Baby It's Cold Outside--NYC Day 1

And I'm not kidding! It was in the 30s here today. This morning, Brian and I got up early, early! My cousin Jodi was over about 4 AM and I went over some last minute things with her, then we were off to the airport. Our plane left at 6 and it was a nice flight. I slept some of the way and read some of the way. When we landed at JFK, we got off and instantly felt the chill! I don't think I've warmed up since. We had to take a taxi from the airport to our hotel in NY--the Westin Times Square. I was a little disappointed (j/k) that the Cash Cab didn't pick us up, but oh well! Brian says I am too nice. A couple people asked if we needed a taxi, so I thought we should go with the person who talked to us. He turned out to be $60 when I think the other guy would have taken us for $50. OK--maybe a few days in NY will toughen me up a little bit. What they say about NY taxi drivers is true. I don't know what they say, but they drive fast, crazy and scary! Wow--I am surprised he didn't scrape his van a few times. We got to our hotel and checked in and got settled. We bundled up in our "winter" gear--which is not great for NY weather. We are kicking ourselves for not bringing thermals. And I wish I had some boots or some Uggs. We walked around--checking out Times Square mostly. We went into some stores--mostly to warm up. We split a sandwich and a yummy Reeses brownie from Europa Cafe. We walked around more--we saw lots of interesting people, saw lots of people dressed up like Elmo (at least 6 or 7) and Doras. They'll take their picture with people, then ask for tips. We went into the Toys R Us in Times Square. It was enormous! There was a ferris wheel inside the multi-level store. So fun. We braved the bitter cold and walked down to Rockefeller Center and saw the huge tree, saw the window displays at Saks and saw the snowflakes dance to music. We peeked inside the American Girl Place(read: Mecca). We went into Anthropologie. The store was huge!! I loved the window displays. One I thought my mom would love--just a TON of boxes of vintage ornaments and one that reminded me of my dad--oodles and oodles of knotted up strands of Christmas lights!

We went back to our hotel and tried to warm up. We changed clothes and went down to the dinner. They had a buffet of salad, meats, cheeses, pasta, fish and chicken. Yum! We met a few other FAs and their spouses. After eating, we headed across the street to Ben & Jerry's for some dessert. I know--who else goes out in FREEZING cold for some ice cream. Luckily it's just right across the street from our hotel. They had dessert at the dinner, but it was either Tiramisu or Biscotti. We opted for getting ice cream.

So now we are in the room and I am trying to thaw my feet out. Brian is watching some TV while I type, then I will move on to working on my lesson--I teach the Sunday we get home!
The window display for my dad!
LOVED this one!
Inside Saks 5th Ave.
Window display
A hair salon for the dolls in the American Girl Place
Radio City Music Hall
Anthropologie
Yummy brownie
Lunch

Fun at the Hershey's store.

Elmo and Dora trying to get tips.

Ferris Wheel in Toys R Us
Times Square
View from Hotel. We could actually see the tower where the New Year's Ball is dropped. That is One Times Square. The building is actually vacant except for a Walgreens on the bottom floors. The owners decided they could make enough from the advertising on the outside of the building, so they didn't want to deal with tenants. I think they make something like $250,000 a month on advertising. Crazy!

Gingerbread Houses

On Saturday, we did one of my girls favorite Christmas traditions--gingerbread houses with grandma and grandpa. My mom constructions the house before we come , then the kids decorate it when we go over. This year, Eliza and Libby were so creative and spent a long time on their house. They both had great ideas of what to put on the house. Eliza made the cutest wreath with green Dots and red mini jaw breakers for the holly. Libby put some candy on the eaves to look like Christmas lights. Then there was Ellie and Hattie who couldn't shovel the candy in their mouths fast enough! It was so funny to watch. They thought they'd never see candy again! They certainly got their fill!

After gingerbread houses, we went to Libby's soccer game. I guess Libby is just a great practice player and helps her team get better during practice. One day she'll surprise us, I'm sure. I just hope it's before she's a teenager! After soccer, we went to Brian's parents' house where Brian and E&L helped move some wood. I left for a bit to take Rachel's family pictures, then we grabbed some pizza and came home to eat. Jason and Kari brought their kids over to play while they had a date. My kids enjoyed playing.

After everyone was finally in bed, I started packing and getting ready. It took longer than I expected as we didn't get into bed until a little after midnight.

