Pretty in Pink

To say that Jemma is picky when it comes to her attire is a TOTAL UNDERSTATEMENT! This girl changes her clothes 3 or 4 times every Sunday because half of her dresses have tags in them...and once she's made me cut the tags out, there's some other problem...the seam is itchy, or, as Jemma puts it, "Maybe this is boring"...

She looks for her "comfy pants" (aka yoga/stretchy pants) and princess shirt to wear EVERY DAY. (Not because it's pretty...it's because they're "comfy & warm".) I go crazy over the drawers FULL of cute tops and jeans that she just doesn't like because they "hurt"...

So, I knew, this morning was gonna get ugly...it was picture day for dance and, unlike every other 4 year old in her dance class, Jemma's costume as been hanging in her closet for the last 2 weeks, totally undisturbed...she could care less about putting it on and dancing around in it, because it's not "comfy" and it "hurts". I was prepped for the chaos though. I had decided that regardless of Jemma's resistance to putting this bad boy on and getting her hair slicked back in a bun, I was going to remain calm.

Sure enough, as soon as she had that AdOrAbLe PiNk PoLkA-DoT outfit on, she wanted it OFF!!! Our conversation this morning went something like this:

Jemma: "Maybe this hurts. I want a different dance outfit."

Me: "This is the only dance outfit we have Jemma. All the other girls will be wearing it for pictures too."

Jemma: Tears beginning to flow..."But I don't like it! It hurts!"

Me: "Why don't we do your hair. It's supposed to be back in a bun like a ballerina! Do you want a sucker while I do your hair!"

Jemma: "Ya, but I want a different outfit. This one hurts!"

I'll spare you the next 15 minutes of our conversation...it was basically me trying to distract her, and her responses always having to do with the fact that she didn't like her costume and how it "hurt".

As we were driving to the Dance Studio, tears still streaming down her cheeks, I asked her if she thought the other girls were going to be sad about their costumes...she said she didn't know, to which I responded, "Let's go find out. Let's see if they are happy or sad when we get there."

Of course, every other girl was ELATED to be wearing their ballet costume and you know what, happiness is truly infectious, cuz as soon as we walked in that studio, I didn't hear anymore complaining! Jemma even let me take a few shots of her and her friend Kiera!

Hopefully the next time we have to put this on (for dress rehearsal and the performance) it won't be as traumatic. :)

FHE Reed Style

For our activity/treat after Family Home Evening Monday night, we decided to build houses out of marshmallows and toothpicks...Jemma was quite good at it and really only needed a little help. She even helped Carter build his. Anyway, here's a pic of her with her finished house...(She copied her dad's house...his was by far the most straight...)

Carter and his crooked little house. (But who cares, really, when you've been eating chocolate chips and marshmallows...as you can see, he favored the chocolate chips...they're all gone.)

Brandon (imitating Carter's smile) with his house...like I said before, he deserved the "Super-Duper-Straight & Sturdy House" Award...


Me, imitating Brandon and Carter's smiles...I think I'm looking a little jaundiced...maybe the rain should clear up here so I can go outside and get a little sunshine before I DIE of a lack of Vitamine D. (BLASTED OREGON RAIN)

Little Visitor

We had a little visitor on our back porch this morning. I was upstairs blow-drying my hair when I heard Jemma and Carter yelling, "It's A Rat!!! A Rat!"

What the?...?...

I rushed downstairs to see what they were talking about, and there on our porch was this little guy.

Pretty sure it's a ferret...not a rat.

(Sorry the pics are a little unclear...I was being a big chicken and took these through the screen door.)

Look how brave I got! This one is with the door WIDE open! He kept trying to get into my bag of potting soil...Jemma and Carter also said he was checking out the little garbage can we keep poopy diapers in...how nasty would that have been if he had ripped those open!

Carter and Jemma mesmerized by the little visitor.

Jemma thought he might be back there for the following reasons:

"I think he's looking for food because he's hungry."

or

"He's looking for a bed to sleep in because he's tired."

or

"He might be looking for some medicine to drink, cuz animals get sick too."

Last Friday night, it all became official.

