Annual Halloween Dinner

So my husband took me to see Wicked...

...in London.

And since he had nothing else to do, he took me to Paris too.

I kind of like him. A lot.

Getting closer...but not close enough

We're still homeless, but not hopeless.

Twirl Skirt

Threeish years ago, we had to have outfits for a Pioneer parade and I had NOTHING for my girls to wear, so the night before I grabbed some calico I had sitting around and made your basic, gathered floor length skirt for each one of my girls and a basic white apron. It worked for the time and through some tweaking, it has evolved into a fun skirt my girls love to wear. We go to the fabric store and I hear "I would love THIS for a skirt, Mom!!!" Since I am a sucker for fun things for my kids to wear, I happily oblige.

I've had several requests for these super simple, super easy twirly skirts. It's only taken me a year to get to this...but cut me some slack. We've been displaced and thinking about being displaced for the past year.

And as a disclosure, I don't like sewing with patterns and I have no idea what I am doing at all. I just get an idea in my head and I start cutting and sewing. I couldn't tell you what a bias is to save my life. Don't judge, mmmkthx.



First I head to my favorite fabric store...side note, I just found the BEST fabric store by where we are currently living. They sell Moda AND Amy Butler! If they carried Heather Bailey, my life would be complete! Okay, back to the tut. I buy a yard of my base fabric, and then 12 inches of a coordinating fabric. Then I measure it on my girl. Usually it ends up being half a yard that I use. For the smaller kids I shorten that. Hence the problem of not using a pattern. Also make sure that you add on about 3 inches for the casing.

I then cut two lengths of fabric for the main body of the skirt from selvage to selvage.

And I repeat with the coordinating fabric. I cut it six inches.

Fold the coordinating pieces of fabric in half and press.

The place the raw side of the coordinating fabric to the right side of the body material.

Sew.

I use a straight stitch. If you had a serger... which I do but it is currently somewhere in two vast storage units whereabouts unknown...You would serge this part together and then straight stitch next to the serged edge. Instead, I have trimmed it with pinking sheers.

Unfold the two pieces and repeat with the other two pieces.

(I didn't actually trim this one with the sheers because it was late on Saturday and when you are thinking "Dang, my girls have nothing to wear to church tomorrow" and it's midnight, well, sometimes you forget things.)

Then press the fabrics flat.

Now, I take and put the two pieces together. The front and back if you will. Right sides together. Then I sew in just over an inch from the selvage. Start from the bottom to make sure your coordinating fabric joints match up.

Like so.

Then trim...or serge.

Now I measure around my daughters waist. I pull the elastic snug and then overlap by half an inch.

Then I make the casing. On the top of the skirt, I fold down the raw edge, depending on how close my fabric is on either side determines the first fold of the casing. That is why I go three inches, because I am not an accurate seamstress and I need to leave room for error. I make one fold and press it down, then I fold that first fold over and measure how much room I have for my elastic and press the second fold down. You can see the press marks in the above picture.

I have plenty of room for the elastic.

Next, I sew a straight stitch around the top of the casing. This step isn't necessary, however I have learned that it keeps the elastic from twisting and makes for a prettier top.

Then I sew the bottom half of the casing, leaving a two to three inch opening.

Like so.

Then take two safety pins and attach one end of the elastic to the fabric and attach the other safety pin to the other end of the elastic.

Then thread the elastic through the casing.

I pull my lead out and attach it to the other safety pin while I even out the fabric as much as I can before sewing it up.

I overlap my elastic by an inch and a half and sew a square around the edges and an X from corner to corner.

Then I pull the skirt and stuff that elastic up into the casing.

Pull the casing flat and sew. Remember to back stitch.

Spread the fabric evenly and VOILA! You have a super easy, fun skirt.

It only takes me 20-30 minutes to make one of these puppies and we have tons of them now. Hopefully these instructions make sense. Let me know if you have any questions!

With a couple of tweaks, you can do so many things with this skirt. I have done an overlay and and under skirt. I have made a plain edge without the coordinating fabric and just hemmed it. I have wanted to sew strips together and make a striped skirt with the coordinating fabric on the bottom, but I haven't gotten around to that yet. My friend thinks it would be darling to put belt loops on the casing and thread a ribbon through. I agree with her.

FIRST First Day of School

Lessons I Have Learned...

...while living at my in-laws.

1. White carpet and cocoa chocolate chip cookies and Sophie don't mix.

2. I really love my dog. I miss her. That training my mom is giving her will go right out the window when she gets home because of the constant doting my family will give her.

3. When I have to share a washing machine with another woman, I stay on top of it.

4. My husband and I will never own a king-sized bed. We used to touch each other all night long. Now I feel like I am sleeping alone. I hate it.

5. I will never complain about emptying the dishwasher again. Okay...just not as much.

6. I am pretty sure one of the qualifications for living on the top of a mountain is that you should be part mountain goat.

7. What we would have been paying in a mortgage is now fueling my van.

8. You can never replace amazing friends.

9. My kids are pretty amazing friends.

10. Buying a carpet cleaner was the best investment we have ever made.

Moving along quite nicely

"Soon," I keep telling myself. "Soon."

Footings and a Foundation (almost)

YEAH! For the record, we are a tiny bit concerned with how high up the foundation goes. Gotta make some phone calls tomorrow.

We have a hole!

After 7 weeks of headaches, we have a giant hole!!!

Peanuts, Treenuts and Coconuts, Oh My!!!

Sophie with her rash

Today was spent in the office of a local allergist. When Sophie was a year old, she had a microscopic bite of peanut butter. The girl developed red dots around her mouth and a rash that made her look like she had been kissed by Ronald McDonald. Worried, we kept her from peanut butter for a long time. Unfortunately, many, many MANY things have pb in them and every time Sophers ingested pb, those pesky bumps showed up.

I brought this to her pediatricians attention who scheduled us with the allergist right away. It was an easy appointment. Sophie was great. She just played with stickers and watched cartoons while our entire world was about to be turned upside down.

