Love is all you need

Chocolate cake mess!

2012-01-28T18:33:00.000-08:00

We made a chocolate cake today and let me tell you...it got messy! Between Anaïs wanting to hold the hand mixer and her wanted to crack an egg...

Love these simple moments that make them so happy!

Trip to St Thomas

2012-01-18T12:47:00.000-08:00

I am finally posting the pictures from our wonderful Caribbean vacation in St Thomas. My old computer crashed so I fell behind on blogging...
Anyway, we went to St Thomas for a week over the holidays and it was an amazing trip. It was a nice break from the daily routine and I sure enjoyed the four of us spending a whole week of fun together.
This is the view from our hotel room balcony...can't really beat that!

The girls loved going to the beach and the hotel pool.

We went to a place called Coral World where the girls got to learn about sea life. Sam loved touching starfish.

One thing about St Thomas is that there are iguanas everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE!!! I was kind of scared at first but after a couple days you just get used to them being around.

Jeff took Sam snuba diving, which is pretty much like scuba except that the diving instructor carries the tank of oxygen on his back. I can't believe she did that, pretty brave for a 7 year old!!

We had such a good time!!! I just love how we have been able to take such fun family trips lately!! We are very lucky.

Early Christmas

2011-12-22T19:39:00.000-08:00

Well, even if I can't believe it myself we live for our Caribbean vacation in two days!!! I guess Santa must have known because last night he made a special stop by our house. :)
The girls woke up this morning to find out that all their presents were here! Needless to say it was a GREAT surprise!

Bright and early, at 7:00 we were opening gifts...

Sam has been wanting an American Girl doll so bad for a while and was so excited to finally get one.

I think Anaïs' favorite present this year was a remote control Little Pony car.

We are so excited for our vacation!!!!!

Classroom Christmas parties.

2011-12-22T08:35:00.000-08:00

Here are pictures from the girls' classroom parties. Both parties were on the same morning, Anaïs' first and then Sam's. Both parties were really fun.
In Anaïs' class they got to make Jingle bracelets, snow globes, and play all kinds of games. They also did a book exchange.

In Sam's class, they got to read a Christmas story, decorate cookies, make a craft and eat pizza. They also did a book exchange.

Christmas tea party

2011-12-13T18:17:00.001-08:00

Last Sunday, Sam and I went to the Grand America Hotel with friends of ours for an afternoon of tea and Christmas fun. It was so cute and such a special time! Her and her friend Anna loved it and us moms and a great time too!

These guys used to be in the same class last year and are both figure skaters so they share a special friendship.

Here is my beautiful princess:

Another great memory with my girl! I just love being her mom!

Successful dentist visit.

2011-12-12T05:10:00.001-08:00

I took the girls to the dentist the other day and they did so well. It was Anaïs' very fist visit. They both did really good!!!
Anaïs went first and had no fear...guess that's what happens when you go through major surgery before you even turn one...

Sam was a really good big sister and showed Anaïs there was nothing to be afraid of.

100% healthy teeth for my two girls. :)

School book fair.

2011-12-06T16:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, the girls' school at a parent/child lunch during the book fair...pretty smart way to make you buy books! I enjoyed spending time with them picking out books.

It is always fun to see the girls in their school environment.

My little helper

2011-11-25T19:02:00.000-08:00

This morning Jeff took Sam to her skating practice. In the meantime, I wanted to set up the Christmas tree...Anaïs wanted to help and did such a good job.
She really enjoyed putting the ornaments on the tree, one by one.

All done!

This year, Santa is coming to our house a few days early because we are going on a Caribbean vacation to St Thomas. We leave December 24th...so excited!!!

Silly bath

2011-11-20T17:16:00.000-08:00

The girls had a good time in the tub tonight!

I love seeing how much fun they can have together!

Thanksgiving school party

2011-11-18T18:40:00.001-08:00

Today was Sam's classroom Thanksgiving party. Unfortunately, we had to miss Anaïs' because it was yesterday and she was sick and did not go to school.
Sam's party was pretty low key. They made a craft (a Thanksgiving wreath), ate pizza since it was pizza Friday and read a story about Thanksgiving.

When I went to pick up Anaïs in her classroom she showed me a turkey they had made with an apple and marshmallows and wrote on it "I am thankful for Christian"...her boyfriend. LOL

She loves this boy and isn't afraid to say it, here is the cute couple:

They are on a school break now and have a whole week off, which will be nice!

Cute cheerleaders.

2011-11-16T19:42:00.000-08:00

Tonight, Sam had her school performance. All the girls in her class had to dress as cheerleaders and the boys as baseball players. It was so cute.
She did great and most importantly has a lot of fun.

Halloween fun.

2011-11-01T16:36:00.001-07:00

This year was a great Halloween. It was the first year Anaïs really understood the whole concept. They celebrated Halloween at school and it was so great to be there with them. I was in Anaïs' classroom party but unfortunately could not volunteer in Sam's classroom party as her teachers requested only four parent volunteers and they beat me to it.
Anaïs' classroom party was really cute, they read a Halloween story, decorated pumpkins and cookies and had a couple game stations. They also did a parade and visited all the classrooms.

Of course, the best part was when we visited the second graders, Sam's class. Here is Sam as a pirate very excited to see us. :)

Here is Sam and her very good friend Summer:

Anaïs just loves hanging out with the second graders...

