Myth Busters 101

Myth:
Does sugar really give you an energy rush?

Results:
As I was cleaning the house, shampooing the couch and taking down the Christmas decorations Harper decides to test this myth. You see, she had just opened a present from her Grandma J and was excited to see a plastic candy cane full of Reeses Pieces. (One of our favorite treats.) I opened the container for her and went back to my cleaning. Not really putting two and two together that 1) Harper is a sugar junkie and 2) I just gave her a large container of candy. In my ignorance she downed the entire thing. I figured no big deal she just wont get any candy tomorrow. At about 11pm when she was still bouncing off the walls, singing at the top of her lungs, crawling in the guinea pig crate and falling down with laughter I decided that this myth was true.

Twas the Night Before Christmas...

when all through the house, Payeton and Harper were stirring, more than a mouse. As visions of snow flurries danced in their heads, mommy sang out 'please go to bed'. They fluttered around like when in the womb, singing 'oh Santa wont you come soon'. Mommy reminds them that Santa wont appear, while they're running around like villains on beer. So dash away, dash away, dash away all! We climbed in to bed and slept like a doll.

I forgot how exciting Christmas Eve is for a kid. This year I was reminded of the pure joy you have when Santa is coming to town. The girls were so excited and restless that we didn't get to bed until 11pm. (Oh, how Santa has a late night job.) Although, after Santa had visited our house I did have a hard time going to bed. I wanted to wake the girls up and let the Christmas madness begin!

Christmas Hello!

Hello Family and Friends,
Where to begin….we’ve had so much fun this past year and have visited many different places. The girls and I love traveling together (okay maybe Payeton and I…Harper isn’t a fan of the car for long hours). We went to the Great Wolf Lodge in February, Tulip Festival in April, and Seaside Oregon in May. We even made it to Idaho a few times! We also enjoy spending quality time at home and watching movies on the weekends.

Payeton turned six this year and is going to first grade. She enjoys reading, ballet, art and swimming. She took swimming lessons this summer and looked like a little Indian girl by the time they were over. She now swims by herself with no water wings and will put her face in the water! This is a big improvement. She also does ballet and art once a week. She is quite the little artist. I’m going to have to start selling some of her work! Payeton is a great big sister as she always helps with Harper and around the house.



Harper will be two in January. She is a sassy little one with a lot of personality. She enjoys playing with her cousin Conner and big sister Payeton. She loves cats…truly loves cats! She always has a big smile on her face and gives lots of hugs. Harper is looking forward to potty training…or maybe just her mommy. She has been doing really well on using the big potty. Harper also took swim lessons this summer and did great. She loves to swim on hot summer days.



As for me, I will skip the age telling and get strait to the good stuff. I am working in property management and am starting to enjoy it. Someday I will be a jack of all trades! I love the summers in Eastern Washington as they are nice and hot…perfect for swimming. This summer I also had the chance to visit Leavenworth and Missoula, Montana. They are both beautiful places and can’t wait to visit them again. I am hoping to participate in the Missoula Marathon again (although, I’ve been very bad and haven’t run in months). I am always on the go with the girls and enjoy every moment of it. I have been lucky enough to volunteer in Payeton’s classroom at school on occasion.
The girls and I hope that you and your families are doing well and we wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Love: Cidnee, Payeton and Harper

Tis the Season...

to pass along unwanted germs. Yep, we've been hit hard recently and I can't wait until we are in full swing again. I always dread this time of year...being sick that is not the holidays. I personally hate to be sick and I don't like seeing my babies sick either. But during this time it reminds me of how thankful I am for family and friends. We've been blessed to have so many wonderful people in our life. Thank you for making us homemade soup, watching the girls so I could sleep and listening to me cry. I am also thankful for such a great doctor who always listens to my concerns and answers my questions. So, raise your glass as we 'cheers' to getting healthy!

Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun

I blinked and poof October was gone. I can't believe we are heading into the second to last month of the year. That's right I said it the Christmas countdown has begun! Well, before I get too far ahead of myself let me fill you in on our Halloween Fun.

We had a great October! We visited the pumpkin patch of course and the girls got to climb on haystacks, ride a barrel train and choose the perfect pumpkins. Payeton was excited because she got to go to three pumpkin patches and Harper and I only got to go to two. We also enjoyed numerous carnivals and carving pumpkin parties!

We had a spooky Halloween lunch on Saturday which included mummy dogs, ghost dip, eye balls and hand punch. The girls had lots of fun at the party. After lunch we went trick-or-treating at the Uptown. The girls got bags full of candy and were ready for the next venture. Which we went trunk-or-treating. Needless to say we have candy coming out of our ears. We filled two grocery bags full of candy which I now have hiding in the cupboard. We hope that everyone had a great Halloween!

Summer Fun

Summer is officially upon us! We have so many plans this summer and hope that we can do them all.

Last weekend we went to a minor baseball game...the girls had so much fun. Payeton kept asking what the score was and would laugh when I told her the visiting team was losing. It's amazing that at the age of 6 she already understands what it means to be a loser. Anyways, the Tri-City baseball team is called the Dust Devils. Payeton and Conner were shouting all night 'Go Devils'. It was too cute...although, a little funny hearing the word devil come from your child's mouth. Now I know how my parents must of felt when we moved to Dietrich and our mascot was the Blue Devils. A 'blue devil' I guess that is what the devil looks like when hell freezes over.

