Porkers!

I recently bought a little dessert fondue set. Tonight we used it for the first time. It came with little two-pronged forks. Syd called them "porkers". She kept saying funny things like, "we're porking really good" and "these are big porkers". I don't think I'll ever be able to eat fondue with a straight face again!

1...2...3...Not It!

A friend of mine tagged anyone who read her post. So, I decided to post this tag about Sydney.
A- ATTACHED OR SINGLE: attached-- to her family until she's at least 30!
B- BEST FRIEND: Madison
C- CAKE OR PIE: Cherry Pie
D- DAY OF CHOICE: all of them
E- ESSENTIAL ITEMS: Barbies
F- FAVORITE COLOR: pink
G- GUMMY BEARS OR GUMMY WORMS: both
H- HOMETOWN: Idaho Falls, Id
I- INDULGENCE: chocolate (I did not influence this answer, she is just such a girl!)
J- JANUARY OR JULY: July
K- KIDS: Her favorite sister, Payton
L- LIFE IS INCOMPLETE WITHOUT: flowers
M- MARRIAGE DATE: sometime in the very distant future!
N- NUMBER OF SIBLINGS: 1 sister
O- ORANGES OR APPLES: both
P- PHOBIAS OR FEARS: "I think there's nothing I'm afraid of."
Q- QUOTES: "Knock it off." (From Junie B. Jones has a Monster under her Bed)
R- REASON TO SMILE: When Mommy smiles at me.
S- SEASON: Spring
T-Tag: Madison W. and Britney G. and Ellie M. !
U- UNKNOWN FACT ABOUT ME: I speak English (WHAT??)
V- VERY FAVORITE STORE: Wal-Mart
W- WORST HABIT: Biting skin around fingernails
X- X-RAY, ULTRASOUND, OR MAMMOGRAM: Sydney has never had any of these, but she loves to remind us that X-ray starts with "x"
Y- YOUR FAVORITE FOOD: Potatoes
Z- ZODIAC: Gemini

Happy Mother's Day!

To all my friends and family: whether you are mothers or will be mothers, hope you have a great day. Mother's Day is not my favorite holiday-- it always makes me feel guilty for not being one of those super moms I always hear about in Sacrament Meeting. But, I feel that each of you are super special so I hope you have a great day!

I have the smartest little girl!

Today Sydney had Kindergarten Screenings. I had no idea what that meant, but thought it would be a good way to see what we need to work on before school next fall. I am amazed! Syd took the screening test and only missed one! The test is made up of questions about letters, numbers, rhyming words, etc. Syd did great! The lady said she couldn't believe Syd isn't even 5 yet. Now, I am not boasting. I try to work with Sydney, but I am not super dedicated. She is just really smart. She remembers everything! I give all the credit to Sydney's amazing little brain! Sydney is now even more excited to go to Kindergarten. This summer we are going to work on recognizing color words and beginning reading skills. I had to share my latest joy of motherhood!

An awful experience at the dentist!

Now, this sounds predictable, right? Wrong! My time in the dentist chair was just fine. I had no problem until I got ready to leave. First, let me explain a few things. I have gone to the same dentist since I was 6 years old. My entire family (including my Grandmother) all go to the same dentist. Most of the employees have been there a long time and know my entire family. This includes the receptionist, a very nice lady by the way. Anyway, I am about to walk out the door when the horror begins. The very nice receptionist politely asked, "When is your baby due?" Uh, yeah, Payton is 9 months old! I tried not to look devastated as I told her, "I already had my baby." The receptionist was probably starting to realize she'd made a mistake and said, "Oh, how old is she?" When I replied, "Nine months." She started to back-pedal, "Oh, I thought your mom said was getting another grandchild. Is your sister expecting." "Nope. Neither of my sisters are expecting." More back-pedaling, "I guess I was thinking of someone else." Yeah, that was when I left. I tried not to make her feel bad, but I was horrified. I was on the verge of tears when I got in my car. For two days I couldn't tell anyone about the incident. I finally got up the courage to ask Brian if I look pregnant. He said no, but I wasn't convinced. I asked some friends to be honest. They replied with some very kind excuses for the poor receptionist. A) Maybe it was the baby doll style of shirt I was wearing. B) Maybe she really was mistaken about what she had heard. Well, all good excuses aside, the damage is done. I will probably never wear the darn shirt again and I am doing a lot more ab exercises! Now, I do not write my horrible experience because I want pity. I write this because I am hoping it will take some of the horror away from any of you who have had similar experiences and make each of us a little more cautious before assuming someone is pregnant!