Here is what her back looked like after her test was over and they had wiped an antihistamine solution all over her back. The hive on the upper right was the control. It gave her a hive that they compared to the other hives. The bottom right hive is peanuts. They scratched the oil on that one and the hive showed up almost instantly. The hive on the upper left is coconuts and all of the little hives are tree nuts and cats. Poor baby. I am super grateful that we caught these allergies early so that she won't know any different. The rest of us however have quite a bit of adjusting to do...

One of the perks of living with the in-laws...

...is driving up the mountain and seeing this at four in the afternoon.

Tess's Dance Recital

Tess has been attending a dance class since December. She loves it! She had her dance recital last night. The little girls were DARLING!


Who is a poser?

This was my favorite part of the entire night. Tess's age group did their little group dance first. The little girls were supposed to exit and the girl next to Tess had stage fright and wouldn't budge. Finally she got over it and left the stage, but Tess...who is next to the yellow group, stayed on stage bowing and cracking up the audience. LOVE that girl...and things like that just seem to make the night!

The final production.

Moving Day

I didn't get a lot of pictures that day because we were moving, but here are a few. There were quite a few tears shed that day, and not just by me.

Preschool Program

Tess had her final preschool program. And by final, I mean preschool is over! The big K is up next! I am so excited for her. The kid NEEDS Kindergarten. We love preschool but I think she needs five days a week (and by that I mean MOMMY needs five days a week)!

Here they are marching and waving flags.

And sharing all of the songs they learned.

Tess showing off her candlestick jumping skills.


And her receiving her graduation certificate.

And Tess with Mrs. Eve and Grandma Porter. Grandma Porter came to class everyday to help Mrs. Eve. She was such a wonderful addition to the classroom and the kids ate her up! Mrs. Eve is such a great teacher. Amelia and Tess have both thrived under her instruction. I can't wait for Sophie to attend her school as well. Why can't Mrs. Eve teach 2 year olds??? (hint, hint)

We had a great two years and we will miss the influence of Tessie's preschool.

Amelia's Poetry Program

I have to brag about Amelia's 3rd grade teacher. She is the BEST!!! All year long her kids worked on memorizing poems that her husband had written as well as Shel Silverstein. 12-15 total. Some were several minutes long. They presented this program to the parents. I, like most parents, have a hard time sitting through several programs...especially the looooonnnnngggg ones that have more than one grade, but this one was SO fun and so darling!

The kids would recite one or two poems and then a couple would come down and tell each other jokes. We were rolling. I think the parents that attended had as much, or more fun than the kids.



The whole class

Amelia and Sidney telling their jokes

Sidney, Amelia and Rachel...the three amigos

And then the little sister three amigos. All six of these girls would come over for late nights all throughout the year. We were so sad when Rachel and Kimi moved far, far away.

Just because I love these pictures.

We walked for ice cream afterwards.

And Tess waved to everyone.

Amelia and Mrs. Rees at Mrs. Rees's retirement party. Amelia was one lucky girl to have her before she was done. Mrs. Rees has completely spoiled every teacher from here on out. We adore her and she was definitely one in a million!!!

Home Sweet Home...

...sort of.

FIVE

We like the kids to be able to pick all of their meals on their birthday. Tess told me the night before she wanted Rice Krispies, but she wanted them to be sweet without honey drizzled on them. Look what the store had for my girl.

If you look closely at this picture, you will see something unusual about her hair. That's right. The morning...early morning she woke up in the middle of the night and her hair was in her eyes, so she CUT IT OFF! I took her picture and then looked at her trying to memorize how sweet she was and I noticed her hair had been whacked.

All I can say is it was a DANG GOOD THING it was her birthday. We all know how I am about their hair. *sigh*

But life goes on and I covered up her hair.

For her birthday we went to Chuck E. Cheese. It's her favorite five year old place to go. She would eat there everyday if she could. We take turns picking where to go out to dinner and she ALWAYS picks Chuck E. Cheese, so it came as no surprise that she picked it that night.

A pretty cake for a pretty girl.

Make a wish baby. I hope it comes true!!!

The word is out...

...so now I can say something on here. We are moving. Those words are very bittersweet to me right now. Sweet because we will be building a new home at an interest rate that is out-of-this-world and bitter because of all of the wonderful people that I will me moving away from.

I have been scarce around these parts because of the eventual move. We have been de-junking, packing, staging, cleaning, etc. It must have worked because we "officially" put our home on the market on Monday afternoon, showed it on Tuesday afternoon and had an offer put in and countered and accepted on Wednesday at 4:00pm.

I had no idea it would go that fast.

And my insides are all shaky and jittery because of it. I have lived in two places my entire life. Well, technically four. The home I was born, grew up and left to marry my husband, a dive of an apartment for six months, BACK to my parents neighborhood for six months (it was a steal of a deal on a duplex) and then to two homes in my current neighborhood. I don't know how to do this!

And quite honestly, I am scared. My daughters have the BEST friends kids could ever have down the street...and their mommy is MY best friend. They have been raised like sisters. It's like cutting out a piece of my heart to leave them. I will miss my backyard. It is the coolest back yard. We spend almost every night out there from the minute the snow melts until the snow flies. We make s'mores in our fire pit, we plant gardens as a family, we play fairies, we watch the stars, we eat picnics and barbeques. I have watched trees, flowers and kids grow here. The women from my church. You just cannot find women like them. They feel like family. I feel like I am abandoning so many memories...our life...

I am scared that I won't make as many great and life long friends in our new home or that my daughters won't ever have friends as wonderful as the ones they have here. I am scared I won't love my new home as much as I love my sweet Fair Haven (my husband names our homes).

I know that change is good. I know that there is no growth in comfort. I know that not everyone that is here now will stay, and I know that things are bound to change. I know this is right for us. I have prayed over it, been to the temple over it and I know that this is what we are supposed to be doing now. It just doesn't make it any easier.

For the next four weeks...because that is how long we have left here...you will see TONS of pictures from my beautiful home. I want to photograph every corner, every inch. I will miss this place. I will miss my home.

I know that great things are around the bend. I do know that. I am just a bit sad to leave this life behind.

Is it wrong to want to press pause on my life for just a moment?

I love you home.

