What a difference a Year Makes!

We had pictures taken of Alyssa for her first birthday. It still amazes me how much they grown and learn in one year!

if I had to characterize her eye color, I would pick hazel. ish.

she loves her princess skirt! thanks gma larsen :o)

she's only bald in the front...

personality. I picked up this hat because it reminded me of Scotty's first year pics....

my grandma made me this elephant when i was little.

We love you Lyssabelle. She's got spunk, intensity, and gives the best hugs that just melt my heart. She's forgiven for still waking up multiple times at night....

The Facts, in Scottish

Lest you think I favor one child over the other, I actually started this post months ago. And just rediscovered it! The past month has been a big one for Scotty--he started preschool, music class, and seems less and less like my little boy every day. Some things don't change, however, like Scotty having opinions and something to say. So here are the facts, right from his mouth.

Favorite color: "black. or green like you mama. but black."

Favorite toy: "Captain America! or Ruffles, but he's not a toy he's my brother. My pretend brother."

Favorite book: "How the Grinch Stole Christmas (it's true, he can practically recite the thing). And my scripture book. (high five for good parenting!)

Favorite song: "S-C-O-T-T (he sings the name song written by his Nana). And Book of Mormon Stories. And Love to See the Temple. And all the funny guy songs..." he then proceeds to sing me random tracks with hebrew words from his "funny guy" cd.

Favorite place: "Old McDonald's!" at least now he will actually eat a hamburger. We go for the playplace--AZ summers and hot outdoor playgrounds DO NOT mix. "And Nani's house. Papa's house."

Favorite food: "chicken nuggets! but not chicken, only the nugget kind." (and he can't be fooled). "And root beer. Pancakes. Syrup. Barbecue sauce!"

Favorite movie: "The Punzel one--Tangled. Or Little Aliensteins (Little Einsteins)"

Hardest thing to do: "Put my shoes on by myself. Or buttons (he's just learning). Or not saying not nice words."

*I asked him about using his quiet voice while his sister is sleeping, and he replied: "no, i'm good at that. I'm awesome."

Favorite thing to do: "THIS! (he yells while hopping in circles around the room) I'm a really good hopper guy." He also likes playing with friends, watching movies, reading books, singing, going on adventures, and running.

What he wants to be when he grows up: "A bad guy. No, a good guy. But not a police officer good guy, just a Scotty good guy. And a brother daddy."

Height: 38" (15%)

Weight: 30 lb (3%)

first day of class

Scary Eyes

He learned this at preschool. We love preschool around here. Scotty has a great time and comes home talking a mile a minute. Alyssa gets to take a morning nap without the chaos. And I actually get some time to get things done, so Eric gets dinner occasionally and clean clothes.

I {heart} Goodwill

I will now pay homage to all the mommy blogs, the fashion blogs, and the cute cooking blogs--you know, the ones that post cute pictures of fabulous creations, a month's worth of groceries for $10.24 or girls that look way too put-together and fashionable to be related to young children, let alone wiping up those bodily fluids and cooking/feeding/cleaning three meals (+ at least 2 snacks) every single day.

Yep, that's me, in a fabulously fashionable shot captured by Scotty, our budding photographer. His favorite subjects are usually his left eyeball and the back of his sister's head, but he sometimes makes room on the memory card for his attempting-to-not-be-frumpy mama and his stuffed animals.

Thanks to April and my cute cousins for noticing this fabulous dress. It's a shabby apple dress, something that I occasionally ogle late at night when I really should be sleeping, but would never even dream of spending $50+ for a dress that is guaranteed to be stretched, wet, and crusty by the end of sacrament meeting, let alone the entire block of church.

Hence the title of this post: I {heart} Goodwill. Dress? $10. Shoes? $4. I'll have to post a better picture of them because they aren't my usual shoe but I LOVE them. Cream colored snakeskin and super comfortable. Also scored on this shopping trip? Two pairs of earrings and a great necklace for fifty cents each.

Hard to beat that. Anyone up for some thrifting?

Are you ready for some football?

