A Surprise "Fancy Nancy" Tea Party

While at the library last week, I took the kids into the cookbook section of the non-fiction portion of the library. Together we picked out a few cookbooks with ideas of things we can do and make together. One of the books was Fancy Nancy Tea Parties, where Fancy Nancy explains the "how to's" of throwing a tea party.

On Thursday, I decided to surprise the girls with a tea party following some of the guidelines that Fancy Nancy sets (and a few different ideas of my own).

Here is what the girls woke up to from their naps.

Melanie is Fancy and ready to "party".We started out with some crafts while mommy finished making the freshments.

The girls assisted, and we made homemade donuts, and then I let them decorate a few.

Time for some "tea" (or crystal light).

Yum!

It was so much fun to sit and chat with the girls while we enjoyed our refreshments and each other's company. We all had a blast!

Pioneer Children....

Tuesday was pioneer day! It's a day where we honor our ancestors that got us to were we are today. Some are pioneers that crossed the plains, sacrificing everything to get to a place where they can worship their Heavenly Father in the way that they believed.

To celebrate, we made horribly cheesy bonnets. Then the girls helped make butter from cream and make cobbler for dessert. It was fun.

What, your pioneer ancestors didn't look like Snow White or Minnie Mouse?

And we have Butter!

In case you are wondering, yes, I served the butter, with the rolls!

We are all so grateful for the pioneers. They are great examples of enduring to the end. Happy Pioneer Day!

Weather...

It started like any other typical Saturday...

What? You don't typically canoe in the pool? Whatever! Okay, so it started like any other Silly Saturday. The kids were canoeing in the pool, with Dad and Grandpa. And mom, Oliver, and Grandma were inside socializing. All the sudden, Grandpa's spiffy, extremely complicated, new phone started making this really loud noise that pretty much sounded like the emergency broadcasting alert we use to get on the TV when I was a kid. I picked up his phone and read "Sever Dust Storm from East" and something about no driving because of limited vision. I went outside, and looked to the east. Sure enough... There was a wall of dust, moving our way!

Umm... hello!!! Time to get everything stable and ready for some serious wind.

Someone wasn't too happy about the storm.

But after the dust part was gone, we got some RAIN! Thank you, Monsoon!

We {Heart} Our Library

I truly love our library! This summer they have had a fun series of shows and events to celebrate 100 years of Arizona and also to help keep the kids excited about libraries and cool (literally, since it is miserably hot outside).

So, what have we seen this summer. Here you go:

1. Gary West and the Wild West Magic Wonders. This man was amazing. His magic was all based around cowboys, ropes, and card tricks. I don't know how he did most of his stuff, but I truly enjoyed watching it. He was something else.

2. Ron Privett, Cowboy Fiddler (pictured). Wow! Okay, seriously, WOW!!! Melanie and Noelle are still singing "Ghost Riders in the Sky" around my house! This guy was AMAZING! That fiddle was AMAZING! The whole thing was AMAZING! (Have I mentioned... wow!?!) Now if you are looking at this picture and wondering who that is standing next to Melanie... I have no idea. Apparently this mystery girl wanted to be in the picture more than Noelle, so there you have it!

3. Tex and Mary Ann's cowboy show. These two were pretty funny. Mary Ann did most of the action, telling stories, singing, and doing a little magic. Tex wore a huge cowboy hat, and together they were fun.

4. The Magical Comedy of Jolly Roger (pictured). Now, it there was any show that I would have missed, it's probably this one. This guy was very entertaining to the little kids, they had fun. But he was really obnoxious to me. But that's just me. But, like I said, the kids liked it.5. Wild man Phil and his animals! Okay, this was neat. This guy brought scorpions, lizards, turtles, spiders, and snakes to the library to show off to the kids. He talked a lot about them and showed them off one by one. Then, when he was done, he let the kids see a few of them up close. This tortoise that girls are petting was given to Wild Man Phil with one front leg missing and one front leg half gone. This big guy is a fighter, and gets around just fine with his wheel (which is changed every year).
And snakes!!! yikes! This sucker was HUGE!!!

Here is the whole gang after seeing the animals. (We have library friends, Madi, McKenna, Melanie, and Noelle!)

6. The Doggies of the Wild West. This show starts off with a magic show, which was a lot of fun. of course, I forget to bring my camera and for once, one of my kids is picked to participate. Melanie had fun helping with the magic show and was really excited to see the puppies. The dogs did some amazing things, like balancing on their heads, jumping over a group of kids, and climbing tall ladders. They were all tiny dogs. They were super cute.

