The Daily Francis: May 2011

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Cinco de Mia!!

Our baby girl turned 1 last Thursday and we had one fun Cinco de Mia fiesta!

We partied at the park around the corner from us and had about 20 adults and 25 kids for dinner, pinata, bubbles, cake and flan, and a special visit from Senor Neil :)

We loved celebrating our little Mia with so many great friends, thanks guys!

the flower basket cake

birthday girl

the clan

the shrimp griller

the menu: Shrimp and Chicken tacos with pineapple, 7-layer dip, fresh guacamole, watermelon, mexican rice, mangos, fruit salad, chips and salsa and it was sooo yummy!

We got these fun apple juices at Costco...I know it looks bad, but I couldn't resist :)

shrimp and lime skewers for tacos

Mia loved her first juice box

i LOVE this picture because of the man in the background...he is always with us :)

Cupcake Time...

the little chick pinata that Dave picked out :)

We didn't get to do our Neil Diamond Christmas party this year, so we had to bring him out to the fiesta-- he was loved by all!

opening presents from Grandma after the party

ready for bed after a GREAT night!!

We can't even put into words how happy this little girl makes our family. Zanna and James still fight over who gets to sit by her at dinner almost every night and love to make her laugh and help take care of her. She loves to "sing" with Dave and has some sweet dance moves and is adding to her repertoire ever yday. She loves books, dogs, emptying every drawer in the house, is obsessed with the vacuum, Loves all meat and loves to cuddle with me and always pats us on the back when we pick her up from her bed. She waves, claps, does all sorts of animal sounds- elephant being my favorite, she just learned to fold her arms for prayer, she gives kisses and hugs, and smiles at everyone we walk past with her big teeth and darling grin.

We love you Mia Charlotte-- happy 1st birthday!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Disneyland!!!

WE DID IT!!

Last weekend we did a whirlwind weekend to visit the happiest place on earth...

We drove down thursday after school, did Disneyland on Friday, the beach on Sat. and drove home that night exhausted and happy!

the classic pic

Dumbo line

her first horsey ride

we loved how many rides you can do as a family

even if they make you feel a little sick :)

Woody and Jessie...so fun to see them in 'real' life

The new Jedi Training show is AWESOME and the "dark mal" (according to James) was really pretty scary!

a special moment with Cinderella

Ariel

and Mulan. James didn't want to talk to the princesses, but Mulan made a special effort to talk to him and it was pretty cute

It's a Small World--Mia's all-time favorite ride...she was "oooohhhing and aaahhhhing" the whole time!

the cuties

Zanna was SO EXCITED to get these Mouse, Bride ears and was prancing around the park all afternoon

The Matterhorn-- loved it!

Fireworks show was incredible!

Last ride at 11:50 pm!

Getting some treats on our way out...nothing like sugar tubes for the kids, turtles and chocolate covered s'mores for Dave and ice cream for me at 12:30 am!!

Good-bye Magical place-- we loved you!

We slept in the next morning and then a great morning swim at the hotel pool...

we ate lunch at The Elephant Bar...really yummy new place for us and then headed to Santa Monica Beach for the afternoon.

It was a perfect beach day and mia loved the sand

we didn't do suits at first, but Dave and the kids quickly changed in the car and DOVE IN!

we are really going to miss California!!!

P.S. -If you are going to Disneyland anytime soon and want tips on how to avoid lines, what to see and do and how to have the best experience from an expert that used to work there, let me know and I will forward you the precious info!!

