Suzuki Violin

I am so excited for Lauren to start violin lesson's this fall! And she is so excited! She reminds me almost daily that she will have her violin to play at Halloween. We have an incredible Suzuki Violin teacher in our neighborhood who asked me last year if I wanted Lauren to take violin lessons. Cesar and I attended a few of her concerts and we were totally impressed! It is amazing! She only takes new students that are three or four years old and she plans on teaching them until they are through high school. It is a little intense and quite a bit intimidating! but I love classical music and I really want my children to play something. No one in my family has played the violin. We are a piano family, but Lauren has talked about playing the violin since before this teacher approached me. Anyhow, Lauren and I took a Pre-twinkle music class at the Intermountain Suzuki String Institute last week and it was so incredible! I am so excited about this whole decision we have made. It is going to totally be a sacrifice for our family in order for this to happen, but I really feel good about it. I know that this is a big commitment, but we are ready! (I hope) :)

Seriously?

Really? In our neigborhood? We do live kind of close to the mountains (being in Utah), but not that close. You would think we were in Waterton where the deer roam the streets. Random! I seriously thought I was seeing things when I saw them out my window. They walked by our house and down the street, then jumped into a neighbor's back yard.

Remembering Audrey

It has been 5 years since Audrey passed away. Every year, I take my little family to Audrey's grave to pay tribute to her life. My kids know who their grandma Audrey and grandma Linda are. I talk about them often, hoping I can pass along the legacy of these great women to my children.

We take Audrey's favorite pink flowers to her grave and sing some primary songs. It isn't much, but it is something.

Audrey was the true meaning of service. In watching her serve throughout her life and in various calling in the church and in her family, she always did her best. I never once remember her complaining about what she needed to do. She went about doing her quiet acts of service.

It has been one of the greatest blessing of my life to serve her when she got sick. She had served me and everyone around her, her entire life, and to be able to return that service was very humbling for me. She was not afraid to die. She was not upset. All she was worried about was the love of her life, my dad. The quiet moments that I spent with her those last two years I will always be grateful for. I love her very much. She was a good friend. I miss her and I think about her often. She has been a great influence in my life and still is. I cannot wait to see her again.

Lauren' B-day

Happy Birthday Sweetie! Lauren turned 4 this past Sunday. She was so excited and has been looking forward to this day for months! We had a nice family party for her on Sunday. We were glad that the sun came out so we could do the pinata outside.

Zoila made Lauren a princess cape to match her princess gown. She loves it!

A nice relative, (I won't name names...Luis) gave her a pallet of make-up. You can see how pretty Lauren looks with the purple eye shadow, blush and lip stick. So pretty! Thanks Luis! Can you see that Lauren is holding her hands carefully so that the nail polish can dry? That also came in the set. Thanks again! :)

Lauren also had her first friend birthday party. She invited four girls from the neighborhood and had a princess party. We are so blessed to have such good neighbors and friends! Do they look like they are having fun? I'm not sure...

Lauren got this super-cool scooter from her good friend Ellie. Such a generous friend. Thanks Ellie!

Notice the Bottle?

Do you notice Isabella holding a bottle? This is a happy day in the Rod house hold!!!! We started bottle feeding Isabella while she was in the hospital as a new born, but she quickly would have nothing to do with it as time went on. She has refused a bottle or anything like a bottle since she came home. This is causing me much stress!!! How can I ever have more than 2 hours to myself without someone calling me to tell me that the baby is crying and hungry? So, I decided yesterday that I was going on strike! How do you like that?! I didn't feed her at all yesterday, only offered her a bottle. She took about 4 oz the entire day and she survived! Today, she has done a bit better. She is holding it by herself (sort of, if it is propped up on her chest) and she drinks it kind of funny, but she is taking it. I am pumping, but she will have nothing to do with breast milk from the bottle, go figure. She WILL NOT take the bottle from me if I am holding her. If she is laying on the ground and I am sitting next to her, she might take it. She is kind of a funny girl, and not always ha, ha. I am still breast feeding her at night and the early morning, but once daylight hits, all bottle. I am sorry, but I am just not the poster mother of breast feeding. How do women do this for an entire year? So, there you have it! Just in case you were wondering. :)

The Girls

So, about 20 times a day, Lauren asks..."Can I hold Isabella?" Seriously, like at least 20 times a day! The best is when I have Isabella on the floor and I leave the room for something, like the phone or to pee, and the next thing I know, Isabella is across the room and in Lauren's lap. Lauren's response is always, "well, mom, she wanted me to hold her." I caught her once moving Isabella, and to be honest, she was doing a good job. She would just pull the blanket to where she wanted to sit with her. Next, she pulls Isabella's legs up over her legs and around her waist, then slowly lifts Isabella up. I even noticed that she supported her head. Safety first. :) But it was kinda funny to see them both tip over and Lauren tell me that Isabella is kinda heavy. My Lauren, what am I going to do with her? She is such a good sister. The most enduring thing is to hear her sing when Isabella is crying. Most of the time, Isabella will stop crying. I think she stops to hear the funny songs Lauren makes up. It really is a crack up to listen to! Lauren is such a good sister! I hope they always love each other as much as they do now.

GOOOAALLLLL!

Here is the last day of soccer this season. Sam loved it once he got there, but it sure was a hassle getting him there! He really did like it and he seemed to do well... for a 5 year old. We will see what next year brings with both Sam and Lauren playing soccer. Can't wait! Is it just me, or is soccer season kinda long? It was for like 6 or 7 weeks in the fall, then about 5-6 weeks in the spring...It is a good thing we like soccer (Cesar)!

Yum, Yum, Yum!

Rice cereal, so yummy! Isabella is officially 4 months old, so she had her official first solid food. Let's be honest, we all know that this isn't really the first time she has had anything solid to eat but this is the first time I have fed her anything solid. Later that night, she couldn't get enough ice cream. She would scream and scream until I could get another bite in her mouth. Too funny! She fits well into our family if she likes ice cream. How can you not love this chub-a-lub! I love this stage with all the rolls. My dad says she looks like the Michelin man because of all the rolls.
That's not nice :).