Play-time and Ice Cream

Yesterday was an unseasonably warm day. However, it was very wet and muddy from the melting snow. Miriam was asking if we could go outside somewhere. I agreed with her, we needed to find something to do outside. I remembered seeing a new play area outside of Pinkberry. A chance for the kids to run around and ice cream in one trip. Perfect combo!

New Sparkles

On Saturday we took Miriam to get her ears pierced. She has been asking about it for a while. I told her I wanted to wait (just to make sure she was ready) until we talked to her doctor about it at her check-up. Her doctor said it was fine and to just make sure to take care of them after it is done. After talking to Miriam about the whole process we asked again making sure she still wanted to do it. She was excited and ready to do it.

GETTING READY:

FIRST EAR:

SECOND EAR:

ALL DONE! What a brave girl!

It was a little bit of a rough process. After she got the first ear done she wanted to go home. We told her she had to get the other one done. She ended up on my lap, but held really still and let the girl pierce her other ear.  She got over the sadness really quickly once she got a lollipop and starting shopping for new earrings. She picked out some earrings to take home.

Once we got home she was all about showing them off. She kept asking to have pictures of her earrings taken. We made her a chart so we remember to clean them everyday for six to eight weeks. She seems so amazed today that they don't hurt anymore. She loves her new sparkly earrings.

Growing Up

Miriam went to the doctor this week for her four year old physical. I didn't get a paper telling me her stats. I did, however, get many kind words from the doctor about how wonderful she is. She is growing beautifully and is right on track with where she should be developmentally (which is always so nice to hear). The way she is growing on the growth chart it looks like she will end up being somewhere around 5 foot 8-9 inches.

Miriam always asks about trucks on the road. She wants to know what they are carrying. If she sees a truck with a picture she yells out, "Look Mom, that truck is carrying...". Miriam thirsts for knowledge. She asked me the other day to start teaching her how to spell. I let her gently down telling her we better start with something more fundamental like letter sounds. She is quickly catching on and telling us what letter words start with.

Like my Dad said today, Miriam is four going on twelve. One of my main battles with her is getting dressed every morning. She doesn't like to wear pants. She wants to wear a skirt with a pink shirt everyday. Miriam doesn't like that it is winter. She asks why she has to wear tights/leggings under her skirts. She always wants to know when it will be summer. She is literally obsessed with clothing. She points out on movies and in books what people are wearing. She asks why they get to wear short sleeves, etc.

I have tried several things to get her to wear more of her clothes. I rotate her closet so she has to wear what is next. A couple of times a week Mom gets to choose what to wear. I know this may seem like no big deal and I should just let her wear what she wants. However, I spent good money on some really cute pants for her and I don't want them going to waste.

You are probably wondering where the pictures are for this blog post. I have been horrible about taking out the camera this month. I blame this partly on my new phone. I have pictures on my phone, so that is what I will share.

Bishop Family Pictures

On Christmas Eve morning my dear friend, Eva McGann, kindly took time away from her family to take our family pictures. I think everyone (including the kids) did great considering how cold it was. We went over to Morven Park and used some of the beautiful grounds there as a backdrop. The timing couldn't have been better because about an hour after we were done it started snowing (although that might have made for some pretty pictures). I will just post a couple of my favorites since no one else has seen them but me.

Whole Clan:

Our Family:

Good Intentions

If I would have sent Christmas cards out this year this is what they would have looked like:

source

Sometimes things happens and sometimes good intentions don't happen.

Christmas cards didn't get sent this year.

I am actually okay with it.

Luckily, this "card" has nothing to do with Christmas.

We can wish you all merry and bright days anytime of year!

In addition to our Christmas card, I want to start off our new blog by recapping last year for our family. I started doing this last year. I loved looking back and seeing the kids change over the year. This year I wanted to add some events that we might want to remember.

Our Family in 2012 in events

January: Miriam started Primary, Simon learned to stand up on furniture, Michael traveled to California for 3 weeks
February: we started to enjoy some time outside, Miriam made Valentine's Day cards, Simon learned the art of getting into trouble, Michael stayed busy with work
March: nicer weather proved a life-saver for two kids and a mom stuck at home with no car, Michael worked many long hours
April: Simon turned one, we bought a van, new adventures and outings with the van, two Easter egg hunts
May: Michael celebrated a birthday, Simon started taking steps, we went to Mount Vernon, Miriam caught the excitement of spring garage sales
June: Michael got a promotion, Simon learned to walk, Miriam learned to ride a bike,
July: Vanessa celebrated a birthday, Boarded a plane to Utah, Michael spent two weeks in Utah, Vanessa and the kids spent six weeks in Utah, spent so much wonderful time with family
August: boarded a plane back to Virginia, spent a weekend with Trevor and Robyn, tried to get back in to the swing of things after a long break, Michael traveled for work
September: walked for the homeless, Simon injured his ankle, Michael went to Utah, Miriam practiced riding her bike before it turned cold
October: Michael traveled to Minnesota for 3 weeks, Miriam participated in her first Sacrament meeting program, Simon started nursery, picked apples
November: enjoyed Thanksgiving with the Bishop family, put up our first family Christmas tree
December: Miriam turned four, celebrated five years of marriage, visited Santa, spent the week of Christmas with the whole Bishop clan, took family pictures, Michael traveled to Minnesota, Michael got released from nursery

Our Family in 2012 in pictures

What another great year for our family. We are so grateful for all the blessings we have enjoyed this year. Miriam and Simon are the joy of our lives. We have so much to look forward to in 2013!