Then in the evening we went down to Salt Lake to go trick or treating with the cousins in Jeff's mom's neighborhood.

Here is Anaïs about to go experience trick or treating for the first time, she got the idea pretty quickly and did a good job at saying "trick or treat".

Fun times! Kind of glad Halloween is over though...

Recess fun

2011-10-21T19:46:00.001-07:00

Looks like someone is enjoying recess at school... :)

Pumpkins.

2011-10-18T21:32:00.000-07:00

Last week-end, the girls painted and carved their pumpkins. Sam especially loves to paint pumpkins.

When we went to the store, Anaïs didn't want a big pumpkin to paint but instead picked out several little tiny ones.

Finished products on our front porch:

Anaïs' first fieldtrip.

2011-10-13T18:14:00.001-07:00

Anaïs had her very first fieltrip with her preschool class today. They went on a "scarecrow walk". There is a trail here with a bunch of scarecrows made by local residents. The weather was beautiful today, perfect for a walk.

It was a little hard for her to keep up with the other kids with all the walking but she still had a great time. I ended up carrying her a lot.

Here she is with her amazing teacher:

What a fun day, so glad I get to spend all these precious moments with my kids!

Anais' parent-teacher conference

2011-10-06T12:46:00.000-07:00

she is doing so good at school, so happy for her:

Fall school fun.

2011-10-03T19:21:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, the girls had their fall festival at school which was a lot of fun even if it was HOT outside! I guess we shouldn't complain about the weather since it's supposed to get cold this week.
The festival was a lot of fun and the school had planned a lot of fun activities: bouncy slides, Halloween craft, face painting, balloons, flowers planting in the greenhouse and a lot more things.
Here is Sam with some of her friends:
Miss Anaïs painting a pumpkin decoration:

Sam and her friend painting:

Face painting:

Anais and her balloon...it popped about 5 min after taking this picture...lol

And then, today Sam's class went on a field trip to Wheeler farm. I was one of the chaperone parents and loved sharing this day with Sam. She had a great time but for some reason she was very mellow today...

About to feed the birds...

Fun times...

I can't say this enough: I am so thankful to get to spend all these precious moments with my girls by being a stay at home mom, wouldn't have it any other way!!! :)

Oktoberfest competition.

2011-09-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

What a week-end we just had!!!
Sam had her big skating competition. She skated three events, two showcase events which are more entertainment and less skating skills and one "serious" event where she gets judged on her skating skills and technique. She did great all around and even got first place for her important event!! So proud of her, especially because she competed three levels higher than her last competition.
She was so proud to have gotten first.

Her and her coach after hearing the results:

Getting ready for her showcase routine, Strawberry Shortcake:

All dolled up and ready to go:

She placed third for her showcase and got a trophy which was very cool for her!

As her second "entertainment" event she did a duet with another girl on a pirate theme which was really cute. They placed fourth place on that one.

We bought a bunch of pictures from the competition photographer. Here they are:

Strawberry Shortcake Showcase:

Showcase duet, pirate theme:

Freestyle program...this is one one that mattered and she nailed it, first place!

I was very happy for her, she has been working so hard lately, going to the rink pretty much everyday to practice. She wanted this pretty bad!

We are very proud of you Sam and had a great time!

nothing sweeter...

2011-09-14T07:32:00.000-07:00

than reading this letter from Sam... Last night I went to the back to school night at her school and the teacher had the kids write us a letter that they left on their desks for us to read. Needless to say that this letter made my heart melt. Nothing, I mean NOTHING makes a mom's heart swell more than sweet words like these. I love you Sam!

Eating at the grown up table.

2011-09-08T19:41:00.001-07:00

We bought Anaïs a booster seat so she could sit at the table with us during dinner instead of her high chair...she IS 3 years old after all! She is loving it and is behaving like a big girl.

Back to school, first day for Anaïs!

2011-08-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

The girls started school last Tuesday and were SO excited about it. This was Anaïs' very first day of preschool and I can't believe how well she has been doing, not one tear!!!
We put the girls back in private school and I could not be happier about it.
Here they are on the first day, ready to go! Sam (2nd grade) and Anaïs (preschool): I also love going back to uniforms...so much easier!

At this point, they both stopped posing for pictures and wanted to get going:

Fist day was a success and they could not wait to go back on the second day:

We are very pleased with the school and how they are handling Anaïs' differences. We found the right place for our daughters' education, and that is a great feeling.

Our trip in France/Spain

2011-08-24T19:38:00.001-07:00

ok...so many pictures!!! The girls and I spent 2 weeks in Spain and one week in France. It was SO good to get to spend time with my family!!
I will just let the pictures do the talking...
This was a little carnival right downstairs from my sister's place. Girls had so much fun!

Yep, she won a prize all by herself:

We went to the movies to see the Smurfs movie in 3D:

Then all the following pictures are from Spain. We spent a lot of time at the beach and at the pool.

Pool time at the hotel:

Sightseeing in various towns:

My favorite town there, Tossa De Mar...simply gorgeous!

More beach time:

Boat ride...Poor Sam got sea sick and threw up.

