The Shirts Family

"Happy Birthday to You!"

2011-04-06T20:09:00.000-07:00

Today was Samantha's sixth birthday. It's hard to believe she's been part of our family for 6 years already. She is happy and sweet, loves to help her sister and parents, remembers all sorts of things that surprise us, is curious, funny, has an impressive vocabulary, and is a wonderful friend. She is sensitive, beautiful, and gives the best hugs. I love to hear her say that she loves me and it brightens my day to see her smile. Happy birthday, Sweetheart!

Sam wanted a puppy cake for her birthday. So this is what she got. I didn't show her how it turned out until it was time for the cake. On our way home, I told her it didn't turn out looking much like a dog and kind of looked like a tractor. Why a tractor? First random thought that popped into my head. She even told me it was okay, that maybe a tractor would be alright. Cute.

Sam asked for a bike. Matt came through and wheeled out this beauty with balloons tied to the handlebars. Sam jumped right on it, gave her daddy a hug and said, "Best birthday ever!" Go, Dadddy, go!

Happy birthday, Samantha!

A Saturday of Sledding

2011-01-09T20:08:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, we took Sam and Kelsie to go sledding with their cousins. This was their second time going sledding...ever. My girls are snow-loving kiddos. I frequently have to ask Sam to stop eating snow. She just loves the stuff. Now, Sam has always been a little hesitant to try things that require much bravery, but she has really taken to sledding. She'll grab a sled and be down the hill before I can even ask her if she's ready. And then there's Kelsie. She is way worse. At one point, Matt set down the sled at the top of the hill while he went to check on our niece. As soon as Kelsie saw a vacant sled in "starting position", she was on it and starting to gather momentum down the slope. Fortunately, I managed to dive and grab the sled (sacrificing my knees in the process). Matt and his oldest nephew had the idea to build a jump on the hill, which led to a few runs where we got some air. A fun day, and not nearly as cold as the 4 degrees the previous weekend with the Provo cousins.

Sam with Hailey at the top of the hill

Kelsie going down the hill with Mommy

Saying "cheeeeese!" for Aunt Carrie

Sledding in the Superman style...no hands...she's flying!

Kelsie going down the hill all by herself

And loving it!

Mommy and the girls all ready to go

Matt getting some sweet air over the jump

Merry Christmas with Love

2010-12-24T12:40:00.000-08:00

A free ecard by Smilebox

On the Move

2010-07-19T10:30:00.000-07:00

What have we been up to lately? Here are a few hints.

We've been packing, driving, unpacking, and just generally trying to get settled in Utah. Matt is going to be going back to school at Weber State to go through their nursing program, so we've moved to the Beehive State. I'm going to be teaching fourth grade in Herriman at a pretty new school. It's all exciting and stressful at the same time.

Sam is still a bit sad about leaving her friends in San Jose (we all are a little bummed about it), but is making new friends in Primary at our new ward. Plus, she'll be starting Kindergarten in about a month and a half and will find plenty of friends in her class. Fortunately, we are able to keep in contact with her San Jose friends, too. So, for her San Jose friends, here she is singing one of her Charlie and the Chocolate Factory favorites: "Veruca Salt".

The Big Scary Cake

2010-06-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend, my little sister Ashley got married and she had asked me (read: told me) to make her wedding cake for her. Now, I like to cook and decorate cakes, but a wedding cake is different. It's huge, fancy, and presented in front of potentially hundreds of people. I was terrified of making this beast. I baked all of the cakes, made all the frosting, fillings, and fondant and got ready to tackle this. She requested a three-tier cake--bottom layer was lemon, middle was chocolate, and top layer was white with a cheesecake layer inside. All of this was to be covered with fondant. At first, she wanted white and navy blue designs on all the tiers. I talked her down to a simple white cake with white designs on it. Now, I was feeling better, but then I stacked the layers together and the bottom tier was HUGE--6 inches tall, 14 inches across, and about 30 pounds. Scared again. So I continued this stressed, scared, worries cycle all throughout the construction of this beast. I finished it about 30 minutes into the reception and we walked it out to the reception area. It felt great to set it on the table and be done. I thought it was cute...and delicious. Mission complete. A big "WHEW"!