We have squatters

Looks like a normal wreath right?



Wrong. A family of red-headed finches have made our front door their home.



It's been interesting knocking on our front door before we open it.



If you come over, beware of the birds.

We really did have Easter

But I didn't get to take pictures on the actual day. We have 9am church and as soon as we arrived home, they all yanked off their dresses and changed into play clothes. So we did a reinactment the NEXT Sunday. Wasn't the first time! ;)

Be Careful...

Your neighborhood watch is in full force.

Easter Pictures

Why I wake up tired

It was nice neat piles when I went to bed the night before. *sigh* I sigh a lot.

Whoops. Wrong blog

That was meant for my other blog. Ignore it.

Why I love cleaning off my CF card

Because I am getting tired

Two phones, a camera, six dog toys, countless pacifiers, three sippy cups, a kitchen rug and a kitchen full of garbage later...

Notice the "HE"

Yeah...

Why White Dogs and Melting Snow Don't Mix

Jealousy

Independence is...

...getting your own apple from the fridge for a snack...

...and snitching Valentine's Day cake from the fridge.

Adventures in Babysitting

You never really know how lucky you are. We have been blessed with some AMAZING babysitters in our area. I mean AMAZING! I am almost hesitant to post this for fear that we will never be able to get them again because EVERYONE will want to use them! NOOOOO!

Last time we had Aubree babysit, the girls begged for her to come back and do their hair. The next time we had her, she brought her styling gear. I asked her if she would mind taking some pictures and showed her some basics on my camera and off we went.

Have you ever wanted to see just how your kids act when you are not around? It is GREAT!!! I love peeking at them and seeing just how they are sans parental supervision and restriction. It was such a fun treat to come home and see their evening documented in pictures.

They played dress-up. Even Sophie got in on the action.


She did their hair in waves. I went out and bought her 3-barrel curling iron the next day because they loved it so much!

They took turns taking silly pictures of each other.

They painted fingernails.

They sang silly songs, made funny faces and had a photo shoot.

It is such a comfort knowing that when we need a time-out that we have such loving, kind and good girls watching over our most prized possessions.

Girls just wanna have fun

For my little sister's birthday, she wanted to go and see a taping of "Good Things Utah". It was originally going to be the three of us sisters and my mom and my sisters two friends, however, my mom got sick at the last minute and Amelia was her replacement.

It was a good day to be a replacement (we still missed you mom!). The dancers of High School Musical 3 were on the show teaching a cute little dance. Amelia had fun with her fifteen minutes of fame...well, more like a minute and a half, whatever amout of time, she had a blast. Here is the link to see her television debut. She is the one who is a little bit stiff (read: camera shy)





The dancers signed magnets for those who wanted them.


Oh, and uh, HAPPY BIRTHDAY STACY!

Overheard at our house

Tess every morning:

"Mom, can I watch Food Network?"



Tess when asked who her favorite people on Food Network are:

"Paaaala Deeeeen and Olive Garden"



Amelia talking to her dad after watching Ina Garten making tiramisu:

"Is Ina Garten a drunk or something? Cuz she puts coffee or alcohol in everything she makes."

Feeling Lucky?

I saw this on Ashley's blog and thought it sounded fun!! The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year (hopefully sooner than later.)
4. You will have no clue what it is going to be.
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange. :)

The catch? Oh the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me you did will win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!

** Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

One night...

...we had to drive around for 25 minutes so my husband could get a picture of this.

I smile when I think about it.

Getting Fancy

Someone in this house is obsessed with all things feathery, glittery, pink, fuscia, glamorous and glitzy-glammy-fancy.

Since her baby sister's birthday party in October, Tess has been planning her birthday party. A "Fancy Nancy Soire". Wouldn't you know it that every other girl we know is also having a fancy tea or a fancy gala. LOVE IT! Tess is thrilled that she is getting invited to all of these teas. A girl can never be too social! Who doesn't love to get dressed up in all of those fancy layers of clothing to mingle with friends as often as possible?



It's spreading. Their room is covered in feather boas, sparkly tiaras, mosquito netting, gaudy Christmas lights. Before you know it, I will be making a tutu for the dog. Wait! Don't give her any ideas.

And you know, being a sparkly, glittery, obsessed with hair and make-up girl myself, I am SO opposed to this.

Way to go Amelia!!!

This fall Amelia entered into her schools Reflections contest. She placed in photography and went to district. She has become quite the little shutter bug.



I am so proud of this girl. My goal as a mom is to raise good people. I don't know if we are doing something right, or if she just came that way. I'd like to think both. ;) In the last couple of weeks, she has had to stand up to someone in her grade who was being a bully and she did it with empathy and grace. She has a sensitive heart and she worries about everyone being treated with respect and equality. In this day and age, that is a priceless quality.



I love you Mil! I am so proud of you!

Red Robing Field Trip

Tess's preschool classes take some fun field trips. We look forward to the Red Red Robin Hood (as Tess calls it) because we get free mozzarella sticks and strawberry lemonade...and we learn how to wash our hands too.

This year was great for mom because she sat by her friend Heidi in the back. Well Heidi's neighbor just happens to be one of the head haunchos and we had all you can eat mozzarella sticks. The mom's just sat in the back and gabbed. I am sure Tess had fun too.

Naomi and Tess

Mrs. Eve's class

Tess and the Robin

A new title in my job description...

REFEREE.

What is all this?

Why, all of the things my klepto dog has hidden under our loveseat of course.

We call her Izzy.

When deciding on names, we all had our suggestions. Jeremy and I wanted something that had to do with Christmas. We were suggesting all sorts of names. Holly, Bell, Noelle. Tess suggested "Baby Jesus". I don't think that would go over well when she peed on my carpet. Can you imagine me yelling at baby Jesus?

Bell morphed into Isabelle, which morphed into Izzy. So Christmasy, wouldn't you agree?

It sealed the deal when Sophie said "Izzy". We were sold. She would say "Dog. Izzy. Woof." Which has now morphed into "Dizzy."

Just call her dog.

I don't know why she is crying.

I am the one who has to pick it all up.

Hey Ma. Look What I Can Do!!!

