Sophie's Last Day as a 3 Year Old

Last year, I started CELEBRATING the day

BEFORE my girls birthdays. The LAST day that they would be that age.

The night before Sophie turned three, I decided to take a picture with sign

saying "My Last Day Ever as a 2 Year Old."

Love her quirky little smile.

Here is Mia last year the night before she turned 5!

Traditionally, we only celebrate on our BIRTH day and the fact that

we are turning one year older.

I thought it would be a fun new tradition to celebrate our

previous 12 months and live it up on our LAST day

being a that age.

That age you WILL never be again.

Tears.

Can you tell I am an overly emotional person?

And especially on the subject of life passing by,

family and making memories.

Don't EVEN get me started......

So today, on Sophie's last day EVER as a three year old,

I took a few photos to document this day forever.

My Silly So-Mo




I love a REAL smile!




She got to pick our her special outfit to wear for her

"photo shoot."

A lovely "gown" she wore as a flower girl last summer.

So Princess-like.

Dear Sophie,

I wish you could stay three years old forever. Your smile lights up any room. Your positive energy lifts anyone's spirits. You are so sensitive (wonder where you get that?) and always try to make everyone laugh and smile. You will always be my "baby." I thank God you were born so easy going and fun. He knew just what our family needed.

A perfect, lovely, silly So-Mo.

I hope you have the best LAST DAY EVER AS A THREE YEAR OLD!

Love, Mom

Pirate Party Fun

It was my nephew's first birthday party last weekend and my

sister Adie threw him a fun Pirate Party!

Love his little hat!

How cute did her buckets turn out?

She stuffed them full of all kinds of goodies.

My girls went crazy for the eye patches and "real gold coins."

Mia, Sophie & Gracie posing for me in their fun pirate skirts & shirts I made.

Arrrrrgh!

Mia and Mommy shot.

His super cute cake was so delish.
Gracie was literally shoveling handfuls into her mouth...
wish I took a picture of that.



My uncle Steve must have read Gracie 50 books.
Thank you Steve!



My girls posed again for me.



And their cousin Ella jumped in!

Too cute!

To end the night, we forced my sister Adie to put on her real life SASH, as she was selected the night before, as TEACHER OF THE YEAR of her entire Elementary School!

Can I get a Holla for her please?!

I EVER get my teaching degree, as that is the plan, I hope to be HALF as good of a teacher that she is.

A.MAZ.ING. And she teaches Kindergarten!

Happy Tuesday to you all!

Our Version of Valentine's Day

doesn't exactly consist of romantic

candlelit dinners these days.....

but more of a game of Tic Tac Toe at a cozy little Applebee's.

Nothing better than some Artichoke Dip!

This year we rounded up the three girlies for a fun family

day full of Applebee's, a visit to Nana & Papa's house

and a trip to Trader Joe's.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

The girls all glammed up in the Heart Day Gear.

Can you say crazy cute?

Love me some pink and red.


Here is Sophie before her Valentine's Day party at preschool.

She loved her tutu shirt I made thanks to Julie at Joyshope.
I can always count on her for some sewing inspiration.

Mia jumped in to pose with Sophie on her special day!

Saying the prayer before snack.
(Nothing cuter than a 3 year old praying.)

Sophie had a FUN birthday party trip to
Build A Bear after her Valentine's party!
She loved washing her new puppy, Gussie.
(Wonder where she got that name? It's one of our dog's names!)

Mia on the day of her Valentine's Party!

So excited!

Speaking of excited....
my nephew Meade just turned one.
I made my sister some fun party favor buckets to hand out at his party this weekend.
Can you guess the theme?
ARGH!

The girls are SUPER excited to celebrate their cousins birthday!
I watch him during the week, so he's here everyday, and I think they feel like he's the
closest thing to a BROTHER they will ever have!

On another note, Sophie's got the Skills to Pay the Bills.

Just sayin'.

She does.

I made her this dress a few weeks ago and I'm scared

to have her wear it in REAL public.

Do you think people will look at me like I'm a weirdo mom?

Speaking of Soph....
Steve may or may not have FINALLY painted her room
after her can of paint she picked out has been chillin' in her closet for over a year.

