The end of an era

Last year, when I was in charge of our school's Mountain Man extravaganza, it nearly broke my family in two. As my husband's patience was stretched to it's max, I promised him that I would NEVER take on another big commitment like this during the month of May.

Just a few weeks after this big event passed, one of my good friends approached me with a favor. A big favor. She was going to be next year's PTA president and her teacher appreciation board member had just fallen through. She really wanted me to fill that position. Knowing that "teacher appreciation week" falls in the month of May, I knew there was no way that I could do that to my family. I declined the offer. A few weeks later, she came back and approached me with same request again. Again, I declined. By the third time she approached me , I knew that she really was at her wit's end. She had exhausted all other options and she really needed someone to fill that spot. In a weak moment, I accepted the position...but didn't dare tell Ted for another few months! I knew he needed some more time to recover from the last event!

As it turns out, this has been such a fun (but busy) year. Iturns out that this position is much more involved than one week. I was in charge of back-to-school gifts, I have been in charge of providing a "treat" the first friday of every month, of bringing in birthday gifts for all of the faculty, of providing dinners all the nights of parent/teacher conference, and let's not forget the big kahuna...teacher appreciation week. Once again, my family, and even my marriage, has been put to the test, but the experience was very fun and those teachers were all so gracious and appreciative. All in all, I will miss working with the faculty in this capacity. It has been such a great year!

Our year's PTA theme is "Celebrate" so I wanted to take that same theme and really CELEBRATE our teachers. All week we tried to make it to be a true celebration! We gave the teacher's martinelli's with champagne goblets attached as the kick-off gift. We also had something fun/exciting every day of the week. Whether it be massages, or fiestas, or luncheons, or bouquets of flowers, we did our best to treat them like royalty. I didn't capture everything, but here are some pics:









To make things extra fun, we held a daily raffle with fun prizes from little boutique shops, day spas, photography studios, and such. Being the crazy lady that I am, I chose to kick off the week by playing "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang at the beginning of my announcement to the school. Every morning the school officers would play a little of that song, then make their daily raffle announcement. The teachers said that the kids would get up and dance to the music and then they would cross their fingers while the raffle drawing took place. So fun!

At the end of the week, the teachers made a sweet poster for me and the PTA. I was so touched by their kindness!

Good bye, Good bye...

This is probably going to be one of my very last posts... because I am getting my own!!! Yipee! I am so excited, because I get an e-mail and a blog when I turn 13 (which is in 2 days). So I will tell you later what MY blog is. Thank you mama for letting me use yours!!!
Ashley

Our little 7 year old

Our cute Katelyn turned seven yesterday. And while she is so excited to be getting big like her two older sisters, my heart kind of aches to know that this cute and bubbly little girl is growing up. Anyone who knows her knows that she is a super energetic, sweet hearted, little girl who has so much enthusiasm for life. We are so blessed to have her be in our lives.

About a month ago, I asked Katelyn what she wanted to do for her birthday. I have to laugh at her top request: she wanted tacos and edamame for dinner. I think that is such a funny and interesting combination of food choices, especially for a seven-year-old girl, but she had her heart set on that meal and so, of course, we all were happy to oblige.

May is such a busy month in the school year. Between end-of-year field trips, parties, and recitals, it really is enough to send you over the edge. Wouldn't you know I would choose to complicate my life that much more by having all THREE girls' birthdays in May (Parker was due May 3rd but I opted to have him the end of April). Someone should have slapped me silly years ago!

Anyway, Katelyn's birthday happened to fall on a particularly busy day that included after-school activities and the older girls' piano recital. I was really concerned that Katelyn might feel like her birthday got swallowed up by the fast-paced day we had. Fortunately for Katelyn, she didn't seem to mind that her day got sandwiched in because she went to bed saying that it was the best birthday ever. According to Katelyn, her highlights included getting pulled out of school to go to lunch at Tony Burger, getting a single carnation (which I actually received when I lube/oiled my car earlier that day--I just thought she might like getting a flower on her birthday...I was right), receiving helium balloons, eating her beloved tacos and edamame for dinner (still cracking up over that one,eating cake with Uncle Nathan, Aunt Ashley and family, and of course, getting to open her presents which included the American Girl doll she had selected back in February when we had our mommy-daughter date at American Girl in California.

