Wordless Wednesday

Maile Princess of the Week

For any of you who have met them, you know that we win the Best Neighbors EVER Award. Mark and Connie Payne are the biggest blessing to our family. When we moved from our condo into this house, we knew we hit it big by having them as our neighbors.

5 Weeks ago we ran into them in the grocery store on a crazy Friday. Macey's Grocery shoppers know just how crazy it gets in there on the weekend. Usually we try and avoid it, but found ourselves in there anyway. We found ourselves with our 6 littles and 2 carts, pulled over to the side, and the Paynes pulled over to the side with their carts, just so we could catch up on things. It was at the time when we had just started recovering from all of our winter sickness, and they also were on the road to recovery from some yucky stuff, too, and so we hadn't really seen much of one another. While we were visiting, Mark asked Naki and I, "Who's been the most helpful to you these past couple of days?" It was easy to answer that Line had been the best helper during all those sick days. Unknown to us, they had a plan.

The next day, on the way to getting to the church for Eli's birthday party, Mark called Naki and Line over. The other girlies and I headed over to the party to meet everyone there and Naki and Line later joined us. After heading back home when the party was over, Naki and Line showed us all the exciting addition to our house.
They had decided to take this trophy, with this princess figurine on the top,

and renamed it the "Maile Princess of the Week".

We were instructed that each week we were supposed to let them know who had been the most helpful, the best listener, the best sister and most deserving of the trophy. Then the winner not only received the trophy from the previous winner, but they were also to come over to the Payne's house where they received a bag of goodies all for them.

Aren't we the luckiest? To have neighbors that would do this kind of thing, to have a crazy Maile girl knocking on their front door every Sunday night, there to get their goodies, and not feel imposed upon, I think is the sweetest gesture from true friends. Thanks Mark and Connie Payne, for making us all feel so loved.

Cookie Dough Fairy. . .

I never knew one of these existed until one day last week. I came home from picking the girlies up from school to find a package on our doorstep. I've come to hate getting the mail because the only thing in there are bills that frankly I could do without! But a package? You can never go wrong there. The girls and I excitedly brought it inside and tore it open. Inside were two containers of dry-ice-packed cookie dough! They were chocolate chunk and chocolate dough with white chocolate chunk. My goodness...we were so surprised! Of course, the oven went immediately on and we baked cookies for the rest of the afternoon, much to the girls pleasure, my piano students surprise, and my hips' demise. We loved them. Even Dad got in on the goods later, making a yummy bowl of ice cream with cookie dough. (He had to get creative, since by the time he got home on the second day of cookie dough lovin' the chocolate dough was mysteriously missing.) We love you, our own little Cookie Dough Fairy!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Who are these hot mammas?

Not sure, but from the looks of things, they probably know these two. . .

Eating Cereal for the 1st Time!

Okay. . . I know this is going to sound crazy. But I put off feeding Ane cereal because knowing that she's my last baby I was having issues with the fact that she was growing up and wasn't just a newborn any longer. This is so hard! I have to say that it has been a gift, already having the answer from Heavenly Father that we have everyone in our family because I feel it gives me more gratitude for situations that would normally be overwhelming and sometimes annoying. I try and have more patience when everyone is screaming at the same time, or I have two poopie diapers to change at the same time, because I know it won't last for much longer, and I want to make it last! But it was obvious by the way Ane was staring down all of our food while we ate and she just watched, that she was ready. Here are some shots of the big night. . .

Those were about the only shots I have of just her eating. The rest look like this.


I could not get the girls off of her chair. . . she must have this magnetic pull, or something. Malia was by far the must sucked in by said pull. No matter what I said, she just came right back, so that every time Naki took a picture, there she was, right beside Ane. When he took this next picture, I just knew what I had to do...

I couldn't resist. . . the mouth wide open and everything. I just accidentally mistook her mouth for Ane's...
I love that picture because it still hasn't hit her that I'm putting the spoon with cereal on it into her mouth instead of Ane's. Here's the moment of realization.


Oh, the moment was so sweet for me. I love when I get them good. I especially love when Naki finds something I do funny, and he was rolling on this one. And, despite people's assumptions that because we don't have boys, we don't experience boyish things, Think Again. Here's Malia tackling Line because she was laughing at her.

I just can't believe that she's getting so big! Love you, Boo.

Lollipop, anyone?

Despite the fact that when Eva was so sick she lost several pounds, apparently she never lost her sweet tooth. This girl finds every sweet thing possible when she's not supposed to. It reminds me of someone I know. . . perhaps someone she's named after? I don't know, just a guess.