Leprechaun Traps

The 3rd grade made Leprechaun Traps using at least 2 simple machines. Wait let me rephrase that most of the parents of the 3rd grade have been assigned to make Leprechaun Traps! Let's be honest Josh pretty much put the thing together...like most of the Leprechaun traps that I have seen so far....and Elizabeth decorated it and had some input into what it was going to look like...key word some! Elizabeth is so excited that she might be able to catch herself a Leprechaun! Actually most of the 3rd grade is so excited that they might catch a Leprechaun. I love that these kids still believe in Leprechauns!

Lindon Literacy Week

This week at school is Literacy Week and they have had lots of fun activities to do for the kids. On Wed. I went in to help with a lunch time activity. They had a rodeo guy come teach the kids how to rope things. The kids were pretty excited to get on the big horse and try their skills. Elizabeth stood in line to get her turn, Abby didn't even come to it she was too busy playing on the play ground!

Lindon Elementary Walk-A-Thon!

 This year has been a really bad year for outside activities at Lindon Elementary School. It seems that the weather does NOT want us outside. First it was the carnival now it is the Walk-A-Thon! This was the second annual Walk-A-Thon to earn money for the girls school. I love that they do this rather then selling cookies or something that I don't really need. The kids walk, run, or what ever around the track to help raise money for their school. This year it was SO cold outside and it snowed that morning! Yes snowed!! They had the kids run in side the school while it was snowing but once it stopped they were outside. So unfortunately they started the outside running when the 3rd graders started their run, and wouldn't you know it somehow I got roped into helping out! I'm not really sure how that happened but yes I was out in the cold cheering the kids on while marking off each of their laps for them. By the end of just the 3rd graders 45mins I couldn't feel my face or my fingers! I ran home after that to get better prepared...like get a heavy coat on and some gloves so that I could come back to help for the 1st graders. Then some how I stayed for the kindergarteners!  It was fun to see all the kids so excited to run and get marked off each lap! I think the kindergarteners were my favorite, of course they ran inside so it was warmer, but they were just extra excited to be there. The girls did very well. Elizabeth ran 12 times around the track which is to what I understand is a little over 2 miles and Abby ran 11 times and was kind of upset that she did less then Elizabeth! Here are some pictures of the girls right before they ran...

A Leaf That Just HAD To Be Turned Over!

