My girls.. and cloth diapers

My girls had their birthdays, 7 and 3, in November, and since they are a week away they still enjoy having their party together. This year it was a puppy party. We gave a dog bowl with dog treats as party favors. The kids all got to wear dog ears and we decorated dog tags. Like any party wih all of their cousins it was noisy and fun:) Chey has been acting, well, shy. She didn't seem to like the crowd and didn't even want all of the attention and didn't want to blow out the candles with Maddie. So here is my blog about my special girls. First off is my Maddie. I can honestly tell you she has been the perfect "first" for me. She always wants to do what is right, loves to help me out, and despite an occasional stubborn and bossy big sister attitude, she really is a perfect kid. She is going back on track on Monday and I dread it. I love having her around for the help but also the company. When she is around the kids seem to flock around her and come up with fun ideas to keep busy. Her and AJ are the best of friends and it is the hardest on him when she is gone. At her 7 year well check it showed that she has gained 5 lbs(78%) and 5 inches(99%) just this year. I am constantly buying longer pants for this girl...and she is just like I was and the tallest in her class. Unlike me, she is told how great it is to be tall:) I am taller than my parents and 4 older sisters and was the "jolly green giant" :)

I know it simply sounds like bragging, but first of all it is my blog:) but sometimes she is too smart. I thought 1st grade would be different and she would be at a similar level with the other kids. But the teacher has a seperate spelling test for her and extra work. I didn't like that the words were too easy, I want her to be challenged. But the teacher does the class spelling test first and then Maddies. I don't like her being set apart from the other kids. She seems fine with it and came home to make flashcards with her new words. Being off track she wanted spelling tests each week--I know she's a wierdo:) I am telling you that I have to check with spell check to make sure I spell them right before printing her list out:) Words like preposterous, synagogue, refrigerator, atonement, etc. She practices for a couple days and memorizes them. Each night she reads a chapter book in her bed in 45 min...about 65 pages- I quiz her about it because sometimes she reads a couple and I want to see if she knows what she is reading. She is reading at a 6th grade level now as a 1st grader and I feel like she isn't learning much at school. The past few days she has been testing for the ALPS program and if she gets in my kids will go to a different school so she can have the accelerated learning program that will help her progress in the level she is at.

After ALPS testing on Thursday we went directly to the Reflections ceremony! She won her first trophy for a short story she wrote, and she was so excited! Last year she didn't win and was bummed(I can't tell you how many I entered as a kid and lost:) so it was encouraging to see her get something this year.

Our Cheyenne is one of the cutest kids you will know. She is so lovable and squeezable but at the same time you want to shake her:) She is of course in the terrible 3's and loves her independence. She started potty training at 23 mths and did great up until 6 mths ago when she decided to poop in her pants at nap time or bed time EVERY day. I am excited to announce that we have had one week with no accidents!!! Seriously I was at the end of my sanity after trying everything for 6 mths but she would poop in her pants and smile at me and say "You are beautiful mom" or just sing jingle bells.... So cute but frustrating. But last sunday she needed to go and after 3 hrs of patient coaxing, bribery and stories, she did it. We made such a huge deal out of it that she has done it ever since.

(Adorable pics all taken by my sweet sister in law..she makes the tutus too if you are interested:)

Chey is more of a girly girl and loves to dress up dolls, polly pockets , princess puzzles and play with her babies. She also loves to sing and make up silly songs. She thinks "potty words" are hilarious and makes the kids laugh. She loves the line from Kung Fu Panda "don't tell Monkey" and says it in the same voice randomly and the kids bust up:) She is always "tricking" and it makes me laugh but also amaze me that her mind comes up with actual jokes already. She can't watch a movie without getting up to shake her booty at each song:)

She is learning jsut as fast as her siblings did and loves to learn...knows colors, shapes, recognizes letters and their sounds(she sings the leap frog sound song until the kids beg/threaten her to stop, and counts to 17, but still has a hard time recognizing the numbers. She LOVES the Hungry Caterpillar book and "reads" it word for word. It makes me and Rob nostalgic becasue we remember little Maddie doing the same when she was that age, and now she is so grown up:)

She loves to play in playdough and moon sand and despite the mess, I love that it keeps her busy.

She loves dinosaurs and sea creatures, mostly because her older siblings and of course I can't call it a whale around her either..it is an orca. She is always hungry for cheese and always wants to watch a movie. I think that is why she wakes up so early..for cartoons:) I think she watches more than the other kids do because she wakes up early, but I stand firm on the 1 movie a day rule or this one would be glued to the tv.

She gives the best hugs and adores her daddy. When he comes home she knocks him over and I know he LOVES it. My favorite is when she says "preposterous". I know it is a strange word but I use it for instances when the kids ask something they know is a "no", like can we have a candy cane for breakfast? I'll say "pre...posterous"...jsut a funny way to say no. A few months ago I asked Chey to finish her broccoli and she said "preposterous" and smiled. Now she uses it at least once a day and in the right context, and coming from her little mouth it is adorable. She has been a chatter bug since 18 mths so at 3 she doesn't stop talking....mostly adorable...but she is still in the terrible 3's....

For our next adventure...cloth diapers...about 10 minutes after we bought some, I looked back and saw this:) We are starting our first official day tomorrow and I will update....I think I have already gone on too much for one day:)

Okay, I did forget Carsons 7 mth pics... we went for BYU for daddy:)