The girls wore their Spanish dresses almost every night:

I have a lot more pictures but just can't post them all. We had such a fun time, next year Jeff is coming for sure!!! When you live far from your family you sure appreciate the moments you do get to spend with them. Can't wait for next summer! ;)

Snorkeling

2011-07-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

Today we went to a place where you can scuba dive and snorkel in salt water with all kinds of fish and even sharks. Jeff loves diving and Sam tried snorkeling for the first time.

Jeff's sister Heather was in town with her three girls who Sam loves SO much. Sam always wants to do everything they do. Here is Sam getting in the water with Heather:

Heather, Sam and her three cousins:

Even Anaïs got to swim a little bit although she preferred staying out of the water with me.

It was a really fun thing to do and I think it is safe to say everyone had fun.

Busy summer days!

2011-07-25T19:09:00.001-07:00

The last couple days have been really busy for us. We are trying to get ready for our trip to France and Spain but we have been doing too many fun things. Yesterday, Sam really wanted to go swimming with her cousins who are in town from Idaho. She even tried the diving board and had a blast jumping off of it.

Then after the pool, we had plans to go get drinks and dinner with my french girlfriends and their kids. We went to get drink at the St Regis in Deer Valley. It is just beautiful up there. Here is the view from their outdoor patio:

Sam and Anaïs had fun with their friends.

They got to run around in the grass and loved every minute of it.

The glass elevator was probably their favorite thing up there:

Taking a break while waiting for the valet to bring our car:

Then we went out to dinner to have pizza and ice cream...doesn't get much better than that :)

Sam had so much fun at the pool yesterday she insisted on going back today. This time Anaïs got to swim too. Sam decided to try to high diving board!!!

She did great!

Ear tube surgery #2

2011-07-18T12:44:00.001-07:00

Today Anaïs had to get a second set of ear tubes since hers fell out a couple months ago. Anesthesia is always a concern with kids with achondroplasia so we are always a little nervous when she has surgery or MRI's.
The worst part for her was the pre-op when they looked in her throat, she HATES that.

Then she got to put on her hospital pj's and had some time to play with some toys while waiting for her surgery time:

The surgery was quick, the doctor did say that she had some built up fluid in her ears that he was able to drain.

She was happy to get some apple juice in the recovery room.

She did great what a relief!

Summer concert at the Canyons

2011-07-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went to the first summer concert at the Canyons of the year. We always have a good time just being outside in the fresh air and enjoying nature. The girls love taking the ski lift. We just take a blanket, have a picnic and just hang out.

Of course, we have to get a snow cone ;)

Ride back down in the lift:

Great summer night in Park City.

First tooth lost!

2011-07-13T19:22:00.001-07:00

She has been waiting for this for about two years now! All her classmates except for one other girl and Sam had lost several teeth and Sam was waiting patiently (well most of the time lol) to lose her first. She lost her tooth right before bedtime and was beyond excited.

Looks like the tooth fairy will be stopping by tonight.

2011 LPA national convention in California.

2011-07-10T18:15:00.001-07:00

Here are pictures from the 2011 Little People of America convention in Anaheim, CA. We spend 6 days there and had such a good time with our LPA friends and family. The best part was just hanging out at the hotel with other LPA families and let the kids play. It is such a wonderful experience for Anaïs to be around other little people.

What was really nice too is that the average height siblings are also forming great friendships, like Sam and Ashleigh who has a little brother with achondroplasia, just like Anaïs.

Anaïs with Aiden (Ashleigh's brother):

OK...here is Anaïs and Peyton. They are the same age and both have achondroplasia. They are just ADORABLE together...look at them!

I am SO excited for Anaïs, we bought her a custom made tricycle. Kids with achondroplasia have really short legs and arms so it's pretty much impossible for them to ride regular tricycles. They had a vendor at the convention who makes tricycles...what an amazing thing for our kids. When you have a "different" child, the things that seem so simple to everyone else can be impossible, like riding a tricycle at school with their friends. I am very happy she will be able to experience these moments that every child deserves to experience. Here she is getting measured:

Ashleigh and Sam getting ready for the 4th of July party:

The 4th of July party was great! They had so many fun things for the kids: hair coloring, face painting, crafts, games, balloons, petting zoo and so much more.

Of course, we couldn't go to Anaheim without going to Disneyland! We spent a day there and we all had a great time...didn't take very many pictures there though...

Space Mountain was definitely Sam's favorite ride!

They loved standing on the air conditioning vent:

Great convention! Can't wait for the next one!

Great Grandma

2011-07-09T19:35:00.000-07:00

Post written by Jeff

Ruth Silver Neilson - April 1, 1918 - July 9, 2011

Thank you for sharing such a special bond with us Great Grandma! We will always remember the fun times, the love you gave us and countless other great memories. Merci Mémé! We love you and we will miss you!

Love, Sam and Anaïs

Grandma, thank you for teaching me at a young age the importance of hard work. I loved working on the apartments with you and Grandpa for many, many years! Thank you for the fishing trips, the melted cheese sandwiches and your famous snowball cookies and banana bread. I will always have great memories and appreciate everything you taught me. We had a wonderful conversation yesterday! I will always appreciate the love, acceptance and understanding you showed Alex, Sam, Anaïs and I. I will always love you and will miss you greatly! You had a special bond with Sam and Anaïs and they love you so much. They will miss you! They always knew you loved them, you were proud of them and they loved the visits to Great Grandma's.
I wish I could fully express my appreciation and how happy I am that we were able to talk yesterday. Although I would have loved many more talks, I will always appreciate and remember the ones we had! Thank you for everything! I love you and will miss you!
-Jeff

Great Grandma,
We love you! Thank you for everything!
Love,
Jeff, Alex, Sam and Anaïs

Just them...