Back in December I was driving with my sister Cory telling her how much pain I was in from this RA and that I no longer was taking my medicine and didn't know what I was going to do. The medicine made my hair fall out and it was making me go crazy. I knew that I needed to do something but I was tired of going to doctors and taking medicine that gave me side effects that were often worse then what I started with!
Cory has been telling me for a while now that I needed to go to her friend who is a "VooDoo" Doctor, she is not really a "VooDoo" doctor but I call her that.  I sort of believe in alternative medicine but wasn't really in the mood to have someone wave a magic stick over me and tell me I was going to be healed, or tell me to take some vitamins and it would fix everything! Cory this time wouldn't take no for an answer so she called up right then and made me an appointment for the next day! I decided if I was going to go do this I would legitimately give her a chance so that I could tell Cory I tried it and see no one can fix me! I decided that I would give this "VooDoo" a month to work it's magic, because lets be realistic no one can fix you magically in ONE secession!
I went to see Judy at Ideal Bodyworks in Pleasant Grove. I'll be honest I wasn't all fixed after the first time in fact I didn't know how I felt about the whole thing. But I had said that I would give it a month and that is what I did.  At first I would only give her one problem at a time, after a while I started just laying out ALL of my many problems and telling her ok fix them! After the first month I noticed that I started feeling better. So much so that I started have energy to work out.
By January I made my new years resolution to start getting into shape. You know those moments that everything just clicks in your head. I realized that if I didn't do everything I could do to help this body then it is as much my fault as it is genetics! So I started changing my mind set. I realized that I HAVE to keep moving if I want to be able to move. It's one of those, if you don't use it you will lose it things. I really hate it when these old says have merit, because it is a double edged sword. It hurts to move so you don't move but if you don't move it hurts more!  I know myself so I needed a goal to work towards. So I decided that I wanted to run a 5k! I figured that I could probably make it 3 miles.
I use to be a runner and found joy in running. It of course has been a LONG time since that feeling has been in my life, but since going to Judy I have had the energy to get up and start. I am now training to run a 5K this summer. I am up to 2 miles of straight "running". Now I say "running" but lets just face it, it's more like jogging, but hey it's more then what I could do a few months ago! And I am kind of excited to accomplish this, it has always been on my bucket list and I honestly thought it was one of those that I was NEVER going to get to.
Now I'm not saying that I am perfect. I still have bad days that the thought of getting out of bed brings tears to my eyes because of the pain shouting throughout my body. And most mornings the simple act of doing my girls hair makes me want to cut off my fingers, but my good days are starting to overshadow these bad days! I have found when I just listen to Judy and do what she tells me to do, yes there is ALWAYS homework, that I sleep better, my joints work better, I have energy (ALMOST as much as a normal person, or what I think a normal person has!), and I can function daily! Josh doesn't always agree with me that I am having more good days but he also doesn't think I'm going to run this 5k so what's a girl going to do....I suppose that it is hard to hear your wife tell you every year that this is the year I'm not going to be sick, or go to the hospital, or have a major surgery. And I suppose that after the first few years you stop believing that her body will ever work perfectly, but I am just as stubborn as ANY Tippetts and am determined to do what I can to accomplish my goals.
I have had some set backs and have had to start going to Judy more often lately, apparently when the doctor tells you that you CAN NOT go on roller coasters he is serious! While down in California on our vacation yes I was stupid and went on a few roller coasters and yes now I am paying the price. I have had to learn this lesson the HARD way. When I start feeling better I start to forget that I still have limitations, and have to realize that I still can't do all the things I think I can in my mind! And I often times forget what the pain feels like that I had been going through, until it comes back!
I realize that I have turned over this leaf before right after Abby was born and I did good for awhile and then came the tornado of problems into my life that sent me back to square one! So I am not saying that I will never have major health problems again, I really don't know what challenges I have ahead of me. But I do know that I am kind of at peace with it. It is what it is and I can only control what I can do to help myself. I figure that as long as I'm doing everything in my power to take care of this body then what ever comes next is just part of His plan for me.        

St. Patrick's Day 2013

When did St. Patrick's Day become a day where you have to do something more for your kids then just make sure they wear green? I think that it really started last year that the girls have been talking about what the "leprechaun" was going to leave them on St. Patrick's Day! WHAT? I never remember any "leprechaun" coming to my house or anyone's house for that matter on any day!! 

Last year I must of been weak and broke down and left the girls some gold stuff from the "leprechaun", but this year I really wanted to scale down this whole you get something for every little holiday trend thing that is starting to happen! So I saw this on Pinterest and thought it was cute and cheap, because I already had half of the stuff, all I had to do was buy the gold coins! I made some for my visiting teaching ladies to give to them also, so two birds. They were supper easy and I think pretty cute.

Abby's New Look...

Abby got bangs! She has been feeling left out because Elizabeth has always had bangs and apparently she doesn't feel part of the family without them. And you just can't argue with that kind of reasoning! So now I have to straighten her new bangs each morning with a flat iron so that they lay flat...yeah I can't believe I'm doing all that for bangs too. I was surprised how different she looks with just adding bangs. She is so my girly girl out of the two! 

Lindon Skate Night

Yep we went to the Lindon Skate Night! All the noise and skating that you can handle! The girls LOVED it!! Elizabeth was grounded and wasn't going to be able to go to skate night, but she just came home with straight A's and Josh is a softy for his little girls, so we caved and let her go. Apparently we need another lesson on what it means to be grounded. She was ex-tactic to be able to use her new skates.

It's ALL about ABBY!!

Abby was the Star Student this week, and of course that means we had to make another poster! I had Abby help pick out the pictures that she wanted on the poster and yes I let her do almost ALL the writing! And yes once again that was very hard for me! I think that it is time to work on my girls handwriting skills! She even added her own drawing on the poster, that included all of her favorite colors and some sparkles!
While I was cutting all the letters for Abby's name she was dancing all around my craft room SO excited that this was ALL about her! I now know why we call her Queenie!!! It was so funny she was looking at the pictures and telling me how cute she was as a baby with the cute curls, and how cute she looks in...well in pretty much every picture that we put on the poster!!! This kid really doesn't have any problems with self-esteem!
Monday morning I brought the poster to her class with of course a treat that she told me that was required and since I fell for it for her sister's class I decided to just go along with it for Abby's class! She stood in front of the class VERY shy and told about her poster. Then she took a few very cute questions from the kids in her class. She LOVED it, being the center of attention! I am happy that I am able to go to see my girls be spotlighted in their classes! 

