He either addresses you with the horns or a thumbs up.
It really is the simple things.
Presley continued to light up the world around her with smiles. Her behavior has been fantastic and despite her rocky start in January she is on a 3 week sticker streak at school (good behavior)!!!
Before we knew it Valentines Day was rapidly approaching and Mom made the mistake of asking if we wanted to buy Valentines or make them (last year she swore we would never hand make them again). Macie and I jumped at the chance to use doilies, glitter, feathers, fancy trim, puff paint, and sequin. Needless to say it took us about 10 hours over a 3 day period of time since they were all personalized (between the two of us we had to make over 70). It looked like Martha Stewart threw up in our kitchen and forgot to clean up...
Here is a picture of some of the finished cards.
We finished the final card the night before Valentine's Day and Mom was ecstatic to have her kitchen back! In the morning not only were we surprised to see the clean table tops (we had been up so late finishing that she had to clean up the mess once we went to bed) but we were thrilled to see that our mess had been replaced by Valentine's gifts from our number ONE Valentine, our DAD!!!
Macie, Presley, and I each had a bouquet of roses, a box of chocolates, and a personalized,handmade card.
In place of flowers Nixon got a Matchbox car to go with his card and chocolates. His mind was almost blown when Mom let him eat some of his chocolates while she was making Valentine's pancakes! Total SCORE!
While we were eating breakfast Mom stealthily made us heart shaped snacks for our school lunches. We were surprised that afternoon when we opened our lunch bags to find bagels with strawberry cream cheese, turkey sausages, strawberries, and pepperoni chips!!!
Despite running a little late that morning we took some obligatory pictures for Mom.
Even little Nixon took a couple pictures of his own volition on our way out the door (he usually does everything he can to avoid looking at the camera).
On the way out of the school Nixon stopped to take a picture on the "antique" desk in the hallway and Mom couldn't get over how grown up he looked. It won't be long before he is off to school...
Mom was grateful he behaved like a gentlemen inside the school because in the parking lot he turned back into a silly little monster...
At preschool pickup that day Presley was beaming as she clung to her box filled with Valentines. She had such a fun time celebrating with her school friends.
We continued to dress with a Valentine's theme throughout the remainder of the week because, why not? Honestly I think it has more to do with Mom realizing there are no more little Frankwick girls to dress in all the outfits she has made or put together once Presley grows out of them.
It's crazy how much the "little ones" (or "Tweedles" as we affectionately call them), look like they could be twins. Mom is asked on a regular basis but once you see them in action it is clear that there is an alpha with a few more life experiences under her belt. Mix that with his complete affection and willingness to do anything for his big sister and you've got yourself a dangerous cocktail...
Mom and Dad are well aware that they are going to have to keep a close eye on Presley and Macie. Those two both have big personalities and NO filter...
Since we were dressing up that week I was thrilled to be able to wear the fancy one piece pearl jumpsuit that Grandma Jean bought me for Christmas.
The weather in town was cold throughout the beginning of February and our local mountains had gotten lots of snow. Despite warm weekday temperatures we decided to join some friends for a day trip to the snow. Can you believe that we only live 45 minutes away from a local ski and sledding mountain but haven't been yet?!?!?
We caravanned up into the mountains with our friends but grew increasingly concerned when we didn't reach snow and the rain came. After parking the RV trailer at the lot we dressed for the cold and ran through the mud puddles with full belly laughs. Imagine our surprise when some wild horses came up to the pond to join us. We were all in awe- these horses had no fear!
Despite having fun in the mud we had been promised snow and started to get antsy. The adults put their heads together decided to pack the whole crew of 15 into a 5 person Razor and Dad's 4Runner and drive up the narrow off road paths to find snow.
About 1 mile up the rain turned to snow and by the 2 mile mark the ground was covered with over 3 feet of snow! Dad was so proud of "the Rooster" (his nickname for his truck-if you are confused listen to the Alice and Chains song for a reference) for making the trek without a problem!
We all had a blast sledding and playing in the snow.
The day was amazing and Mom is still kicking herself for not bringing us to the local mountains sooner.
As if the day hadn't been super amazing already, my night was about to top the charts. After a quick shower and outfit change I went with my friend Audvy and his Mom to the TWENTY ONE PILOTS CONCERT! That's right, TWENTY ONE PILOTS!!!
Every part of our night was amazing!
I got home around 1 am and Mom and Dad got a glimpse of what their life will be like in 5 years when waiting up for me becomes a regular thing. I had the best time and couldn't stop talking about what an amazing show it had been!!!
Here are a few of the videos that I took at the concert:
Sunday morning the rest of the house relaxed quietly while I slept in.
After breakfast Dad and Nixon had some batting practice in the house. According to Mom they won't be continuing to do that in the house for long...
By 10 I peeled my eyes open and joined the family downstairs. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was an absolutely beautiful day and Dad wanted to take Macie and I exploring up at Red Rock. I couldn't believe how fantastic my weekend had become!
Back at home Presley and Nixon enjoyed some outdoor fun with Mom.
The following week was rather uneventful. Dad went back to California to help Pa with his house and Mom just tried to keep us all afloat with our weekly school and extracurricular activities.