Here is Katie delighting in the day:



It's hard to narrow the list down, but here are seven reasons that I love Katelyn:

1. She is a one-of-a-kind. I have never met anyone quite like her. This young lady has so much personality squeezed into that tiny little body, it's crazy. She can make me laugh like no other. And she comes up with some of the most hilarious perspectives on life. She is a giggle a minute.
   
2. Katelyn is such a tenacious little girl. And boy, can she be a hard worker. When she chooses to put her mind to something, nothing can stop her. She recently decided that she wanted to become a better reader and her teacher announced at parent-teacher conferences that she has improved the most of any of the kids in her class. And when it comes to tumbling, she wants to get her back handspring so much that she may very well shake our floor boards loose, she flips around all dog gone day long. The best part is that when she is intent to do something, she gets this almost crazed determined look in her eye that makes me want to laugh!
   
3. Katleyn has so much zest for life! She loves life to its fullest and usually sees the world "half-full". Her positive perspective is such a positive influence in our home.
4. She is such a sweet little snuggle bug. She is always ready for a good cuddle or snuggle. And since she is my last little lady, this is such a huge blessing in my life. I hope she never outgrows her affectionate personality since I love her big hugs.
5. She is so adventurous! When we found out that Katelyn had one kidney, we told ourselves that we would have to guide her to activities that were a little more sedentary. We have since learned that this cutie pie has her own ideas in mind for her life. She loves to run, jump, climb, play, explore, and find adventure wherever it may be!! We are so grateful that she has outgrown her desire to run away from home in pursuit of fun, but I am confident that this girl will make a point of discovering all that this great world has to offer!
6. She is the best big sister ever. After having three girls, I wondered what my poor son was in for. Lucky for Parker, Katelyn is always more than ready to go out and play and do whatever sounds fun to Parker. Of all my three girls, Katelyn is best suited to be Parker's little "buddy". He literally lights up when we sees her at the end of the school day. He knows that REAL fun is about to take place!
7. Katelyn is such a special daughter in our family. I feel so blessed to have her in my life and feel so grateful for the privilege of raising this beautiful daughter of God here on earth. I love her more than words can say!
   
   Here are a few glimpses down memory lane...
   
   Here she is when she was about 7 months old. Don't you just want to squeeze those cheeks?!!
   When Katelyn was about two, she put her hand on the griddle and this was the product. She was such a tough kiddo!
   This is just the start of her fun personality starting to shine through!
   Katelyn's first day of preschool. I can't believe she starts 2nd grade next year. Waaah!
   Enthusiastically enjoying the new-found freedom without training wheels. li>

Mutual Activity

Camille (Love her face!), Kayleigh, Lauren, Sydney, Olivia, and me!!!

After a long day we relax, looking at the flowers.
Sydney, Kayleigh, Olivia, and me. I love Olivia's face (she was not aware that we started the photo)
"The Gang" Sydney, Olivia, Kayleigh, and me in front of Jesus in Temple Square.



We went to temple square for mutual last week and played temple symbols. I brought my camera so I could take pictures and I am so happy that I did.
-Ashley

Parker's Birthday!!!

Parker's Birthday was a SUCCESS!!! He is now a three year old!!! Our little boy is growing up so fast! Boo hoo hoo!!! We went bowling, had pizza, and came home and ate a thomas the choo choo train cake. Oh it was a good night.

can you tell that he is super excited?

White, Shiny and Straight

Well, my braces are all gone. And now I can eat caramel, laffy taffy, starbursts, and all that other fun stuff!(Not that I haven't ever stopped) I am so happy that my teeth turned out well. I have a bottom permanent retainer and a top retainer that I can take out. It is tiger striped may I add. I am so happy. Thanks Mom and Dad!!!
-Ashley Last time you will be seeing these babies!!!