Elizabeth's Class Wax Museum

This last Monday Elizabeth's class put on a Wax Museum. Each kid dressed up as someone, dead or alive, researched them and stood steal until someone came to push the button to make them come alive and tell about that person. Elizabeth picked Helen Keller. For weeks now we have been hearing all about Helen Keller and the amazing things that she did in her life. My mom and I went on Monday to see this museum of kids. They all did so well with their costumes and their speeches.
It was kind of hard to find a costume for Helen Keller so I found this old dress that poor Elizabeth already had grown out of and we stuffed her into it because it looked like that time period. We put her hair in a bun and called it good. She was happy with it so I guess that is all that really matters. There was this one kid that was dressed as Theodore Roosevelt and I swear the kids looked exactly like the man, it was awesome! I love Elizabeth's teacher this year she has made Elizabeth just LOVE going to school and really get excited about learning.

Elizabeth's Actual 9th Birthday!

Elizabeth's birthday this year landed on I think the busiest day ever! Josh and I had our Cub Scout Blue and Gold Dinner that night. This is why we celebrated Elizabeth's birthday the Saturday before, but I just couldn't let the day go by without making it as special as I could! It started out with breakfast! And for anyone that knows me knows mornings are special to me, AKA don't bother me and I don't make breakfast for you! But for birthdays I drag myself out of bed and make you what you want! This morning she wanted eggs bacon and toast! Which I was more then happy to make her. On the way to school I had her and Abby asking if I was coming into the school. And I kept saying no that I had too much to do today!
Side note Abby can't keep a secret, she was in the room when Josh and I talked about taking Elizabeth balloons and treats to her class and of course Abby told Elizabeth after I told her not to! So this is why the girls were asking me about "MY PLANS" for the day!
I did go and get her balloons and cookies and took them down to the school I had Elizabeth pass out the cookies and wouldn't you know it she dropped them all on the ground with in the first few seconds of handing them out!!! But she picked them up and passed them out to everyone....it is a good thing that kids don't mind eating things that have fallen on the floor! Oooops! After that I had a million and one things to get ready for so Josh went by his self  to the school for lunch and brought Elizabeth Wendy's, just what she asked for. I love that Josh did this. She LOVED that her dad came to the school to eat with her! After school it got a little more crazy she had to go to piano lessons then it was off to set up for scouts. I did let her help decorate for the scouts Blue and Gold any way she wanted to and for how controlling I am for things like that, that is a BIG birthday gift! Everyone told her happy birthday and we sang to her more then once that day! I pretty much said yes to everything she asked that day so she ended up eating a whole bag of mini eggs just her and Abby and yes she felt sick after! She got Grandma and Grandpa Tippetts package the day before and opened it on her birthday and LOVED everything! I can't believe my little girl is 9 years old. She is a beautiful, sweet, kind and wonderful girl! I love you Elizabeth!!

Elizabeth's First Big School Project!

Elizabeth had her first BIG school project this last month! Well let me rephrase that Josh, Elizabeth and I had our first BIG school project this last month. I had no idea that I would hate school projects just as much as an adult then I did as a kid!  I guess with the girls getting older there is going to be much more of these projects to come! This one was on a country symbol. Elizabeth picked to focus on The White House. She had to build a 3D model of The White House and write a very short report on it. I decided that I would help with the report and Josh was in charge of the helping her build something. This worked out great. Josh has WAY more patience then me and the thought of building something with Elizabeth was I think going to push me over the edge! We had a very busy week the week that it was due so we had her finish everything a few days before it was due. This was great and she did such a good job. She built her White House out of sugar cubes and to top out of wood and colored in the windows with marker and the grass with green paper.

Elizabeth got full points for both the report and the building! She was very excited for her A+!!