2011-06-28T18:12:00.001-07:00

just some recent pictures of my two favorite girls. We have been keeping busy since school ended. Sam is skating more than ever and Anaïs is just happy being with me everywhere I go. Anaïs on a nature walk in front of the rink while Sam is skating:

One of her favorite resting spots in the house lately:

Attempt at taking pictures of both of them one sunny morning...

Oh and of course the achon flexibility...LOL

Skatefest competition.

2011-06-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, on June 18th, Sam had her second figure skating competition in West Valley, UT. It was such a good experience for her, definitely harder competition than her last one. She took second place in her category (basic 6) and we are very proud of her. Here she is with a friend before the competition Warm up time:

Here she is with her coach about to get on the ice for her routine, she was nervous!

Watching the rest of the competition with her friends:

The podium:

Her next competition isn't until September, She will compete at a much higher level which she is very excited about! She LOVES skating, I swear these days it is the only thing that matters to her! lol

We are proud of you Sam!

Our last couple days!

2011-06-09T19:51:00.000-07:00

These last few days have been pretty busy. We just had the girls' birthdays and with the school year coming to an end Sam has had plenty going on.
The weather is finally better, not great but better. The girls have been enjoying playing outside on the patio. Anaïs has a water table that she just loves. They also both love blowing bubbles!

Sam has been very busy with her skating. She finally got her Park City Figure Skating Club jacket, which was a very big deal for her! She tells me "now I have to practice well because I'm a REAL figure skater"...LOL

Her skating group was also featured in Skating magazine... she thought that was pretty cool!

Then on Tuesday, Sam had a "swap meet" at her school. It was a cool concept: each kid had to bring gently used items they wanted to sell and also $2.00 in coins and they could just buy each other's stuff, learning about the value of money.

Notice Anaïs in the middle of the action...lol

Yesterday, all first graders had an end of year picnic at the park, which was really fun for them. Here is Sam's class:

The school year is officially over! Can't believe we have been in Park City for an entire school year...time flies!

Summer, here we come! :)

Three!

2011-06-06T21:27:00.000-07:00

Anaïs turned 3 today! I can't believe it! It seems like she has always been in our lives and yet it seems like her birth was just yesterday!
This is what you looked like on your third birthday: We wanted to have a mellow celebration, just the four of us at home...I think it was just perfect.
We went to Whole Foods this morning and she picked out her little pastry, a lemon tart...just because it was yellow, her favorite color. :)

She got a Minnie Mouse doll that sings and a little pony toy. I think she was pretty happy with her presents.

This kid is OBSESSED with Minnie Mouse!

We hope you had a good birthday Anaïs! You have brought so much happiness to our lives and have opened doors to a wonderful, beautiful world.

You have made me such a better person, mother and wife...how can you have taught me so much in just three short years?

I can only hope to teach you half of what you have taught me, my beautiful Anaïs. I love you so much and I am SO incredibly proud to be your mom.

Happy third birthday sweet girl!

I have a 7 year old!

2011-05-31T18:23:00.000-07:00

Yes...Sam turned 7 last Friday, how is that even possible???
My first born...she will always have that special place in my heart, my first baby!
She had been wanting this skating bag for over a year and she was SO excited to see that it was her birthday present from Jeff and I.

On Friday night, we ordered a pizza and had cake, just the four of us at the house.

Then on Saturday she had her birthday party. Of course she wanted a party at the rink and skate with her friends and cousins.

The party was low key, just how we wanted it. I think everybody had a good time.

She is such a great kid!

I am so lucky to be your mom Sam and I love every moment we get to spend together, I would not be anywhere else than with you everyday! You make my life so full and bright and I am so proud of you!

More pictures of Sam's competition

2011-05-17T18:52:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple more pictures of Sam:

She took First place!!!!

2011-05-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

well...she did it!!! Sam had her first figure skating competition today and she took first place in her category, basic 6. She did such a great job and we are SO proud of her!!!
She was very nervous right before her turn but did what she had to do on the ice.

Jeff's family came out to support her and she was just so happy to see all her cousins there! We truly appreciate everybody's support!

Jeff got her all these balloons and flowers to congratulate her...she has one great dad!

When the results came out, she screamed "I got first I got first!". I am so happy to see that her work and dedication paid off, she has been working really hard!

Anaïs loves supporting her big sister :)

First place on the podium! :)

Sam and her coach Tiffany who has been working with her since we moved to Park City:

Congrats Sam! We love you!

Sam's Spring Show

2011-05-14T20:22:00.001-07:00

Sam did her ice skating spring show yesterday and today. She did really good and it was really cute. Here she is right before the show: Unfortunately, my camera did not make good pictures :(
These are the best shots I have and they are not very good...

We are very proud of her! I just love seeing her being so passionate about something!Monday she has her very first competition...needless to say I am NERVOUS! :) I know she will do great.

Our trip to Hawaii!