It's no secret that we're football fans, especially college football fans. This year, we finally treated ourselves to cable (specifically Dish Network) and DVR. It seems like a splurge, but it's actually much more family friendly. No more Saturdays crowded around the computer trying to listen to the tiny speakers over the noise of kids. The kids need something? Pause. Watch it later. Record it and watch it in half the time by skipping through commercials, injury time outs, etc.

 Plus, our newest football fan is adorable.

Go Cougars!

Still Crafty

My recent excuses for the lack of blogging are as follows: 1) haven't had the camera out much and posts without pictures are lame. 2) Alyssa is a climbing monkey who keeps me hopping all day long 3) life isn't always exciting as a stay at home mom 4) I've been busy doing fun stuff instead of writing about it!

Ok, ok, I just made all of those reasons up. The real reason I haven't been blogging is that football season just started, and we invested in cable. I mean, I'm helping Scotty memorize the entire Book of Mormon, compose symphonies with full orchestration, and recreate the entire artistic career of Monet. And Alyssa is fluent in three languages. Believe what you will :o)

For Alyssa's birthday I decided I wanted to make her a chair. I found this toddler papasan chair for $1 at a garage sale. It was great! except the frame was a nasty pinkish color, the fabric rubbed off when you touched it, and there was a gaping hole on the bottom.

click to see this bigger

Here's what I came up with. I made the cover removable (the top and bottom pieces are only connected on one side and both have elastic hems to hook over the frame of the chair). I figure, if it's not washable, it shouldn't be around children. I also made the top portion fitted so it would stay in place better on the chair and look like a chair even without someone sitting in it. And the verdict? I think she likes it.

happy birthday! happy climbing...

California Knows How To....

Keep things crazy? Here are the most noteworthy 10 things from our recent family trip to California. Some are fabulous, some are peaceful, some are sad, and one was downright painful. Hopefully you can tell which is which!

10 Things

1.  My maternal grandpa passed away the morning before our trip.

Gpa Hepworth served in Korea. There was a 9 gun salute and flag folding that was really touching.

2.  My parents took all five kids in the van while Drew, Misty, Eric, and I got peace and quiet in the other car.

3.  Alyssa took her first real series of steps (8) while standing on the table at McDonald's during a lunch break.

4.  Seeing the ocean out the windows of the beach house. Alyssa slept peacefully to the sound of the ocean!

the beach house is up those 108 steps to the bluff

5.  Misty getting stung by a stingray.

and then her foot started turning purple and she couldn't move her toes...

hooray for the lifeguard! and really hot water

6.  Getting up at 4am, driving 1.5 hours to the Longbeach airport with our party of 11 people, flying to Utah for a day and a half for the funeral and then trekking back to the airport, flying, and then back to the beach house. You're glad I don't have pictures of this.

7.  Getting to see all of my wonderful family in Utah.

practicing to sing "Peace" at the funeral

everything in this picture is adorable, except my hair. can you say long day?

i love these chubby babies! and the beautiful women holding them

we missed you Cali! glad you kept your brand new baby safe at home

8.  Sea World! I love that place. Highlights are the dolphin show, buying stuffed stingrays for all the kids (& Misty), and seeing the beluga calf nursing.

she's happy as long as she's in her carrier--I LOVE my mei tai

such cute boys! misty also looks fabulous

beluga calf nursing. the kids next to us were saying things like: "gross! what is.

 it doing?!"

9.  Boogie boarding, body surfing, finding a dead squidish thing in a pile of seaweed, sand castle building, and lounging

10.  Getting to spend a week with my brother, his gorgeous wife, and my adorable nephews. Especially my chubba bubba!

Alex, 5 months. big blue eyes, rolls, wrinkles, and baby love.

The Birthday Party

Ah, the advantages of having kids three days apart--a combined party makes it more fun with slightly less work. Yes, I already posted about all this, so without further ado, here are the pictures.

Making a pinata

they liked adding candy...

Tada! thanks for the help painting, mama!

Scotty's shark cake with marshmallow teeth

Alyssa big eyed fish cake

Fun with friends at the splash pad

Happy Birthday!

I expect to see all of you next year! :o) Scotty has already told me he wants a dragon cake and he wants his party at Chuck E Cheese so we'll see.....