ZANNA at her best, 7 years old

while telling her how I'm going to make James' bday cake she says, "can you make me a sketch of this cake?"...with a totally straight face.
"I have a test I am totally not prepared for" (she's in 1st grade :)
"Mom, you were alive at the time of Joseph Smith, right?"....um, no
"I turned the TV off last night after dad fell asleep because I wanted to help save the polar bears."
Zanna's explanation of how to play a game on my phone..."now, mom, this is a pretty basic game you just touch here and here"..."I wish it had some more features..."
we told Zanna we were going to Yosemite and a few hours later while driving in the car she asked, "How far away is Gethsemane?"
while playing a game at home, "Dad is very wide...I didn't want to say fat"
at Thanksgiving dinner, "James, this is a real life dead turkey"
I had to get seven dollars for a field trip for Zanna and didn't have the right bills so when I told her I had to go to the bank, she said, "just get a 7 mom"
"next year for Halloween I want to get my hair dialed purple"
"mom, I accidently ate all my whipped cream in one bite, can I have some more?"
sings..."How on Earth do I find Heaven?" sung to the tune of "Where on Earth do I find Heaven?" on 'My Turn On Earth"
"Look at all those cigarettes on the ground, some people just don't know Earth Day."
"come here my little daughter" talking to Mia. (She sometimes forgets that I'm still the mom, not her :)
"I can't wait until I'm sixteen so that I can drive."
When we saw the big Ferris Wheel in Niagara Falls she said, "wow, look at that big steering wheel!"
"James, don't you want a girl baby because I make you happy when you are sad and help take care of you."
while playing tic-tac-toe with James "now James, I'm not going to let you win because I want you to be SMART."
I wish Cinderella was my mom... or at least my step-mom."
"mom, if people have different colored skin, do they still have white bones?"
when trying to read the word "isn't" she said, 'that word is all messed up, I don't know what is says!"
as I was reading my new book Dave said, "mom likes to pretend she doesn't exist while she is reading." Zanna replied, "Dinosaurs don't exist and they stink also."
"I know the vowels A-E-I-O-U and sometimes C." ...close.
"they have this stuff at school called hanitizer, and it makes your hands clean if you pick your nose."
"I'm like a real person now 'cause I can do stuff."
On Zanna's birthday someone asked why she didn't want to stay 4 years old and she said, " 'cause I'm all about life!"
when my friend as rubbing & patting Zanna's back, she turned around and said, "Lourdes, stop burping me."
"okay, boys I'm in charge because I'm 4 and I have tall shoes on."
after asking Zanna to clean up her room she wailed, "you can't expect kids to clean up like this, I'm only 4 years old!"
James said he wanted to go to our friend Jonah's house and Zanna said, "James, I can't go with you because I will be at WORK--I mean Pre-K, but it's like work because we do a lot of stuff there! I'l let Jonah know though that you want to come over."
sung to tune of little mermaid - "I've got gadgets and bullets of plenty . . . I've got things in a box galore . . . no big deal, no one cares, I got more. . ."
"doug, if you just pick up 10 items a day, you'll have this place cleaned up in no time!"
"how do you spell 'shooting animals'?"
"mom, I just went outside and it was like a dream... the birds were tweeting and the grass was so green!"
"good thing I got this bloody knee, 'cause I REALLY wanted a Dora band-aid."
"I want my Bobbi Brown lip gloss!!"
"I realize everything, just call me 'realize everything Zanna' "
last night in the bath, "I can't reach my back, so I am washing James'"
we drove past a deer crossing sign and she said, "James, deer! Now look for animals with signs on them."
after rolling down the window in the mountains, "it smells good out here... like Grandma's face."
"i have 24 nickels, quarters, pennies and diamonds!"
"this morning James made me sad and I said a prayer in my room" (how sweet is that!"
"Mom, I love you all the way to Mexico and I love Dad all the way to Texas!"
"...my hips don't lie..."
"Did Heavenly Father throw us to Earth?"
"Mom, James bit my tongue!"
"Bye Mom, I have to go to a meeting at the church." Why Zanna? "I have to go help the Bishop."
"Come on James, let's be naked!"
"Mom, you don't go to work, you just stay home and take care of us? that's so mellow!"
at the dinner table she said, "Mom, it's hard to have two kids."
''...and then Heavenly Father sent a ghost down to the boy..."
"Oh, mom, I love your beautiful smile!"
"No, Mom, but good question."
"I like this swing, it's more challenging."