Look what happened on December 29th.

"Ha! Now you can't grab my diaper when I crawl. Oh, wait! your mouth is the same height as my bottom. Crap."

Visions of Sugarplums

So....we had a Christmas.

By now I bet you are thinking that I stopped celebrating holidays. But in a few posts, you will realize WHY I haven't been blogging.

On Christmas Eve, we weren't starting our big Christmas Eve party at my mother-in-laws home until later and my mom's big party was early, so we stopped by to say hello. When we were there, we snagged a picture of all of my mom's grandkids. Not all were happy to be in a picture.

At my mil's house, we ate and played and sang. Unfortunately, I was busy making sure my kids didn't tromp on people and they didn't get tromped on, so I don't have any pictures! That makes me sad!

WAIT! I found one.

We came home and the kids were promptly ready for Santa to arrive. So we read the Christmas story and opened our new Christmas Jammies. Jeremy and I have this tradition where every year we take a picture of our family in front of the tree. We did that and we made Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate (which is NOW a family favorite). Tess was so excited that she ran to bed and didn't say one word to us. Which meant Amelia put out cookies and carrots and caramels and almond roca for Santa all by herself.

Santa came. Here are his gifts pre-kid.

This year we didn't put any gifts under the tree until Christmas Eve long after the girls were asleep. I have a 14-month old. It's pretty easy math. I am wondering now if it was a non-issue. She never touched the tree.

Right after Thanksgiving, we had a Family Home Evening where we discussed why we have Christmas and what a wonderful gift our Father in Heaven gave to us. I am so sad that Christ has been taken out of Christmas in so many ways that we did TONS to make sure that he wasn't forgotten at our house. My dad helped me make this manger and we told the girls that every time they did something nice for someone else, they could put a piece of straw in the manger. They were so egar to be kind and do nice deeds. It was nice that on a daily basis that they were able to remember to give their own gift to baby Jesus. On Christmas morning before we could open the gifts, we laid baby Jesus in the manger and we had a family prayer. Then we discussed why Santa only brings them three gifts. The baby Jesus only received three gifts as well. I hope they remember these things.

Here they are with the gifts from the Jolly Old Elf.

And the gifts from us.

It was a wonderful day. All of our parents came to visit, we had so much love and happiness in our home. I was sad to see it end this year.

Merry Christmas!!!!

Overheard

Tonight after going to see the lights and get hot chocolate with my family and my extended family, the kids climbed into the car and buckled themselves in. Tess said without missing a beat

"Oh my hell it's cold."


She opened her mouth and I fell out.

Christmas Tags

My sister tagged me on two Christmas memes. Since I need some more holiday cheer and I am avoiding housework that my baby so graciously kept me from all day, here you go.

Christmas Tag

1. Wrapping paper or gift bag? Wrapping paper

2. When do you put the tree up? The day after Thanksgiving

3. When do you take the tree down? Two days after Christmas

4. Eggnog?? Oh YUM!!!

5. Favorite gift received as a child? It was the most beautiful doll house ever! My parents spent HOURS making it for me. All of the shutters and spindles were loving handcrafted. Shingles were cut by hand. Furniture cushions were sewn and the house looked like a model home of the day. I love watching my girls play with the house and I think of my loving parents every time I see it.

6. Hardest person to buy for?? My husband. He gives me a list and then says "surprise me."

7. Easiest person to buy for? Tess. She tells me EXACTLY what she wants. This year it is a "Fancy Nancy doll with a shirt and a pretend cookbook."

8. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes.

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? Christmas cards with just a picture of the kids on the front.

10. Worst Christmas gift ever received? A can of wheat older than I am...or maybe a skirt with sit lines and the tag folded over the waist.

11. Favorite Christmas movie? Mr. Kruger's Christmas

12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Around April

13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? If you count giving some to the DI, then yes I have.

14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My mom's homemade soft caramels.

15. Lights on the tree? Yes. Red and white.

16. Favorite Christmas song? Several. Carol of the Bells, Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Canon in D. Still, Still, Still, What Child is This (especially Sarah McLachlan's version), Bring A Torch, Jeanette Isabella

17. Least favorite Christmas song? The Little Drummer Boy, What Child is This?, Christmas Shoes

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Christmas Eve we travel. We alternate years between my parents and my husband's family. Christmas day we stay home.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Oh yes.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel or a white chandelier thingy.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? On Christmas Eve they open jammies and a Christmas book...speaking of which, I should probably get a new one this year. Any suggestions? The rest is Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Whiny kids. They turn rotten this time of year.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I have a red and green peppermint tree and I LOVE it.

24. Favorite Christmas dinner? Ham and funeral potatoes and roasted asparagus. We eat that every year on Christmas.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? I want those that I love very most to feel peace in their lives.




These are a few of my favorite things.....

Five favorite treats during the holidays:
1. My mom's homemade caramels
2. Crab dip
3. Soft gingersnaps
4. Oranges
5. Christmas breakfast

Five favorite Christmas movies:
1. Mr. Kruger's Christmas
2. It's a Wonderful Life
3. Little Women
4. Miracle on 34th Street (the old version)
5. Miracle on 34th Street (the new version)

Five Traditions during the holidays:
1. Making and decorating sugar cookies
2. Decorating the tree
3. Christmas Eve Pajamas
4. Seeing lights
5. Decorating a gingerbread house with the kids


I am tagging Katherine, Hilary, Itybtyfrog and Alesha

I'll take two please

Decisions.

I hate them.

And I have to say that I am so glad that I never had to pick which of my kids to take home, because if it were anything like picking a puppy, I would never make a decision.

My sisters dog had these darling puppies and guess what we are getting for Christmas? Easy decision for us to get another dog now that I am not pregnant. The problem arises when we have to pick one. Just one! My Amelia was in tears over this. Tess's favorite was whatever one she was holding and Sophie and Rowdy just whacked each other with spoons instead of even noticing the puppies.

So do we go with this little charmer who is a little bit noisey, a bit more playful and has super big, melt-your-heart eyes and climbs into my lap only? She loves the girls and followed little Sophie wherever she crawled. She seems super intelligent so maybe easier to train.


