Timothy's Birthday

Okay, so I just have a lot to share today. I know, I am a couple days late on Timothy's birthday, but hey, I think I'm doing good to even get this on here. I can't believe Timothy is one year old. He started walking on Tuesday, turned one on Wednesday, and has been going strong ever since! We had a small little get together with family. He didn't understand the opening presents part, but he sure loved the cake part. I made a been cake and surrounded it with cupcakes that sort of looked like little bees. I think it was fun. I gave him the cupcake as his first birthday cake! He demolished the cupcake. Not too messy, thankfully. But it was fun. Amber and Emma were excited about the presents. I bought Timothy two different things and let the girls give him one! Amber thought that was pretty cool to give Timothy a present from her and Emma.

Here are some pictures from our little celebration!

Halloween

Halloween at our house started long ago. The girls have known what they wanted to be since last year. Okay, so maybe not that long ago, but long enough. I got so sick of the girls asking about Halloween. I'm glad it is over!
Anyway, yesterday Emma had her Halloween celebration at Preschool. She wore her spider costume and I helped out in her class. It was a lot of fun. Emma was so excited to be a spider. Somebody made the mistake of asking if she was a black widow! She was so adamant about being a spider and didn't think a black widow was a spider. She kept saying she was a nice spider. It was fun. I loved having people admire her costume as I slaved over the dumb thing. I can't believe I agreed to make her a spider costume!
Amber has been bugging me about being a princess. She always wants to be a princess. But this year it had to be Cinderella, not just a generic princess. So I had to figure out how to do Cinderella. Luckily I had two different patterns for a Cinderella dress. I just picked one, and of course, modified it to make it easier to sew. It wasn't perfect, but hey, I think I did pretty good for finishing it last night!
This morning we did her hair up and put a headband in like Cinderella. I think I used a whole bottle of hairspray just so it would stay. Lo and behold most of it fell out by the time we were getting ready for trick or treating. Oh well. Amber had a parade at school. Unfortunately my camera isn't that great so I got a horrible picture of her, and I didn't get the pictures from my dad. So that picture will be a little fuzzy. She had a lot of fun at school.
Timothy was a ghost. We dressed him in a white sweatshirt and pulled it up onto his head. Then John put some of his socks on Timothy! He was drowning in all the material, but I thought it was so cute. I didn't really want to do too much, Timothy is still little and will never remember how he was dressed for Halloween.
In the time between school and trick or treating, John went to Verree's house and picked up a pumpkin. Then he gathered the girls and carved the pumpkin while Timothy was sleeping. The girls helped pull the pumpkin guts out. They enjoyed it, even though Amber said it was gross. I hate pulling the guts out of pumpkins. That's why I had John do it. I didn't even care how it was carved. I just didn't want to do it! Yay! John loved it. He had fun helping the girls, and of course, he did the actual carving!
After Trick or treating we went to Grandpa's house. There the girls saw pizza in Grandpa's kitchen and convinced him that they were hungry and needed some pizza! Hmmm . . . I guess lasagna just wasn't good enough tonight! It was a long day and all three kids were fast asleep within about ten minutes. Yay! Peace and quiet!

Weekend Happenings and More

Fall Fantasy Masquerade-- A couple of weeks ago I had seen an advertisement for the masquerade and I thought it sounded like fun. I had never been to a masquerade before! It was really a fundraiser for the USO and veterans got in free. Yay! I was pretty sure I could dredge up the $15 dollars for a ticket. So I made plans to go. I was pretty sure John would go with me so I didn't even think twice when I invited my brother and sister in law. The only catch was that I had to convince my brother to go. You see, Cori (sister in law) made a deal with me. If I could convince Jeff to go, she would buy my ticket. I thought I would never be able to convince Jeff. Ha, he fooled me. He agreed without me having to beg, cajole, bribe, whatever. As soon as I asked him he pretty much said he would go! So after borrowing a dress, and finding a mask, we were off to the masquerade on Saturday night! It was tons of fun. We are so glad Jeff and Cori met up with us there.

We took this picture at our house before we left. John was trying to be such a gentleman! We were so excited to be able to leave the kids with Kim and to get all dressed up.

Finally, we made it to the Masquerade. Because John is a veteran, he only had to show his ID to get in. Lucky for us! I think we had such a sweet deal. Jeff and Cori met up with us there. They bought us a raffle ticket ($1 a piece, break the bank!). I thought, yeah right, I never win anything. It was a good thing John was holding on to the ticket! We ended up winning the grand prize. I love the Bond Girl perfume, and the Cologne for John! Yeah! I was in so much shock that we actually won something. We split the prize with Jeff and Cori. It was so awesome! The prize was a whole basket full of Avon products-- value of $200. I don't think I slept at all on Saturday night I was in shock all night.