2011-05-05T20:18:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a week in Hawaii and I think it would be an understatement to say we had a GREAT time!!! This was our first major family vacation, just the four of us. It was a blast and I feel very lucky to have such a great little family...love them so much!!! I have SO many pictures...couldn't post them all! Sam did great on the plane...she kept busy the whole time. When we got to our hotel (which was incredible), we saw this huge pond with tons of koi fish. They were SO active and would come at the surface of the water to get food...the girls loved that!

The best part of the hotel was the amazing pool!!! We spent SO much time by the pool...entire days of relaxing by the water, eating lunch and of course drinking cocktails! ;)

They also had a kids pool with a slide, Sam had lot of fun there.

The beach was right there too. Sam liked the ocean water...

Anaïs not so much! I think the noise of the waves freaked her out. She was much happier hanging out at the pool.

We also visited the island. Gorgeous and so wild! Forests, mountains, waterfalls, rivers...all so beautiful.

Sam loved making leaves bouquets...these leaves were HUGE!

Boat ride on the river:

Anaïs missed the waterfalls, she fell asleep in the tour bus.

But woke up for the next part of the visit ;)

Couldn't stay away from that pool for too long! lol

Then we went to a really great Luau:

Anaïs and Sam had some fruit punch to drink and had a pretty good red mustache from it.

Dancing after a good meal: More pool time...

I mean, really, how could we not spend our days there...look how beautiful!

The girls took a class to learn how to make leis with fresh flowers and seashell necklaces:

We drove to the top of the mountains and the view was just incredible!

This is one of the spots where Jeff went scuba diving.

She had to rest a little after all that! lol

AWESOME vacation!!!!!

He came early.

2011-04-23T20:10:00.000-07:00

Easter Bunny that is!
I guess he knew we are leaving for Hawaii tomorrow so he left a little something for the girls this morning. They were pretty excited about being allowed to eat chocolate for breakfast! After all...it is Easter. ;)

Later today, we went to Jeff's mom for a little egg hunt. The girls had lots of fun.

It was a great day. Now I am finishing up packing and we are off to Hawaii tomorrow morning...can't wait for some warm sunny weather!!! After the winter we had we deserve it!

We will be back in one week! :)

Someone is excited...

2011-04-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

We received our tickets for the Taylor Swift concert...should be a fun girls night out for my princess and I! She LOVES her!!!

Fun in the tub.

2011-03-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

The girls usually have a good time during their bath. Last night, Sam had fun piling up bubbles on Anaïs' head. These guys can drive each other crazy sometimes but they sure love each other. :)

This is what happens...

2011-03-23T15:05:00.000-07:00

when Sam decides that Anaïs is a doll she can dress up...

Big girl!

2011-03-17T19:44:00.001-07:00

Today was Anaïs' first day out without wearing a diaper! No accidents!
She went to the gym's daycare this morning for an hour and asked them to go potty when she needed to. She is doing so good. We also went to the ice skating rink during Sam's lesson and she asked me twice to go to the bathroom.
She loves her new underwear, here she is proudly posing the first time she put them on:

Check out that cute behind! :)

Great job Anaïs!

Their two obsessions...

2011-03-13T19:38:00.001-07:00

Anyone who knows my two girls would know that they each have their own obsessions right now. Sam's is ice skating and Anaïs' is Minnie Mouse.
Well today was a great day for both of them as we went to see the Disney on Ice show. They both got to watch something they love! They were pretty excited and had a good time. Anaïs got so excited when she saw Minnie!

And Sam loved telling me the names of all the moves/jumps the skaters were doing.

I enjoyed seeing them having such a great time. :)

The time when I ate my poo...LOL

2011-03-08T18:54:00.000-08:00

Yep, you read right! lol
So Sam comes home from school today telling me how she had to write a narrative story about something silly that happened to her. Here is her story:
She thinks it's the funniest thing in the world and is so proud of herself! She is also very proud about the fact the she had no spelling errors...smart kid! LOL
I have to say that it is a true story...she did eat her poo when she was a baby and I told her the story and she obviously got a good laugh out of it, enough for her to want to share the story with the whole class!
I could not love this kid more...she makes my days every single day!

My mom's visit.

2011-02-27T19:32:00.000-08:00

My mom left today. She came to visit for 2 weeks. We really enjoyed having her here, we always have a great time together and the girls just love her! Here are a few pictures of her stay here...

Visiting beautiful Main Street in Park City:

Walking outside in the cold made us hungry for a hamburger and a beer...lol

Then we took the road for Las Vegas...

Being back in Vegas was great! So many mixed feelings for me...it feels like home and I love going there. There are so many things to do there, the shopping is GREAT (not so great for my wallet though lol), we have so many wonderful friends there, the weather is nice, LOVE our LPA family there etc...

I have to say though that going also made me realize how much I am starting to adjust to life in Park City. I appreciate living in a world class ski resort town, it is so beautiful, simple and healthy and I definitely realize how lucky we are to be able to live here. I am also realizing how much I love these new friends I am making here...such great people!

We also went bowling with the LPA Vegas chapter. I just love these people, they will always stay our first LPA chapter that we built from scratch...we miss them dearly!

My girls and their dear friend Rachel...they both love her so much and she is a great role model for both of them.

We went to Town Square, one of our old "hang out" place in Vegas:

Had to go get frozen yogurt at our old favorite place. That night the girls were so hyper and we had a little too much fun with the camera!