Good News, Bad News

Bad news first... I did not make cheerleader this school year. They only let 4 seventh graders be eighth grade cheerleaders and 16 or more eight graders be ninth grade cheerleaders, so I am going to try out next year and work my butt off this year so I can get my motions sharp. Good news is... TOMORROW IS OUT LITTLE BABY P'S THIRD BIRTHDAY!!! Also my braces come off tomorrow. Look at these ADORABLE pictures of our baby Parker!!

Plates

Every spring break, it is sort of a tradition that we go to this store "Color me Mine" in Salt Lake. You go and pick a ceramic and then you paint them and they cook it and glaze it. So we went this week and my mom made all of us (Megan,Katelyn, and me) paint plates for a certain holiday, she had to pick the colors and we had to get her okay before we painted a design on the plate. It was fun though and this is how they turned out:
Ashley- Valentines Day

Katelyn- Easter

Megan- Halloween

boodles of pictures

So I was on our "old" computer downstairs trying to download "Picasa" when I came upon ALL OF THESE PICTURES that we have forgotten about for ages! It was so weird to see some of our cousins when they were six and/or 4. I was also amazed to see some pictures of before Megan was born. I am not too thrilled about all of that baby fat I tell you. =) It was so weird to remember my cousins attitudes when they were little and now I think about their attitudes now and it is amazing how some people have the same attitude and some have changes DRAMATICALLY!!! Thanks for listening!
-Ashley

Whitlocks!!!

We are all so happy that Alysa and Maddie could come over to hang out with us on the 5th!!! Next time we hope they all come!!!

Cheer

Guess what's coming April 12th through the 16th?!?!?!F-J-H!!! Lets go Huskies!!! Green Gray and White!!!

Teeth for treasures!

Before I start talking about teeth, I need to first digress and gush a little over my brother, Nathan.

Nathan is such an incredible person who holds a special place in our family. He is so much more than a brother, brother-in-law, and uncle. He is another appendage to the Esplin household. We have been fortunate enough to selfishly hoard him all to ourselves since we moved back six years ago and I have to tell you, it has been pure bliss. Not only is this guy totally hilarious and fun to the core, but he has a heart of gold and would do just about anything for family. And believe me, he has! This guy has been a nanny to our children so that Ted and I could go to New York, he has taken on the role of "Mr. Mom" numerous times, especially when Ted has been out of town and I have been deathly ill with morning sickness, I have seen him carry multiple children simultaneously up the stairs and then proceed to tuck them into bed, I have watched him clean up major throw-up when Parker got the stomach flu so that I could attend to my son, and my all time favorite is that he has gone so far as to strap on a Baby Bjorn and do jobs such as vacuuming and ironing table cloths while my baby was screaming in his ears, so that I would be ready for a baby blessing.

Not only has he loved and served us over the years, but he has also been around for many of the significant moments in life. He has been "Grandpa" for the girls' "Grandparents Day" several years running, he has been at our home during events such as Easter, Christmas Morning, April Fool's Day...he has even shared his own birthday with us a time or two. Needless, to say, we all adore him and unofficially consider him an Esplino!

Well, over the years, this handsome guy has met LOTS of great girls, but when Ashley came along, we all saw something different. Within a short period of time, we all had a hunch that THIS great girl was going to be THE ONE. As much as I saw this coming, I still turned to mush when I got word that he had officially proposed. And even though our family will somehow have to learn how to share him, we couldn't be more thrilled!!


Now that wedding plans are underway, my girls have been so eager to feel apart of this festive occasion. A few weekends back, I found my girls huddled around the kitchen computer jotting down all kinds of information. When I got a closer view, I realized they were looking at Nathan & Ashley's wedding registry. The older girls had a budget in mind and they were ready to do some serious shopping. Poor Katelyn was feeling a little helpless since she has very little cash in her possession. Somewhere along the line, she realized that she was getting close to losing a tooth and decided that she would put her tooth fairy money towards a wedding present.

Here is a picture after she lost her first top tooth.