April Showers bring May Hail

I was tempted to spell 'hail' a different way! Anyway, I am not sure how clear this picture is, so I will explain it. Syd is standing next to our bird feeder. A bird was eating when this hail storm suddenly came up. It cannot fly because the hail is so big. It sat on the feeder until the storm was over. Syd got really close and it never even budged. It didn't appear nervous at all. Maybe this was a way of saying, "Thanks for the free meal!"

Soccer Saturdays

Sydney started soccer in April. She is in the 4-5 year old category. For this age group, there are no goalies and they do not keep score-- but some of the little kids sure do. The kids in this group do not understand "out of bounds". The game is about 20 minutes long and consists of a mass of kids hording around a ball. If the ball rolls out of bounds, the kids follow. Sometimes the temptation to use their hands is more than they can handle. Every once in a while a child will stop the ball with one single finger (that doesn't count as using your hands, right?) and then kick the ball. It is so fun to watch! Sometimes it is frustrating to watch, but we try to remember the point is to have fun. Sydney's team doesn't have a name yet, but Sydney wants to be the Bumble Bees. She looks so grown up in her uniform!

My name is Dayna and I have an addiciton...

In case you missed it, I am addicted to Stephenie Meyer's series, Twilight. I am not quite as obsessed as a few of my friends. I won't name any names-- you know who you are! But, I have read the series-- twice-- and I am really excited to see the movie and read the 4th and final book, Breaking Dawn. Here is a link to the movie trailer sent to me by my friend, Gina, and my husband, Brian. Enjoy!
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=33429669

I've been tagged!

Two Names You Go By:
Dayna
Dayna Lou (only a few people can get away with this one!)
Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now:
White shirt
Fuzzy Pink Slippers
Two Of Your Favorite Things To Do:
Scrapbook
Read (Twilight Series right now--again!)
Two Things You Want To Do Very Badly At This Moment:
Take a Nap
Go on a date with my wonderful husband, Brian
Two Favorite Pets:
Not an animal fan, but I do love my parents' Border Collie, Toby
Two People Who Will Fill This Out:
Diantha-- because she is always on top of things
Gina-- because she's on her blog as much as I'm on mine
Two Things You Did Last Night:
Finished Twilight & began New Moon
Made Tempura Vegetables
Two Things You Ate Today:
Oreo Shake from Arctic Circle
Blueberry Yogurt
Two Last People You Talked To:
Becky
Bobbi
(This doesn't include Payton and Sydney, I always talk to them!)
Two Longest Car Rides:
Rexburg to Casper,WY (wouldn't suggest it!)
Rexburg to Seattle
Two Favorite Holidays:
Christmas
Independence Day
Two Favorite Vacations:
Holland
Bear Lake-- every year!
Two Favorite Drinks:
Coke Zero w/ vanilla
Pero (no, not perro, I don't drink dog)

I tag Diantha,Gina and Jillian-- I can't wait to see your answers!

An advertisement of sorts

So, Payton is now just over 8 months old. She is now at the whiny stage. You know the one. I can see this going through her mind, "I want to move, I am tired of laying down and falling over and bumping into the piano bench." All she wants is to walk, crawl and sit up without falling over all the time. I have found two things that are saving my sanity.

Advertisement #1: Jeep Liberty Renegade Walker. Yeah, sounds high tech. Not so much. But, it is awesome. She can only make it move on hard floors (so only when I want her to) and it has a steering wheel that makes all sorts of cute (annoying) sounds. I bought it when Syd was a baby and we have definitely gotten our money's worth. Now, I know that walkers have been labeled "dangerous," but I have decided that anything is dangerous for an infant without supervision. So, I recommend this "dangerous" item to any of my friends because I know you are all responsible parents.

Advertisement #2: The Bumbo. I had heard of this a long time ago, but never really checked it out. What was I thinking?? My wonderful friend, Shannon, gave me hers. I don't care how much they are it is totally worth it! For those of you who do not know, the Bumbo is like a little seat. It helps babies sit up. It doesn't have buckles, but Payton cannot get out of it. It is light and easy to transport, but Payton cannot tip it over. It is durable and wipes clean very easily. WOW! It's the miracle of the baby world. A lot of times baby stuff is a waste of money (monitors, for example) but these two things (along with the swing and baby seat) are, in my humble opinion, essential.