Another place I used to love going when I lived in Vegas, The District...

There was a guy there with some kind of pet lizard and the girls were fascinated by it...me not so much! lol

That's about all pictures we took...

We had a wonderful and can't wait to see my mom again this summer when we will go there!

Fun with my mom and Valentine's day!

2011-02-15T21:35:00.000-08:00

My mom is visiting from France for two weeks. She got in last Sunday. We always have lots of fun when she's around. What's great is that we just "hang out"... no need to do anything crazy for us to have a good time. The girls were so excited to see her! Here they are waiting for her at the airport: My mom and Anaïs hanging out at Starbucks. We have been so lucky to have gorgeous weather these last few days...I did hear it was supposed to snow again soon though.

Yesterday was Valentine's Day and my AMAZING husband had something special planned for everyone. The girls, my mom and I all got flowers, chocolates and cards.

I seriously could not ask for a better husband. He is my best friend, my true love, my partner, my teacher. He is the one thing I have always been sure about, from the moment we met. They say when you meet "the one" you "just know"...let me tell you I KNEW! I might have only been 16 years old when we met but I KNEW, never one shade of doubt in my mind, never!

I love you Jeff!

bowling fun

2011-02-07T16:15:00.000-08:00

This morning Anaïs and I went bowling with our moms group. She always has lots of fun when we go bowling!

Here we are ready to go have some fun!
She's a pro, totally knows what to do:

Bowling, cupcakes and a balloon...can't get much better than that! ;)

playtime!

2011-01-29T20:23:00.000-08:00

Today Jeff had school so I took the girls to a local indoor playground. We spent a couple hours there and I think it's pretty safe to say that they had fun. :)

Miss Anaïs taking a break to eat a snack:

Today was another typical beautiful sunny day here in Park City, here is a picture I took while driving home:

And here is our neighborhood:

That's it for today...

It's official...

2011-01-24T14:09:00.000-08:00

we started serious potty training today! Let's see how this goes...so far so good!

Oh and here is my cute girl today:

Another ski day!

2011-01-22T19:58:00.001-08:00

We go skiing every week-end. We have a pretty good system. Sam is in ski school, Anaïs goes to the resort daycare and Jeff and I get to ski the whole day together!
Here is Sam getting ready to start her ski day: Here is Jeff and I:

Here is Jeff who thought it would be funny to do a hokey stop right in front of me and splash me with snow...I swear it felt like a freaking blizzard hit me in the face...thanks! LOL

Great day out there...loved it!

Make up session.

2011-01-20T11:07:00.001-08:00

Yesterday the girls got a package in the mail from my sister with some fun little presents. Sam got some glitter lip gloss and some cute bracelets.
Here is what they were doing when I walked in Sam's room...Sam was getting Anaïs all dolled up and was putting lip gloss on her.

Here is Sam showing off her little bracelets:

Yep...I have two girly girls! :)

Disneyland pictures.

2011-01-05T18:25:00.001-08:00

We went to Disneyland right after Christmas because Santa had left Disneyland tickets in the girls' stockings this year. We went on December 27th...two days after Christmas and it was INSANE! It was so crowded!!! I must say I am glad we went but I will never go again during the holidays. I didn't take as many pictures as I usually do...
The girls loved the Merry go round but Anaïs wouldn't go unless she was in Jeff's arms.

One of Sam's favorite ride, the tea cups:

The princess got a face painting:

Roger Rabbit, we love this ride for some reason...lol

The castle at nighttime:

One last time on the merry go round at the end of the day:

And here is the result of a long day in Disneyland: two sleeping kids before we even got to the car.

Christmas.

2010-12-30T11:38:00.000-08:00

On December 24th, we spent the day skiing...it was a perfect ski day! Sunny, blue sky, great snow and we even saw Santa on the slopes...can't think of a better way to spend that day!

It was Sam's second time skiing ever and I seriously can't believe how well she is already skiing. She starts ski lessons this Sunday and she is pretty excited about that.

We are lucky to be living less that 5 min from one of the best ski resorts in the country.

For Christmas eve, we went to Jeff's sister's house for a special night. Santa even stopped by to bring the kids presents.

Anaïs was terrified of Santa so she opened her present in a different room, as far away from him as she could!

Then we came home and when we got home Santa had already dropped the girls' presents...they loved everything they got!

It was a great Christmas!

On Christmas day we flew to California to go to Disneyland. It was fun but let me just say this: I am glad we went but will NOT go again for the holidays...way too crowded!

Can't believe Christmas is over...such a bitter/sweet feeling every year to know that next year my babies will be one year older!

First time skiing for Sam!

2010-12-19T17:51:00.000-08:00

Today we took Sam skiing. It was her very first time on skis and I must say she did really good! It snowed pretty hard all day long which made the skiing conditions a little rougher than what I would have liked for her first time but she didn't seem to care. With all the snow falling it wasn't very practical for me to stop and pull out my camera so I didn't take a lot of pictures. Didn't even get a picture of her standing on her skis...lol

She also enjoyed laying in the snow.

Jeff helped her the whole time. We are going to sign her up for lessons though so she can learn in a more structured setting.

Ready to go skiing!

