Memory Monday

I just found this in my list of "drafts" in blogger and thought, why not post it this Monday. So here you go.  Flashback to 2006 in Monterrey, Mexico when we adopted our first baby chick.  Alexandria named him David Peppers. Who knew he would start such a long line of poultry pets in our family?

All By Herself

"Mom, can I make cookies?" Alexandria was asking me over the phone. She's 13 but she's never ever made cookies alone. I wasn't home so I wasn't too sure how they would turn out. But I told her what recipe to use and gave her a few directions for the oven. An hour later I got home to find the most beautiful, delicious oatmeal raisin cookies! I think we have a new cook in the family. Note to self, turn the kitchen over to Alexandria more often. 

I want Ya-ya

Can you tell how much she misses her older sister, Alexandria? Somedays she cries worse for her then she does for her me when I leave. I really am glad she loves her that much. Kind of makes my job easier that "Ya-ya" is such a great big sister. 

My Birthday Girls

It's been awhile but we finally got to do a birthday party for Alexandria.  We took Stella to get her present during the day then Alexandria got to have her birthday party on New Year's Eve to celebrate my New Year's baby.  We had pizza, popcorn and hot Cheetos all while making smores and watching Maleficent. When it came time for the cake Alexandria was kind as always.  She is such a great big sister, sharing her cake with Stella and showing her how to blow out the candles. We had 15 candles on the cake, 13 for Alexandria and 2 for Stella.

Happy Birthday to my girls!! I love you both!

Mommy daughter night

As I was taking pictures off of my phone I realized I hadn't posted some of our fun times lately.  Papi took the boys for Father Sons Campout. The boys were super excited.  It was the first time he had been here to take them.  So while the cats are away the mice will play, except we aren't mice and the boys definitely aren't cats.  But we did all the girly stuff. 

 

Homemade masks for our faces using oats, strawberries and honey.

 

Painting our nails

Even little Stella got a pedicure.

I'm grateful for my girls and the fun time we have together.  Love you little ladies!

Little Swimmer

 

I don't think I need anymore words than these cute pics of Stella.  She is my little swimmer!  I can not keep her out of the water.  If everyone else is swimming she wants in.

 

 

So it made it hard when I took Alexandria stand up paddle boarding at the river.  I had to watch Alexandria's exploration of the Salt at sunset from the riverbank with a very unhappy Stella who kept wanting to climb in that dirty water.  Silly baby! 

Camp

 

She earned her own money. She packed her own bag, three days in advance. She had her book and all her supplies that a first year girls camper needs.  She was super excited!  The young women met at the church on Monday, threw their bags in the bottom of the bus and headed up to Camp Lomia for four days.  It was different to have her gone.  We realized how quiet it is when she's not home.  We missed the nonstop chatter that she brings to our home. 

 

Then Wednesday I got a phone call.  It was a number I didn't recognize on my cell.  But something told me to answer it.  So I did.  It was Alexandria.  "Mom, I don't feel good."  She was in tears.  Throwing up and feeling sick your first year at girl's camp is not fun.  I really wanted her to try and stay if she could. It was their last night and lots of good things happen that night.  I had my kids with me in the car on the way to the gym.  When we got there I hung up with Alexandria then asked my kids if we could say a prayer for her right there in the car, in the gym parking lot.  We did.  After the prayer Isabel said, "now we wait and see if Heavenly Father answers our prayer." 

 

"No, he always answers your prayers. Sometimes its just not the way you want." AJ corrected her.  I'm so thankful for their faith because while in the gym more hours the camp nurse called again.  She and I decided it would be best for Alexandria to come home a day early.  She didn't throw up anymore after that prayer she just slept the rest of the day. I think she may have been a little homesick anyway.  My cute little first year camper, I love you!

Last Day

 

If it weren't for the fact that I love sleeping in over the summer I would be bawling my eyes out right now since this is the last day they will all get to go on the bus together and see each other in the same school.  Alexandria won't have another sibling with her until she is a Senior. in. Highschool!  This year there were tears.  Isabel cried because Mrs. Rother is leaving.  AJ cried because he's just a sweetheart and felt bad leaving his crying teacher, Miss Meek.  I've never seen so many tears on the last day of school.  I'm going to chalk it up to them being emotionally drained after working super hard and doing their very best this year.  Now bring on the sleep!

Rap Music

"I have a little girl.  The best in the world. She knows what to do.  She knows who to be.  I'm proud to be her mommy."  - Rapped by Ondria

 

Sometimes we get blessings and we have no idea what we did to deserve them.  Alexandria is one of my blessings.  She turned 12 in January and has been begging me to take her to do baptisms for the dead.  She finally got to go but not with me. Mommy fail!  The young women in our ward went last week.  She was super excited.  I made a lame attempt to make up for not taking her for her first time by getting her a new skirt for the occasion.  I'm resolving to taking her before school gets out.