7. The Roping Reynosos (pictured). These guys were amazing! Seriously! I have never seen so many rope tricks in my life. They jumped through their lassos, had them going this way and that, and only a few times did any of them make a mistake. I was very impressed. I guess they have been featured on AZ Highlights, and also on Sesame Street. The dad introduced the group, they did there show, then he answered questions and eventually let people have a try at it. It was fun!

Now school is about to start and the library is winding down with it's summer programs. Between our free books and all the free performances we were able to get and see, we are extremely grateful.

Thank you to everyone that has made it possible. We do {heart} our Mesa Public Libraries, and our wonderful librarians!

Oh, Oliver!

And, it's Oliver! Oliver is currently the youngest member of the family. He is also the "bounciest" (if that is a real word), and probably the most happy with life. Oliver is quick to smile and flirt, but is also bashful. When he is excited, he kicks his legs and throws his arms up and down at the same time. He reminds me of Tigger: "Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun". Oliver is pretty loud. He giggles and "talks". He is a loud sleeper, and a loud eater. I think he wants people to remember that he is still here! Out of all my children, Oliver is the most cuddly baby I have had. He prefers mommy to everyone else, and if he had his way, mommy would hold him all day long!

Oliver is a pretty supportive little brother. He allows us to drag him all over for his sister's activities and never really makes a fuss.Now that he is getting bigger, he really enjoys exploring his territory and playing with new things. He is constantly getting into something new. I really have to keep an eye on him. He likes to crawl into the girls room to play with them. He pulls up at the table and will "assist" with the puzzles (which isn't actually very well appreciated by his sisters). And if the bathroom door isn't kept closed, he will sneak into there as well.

Oliver started pulling up on things at 7 months! He has already started climbing onto things as well. I'm going to be in trouble soon! I love getting him out of his bed and upon opening the door, seeing him standing up in his bed, smiling, and drumming on the side of the crib. It melts my heart.

Oliver truly loves his sisters. He follows them everywhere (if he can't talk mom into holding him). They love him too, and they all play really nicely together.

Oliver also loves exploring new foods. He usually eats baby food mixed with either rice or oatmeal (depending on the food), but sometimes I like to give him fresh fruit. He really enjoyed this peach.

It has only been 8 months, yet I feel like Oliver has always been part of the family. I had to have a weight check done for him at 8 months (because he is under the chart). He now weights 15lbs, 10 oz. That was a 1 lb, 3 oz gain over a month! He grew a lot!!! Oliver has quick hands and loves to grab onto hair. He loves "talking" with daddy in their special "boy" language that mommy hasn't figured out yet. He just is perfect. And I love him so much.

Noelle, Noelle!

Oh, Noelle! There is definitely no one else like Noelle! I love her so much. She is ying AND yang! Quiet and LOUD. Sweet and Sassy! Literal and imaginative. Serious and silly. She really is a clever girl! No one can try my patience and then make my heart melt better than Noelle.

All these things come together to make Noelle just as perfect as she can be. I wouldn't love her so much if she wasn't her crazy self (though sometimes, I will admit, I wish I had a volume button.)

Noelle is very adventurous and loves to try new things. She is even adventurous with her food! (So happy not all my kids are picky eaters). Noelle loves to spend time with daddy. Here is a picture of the last adventure they went on.

Noelle is so goofy. She likes to do things to make me laugh. Like at lunch, I told her to get at the table. She pushed her chair way back, got in it, and then told me she couldn't reach her food!

Then, when she saw her food was all cut into heart shapes, she got all excited. She took one bite and said "Oh No, Mom!!! My Heart!!! It's BROKEN" in a fake cry. It was too clever and funny.

Noelle loves to do things hands on and try everything her sister does. She loves to paint, do science experiments, color, sing (a LOT!), dance, dress up, change clothes a million times a day, and giggle!

Noelle is a great sister! She loves playing with Melanie and will go out of her way to make Melanie happy. She loves her little brother and helps mom pick out his clothes, get bibs, and picks out his diapers. Noelle is so loving. She is my kid that will stop everything to come over to me and say "Mom... I love you!", with a huge smile on her face. Then go back to playing.

Noelle,

I'm so happy you are part of my family. You make me so happy!

Love, Mom!