This one who is super soft and fluffy, sleeps most of the time, but plays oh-so-cute when it's awake and snuggles my girls like that is all it takes to make life complete. She is a super-content little panda bear. I do worry that she is so lazy that we will have to carry her everywhere.

What if we make the wrong choice and we have the wrong dog for the next 12-15 years? AGGGHHH!

Don't even get me started on this one.

Well, crap.

The Mother of all Blog Posts

I think I need to clean of my CF card more than I do. It reminds me to blog. Poor, poor neglected bloggy. Want random things we have done for the last two months?
You've got it !



11/06/08 was Mil's schools "Mom's and Muffins". We wake up bright and early, find sitters for our other sleeping children and go to the school to eat and read with our kids. We also ask the sixth graders if the muffins have walnuts, to which they tell us no. We then proceed to break out with canker sores all over our mouths because sixth graders know nothing!

11/15/2008 James Bond came out this night and all of the men in our family decided they had to see it. So that left my mom, my sisters, me and all of our kids alone. So what do crazy women do? They head to the local looney bin aka Chuck E. Cheese where my kids disappeared for the next two hours.






11/17/2008 Jeremy headed out of town for a business trip. We had a girls week while he was gone. We, meaning I, make our kids wait until they are 8 to get their ears pierced. My reason being that I am accountable for them until 8 and that is a decision I just can't stomach making for them...so 8 it is. (for the record, I am not judging anyone who has their kids ears pierced prior to 8, it is just the rule for my family)

We went to Claire's and Amelia was so excited until we walked through the door. Can you see the nerves on her face? I kept telling her she didn't have to do this and we could turn around and leave. Even though she was scared, she still did it!

This picture reminds me of just how little she really is.

Her eyes only watered a bit. I think the anticipation was worse than the actual piercing.

11/24/08 Tess's Thanksgiving program. Jeremy's mom came with me to see Tess. We are glad she missed last year's performance where Tess cried through the entire program and wouldn't say her part. Reason: She wanted to be the same thing as Lana. This year was SO much better! She sang all of her songs and smiled and waved at me. When it was her turn to say her part, she was as clear as a bell and smiled to boot! GO TESS!











11/27/2008 Thanksgiving Day. I didn't take a lot of pictures because I was busy eating.





The kids played a wicked game of Twister.



There was this little girl there that we didn't know. She had a plate of cookies. Sophie wanted one. Badly. She gave the girl puppy dog eyes.



She got in her face. She touched her skirt. She even flapped her arms at her. The little girl just ignored her and eventually walked away. Poor Sophie's bottom lip just quivered.



My mom couldn't stand it anymore and found a cookie for Sophie. What a great grandma!



One of my cousins threw a rock at his older and faster cousins. Remind me not to mess with them.



And Sophie and Rowdy had their first co-ed bath.





12/01/08 Tess and her cute little friend, Naomi started their dance class with Ms. Julie. We love Ms. Julie. Without her we couldn't run to Wal-Mart for 40 minutes with one less child! Tess loves her class and talks non-stop about it. Those tiny tap shoes just kill me!








12/03/2008 Festival of Trees. We had to stop and take pictures at every whimsical or pink tree in the entire place.





Dr. Seuss


Fancy Nancy






And Tinkerbell


Totally unplanned, but we were walking down the tables where the gingerbread houses were and we saw Jeremy's brother and his kids and his dad on the other side. We were all sorts of silly and took their pictures as we were passing. It took them a minute to recognize it was us.



12/08/2008 Speaking of gingerbread houses, we had to make one of our own.













And this one. Just because I love it and it captured a tender moment between a girl and her daddy.

That kid.

Yes, I am a mommy blogger, and being such, you have to endure me telling you all about my girls, today is specifically Tess.

First I need to tell you that Tess in an innocent soul. There is not one ounce of guile in that entire body...there is also not a lot of common sense. She is like her mother in that she doesn't think before speaking. She opens her mouth and things fall out. Random things like THIS, THIS, THIS, THIS, THIS, THIS or even THIS. We call them Tessisms.

Now, you may be bored silly with my posting about all of her little antics, but can you imagine how sad I would be in ten years if I didn't remember them? I don't think that is something we want to see.

Today Tess started her very first dance class. She twirled and danced and tumbled and in short, wore her tiny little body out. After I picked her up we headed towards our city. She asked me where we were going. I told her that we needed to go to the bank. She let out a big sigh and said:

"I think you should drop me off at home while you go. I could really use the alone time."

Have I mentioned she is four?


Tonight after family night, Tess grabbed a gospel ABC book and came into the living room where her daddy and I had collapsed into piles of parents. She told us she was going to read us some scriptures. It went something like this:

"The little baby Jesus laid down his sweet, sweet head. He was so sweet. His little sweet head was lying down. THEN HE DIIIIIED!!!!"

I think we are confusing Christmas and Easter. Maybe next time I give my Family Home Evening lesson, I should specify that Jesus died for us, only not as a baby.

I love that kid.

Earning my stripes

A couple of days ago I was on the phone with my baby sister. She has a baby not much younger than mine...her first. He was sick. It was his first time and her first time. I was trying to be encouraging as she tried to hold it together. I remember saying to her "you are earning your stripes".

I never realized how profound that statement is in my life.

And not only in my life, but in the lives of every single woman around me.

In the military, the higher your rank, the more stripes you have. Since that conversation, I have carried that thought in my mind. My stripes. How many I have, how many more I will have to earn. When will I reach my highest rank?

A very sweet friend right now is figuring out how she is going to take care of her sick little boy. Her entire life changed in one diagnosis. A big stripe for her.

My sister who stayed up crying with her precious baby who was sick for his very first time. She earned her very first mommy stripe.

Friends who are grieving or are dealing with things that are kept silent among women. Stripes for them. Women who are battling depression demons, whose lives have been turned upside down for their husbands, women who are supporting their husbands dreams, women who are carrying the weight of their family on their very capable shoulders, women who are supporting themselves, women who are supporting their families, women who would rather be home than earning a paycheck, women who wait patiently for their husbands to figure things out, women who cry because they feel like they can't maintain that balance for one second longer. SO many stripes.