Jameson's Bests- 6 years old

"Zanna, stop treating Mia like a 'zero-year-old' she's 1 now!"
after visiting the Kennecott Coppermine and not having a great time, when we drove past it later he said, "there's the Boring Compromise" (copper mine).
After renting "Super Hero Squad" at Redbox he said, "mom, they don't squat the whole time, they're just short."
Observing Zanna at soccer practice, "Wow, Zanna is really constipating well!" (concentrating :)
tells our neighbor, "my dad teaches me to say potty talk"
"when I was running, I tooted and it made me run faster like an explosion."
After a fun night of pizza, ice cream and a movie with friends James said, "Mom, you're the best...good thing Dad chose you!"
"the interesting thing is that my sheets smell like pee, but I didn't pee on them." hmmmmm...
after getting in trouble tonight..."I guess Moms really can be meaner than Dads sometimes."
"Mom, redonkulous means you're really starving."
After I said to James, "You handsome devil, you" he said, "Why did you just call me a handsome W?"
"One-Mr.Sippy, Two-Mr.Sippy, Three-Mr.Sippy..." :)
"girls shouldn't know the word 'dragon'" (what??)
"we could put pictures on the computer of all Mia's poopy diapers and call it 'Bomb dot com' that would be so funny!"
"mom, these blackberries don't really taste black"
playing with is new farm animal toys, "this mama pig has eight gutters for her babies"
the day after yummy Thanksgiving dinner I made grilled cheese, applesauce and raw baby carrots and that's when James said, "Mom, I LOVE this dinner!"
"at school we are learning about 'Nate-of-Americans' "
"Mom, can we go to Costco and get examples?" (gotta love costco samples :)
"mom, I just looked in the mirror and I have hair in my nose like dad. I guess that means I'm getting bigger."
"i just thought of the biggest number... 135!!" (wow, that is huge)
"I just want a dog that doesn't poop."
"mom, I need to tell you something and I'm going to be positive. I'm full."
"How come Grandma never drives but she buys everything?" (because she spoils us!!)
His new nickname for Grandma is "Graham Cracker"
"Someone who's asleep in this car is tooting in their sleep" (mia was the only one asleep)
When I told James we might go out to lunch he asked if we could go to "Train" to get chips. (He meant to say Subway :)
When I asked James if he wanted to help me change the batteries in the camera he said, "Not if they're poopy like Mia's diapers."
"Mom, that's smart...Kmart smart."
After stopping James from crossing the street he said, "I know why parents sometimes don't want to have kids...they don't want them to get run over by cars."
when I asked James what he wanted for dinner he said, "Just pineapple and lettuce."
"Mom, we're a righteous people, right?"
"i tell people at school that my dad has a hairy belly."
after I told James how smart he was for asking a good question he said, " yeah, see how smart I are."
"mom, I love my hands. If I didn't have hands I would have to pick things up with my wrists!"
during my last ultrasound James was watching the baby move around on the screen and said, "I think it's a boy because I don't see any long hair."
I asked James why he doesn't go potty at school, he said "I want to be cool and not got potty. Rock stars don't go potty, that would be so funny."
"maybe you should stop following other people's orders, and start following your heart."
"mom, do you know what's cool about bugs?" "no, what?" "they don't have to go to the doctor, the dentist, or do any jobs"
while at his dr. appt. for school he says, "I feel like I'm pregnant."
"mom, I'm perplexed- that's a fancy word for mixed-up."
"what's celery made out of....broccoli?
last night at 10:30pm James came out of his room and asked, "mom, could you look around and see if there is anything else to do besides sleeping?"
James runs into the kitchen dressed in spiderman costume, "Mom, if you ever need help fighting - just let me know."
"daddy has a great brain"
while eating an orange, "mom, there is apple juice in my orange!"
"let's pretend we are all young men fighting for our country."
"the sun makes my eyes stick together" (he said as he was squinting)
"mom, you look like an old lady that I don't know"
this is what james wanted for a snack tonight,"um, that BIG broccoli...the white one!" me, "cauliflower?" "Yeah, yeah, I want CAULIFLOWER!"
after a lesson in Nursery about listening we asked James who he should listen to. he said. "mommy, dad, Jesus, Heavenly Father and Zanna."
standing against the wall, "mom, see how big I weigh?"
"mom, I DON"T want to eat, my muscles are already strong!"
"Mom, is underwear made out of pants?"
"Mom, I am a dog, just call me Isabelle and say 'wow, Isabelle you run really fast!'"
James was asking me if I wanted some water and I didn't answer him right away--so, he looked at his friend and said, "she never listens to me."
"if you take away my powers, I'm not going to be in your ward!"
I told James that Mindy and Bryce were going to speak in church and he said, "are they going to speak in English?"
after being caught speechless he said, "Grandpa, I'm frustrated!"
"why do mommies have these?" (pointing you know where)
"mom, you are not respecting me. I don't like how you are talking to me."
After a straight b-line into the front door, "I just thought it was open" in between sobs
"Mom, you're a slow poke, and I'm a fast poke."
at nap time- "Are we going to sleep AGAIN?"
"mom, why does poopy start with an M?"
"you're not my sister, I'm not going to play with you ever not!"
Mom, my milk isn't even soggy- it's just perfect!
G. Mumford asked James if he liked salmon and he said, "No, I just like normal food."
"Sometimes I like Mommies."
"Mom, you're best my friend...in the whole world."
"Mom, I lost my wallet" (what wallet?)
to Zanna, "It's okay, sweetie."
"dad, where is me? . . . Here me are!"
Three strikes - he's out!
- tumbled off "trike" - bashed his head on the sidewalk
- moments later, bam! - tire swing to the head
- little later, trips and goes head first into kitchen wall

The Daily Francis

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Cinco de Mia!!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Disneyland!!!

Medical School Graduation

About Me

The Book Thief

Mia Charlotte

Mia's Bests- 1 year old

ZANNA at her best, 7 years old

Jameson's Bests- 6 years old

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