Tidbits

Sometimes the girls can be so sweet to each other. This is Sydney kissing Ireland as she's sleeping.

From Sydney who wanted Brent to tie a blanket around her so she'd look like a princess-

Brent: Why don't you ask one of your sisters?
Sydney: *mournfully* Well Liesel's lazy and she won't do it and Ireland's lazy and she won't do it and Gita... Gita just HATES me so she won't do it!

After Christmas the girls were eager to use up the gift cards they received in their stockings so we headed downtown to the American Girl Store. 

Brent was a trooper.

Liesel is showing her maturity and wasn't quite as interested in the dolls as she was in getting to Sephora to check out the makeup. 

She's all filters and selfies these days! We had fun at Sephora.

Her Young Women leaders decorated her room while she was at school. It's hard to see but they put confetti on her desk and left a little goodie bag as well.

Sometimes when I make the girls hug it out after a fight, it's a much worse punishment for one of them than it is for the other.

Cookie season is upon us! We are so very grateful to anyone who buys as we have these 4 to support. I love Girl Scouts and the opportunities it provides for these girls to serve and get involved in our community.

There's nothing particularly special about this video- it's just Gita putting on her boots as she gets ready for school. All the girls love wearing high heels and I wanted to capture a moment where Gita could explain why she loves them so much and how she looks at this age, getting ready for school. I have a feeling that when I am old and funny, these everyday kind of videos will mean the most to me.

During FHE the girls reenacted Laban refusing to give the plates to Nephi and his brothers. I thought Ireland's beard was pretty inventive and they all made sure to wear sandals in keeping with people who would have lived in Jerusalem around 600 BC.

I'm pretty sure the file room at work is haunted. It's in a remote corner of the building so when I have to file something I leave a note on my friend Laura's desk so someone knows I'm down there. One day she left early and I jokingly left another note on her desk stating that I'd died down in the file room. She made me this and it cracked me up!

I took Liesel to a GEMS Conference (Girls in Engineering, Math & Science).

Aside from some pretty cool activities, there were break out sessions and a career fair. She was able to talk to women who work in all kinds of jobs she'd never even heard of.

Here she is trying her hand at some coding. I think the one that made the biggest impression on her was the girl who worked in construction. She had worked on Disneyland as well as the new Starbuck's Roastery here in Chicago. 

On Thursday nights the older 3 girls are at dance so I pop Sydney in the bath and then we read to each other. I love this little bit of time we have, just the two of us.

One thing I definitely have taken for granted is the pictures the girls have drawn me. Somehow it never dawned on me that there is an age limit to these drawings and now the Liesel and Ireland don't do them anymore, I just relish it when I get one from Brititta or Sydney. 

I love the way Sydney drew me with high heels!

I've had the girls practicing the KonMari method of folding clothes, but the girls took it to the next level: