Kicking off the New Year!

Enjoying life in the LBC!! Seriously, we skipped out of town in the nick of time as we are missing extremely cold temps in Utah! It will be hard to go back after basking in the sun in S. CA. Actually, in all honesty it's been a bit chilly here, in the low 60's...brrrrr. It's kinda funny seeing people walking around the beach wearing huge Winter jackets and scarves, and right beside them my kids are wearing their swimsuits playing in the water! And they are not just getting their feet wet, they are completely submerged in the water...they are crazy! How are they my children?!!! Someone would have to pay me to get in that water! At one point a wave knocked Morgan over and she was flipping through the water with just her feet sticking out. I thought for sure once Ryan fished her out it would be meltdown city. But nope, she picked herself up, laughed it off and went right back in! That's a first.

We've been getting together with family often and eating lots of food! Good thing I brought my bike...a little exercise will do me good! I've already rode two days in a row...go me!

We're gearing up for another family dinner tonight to kick off the New Year! We'll see if I can make it til midnight...I suspect many games of Skipbo are in order, and some caffeine wouldn't hurt either!

How we are bringing Good Luck and Prosperity for the New Year:

*Lentil Soup (Italian tradition...no we are not Italian...but whatever)

*Corn Bread (brings prosperity, color of gold) Love that money baby...Whooooo! (That's a Taledaga Nights reference...I'm not that shallow, honest.

*Loaf of Chocolate Marble Cake (lucky coin is baked inside bringing good luck to the person who gets it...hopefully they don't choke on it...that would be bad).

*12 grapes on a stick (we put it in our sparkling cider), drink it at midnight, each grape represents every month. Sour grape=bad month. Come on sweet grapes!!!

*Donuts in the morning. They represent the circle of life! Don't cheat and eat a crummy bagel...it needs to be a donut!

With that...Hope everyone has a safe and wonderful New Year!

Christmas 2010

Our first Christmas in our new house! It was wonderful! However, I think we are all very much sleep deprived!

The night before Christmas Eve the girls were up in their room chattering away, I don't think they actually feel asleep until 10:00 that night. Then of course Haley was up before 6 the next morning, "It's Christmas Eve!!". They were bouncing off the walls the entire day. Ryan skipped out for a quick ride, and I admit it didn't go well with me. I was at my wits end with the kids and my wrath emerged when the girls woke Piper from a nap early. A few doors were slammed and my head spun around a few times...it wasn't pretty. I had to remind myself that it was Christmas Eve...the girls are just very, very excited...they can't help it, I guess. And I suppose I actually couldn't keep them in their room for the entire day.

It turned out to be a very nice Christmas Eve. We had Matt, Carrie and little Jett over for a ham dinner. I think it turned out very well if I do say so myself! We had a fire going all evening too...it was a great night!

However later, after everyone was in bed, Haley woke up a few times complaining of not feeling well. Uh oh. We knew she was coming down with a cold, but at one point she said her stomach hurt and she might throw up. Yeah, double uh oh! Ryan layed with her for a little while and it soon passed, and she feel asleep. Thank goodness! And then around 3 in the morning she comes into our room and says, "I just wanted you to know that I'm feeling much better and Merry Christmas!". Thanks, but please sleeeep!!! She got up for the day a little before 6. I was nursing Piper when she got up so she had to wait...we ended up going downstairs at about 6:30.

The aftermath.

I think the girls loved everything they got. Although, I think Haley is a little bummed that she didn't get the Barbie that goes with the Barbie Fairytale Carriage. Little does she know...her grandma has that waiting wrapped under their tree for our second Christmas in Long Beach!

Piper with her new pull horse toy.

Haley and Morgan both have a Pooh Bear (had them since they were babies).

So now Piper has her own Pooh!

We had Christmas dinner at Matt and Carrie's house. Matt made a Renaissance Chicken dinner, it was delicious...and more gifts were exchanged. A very nice night!

Now today, it's all about cleaning up, laundry, and I'm even going to attempt to take down the tree if I have time. Tomorrow we're off for Long Beach for a week! So excited about that! Now, if the rain would just give it a rest out there...I want sunny days!!

Almost time!

It's Christmas Eve Eve! I'm pretty giddy with excitement! This week I've been doing some wrapping every evening...and let me just say, the first day I went through all the bags to assess everything I bought I nearly had a panic attack! "I bought ALL that?!!" I discussed the idea of returning a couple of things...but who am I kidding? Yeah right. Basically, Piper is getting the big dis this year, and I'm using money I would have spent on her to buy more for the girls. I know, poor Piper, but she's 8 months old...she'll never know the difference. Besides she'll be pretty stoked to play with all the boxes and paper! Don't worry, she IS getting some things...but we have TONS of baby toys around, she is NOT deprived!

This morning Haley noticed a few more presents under the tree. She picked up one that was for her and said "I know what this is, it's a Pillow Pet!!". (she was absolutely right) How she knew, I'll never know. But I tried to play it off, "You don't know that. It could be snow pants or big footie jammies!" She stayed pretty sure of herself, she says back to me, "It's okay mom, nice try, but I know it's a Pillow Pet!" Oh well, at least she doesn't know which one!

So things are a bit crazy around here, the girls are going full blast all the time! And with all the kids at home all day it's driving me to my limits often...but I'm hanging in there. Yesterday afternoon I spent about four hours going on errands to five different places! Yeah, what was I thinking?!! But I really didn't want to go anywhere today or tomorrow, so it had to be done. Although it nearly cracked me. The last two places the hatch to wagon decided to malfunction and I couldn't open it. I struggled in the rain for a while at Costco with a cart full and the girls going bonkers in the car. Finally some guy probably heard my frustrations (lots of grumbling under my breath) and felt sorry for me. He helped me get it open. But then at my next stop, the regular grocery, I again couldn't get it open. No one was around this time so all my groceries had to be piled up in the passenger seat. Driving home I felt like one of those people that look like they live in their car...you know, with all their stuff crammed in so high that every window has plastic bags smashed up against it. Okay, it wasn't that bad, but close. Bottom line...I survived...thank goodness.

The girls get very excited about gift giving this time of year. And one of the things that they ALWAYS like to do is wrap random things from around the house to give away as presents. This drives me INSANE. The other day Haley "wrapped" a bar of soap in a wash cloth and wanted to put that under the tree. Baby toys are another favorite to wrap up. Morgan tried to wrap a hairbrush yesterday. They probably wonder why I go nuts every time, "Stop putting junk under the tree!!!! Those are NOT gifts!!!". Now they have resorted to drawing pictures and folding them into teeny tiny pieces and putting them under the tree . What ever. I don't even what to think about how much paper these kids consume on a daily basis. We are not saving any trees around here. Gotta change that.

So today it's all about laundry, cleaning, and some baking. All of our beautiful snow and turned to muck again. Yeah, that 14 or so inches we got the other day...it's slowly disappearing. Bummer. I really want a white Christmas!

Well, better get busy.

Let it Snow!

Well, the rain has turned to snow...and overnight it accumulated quite a bit. We woke up to over a foot and it was still coming down hard. Days like this I wish everyone could stay home and stay off the roads. But, I guess life needs to go on...people need to get to work, stores need to open, and in Haley's case, school remains in session. However, I must say...it was beautiful to wake up to.

One our way to pick up Haley.

The roads were too bad to push a stroller.

The dogs were having a ball tromping around it.
The girls built their first snow man of the year.
Seriously, I only helped them get the head on, they did everything else.
Not bad.
Don't mind our wreath in this picture. The big magnet hook that it's hanging on isn't doing so well these days.

Rain, Rain and More Rain

Yes, rain...not snow. We had a beautiful layer of snow covering everything, until this morning...it rained all night and now all the snow has turned to muck. Wet, muddy, muck. And it's supposed to continue for the next three or four days. I guess California is getting hit pretty hard with the rain as well. All I can say is it better be over by the time we get there! I want sunny warm weather when we're there next week!

So today we're enjoying a very relaxing Sunday. I don't think any of us got dressed until after lunch, and the girls just swapped jammies for dress-ups and I swapped jammies for sweats (really no difference there). The girls are going for the Shrek marathon today (they've already seen the original and now they are currently on the second one). I've been baking Cinnamon Bread this afternoon and Chicken and Dumplings is on the menu for tonight...talk about comfort foods!

A big turn around from yesterday as I was quite the Grump...yes, with a capitol G! I hate days like that...where I just wake up grumpy. Everything irritates me...and of course it's everyone elses fault that I'm acting that way. Sheesh...what a pain in the butt I can be.

So anyway, today...it's all good.

This is what my laundry room looks like everyday. Have I mentioned how glad I am that I have a laundry room!! Before this house, all this was just piled up by our front door, so if anyone came over we would have to kick it all out of the way. It's still all in a pile, and we do still have to kick it out of the way...but at least it's not the first thing someone sees when they walk in the door.

Week in a Nutshell

Still shopping...I'm actually doing pretty good though, I'm not completely stressed out...yet. Shopping for little girls is very hard for me...everything looks cute...everything catches my eye. Constantly, I think, "Oh, the girls would love this!!!". I have to hold myself back all the time, otherwise I'll be sending this family to the poor house!

Morgan's preschool had their Christmas program on Thursday. It was so fun to see her up there will all the other little kids! And I must say she did a terrific job! She even had a little part where her and this other girl dressed as dolls (basically the costume was to wear a dress and they gave them a big bow to wear in their hair...cute none the less!). So, yeah, her and this other girl stood up together and curtsied every so often during the song...pretty cute! Of course there was much waving back and forth between Morgan and I...and at one point she even called out, "Mommy, take my picture!!!". And I tried, honest, but the flash didn't reach so it came out too dark...hence the reason I didn't post any. Sorry.

We finally got around to ordering our Christmas cards. Now, every year that we've been married we've done a family photo for the card. This is the first year we didn't get to it!! Gasp!! I know. We were running out of time, so we had to come up with something. We ended up just finding a couple cute pictures of the girls (such as the ones on my blog banner)...and for Ryan and I we had Haley snap a few...yeah, Haley. So our Christmas card this year is a collage of three pictures...not sure how I feel about it. For one, I don't think I look all that great...I think I look old...beat down...tired. But I guess when my face is right smack next to a little eight month old with perfect, flawless skin...I would look old. And when the photographer is 6, I guess I can't expect miracles or anything! As Ryan says, "It is what it is."

Next year I'm going to have to glam it up!!

This week as gotten a bit chilly...in fact, it's snowing as I write this. I still walk Haley to school in the mornings despite the freezing early morning temps. I feel like the mom in A Christmas Story bundling up the kids before she sends them to school. Boots, gloves, jackets, hats...it's quite the process. And little Piper sits in the stroller with basically just her eyes peeking out. But, the cold walk is better than battling it out with carpool moms...I tell ya, it can get crazy in that parking lot!!

Well anyway, I guess that wasn't really "in a nutshell", but their you have it.

Another blogger's post...

So pretty recently I found a blog...you know how it is...click on one blog, then link to another, to another....yada, yada. Well, anyway, I found Clover Lane just that way. I don't know who she is, but I always enjoy what she writes. I love honesty and I love reading about the everyday...you know, real life.

Christmas is becoming more fun and meaningful these days, and the reason is because of my kids. I love seeing the holiday through their eyes, it brings me so much joy. I think she worded it very nicely in her post. Enjoy.



Have you ever pulled off an entire Christmas season pretty darn successfully, and then felt, on the 26th of December, like you’ve missed the whole thing? I have. I was hustling and bustling..I had lists in my head, menus to plan, work to do, errands to run, traditions to keep. And then I had none…it was over. I had pulled it all off, I wanted to give myself a pat on the back, and put my aching feet up to rest, but I realized, that through it all, I forget to stop to “smell the flowers”.

The flowers for me at Christmas time are what I call Sparkly Eyes. If you stop at the right moments, and put all that work aside, you’ll get a moment that makes it all worth while. I remember once years ago, I had a terrible, desperate-feeling, panic-inducing thought around 11 a.m. on Christmas Day. I, for a moment, had entertained the fact that one day I wouldn’t always have a child young enough to still exude that awesome, jumping-out-of-their-skin-with-excitement Christmas energy. I realized that I better not miss that energy while I have it. I better soak up every minute of that magic while it’s here, in my house, because one day it will have disappeared.

Sparkly Eyes are almost always found in the little moments...not the big manufactured ones. They require you to be still, to put all else aside and pay attention...to be fully present. If you look you will find them.

Maybe it’s when the Advent calendar is pulled out of the attic and the countdown begins.

Or when you take the time to peer out the window at bedtime and spot elf tracks in the snow.

It could be when you watch your child pick a name from the Angel Tree at church, and she comes back to you excited that she found the perfect match. (Which happens to be a baby girl who needs a doll. Yessss!)

Maybe it’s that first year after Santa doesn’t look so scary anymore to your little toddler, and she peers at him with wonder instead of sobbing.

The child presenting a gift that was slaved over with glue and glitter, wrapped with half a roll of tape.

When that perfect gingerbread man is proudly created amidst the mess of cookie cutter and sprinkles.

Or that first glance down the stairs, around the corner, under the Christmas tree early Christmas morning…Santa really came.

I try to take the time and stop and stare at these little precious faces now. Life is too short, and if you need proof of this, look at last year's Christmas picture. They'll only be little so long. The rest of that stuff that occupies our brain and time, it’s important of course…we moms manage it all every year, whether it’s with proper planning or by the skin of our teeth.. ...but the Sparkly Eyes moments make it all worth it, it's a gift back to us for sure, and the best kind us moms can receive.We are left with memories of the magic and spirit and joy of Christmas, created in our homes, treasured in our hearts forever.

"My tummy hurts."

This is a phrase that no parent wants to hear from their child...ever. Nothing good comes from this sentence. Unless, you're Morgan...I hear her mutter this quite often. But, she gets a little confused...she says this when she's full or right before she goes to the bathroom (What's up with children holding it and holding it, until finally their stomach hurts...I don't get it). But anyway, any other child that says this...yeah, it's not good.

So this morning Haley woke up saying she was super tired, which is very rare. She barely ate anything, which is also very rare. But whatever, I walked her to school and she was in good spirits when I dropped her off. I walk home, about 45 minutes pass and then I get a phone call from the school. Haley has been complaining she is very tired, even laying on the floor...and she says her tummy hurts...dun, dun, DUN! So I walk back to school to pick her up. She does not look sick...at all...well, okay, maybe a little tired looking. But she uttered the dreaded words, "My tummy hurts." at school, they're not going to keep her now...she needs to go home. It's like saying "bomb" on a plane. Don't do it, unless you mean it! So I get her home and she says, "Now what?". Well, you go lay down, that's what, get some rest! I try and try to get her to stay put to rest for about an hour, no use. She's now downstairs playing with Morgan...yeah, I think I just got played.

I guess time will tell.

Close One

This year since Morgan is in preschool two days a week I have a small window for Christmas shopping without having children with me (except for Piper, but luckily she's too small to remember anything I bought...or care). Granted, it's only two hours on those days, but still, two hours...I'll take it!

So anyway, this morning I ran around to as many stores as humanly possible during my two hour window. Among some of the things I bought were a few stocking stuffers for the girls. One in particular was a plastic reindeer that poops out little candy balls (I know, pure class)...and not only poops out little candy balls but it sings a little jingle, "Merry Christmas, Wooo Hooo!!"...or something like that. Okay, so it's loaded in the back of the car with all the other things covered up with a blanket. I picked up Morgan from school and as we're leaving the parking lot I have to drive over a few speed bumps (very large speed bumps mind you). And low and behold, but those dang speed bumps triggered that stupid deer in the back to go off. Now stocking stuffers really need to be top secret from the kids...I mean, that's Santa's territory! You don't want the kids to know you have anything to do with the stockings!! Luckily, Morgan is chattering away about her morning...so I don't think she was paying too much attention. But the deer keeps going and so I have to take matters in my own hands...I crank up the radio super loud! Poor Morgan is trying to still talk over the radio, practically screaming. "MOMMY, THE RADIO IS TOO LOUD!!" I respond, "IT'S OKAY...I LIKE THIS SONG!" Now that I think about it...I think it was a commercial at the time. Oh well. Eventually the deer shut it's trap and I could finally turn the radio down. And I'm pretty sure (but not positive) that she never heard it. Whew!

Breastfeeding: Newborns vs. 8 Month Olds

Okay, first off let me just say that I'm very blessed that I'm able to breastfeed my babies. So no matter how much I complain, I know, I'm very lucky.

So...nursing a newborn. Ahhh, so peaceful. They are so small and they just lay so still, perfectly content. They would be happy nursing forever if they could. My babies would love to stare at me while they ate examining every feature (or wrinkle) on my face, or doze off slightly...so sweet. If I nursed in a crowded area, the noise would never bother them. I would just drape a blanket over my shoulder and there is would stay for the entire nursing session.

The "honeymoon" phase of breastfeeding vanishes (at least for me) when my babies turned about 6 months. It's now a whole new world.

They don't sit still anymore, constantly kicking and bouncing around. It's impossible to use any type of cover as they will immediately bat that away. And I realize there are some really cute cover-ups that tie around your neck I could buy. However, I won't wear them...they remind me of 1. a bib and 2. like I should be getting a haircut. They are not for me...I would rather risk exposing my breast then wear one of those!

Also at this age they can not only still see you very clearly when they nurse, but they can now reach your face with their hands. This results in many uppercuts to the chin, scratching, and pinching. Why?! Don't they know I'm giving them life?! Why must they hurt me?!

They also love to grab hold of shirts. They don't care if the shirt is from Target and cost $5 or your expensive blouse from Banana Republic...say goodbye the neck hole as it will be stretched to it's limits.

At this age babies love to see what's going on around them, this results in breast exposure when they turn their head to look around. Or (because they are torn, they want to eat but they also want to see what's going on) they play "Let's see how far I can stretch mom's nipple" game. Yeah, it's not gonna work, kid....plus it hurts...so stop.

And starting around 9 months (sometimes earlier) they start getting teeth. Need I say more?

But, with all the complaining...again, I'm glad I'm able to do it. I nursed my first two for a year, and I plan to do the same with Piper. It's more of a practical thing for me. It's convenient (no need to pack anything) and it saves us money (formula can get pretty expensive). So I'm in the home stretch, as Piper is now 8 months old. But you know, as much as I complain, it will be bittersweet when I wean her...that I know for sure.

New Barbie Fashions

I'll hand it to the girls for their creativity when it comes to accessories and outfits for their Barbies. Kinda sad that they have to resort to garbage and random household items...but impressive none the less.

Our first Barbie in the line up is wearing a lovely dryer sheet skirt held securely in place with a pink hair band. Barbie two is sporting a head scarf made from the plastic bag our newspaper comes in...her hair will stay dry in the rain. And lastly, Barbie three is wearing a washcloth dress with a ribbon belt...very nice.

Hmmm...I'm thinking Barbie clothes are in order for Christmas.

Christmas Cheer

Last year at this time I wasn't feeling an ounce of Christmas spirit, a bah humbug all the way. Maybe because we had been knocked down with sickness the first week of December (thanks to Jeff for bringing back with him from CA). Also, I was completely paranoid with H1N1 as well...in fact Morgan ended up getting it we're pretty sure. I didn't want to go anywhere...I was terrifed of germs, carrying around antibacterial gel everywhere I went. Not to mention the fact that I was stressed the entire month with the dreaded, "What do I give ______ this year?!" Oh, and I was pregnant and just plain tired all the time!

This year I'm feeling the Christmas Spirit! I'm loving this month! I feel a lot better with my gift choices and I'm way less stressed about it. The girls are more vocal on specific things they want making it easier to shop...actually Haley is...Morgan says she "loves all toys". Her words. I wish she could give that to me in writing and sign it! I don't want any disappointment Christmas morning! And I'm so excited about celebrating Christmas in our new home!

Saturday we went out and bought our tree, then spent the evening listening to Christmas music, drinking hot cocoa, decorating, and we even lit our fireplace for the first time! I love having a fireplace!
I found myself standing in the doorway of our living room just staring at it...I couldn't pull myself away. It's just that the room seems so grown up...so perfect. Yes, the walls need to be painted some day...yes, the room could probably use some window treatments at some point...but for now...it's perfect. Perfect and cozy.

Goodness, is this truly a post by me?! It seems so happy. I'm sure I'll have some complaints about something soon enough...but for now, I enjoy my Christmas cheer!

Sitting and Scooting

My little Piper has mastered the art of sitting up. Funny because it all happened in one day! Literally, one day she's a little wibble wobble falling over constantly and the next, BAM, sitting up no problem. It's like she's been doing it her whole life!

She has also become quite the scooter in just the past day or so. She doesn't have any trouble getting to where she wants to go. Oh my, it won't be long now and I'll have a full fledged crawler on my hands and getting into everything! Say goodbye to my organized Tupperware cabinet, and my organized bookshelf...oh wait, neither one of those are organized, so I'm good. Play away Piper.

Experimenting

So I've recently downloaded Picasa (sorta like photoshop, but not) and now I'm trying to figure out how to use it. Did you know that's it's free?! Well, I didn't. I guess since we don't have regular TV and my beloved Alias (first and second season are the best) isn't playing on our DVD player (I think the disks are damaged...so upset about it) this is how I'm spending my evenings. And I was bummed that Cyber Monday did not come through for me today...not a thing did I find! I have got to get my head in the game before Christmas kicks my butt!

Anyway, about the pictures. The girls are obsessed with the Barbie and the Three Musketeers movie. They checked it out at the library and I don't even want to admit how many times they've seen it since then. Haley's outfit was supposed to resemble a musketeer from the movie...and I'm not sure what Morgan's got going on. They walked the "catwalk" and struck a pose.

Home again...

We're back from our week in Sedona. We arrived home last night, and then woke up to about four inches of snow...and it's still coming down! So, we're glad we made the trek home yesterday...we missed the storm!

Anyway, we had a great time. The weather was a bit on the chilly side, but nothing that prevented us from getting outside. I was even able to get out on the mountain bike twice! However, the second ride I did was about a half hour too long! I totally hit the wall...thought maybe Ryan would need to helicopter me out. I also I had close encounter with a prickly pear cactus...not cool. I still have a thorn lodged in my hand from it...I think it will be there for a while.

It's so fun to see the kids all together, I love that they are similar ages. Parker and Morgan would play forever together! The two of them are very alike and they both are very affectionate with Piper...always giving her kisses! And they both can ramble on and on, and half the time we have no idea what they are talking about. Funny kids.

Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter dinners are my favorite meals of the year. I love everything about them. So needless to say I did not hold back. Mash potatoes, good...stuffing, good...homemade rolls, good...turkey, good (dark meat: yes please!)...pour gravy all over it, goooooood! And it was topped off with homemade pumpkin pie (complete with whip cream) and Ryan's family's traditional Ice Box Pudding for dessert!! Mmmmm!

I didn't do very well with taking pictures (what's new there), so I've posted a few that I did take. I'm hoping that I can steal some from my sister-in-law's blog when she posts some.

Traditional PJ picture. We have one from every year starting with Brandon and Haley as babies in matching footie jammies.

Our hike at Red Rock Crossing.

Playing in the leaves at Tlaquepaque...or Wacky Packy as Morgan calls it.

I was messing around with the video feature on the camera on the way home. I rarely include videos because they always take so long to upload onto blogger. But I decided to go for it...enjoy.



Traveling with kids...there's never a dull moment.

Road Trip Season

It's nearly been a week since I lasted posted...I guess I haven't been in the blogging mood lately. What have I been up to...let's see...

*I've actually started on my Christmas shopping! This is the first time that I've ever started before Thanksgiving...very impressive for me! Every year I tell myself NOT to stress out so much...but, it never fails...every year I stress out!. I'm trying to be more crafty with gifts this year. After all, I have a craft room now! I pulled out my sewing machine the other day. It was sitting on the floor in it's case and Haley asked what it was. I told her it's a sewing machine inside. She had the most shocked looked on her face..."WHAT?! You can SEW?!!". I guess it's been a while...hmmm, come to think of it, the last time I sewed anything was when she was a baby. So yeah, time to get back into it!

*Ryan got rear ended last night on his commute home. He's fine, but the car's bumper is beat up. Unfortunately, he wasn't in the Jeep...that thing can take a beating. We got rear ended in it once and it tore the crap out of the other car...us, nothing. You can't beat a Wrangler! I hate the fact that he has to commute...when you spend 70 miles a day commuting it really takes it's toll! But I'm glad he came home safe to us.

*We're gearing up for our trek to Sedona...so I will be MIA next week. Pretty excited about that...Piper will be meeting her cousins and Aunt and Uncle for the first time! It should be interesting throwing a baby in the mix this year. Hopefully I can still keep up with everyone! Bought Oatmeal Cream Pies (my guilty pleasure, and yes, I know it's a completely trashy snack) and Pringles for the drive today...it's just not a road trip without some junk food!

I feel like there's a gazallion other things I wanted to write about. I guess this will have to do for now.

Hey there Delilah (I'm at the MTC)

I heard "Hey there Delilah" on the radio the other day. Every time I hear that song I have this version in my head for the rest of the day.

I think my LDS comrades will appreciate it. Enjoy

Random

Wow, I've been a blogging maniac lately! Needless to say the weather is still dreary (it's snowing right now) and I'm still in the mood to stay home...hence the increase in blogging this week.

Anyway, I thought I'd post a few pictures from this week.

Morgan and Piper playing together.

During the week, when Haley is at school Morgan does not leave my side...kid you not, does not leave my side! She's still scared to be in any room alone, so she becomes my little shadow. But she has also become my little helper as well. She loves to watch and help me cook, and she loves sorting and matching socks when I'm folding clothes. The other day she even helped clean the bathrooms...she is my official toilet scrubber. And she adores Piper and is constantly kissing the top of her head.

A few days ago Morgan said there was a spider behind the basket in the laundry room. I told her I'd take care of it...but I kinda forgot. So today I was doing laundry and she reminds about the spider. I moved the basket and behold...a black widow! Yikes!

So I kinda freaked out a little...I mean, a black widow is lurking in my laundry room for heaven's sake!!

This is the spider right before I drenched him with bug spray

The spider is now dead. But Morgan, who is scared of pretty much everything, (remember the fear of falling trees?) has developed a new fear...black widow spiders. She is asking me question after question, "Do black widow spiders live in carpet? What can they do to you? What if they crawl on you? Do they live in houses?"...you get the idea.

Poor thing...what have I done?!

It's all about the sweat pants these days.

I've been such a home body these past two days. It doesn't take much...the weather went from sunny 70's to overcast and rainy/snowy 40's. All I want to do is stay in my house all day, sip a cup of coffee, wearing sweat pants and cozy socks...is that so wrong? However, things still need to get done. Yesterday I managed to get dressed, that's right, something other than sweat pants, and got some errands done. Flu shots being one of them. But don't worry, as soon as I got home the sweat pants went right back on. I better be careful...I don't want to become a schlumpy mother. The other day Jeff's girlfriend was here and my girls were absolutely obsessed with her! They were admiring her high heels, curled hair and jewelry...they were in awe of her! I must say, she did look amazing! (Jeff and her were on their way out on a date). But anyway, I got to thinking...Am I too schlumpy around my kids?! Maybe I should make sure I glam it up every now and then. A schlumpy rut isn't a good rut to be in. But for now...well, it's okay. I'm transitioning into Winter weather. I need a few sweat pant days to get prepared.

Speaking of being a home body, I've become a very bad dog owner. To be honest, I'm just not in the mood to deal with them. So, unfortunately they've been spending a great deal of time in their kennel. They spend the majority of their time wrestling and humping each other. Yeah, you read right...humping. They are both females and both are spayed, yet they are constantly humping each other! Why?! I'm no dog expert, but this seems very twisted to me...anyone have answers as to why they do this? It's driving me bonkers!

I started hanging some artwork and pictures on the walls...I know, it's about time! It's amazing how the house starts to feel so much more homey when the are walls aren't bare. I love my living room! I think it's my favorite room of the house. I've decided to only put black and white photography on the walls in that room. I have my old school PCH photo and a photo of Anza Borrego badlands that my brother took so far. I need more. So I'm on the hunt for some black and whites of Utah. We'll see what I find. I also need to find some artwork for the family room as those walls are still bare. Andrew...hint, hint! (My brother is an amazing artist!) The decorating possibilities are endless in this house...I love that!

Here comes Winter

That's what it feels like. Last week was beautiful! Temps in the 70's even, that's crazy for this time of year. But this week the temps drop and we may even be getting some snow. Today is a rainy day...a good morning to do a post.

Piper had her sixth month check-up last week. She's actually turning 7 months tomorrow, so I know, I was a little late. She weighed in at 12.7 pounds, and is 26 inches long. She is quite petite...so much in fact, that the doctor was a bit concerned. I'm to increase her solids and if she wakes up at night I should feed her (I don't like that one very much). Next month I need to take her again for a weight check. But everything else looked great.

I think yesterday was our last warm day, so we packed everyone up (dogs too) and headed up to South Fork for a hike. It was slightly chilly up there, but nothing too bad...sweatshirt weather. So as we're getting Piper in the backpack we discover Haley crying...turns out she was "looking" at the river and slipped in. She was soaking wet from the waist down. Lovely. She decides she wants to try to hike anyway. Well, needless to say we didn't get far before we had to turn around and go home. But we did find a really cool hammock and tree swing right off the trail. So that was good fun for a bit.

So before Old Man Winter comes we have got to get this yard under control! We have been pruning like crazy and still have so much to do! I try to tackle a part of the yard everyday...it's slow going, but we're getting there.

So Many Things

There is so much on my mind...things I've been meaning to write about...wanting to write about. After all, this is my journal and I want to make sure I document things I'm going through, feelings and such.

* My transition into my new home. A friend asked me the other day how I'm liking my new house. Well, of course I LOVE my new home...LOVE it!! But like any move into a new area, it takes time to adjust. Truth is...which I told her...I miss my old hood. I miss the young families, I miss seeing the kids running all around up and down the street. I miss seeing my girls playing with the neighbor kids in the front yard. It's true. I haven't been to church yet here. I probably should, it's an easy way to get to know people fast. But to be honest, I'm nervous...childish I know. My shy personality comes out. I'm the new girl. Maybe this Sunday. So anyway, it's only been a couple of months being here...I should give myself a break. Fact is, this area is awesome, I'm glad I'm here...everything will fall into place soon enough.

* Piper. Oh my little Piper. She's been a fussy one lately. Actually, she's fussy with EVERYONE but me. If I'm holding her, she's a dream. But with anyone else and her little world falls apart. This means I can't leave her side...ever...we are connected at the hip. I already feel a bit tied down since I nurse, but now, because she has trouble being with anyone else (Ryan included) I feel like I never get a break. Cooking dinner is usually done with her screaming the entire time, because *gasp* I have to set her down! I know, the horror. Excuse me for having to stir a pot or chop some veggies. I've thought about putting her in the backpack several times, weird as that may be...at least I'll have my hands free and perhaps she won't be screaming...maybe. So naturally, I'm pulling my hair out the minute Ryan walks in the door.

* Ding Dong...the fence is done! Yes, my dad is the hero! He spent pretty much everyday working on that thing. Boy, am I grateful...and I'm sure the dogs are too! Pictures to come.

* I had my first colonoscopy last week. Yeah, that's a story. Anything that revolves around a hospital will usually follow with a good story. First off the reason I did it: I have direct family history of colon cancer, and with my cousin's husband's passing from cancer, and hearing about people whos passed away from colon cancer in their forties (no I'm not in my forties yet...sheesh) I was scared. I wanted to have a piece of mind. So yeah, a colonoscopy. I'll try to make this short. First off, not eating for one entire day is complete torture!! Especially when everyone around me was eating. Then, to have to clean out my system...more torture. And I learned that nursing and cleaning out the bowels should not take place at the same time. I didn't realize how many calories my body uses to produce milk. So, without eating all day and then having diarrhea all night (yes, I said it...diarrhea) it made me extremely weak, to the point of passing out and feeling very sick to my stomach. Just not cool. So anyway, a terrible night, terrible morning...I finally get the hospital (my mom took me, and of course Piper tagged along, see above paragraph). Then they have the nerve to tell me that I was a little late and they may not be able to do the procedure! WHAT?!! I did not just go through all that for NOTHING!! I started to panic, and was about to get on my knees and beg for them to see me. I know, totally weird...beg for them to give a colonoscopy...some may see that as an out, an excuse to postpone. But no, not me...there is no way I was going through that prep again!! Luckily, I didn't have to get on my knees and they took me. But, it was very rushed, so rushed I wasn't able to nurse Piper beforehand. It was literally within minutes they had the IV in and I was whisked away. All I remember is laying there by the doctor and seeing the long probe thingy behind him...I started freaking out inside. I told him I was very scared. He said, "Don't worry, we have something for that." Then he gave me an injection and told me to roll on my side, *poof* I was out.

I woke up in a fog with my mom sitting in the room. And that was that. Oh, and if you ever get a colonoscopy don't drink two big cups of grape juice right after. You may throw it up. I learned that the hard way.

Oh, and everything is okay. Another ten years and I get to do the whole thing over again. Hopefully I won't be nursing then.

Halloween Festivities

My parents hosted a Halloween/Birthday party. Both my dad and my brother share the same birthday on November 1. So growing up we always celebrated their birthdays on Halloween. This is the first time in 7 years since we've been together for it! The girls we're thrilled to pieces about it...my mom sent them the most elaborate and spooky initiation for it (I should have taken a picture of it!). So they were very excited.

The girls went as Flappers this year.

They even got the dance down pretty well!

I didn't dress up Piper...I know, bad mom.

Next year Piper, I promise!

I'm always frantically trying to get everything for the girls' costumes, I never bother doing any costume for myself. Jeff was bummed when we arrived without being dressed up (he's dressed like a guy out of the 50's) so I rummaged through my mom's Halloween bin and found some wigs...voila!

My mom decorated the whole basement. I tried to scare Haley as she was coming around the corner.

Little Jett came as a Pirate...what a cutie!

My mom organized a bunch of games. This was the bobbing for donuts game. Tie the donut on a string and the first person to eat it (without using your hands) wins. Haley said this was her favorite game! I realized that I'm not very good at it. As you can see I'm between Ryan and Jeff, two tall people...and my face and donut kept smashing into their chests. I thought Ryan had the win, but alas his donut fell to the ground. Carrie took the prize!

Haley and Morgan...are you using your hands?!

The Birthday men.

The floor is covered with popcorn from a relay we did earlier...just in case you were wondering.

We had tons of food and games and then Ryan, Jeff and Matt took the kids out trick-or-treating. It had been pouring rain all evening, and it finally broke long enough to get out...lucky break!

Now we have candy up to our eyeballs here...and of course I'm eating it.

Halloween today in Utah

Halloween is like Christmas in this house. The girls are bouncing off the walls weeks before the event actually takes place, and every day they ask, "How many more days now?!"

It's Halloween today in Utah since it falls on a Sunday this year. So Haley woke up before six this morning ready to start the day. Ryan sent her back to bed only for her to come out a few minutes later...he gave up.

Our neighborhood had a church Halloween party last night...we didn't go. After all the festivities they had yesterday at Haley's school...well, to be honest, the thought of putting the girls back into their costumes, watch another costume parade, more candy, more candy, more candy...need I say more? There is such thing as too much Halloween. Let me rephrase that, there is such thing as too much Halloween when you have kids! Am I being an awful mom? Hey, I just don't want to get sick of Halloween before it's even Halloween!

So yeah, Halloween is today. Let the celebrations begin...or the insanity, whatever comes first.

Almost there!

The fence is coming together quickly now! My dad has been working everyday...that is, as long as the weather permits. Unfortunately, the weather was pretty crummy all weekend so we lost a couple of days there. And this week we got our first Valley snow...I know, much too early in my eyes. It started snowing in the evening and then we woke up to a Winter Wonderland. Of course the girls were super excited...me, not so much.

So anyway, the fence...it's looking good!

One side completed...except for the gate.

Now the other side of the yard.
Big difference from last week...nobody is shirtless this time.
Sorry ladies.

Today my dad finished the gate on one side...now all that's left is one more gate! Yay! Have I mentioned how grateful I am that my family is here! Well, I am.

My Morgan

Morgan has been recovering from a little cold...actually, it's more like a bad cold. Last week she had a couple of days with a low grade fever and this week she just has a lingering cough. But she's well enough for school today. Anyway, I picked her up from Preschool and as we're driving home this is what she shares with me:

"MOM!! Today at school, I didn't pick my nose once!
And do you know what?! Brady, picked his nose SIX times!! And then the teacher made him wash his hands. But not me! And I had a REALLY big booger too!! But I didn't pick it! I waited till after school!"

Thanks Morgan for sharing.

Fall is Here!

We've really been lucky with the weather these past several weeks...cool, crisp mornings and temps reaching the 70's in the day...it's been wonderful!

I've really been enjoying my walks to and from Haley's school. There is a little pathway (I assume it was put there special for the kids that walk to school) that cuts through the neighborhood, it's very nice to have. We pass two Walnut trees on the walk. I find this fascinating! The walnuts that is. I know it's weird, but I have never seen walnuts straight from the tree before! They grow in green pods, after they drop to the ground the green pod kinda dries up to a black leather. You have to peel the black leather stuff off and ta-da...you have your walnut. Sorry if you already knew this, but I didn't. So every time we pass them we gather up as many as we can find, take them home and snack on "fresh from the tree" walnuts!

Haley, my little nature girl, loves to snack on the concord grapes growing along our fence line. In the beginning I had to teach her how to squeeze the grape out of the skin into you mouth and then spit out the seeds. Since then she has become quite good at it. However, now we have grape skins scattered EVERYWHERE! All over our driveway, garage floor and I've even spotted them in the laundry room (we've had a little chat about where she can throw the skins since then). But anyway, I love that the girls have these things around them, the garden, the fruit trees and walnut trees...I love that they are being raised in this home...in this town.

I think the nice the weather is coming to an end this week. Right now it's raining and the temps will be in the 50's all week. But you know, I kinda like it. I really do enjoy the Fall. I love to hear the rain fall and feel warm and cozy in my home. It's napping and baking weather today. Although I probably won't get a nap, I may get some baking in. Hmmm, I think an apple pie is calling my name.

Fence Saga and Piper Eats Solids

Be prepared...this is only the second post about the fence...I have a hunch that many more are going to follow. I'm having flashbacks to when we built that shed...oh my, what a drag-ola that was! However, the fence seems to be going much smoother...except for a few broken sprinkler pipes that needed to be replaced...oh, and a phone wire that got cut on accident...but other than that, much smoother.

My brother, Jeff, had Tuesday off school so he helped quite a bit. Yeah, his day off and he spends it digging post holes...what a guy! I supplied a box of doughnuts.

Jeff and my dad.

Morgan playing while the men work.

Posts are up...on one side of the yard anyway.

Here is the new dog kennel. We were able to keep the same chain link fencing, so we just cemented in a new slab and a little walk way from the back door.

Piper watching from the stroller.

Now on a completely different topic...Piper started eating solid foods the other week! All she's had so far is rice cereal, I'll start her on some veggies next week. The first day she hated it, she would cringe before the spoon even touched her mouth. But since then she's come around and has decided that it isn't so bad after all.

Her favorite is the spoon...she loves sucking on the spoon.