I believe Mommy stripes are the hardest. You take a piece of your heart and set it out in the cold and lonely world and expect it to thrive. I have thought about my own stripes. When my daughter was bullied for the first time and I kept my composure enough to not hunt down the offender and shake them until I felt better. Or how about the first time my daughter was the bully and I made it through without shaking her until I felt better. The first time my daughter threw up in her bed at 3am. Why is it always 3am when you are in your deepest sleep that they throw up? And not only do they throw up, it somehow extends to walls, curtains and the deepest recesses under the bed. How many times have I held a feverish child for hours on end because they just can't get comfortable. I can't even count that high. The first time you watch one of your children fail and you want to save them, but you know that falling down is part of what makes us get back up. Having to stand by and watch with helpless hands. Stripes that I hope to never earn. A mental or physical illness. I can't imagine burying a child. The biggest stripe of them all.

I believe second to that is wife stripes. The first fight. The first time you go to bed and cry yourself to sleep. Watching a spouse hurt and struggle when you want to swoop in to make it all better. The first time they lose a job. The first time they struggle in career choices. The late-night term papers when you go to bed alone smelling their pillow and wearing their sweatshirt. Each time they go out of town and you jump at every noise and creak. Stripes. What about those wives who have to deal with a diagnosis of cancer or some other illness? BIG stripes.

Then there are the daughter and sister stripes. Having a parent fall ill. Missing that sense of security of having your mom and dad in the next room when you are living on your own. The feelings of helplessness as they age. Having a sister or brother struggle. Their lives...their DNA...their very essence being the closest to your own in this world. It stabs you when they hurt. Living so far away that the thought of not being able to hug them or share in the everydayness of life. More stripes.


Tonight I have done a lot of soul-searching. A lot of crying. A lot of trying to figure it all out. Trying to make sense of things that seem so beyond my realm of reality. I keep thinking about a quote from Brigham Young

"Every trial and experience you have passed through is necessary for your salvation".

Every trial and experience huh?

I have those in droves.

I keep wondering when my tests will be done. When will I have earned all of my stripes? It scares me. Some days I don't want to go any further because I don't want to know what trials wait around the corner. I don't want any more stripes.

But I know I need to earn them.

My favorite Apostle Deiter F. Uchtdorf said during our last conference

"The Lord has given us a reassuring message of hope: “Fear not, little flock.” God will wait with “open arms to receive” those who give away their sins and continue in faith, hope, and charity.

And to all who suffer—to all who feel discouraged, worried, or lonely—I say with love and deep concern for you, never give in.

Never surrender.

Never allow despair to overcome your spirit."


As I thought about this, and I continually think about this concept, I have come to one conclusion. One day I will stand before my Heavenly Father and I want to be able to tell him that I earned my stripes and I did it with grace, honor, faith, hope and integrity. I want to tell him that it wasn't easy; that there were times I wanted to quit and step on those stripes and walk away but that I didn't. I want to tell him I endured to the end and I found joy in the journey. I want him to hold me and tell me that I did it.

Because, you know what? Those stripes, as hard as it is to earn them...totally worth it.

I found this fascinating little quiz today. I thought, "why not?"

I am five feet, seven and a half inches tall. So I took both 5'7" and 5"8" and I feel like it was fairly accurate. I am brilliant you know.

So then I put my husbands 6'1" in. This thing is freaking psychic.

What does your height say about you???



5'7"

What Your Height Says About You

You are cheerful, expressive, and creative. You have the heart of an artist, and the whole world is your art project. You are the type of person who says “yes” a lot. You are optimistic and giving. You also love a challenge. You enjoy accomplishing the impossible. You are about as tall as the average Japanese man or the average Dutch woman.

What Does Your Height Say About You?

5'8"

What Your Height Says About You

You are powerful, brilliant, and a bit of a rebel. You are an idealist, and you will work hard for a better world. It's hard for other people to keep up with you - both mentally and physically. And you're so independent, you actually prefer to go it alone. You are about as tall as the average Italian man.

What Does Your Height Say About You?

And my husband...

What Your Height Says About You

You are a very vulnerable and spiritual person. Your emotions run deep. You have a philosophical and poetic soul. You think things through and are a bit of a skeptic. You tend to be very opinionated. You are a perfectionist with high standards. You prefer to work alone. You work hard, and you don't like interruptions. No matter where you go, very few people are as tall as you!

What Does Your Height Say About You?

SCARY!!!

A little quirky

Sweet chocolate-covered Heidi tagged me for a "six-quirks" tag. I did this AGES ago when my friends all called me a nerd for having a blog. SHHHH. Did you hear that? That was the sound of me laughing my guts out because who is the nerd now? HA! You all have blogs! I am no longer a solo nerd!

Between my gasps for breath because I am rolling around on the floor trying to keep my innards from spilling out due to nerd-induced laughter, I will play along. Here is the second set of 6 of my quirks.

1. I can't wear nail polish. I feel like I am suffocating when I wear it. It's not for lack of trying. I paint my nails and ten minutes later I am picking it off. It's almost a claustrophobic reaction. Thank goodness for buffing bars so that when I need to, I can have shiny nails.

2. Speaking of digits, I don't have a little toenail. I stub it off, and then when it grows back, I pick at it until it falls off. How does one break that habit? Believe me, I have tried.

3. If my house is messy...as it is quite frequently...I won't let you in my house. Period. I am not trying to be rude or anti-social. I. just. can't. do. it.

4. I am a speed reader. I retain what I read too. I talk extremely fast as well. But don't ask me to read out loud. When I was in first grade I was reading and my teacher told me to slow down because the other kids couldn't follow me or understand me. I talked too fast and was farther then the class. It totally threw me off and now I stumble when I read to others because my brain is at the bottom of the page and my mouth is still up top. It frustrates me. Don't ask me how I survived at a children's museum where reading out loud was actually in my job description...oh, that's right. I memorized the books. I still read to my girls, it just takes a lot of effort and every ounce of patience I have. I often take a nap when I am done. :)

5. I have to fall asleep on my left side. My pillows need to be arranged in the same position every night. I can't fall asleep unless they are just right.