She has been begging Steve to paint for her BIRTHDAY (which is NEXT THURSDAY!)
So, he got out the trusty paint roller and tray and Voila!
EVEN MORE PINK added to our home!
She now calls her room, PINKALICIOUS.

Can you guess the theme of Sophie's upcoming party?
(Thank you Ashley from lilblueboo for this adorable image by the way!)

I recently got some fun new software, so I am able to use almost
any image for my party favor buckets in my shop!

If you need a fun party favor, feel free to email me!
I would love to create some fun & unique buckets for your child's party!

Have a "Hoppy" Thursday!

Skinny Pants.....

.....was a nickname I never had.

Never tiny.

Never small.

Mine was more like, Biggie.

5 feet 11" can be tough at times.

But I am proud of what God gave me.

Recently, I was inspired by my new friend Erin to start running

again and get back in SHAPE!!!

I got the fabulous Nike+ sensor kit that keeps track of your runs

and links them on the Nike+ website.

It's so great because I can see my daily progress.

Super motivating for a Type A personality like me.

This year Erin and Laura started a FUN challenge of racing to

500 miles in the year 2010.

I was featured over on their new blog, 500 in 2010 , today and I wanted to

share what it said....

(hop on over there to see for yourself, but in case you are

lazy like me I wanted to share it on my blog as well!)

Hopefully I can inspire some of you just as Erin

and Laura have inspired me!

Tell us briefly about yourself....

Hi Everyone! My name is Marta and you can find me over

at http://www.hausofgirls.net/ rambling about my hectic life as a

Mom of three CRAZY blonde girls: Mia is 5, Sophie is almost 4

and Gracie is 21 months.

My husband Steve is also running in the challenge.

(He's in first place I might add!)

We have been married for seven years and every day we look at

each other and ask ourselves how we can possibly have three

daughters and been married so long.

We still feel like we are in college, where we met!

We were both college athletes, but running is still fairly new to us.

I started the training program for a half marathon back in 2003,

but found out I was pregnant with Mia a few weeks later.

My running had to wait.

Then, due to pre-term labor, I was unable to exercise during

all three of my pregnancies. So after having about 5 years of

bed rest, I am excited to get back into shape!

What are your goals in completing 500 miles in 2010?
My goal is to be CONSISTENT!

I think that is key for anyone to be successful in anything

they want to accomplish. I pick 4-5 days every week that I will run.

It's as simple as that. I say it's like brushing my teeth.

I HAVE to do it even if I don't always feel like it.

I must make it part of my routine.

What do you see as your biggest challenge(s) to staying fit this year?
Finding the time with my hectic kid-filled schedule!

On top of my three girls, I also watch 4-6 other children during the day.

I have anywhere from 6 to 9 kids here everyday!

I, on top of caring for so many children, must find the time to clean,

cook & shop like every other mom in the world!

I have to make it a priority to schedule in the time to run.

This is the biggest challenge for me!

Sometimes, it just takes ignoring the dishes in the sink and

the load of laundry that needs to be done.

I realize that there will ALWAYS be something that needs to get

done but I can't use it as my excuse.

I have to factor myself back into the equation and go for a healthy

balance of being a wife, mom, chauffeur, cook, errand-runner

and a woman that cares about her health and well-being.

If I don't put myself first for a few miles a day,

what good am I to my family if I am unhealthy and unhappy?

Happy running to you all!

**PS Tomorrow I will pick a winner (one of my blog followers)

to win one of my Holla tees!

Just leave a comment on this post if you'd like to be entered to win!

Or, as one of my fun followers said, "holla if you folla!"

Love it!

If You Follow My Blog.....

you will be entered to win one of my Holla! tees,

as a thank you for following along with me on

my hectic journey as a Mom of three crazy blondies.

Who doesn't love a good Holla?

I just added some more of these tees to my shop!

If you are a follower of my crazy blog & you'd like to be entered to win a Holla tee, just leave me a comment and let me know!
I will pick a winner next Wednesday!

And if any of you have a "sewing" friend that would like the chance to win one, feel free to spread the news.

Thank you and Good luck!

