Chop! Chop!

"Before"
(this was 6 months ago after her last hair cut)

"After "
Our very brave Alicia had hair down to her lower back but decided to go dramatic. We told the girl to cut 4-5 inches but it ended up being more like 6-7 inches. She loves it although it was very hard for her to see it fall. I think it just shows off how dang cute she is!! She says she loves it because she can do so many fun things with it. No more pony tails day after day!

The Real Quicker Picker Upper!

This week helped me remember that I was going to do a review on my new cleaning machine. I tended 3 boys for my friend (who took a much needed vacation with her mom) for a day, I watched my cute nephew Daniel (while his little brother is in the hospital) and I actually baked lots of cookies and banana bread this week (which made extra messes for me). This morning I heard Benny get up around 6:30. I waited for him to come get in bed with me but he never came. I heard him come back upstairs and then there was silence. Finally, I got up to go run at 6:45 and peeked into his room. I had to muffle a laugh as I watched him down chocolate chip cookies in bed while he read books.

Electrolux Pronto 2 in 1

I got this for Christmas because I was sick of bending over and sweeping into a dust pan all day long. For those that know me very well, know that I can't stop cleaning. (I'm not a deep cleaner but just like things looking nice) With the twins and after installing new floors last year I was sick of sweeping and not getting all of the dust in the pan. I use this great machine on my wood floors and tile. I LOVE IT! There is a dust buster that comes off that I used to vacuum out Benny's bed this morning(I also use it for my stairs for a quick clean). It sits on a charger when I'm not using it and is very easy to clean. I just dump out the little container every 3 days or so and clean it out and let it air dry over night every couple of weeks. It even sweeps under the cabinets. It sweeps up rice! It has enough power to clean my whole kitchen & dining area & the portion of the living room that isn't covered by my rug.

For the negatives: You have to push on the button constantly when using the dust buster portion. Not a big deal but it would be nice if it was a switch. Also, it doesn't pick up bigger pieces but if it's a big chip or fruit loop, I just step on it and up it goes. You also need to make sure the little rubber wheels don't get stuff on them(like little rocks) or they could scratch your floor.

So I give this machine 41/2 stars!! It is a life saver. I got mine from Sam's after Christmas for around $70. They are $99 in Target and you can get them on Amazon for around $80 but after shipping it is about $94. I haven't looked for them in Sam's since so I don't know if they were just a Christmas item. Happy Cleaning!

Welcome Home!

My mom & dad are almost there! It's been about a month since they left their mission in D.C. After touring, driving across the U.S. and visiting family along the way they are probably just pulling up to their home as I type. They left my house this morning. The kids were so sad to see them go. They showed up yesterday morning and it only took a few minutes for the twins to be right in their laps.

My parents tended them while Eric and I went up to Logan b/c Eric received an award from USU as the "Outstanding Young Professional" in the HYPER department. But this gave the twins enough bonding time for Adam to cry and throw one of his fits when my parents were getting ready to leave. He got on his shoes and was insistant on going w/ Papa and Grandma. Only after Papa gave them each a quarter to buy a piece of gum did the tears dry and they were ready for picture time. We are so excited they are home & it almost feels like they never left.

The Blazin' BB

Richie's first derby was a great success. You can't tell by the picture but there are grooves on the back w/ tons of bb's pried in there. Rich painted it himself and designed it. After making all his cars by himself, Eric learned a few tricks. Also with the help of Uncle Jake, the axels were slick! Richie was the only one who broke the 4 second barrier. He made it to the finals. It was him against two brothers whose dad vowed he would learn to make the best derby car after their last car wouldn't even go down the track last year. For some reason in the finals, Richie's car only broke the 4 second barrier one out of three times (it might have something to do w/ them putting his car on the slowest track twice). But he placed second and he was so excited!

I was running out the door to go to work for 3 hours before the derby and remembered that I hadn't sewed on Richie's badges in the upper picture. One call to Aunt Cindi and she was here to pick up the shirt, went home and sewed it all on for me and returned the shirt in time for the derby. Thanks to a wonderful Aunt!!!

Richie loves scouts and works on something almost everyday.