Brighton's Kindergarten Birthday

Today I went and volunteered in Brighton's kindergarten class to help celebrate his birthday (his birthday isn't until Sunday, but there's no school tomorrow or Friday because of UEA). It was fascinating to be an observer in the Chinese portion of the day.  His teacher, Zhao Lao Shi, strictly talks to them in Chinese-- with a lot of visuals and gesturing-- and the kids are following everything she says!  I was impressed.  They sang songs, played games, talked about colors and shapes, and made a craft during the hour that I was there.

Brighton and I put together these goody bags for each of his class-mates:

And then he handed them out, and they sang him "Happy Birthday" in Chinese

The class enjoying their goody bags (they were supposed to be putting them in their backpacks!)

Brighton and Zhao Lao Shi

It was really fun to meet his friends and teachers and see him in his classroom.  A special thanks to Grandma Allen for watching Siena and picking Chelsea up from preschool so that I could be with Brighton today :)

Siena's Fashion Fix-up

Siena came up from her nap like this the other day. She had taken her top off, pulled her skirt up to make it into a tube top, and kept her bloomers and leggings on as some sort of unique bottom. 

It's quite the fashion statement.

I think we're in trouble.

Sunday Pictures

I wanted to get a picture of the guys in their seersucker suits before I put them away with our other seasonal clothing:

Brighton is attempting to make a serious face like his dad...

And then of course the girls wanted a picture taken of them, too

Chelsea's Circus Day

For Chelsea's birthday Grandma and Grandpa Allen gave her a card with tickets to go and see the circus:

So last Friday the three of them went--

She was pretty worn out from all of the excitement when they brought her back, but we know she had a fabulous time because she can't stop talking about it!  What a special gift to get some one-on-one time with her Grandma and Grandpa.

Chelsea's Last Soccer Game

Chelsea had her last soccer game of the season today. It was a really fun season.

She played really well in all of her games, and of course her dad could not be more proud that she loves the sport so much now!

Chelsea's 4-Year-Old Pictures

So, I'm sure most people do this, but I always take my kids to get their pictures taken for their birthdays to commemorate the growth of another year. I typically spend $30-$40 for them, regardless of how they turn out. This year, I thought, how about if I spend the money on a cute new outfit for them instead, and take the pictures myself for free? I have this nice camera that I don't use nearly enough, and if we're having a bad day or they just don't turn out right, there's no loss and we can just try again another day. There's no pressure to get it right the first time, so I think it would be a lot less stressful than going to a portrait studio. So here is my first attempt at birthday pictures.

There is a cool old building on Main Street in Bountiful that every time I drive by I think "that would be a great background for pictures!", so that's where we went.

Dress: $12.  Boots: $17.  Model's own hat and legwarmers. Printing pictures at Costco: $5. 

So what do you think?  Should I stick with Kiddie Kandids?

Impromptu Photo

I snapped this picture as we were leaving for school this morning, and I came to the realization that these kids are just growing up too fast!

Chelsea's Birthday Dinner

On Sunday we had a family dinner to celebrate Chelsea's birthday.

She requested cupcakes instead of a big cake

Spaghetti with meatballs, salad, garlic bread, and italian soda, as requested.  This girl sure loves meatballs and noodles!

It was fun to have Grandma and Grandpa Allen join us

Make a wish!

Happy Birthday, Chelsea!

Early this morning Justin and I awoke to the sounds of the girls whispering-- Siena was saying, "Close your eyes, Chelsea, it's a surprise for you!".  And then, a squeal of delight from Chelsea, and her exclaiming, "Wow, it's really big!".  I think the dollhouse was a hit.

Chelsea opening her other gifts

All decked out and ready to go

She decided she wanted breakfast at Paradise Bakery

The rest of us did not complain

After breakfast, she had a soccer game-- in which she scored two goals!-- and then we went to an afternoon showing of "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"

The girls walking with Dad into the theater

Afterwards we asked Chelsea what she wanted for her birthday dinner, and she said "Sushi!" without any hesitation.  So we went to Happy Sumo.  Have I mentioned how much I love that our kids have such sophisticated palates?

Here she is enjoying her California Roll

Then we came home and set up the dollhouse.  Hours of fun for everyone!

I can't believe our little princess is already 4!  She is such a sweet member of our family, and we just love her to pieces.  Some of our favorite things about her are:

-She is super affectionate and loves to give hugs and kisses!

-She is the BEST at giving compliments.  Having her around makes everyone feel better about themselves :)

-She is a happy and bouncy little girl, and is very enthusiastic about most everything.

We love you, Chelsea-bug!

Chelsea's Birthday Preschool Day

Since it's Chelsea's birthday this week, I volunteered at her preschool today to help celebrate.  It was fun to spend the morning with her and get to know some of her preschool friends.  Her teachers also let me take a few minutes at the end to tell them about Chelsea's favorite things, and read them her favorite book, "Fancy Nancy".

Chelsea and Miss Renae

How cute is this girl?  She was pretty happy to have me there

We attached these things to a balloon for each of her 17 classmates

I did something very similar for Brighton's preschool class when he turned 4, too.  After all, what 4-year-old doesn't like balloons, right?  It was definitely a hit with the kids both times.  

A special thanks to Grandma Allen for watching Siena so that I could go and be with Chelsea's class today!

Ok, I lied...

When my cute Aunt Carolyn heard that our pool had closed, she invited us up to swim in her backyard. The kids, of course, were thrilled.  For one thing, she has WAY better pool toys than we do, and we also didn't have to share the water with anyone else :)




It was nice to get one last swim in before the weather turned-- I guess the last couple of cool and rainy days means summer is now officially over?

4 Years Already?

Justin is up for re-election for his position on the City Council.  I'm sure most of our wonderful friends here in Centerville have found this hanging on their door:

He has loved being on the City Council, and I'm biased of course, but I think he is the man for the job :)  It has been so fun to see the kids-- especially Brighton-- get involved in the campaign process.

But regardless of who you choose to support, I hope everyone will take the time to go and vote tomorrow!

Soccer Season Begins

Soccer season is now in full swing!  Now that we have two kids in soccer, between practices and games it keeps us pretty busy, but we love it.

Chelsea has done surprisingly well in soccer.  She goes for the ball, and is tough-- I guess making her go to all of Brighton's games paid off!  The best part is, she really enjoys it and has a lot of fun with her team-mates. 

Chelsea picked out these pink (of course!) socks and shorts to go with her uniform top.  Even the shin guards are pink

Here are some pictures from her first game:

Getting ready for kick-off

Distracted by a flower on the field (that's her coach-- also named Chelsea-- trying to get her attention)

A super action shot

Kicking off

Distracted by another flower...

But then she throws it away to get back into the game

Brighton is now in his third year of playing soccer.  It's exciting to see how much he has improved since his first season as a tiny tot.

Getting focused before kick-off

The half-time huddle (he's #8)

loyal fans

We're all ready for another great season!