it was time to take Liza home. They threw terrible fits and stalled as much as they could. But, they did stop the fits and cooperate when they could see in my face that it was getting old. What nice girls. They are the best of cousin friends.

*the shadow puppet shows with both friends basically went like this: both girls would make the talking sign with their hands and sing: "these are some turkeys" and then jumping in front of the light and sing: "and these are our big heads!" Over and Over again. They thought it was hilarious. I probably did too, but I'm not saying.

Elasta Girl and the Science Fair...2009

Elasta Girl and her best friend Bailey did a project for the Science Fair at their school this year. Third graders don't have to enter, but they wanted to this year. I think really it was just so they could get together a few extra times to play.


They chose to see how juice cleaned pennies. They chose 6 different juices and soaked a penny in each one for an hour, then posted to results.




They thought LIME juice would work the best, and they were right. I wasn't. They spelled "pennies" wrong on their board, so where they misspelled it they stuck a picture of the two of them.

They had a lot of fun doing the experiment and decorating the board. Thank heavens for Bailey's mom, who has all sorts of scrapbooking and crafting paraphernalia. (And the creativity too)

We just LOVE Bailey and enjoy having her over. Elasta Girl and her are great friends and I hope they are friends forever. (Kinda like Em and me - except less dorky) Bailey's Mom told me the other day that she (Bailey) said they can't ever move because she can't leave her M****. (oops, Elasta Girl) Every one needs a friend like that. We love Bailey!

Science - not so much.