6. I can listen to a song once and have it memorized. I prefer to listen to radio stations that play the same songs over and over again so I don't have so many lame songs bouncing around in my head. Why is it I can memorize things like that which have absolutely NO impact on my life, but I can't retain any numbers (specifically math and history dates)????


There you have it. My quirks in a nutshell. I don't have anymore. If you want to play, go right ahead. I need to go to bed now. Those voices that keep me company say that it's time. ;)

Little Miss Independence

I have to say, I really love it when my husband goes out of town for work. Really, I do. If it were for any longer than a couple days, I might get sad and tired of my kids and ready to kick someone, but for two-ish days, I don't mind. Not one bit.

I don't know what makes it so different. When my husband is here, I only make dinner half the time (lately anyways). He doesn't hold me to this 50's expectation of having dinner on the table and his slippers in hand as I lovingly greet him at the door. Most days when he walks in, he gets a screaming baby who has been sitting in stank for 5 minutes because if I have to change ONE MORE DIAPER my head might start spinning and I will spew pea green something! The kids almost always need something and we are running around in a dither trying to make everything happen.

Maybe I like my independence too much. I enjoy not having to watch someone else's sci-fi shows. I can watch "National Treasure"... THREE times even. Heck, I may even throw in "You've Got Mail" for a change.

Maybe it's because I can make toast and yogurt for dinner and call it good. I don't feel any pressure to impress my kids who think I am cool anyways. My husband doesn't care if I make dinner out of a box or tell him to stop at Wendy's on the way home from work. I put that pressure on myself. But that pressure goes away when he does.

Maybe it's because I wear yoga pants all day and watch daytime TV and eat ice cream from the carton...did you hear that...THE CARTON! Nice. I can get all of the melty sides and not have to share them. Sometimes I even lick the lid. I never do that.

Maybe it's because I can climb into sheets that are nice and cool. No one has spread their warmth and spoiled my love of cold sheets or the coldness of my pillow AND if I want, I can roll over and sleep in MORE cold sheets and MORE cold pillows. No ones snoring is going to wake me up. No one will roll over and grab me in the middle of the night waking me from deep slumber.

Maybe it's because he gets all sentimental when he goes out of town. He calls us and loves on us and leaves little goodbye notes all over the house. He gets up early and makes breakfast so he can eat it with the girls.



It's definitely the bed.

Gratitude

I really was planning on completing my gratitude for every day list. Then life happened. My poor little bloggy was ignored. I was sad and tired and ready to throw in the towel on life. Sometimes life does that to you. It makes you forget to look at your blessings.

Does this happen to anyone else? Life sends you into a downward spiral that you feel completely unable to control? I must be a control freak of sorts because I don't function well when I can't control the world around me...more specifically people around me.

I had a glimpse into that happy, sunny life that I usually live every day of my life. That life that has had a little black rain cloud blocking it. I needed a glimpse of that sunshine. Because of that, I do feel a need to count my blessings and share what I am grateful for.

First, I am grateful for fantastic friends. One who knows my life better than I know it myself. We always joke that only one of us can have a bad day at a time. She has been willing to put her bad days on hold for a bit so that I can have a shoulder to cry on. She gets me. She doesn't judge and doesn't make me feel small when my world comes crashing down. She supports and loves me and is so unconditional with her friendship. Another is a silent friend. She and I are more alike than I ever knew. I feel a kinship with her. She has endured and thrived in similar trials to mine and she is so wise. Her wisdom and candor and strength came to me when I needed it most and she will never know the depth of gratitude I feel towards her.

I am grateful for my mom and sisters. They listen without judging and I know that my life and my sorrows and joys are safe in their hands. We played today. We ate, we laughed, we smiled, we shared...well...mostly I shared. They listened. I gained some fantastic insights into my world that I never had before. Things I hadn't realized. There is a shared time in our lives. That is precious to me. I know they get what I am going through. I needed that.

I am grateful for womanhood. For this bond we have as sisters. For the way we have to strengthen each other through our trials and our sorrows. For the excitement and joy we feel for each other when we succeed and triumph. I am grateful that as women we stand together to make each other better and stronger.


I am grateful for my life-companion. His support is my world. His joys are my joys. His sorrows are my sorrows. He shows such love for our children. His absolute tenderness when he holds our baby. His laughter when he sees our children's antics. He takes such care to make sure our needs are met. I love him. He is a good man.

I am grateful for tears and for sorrow. Without them I would never know true joy. I would never know the path that leads to joy is worth the journey.

I am grateful for my Heavenly Father. At time I struggle with my spirituality, but there are some things I can't deny. I have felt my Father in Heavens arms around me. I feel his presence in my life. I feel his promptings as I complete my day-to-day tasks. His miracles are around me everywhere. I see them in my marriage. I see them when I look into my children's eyes. I see them in the daily answers to my prayers.

As hard as they can be, I am grateful for life experiences. Those things that put a weight on my chest and make me feel like I can't breathe, ironically make me stronger. My life, my ideals, how I deal with people and situations change. Those life experiences change me...mature me somehow. After a particularly hard trial...one that I wouldn't wish on another soul...my husband's uncle said to me "Something about you has changed. Something in your soul. I can feel it. You are a better person because of it." He had no idea what I had been through. He had no idea of the problems I had faced. There was so much validity in his statement. I was different. I felt it in how I looked at the world. It was a sunnier and brighter place. A world where I had allowed forgiveness to enter in and consume me.

I am thankful that Heavenly Father has blessed me with a forgiving heart. It wasn't something I was born with, but I had to earn it. I had to learn it. I had to let it change me. That has been by far the most amazing and complete blessing I have had in my life. The ability to see beyond the present hurts and recognize that we are all human and are subject to human foibles and to see past the shortness of a situation has enabled me to overcome so many things. I can't hold grudges because of it. I forgive those who hurt me. I don't get as hurt in the first place. I hold this tender blessing so close.