Fun Run

This morning I got up and went hiking. It was chilly! I kept my sweatshirt on the whole time. I had to drive to school today since Brian has the vendor fair out in Happy Trails. We came home and I got ready for the day and did some cleaning--my sink, the stove, etc. Kari brought Kylie over to play for a bit, then she came back and took Ellie and Hattie to her house so I could go to Eliza's fun run at school. She has been practicing for it in PE and has been really excited about it. The boys raced first, then it was time for the girls. It was divided up by grade, so she was just with the 1st graders, but she got first. She was so pleased and excited.



She is such a natural. She can't wait until she can start track. Brian's track coach from college has a track club and the kids can start when they are eight. She has been looking forward to it for a while. I guess we'll see if she is still interested then, but I hope so. Track meets are so fun.

This afternoon Hattie took and nap and we were out front for a long while. Most of the neighbor kids were out riding bikes, scooters and running around. It was fun. Terri very kindly had my kids over tonight while we had a little date night. We grabbed dinner and made a Christmas gift stop and did some grocery shopping. My kids had fun, too. We got home, put everyone to bed, I wrapped some gifts for Terri for the family and I might try to pack a little bit.

Impersonations

I am a few days behind. On Wednesday morning, several of us met at my house for a little run. We did three miles and it felt good. After the run, I crawled back in bed for a few more minutes before the rush of the day started. Ellie had her three year well check. She checked out just fine and had three shots. Poor girl. She did great though. From there we headed over to Brooke's house to get my hair done. It was my first time with her and she did great! I love the color and cut. I think my girls ate about 5 Dum Dums each and other random snacks, but they did pretty well overall.

Today I got up and ready. We had a little lunch for Monique's birthday at Karolyn's. We had Mexican food and visited. The kids played and ate. And ate some more. Hattie loved the key lime pie. She ate with her hands and even licked her plate clean. On the way home, Ellie started talking in this really nasally voice (and yes that is the correct spelling of nasally. I looked it up because it looked wrong). I was trying to figure out what she was saying. It took me a couple of minutes and in fact she and Hattie were "talking" back and forth in this funny voice. I realized what they were doing and totally busted up. They were doing the voice of that funny boy in the Polar Express...the one with the glasses and the nasally voice. It was so funny! Then she wanted me to talk like that the rest of the way home. So I did. And they laughed the whole time. Cheap fun, for sure! We came home and Ellie and Hattie took naps. I had just a few minutes before the after school rush came through. I had my nephew after school, so he and Libby played outside until it was time to go to soccer. So we loaded up and braved the cold at soccer. Brian came halfway through and I hurried home to be home when Eliza got back from singing group. Then I was off to Enrichment. We had appetizers and desserts, then there was a little program. It was about reflecting the light of Christ in our lives and how we can do it through service or other small ways. I really enjoyed it and it was very practical and something that made me want to be better and more in tune with how I can help others. Three ladies shared times when someone served them and it was very inspiring.

This week Eliza had to decorate a gingerbread "man" using stuff we had around the house. I helped her some but it was all mostly her ideas. She is so creative.

And here is Hattie doing something she does every morning. Whenever I get my breakfast, she comes over for some bites. Brian actually sat down for breakfast today, so she thought she'd join him. ...and it's Grape Nuts nonetheless!

December

It's already December. It was hard to believe that yesterday when I was hot when I went outside. It's just not right!!! Yesterday morning I was up and hiking bright and early. I guess I should say dark and early! I did NOT want to get up in the morning. It's a good that I am meeting other people or I would just roll right over and go back to sleep. The rest of the day was pretty usual--taking care of Ellie and Hattie, cleaning up the house, etc. We did go out front for a bit. Ellie's new favorite thing is to ride the scooter around. She has gotten really proficient on it; it's fun to watch her ride. Hattie likes to ride her little tricycle or push one of the strollers around. After school, Carson and Brayden stayed for a bit and played. My girls love having other kids over and it's nice for me, too, because now they just go out back and play. After dinner, we had family home evening--Brian gave the lesson about being happy and how important it is to smile. So we all practiced and he gave us the challenge to smile more and to smile at people we meet to see if they smile back. It has been a great challenge and I've found myself in a better mood just by smiling. Today at Costco, Eliza smiled at everyone she walked by and she counted who smiled back--which was everyone! She was really excited. For our snack I had made one of Brian's favorites--peanut butter rice krispie treats with choclolate/butterscotch frosting. Yum!

Today after everyeone was off to school and since we don't have aerobics anymore (boohoo), I put Ellie and Hattie in the stroller and I went on a walk in our neighborhood. Then I got ready and we went to Wal-Mart for a few groceries. We came home, ate lunch and I put Ellie and hattie down for naps, so I was able to have some time to get some things done. I actually created our Christmas card. Now I just have the little newsletter part and I'll be set. I am so excited to have it figured out. I had to wake up the sleeping darlings so I could pick up Eliza and Libby from school. We went to Costco, then home. Eliza had a friend come over and they played until dinner time. After dinner, we got ready and had tithing settlement at the church. My girls love going because our bishop always has candy--a whole candy bar drawer, so they look forward to that part. Tonight I popped into a party Leslie was having--for a jewelry line called Silpada and for Scentsy candles. Before I came home, I did a return at Target and got some things at Kohls for a family someone adopted for Christmas. Sounds busy but really wasn't too bad!

Better get to bed soon for our 6 AM run. Ugh.

Sunday

This morning we all "slept in"...if you call 7:35 sleeping in. It is for us at least. We got up, had breakfast and got ready for church. I only caught the first part of sacrament, then I was out in the hall with Hattie. In the third hour, we had a combined meeting and as part of it our Sunday School president showed a slide show of photographs by Mark Mabry. It was so great. I love his photographs.

After church we came home and hurried and got dressed in our outfits to have our family pictures taken. Terri and I trade, so we met up at Vistancia and she took ours and I took theirs. All we care about is getting one family picture, so we are crossing our fingers!

Tonight my parents came over for dinner and we had turkey. My parents had their turkey smoked and it was so good! We also had my mom's homemade stuffing and we had corn and mashed potatoes. After dinner Brian did some home teaching and my dad took the girls on a little walk while I cleaned up from dinner.

Hike

Today I got to sleep in a little, which was nice. Brian got up and went to his dad's office since they ran out of time a couple of weeks ago. So he and Jared both got their teeth worked on. Brian only had three cavities, which for him is amazingly great. Here at home, my parents came and got Ellie and took her for part 2 of her sleepover. Ellie was so funny--she had to take her sleeping bag with her. Today they went to the mall and did build-a-bear. Ellie picked out a cute cat and dressed her in a pink sweatsuit, crocs and sunglasses. She had to have sunglasses. Before long, she was back home and we spent a while out front. The neighbor's little puppy was out, so everyone except Ellie loved playing with him. Ellie gets scared and has me hold her, but Hattie just loves running around, petting him and calling his name: "Gumma (Gunner), Gumma...." It's pretty cute. Brian got home around 2, then I headed off to Bath and Body again. The soaps went on sale, so I returned the ones I bought yesterday and re-bought them at the sale price. Then I went to Target to get some dollar spot items for my girls as little surprises each day Brian and I are gone on our trip.

I came home and we went on a little hike with Brian's brother Danny, his two kids and Brian's dad. We went on the same trail that I've been doing in the mornings. I didn't think the kids could make it, but they did. Brian carried Ellie most of the way on the hard part and I carried Hattie. I went the reverse way with Hattie and only partly because there was no way I was carrying her up the switchbacks! It was beautiful weather and view.




We hurried home, had PB&J for dinner and gave the girls baths before zooming off to a wedding reception. It was decorated so nicely--very wintry. We had a nice time visiting, munching and my girls danced a little bit. When they had the daddy/daughter dance for the bride and her dad, I was almost teary thinking of Brian dancing with our girls at each of their weddings. That will be so special for sure. I was also sad to think that we didn't dance at our wedding. That is one thing I regret! They even played the song that I would have loved to dance to: "You're Still the One" by Shania Twain. When we went out to our car, we had parked next to the groom's car that was all decorated. Some funny guy (I am assuming it was a guy) blew up a certain item and used them as balloons on the car. Hattie went right up and started patting it, excited to see a balloon. It fell off the car and my girls were tossing it around. Eliza wanted to know if we could take it home. Um no, dear, I'd rather not bring that home. It was a chuckle for me and Brian.

Thanksgiving

Here's a recap of our Thanksgiving. Brian got up early to play football at the Turkey Bowl. We hung out at home and watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. I love watching that each year and my girls do, too. After Brian got home, I made a couple things to take to dinner, the girls played outside for a while and we got ready to go.

This year we went to Brian's parents' for Thanksgiving. All his siblings came over, too. We ate around 2 and enjoyed a nice meal--turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, corn, rolls, sweet potatoes, fruit, stuffing, and more that I am sure I am missing. I made a fruit dip to go with apples. I loved it and it was so simple to make. After we stuffed ourselves, the kids went out back to play and we cleaned up the kitchen. After our lunch/dinner settled, we had dessert. I brought a pumpkin dessert and everyone else brought a pie. All that I sampled were delicious. After dessert, a few of us played card games. Libby and Eliza liked helping us play spoons.

A little after 5 we headed home and my parents came over and we enjoyed more dessert together. It was nice seeing them since we didn't get to have our big meal together. My girls persuaded my dad to play steamroller for a while, then they decided they wanted to do his hair. I had told them that when I was little, I would sit and style his hair. They came up with some pretty funny styles for him!

I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving.

This morning I woke up and was at Cibola Vista at 7:30. I was supposed to take pictures of a family, but they slept through their alarm, so they rescheduled for later in the day. So I headed out and did a little shopping. I hit Bath and Body, Target, Wal-Mart and Kohls. I didn't get anything at Kohls, but their lines were awful!!!!!!!! The other places I didn't have a wait. I came home around noon and had lunch, then went out front for a while with the girls. Another family asked last minute if I could take their pictures before their son leaves next week for his mission. So I did that at 3, then took the other family from this morning at 4. Whoosh!

Soon after I got home, Ellie left with my parents for her birthday sleepover. She was so excited. She kept saying that she had her "sleepover"--meaning her bag ready to go with them. You'll have to check out my mom's blog for a full report. So far, I think they went to Wal-Mart where she picked out her gift, then they went to Sardellas for dinner--she requested pizza. She ate 4 slices! Then they went and looked at Christmas lights. They are back home at their house, watching Polar Express and getting ready for bed. Brian and I were jealous that they got to spend the time with her since she is so fun to be with. Edited to add: Ellie was almost asleep when she sat up saying she wanted to be at her house and in her big girl bed. My parents tried to get her to go sleep, but they ended up bringing her home to sleep. She went right to sleep and they'll resume the fun in the morning!

Girls' Day

Today was our 6th annual girls' day. It was a small group this time but still fun. This morning I got up around 5:30 (because yet again, I knew my alarm would be going off soon), so I went in the front room and turned on the Christmas tree lights and read some of the new Friend we got in the mail. Before long, it was time to meet at Rachel's to go running. I think we went about 3.3 miles--most in a little bit of drizzling rain.

I got home and got Libby ready for school. She decided to go to school instead of the girls' day. She was really excited for her "feast" at school and she had also arranged with her friend to match clothes--down to the shoes and one ponytail in her hair. I thought it was so cute that she would arrange that.


My parents came over around 9:15. My dad had taken the day off and he generously watched Ellie and Hattie for me. They had a great time. They went to Petsmart and checked out all the animals. Then Ellie mentioned she wanted to go to Home Depot to ride in their fun carts and to look at bathtubs. ??!!?? Exactly. Very random, but they went and did that, then went to McDonalds for lunch and some play time. Then it was back home for Hattie's nap and picking up Libby from school. I am so grateful for my dad who is so great with my kids and loves (or acts like he loves) to watch them.

After they got there, my mom, Eliza and I left for our usual spot: Kierland Commons. We met up with my aunt Deb, my cousin Emali and her 6 month old darling daugther, Kami. We went to Crate & Barrel first, then decided to eat. We went to the Cheesecake Factory and enjoyed a nice lunch and great conversation. Eliza and I split the mini sliders and fries. We all split two pieces of cheesecake: fresh strawberry and their 30th anniversary chocolate one. YUM! It was great. From there we hit some of our favorite stores including--Restoration Hardware (drooled over their beautiful bedding) and Anthropologie (that store is full of instpriation for me--they had a ton of cute owl stuff, clothes I can only dream about and I found a perfume I really like). We looked at some other stores and just had a fun time catching up. Here are some pictures from our day...

We decided that poinsettias remind us of my grandma Doris--she always had them planted at holiday time.

Sisters, sisters!

The mom/daughter duo.

My wonderful cousin, Emali. I even love her with pink hair. Did you get it fixed, M?



Tonight we went to Brooke's house and she lovingly put up with the circus that came through so she could give my girls and Brian haircuts. I think they ate too much of her candy, made too many messes and used too much lotion. Sorry, Brooke. They all look great though!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

New Chef in Town

So much can happen in a morning:
2:30 woke up with Ellie
2:45 gave her some Motrin for her ear...warmed up a corn bag a tad to put on her ear
was up and down with her till 3:30.
5:20--went in to see what time Brian needed up for biking. Ellie had fussed some more, so he went in with her earlier.
6:45--Ellie got up followed by Libby and Hattie
6:50 got breakfast for everyone
7--emptied dishwasher and filled it
7:20 Eliza woke up
7:30 washed the big pans and crockpot
7:45-8:10 got everyone ready for school and got myself ready
8:20 ate breakfast
8:30 got Hattie and Ellie dressed
8:50 did their hair
8:53 broke my fav. bottle of perfume

Sheesh! After that, I dropped Ellie and Hattie at my friend Jenny's while I went to one visiting teaching appointment. Then it was time to make bread. Ellie did a couple errands with my dad, so Hattie was our new helper.

She is usually sleeping while we make bread...I think she realized she was missing out! Her favorite thing was sampling the dough...and as I was forming my loaves and putting them in pans, she would grab/steal pieces to eat. She loved it! My dad brought back lunch--Paradise Bakery. Yumm! I was so grateful as I hadn't had it in a while. In the afternoon, I ended up taking Ellie into the doctor for bathroom issues. Poor girl. Doctor's suggestion is to up her dose of Miralax. I did it this afternoon and we had success, so hopefully that will help. Today was activity days. Only three girls showed up! We made cornucopias from paper and filled them with cut outs of things they were grateful for. We also made some from ice cream cones and filled them with various snack items (M&Ms, goldfish, nuts, raisins, etc.).

After I got home, basically it was dinner, baths and bed. I did run to Wal-Mart to get a couple more things for Thursday.

I am excited for tomorrow--it's our annual girls' day with my mom, aunt and cousins.

Go, Go, Go

That's how today was! I've found that when I have my alarm set, I wake up several times in the night--either making sure I didn't sleep through it or just anticipating it going off. It's really quite annoying! So this morning, I remember looking at the clock at 2:30, 3 something, 4:20 and 5:15. At that point, I just decided to get up. I had set it for 5:30 because I had to wash, peel and cut up potatoes for a crockpot soup I was making and I needed to get it in before I went hiking so it could be ready by lunch time. After I got the soup in the crockpot, I left for hiking. It was dark for a while--I'll have to remember a flashlight for next time.

Everyone was up when I got home, so from there it was making breakfasts, making lunches, cleaning up, getting E&L ready for school, etc. After they were off, I got after Ellie and Hattie about 100 times to not take ornaments off the tree. It's a favorite past time right now and it's driving me crazy. It's tempting me to put ornaments on the top half only. But one day, I'll miss having little hands around taking them off, right? I have to keep reminding myself. So instead, I did a quick scan and made sure that no breakables were on the bottom half.

Today around lunch time, we had a little surprise party for Terri's birthday. I had invited her over for lunch, but what she didn't know (or hopefully didn't know!) was that about 10 of her friends were coming over, too! It was a fun time. I had made a soup and Susan brought a soup, Leslie made rolls and dessert. We had macaroni for the kids and Monique brought capri-sun for them to drink. Other than about 10 pounds of macaroni on the ground (outside, at least!) and brownies crumbs smooched flat into my tile, it was a great time! LOL. It was fun to do something special for Terri. She is such a great friend and will do anything for anyone.

After the party goers left, Ellie took a nap and we waited for Eliza and Libby to get home. Carson came over to play with Libby and Katie came to play with Eliza. I had a photo shoot this afternoon--it went well. It was a family shoot and they had three kids--the youngest was 4, so it was a breeze.

Tonight was a little bit crazy family home evening. It seemed that everyone had a meltdown. It was one thing after another...something I don't want to repeat!

Joy in the Journey

This morning we got up and ready for church. I really enjoy our 11 AM time slot. Of course, we'll go to 8:30 at the beginning of the year, but I really do like the 11. It gives us time to get ready, Hattie gets a nap and we have a chance to tidy up the house a bit. It's great.

Church was really good today. In sacrament it was a farewell for a missionary and a homecoming for a missionary. We've had a lot of missionaries coming and going in our ward lately. In Sunday school we had a great lesson from 3rd Nephi. One thing that was mentioned was the importance of keeping a journal. I am so passionate about journaling, so I enjoyed that part. In relief society, Vicky gave a great lesson from President Monson's talk from conference, Finding Joy in the Journey. The focus was how we need to be happy with our circumstances now and to enjoy the now. Some of my favorite quotes from the talk are the following:
"If you have children who are grown and gone, in all likelihood you have occasionally felt pangs of loss and the recognition that you didn’t appreciate that time of life as much as you should have. Of course, there is no going back, but only forward. Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future.

If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly."
As hard as it is to remember, I am going to try to do better about enjoying my moments even if they are hard.

"Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. Wrote William Shakespeare, “They do not love that do not show their love.”3 We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us.

Send that note to the friend you’ve been neglecting; give your child a hug; give your parents a hug; say “I love you” more; always express your thanks. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Friends move away, children grow up, loved ones pass on. It’s so easy to take others for granted, until that day when they’re gone from our lives and we are left with feelings of “what if” and “if only.” Said author Harriet Beecher Stowe, “The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.”"

"Said one well-known author: “Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend . . . when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present—love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.”"
The other night I was listening to Delilah on the radio and she had Glenn Beck on. He said something that was so simple but so eye opening. He said that we all seem to have expectations in life...we expect things to go a certain way or to have certain things, etc. So when our life doesn't turn out like that, we are sad and disappointed. And I am not remembering it as well as he said it, but instead of having those expectations, we just need to realize that whatever we have and whatever is thrown at us, that is our life...we should just accept that and be happy with what we are given instead of being disappointed with what we don't have or that things didn't turn out like we hoped. Anyway...it made an impression when I heard it although I am not retelling it well.

After church we came home, had lunch and finished decorating the Christmas tree. We started some before church and finished up after. My girls loved doing that, seeing all the ornaments and putting them up.


Ellie did well going to bed again. I think she loves her new bed.

Ellie's Three!

Today Ellie turned three!!! Finally. It seems like she has been two forever. She has been better the past couple of days, so that has been nice. Maybe it was just her illness working its way out. This morning I snuck out for an early hike with Terri and Leslie. When I got home, everyone was up. Eliza and Libby had given Ellie "breakfast in bed" (Trix in a baggie). They had also wrapped up a couple things and given it to her--some skittles, nerds and Libby's sucker that she had gotten at a party. Ellie has had her eye on it ever since Libby came home with it. So she was thrilled. She was eating it when I came home. After I got home, we hurried and got somewhat ready and went to Libby's 8 AM soccer game. We were all (Libby included) spectators again. We did have the treat assignment and she has been really looking forward to handing those out. So at the end, she handed out gogurts to her teammates. After the game we came home and it was a busy day from there on out. ...like one project turned into another project and it just kept snowballing. First we gave Ellie her gift. We went in with Brian's parents and got her a little doll and it came with a stroller, swing, play pin, etc. She was thrilled! That took a while to get it all assembled, but she loves it. After that, we decided it was (FINALLY) time to get Ellie out of her crib. I know, I know. A bit overdue. But serioulsy, she has not hardly climbed out, so it has not been tempting to get her in a big girl bed. She climbed out once a long time ago--probably over a year, but she fell out doing it, so I think it scared her. Then the only other time she did was this week. She wasn't taking her nap, so I shut her door and I think she got mad. Next thing I knew, she was out of her bed. So today we set up her bed. When we bought Eliza and Libby's bed about a year and a half ago, we bought one for Ellie in case we decided to put them in the same room. Brian just set it up in her room though and it looks so darling! During this, I took Libby, Ellie and Hattie to Libby's second soccer game of the day. Once again we were spectators. I can't tell you how frustrating that is! When we got home, we spent quite a bit of time out front. The girls played and rode bikes and the neighbors were out, so we caught up with them. One also got a new puppy, so Eliza made sure we went down to see him. After time outside, we came in and decided to change out the dresser in Ellie's room. We put the cream one from our room in her room since it matches so well and moved the brown one into our room. That's what I mean by projects turning into more projects! It was an all day matilda! It gave me an excuse to go through everyone's sock drawer, match up socks and toss ones without a mate. It really needed to be done, so I'm glad it is! I made spaghetti for dinner, then it was baths before we did Ellie's cake and ice cream. She was so excited. She had picked out a rainbow chip cake, so I made that this morning and we put on chocolate frosting. It was actually really good! We sang to her and she joined in and sang, too.

Soon after I left with Eliza to a wedding reception. It was outside, but the weather was so nice. It was fun to see some old friends from my ward growing...mostly my former leaders, so it was fun to catch up with them. Brian said that Ellie went to bed great and was so excited to go in her new bed. I hope it lasts. I was worried that she would try to get out, but the first night was a success.

