Makeover

I left to get my hair cut and came back to find Meili and Jessica giving Ana a makeover. (Look closely. She's wearing lipstick.) They even taught her this glamorous pose.

Girls Night Out

Meili and I attended the entirely sold-out Josh Groban concert in Salt Lake City last night. It was fabulous! Here she is just minutes before Josh came out and personally serenaded us for two hours. I've been rethinking my Zac Efron crush.

Mowing Katie's Lawn

Happy Birthday, Katie

We surprised Katie and took her to a movie with "Mystery Guest" Debbie. (Here's a shot of Meili on the first day of school.)

Mr. Cool's 1st Day of School

Here's Eliah looking sooo excited to be going back to school on Tuesday. He has a cute teacher and lots of friends in his class, so it should be a great year. Meili's school picture day is today and she left this morning looking gorgeous. I'll snap her pic when she gets home.

Last Summer Party

School starts next Tuesday, and tonight was the last big event of summer -- the premiere of High School Musical 2, for those of you without tweens. Eliah made this cake with just a little help from me and Meili. So that nothing could interrupt the show, Daryl and I took Ana to the park and then around the corner to Polar King for a cheeseburger. The kids had a blast on their own, and Ana got to have a special outing.

Ana's Thinking Arby's

Ana with her cup of water at Arby's restaurant last week. She's so excited to start preschool and a dance class in a couple weeks.

Speaking Her Mind

I was rushing through a bedtime story for Ana tonight, paraphrasing the story (very badly) instead of actually reading the words. I got to the last page and hastily finished, saying, "And the little girl made a beautiful picture for her grandpa. The end." Then I set the book down and turned to put Ana into bed. Well, she went straight after the book, tossed it back at me, and firmly stated, "That wasn't good enough. Try it again!"

Also . . . the cat threw up on the kitchen floor this afternoon. After I'd cleaned up the mess, Ana reflected, "That was the most disgusting thing I have ever seen in my life!"

All Wet

Summer Deluge (video)

http://youtu.be/UU_DTJK_xo0

A Sandbox in the Shade

Lincoln has the coolest sandbox in town. Here are Ana and Eliah testing it out for the first time.

HP Update

Meili and I finished Harry Potter at 2 o'clock this morning, reading together from the same book. We can share, after all! Daryl's about 10 chapters behind--yes, with my book.

Me and My Book

Meili insisted on taking my picture. Turned out really cute of the kids, especially Anabelle. We had to buy two books because, as sweet and generous as both Meili and I normally are, our sweetness and generosity do not extend to the sharing of Harry Potter books.

Update: It's a good thing we have two books because Daryl has taken to stealing any book left unattended, even for a moment. I set my book down to put Ana to bed last night, thinking Daryl needed a break. Turns out, the moment he discovered where I was, he grabbed my book and disappeared with it. I had to resort to stealing Meili's copy.

Midnight Party

Yes, we actually took Ana to the midnight release of Harry Potter! My friend sells books, and she had a little party at her home that started about 10:30 p.m. Daryl surprised us by arriving home early from a business trip to Vegas--about 15 minutes after I told Ana she was going to a party with candy and snacks. When I tried to get her excited about staying home with Daryl and hearing bedtime stories instead of going out, she began to bawl her eyes out. So, she got to participate in a worldwide event at the tender age of 3. Below is a picture of her at about 11:50 p.m. At this point she had eaten popcorn, Skittles, and cookies and was just starting to feel tired. But when the boxes and books appeared, she got back into the party spirit enough to make it to her bed relatively happy by about 12:20 a.m.














Meili and her friend Chelsea just before the boxes were opened.

Ana's Toaster Demo (video)

http://youtu.be/m642JKvcy4U

Kitchen Phone

She always "calls" Granny, Mommy Lani, and Aidan-Boy.

Ana in Her Kitchen

Ana loves playing chef in her toy kitchen from cousins Emily and Brooke. Thank you!

Playing with Lincoln

Ana and Lincoln inside their favorite hide-a-way at Katie's house.














Ana taking a moment to reflect on her Harry Potter scar (thanks to Meili).

Harry Potter Hysteria

Here are Jessica and Meili standing about twelfth in line for Harry Potter 5 last week. We really loved the movie! Meili and I are excited about the release of the final book this Friday night. I'm already planning frozen dinners for the family so that Mei and I can hunker down and read with as few interruptions as possible next week. Then I don't know what I'll live for after that. :)

This is for You, Wendy (video)

http://youtu.be/mGjjaBeaQL8
Brace yourselves, everyone. Eliah and Colby groove with Alex Fletcher from the movie Music and Lyrics. You may need to turn your volume up.

Ana's "Decorations"

Ana has been rolling up paper for days and calling these scrolls her "decorations." We finally figured out that she's been paying attention to the movie National Treasure. (Eliah has watched it no less than 17 times the last few weeks!) These are Ana's Declarations of Independence. She loves to carry a bunch around, unroll them, and then read them to us. She's a very patiotic little girl.

New and Much Improved

You saw "Before." Here's the "After" shot of our beautiful new floor, thanks to Daryl. Now it's my turn to finish things up with paint and window treatments. Hmmm, maybe by Christmas.

Flip!

The Last Hurrah

The cousins spending their last evening together on Sunday.