A Berry Good Day

2010-06-12T22:05:00.000-07:00

This morning, we loaded up the car and drove over to Watsonville to visit a berry farm. We went to Gizdich Ranch to pick strawberries and olallieberries (kind of like a blackberry). The girls had alot of fun. Kelsie preferred picking the strawberries and Sam was really good with the olallieberries. Kelsie wanted to pick everything that was even a little bit reddish, so I got to chase after her and refocus her on riper fruit. Sam would race ahead and come jogging back to show us the great berries she picked. Everything got added to the box and we brought home about 7 pounds of fruit. We enjoyed ourselves and we bought an olallieberry pie to bring home with us from their pie shop. Looking forward to trying it tomorrow.

On our way home from Watsonville, we stopped by Gilroy Gardens to get further use from our season passes. The girls (mostly Sam) were very excited about playing in the water splashing area. Last time we were there, we didn't have swimming suits for the girls, so Sam didn't get to try out the water slide they have there. This time, we were prepared. Sam was getting wet and cruising down the waterslide, but Kelsie decided to be water-phobic and just hung out with me.

One of these things is not like the other: Sam is getting wet and Kelsie is trying to get the camera from me. She really wanted it. Imagine the following conversation (which really was imagined, because she is not nearly this articilulate): 1.) "Mommy, could I please hold the camera?" she asked while cozying up to her mother. "No sweetheart, it's not for you," mom replied. 2.) "But Mommy, I need it!", Kelsie begged while reaching to grab the camera. "Sorry sweetie, I'm using it right now." 3.) "Aaaahhh! Give me the camera!" she screamed persuasively. "Fine. Here," Mom resigned. 4.) "Thank you mommy! Was that so hard?"

Birthdays and Dancing

2010-06-06T17:58:00.001-07:00

In the last couple of months, we've celebrated birthdays for both Samantha and Matt. Sam wanted a flower garden party with her friends at our house. We've always tried to avoid parties at our house, because then we'd have to clean up--both before and after the party. At her party, Samantha and her friends painted their own terra cotta flower pots and then planted a flower to take home with them. I let Sam choose what she wanted for a cake, and she asked for cupcakes with roses on them. It's always fun to try and pull off what she asks for when it comes to cakes. The party was a success and all the kids went home happy with flowers.

In May, Sam's dance class had their little recital. It was very cute. They changed costumes and performed for the audience. Sam was thrilled to have all of her grandparents there to see her dance. Of course, anything Samantha gets to do, Kelsie also wants to do, so she needed to put on the leotard and tutu when we got home and did her own little dance.

Matt had a birthday in May, too. We made him a big cookie instead of a cake and I let Samantha decide how to decorate it. So, Matt had a manly cookie with pink flowers, a heart and ladybugs. Nothing screams Matt like ladybugs, huh?

Naughty Little Leprechaun

2010-03-17T18:27:00.000-07:00

For the last few days, Samantha and I have been working on building a leprechaun trap. We knew St. Patrick's day was coming and that those little green guys would be up to their usual mischief, so we were going to try and catch them and get their pot of gold. We made a rainbow and a big leprechaun hat. On the top of the hat, there was a big hole that we covered with green felt so it would give way and the leprechaun would fall through the trap door and get stuck in it. With a few bits of gold on top, he'd want to climb up to get it. At the bottom of the hat, we posted a sign saying "Do not climb ladder!". With a sign like that, he'd be sure to climb up (leprechauns are notoriously naughty).

Well, when we came home today, we found that some little person had fallen for our trap. Unfortunately, he also climbed out (he used a paperclip and string as a grappling hook to climb out). Once he got out, he did all sorts of naughty things like jumping on Sam's bed and turning the milk in the fridge green. Maybe we'll catch him next year!

Family Portraits

2010-02-23T22:19:00.000-08:00

In the middle of February, we had our family photos taken at Vasona Park in San Jose. We got lucky and the weather was beautiful. The girls were mostly happy, but never at the same time it seemed. I thought they came out great! Here are a few of my favorites...