Holla!

Topics!

This is a common word that is blurted out every night at the

dinner table after we have completed our prayer.

Gracie, who is now 20 months old, has been yelling this

loudly each night for, at least, the past six months.

After our dinner prayer concluding with AMEN (which she also screeches)

she smiles, looks all around at us and proudly says "TOPICS!"

I just love it.

Several people have asked me about my Family Rule

"Bring a Topic to Dinner Every Night,"

so I wanted to share where this idea came from.

After reading some staggering statistics about eating

dinner as a family, I really wanted to make it a point

to eat together every single night.

(Another one of my Family Rules)

Statistics show that kids who dine with their family are

healthier, happier and better students.

A few years ago I remember talking to my sister Adie about the Oprah Show

in which she interviewed Maria Shriver.

Maria had talked about the idea of having her children bring a "topic"

to the dinner table every night.

Instead of everyone just sitting around eating and randomly

mumbling about their day, they were to bring something they

wanted to discuss with everyone.

I LOVED this idea!

Even though my girls were very little, the loved it as well

and looked forward the their own special TOPIC they got to

talk about with everyone at dinner.

Some of the things my girls come up with are priceless.

For example, "My topic is I don't have school tomorrow...."

Interesting.

And another, "My topic is that today at school, "Tommy" was really bad

and got in trouble."

Amazing.

But there have been so many times that my girls have really

shocked me and shown me how in tune they are with what's going on.

Sophie's topics was Barack Obama every night for

practically two months as the election was nearing.

She just couldn't get enough of him

And they way she said his name?

Barlack Omama.

So cute!

I remember talking about who they were voting for that year.

Sophie, of course Barlack Omama.

Mia, John McCain one day. Barack the next.

I have come to love this "Family Rule" so much.

I feel it gives my girls an open invitation to

bring up anything that may be on their mind and it gives them

the opportunity to let us know if something is bothering them at school,

or just to fill us in on whatever silly things they are thinking about!

Family Rules

A few years ago I was watching Super Nanny.

She was discussing the idea of making a list of family rules.

I felt that this was such a great way to take the opportunity to talk with our girls about our expectations and the guidelines that we expect them to follow in our home, as well as in the real world.

I immediately jotted down a few things that I felt were important to us.

When we sat down with the girls to talk about these "rules", Mia was 3 and Sophie was 2.

I remember how interested they were in hearing all about these rules and how they were excited to show us how good they would be at following them!

I recently typed up our "Family Rules" and framed it.

It sits on my desk in our kitchen where everyone can see it daily.

Our Family Rules are as follows:

Be loving.

Be kind.

Be a good listener.

Put our family first.

Eat dinner together as a family.

Bring one topic to the dinner table each night.

Never yell.

Never hit.

Share your things with each other.

If upset, use your words to talk about your feelings.

Everyone must help with household chores.

Say your prayers every night.

No TV during dinner.

No cell phones during dinner.

No shoes on the carpet.

Make your bed every morning.

Do NOT interrupt.

Say please and thank you.

They are not extremely deep or philosophical, as the girls are still all under the age of 5.

But I feel it helps them know their boundaries and what is expected of them.

In my opinion, there is no greater comfort to a child than having structure and knowing what is expected of them.

After making my list, I realize there are SEVERAL

more things I could have added.

Such as.......

always wear your helmet when riding your horse....

(Gracie immediately yells for her "Hat" as soon as she hops on!)

get your beauty sleep......

and LIVE, LAUGH and LOVE in 2010!

(Don't you love my Williams-Sonoma Pig?! It's one of my favorite birthday gifts from last summer from my Mother & Father in-law and my Sister & Brother in-law Angie & Farris!)

I will add those in the future I'm sure. :)

One of the rules I like to follow, yet it's not on our list, is take as many pictures as humanly possible and display them above your desk like a crazy person!

Here are a few close ups of my craziness...

It's a Wonderful Life, indeed!

Superstar Sophie

Guess who is a SUPERSTAR student?!

Sophia Grace, that's who.

She came home the other day with a "Certrificate" from preschool.

I knew exactly what it was before she pulled it out of her backpack.

It was her Certificate of Achievement in knowing the following:

Full name, Address, Phone Number & Birthday

I knew that this was what she so excited about because we had been practicing all of her "personal information" at home the weekend before.

Then, sure enough, her first day back at school after our practicing, she comes blazing out of the double doors at preschool smiling ear to ear with some very good news!

Way to go Soph!

The second one in your entire class of 3 year olds to get this certificate!

We are so proud of you!

Speaking of Sophie, I made her a fun little t-shirt dress for her to play in.

She wanted it "floor length," and Princess and the Frog, of course.

Her new favorite.

Her FOURTH birthday is coming up and she's celebrating with a

fun Princess and the Frog themed party.

Can NOT believe she's turning four.

Tears.

Even made a little headband to match.

(She almost loved this more than the dress.)

And another shot of a recent project.... I finally got around to making Sophie a recycled t-shirt dress of her own, after making Mia a Michigan one.

Sophie's is made out of Steve's old shirts and she loves it. She calls it her "Daddy Mazz" dress.

I can't wait to make some more....

Four Sister's Trip to Michigan

I feel so blessed to have three sisters.

God knew I needed sisters.

Three best friends for life.

They are the only three people that I can trust to help me

in so many areas I am CLUELESS about.

Hard to believe, but there are several.....hundred.

(like if the coat I am wearing looks like my husbands....keep reading you will understand)

Me and my sisters have talked, on several occasions, about

what growing up with three other girls did for us.

We grew up learning how to share everything under the sun.

Clothes, shoes, food, beds, make-up, PARENTS!

We believe it's made us who we are today.

We learned how to be happy for each other.

And other women in our lives.

We have talked about our friends who don't have sisters and how

different it must have been for them.

To be the ONLY girl in the house.

So incredibly different.

No make-up or bras to share.

They got everything new and it was all theirs.

They never had to share any milestone that a girl has growing up.

We know we were given each other for a reason and feel so

lucky that we never had to hope to find true friends like some girls may.

We never had to search for a best friend.

We have always had each other.

And thankfully, being one of four girls has made us who we are today.

Four crazy girls who know how to share happy times and moments,

clothes, make-up and bras,

while being proud of each other's accomplishments.

I am truly thankful for all of the unique attributes that

each one of us bring into each other's lives.

And now, a few pics from our recent GIRL'S WEEKEND trip to Michigan to visit the youngest sister, Maggie.

(She was recently selected as one the the USA Softball's Top 50 players to watch this season.... you can read about it here! We are so proud of her!!)

Welcome Viefhaus sisters!

Haley and Maggie as we were getting ready to head out for our first night of fun.

Haley, Mags and Adie

Models.

Group shot!

We NEVER get these with Maggie gone so much!

Love this one.

Thankfully, Maggie asked me to take off "Steve's" coat prior to posing.

Too bad it wasn't Steve's, it was MINE.

On our way!

Love this one!

Lipstick?!

Look out!


Laughs.

Maggie and her friend Adam.

Secrets.

Leaving our first stop.

Craziness.

I could NOT walk in Maggie's heels.

After I insisted, while getting ready, that I liked "this kind of heel!"

A workout session the next morning....

we all did Jillian's Shred following this.

Then we ate Enchiladas.

Skinny.

Showing the evil heels I wore the night before.

So wobbly.


Getting ready for night #2.

Me and Ads

Me and Hales

Three out of four.

All four for another group shot.

We arrived at a real live dance club.

Hilarious, as I am 30 years old friends.

Twins shot!

The softball dance

Maggie may or may not have gotten on stage to perform Single Ladies.

After the club.

Quickie Burger I believe was the name?

Good thing Maggie let me borrow BLUEBERRY since we had to walk 3 miles in the FRIGID cold Michigan weather. With NO coat mind you!

Heading home on the plane.

Look who else loved BLUEBERRY!

When I got home Gracie had to try it on :)

Thanks for letting me borrow it Maggie and we will miss you!

Thank you so much for having all three of us up to visit you, and thus, forcing me to get on a plane, yet again, and endure a few more mini panic attacks.

It was well worth it!

See you soon!