2010-12-18T19:27:00.001-08:00

Today we went and got our ski season passes and can't wait to go skiing tomorrow. It will be Sam's very first time skiing so she's pretty excited. We had to go get her skis and also upgraded Jeff's skis since his were pretty old.
Sam trying to walk with her ski boots on: Helmet, goggles...she's ready to go!

Today was such a pretty winter night, it definitely feels like Christmas up here!

One really cool thing tonight was that Santa was coming on Main Street and we saw his sleigh arrive, Sam was beyond excited and Anaïs couldn't care less! lol

Anaïs cried when it was time to take a picture with Santa... maybe next year! ;)

It's a tough world out there...

2010-12-14T19:39:00.000-08:00

It is a tough world out there and that notion is hard for a sweet kid like Sam to understand.
I know every mom says the same thing about her kids, but Sam has such a good heart! I sometimes hear girls her age make fun of others, be mean to each other, pick on each other etc...that is not how Sam is. She is nice to everyone in her school, accepts everybody the way they are, doesn't care about superficial things and really treats others well.
I guess today at school they had to write a holiday wish list and here is what she wrote: Now, when I saw this my first reaction was to be really surprised because Sam doesn't care that her sister is different. She knows a lot of little people and truly doesn't care about the fact that they look different than her. She actually is proud of her sister's difference, just like we are.
So I asked her what made her write that and she said that it hurts her feelings when she hears people making comments about Anaïs or making fun of her. Yes, we sometimes hear kids (or grown ups) comment on how Anaïs has a big head, or how her legs are so short, or that she looks funny etc...
We as parents learn how to deal with these things and even if it still hurts every time, we just put on our strong face and keep going. But we have to remember that this is hard on our children, they have such a pure heart that it hurts them so much when they are confronted with the harshness of our society. This was a good opportunity to talk to Sam about her sister and to tell her why people might make fun of her. Not everybody is lucky enough to know someone "different", someone who is so special that they change you forever for the better. We are the lucky ones and those people who make fun just don't know any better and how much they are missing out. We are the ones with a fuller life, a life filled with amazing people. A life filled with love and compassion and not hatred.
So please, if you read this take the time to talk to your children about the fact that people come in different sizes, shapes and colors and that it is the very thing that makes this world a better place.

Bowling!

2010-12-13T19:42:00.001-08:00

Tonight we decided to go bowling with the girls. It was actually Anaïs' first time and she really had fun!

Sam did really good and thought it was so cool to be out past her bedtime.

Now for those of you out there was also have achon kids, the fact that Anaïs was on her stomach to push the ball won't surprise you...lol

It was a fun evening and a nice break from the weekly routine.

12 days!

2010-12-12T07:51:00.001-08:00

Christmas is 12 days away! Every year, Jeff's mom gives the girls presents for the 12 days of Christmas. This is a tradition we do not do in France so it's still new to me, even if I've lived in the States for over 11 years now...Wow, time just flies!
Anyway, Sam has been counting down the days and this morning she knew! lol
When Anaïs woke up I asked her "do you want to go get a present?" and she yelled "yeah yeah yeah!".

Sam showed Anaïs how to open her present:

Two very excited little girls:

The countdown begins!

Sam can bake!

2010-12-08T18:58:00.000-08:00

This afternoon we baked a chocolate cake...actually I should say Sam baked a cake since she pretty much did everything on her own. She only needed me to give her directions but I swear by next year she'll be able to bake a cake without my help. She loves it.
Here is a part she loves to do: breaking the chocolate into small pieces so we can melt it.

Here she is measuring doses with our french measuring cup, since all the measures are different in french recipes. Who has time to convert everything right? lol

Flour...

Sugar...

The eggs were tricky for her, she was a little nervous but she did a perfect job! No shell pieces in the batter.

Mixing...

Now the fun part...

And of course Anaïs joined her for the fun!

We had the cake for dessert tonight and it was really good, great job Sam!

My little artist.

2010-12-06T13:21:00.000-08:00

This morning we went to Color Me Mine with our moms group. It's a place where kids get to paint on a ceramic item (vases, plates, mugs etc...).
Saying that Anaïs had a good time would be an understatement...she LOVED it!
We picked out a light switch cover for her bedroom. She was so into it:

Here is the finished product:

All done, let's go home now! lol

Sam's report card.

2010-11-29T18:45:00.001-08:00

Sam got her first report card today and I am so proud of her. She is such a good student and just loves to learn new things. She is also the kind of kid who participates in class and likes to help other kids when she is finished with her own work.

Good job Sam!

The tree is up!

2010-11-28T20:59:00.000-08:00

Today I took the girls to the store to pick their Christmas ornaments. Each year, they get to each pick out a new ornament for the tree. Then we came home and decorated the tree. I know I say this every year but I swear I am buying a pre-lit tree for next year!!! Putting those lights around the tree is just so time consuming!
Anyway, I pretty much let Sam take charge and let her do most of it. Of course Anaïs helped too.

All done! They did a good job!

Can't believe it's already Christmas season...LOVE IT!!!

Let it snow!

2010-11-22T10:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we got a crazy amount of snow! The girls enjoyed playing in it although we couldn't stay outside too long because it was snowing pretty hard. This was Anaïs' first time playing in the snow...I think it was a little too cold for her.

Sam on the other hand could have stayed there for hours!

It's just getting started...

So sweet!