A White Christmas

2009-12-27T13:23:00.000-08:00

Samantha was very excited to be going to Utah for Christmas because she wanted to play in the snow. It hadn't snowed in a while when we arrived, so the only snow around was the dirty old piles that had been plowed in the shopping store parking lots. Of course, Sam ran over to them and grabbed up a handful and attempted to eat the snow. Fortunately, I stopped her and reminded her that you only eat new snow, not old snow (and never yellow snow). On Tuesday before Christmas, it snowed all day. New snow!
Samantha was itching to get out and play in the snow. She made snowballs, snow angels, a miniature snowman, and ate a lot of the cold white stuff. She and Grandma Shirts even collected some to make Snow Ice Cream (cream, sugar, vanilla, and 2 C snow). Well, Kelsie wants to do everything that her big sister does, so she headed out into the snow, too. She had to have been freezing, but seemed completely unfazed, even when the snow tumbled down into the crack of her bum that was exposed. Both girls had a wonderful time!
I think the coldest I felt was when we went to Temple Square in Salt Lake City to see the Christmas lights. It was 15.8 degrees outside when we got back to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Very cold. I think I will be happy to be back in my California weather, but have had a great time with family here in Utah!

Merry Christmas with Love

2009-12-19T10:12:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

We wish you a wonderful Christmas and New Year from our family. Both of our daughters are looking forward to the two weeks of spending time with mommy and daddy. We are so grateful for the blessings we receive every day and for our Savior whose birth we honor this season. Merry Christmas!

Fall Festival 2009

2009-10-31T20:27:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went to our ward's Fall Festival and Trunk-or-Treat extravaganza. It was fun and Sam was running everywhere at once, it seemed (and that was before she ate any candy, too.). She had fun playing the carnival games, walking in the costume parade, and going from car to car collecting candy goodies. Sam dressed up as a dalmatian puppy and Kelsie was a pink poodle puppy. Both of our canine kiddos looked so cute!

Sam tried eating a doughnut on a string. She managed to get glaze in her hair and on her little doggie nose.
One of the little girls at the party followed Kelsie around the lawn for about 10 minutes, walking with an arm behind her and helping her up every time she fell down. Too cute!
The three of us girls in costumes. Happy Halloween!

Pumpkins for Munchkins

2009-10-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we took the girls to a nearby pumpkin patch to pick out some pumpkins for our Jack-o-lanterns. Kelsie was cruising around the patch in (what seemed like) always the wrong direction to where I wanted her to go. She loved the big orange things that were all over the place. She'd march over to one and bang on it like a drum and then move on to the next one in the instant I'd try and take a picture of her. What a good girl.

Samantha felt so big this year. She was sitting on top of all the pumpkins and running around them like they were little obstacles for her enjoyment.
Sam and Kelsie both enjoyed crawling into the big pumpkin that had a bench inside. Kelsie liked it so much that Matt had to crawl in after her to get her to come out.

We had Sam's friend Aerin with us for the day and we all went on a hay ride. Aerin just looks thrilled to be there, doesn't she?

Naturally, about half-way into our expedition, Sam climbed on top of a hay bale and started looking distinctly like she was in need of potty. But were there potties there? Oh no. Fortunately, upon questioning her, she told me she was just "portending". Whew! Disaster averted.

Wii Love to Play

2009-10-28T19:09:00.000-07:00

Samantha loves to play on the Wii we got for Christmas last year. Kelsie is very aware of what everyone else is doing and knows that you use the white remotes to play the games. She insisted on being on the couch the other night and showed off her mad Wii skills.

In the Magic Kingdom

2009-10-28T18:18:00.001-07:00

Earlier this month, we had the chance to go to Disneyland for Matt's company's annual trip. We arrived on a Thursday afternoon and stayed until Saturday afternoon. It was both of the girls' second trip to Disneyland, but they both seemed more aware of everything. We had been in Disneyland on Thursday for about 2 minutes when we learned how Kelsie felt about giant fuzzy creatures. She screamed at poor little Chip (Dale wasn't around). She soon warmed up once he was out of sight and we proceeded to only have Samantha be in the pictures of characters.

Minnie was dressed up for Halloween.

Of course we had to go on the flying Dumbo ride. It was Sam's first request and Kelsie liked it too.