Going backwards...on Friday Rachel wasn't feeling well to hike and Kari had to be back early, so I went out there and Kari and I ran. We actually went 3 miles. I came home and everyone woke up! I was hoping to catch a few more zzzz's since I was back so early. I watched my friend's little boy while she went to her son's Thanksgiving feast at school. Ellie and Hattie had fun playing with him. In the afternoon, I picked up my girls because I needed to pick up my nephew, Luke, too. So he came over after school and played for a while. We ended up going to the park which turned out to be fun. I pulled Ellie and Hattie in the wagon, Eliza rode her bike and Luke and Libby rode scooters.

That night Brian and I went on a date. It has actually been a while since we've gone. We've really been sticking to our budget, but we felt like we really need to go out. Luckily, I've had a few photography jobs so we decided we'll use that money for dates among a few other things. So we grabbed dinner at El Pollo Loco. We had some coupons and it was less than $7 to eat! Then I had a couple of returns to do. Then we got Cold Stone (another coupon) and finished up at Wal-Mart for grocery shopping. It was fun and nice to be with just Brian.

And since it's Ellie's birthday, I need to record some stuff about her. I remember coming home with her from the hospital. We came home ON Thanksgiving Day. When we got home, my parents had the meal all ready with the table set all cute (with Eliza's help). Ellie has honestly been our easiest baby, toddler, etc. Even after being difficult the past few days, she is such a doll. She is always happy-go-lucky and so sweet and kind. She loves to be with her sisters and loves to be around people. She has a sweet disposition. Right now she loves playing with dolls and taking care of them. She goes in phases with movies she loves, but right now it's Polar Express--at least up until when Santa comes on, then she asks me to turn it off. Recently, before the Polar love, she loved Enchanted and High School Musical 1 & 2. She loves candy, loves talking on the phone (real and pretend), and loves to help me bake--especially bread. She loves to talk, too. She is a great daughter, sister, friend. We love having her in our family.

And this will make you laugh. My mom sent this to me. I was totally laughing watching it.

Mascara

I guess Hattie really can open the mascara tube!

Today was a trying day. Ellie turns 3 on Saturday, but if you would have asked me last week, I would have told you she has been THE easiest child, 2 year old, whatever around. She had seemed to bypass the terrible twos, was always so sweet and just a pleasure. This week has been something totally different. Maybe it's the antibiotic she is on (I really hope so), but this week she has been very difficult. I am like--what in the world?!?! Backtalking, sassiness, whining, crying, etc. You name it. Today she got a little dose of apple cider vinegar for backtalking. She did NOT like that, so I am hoping that will curb it quickly. I hope my sweet little Ellie isn't turning into a terrible three year old.



Tonight Eliza's singing group sang at a retirement home. They all had white t-shirts, jeans, tennis shoes and her teacher had given them a glittery blue belt/sash and a necklace. The show was darling. Eliza looked like she was having so much fun up there singing the songs and doing the actions. The old folks loved the performance and all left saying how cute and lovely they all were. I'm sure it made their day to see the girls perform.

Why Bother?

Seriously. I am venting, but today I spent a lot of the morning (after running and after the girls got to school) cleaning my floors. I swept, mopped and vacuumed the whole house. And how long did it stay clean? About 4 hours. Seemed like more of Ellie and Hattie's dinner (corn and sloppy joes) ended up on the floor. I guess dinner just lived up to its name--sloppy! Ugh! At least for 4 hours I knew it was clean.

Today we went to park day. Only 4 moms showed up, but Ellie had fun playing with Kylie and Hattie had fun on the swings. Other than that, it was a pretty usual day.

Bye.

Stitching

I have a couple of wedding receptions coming up, so I was trying to think of something nice but not terribly expensive. So I wracked my brain and decided to put my love of stitcheries to work. Here is what I came up with.

I am pretty pleased with how it turned out. I hope the couple does, too.

Book Fair

Today was back to the usual hiking trio.... When I got home everyone was still sleeping. Why don't they sleep in like that when Brian bikes?! When Ellie woke up, she had a fever. She didn't really have any other symptoms. She's had a runny nose but nothing really else. So I wasn't too concerned. After Eliza and Libby went to school, Hattie was eating breakfast and she pulled at her ear and cried when she did. Red flag to me that she probably had an ear infection. So I got on the phone and made an appointment for Hattie. It was about 8:40 and the lady said, "Can you be here at 9:50?" Sure. I hadn't showered after hiking nor were Ellie or Hattie dressed. And the doctor is about 20 minutes away. So we put it into turbo and got ready.