We also went cherry picking. We got 11 lbs of Rainier and Bing Cherries. We have so many cherries that I've started giving them away! Payeton was the seeker...she looked in several trees until she found the perfect cherries to pick. Harper was the eater...every time someone put a handful of cherries in the bucket she ate one. I think she ate at least 5 pits. The girl was pooping cherries for days. We can't wait to go back to the orchard for peaches and apples!

We are going camping over the 4th of July weekend and then are headed to Montana as I will be competing in my first half marathon. Should be lots of fun! Although, I haven't done a lick of training...oh well, I'm young...I can rebound, right? We also have a family reunion at the end of July but not sure if we will make it. For August and September we have no big plans at this time besides going to LA's wedding. We hope to see most of you this summer vacation...if not hopefully we can get together during the holidays.

Love,
Cid and the Girls

Before I was a MOM

As most of you know I recently went 9 days without my kiddos. It was the longest 9 days of my life...not something I want to have to go through again but I know as they get older it is bound to happen. During this time I was bored out of my mind. Yes, I did lots of projects, ran errands, took a little time for myself and got a massage. But during all of this it made me realize how grateful I am to be a mother to two beautiful little girls. Here are bits and pieces of a quote that touches my heart.

Before I was a Mom: I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday. Before I was a Mom: I had complete control of myself; My thoughts, My body, and My mind. I slept all night. Before I was a Mom: I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep. Before I was a Mom: I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew something so small could affect my
life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom. Before I was a Mom: I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment, or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

Blog going Private

Hello fellow bloggers:
I've decided to set my blog to private for safety reasons. You just never know what creepers are out there! I hope you don't mind signing up in order to read my blog.

Thank you!

Payeton's Ballet Recital

Payeton had her ballet recital at an outdoor venue along the river. It was a nice day and she did really well. She had lots of fun showing off her dance moves and got a SnoCone when she was all done. Little sister had fun entertaining the crowd (as usual) while we waited for big sis to perform. Payeton will be joining a summer camp this year called Sleeping Beauty Ballet Camp. She is so excited and can't wait to learn more 'princess' dances!

Seaside Oregon

Hello fellow readers! It has been a while since I've posted anything but we've just been crazy busy. Anywho....we just got back from a great vacation from the Coast.

We went to Seaside for Memorial Day weekend and had a blast. We got to spend some quality time with our bestest buddies the Gunderson Clan. We played in the sand and water. We went swimming, shopping and sightseeing. We of course ate lots of great local cuisine. Payeton's favorite part of the trip was swimming and of course the Tilt A Whirl...we went on it at least four times! Harper's favorite part of the trip was playing in the sand and of course hanging with the adults after hours! My favorite part of the trip was spending time with friends. It is so great to have such good friends that you consider family. I lean on you guys more than you know and can't imagine my life without you. We are going to make Seaside an annual affair over Memorial Day weekend so if anyone wants to join us...the more the merrier.

Wedgy Mania

So the other morning as I was getting ready for work the girls were watching cartoons eating their breakfast. I was running around the house like a mad lady (this is usual in the mornings since I seem to sleep in a lot) in just my panties and a shirt. Payeton comes in to my bedroom and looks me over and says "mommy your panties are funny looking". I just agree with her and then she comes closer to inspect. "Oh wait, you just have a wedgy!" I've learned not to walk around in just my panties!

Tooth Fairy

So Payeton has some friends at school that have started losing their teeth. Since then she never fails to mention that she can feel her teeth getting loose. The other day she was eating an apple and kept going ouch, ouch, ouch. I asked what was wrong and she told me her tooth is getting ready to be loose. Being shocked I asked her if I could feel her tooth. So I try to wiggle it and it is not budging...no sign of any loose tooth. I told Payeton "sweaty your tooth is hard as a rock". She replies "I know mom, I said it was just getting ready to be loose. If I keep eating apples it will get loose and fall out. I guess I better eat an apple a day". I started laughing...isn't the saying 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away'. I guess not for Payeton's case. Now I just need to ask her what the tooth fairy is suppose to bring her.

Harper's 1st Birthday

Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday dear Harper, Happy Birthday to You!!

We celebrated Harper's first birthday in style with a chunky monkey theme. She had lots of fun celebrating with family and friends. I can't believe my baby is One. Where does the time go?

We enjoyed taco soup, cheese and crackers, and delicious chocolate monkey cupcakes. Big sister Payeton helped mommy make the cupcakes. They were soooo good!

Family Time!!

We were spoiled a lot this past month. We got to visit with Papa and Grammy Edwards, Papa and Grammy Andrus and Grammy Faye. It was great getting to see everyone and can't wait for us all to get together again real soon. It looks like we will be going to Idaho in May for Tasha's graduation. Can't wait to see you graduate from nursing school sis!

While Papa & Grammy Edwards were here we played games, went to a bull riding event (I even got my picture taken with the Clown!), visited and celebrated Harper's 1st Birthday. We had lots of fun!



We got to have breakfast with Grammy Susie and Papa MooMoo before they headed out of town. It was good visiting with them and hope they can make it out again.

While Grammy Faye was in town we kept her on the go. We went to a birthday party, played games, showed her Payetons' school, too her to Oregon for the first time and just hung out. The girls had lots of fun playing dress up with Grammy and spending some quality time.



Thank you everyone for making our January so great!