That Saturday we went to a local AAA event with Uncle Will and had lots of unexpected fun. From parking lot bumper cars to face paint and food we had a blast.
Presley had a little TOO much fun on the bumper cars. She was beyond thrilled to crash into anyone in her path. The shrill giggles that rang out through the parking lot were a little too evil for Mom to laugh at.
Choosing our face paint design proved to be the most challenging part of our day. It was no surprise when Macie chose an animal from the cat family...
Since I had an 80's themed cotillion party that evening Mom suggested I pick something that could work my outfit.
Presley found herself overwhelmed with too many choices and settled on some simple stars.
When it was Nixon's turn Mom couldn't figure out what to choose. After looking at superheros and characters the light bulb came on....
Poor Nixon didn't quite know what to make of the new addition to his face...
Eventually he warmed up to it...
That night I had so much fun dressing up for cotillion. Mom crimped my hair and added some glitter and bling to my face paint. Once I put on the outfit she made and designed for me I couldn't have had a bigger smile on my face. The finished product was everything I had hoped for...
It was an fun filled night of dancing and learning proper etiquette. Needless to say, I loved it.
On Sunday our family spent the day relaxing and working on projects for the upcoming week of dress up. There was a different theme for every day during reading week and Mom was busy trying to bring our designs and ideas to fruition.
Crazy Hat Day was on Monday and Presley and I wanted Mom to make something crazy yet fancy. I insisted on having birds in a nest while Presley asked for butterflies. Macie kept her idea simple and decided to wear something we already had (I think we all heard Mom breath a sigh of relief). Here are the designs she created.
Mom also helped Macie create her "All About Macie" posted for student of the week. She wanted to make sure that all her favorite things were included and displayed on her poster. In case it is hard to read the fine print on the poster, here are some facts about Macie as written by Macie herself.
Age: 7
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Animal: Cat
Favorite Food: Grilled Cheese
Favorite Place: California (Beach, Disneyland, Sea World, Lego Land)
Future Career: Veterinarian and Rock Star
Favorite Things to Do: Play Soccer, Hike, Play in general anytime, anywhere, Travel
One Wish Would Be: a Tiny Cat
On Monday morning we dressed in coordination with our hats. Both Presley and I loved being fancy!
Macie chose to wear the moose hat and Brave dress because she wanted to bring her new bow and arrows to school (clever since she had been asking to do so for weeks and Mom kept saying NO).
Tuesday was Cowboy/Pioneer Day. Macie dressed as a pioneer while Presley and I chose to be cowgirls.
Tuesday night was a rough one for Mom. She had lots of work left to do for our twin day costumes. Macie was easy (as usual) and just wanted a matching dress with her friend Tala. I was far more specific with what my friend and I were hoping for. My friend Ava and I decided that we wanted to dress up as showgirls and drew some over the top ideas. Mom scaled things down a bit but still managed to make us both smile with enthusiasm!
Not only did she make us tutus, hats, glasses, boas, sequin cuffs, and fringed neck pieces, but she also made us over the top feather and glitter wings!!! I could not wait to get to school and show off my costume with my twin.
Mom even made a hat and props for our friend Trinity so that she could be our producer. Our whole crew stole the show at school that day!
Macie couldn't have been happier dressed up as a twin with her BFF Tala!
For Twin Day Presley was adamant that she dress up with her two best school friends Gunnar and Gauge. Mom and Dad were thrilled when their father found 3 matching superhero shirts for the 3 musketeers to wear. Mom straightened Presley's hair and she wore some baggy jeans and a spiked belt to make her look more authentic. Her million dollar smile says it all.
From a distance it was believable that they three of them were actually twins...
Apparently their teacher actually go the three of them confused on a few separate occasions that day.
The sheer joy on Presley's face is priceless...
Mom was thrilled that the final day of dress up was pajama day. She let us pick any pair of pajamas we had in our closets!!!
Macie choose her cat pajamas and brought a matching leopard which she adorned with a turquoise bow.
Presley wore her Elsa dress and brought Margaret along with her.
Since I had PE I chose to go super casual wearing skull pajamas and bringing my bull dog.
That Friday she took Presley and Nixon back to the museum and was really proud of the way they behaved like best buddies.
On Saturday evening I was thrilled to attend another cotillion class!!! Mom was even more thrilled that I would be learning some table manners that evening and was praying that I would exhibit proper etiquette at home in hope that it would trickle down to everyone else.
I absolutely love getting dressed up like a lady.
She loved having her hair trimmed and washed while being able to look in the mirror. Mom said it was a tad difficult to get her to stop making faces and sit still...
While at the salon Macie made the impromptu decision to cut her hair a tad shorter. We all LOVE her new style and the attitude that comes along with it.
That afternoon Macie and I took Uncle Will to the Smith Center to see a symphony. The orchestra was performing famous movie scores from major motion pictures. Macie and I had never seen a live orchestra and were really excited- especially to hear some music from Star Wars.
Watching the orchestra was fascinating, but the 2 hour show was a little bit long. Even for Uncle Will.
As February comes to a close Mom is grateful for the fun month despite all its chaos. Unfortunately March only promises to get busier with 4 soccer practices a week plus games. Check back soon to see how it all goes down.