While I was there, I figured I would have them look at Ellie, too. Hattie's ears were clear and she looked fine, but Ellie's throat was so red. He wanted to do a culture on her but also said we'd better check Hattie, too. Hattie's came back as strep but Ellie's was negative! So weird. He figured Ellie was probably starting into it though, so we got antibiotics for both. When we got home, I put Hattie down for a nap, then Ellie came to me and said she wanted to take a nap. I let her lay down in my bed and before I knew it, she was sleeping! Poor girl. They have been troopers though.

I had told Eliza and Libby that I would pick them up from school and we could go to the book fair to pick out one book. So I put Ellie and Hattie in a stroller to keep them confined and we got books. They really enjoyed it and said that it was the best part of their day.

Tonight we played outside for a while, then had dinner and Brian gave the FHE lesson. It was about using good/kind words and what we can do if hear inappropriate or unkind things or think them ourselves. For treats, I tried a little variation on rice krispie treats. But when melting the butter, you add a cup of brown sugar. Then you do the marshmallows and rice krispies. They were a HIT! I can't really explain the taste--kind of like a rich caramel taste. Yum!

Here is one of my favorite things...clean little girls after a bath--playing in Hattie's room before bed.

Last night, I told Hattie she could play a minute before I put her down. I went into a different room and she had gone out of her room into the family room. When she saw me, she turned right back around, ran into her room, saying, "I pay (play), I pay..." She didn't want me to put her down. It was funny.

Busy Days

Thursday was a busy day! It seemed from sun up to sun down, I didn't sit down save for using the restroom! During Hattie's nap in the morning, Ellie helped me make some pumpkin cookies. I love pumpkin stuff, and these were good, too. I also worked on a stitchery I am making for a wedding gift we have coming up. Then I did a bunch of laundry and cleaning. Thursday is our busy day where everyone's activities are at the same time. Chrystalyn took Libby to soccer and my parents met them there and they brought her home after. Eliza was able to carpool to and from singing, which helped out a ton. I vacuumed out the van and got it nice and clean inside. When everyone got home, we had dinner and I got Ellie and Hattie down for bed. Eliza and Libby wanted to play a game, so we played the HSM game (Eliza won), then it was bed for them. Brian was gone all day at a fall regional meeting for work, then went straight to the temple to be with Bryson King as he went through for the first time. It was a long day for all of us!

Friday was just as busy if not more! In the morning, Rachel and I went hiking. I am glad I had to meet her otherwise I would have turned over and gone back to bed! I came home and got ready. Kari brought her girls over while she went on a field trip with Tanner. It was nice to have playmates for my girls. They had fun playing. I took them back to Kari's, then dropped of Ellie and Hattie while I went to a visiting teaching appointment, then we came back and did our visiting teaching to Kari! From there, we went to grab an ingredient from the store, then it was off to Terri's. She needed me to stay with some of her day care kids while she did the pick up. Libby got to stay and play with Carson, which was so great. Brian went biking at the end of his day instead of in the morning, so after he got home, Eliza and I took off to do some errands, then to go to a going away get together for a lady that I visit teach who is moving. Blah blah blah...we finally made it home and went to bed.

Today was a weird day in that it didn't go as Brian or I had planned, but it worked out. Libby had an 8 AM game with pictures before. So we got up and got everyone up and ready. Brian took soccer duty today and took everyone with him. Side note: Libby wouldn't get in the picture or play in her game. What am I am going to do with her!? I stayed home and did some tidying up and vacuumed a little, then Terri and I met at 8 for some hiking. We did the extra loop today, so she said it was like 4.5 miles we went. Crazy. It was fun though. I came home and hurried and got ready. Brian's dad had "family day" at the office. My girls needed cleanings (teeth), so they went and Jared's family went for cleanings. The dads assisted Dennis while he did his work. Brian's mom had kept Hattie, so I had to go relieve her. Anyway...it was a hectic day. They ran out of time and my girls were getting stir crazy being confined to the office for so long. Long story short, we met back up in the afternoon for my niece Amy's first birthday party. They had some appetizers out, so we enjoyed those, then the kids played some games, followed by cake and presents. I left a little before it was over. I met up with four other ladies and we had dinner at Paradise, then we went to a high school play. One of the young women I had before the ward split was in her school's play--Up the Down Staircase, so we all went to support her and watch. It was really well done. I was most impressed with their set. It was cute and the students did a really great job in the play. It was a fun night out to do that.