This is so great!

Zoe's Dance Video - She's the tall blonde one!

Zoe's Big Week

Zoe's had a big week with her dance rehearsal and recital and her preschool graduation. She has been in heaven of course and loving that everyone has come to watch and support her. She is so pretty and I'm reminded of a conversation she and I had about a month ago. She has a real crush on Ike, her friend from next door and I was asking her how things were going with him and this is what she says: "I asked him today if he's going to marry me or not and he said, "I don't know what your going to look like when you get older" and she says, "I'm going to be so beautiful".

I think she is right!!!

The Mullett!

Matt just went to "get a hair cut" and this is what he came home with. I could throw up and he thinks it's so funny! It's not!

Poor People's Hot Tub

This is how poor people have a hot tub. We fill up our little pool with warm water from the laundry room sink. The kids think it's just as good as the real thing. The weather's been in the 70's and we've been in heaven. This is how we're spending our days!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZOE!!

Zoe in her new "cowgirl sunhat"

Displaying all her new gifts!

In her new dance outfit!

In her new Birthday dress, made especially by Grandma Ni!

Zoe just turned 5 years old. I can't believe it. She is so much fun and I love her so much! She's my little shadow and my little buddy during the days when Ellie's at school. She has definitely taught me things about myself as a person and as a mother (most of which I don't like), but she teaches me to be more loving and patient each day and she is the best little helper. She's always quick to help me if I'm cleaning or cooking. She wants to be helpful and I think that's such a great quality!!! She's a good friend and is very smart. She's starting reading and is doing great!

TOP 5 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT ZOE......

1) Her smile!

2) Her laugh!

3) The way she loves me and wants to be with me or "snuggling me" always!

4) Her love for babies and how great and helpful she is with them!

5) Her self-confidence. I hope this stays with her FOREVER!!

and I'm adding one more... Her strong personality that I know will either get her into lots of trouble later in life or get her very far. Hopefully the latter!

Struggling

It's only been about 2 years since I've blogged so I'm struggling. Slowly but surely I'll get back in the game. I do want to write the funny or great things that are said or that happen in the Briem home, here's a couple of the most recent......

1) The night before Zoe's Birthday I'm talking to the girls about the day she was born and how scary and great it was and Ellie reminds me that once Zoe got home, Ellie kept wanting to send her back and send her to live with Spongebob. I say to Ellie, "aren't we so glad she didn't go to live with Spongebob and Ellie replies with, "yeah those episodes would be filled with so much crying, I would never watch it". WOW!

2) Zoe has a great 5th Birthday (pics attached, hopefully) and she and I wake up and make her cake, get pedicures, go to lunch etc. I turn the T.V. on today and some show is on and Zoe says, "I am over this show Mom, you know I am 5 now".

3) The other night we were at my mom's saying goodbye to Alex and Ellie and Zoe come walking in and Ellie says, "That may have been the most embarrassing moment of my life" and we ask what happened. They had been out back swinging with one of the neighbor boys who Ellie has a crush on. She goes on to tell us that when the boy came over, Ellie started telling Zoe to say good things about her in front of the boy so he will like her and tells Zoe to say, "Ellie your such a good girl, you did your dusting today"??? Zoe wouldn't do it and refused to say anything about Ellie so Ellie says to the boy, "Okay, I'm just going to say it, I think your cute, not like girls are cute but like HOT!" and the boy replies with "That's okay, all the girls in my class think I'm cute, I am the hottest boy in my class".

ALEX- This is for you!

Since my dear sister decided to leave us for the summer and move to New Jersey to star on Jerseyshore, I've been encouraged to update my blog for her. This is for you Al.

Wow, I may be back!

Here's just a few random, more recent photo's. I lost my camera months ago so these are stolen from Amy's blog (thanks Amy for always having your camera and always taking pictures)

Okay, I had truly sworn off blogging. I don't know why other than it started to feel like one more thing I needed to get done and I was feeling overwhelmed, I guess. Anyhow, I truly just want record of my girls, our family and the wonderful moments I never want to forget. A few of those things.....

1) My 3 year old, Zoe,wants lipstick on every minute of the day. She is OBSESSED with it! If you have on a great color of lipstick you are immediately her very best friend. Clear lip-gloss or chapstick don't even come close to covering it. The brighter the better. I drop her off at pre-school last week and her teacher asks me, "Every time Zoe comes to school, she asks me for some lipstick, is it okay if I get her some so I can put it on her each day". Let me remind you, this is my 3 year old we're talking about.

2) Ellie comes in my room tonight and asks, "Does Heavenly Father answer questions?" I reply, "yes" and she says, "good because I just prayed and asked him to tell me how he got made. I told him he can take his time answering me, like tomorrow morning is fine." She is so perplexed about this question and thinks and asks about it often.

