OLIVIA

I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE ELSE READS THE "OLIVIA" BOOKS, BUT SAGE AND I LOVE THEM. THEY ARE ABOUT A LITTLE GIRL PIG WHO HAS A BIG IMAGINATION AND GETS INTO ALL SORTS OF MESSES. EVERYTIME WE READ ONE OF THE BOOKS IT REMINDS ME OF SAGE. ESPECIALLY TODAY WHEN SHE CAME OUT OF HER ROOM WITH HER "LIPSTICK" ON. SHE SAID IT MAKES HER LOOK PRETTIER. IN "OLIVIA FORMS A BAND," OLIVIA TELLS HER MOM RIGHT BEFORE THEY LEAVE THE HOUSE THAT SHE'LL BE RIGHT BACK SHE JUST HAS TO PUT ON HER MAKEUP. THEY MOM ABSENT-MINDEDLY SAYS OKAY. THEY NEXT TWO PICTURES SHOW OLIVIA (IN HER IMAGINATION) LOOKING BEAUTIFUL WITH BRIGHT RED LIPSTICK ON AND THEN HOW SHE REALLY LOOKS WITH IT ALL OVER HER FACE. I KNOW THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT SAGE SAW IN HER MIRROR BEFORE SHE WALKED OUT OF HER ROOM. THE MOST PERFECTLY APPLIED LIPSTICK SHE HAD EVER SEEN!!

THIS IS BEN

THIS IS THE NEW PUPPY, BEN. HE CAME FROM LANCE'S COUSIN, AND SHE HAS A SON NAMED BEN. THE KIDS THOUGHT ABOUT CALLING HIM LICKER AT FIRST BECAUSE HE IS CONSTANTLY LICKING THEIR FACES. SO FAR THEY HAVE DONE PRETTY WELL FEEDING AND PLAYING WITH HIM. WE'LL SEE HOW LONG THAT LASTS!

BIRTHDAY PARTY #1

WE HAD A BIRTHDAY PARTY AT YAYA'S NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE FOR GUS. THE KIDS SWAM, AND WE COOKED HAMBURGERS AND HAD CAKE. IT WAS A GREAT TIME FOR ALL! THE SWIMMING POOL HAD A BASKETBALL GOAL AND GUS PLAYED BASKETBALL FOR A LONG TIME. SAGE ENJOYED PLAYING BY THE LADDER SAFELY WITH HER ARM AND RING FLOATIES!!

SOON TO COME PICTURES OF THE NEW PONY AND NEW PUPPY!!

BRANDING

LAST WEEKEND WE WENT TO JAL TO BRAND WITH PAPA. GUS DID NOT HELP GATHER ON HIS NEW PONY "SPANKY" BECAUSE HE WAS TOO WORN OUT FROM RIDING HIM OVER 6 MILES THE DAY BEFORE. HE HAD A GREAT TIME WATCHING AND TAKING PICTURES WITH JANA'S CAMERA. HE EVEN RODE A FEW CALVES. AS SOON AS HE WAS DONE HE STARTED TELLING BIG STORIES.

WE HAD A GREAT TIME AT PAPA AND YAYA'S!

LITTLE MERMAID BALLET

NANELLE AND JOSIE WERE HER TO VISIT GRANDMA THIS WEEKEND, AND WE ALL WENT TO SEE THE LITTLE MERMAID BALLET. THE KIDS ALL DID GREAT SITTING THROUGH IT. SAGE GOT REALLY INTO IT BY THE END AND WAS WORRIED ABOUT ARIEL WHEN SHE LOOK LONELY. ARIEL'S DAD CAME ON STAGE AND SAGE SAYED "ARIEL, THERE'S YOUR DAD, ARIEL, ARIEL!" SHE STARTED OUT SAYING IT QUIETLY BUT GOT SO INTO IT THAT SHE WAS YELLING BY THE END. THE FIRST PERFORMANCE THE BALLERINA WERE DOING SAGE ASKED IF THE GIRLS WERE REAL OR PLASTIC. ARIEL WAS DOING PICTURES DURING THE INTERMISSION, BUT SAGE JUST GOT HERS TAKEN TO THE SIDE. SHE HAD A GREAT TIME, BUT SHE SAID SHE WANTED TO GO LIVE IN ARIEL'S WORLD.

