Summer Trip to Idaho

We just got back from a 6-day trip to visit family in Idaho. We had such a great time!

Holland, although just finishing up three sessions of swim lessons back-to-back, she did not want to swim when she saw her Kofoed Cousins' pool. After sitting on the patio for a while, watching the rest of us have fun, I asked her if she wanted to sit on this orange floatie. She did, but didn't want to put on her bathing suit. I told her she could just get in the pool in her clothes. She loved that idea! It only took a few minutes before she was changed into her bathing suit and LOVING the pool.

The morning of the Fourth, this lady right here, my lovely other mother, accidentally picked up our car keys, thinking they were hers, and put them in her purse. So, when Holland and I were ready to head to the parade in Middleton with the Kofoeds we ended up searching for our keys for a while...like 45 minutes. I finally, after pushing the thought out of my head several times, asked if maybe mom had put them in her purse on accident. Sure enough...there they were. We had missed the parade, but that didn't stop us from having a great Independence Day.

We went to the Kofoeds for a pool party with lots of Spencer and Erin's friends and family. The kids loved the pool, jumping on the trampoline, and sliding down the slide. They also ate pretty much nothing but Red Vines and watermelon the entire day..

When I asked Abey to snap a pic of us in the pool she said she needed to take a "selfie" first. Haha! Teens!

We spotted a caterpillar and the kids could have watched it crawl around the sidewalk forever.

After the kids were in bed, Tyler and I went back to Middleton and met up with the Kofoed's for fireworks. It was a small town celebration and I loved it!!!

We spent time on Grandma's patio everyday. Holland was in heaven when Grandma Maggie asked her if she wanted to help her water the flowers. She helped her everyday after that. Tagg got in on the action one morning as well...naked!

 

After church we snapped a family picture, and then both kids slept until dinner time! Sweet. During Sacrament Meeting Holland colored a picture and then excused herself from the row and took off. We had no idea where she was going. She quickly ran to the back and around to the other isle where Grandma Maggie was sitting at the end of the row we were sitting on. She handed the picture to Grandma and ran right back to us and sat down. So cute! She and Tagg, with only a little hesitation in the beginning, stayed in the nursery for the entire two hours. Nice job, kiddos.

I love these two like nothing else!!!

Sunday afternoon Holland and Daniel decided it would be fun to push each other around in this outdoor toy box. Holland literally squealed the entire time...yelling, "Faster. Faster. Faster." Holland also learned to play Rumikub with Aunt Erin.

Popsicles for dessert

 Holland got to have a very late night on Sunday. Tagg, however, was in bed. The cousins played soccer and ran around in the yard until almost 10 p.m.

Once Brandon and family arrived, Holland was glued to Rebecca's side the entire time. They were really cute together and Holland kept referring to her as "The girl."

The kids slept so well, even when they stayed up way past their bedtime every single night. And, I don't think Holland took a single nap the entire time. That will only happen on vacation!

Saying goodbye to Grandma Maggie. We had so much fun and can hardly wait for next summer when ALL the Pace's will be getting together! Come visit us soon, Grandma!

We rented a trailer to bring home a lot of boxes, pictures and the desk from Tyler's dad's old office. We're excited for our basement remodel to be finished so we can get the desk set up in our own office.

On the drive home Tyler turned on some of his own music, instead of kid music, while the kids were watching a movie. When I turned around this is what I saw...  They kill me!

 

It was real Idaho. See you again soon!

Our Cowgirl is THREE

I gave Holland several theme options for her birthday party. She quickly responded, "Yes, yes, yes!" when I mentioned a cowgirl/cowboy party. And so the planning began. I love planning a party, and I love it even more when it's for such an excited and gracious birthday girl. She asked me several times a day for a week, "Is it my party today?" And so, on the day of the party when she woke up and asked, "Is it my party today?" I was happy to finally say, "Yes, yes, yes!"

The kiddos in attendance:
Holland (the birthday girl)
Taggart (although he was whisked off for a nap shortly after the party got started)
Zackary Stimpson (who flew in from Texas!)
Carson Matsalla
Siena & Aria Glover
Caroline Sadler
Aubrey & Mim Bjorklund
Reece & Kennydee McKelvie

The adults in attendance:
Me and Tyler
Grandma Lucy & Grandpa Charlie
Tina & Emily Stimpson
Sheri Glover

And now, before I go any further, I owe a HUGE shout-out to my parents. Seriously, they are ALWAYS there for me, no matter what I ask of them. My dad made wooden stick horses so that each child could have one to take home. My mom helped with set up and night before party prep. I am so blessed to have the best mom and dad in the entire world!! Thanks for everything, mom and dad. I love you!