3) Ellie won the storytelling contest in her class last week and went on to do it in front of the school, Monday. It was so great. She did such a good job.

4) Last night I spent an hour being John Grogan (aka Owen Wilson) of the movie Marley and Me, while Zoe is Jenny (aka Jennifer Aniston), with a baby up her shirt and Ellie, yes my 6 year old, is Marley - the annoying dog who licks our faces and jumps on us. Zoe loves being the mom and talking to and taking care of her baby and Ellie loves being an animal. They are as different as night and day!

5) I walk in to the bathroom 2 nights ago and Ellie is scrubbing her mouth with soap. I ask what she's doing and she tells me she's washing her mouth out with soap. I ask why and she says, "because I can't get a bad word out of my head" WOW! Self induced punishment at the age of 6.

6) Zoe on the other hand, walks into the house and sees the Christmas tree and says, "Holy S@*t, that's a cute tree!"

Our Farm

Every year without fail Matt gets animals for the girls around Easter. He thinks we live on a farm and we so don't. One year we got chicks, then a bunny, ducks, and chicks again this year. I'm at work and he texts me and says "were farmers again". I was sick. However, they have provided us and many others hours of entertainment and Ellie has loved them so much, she literally was awake the first few days at 6:00 ready to play with them. They're currently living in my basement (sick), but if we put them outside our cat will surely kill them. So down there, they'll stay until they get big enough to send out into the wild. No pics of Zoe with them, because as with all animals, she's scared to death.

EASTER TREATS

I'm over blogging at this point, but I copied some other girls idea of making these great cupcake Easter Baskets and had to show them off. They were so easy and the girls had a blast making them.

DISNEY ON ICE

We went to Disney on Ice and had a blast. The girls wanted to dress up like princesses and they loved every minute of it.

LAS VEGAS BABY!

We went to the dirtiest place on earth, Las Vegas, last weekend with Jake and Amy. We had such a great time! It's been forever since I've been there and will be a long time before I return. Although it was fun, the place is so full of filth and dirtiness!!! Makes coming back to Happy Valley feel like I've died and gone to Heaven. We did have fun though, we ate lots, went to a show, gambled a little (Matt a lot, it's a good thing we don't live there), shopped etc. etc. I've got the post vacation blues, so I better get planning my next one!

The Kindergarten Table

I came home from work today and was talking to Ellie about her day. She never says much at that time, but stuff comes out later, at random times. She's lying in bed and begins to tell me that a boy named Miles, who sits on her table, has a crush on her. I ask her how she knows and she says, "because he's mean to me". Of course, that's my fault because I have explained to her in the past that when boys are mean to you, they usually have a crush on you. Well she continues to tell me that she told him today "I know you have a crush on me". He said, "no I don't" and she says, "yes you do, because your kind of mean and that means you like me". So funny! Then she tells me that Morgan (a mean little girl, who also sits at her table) and Miles were saying they don't like themselves and so Ellie began lecturing them both about how liking ourselves is what Heavenly Father wants us to do and they need to. I've decided that the best place in life to be is sitting at a Kindergarten table, having deep discussions about love and life. If I could only be a fly for a day!

CHRISTMAS 2008

New Nightgowns made by Grandma Ni.

Spongebob jammies from Grandma Ni

Zoe and her FurReal Puppy

Ellie modeling her new vest

Christmas Eve Nativity program (Ellie's the grumpy shepherd)

Clinger Christmas Eve Party

Crazy faces with Grandpa Mike

We had a wonderful Christmas. We got everything we wanted and more. But the highlight was going to SLC the day after Christmas to stay overnight. My mom and Doug got 9 rooms at the Embassy Suites and all of us went up, saws 2 movies, swam, ate and played Blokus until all hours of the night. It was great. The best part about the holidays for me are being with family and giving to those in need. I know it sounds cheezy and generic but it's true.

THANKSGIVING POINT - CHRISTMAS PRINCESS

We went to see the lights at Thanksgiving Point on Friday Night. For those of you who haven't been, there's tons of lights and you drive through really slow and there's music playing and the kids love it. Well I took some great pics and then accidentally deleted them (and am so angry about it) but it was so great because Ellie came up with the idea that we were driving through a Christmas Parade and we should open the sun roof and she could be "The Christmas Princess of Thanksgiving Point". She was still in her red Christmas dress from her school performance and she hung out the sunroof waving, blowing kisses and telling us how "they might ask her to come everynight and wear her "fancy" coat with the fur and put furry gloves on her and have her wave and perform for all the people". Matt and I were laughing so hard. It was so great! I got out of the car and took some pics of her, but they're gone, so this will have to create the memory. We also saw the reindeer (real ones) and it was a great night!