Most of all today I am grateful for hope. Hope that things will get better. Hope for a better tomorrow. Hope that hearts will be softened. Hope that the sunshine will come through the clouds.

Tessism...don't read if you are easily offended...remember, she is only four.

So this comes right after a post about my sweet baby.

A little background. My sweet Tessie is prone to a certain infection in her girl parts. We use the real term for body parts at my house...HOWEVER, I don't want this to be "searchable" with all of the pervs out there. So when refering to certain *girl parts*, we will say it with some symbols included. Now, because of this infection, she also gets urinary tract infections. To ward this off, she has to drink LOTS of Cranberry juice.

I even posted a bit about it once. Dated April 16, 2008:

"You know you are a cool parent...

...when your daughter spills her cran-raspberry juice and instead of getting upset, you hand her and her sister straws.



Or could it be that you are just lazy?"

Keep that in mind.


Last Saturday we were doing our monthly run to Costco. We were in the van and Jeremy, Amelia and I were in the middle of a conversation when sweet little Tessie, who hates to be left out of anything, piped up and said:


"Remember when Amelia drank my v@gin@ juice with a straw?"


Can you picture the look on our faces? Yeah. It looks about like yours right now.

After a bit of probing, we came to the conclusion that it was the ABOVE situation she was talking about. Talk about good blackmail for when she is a teenager. We didn't say she wasn't easily confused.

Pssst...

...Wanna see my new baby? Go HERE.




Guess what we're getting under the Christmas tree with a big red bow. Oh, and don't tell my girls.

Journey to a year

Two weeks

One Month

Two Months




Three Months



Four Months

Five Months



Six Months

Seven Months

Eight Months

Nine Months

Ten Months

Eleven Months

Twelve Months

Current facts about my big girl:

Weight:18 lbs 1 oz 31 inches long

Lets go of furniture to stand

Still sits on my hip like a little Koala Bear

Has added "Uh-oh" "Okay" "Ho-Ho-Ho" "Nigh-Nigh" and "More" to her vocabulary

Feeds herself a bottle...she won't let me hold it

Blows kisses

Waves to everyone

When she wants something she pumps her legs up and down as fast as she can

Doesn't like baby food...only big girl food

Has finally figured out the straw and sippy cups

Will only let me clean the kitchen if she has chocolate chips on her highchair...she is so her fathers daughter

Now, if she will only learn to go DOWN the stairs instead of sitting at the top and yelling. We love you Miss Squishy!

It can't be that hard...

Taking pictures of a wiggly one-year old. Right?

Right.

The BIG ONE

Friday, which happened to be Halloween, also happened to be Miss Squishy's first birthday. Not everyone gets a built in theme for their big day! This year will probably be the only year we have a big celebration ON her big day, so we decided to go all out!


Little Miss Witchy-Poo. LOVE her in this!

The guests arrived, my mom, brother Kevin...who was pretending to be Mr. Rogers, and my dad.

Little Ladybug Emily, Heidi and Glenn

Tyler, Bugs, Kris, and their Little Man.

My sister, Stacy, Rowdy, Anonymous Man, and Tally...the mother of my baby.

There were more, but my mother-in-law ran off to India before I could snag a picture of her.

The decorations were fun.

The food was great.

What kid gets TWO cakes??? The Spook...that's who!

She can't wait until the candle is even blown out.

Ready....Set....Go!

Their birthday is the one time we never really care about the mess. I strip off their shirts and let them have at it until the cake is thrown off the chair or until it is gone. You only turn one once! That is why they call them "smash cakes", right?

Every one of my children has gotten a bath in the kitchen sink after their cake.

Daddy made a video that Sophie LOVES!

She was spoiled rotten. The hit of the evening was a doll my mom got for her. She hasn't let go of it since.


Happy birthday pumpkin! We are so glad you are a part of our family! Life wouldn't be complete without you!

A month of blessings

This morning as I was lying in bed waiting for my children to wake up, my thoughts turned to this month and what it brings. What am I truly grateful for? What blessings make me whole? What brings a smile to my face when even the worst surrounds me?

This is my month to ponder on my blessings. To share the things that add a warm feeling to my heart and soul.

Day 1

Music

It is a rare day in our home when you come in or call and the radio isn't playing or a cd is going or a child or husband is sitting up to the piano plinking out a tune. My girls are always singing, always humming. One of my favorite sayings is by Victor Hugo:

"Music expresses that which cannot

be put into words and that which

cannot remain silent."

If I or one of my girls have had a bad day, the music helps to wash it away. They dance and lose themselves in the music, if only for a few moments. I can tell the kind of day my husband has had by the melodies he plays. It soothes, it comforts, it inspires. My family would not be who it is without music.

A few new posts

Because I have been a lazy blogger. I was going through my CF card and realized I have TONS that I haven't blogged about. Seriously, these aren't the best posts, but I got them done in an hour and a half. PHEW! Some go back a page and wouldn't it be sad if they were never visited. So if you have a minute, here is our life from the past couple of weeks.

On a brighter note

It's almost eerie...

Coundown to her birthday, or Halloween, or birthday

Ditchin'

Gross Fest 2008

Picking Pumpkins

Spooky Sugar Cookies

Firestation Fieldtrip

On a brighter note

A rainbow ballerina

Preschool program:

It's almost eerie...

...how well she channels Wednesday Addams.

Coundown to her birthday, or Halloween, or her birthday...

Means she has been dressing for the occasion.

Ditchin'

So, High School Musical 3 came out in theaters. All of our girls, and by our, I mean Hilary's and mine, wanted to see it. We told them that maybe one day we would go. Hilary and I came up with a plan. We would check the girls out of school on Monday morning...after the crowds had died down for the weekend...and have a mommy-daughter date. I dropped Sophie off at my sister-in-laws house (thanks SO MUCH Kris!) and we went to pick them up. I walked into the office and told them that I needed to check my daughter out. The sweet little secretary asked the reason. I told her a "mental health day." She had a good laugh over that. When I told her what we were doing, she actually said "I wish more parents would do things like that." Nice! I have secretarial approval!

Anyways, here are some pictures of our little day playing hooky. We had a blast and I can't wait to do it again!