The stick horse races were by far the favorite activity. Holland kept yelling, "AGAIN!" There was also Pin-the-Mustach-on-the-Cowboy, and a Coloring Corral where the kids colored pictures.

There was also FOOD! S'more pops (marshmallows on a stick dipped in chocolate and crushed graham crackers) , Mud (chocolate pudding with Oreos and a gummy worm), Hay Bales (rice krispy treats), Tractor tires (mini chocolate donuts) and bottles of milk and water.

This was Holland's first friend birthday party. It was so cute to watch her open the gifts and hug her friends and say "Thank you" after each gift. She was so excited...and so grateful. Love her!

When I asked her what her favorite gift was, she said, "Cake!" Funny girl. The next day she revised her response to, "My scooter from Grandma and Grandpa, Cake, and Chalk."

 

 

 

After all was said and done, I asked Holland if she liked her party. Her response, "Of course. It was fabulous!"

Three Fish in a Tree. How Can That Be?

Dear Holland,

This phrase from One Fish Two Fish by Dr. Seuss is as perplexing of a thought as the fact that you are now 3-years old! How can that be? No, seriously, how can that be?

There are absolutely no words that could ever fully express how much I love you, my Miss Bliss. The minute I held you in my arms and our eyes locked I knew, without any doubt, that you were always meant to be mine - always.

I love your long shiny blonde locks and your stunningly blue eyes. I love how much your little personality has developed in the past year. You are funny, funny, funny! You are adventurous and tenderhearted. You can whine with the best of them and smother us with kisses the very next second. You love to make us laugh and sometimes tears just flow when I look at you or hear something you say - you are a pure miracle!

It's amazing to think how much you have grown and learned in the past year. You ask me a lot lately, mostly when we are snuggling before naps or at bedtime, when you turned into a "Big Girl" and if you were a "Baby" before that. I, without fail, tell you that you still are my baby and that you always will be. You always come back with, "I'm not a baby. I'm a big girl." And, yes, Holland, you really are a big girl these days, but just a second ago you really were my baby girl and I need you to slow down a bit so I can keep you this way a bit longer.

A glimpse of you at this age:

• 3' 3" tall (90th %)
• 29 lbs. 13 oz. (about 35th %)
• You speak in full sentences well-beyond your years. Because of this (and because you are so tall), people constantly guess that you are 4-years old.
• You love your little brother Tagg. The two of you are so fun to watch playing together. In fact, in the past few months he has become less of a baby and more of a little man which you seem to love. You wrestle, laugh, dance, and just be silly together. Sometimes you love him more than he wants at the moment, but he'll be so grateful for all that love someday soon. He's a lucky little boy to have such a fun, funny and loving big sister.
• Speaking of funny, you seriously are a little comedian at times. You have this little jig that you like to do just to make us smile. You make up words and meanings for those words. You make silly faces to get a reaction. You love to hide and jump out to scare us.
• You are still trying to figure out if you are left- or right-handed. You seem to use your left hand most of the time, but you go back and forth so I'm not totally convinced yet which it will officially be.
• You enjoy coloring. Your favorite color has changed from blue to purple (with your discovery of Sofia the First), so most things you color are primarily PURPLE. It's cute and pretty funny!
• You are daytime potty trained, sleep in a toddler bed and no longer use a sippy cup.
• You are still a picky eater and basically survive on milk, rice, nachos, quesadillas, and apples.
• You love your grandparents and can name each by name: Grandpa Charlie, Grandma Lucy, Grandma Maggie and Grandpa Craig. You know exactly where each one of them lives and you like to tell us so - Salem, Utah; Eagle, Idaho; and at the temple with Heavenly Father.
• You can recite your home address, momma's cell phone number and your birth date. You've known the alphabet since you were about 20 months and you now count to 20 whereas a few months ago you put "eleventeen" in as substitutes for a few of the teen numbers. You know the colors of the rainbow and you know left from right.
• You like to jump off things, especially when we go for walks - like off all the green electrical boxes and stuff in peoples yards. You are getting more brave and jumping from higher heights as well.
• You love riding your trike, but you are definitely growing out of it though. Good thing Grandma Lucy and Grandpa Charlie gave you a scooter for your birthday.
• You ask "Why?" a lot. And, as much as I often don't really have an answer for some of the questions, I love that you want to know and learn about everything.
• You love to do abcmouse.com and do your preschool workbook. You definitely have a thirst for knowledge!
• You have a new-found love of the movie FROZEN, like every other girl in the world. It's so fun to hear you singing every song at the top of your lungs at home, at the store, in the car...everywhere! You've got the actions memorized to Let it Go, right down to when to throw your glove in the air and pull your hair down into a side braid. And, speaking of, you ask for an "Elsa Braid" at least 3-4 times a week. I've gotten pretty good styling your hair that way.
• You still love the movie PLANES and the movie and soundtrack CARS. Your favorite TV shows are Sofia the First, Cat in the Hat, Curious George, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Caillou and Sid the Science Kid. You rarely watch Baby Signing Time anymore, but you still request the music when we are in the car. When Sofia the First comes on you INSIST that we hit pause so you can get dressed in your Princess Sofia dress-up dress.
• Speaking of music, you LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to sing. You know a lot of songs and you aren't afraid to belt them out at any given minute. You love "Daddy Music" which is anything that daddy listens to. You love for us to turn on the stereo so you can sing, dance, and twirl in the living room.
• You are the oldest in your Nursery class at church, and as much as I think you are ready for Primary, you still come home excited to have been there and happy to show us your art work and tell us about the lessons and songs you learned.
• You are shy around people that you don't know, and even some that you do know. I often wish that everyone could see the silly talkative person that you are. But at the same time, I appreciate that you are leery of strangers and that you reserve the real you for those you truly love and know.
• You are a big helper. You know how to set the table for dinner and you like to ask if you can help whenever I start pulling stuff out to make cookies, or bread or...well...let's be honest, I don't cook too often, but when I do you want to help. And you love when we both get our aprons on (both made with love by Grandma Lucy) for the occasion 'cause it truly makes it official mommy-daughter cooking time.
• You are working hard on proper etiquette (aka Reverence!) during prayer time and you are getting really good at praying without too much help.
• You love books. You memorize them quickly and are so good and reading (aka reciting) them to me, daddy and Tagg. Going to the library to check out new books is one of your favorite things.
• At night you've started saying, "Don't let the pigeon drive the bus" after we exchange our I-love-you's. I think it's the most precious thing in the entire world!

Oh my goodness, Holland Bliss, I could go on and on and on. I'm sure as soon as I wrap this up I'll think of 20 more things that I really want you to know about the 3-year old you. I guess I'll just have to edit and add them, right?

I love watching you grow. I love being your momma. I love you!

Love,

Momma 

 

Sunshine State Vacay

Tyler had to go to an event in California this last week, and at the last minute, okay - like two days before he was supposed to leave, he suggested that we all go. I mean, a family road trip to California sounded so fun anyway, but add to it that it was a quick decision made it seem even more exciting. And it was...

We left Wednesday afternoon and drove until the kids started losing it, literally. We found a room at a Superl 8 in Fernley, Nevada at about 10:30 p.m. Tyler checked us in and when he opened the door he saw that the room hadn't even been cleaned. One of the beds was still unmade. When I told the manager he questioned me to the point of walking down to the room to see if I was telling the truth. He switched us to the next room and as Tyler was putting the sippy cups in the fridge, he happened to ope the microwave and found that their was still food in there. Gross! At that point I was bugged, but wasn't in the mood to move rooms again with two kids that needed to get to bed. I did demand a discount, so the next day they took $15 off our bill. I guess something is better than nothing!

Thursday we drove to Plesanton, California. Brandon and Janette moved there about a year ago. Janette and Eli were home, and we happened to get there around noon. Janette made us grilled cheese, soup and salad and we sat on their back porch and ate and let the kids play. There new house is so cute! It was much warmer than I had planned on, so by the time we snapped a pic both kids had removed their shirts. Classy!

Next stop was our hotel in Salinas, which was the nearest place Tyler could find a reasonably priced hotel near the event, which was in Monterey. It was a Motel 6 and they put us in a room with only one bed.