For those familiar with the story, allow me a brief summary of the last two years. When we decided to attend Optometry School, we also decided to pursue fulfilling that course through the military. Our initial decision was to go Navy...that was a never ending roller coaster...Brandon received notice in the spring of 2009 that he was first on the list to receive a Naval Scholarship and then found out in the fall of '09 that the Navy would still have enough Optometrists in 2012 (his graduating year) and would not be offering ANY scholarships to students in his class. So, we RUSHED to fill out the Air Force application...I should mention that the Air Force only gives out a total of 7 two year scholarships of this kind nation wide a year...by the time we decided to give it a shot, there were only 4 of these scholarships left. Just a little pressure there. But we got all our stuff in before Christmas and come early February, Brandon received a phone call that he had received one of these scholarships. AHHHHH!!!! And to make it even better, our good friends (and next door neighbors, I might add) Shawn & Kristina had applied for and ALSO received the scholarship.

Both Brandon and Shawn were sworn in as Air Force Officers last Friday night. It was a very simple ceremony...they were able to have Dr. Smith, one of their current professors and a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force do the honors in one of the rooms right there at Pacific University.

This commitment means that Brandon will serve in the Air Force Reserve for the last two years of Optometry school while they pay for all of his educational expenses and our family living expenses. When Brandon graduates, he will attend Officer training, we will be stationed at an Air Force Base, and Brandon will enter "Active Duty" status where he'll serve as an Optometrist for three years (or longer if we really like it...:)

"I, Brandon Michael Reed, having been appointed a Second Lieutenant, United States Air Force do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion;and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter, so help me God."

Brandon and Dr. Smith in the process of saluting each other after the official swearing in.

Brandon and Shawn.


Dr. Smith, Brandon and I.

We went with the Skinners to dinner afterward (with no kiddos in tow) to celebrate the AwEsOmEnEsS of our husbands. (I can now OFFICIALLY say, I love Thai food. :)

We might be a little nervous about this commitment and what it means for our family, but overall, we are really excited to be a part of the United States Air Force and the services they provide for the country we love.

Easter Festivities

I always look forward to dying Easter eggs...I just think it is so much fun!!!

So, me and the kids picked up what I thought was an egg dying kit...turns out it was just special glitter paints for eggs...so, not wanting to go back to the store, I just looked up online how to make your own dye. Why had I not always done that! I am telling you, the eggs come out SOOO much brighter! So next year, I'm gonna bag buying an egg dying kit...just for the record. :)

Here are some pics of the kids coloring eggs. They LOVED it, and begged to do more. I couldn't justify more than 18 eggs...especially since no one in our family is especially fond of boiled eggs.

I'm pretty sure most of the eggs Carter dyed ended up cracked...he didn't quite get the concept of being "gentle" when placing the eggs in the cups of dye.

Since we had the "special glitter paints" we went ahead and used them once all the eggs were colored. Those turned out to be a pretty big hit, but EXTREMELY messy, so we only did a handful of those (besides, I think most of the ones that didn't get painted were cracked anyway!)

Are you surprised that the one Brandon painted has glasses? :)

The Easter Bunny visited our home Saturday morning and left more eggs filled with candy than we needed. :) Jemma was really into actually finding the eggs, while Carter merely wanted to eat the contents within each egg. Everytime he found an egg, he would just open it up and declare, "I wanna eat it!"

Both of these kiddos made out big in the treats department...needless to say, neither of them ate much for breakfast. They were so full on candy! :)

Jemma and Carter in their Easter attire; I had SOOO much fun making Jemma's dress, and since it had so many different fabrics, I could let her help choose the fabrics. I have also been having fun making little ties for Carter. These little ties are legit too; they really tie. No clip or elastic on them. Now he really is just like his Daddy when he wears a tie. :)

Twenty-Seven!!!

Yup, I turned 27 yesterday...YiKeS! But don't worry, I'm not writing this post to lament how eerily close I am to being 30...I mostly just wanted to say "Thank You"!

Thanks for all the phone calls, text messages, cards, emails, flowers, treats, and even an honorary post on your blog, Mel! I felt so loved!!!

From start to finish, it was a WONDERFUL day!

I was serenaded several times with a couple different renditions of "Happy Birthday".

Jemma and Carter got along wonderfully all. day., which is saying a lot :)

Brandon and the kids made me a cake...which is a story in and of itself...no, the one in the pic is not the one they made...(if you're gonna put the whole cake batter in a pan, it's gotta be a 9x13 or it'll overflow...) but Brandon was quick to save the day with a run to the local grocery store. :)

My good friend and neighbor Kristina insisted on watching Jemma and Carter so Brandon and I could go out to eat...of course I chose Olive Garden!

Thanks to EVERYONE for making me feel so special! I am one lucky girl.