One of the things I remember about Disneyland as a child was exploring the caves and treehouse on Tom Sawyer's island. We crossed the river on the rafts and spent some time exploring the pirate's tunnels and the rest of the island. Sam liked the crow's nest...

...and Kelsie was at the captain's wheel.

We also spent some time at California Adventure Park. Sam and Kelsie both enjoyed the rides and things to do in the Bug's Life area with Flik's Fair. They liked running around with the "jumping water". They both got a little bit wet this year, but we avoided any full wardrobe changes after the water fun.

We had a wonderful time at Disneyland!

Washing Up Kelsie

2009-09-21T20:50:00.000-07:00

So Kelsie isn't the cleanest and tidiest of eaters. This evening, anticipating the mess that would follow, we stripped her down to her diaper before giving her some watermelon. (This was after her ninja-fast reflex move to swat the incoming sweet potato-corn puree off the spoon and all over her onesie...of course.) We've discovered the easiest way to wash her up after a meal is to hose her down in the sink. She is not afraid of the water in the least, but I'd never seen her bend down to drink from the faucet like a drinking fountain. She's a funny girl.

Our Day at the Beach

2009-08-30T08:45:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we went to Seacliff Beach for our ward's Beach Party. All I can say is that the girls had a lot of fun! We all came home covered in sand and wetter than we expected.

Kelsie was taking it all in from the shore.

Sam was all ready to go, though. Can you tell she's ready? Two thumbs up!

Pause for a family photo. See...we all were there!

Kelsie absolutely loved the sand. She loved crawling in it. She loved digging her little hands into it. She loved using the little shovel to dig it up like she saw Samantha doing. She even loved the gritty feel of it in her mouth (apparently), as she must have eaten five or six handfuls of it during the afternoon. I have a theory on this: since none of the baby foods she gets have any salt in them, I think she just like the salty flavor. Ya never know.

Samantha loved being splashed by the waves. Considering that she is terrified to let go of either Matt or I when she is in a swimming pool with us, it was remarkable to me that she would run out to the waves and when a big one (up to her waist) would come along, she would sit down on her bum or lay down on her tummy with her feet pointing towards the water. Of course we also played "wave tag" and tried to run ashore before a new wave could get us wet.

Some of the kids were making a tidal pool on the shore and were trying to dig a hole for the water to get trapped in. Samantha was using her bucket to help and she decided to go get some water from the ocean. Of course she wasn't paying attention and when a wave startled her, she dropped the bucket which was then washed out to sea. She was distraught about this so Matt was looking for it. There was a mad dash for the flash of pink in a wave and Matt came out of it victorious--the bucket in hand and wet from head to toe.

Now, when dads get involved in the building of a sand fort or pool, things really get moving. Using buckets, Matt built a self-digging tidal pool. The water from the waves would wash ashore and get trapped while some would escape down the beach again. As the water moved back towards the ocean, it carved out a deeper path for the water to travel in to refill the pool again on the next big wave. Genius!

The girls got to enjoy the fruits of their daddy's labors floating on a boogie board in the tidal pool.

All in all, it was a fun day at the beach. Fun was had by all, and sand was found in all sorts of places.

Kelsie's First Birthday

2009-08-20T17:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Kelsie celebrated her first birthday. It's hard to believe how big she has gotten and how much she has changed in a year. She is such a sweet girl--warm, gummy smile (no teeth), crawling all over the place, exploring new things she encounters, and such a cute little giggle.

Kelsie's Stats: Today: 18 lbs, 1 Year ago: 7 lbs, 5 oz

Sam was happy to help Kelsie open her gifts.

Kelsie was having a great time checking out her new toys. She got a classic rock-a-stacking toy and a See 'n Say.

Kelsie seemed surprised by her rubber ducky cake.

When we put a little cake in front of her, it took her a while to figure out what to do with it. Oh, she tried a little of the cake, but she seemed more fascinated by the feel of the cake and frosting between her fingers. I don't think she actually ate very much of it. And as for being messy, she only had some frosting on her fingers and a smudge on her cheek. Not the sticky mess I had envisioned. Happy birthday, Kelsie!

"Happy Birthday, Dear Matt!"