2010-11-18T17:47:00.000-08:00

With Thanksgiving approaching, Sam made a turkey at school and was supposed to write all the things she is thankful for. The teacher didn't help her and didn't tell her what to write, it was all Sam. I LOVE that she didn't write one material thing...shows me we must be doing something right.
I thought what she wrote was so sweet!
Such a sweet girl!

A HUGE wake up call.

2010-11-10T19:20:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, we heard very sad and upsetting news. A young lady who had achondroplasia passed aways in her sleep. She had led a parent discussion group at the last LPA regional conference we attended. I must admit I did not know her personally but her passing is very upsetting to me. I can't get it out of my head.

For me, this was a huge wake up call and reminded me that Anaïs is not "just short". It is not as simple as that. She does have increased health problems/risks, she does have sleep apnea and she does need us to do everything we can to keep her safe. It is our #1 job and responsibility as parents. When you have a child with special needs, part of you tends to "forget" about all these things and we just get busy "living our lives". I think to a certain point we have to because if we keep thinking about the "what ifs" on a daily basis we would drive ourselves crazy and I know I would start living in panic mode. You just can't do that...you have to live your life and let your children live theirs. But what we CAN do is to do everything in our power to keep them safe and happy.

We know Anaïs is supposed to sleep with a CPAP machine because of her sleep apnea. We have had the machine for several months but until now we hadn't been successful in making her sleep with it. She would cry, pull it off and scream "NO" and I must admit that we stopped trying after a while and just told ourselves that it was too hard and impossible to have her keep it on at her age. With the tragic passing of Erin, I realized that this is not an option...she just HAS to wear it no matter how hard the fight. So tonight we tried again after several months and to our surprise she did good. At first she said "no" and cried but this time we didn't take it off. Jeff held her and reassured her telling her it would help her sleep better. He always knows how to reassure her and calm her down , he seems to know how to do that with all of us.
Then we put her in bed with her baby doll and favorite books and stayed with her for a bit and she listened to us when we told her she would be ok...ten minutes later she was asleep.
Tomorrow we do it again, and the next day and the next day... We do it because we owe it her and because she deserves us to fight for her. I think we're on the right track...
My sweet little girl...we love you so much.

THE backpack!

2010-11-03T16:17:00.001-07:00

Jeff's mom gave Anaïs a tiny backpack that is just the perfect size for her. She gave it to her last Saturday and since then Anaïs just won't put it down, she wears it all the time around the house!

Yes...she even wears it to snoop around in Sam's room when she's at school! LOL

Halloween on Main Street.

2010-10-31T19:15:00.001-07:00

Ready to go...
We went trick or treating on Main Street. The whole street was closed off to any traffic and every store there was giving away candy, what a fun event! Needless to say it was PACKED!

Even the Police was giving away candy...

Sam had a deal with Jeff..he told her he would buy any Butterfinger she got for 25 cents each. She was all over that, she is always looking for a way to make money! lol

Both Sam and Anaïs were a little sick though so they definitely didn't have the same energy level they usually have. I think they still had fun though.

All about Halloween at school!

2010-10-29T20:07:00.001-07:00

Today was the classroom Halloween party and Fall Festival at Sam's school.
Since I am one of the room parents, I was in charge of most of the organizing for the classroom party as the other room parent was out of town.
I made goodie bags for all the kids. I had to be creative because the teacher asked to not have any food items in them.
During the room party, we made crafts with the kids and rotated with the two other 1st grades classes. We made a little Halloween snack which turned out pretty cute. We found these Halloween shaped tortilla chips, the kids LOVED them!

The kids did really good with their crafts:

Of course, Anaïs made sure she was involved in everything...lol

First craft completed...

Getting started on the second craft, a skeleton made out of pasta:

Third project was a Halloween coloring sheet.

On Fridays, Sam gets out of school at 12:30 so she wanted me to stay and eat lunch with her and then stay during recess until it was time to go home. Sam and her friends were so cute with Anaïs, they made sure to include her in all the fun.

Then at 6:00 it was time to go back to school for the Fall Festival. Since it's pretty cold out everything was inside. They had transformed the school hallway in a "spooky alley", it was cute.

Then in the gym room they had a bunch of games.

Anaïs loved the dancing games...

And the cupcakes...

Both kids had a great time...and I am ready for bed now!!! LOL

First snow of the year!

2010-10-25T11:52:00.001-07:00

Here it is...this is what we woke up to this morning! Sam was SO excited and could not wait to go outside.

It is so pretty up here with all the snow, I can't wait to go skiing!

A princess and a cheetah...

2010-10-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we were invited to a kids Halloween costume party at Jeff's sister's house. The girls were excited to get to wear their costumes. Here they are on our front porch:

And a quick hug at the party...

Pumpkin patch.

2010-10-16T16:53:00.000-07:00

Today we went to a pumpkin patch with some friends and had a great time. We went on a wagon ride, hay maze and saw all kinds of animals.

The maze was really fun although my friend and I were chatting and totally thought we lost our kids in the maze at some point...lol

I love this time of the year...all these holidays are so much fun.

Sam's new friend.

2010-10-12T17:07:00.000-07:00

In Mexico, Sam got to spend some time with a dolphin named Tinda. She had such a good time, I think she will remember that day for a very long time!

Swimming with a dolphin...how many people can say they've done that? :)

Anaïs also got to feed Tinda.

Fun times!