Chani's 3!

We had a great birthday on Saturday. It was lots of fun, and it lasted nearly all day! Our dear friends Jon and Brooke (who we've known since Chadron....and since Jon was only 30) and their boys Matthew and Gideon came to celebrate with us, and our new friends Jason and Christy and their kids Hailey and Logan. We had a pizza lunch followed by presents and princess cake. Chani is the queen of tearing paper off of presents and moving to the next one before she even takes a close look at what was wrapped up. She got a haul that included birthday dresses (thanks Grammy and Papa), princess nail polish and a princess puzzle (thanks Hailey and parents), play doh (thanks, Schwaderer family), a little Dora figure with a puppy (from Emery) and a horse with a rider and dollhouse furniture from Clint and I.


I lit the candles on the cake and before anyone could get a camera ready, she had them blown out (she practices all the time). We relit them and that time made her wait until we could snap a pic.


After the party wrapped up, we had a church activity to go to. The girls there couldn't believe that Chani was a baldie, so here are the previous birthday posts to prove it. 1 year and 1 year party and 2 years

We finished the day with birthday spankings and pinches at bedtime, and Emery was kind enough to give her 3 pinches. I told him if she grew 3 inches he would get it, but I am sure at the rate she is growing up, 3 inches is a real possibility.

Two weeks ago Clint's parents were here and they had a birthday gift for Chani. She's wanted the pink box of Lego's for a long time, and so she told Grandma and Grandpa that was her request. They were happy to oblige, especially when they got this reaction.

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Spanish

The other night we were getting ready for family prayers and Clint said something to me in Spanish. I looked at him and was trying to figure out in my mind what it was he had said when Emery piped up, "No comprendo." It was spot on and perfect. Clint and I cracked up, then Emery said, "What does that mean?"

The good, the bad, and the ugly

The good: I finished Chani's darling birthday dress.

The bad: I cannot repeat the shirring (that I did on Chani's dress) on some skirts for me. Any suggestions for my newer Brother machine? I'm really ready to throw it in the trash.

The ugly: While hand-hemming Chani's darling birthday dress, I found two spots where she cut it with scissors.

Getting fit!

If I put this out there for everyone to read it makes me more accountable, right? I've used Texas as an excuse for not exercising and getting fit this past year. Go running? It's too hot. Go running? No babysitter. Go running? No thanks.

The excuses end now. I'm concerned that my stack of jeans (that I haven't touched since February) won't fit, and I while I'm not so concerned about how much I weigh, I want to be back in my size 4's.

We live one block from the greenway in Cheyenne. I'm not kidding when I tell you that this path connects the entire city and most of the major parks. It's perfect for running, biking, and strolling. In addition, Clint's schedule is much lighter this fall, so at least 2 days a week I'll be able to run before he goes to work (sans kids), and possibly on other days as well (we'll have to see how this week goes), but if I can't go in the morning, I can go in the afternoon/evening. There is no humidity here, so it's cooler, and usually breezy which keeps the heat down as well.

My goal is to get fit in 12 weeks. I think I can do it. I even have some goal pants (white capris) that fit last summer. My goals this week are to run 5 times (I already have one down), drink lots of water, and watch my portion sizes.

Anyone want to join me?

We made it!

We arrived in Wyoming last Saturday about noon. We had some great help from our church, and the big yellow truck was unloaded in about 2 hours. Since then, we've had visits from both Grandma and Grandpa (Clint's parents) and Grammy and Papa (Jill's parents). Grandma and Grandpa helped put furniture together, get settled in and make beds. Grammy and Papa helped put in a new cupboard in the kitchen to hold pots and pans. We also had a visit this weekend from our dear friends the Bangerters who we met in college. For the first time, we forgot to take a kid shot. Regardless, fun was had with everyone.

Differences between the move to Texas and the move from Texas.

TO TEXAS:


FROM TEXAS:



Additionally, there was no puking on the trip to Texas. Chani got a bit car sick while riding in the big yellow truck. Daddy kindly pulled over so Mom could clean Chani up. That same day, while eating lunch in a very cute cafe in a tiny town, the waitress spilled an entire glass of water in my lap. I must have looked warm. It was hot in Oklahoma.

We're excited and happy to be in Wyoming. We are loving the cool nights and the lack of humidity (even if we all have dry skin rashes--advice?). While the elevation makes running a bit harder, we're happy to be breathing clean air.

One more day.....

and we're out of here. I hate packing. Already this AM, Chani took a sharpie to my Willow Tree Figurines. It's going to be a long and painful day.

Busy, busy!

While I've been doing this:



Emery and Chani have been keeping themselves entertained by doing things like this:

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