In spite of Katelyn's new windfall, we discovered a few days later that Katelyn was now really twisting and tugging on the other top tooth to try and get a little more money to work with for the wedding present. I think it is safe to say that there are few people in the world who would be willing to give up their teeth to buy someone a gift, but this little girl did not want to disappoint and she was bound and determined to get some more money before that wedding present. I have to say, I am gonna miss this snaggle-tooth look!


Man oh man, she was so excited to hit Target and personally operate the computer to print off the wedding registry. Especially since I am always forbidding it when we are in the Customer Service line. She felt so grown up making a purchase with her own money.


Her objective was to get the biggest bang for the buck, so she went for a laundry basket because it was within her financial reach and it was BIG. I love how kids always think bigger has always gotta be better! So cute!

Here she is with her big purchase:


Katelyn can hardly wait for the big day to approach! As you can see, this purchase brings a big toothless smile to her face!

Adventures in Toilet Training!!!

You would think that as a seasoned (that's code for middle-aged) mother of four, that by the time the last child came around, there would be very few tricks to get excited about. Well, when it comes to teaching the fine art of potty training, I still manage to experience small doses of euphoria when that training child FINALLY manages to get SOMETHING into the toilet. Today was no exception. For months, we have been "oohing" and "aaahing" over big boy underpants, the whole family has been demonstrating and even marketing the benefits of using those fancy porcelain bowls conveniently located throughout the house, and even to Parker's credit, the little man has mastered the art of sitting for painfully LONG periods of time on the porcelain throne, even doing what some would consider to be almost acrobat-like moves as he stands up on one leg while trying to flush the toilet while sitting, and I can't even BEGIN to tell you how much toilet paper Parker has unnecessarily flushed as he has practiced wiping--just in case he someday chose to really pull the whole thing off. Well, today folks, we saw SUCCESS!!! Yessireee, I was patiently reading with my best Spanish accent the moving literary masterpiece of "SkippyjonJones" (for those of you less cultured folk, it is a touching story about a Siamese Cat who is utterly convinced that he really is a Chihuahua), when all of a sudden I felt a spray fly right across my pants, up my shirt, and slightly on to my face. Now, most of you might respond differently, but when you have been trying to promote how much "fun" it is to pee in a toilet, the only natural response I could give was sheer joy!!! We both hooted and hollered and squealed with delight. Before you knew it, the whole family was joining in on the fun in our 4x4 foot bathroom. Everyone was screaming and dancing and giving "high fives" all around. As you can see, our little man was not too disappointed with his efforts either.

Let's just say that this stream of urine trailing up my leg (and all over the floor)....


Well, it is ALL worth it!!!

Believe me, these are the gems in motherhood that make it all worthwhile!

Kristin

Fun with the Iversons

My kids just love their cousins. The trouble is that life gets so darn busy that it is nearly impossible to find time to get together with them. Yes, we have monthly family get togethers, but according to my children, "that doesn't count". They want quality time and we are not talking "quality over quantity" time. They want some serious fun that runs into the wee hours of the night. In our home, our kids only get sleepovers with cousins, which only compounds their desire to get together more often with extended family.

A few weeks back, I asked Katelyn what it would take to get her to make her bed EVERY DAY. She negotiated for 5 clean bedroom mornings in exchange for lunch with her cousin, Aidan. The next thing you know, Megan piped in and was trying to negotiate the same. Katelyn called foul play on account of the fact that Megan ALWAYS has a clean bedroom. Before I knew it, both of the girls wanted to know what it would take to get sleepovers out of the deal. Well, I can't say that I was a savvy negotiator, but I certainly did make two little girls very happy. This weekend, we managed to squeeze Wendy's, Slurpees, and even a personal shopping spree at Walmart with two crisp dollars per child (which, by the way, was the highlight according to all). I regret to say that I don't have pics of Presley and Megan, but I managed to get a couple of cute ones of Katelyn and Aidan.

Sleeping in the tent in Katelyn's bedroom. It was a little snug for comfort, if you ask me, but they sure seemed to have fun.

Katelyn brushing Aidan's teeth because Aidan was a chicken, and as everyone knows, chickens can't hold toothbrushes with wings.

Silly kiddos!!!

WE ARE CRAZY!!! Click on the picture to see it bigger!!!