{ cause dats what all my fwiends do..}

i really am such an amateur photographer. actually, i wouldn't even call myself a photographer. but i like to take pictures... i'm just not that great at it. but practice makes perfect, so sometimes i just grab rowan so that i can figure things out. i took her outside one day last week and all i said was "k rowan-girl, smile pretty." and then she threw this random peace sign up.

i kind of laughed to myself
me: rowan, why are you doing a peace sign?
rowan: (said in the most teenager way possible) cause dats what allll my fwiends do.

instantly i had flashes of my future...
"rowan, why are you dressed like that?".... "cause that's what all my friends wear"
"rowan, why did you steal our car last night?".... "cause that's what all my friends do"
"rowan, why do you never listen to us?"...... "cause that's what all my friends do"

YIKES! i really didn't think those words would start coming out of her mouth for many years down the road. she's only 3! but i guess i'll be thankful that her friends are only throwing up peace signs for now..... and maybe we need to have a family home evening about being a leader instead of a follower. ;) oh man, she makes me laugh.

peace and love, people.

{three and a half...}

my little rowan girl, three and a half.

     such a funny girl you are, rowan. you are growing up right before our eyes! most of time i can't believe you're only three. (and no one else can believe it either because you are SO extremely tall,) and although that is true, you are so tall for your age, it's not the reason i can't believe you are only three. i think it's because you are SO incredibly smart. i am constantly amazed at the things you come up with. the words that you say, the ideas that you think about and put together, it absolutely amazes me. you're just a smartie pants! around your family, especially me and your dad, you are very talkative. but you are extremely shy around people you are unsure of, and especially strangers. almost painfully shy. it baffles me, because that's not how you are at home... at all. you started pre-school a couple months ago and i hope that will allow you to start coming out of your shell around other people.
     you are obsessed with anything/everything girlie. pink, sparkles, dresses, shoes, dress-ups, lipstick, coloring, princesses etc. i can't even get within 100 yards of a toy aisle at the store, or i'm in trouble.
    you love to sing, and dance. you always stop whatever you are doing to get up and dance to every/any intro song to the show that you are watching. you also love the song "i love to see the temple" and know every word and sing it many times a day. brings me to tears, i tell ya.
you are the best little prayer-giver. and/or police ;) you never let us forget to bless the ner-ners on their mission, or the prophet. and then most everything is random and hilarious after that.
     you have an incredible memory, just like your daddy. you can remember the names of restaurants and stores that we went to lightyears ago. and sometimes we will even pull up to a random place that we went for somebodies birthday last year and you will remember almost every detail of that party. a good photographic memory you have! you always ask, and remember, where your stuffed animals came from and who gave them to you. you remember events that were particularly exciting, or scary. (like santa, you're not a fan of him, and you never forget that.)
    you are a VERY emotional girl. some of it is really hard to deal with. but as i've talked to your daddy about it, i think it plays as a weakness, but also a huge strength to you. the fits are quite crazy, and you can blow up at the drop of a hat. you have to throw something on the ground (whether its in your hands, or whether you pick something up off the ground just so you can throw it back down) and you have to yell something like "i am NEVER going to sleep" or "i am NOT talking anymore!" as you ball up your fists at your side and stomp to your room. At first it drove me crazy, and now i just kind of roll my eyes and remember that you are three. the drama never ceases. and neither does the whining. however, along with this very emotional side comes the biggest heart of gold. you are sympathetic and loving to no end. you get very concerned with peoples feelings, especially mine, and its so sweet! you are so quick to apologize when you've done something wrong. you always say "momma, i sowwy i hurt your feewings," which i don't think is common for three year olds to say. and sometimes you will just randomly melt my hear with thinks like "you a weawwy good momma", or "i wuv you SOOO much momma". there is nothing else a momma could want more than to hear those things from her children. they make me feel like i must be doing something right. i love your sweet and sensitive little heart. and although you are quite dramatic, i always tell your dad that you have to be one of the best three year olds that i know. you really are such a good little girl!
you have such good manners, and it makes me so happy when other people tell me that about you when i haven't been around. i hope you always have good manners bug!
    you are the best big sister that there ever was. greer looks up to you. you are so helpful to her, and to me with her. i love watching you guys interact with eachother, and i can't wait to watch your relationship blossom. i couldn't ask for a better example for her to look up to than you rowan, and i pray everyday that it stays that way!

your daddy and i thank Heavenly Father everyday for you in our lives, rowan-girl. you are such a sweet and giving little spirit. i love you more than i'll ever be able to tell you!

the world is yours my sweet girl,
love momma.

{ the things that rowan says..}

man it is still so hot right now! we are well into september, and it's still 90*. i absolutely love the fall, so i'm not so into this. however, this is one of my favorite little summer tops that rowan has, so i guess she gets to wear it a little longer....

so this girl.... all i can say is DRA. MA! funny story that i had to write down.
she got sick last week, suprise suprise. it eats me alive how often this girl gets sick. well, it started out as a really bad cough and ended up being a respiratory virus that landed us in the doctors office for breathing treatments. it was no fun, to say the least. the doctor recommended that we keep a really close eye on her because he was worried about her lungs. so that night, i decided to put the video monitor in her room, instead of greer's, so that i could watch her. well, little did we know that rowan has a little party in her room.... for a very long time... after we think she has gone to bed. jord and i were dying, DYING, laughing at some of the things she was doing. one time it was a very rowan version of the robot, one time it was stuffing her bed with every animal that she could find in her room, and one of my favorites was staring at a random wedding picture of ours. she would hold it up away from her face and just stare at it, and then kiss it a ton of times. what the? how random! i don't even know where she found it. but the next day sure gave me a good laugh when i had to console her because she was so upset that she was so "wonewy" and she told me that she was "neber gonna get mawwied." oh my gosh, WHAT? where does she come up with these things?!?! i was trying not to bust up laughing because clearly she was worried and upset about this. she seriously makes me laugh so hard.

THIS GIRL!!!!!