2009-05-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

For Matt's birthday, I told Samantha that we could make a cake for Daddy's birthday and that she could be my helper. I asked her what kind of cake we should make for him and she decided to make a "fishie" cake and that it should be orange like a goldfish cracker. After a bit of carving and frosting and rolling and cutting out pieces, we created a goldfish cake. And yes, Sam was a good helper. We used the end of a turkey baster to cut out the circles for the scales...and Sam would blow on the hole on the other end to pop out each little circle. What a helper she is!

Daddy loved his cake...

Kelsie loved her balloon...

And Sam took a nap. All that hard work sure wore her out.

Shirts Family dancing the Charleston with Elves

2008-12-22T15:44:00.000-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Glow Sticks

2008-11-15T18:59:00.000-08:00

Matt gets to spend one evening a week supervising the young men's activities at church. Last week, they planned a "glow in the dark game night". They were going to play glow volleyball and generally run around in the dark wearing glowing bracelets. Apparently, when the activity ended, all the kids started giving Matt their glow sticks, because he came home with a pocket full of multi-colored bracelets and necklaces. Sam was grinning as her daddy handed her one after another, extracting them from his pocket like some sort of magician with a bottomless hat. We spent the next hour playing with them, spelling out pur names and making shapes in the air.

Hey! I had fun.

Trick or Treat 2008

2008-11-01T12:59:00.001-07:00

Our Halloween pumpkins--the mummy and the cat--stood guard on the doorstep, but now are protecting Sam's loot on the kitchen table.

Sam was a Jack-o-lantern and little Kelsie donned a mummy hat and an "I love my mummy" shirt for the evening.

Sam got to go trick-or-treating through our neighborhood with her friend Lightning McQueen (otherwise known as Ethan).

A few years ago, we ran out of candy for the trick-or-treaters at our house, so I bought extra this year, just in case. We didn't need the extra for the neighborhood kids and definitely don't need the massive bowl of candy we now have (in addition to the massive haul Sam dragged home). Happy cavities!

We hope everyone enjoyed a happy and safe Halloween!

Trip to Disneyland

2008-10-30T23:46:00.000-07:00

As part of Matt's company trip, we had the opportunity to spend a few days in southern California. I waited as long as possible to tell Sam that we would be going to Disneyland. Once she found out, she began singing "It's a Small World" with relative frequency. (Apparently, she'd learned a little about the park from a Sing-along Song video at daycare.) As it turned out, though, that was one of the few rides that would be closed while we were there. Once we started driving on Wednesday, it wasn't even ten minutes before she asked if we were almost there. Just a little excited about it.

We visited both Disneyland and California Adventure Park. Sam loved the carousels and the flying Dumbo ride. If you ask her what her favorite was, she will tell you her favorite was the Pirates ride. She will tell you how we went down the water slide on the boat and laughed at the silly pirates. She will even move her arm from side to side at the elbow as she sings "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!" (Immediately after the actual ride had ended, however, she was very clearly a little relieved the ride was over.) Our favorite part of the park with Sam was in California Adventure Park in the "Bug's Life" area. There were fountains that would randomly spray out of the ground and "jump" from place to place. Sam was fearless as she ran around trying to catch the water and play. Suddenly, we noticed that there was water dripping off of her, but no water spraying her. In her excitement, she had forgotten all about the potty. We then encouraged her to wash off her bum to get the pee-pee off. It was hilarious to see her identify a place where water was spraying and back up toward it with her backside sticking out. Inevitably, just as her bum would make contact with the water, the spray would shut off and she'd have to redirect her soggy pants somewhere else. Funny!

Before we left southern California, we had to seize upon the chance to visit the beach with the girls. Sam had never been to a beach and was very excited about it. As soon as we got to Huntington beach, she wanted to run through the sand. She loved digging for crabs and seashells and chasing the waves back to the sea and running back up the shore when more came rolling in. It was a quick trip, but she soaked it all up--all the way to her waist.

As for Kelsie's enjoyment of the trip south, well, she slept a lot and seemed intrigued by all the people in the theme park. She did wake up when we got to the beach, but wasn't feeling up to getting her feet wet...yet.

Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater

2008-10-14T15:38:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, I took the girls to the pumpkin patch. Sam wanted to wear her Halloween shirt and her "bug eye" on a string around her neck. Our friends Beth and Andy came with us with their one-year old daughter, Jennah. As soon as we got there, Sam started to look for "her" pumpkin. She couldn't have one unless she could pick it up all by herself. The path wound through areas filled with pumpkins of all different sizes and varieties. We walked through the whole patch, taking pictures and checking it all out. Ultimately, Sam decided on a nice orange pumpkin that was just the right size. Before leaving, Sam and Jennah got to ride on the little train that traveled in a giant circle. Overall it was a nice autumn day.

Kelsie Madison

2008-09-26T16:58:00.000-07:00

It's Another Girl!

We were expecting a second daughter by August 13th, but had to wait a few extra days or her to get here. After unexpectedly going into labor after a routine appointment, we welcomed "Baby Girl" on Tuesday, August 19th, 2008. She was 7 pounds, 5 ounces and 19 inches in length. She had lots of dark hair. We know that we had 9 whole months to prepare and to choose a name, but hadn't decided on a name for her by the time she was born. Not wanting to be pressured into choosing a name before we were ready, we opted to leave the hospital without a name for her. We bounced around a few ideas over the course of a month, finally narrowing it down to three, then two, then one name. We decided to sleep on the name, then woke up with a completely different name: Kelsie Madison. And that's what we're calling her. Matt wanted to be able to name her after his grandmother, Elsie, so we put a K in front of it to make Kelsie. Interestingly enough, by changing the spelling of Kelsie from the more conventional -ey ending, it changed the meaning of the name from "from Ceol's island" to "chalk landing place". Not a very exciting meaning to her name, so we'll just tell her she was named after her grandmother instead. Madison, though, means "son of Matthew". Not a boy, but we liked it. All in all, she cute and we think her name is, too. I guess we'll keep her.

Sam is quite fond of her baby sister. We frequently hear her pronouncing in a sing-song, high pitched voice, "My baby sister is so cute!" She loves to cuddle with her and help in any way she can with the baby. She helps get new diapers and changing supplies and will run upstairs to retrieve new clothes or blankets for baby sister. Sometimes, it seems like Sam forgets that she is not a baby anymore. She is terribly fascinated with all of the baby toys and clothes, insisting that when she is a baby, she will wear those clothes or play with that toy. She seems a but hazy on the idea of growing older and bigger, not younger and smaller.

We are thrilled to have two, beautiful daughters and for all the unexpected surprises they seem eager to share.

Sam's Summer Adventures

2008-09-26T16:08:00.000-07:00

This summer after I finished with school, I wanted to make sure Sam and I got to do something special every day. She wanted to do some fun things and I knew that once Baby Sister arrived, Sam would suddenly have to share her time with Mommy. We made a calendar of activities for every month and Sam got to choose activity stickers and decide where to put them on the calendar. We went to museums, the library, picnics at the park, made a painting, and played games together.

One of her favorite things to do is to go to the Children's Discovery Museum. During the summer, we took the "train" (lightrail) to get to the museum. On the train, Sam would list all of the things she wanted to do when we got there--play with the bubbles, see Alice in Wonderland, climb on the red dragon, make a straw doll, and play in the water. She has become so familiar with the museum that she remembers what comes next in her list of things to do and makes sure we accomplish everything she listed while on the train. After visiting the exhibits, we ate our picnic lunch in the park before getting back on the train to come home again. On a couple of our visits, Sam got to invite a friend to come along.

Sam created a painting for Daddy one day while Matt was on a scouting trip near Tahoe. She had a great time choosing paint colors and putting the pain on the canvas. I gave her a few pointers on when to get more paint or how to hold the brush, but didn't help her with the artwork at all (which was hard not to intervene sometimes). She got really good at knowing when to dip the brush in the paint again, announcing, "It's getting a little scratchy." She was so proud of the finished masterpiece that she wanted to put it up where Daddy would see it.

Sam took "swimming lessons" this summer and enjoyed spending time in the water. It was a toddler class in a shallow pool, but got her used to being in the water and not being so afraid of getting into the water and splashing and getting her face wet. She loved playing with the toys, especially the "squirty fish" and rubber duckies. Her teachers were encouraging and Sam really liked them. On the last day of the two-week session, she got to go down the water slide with her teacher.