KINDER VALENTINE PARTY

GUS' CLASS HAD THERE VALENTINE PARTY ON FRIDAY. THEY ALL ENJOYED OPENING THERE BAG OF TREATS!

MONSTER TRUCK SHOW

GUS AND LANCE WENT TO THE MONSTER TRUCK SHOW ON THE 7TH. IT MADE A HUGE IMPRESSION ON GUS, AND HE HAS PLAYED MONSTER TRUCKS EVERY DAY SINCE. THE OTHER NIGHT, I WENT INTO HIS ROOM AND HE HAD BUILT A MONSTER TRUCK TRACK OUT OF A HOUSE SHOE, TRACTOR, AND HOTWHEELS!

SAGE'S VALENTINE

SAGE RECEIVED A VALENTINE FROM MICHEAL LAST WEDNESDAY. SHE WAS SO EXCITED BECAUSE SHE THOUGHT IT WAS A "VIDEO GAME." IT WAS 3-D (I GUESS THAT IS WHAT YOU CALL IT.) AND EVERYTIME YOU TILTED IT THE PICTURE CHANGED. SHE CARRIED IT AROUND FOR TWO DAYS TOUCHING IT WITH HER FINGER THINKING SHE WAS PLAYING A GAME!

COFFEE

SAGE AND I WERE FIXING HER HAIR BEFORE THE BALLET YESTERDAY, AND SHE ASKED WHY HER HAIR WAS CHANGING. (IT IS GETTING MUCH DARKER) I SAID, IT WAS PROBABLY JUST GOING TO GET DARKER LIKE MOM. SHE SAID "IT'S PROBABLY BECAUSE I DRINK TOO MUCH COFFEE!"

NEW SAGE-ISM

"SOMETIMES MY TEE-TEE SPEEDS, BUT TODAY IT IS SLOW."

V-DAY CARD

WE SPENT SOME TIME SUNDAY AFTERNOON WORKING ON GUS AND SAGE'S VALENTINE'S DAY CARDS. I SHOWED GUS WHAT TO DO AND THEN HELPED SAGE WITH HERS. HE WORKED SO HARD ON WRITING EVERYONE'S NAME AND WAS SO PROUD OF HIMSELF. TODAY I WENT IN TO SORT THEM OUT, AND HE HAD FOLDED ALL OF THEM BACKWARDS SO YOU COULDN'T SEE THE NAMES. I FIXED THEM ALL AND DECIPHERED THE NAMES. HE IS GOING TO BE SO EXCITED TO HAND THEM OUT AT GYMNASTICS AND HIS VALENTINE PARTY ON FRIDAY!!

SAGE HELPS OUT

IT WAS A PRETTY WEEKEND, AND THE KIDS GOT TO PLAY OUTSIDE SOME. SAGE DECIDED TO HELP OUT AND WATER THE FLOWER BED. SHE THEN SOME HOW ENDED UP INSIDE IT?!? ANYWAY PRETTY SOON HER "NEW RUNNING PANTS" (THAT SHE HAD BRAGGED ABOUT ALL DAY) WERE HALF BROWN. I HOSED HER OFF AND SENT HER TO THE BATH TUB. JANA AND HOLLY SHOWED UP JUST IN TIME TO SAVE HER. MIRACULOUSLY THE PANTS ARE STILL PINK AFTER SOAKING THE ENTIRE NIGHT IN OXYCLEAN. I JUST LOVE THAT STUFF!

A NEW SAGE-ISM

SAGE HANDED HER DAD A FRISBEE THIS WEEKEND AND SAID "SROW IT DAD. LOOK IT SAYS SROW IT, SEE THE "S" LIKE IN SAGE. IT SAYS SROW IT." WE HAD THE GREATEST LAUGH. AT LEAST SHE CAN RECOGNIZE AND "S" AND KNOWS WHAT SOUND IT MAKES. WE JUST NEED TO TEACH HER TO SAY "THROW" CORRECTLY!!