 

I don't worry about Alexandria.  She usually makes good choices. I never have to explain right and wrong to her. She just gets it.  She was born that way.  I don't know how.  I'm pretty sure she didn't get that trait from me or Papi.  Just saying.  For example, we both got down with Snoop and Dr. Dre 20 years ago.  Rap music, it was cool.  Alexandria's opinion of rap? "I don't like rap. It's just a bunch of bad words in disguise."  I surrender, she's right! Good thing I left my old school rap music out of the iTunes library. I love you Alexandria!  Thanks for being an awesome example!

Conference Weekend

Did you hear about the stupid criminal who kept boxes under the hood of his car?  He robbed our flip house, stole all of Papi's tools then couldn't leave because his car wouldn't start probably due to the boxes under the hood.  So he called a taxi and a tow truck instead.  The thing was we got there before the tow truck.  He left his wallet, ID, everything we need to know who he is and where he lives. If it hadn't have ruined our long anticipated conference weekend I would have been laughing at the dumb guy's losing efforts.  Let's be honest, I am still laughing.  Such a fool!  But now I'm wondering who is really the fool because it's been 3 days and the Mesa Police still haven't arrested him. 

Fortunately, we were able to watch conference as a family on Sunday.  We love conference weekend!  My kids even watched it while we were talking to the police on Saturday.  And they were home alone!  Everyone has their conference binders.  We eat candy, lots of candy.  We make food that we only have on conference morning.  It's such a relaxing two days at the Cesar home.  I'm already looking forward to October!

My 12 Year Old

My 12 year old!

Alexandria, I am having so much fun with you.

You are such a beautiful young woman!  I'm proud of you for saving enough money this year to buy your own iphone 5.  You seem so old texting all your friends.  I know sometimes I get upset at you for stealing my clothes but secretly, I'm happy that you want to wear your mom's clothes because that means you like my style and I'm not wearing the dreaded mom jeans.  I think you should let me borrow some of your clothes too.  It's hard to see you starting to pick friend time over family time but I'm glad that you have chosen good friends.  When I need you to help with the kids though you always come through for me.  You're like my little mommy and it's awesome!  I love that you are confident about who you are.  You are the best! 

I love you Alexandria!

Alexandria Turns 12!

Finally, she got to have a friend party for her birthday.

Usually her friends are out of town so it's been awhile since she's had friends over for a party.

I love that Alexandria chose ice skating for her birthday.

Then it was back home to roast marshmallows and open presents.

Happy Birthday Alexandria!

I love you!

Cooking Calamity

Alexandria is my foodie.

She makes her own salads and eggs really well.

So I thought she would have no problem when she asked if she could make peppermint bark.

"Sure," I told her, "I'll even let you do it all by yourself."

I thought she could handle it.  She's old enough to read a follow a recipe.

But something went totally wrong!

It ended up just a little blob in the big pan.

Funny thing was, I knew how she felt because the exact same thing happened to me when I was her age.  My cooking calamity was cheesecake that turned into a little blob in the pan.

 

They say history repeats itself.

And its happening!

I'm so not looking forward to her teenage years.

 

Little Bee

This is my little Spelling Bee Wonder.  This year she took third.  She has always been an awesome speller.  It was her last spelling bee at Franklin.

 

But now she gets to move on to be a bee in beehives!  Those cute young women bee attacked our house and took Alexandria to a party with them on New Year's Eve to welcome her to the Beehives.

Isn't that the sweetest thing? She's going to have way too much fun with this group!

Nerds

When this school year started, I had a bunch of cute kids with bright eyes and white teeth.

 

Then somehow during the school year they all evolved into kids with braces and glasses.

 

But somehow they manage to pull it off and not look like nerds.

In fact they look adorable!

 

Last Christmas Sing

So bittersweet!

They are all growing up.  While I'm having such a blast with their big kid personalities it's hard to say goodbye to what was.  This year is the last Winter Sing where these four all get to be in it together. Isabel was the only one who wanted to go but I made them.  It was the last one!

We couldn't leave out the selfie on a big night like this, in the car, on the way to get ice cream.  Don't worry, I was at a red stoplight when we took it.

Softball Sweetheart

Guess whose softball team is in the finals?

Not bad for her first season of ball.

Girl Time

I think they tried hundreds of different headband combinations on Stella after church today. She got the girly treatment and loved it. 

Last Day of School

Somehow time flew by and I never finished up the last day of school. Isabel got to have a speaking part in the Kindergarten Sing.  She was super excited and did fantastic.

 The boys had Mrs. Stradling and now Isabel got to have Mrs. Stradling for Kindergarten.  Hopefully, she will still be there when Stella is ready, which I don't even really want to think about yet.

 Mrs. Conrad was the Kindergarten aide for all of our children.  She's retiring and will be very missed.

 Thank goodness Alexandria had a wonderful teacher this year.  Her love of school came back and I was happy to see her back to her old self after her awful teacher last year.

 Mrs. Vilhauer is retiring too.  Alexandria and my boys got to have her.  We love her and will be sad to see her go.

They all had such good teachers this year.  It was sad to see it over.  Next year will be the last year that all of them are in the same school.  I love that they're all close in age and will all have sweet memories together.

Band Concert

She's adorable, smart, caring, funny, a great big sister, a wonderful daughter, spelling bee champion, ice skating princess, and she plays the flute!!