The Birthday that was a "Little Bit Boring..."

Gracie just wanted 'more guests' at her Sixth Birthday Party.  As she explained in the video, she had a decent time; she appreciated my effort...but when she was being completely honest with herself...the party was...well...just boring.  But just a "little bit boring" (as to not totally hurt my feelings).

This video cracked me up.  I was trying, the entire time, to not burst out laughing.  Polite Gracie, hesitant to explain that next year she would like to see some changes made to the way I throw parties.

Gracie and her 3 "Guests":  Morgan Rich, Alexa Peterson & Ruth Pilling. 

I made Gracie a Rainbow Dash Birthday Cake.

  Gracie was excited about the Princess Luna Pony Morgan gave her as a present; so excited she toppled her over with a giant hug.

And what would a Rainbow Dash Party be without cups full of skittles?!?

We also celebrated with Grandpa and Grandma Tait at their house.  
Gracie had decorated this cake for us to enjoy.  

Aunt LaMae gave Gracie a Tinker Bell doll for her birthday.  Her reaction was awesome!

Gracie's birthday always falls around Thanksgiving.  It's a busy time of the year, but we wanted to take her out to eat.  She chose to eat at the 'Spaghetti Factory' in Orem.  Then we went to Build a Bear to stuff some highly talked about My Little Ponies.  The girls were so excited!

 

Gracie knew Sienna would be devastated if she didn't get to take home a pony too!  Gracie was way happy to share the fun with her younger sister.  Gracie chose Rainbow Dash (of course) and Sienna picked out Twilight Sparkle.  All was hunky-dory until little sis changed the music that big sis was rocking out to.  Sometimes you just want to let loose to "One Direction"...and then....

Happy 3rd Birthday Sienna! (Pony Style)

She's full of energy.  She's busy.  She's playful.  And now she is three!

At her three-year-old well check, Sienna weighed 28 lbs {14th percentile} and she was  35.25 inches tall {8th percentile}   She's a little peanut; petite and proportional.  No wonder the neighbor down the street calls her Polly Pocket.  She is right on track with her developmental skills.  During her check-up, the nurse showed her little images of a circle, heart, square and house.  Sienna then stood at the far wall, held her hand over one eye, and took an eye exam.  Not only does she have good vision, but Dr. Wilcox was impressed Sienna was so attentive and responsive to the test.  He says most 3-year-olds just freeze and stare at the medical staff.    He called her advanced in that area and says, rarely do 3-year-olds complete the test.  She sure looked sweet taking the eye exam.  But if I was the one giving the test, I doubt she would have been so attentive.  She tends to listen to others better than me.  :)  Sienna is extremely independent, which means if we are trying to get out the door, I need to give us 30 extra minutes for all the things she needs to do 'by herself' to get ready.  She is a bit of a tornado. When it comes to making messes, she has reached expert status.

I love her energy.  I adore her pizazz and spunk.  She gives the best hugs and looks up to her big sister.  Sienna brings a special feeling into our home.  I am thankful she's ours.

Sienna LOVES ponies! So typically, we had a Pony Party for her birthday Two ponies, one with Pink hair and one with Rainbow hair came to Papa and Grandma Wiscombe's beautiful backyard. The children lined up - so excited to take a ride.

Sienna would go for a pony ride and pop right back in line.  I think she went on seven different rides...at least.  

Her Slice Of Heaven.  

She still speaks, in detail, about the two ponies who 'came' to her party.  It was so sweet.  I know we probably have years ahead of us - full of school dances, wanting a cell phone, painted fingernails and latest fashions....  But this year, she only cared about riding a pony with Pink Hair.

Wish Granted.  

My parents have such a lovely yard.  It was so nice of them to let us throw the party there.  And the ponies helped trim the grass by eating it....errr....sorry dad!

 





The Invitations....

It was a beautiful evening with good weather, friends, family, and yummy food.




We also had 'My Little Pony Cookies' with all the main characters, including some of Sienna's favorites: Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy.

When it came to food, Sienna was mostly interested in the cookies.  

Sienna's friends were so nice to bring her such fun presents (lots more ponies to add to her collection.)

And there must be cake...pony cake...of course!  I had a fun time making and decorating this cake.  Jody put the finishing touches on the mane.

Sienna really enjoyed blowing out the candles and opening her presents.  

When I was little, I also loved 'My Little Ponies'.  I was older than three in the below picture, but I wanted a Pony Cake for my birthday too.  Gracie and Sienna have found the ponies my parents kept from when I was younger.  The girls love playing with the retro ponies.

Celebrating Sienna

Sienna's 2nd Birthday fell on a Sunday. It was the day of the Brigham City Temple Dedication. I asked for work off, and I was able to attend the first session of the dedication with Jody. What a lovely event. Once we returned home, I started on Sienna's Birthday Cake. I made it all by myself - from start to finish. It took hours. Sienna thought it looked delicious. She wanted to have the first taste...errr....Lick.

Papa Wiscombe had Sienna laughing so hard. She thinks he is so funny.

Grandma and Papa Wiscombe gave Sienna a 'little people' Princess Castle. It has music and the voices of Cinderella and Snow White. Grandma and Papa Tait gave Sienna 5 onesies, some jeggings and a musical microphone.  Uncle Kerry, Aunt Stacy and the kids mailed Sienna a super nice gift (with treats!) all the way from Florida.  Uncle Jeff and Aunt Lacey gave her a cute sweater/pant combo. We surprised our two-year-old with a pink push car.

Sienna keeps us smiling with her developing personality. She really has a different demeanor now that she has made a full recovery after her Kidney Reflux Surgery. She is much more playful now compared to how she acted pre-surgery. This is evidence that her Kidney Troubles kept her from feeling 100%. What a blessing that she is happy and healthy.  Now she can focus more on doing crazy things like this...

 

Sienna loves to dance, wear bracelets, watch 'Little Einsteins', mimic her big sister, and run around. She thinks it is really funny to sneak up on people and yell 'BOO'. She repeats prayers, and she always wants to sleep in Mom and Dad's bed instead of her crib. She says all of her animals, can count to ten (with some coaxing), she says more than 50 words, and now she calls Gracie 'CC' but she used to call her 'Ace'.

We love you Sienna Bug!!

 

Happy Birthday Dad!

Earlier this week, my dad celebrated his birthday. He deserves a Shout Out! So here it is.

Yee Haw! :)

My dad is Amazing. His word is golden. If he says he is going to be someplace or do something - he will be 15 minutes early - the task will be accomplished with 110 percent effort - and he will have a smile on his face! He can fix anything. Anything. Trust me: I've put him to the test. He has always supported me. He never missed a Show Choir Performance, Drill Team Half-Time, Pageant or Theater Production.

He has always been there for me.

Here we are singing "Unforgettable" when I passed on my crown as Miss UVU.


My Dad loves sports. Growing up, he was a football star. When I was little, we spent endless nights at the ballpark diamonds - watching him round the bases. Michael shares his love for sports. For more than 20 years, Dad has helped Michael live his dream of "Playing Ball". Together, they bat. And then Dad pushes Michael around the bases during these adaptive Coach/Pitch and T-Ball games. There is something beautiful about watching them roll across Home Plate. Even more than the giant smile on Michael's face, is a silent feeling of absolute selflessness. This is a sight I will never get tired of seeing. (And maybe I won't have to. Dad, you know there is NO age limit in adaptive sports - and Michael will still expect you to push him even when you're 90!) My dad continues to give.
You can Click HERE to see a picture of the duo in a local newspaper article.

We love you Dad! Thanks for all you do for us.