And Here's Melanie

It's Melanie! She is definitely one of my favorite people. Melanie is sweet, clever, creative, friendly, gentle, honest, loving, emotional, talkative, inquisitive,energetic, courageous but cautious, and beautiful. I couldn't have asked for a better big sister to all my children than Melanie. She has such a great capacity to care for everyone around her. She helps her sister with things without having to have me ask her. And she loves to make her baby brother smile. I am so grateful for Melanie.

Here are a few pictures of things Melanie has been doing lately. With all the patriotic holidays we have during the summer, it wouldn't be the same without some artwork up. Melanie let loose and got super creative.Melanie and Noelle have been taking a fun tap, ballet, and tumbling class over the summer through the Town of Gilbert. I had to make sure I had them in a class together because these two are such great friends. Melanie has really enjoyed dance. There are a few occasions were she has been having a little too much fun and not listening enough. The teacher doesn't seem too upset by this, and I think it's because she isn't the only one in the room having problems (I'm pretty sure the ENTIRE class was having too much fun and not enough listening last week). I am helping Melanie learn that it's good to make friends (which she definitely has during this class) but it is also extremely important to know when to play and when to listen. She is learning. I'm so proud of her.

If silly were a sport, Melanie would be an All-Star. Melanie has a sweet giggle and a huge imagination. She loves to do silly things that make others giggle.

Here, "Rapunzel" is napping on my bed.

I just love my Melanie!

A few Melanie-isms

A week ago we headed to the zoo first thing in the morning. On the way there, we saw a beautiful hot air balloon flying in the sky. Melanie told me: "We don't want to take an airplane to Hawaii. We should take a hot air balloon. We can lay a blanket down and watch a movie in the basket while we go"

Melanie is always telling me what she is doing to be when she grows up (a mom) and different aspects of this. Recently she has informed me that when she is a mom, she is going to move to Wyoming, because it's a beautiful place. "But don't worry mom, I will bring my kids to visit you sometime".

I am always telling the kids to remember to shut the bathroom door when they are done because there are buggies in the bathroom from our potty, and I don't want Oliver in there getting sick. So yesterday Melanie looks as me and says "Mom, my tushie is hurting me. The buggies in my tushie are biting me, mom!"

Smithson Reunion

Last week was the Smithson Family Reunion, in honor of Grandma Great's 84th birthday. The majority of the family was up at Bear Canyon Lake camping for the greater part of the week, but we were only able to make it for the day on Saturday, the 14th. It was a beautiful day to be up in the mountains. Apparently it was wet and stormy at home, but where we were, it was cool and misty. We truly enjoyed ourselves! Happy Birthday, Grandma, we love you!

On this trip, there were a few first's for Ms. Melanie. First Pixie Stick - a bit tricky at first, but eventually a success. She didn't understand that she shouldn't put her mouth on the wrapper, but just pour the yummy stuff into her mouth. It took several tries, but that girl was determined!First twinkie - can you say yum! Melanie sure can!

We got to visit with a lot of friends (cousins). Melanie and Noelle were so excited all week. "On Saturday, we get to spend the WHOLE DAY with our cousins!" It was almost too good to be true... but it was definitely true! Melanie and Noelle got a lot of freedon walking around with their cousins and playing. I have to admit, as mom, it's really hard for me to just let them go. I feel like I have to watch over them constantly. Perhaps I'm too much of a helicopter. But, I did let them at it. I used my camera as an excuse to stay somewhat close (wouldn't want to miss a good picture moment, would I?)

Above is Charlie, she is too adorable! She is about a year and a half now, and really cute! Below is Grandpa Smithson with Ethan, who will be turing two in August!

Ethan really likes cars! Infact, if he could hold them all at the same time, he would... and he tried!

Dad brought up the Jeep and took the girls on several rides! It was super fun for them.

Hannah provided rides for all the other cousins. She is just about a month away from getting her driving permitt!

Dad thought it was funny to play tricks on Grandpa while he was sleeping. He used a kid's fishing pool to tickle Grandpa's face with a feather. It was pretty entertaining. Grandpa never figured out it was him.

Melanie went on a ride with dad, and came back like this. :)

Oliver woke up Saturday morning with a cold. He was pretty miserable all day long, but he still was full of smiles.

Everyone loves a cot! No really, everyone!

I love that cousins can be your best friend.

We had such a great time. The people were great, the food was good, and the weather was perfect!