Here are the four of us just outside the cultural celebration center. And yes, John is wearing his kilt! Hmmm . . . he hasn't worn the thing for so long. I wasn't sure he actually would.

Sunday travels-- Sunday morning John and I both went to our Ward Council meeting at 8 a.m. and then headed down to Nephi about 11:30 a.m. We went to Nephi to support Chantelle who was receiving her Young Womanhood medallion. So we went to church with Aunt Deb and then had very yummy food at Aunt Deb's house. Of course Aunt Deb went above boeard on the food. She always makes yummy food. I love her bowtie salad! Yummm!!! We had a very good visit, and as always, we left later than we expected. But only because Aunt Deb was making sure we had things we need. Dave and Deb have always taken good care of us. What else is family for if we can't help each other out? I really appreciate all they have done for me. It really pales in comparison to anything I have ever been able to do for them.
I took my camera with me and forgot to take pictures. So I don't have any to share from Aunt Deb's house. But we all enjoyed the day. We are so blessed to have such wonderful family close by.

Despite the busy, busy weekend ,we had such a good time. I really enjoyed the time I got to spend with John and also the time I could spend with family. We are truly a blessed family.

Just "four fun"

Okay, so I hate these. I think it is a waste of time, but what the heck. I've been tagged and I feel like wasting time today. So here's my list, just "four fun."

4 Random Facts about my husband:

1. John likes to change his socks halfway through the day.
   
2. John is attached to a book, everywhere he goes, even if he is only dropping Amber off at school!
   
3. John loves seafood, but graciously chooses something else when I am eating with him. Kudos to him!
4. John has more clothes than me and the kids combined.
   

4 Movies I could watch more than once:

1. Juno
2. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
   
3. Sleepless in Seattle
   
4. Princess Diaries
   

4 Interesting Places I've been:

1. Maine
2. Canada
3. Michigan
4. Missouri
   

4 People who email me regularly:

1. Patricia
2. AuntDeb
Kim

4. Hmmm . . .oh yeah, John? You know, those well . . . . we'll just leave it at that!

4 Favorite Foods:

1. Chicken rolls
   
2. Homemade bread (yummy!)
   
3. Cinnamon rolls.
4. It is a tossup between popcorn and icecream. Depends on my mood!
   

4 Places I'd like to visit:

1. Australia
2. England
3. Germany
4. China

4 Things I'm looking forward to this year:

1. Timothy walking
   
2. John finding a job
   
3. Spring. I am so not looking forward to winter!
   
4. Spending more time with family and friends!
   

4 People who are now IT:

1. Jaime
2. Ruth
3. Lena
4. Jenna

Sweet moments!

Sweet moment #1: My girls really surprise me sometimes. I had promised the girls popcorn and a movie tonight is they took a bath really quick. They were very quick in the bath. Then it was off to the movies (a.k.a. Basement play room!). When I didn't hear them ask for help to start the movie I got a little worried. I went downstairs and found them sitting next to each other on the couch sharing a blanket and a pillow. It was so sweet. I just can't get over how sweet they can be. These are really the moments I absolutely love.

Here's a couple pictures of them enjoying their popcorn and movie.
Sweet moment #2: I was playing the dot game on Facebook and didn't see a box. Neither did the other person. But Amber saw it. She told me I could get a box and showed me. My five year old showed me up! But her face just glowed when I was telling John about it. She was so proud. And I think her self esteem just jumped a thousand notches as she listened to me talk to John about it. I'm not sure her smile could get any bigger.

Sweet moment #3: I had told Amber she had to stay in her room and be quiet for nap/quiet time. After about an hour she came out and asked if nap time was over. I told her it could be and she climbed on my bed with me and snuggled with me for a while. She was just so gracious today.

Sweet moment #4: The girls had chores today. Sigh. Laundry had piled up so they were helping me fold clothes and put them away. They didn't get to play until their chores were done. Emma was done putting her clothes away. Amber decided to capitalize on the situation and asked Emma (more like conned her) into helping put Amber's clothes away too! Emma was so compliant and wanted to help just because Amber was doing it too. It was really sweet.

These moments aren't grand in any sense of the word, but they sure make me grateful that God has entrusted me with these beautiful souls! There are many more of these moments, but I am sure I would bore everybody. Plus there are no words to describe the joy and gratitude that fill my soul today.

Yay, one more day outside!

Yay, today was so much warmer as compared to the past weekend. As you can see from the pictures, the kids enjoyed time outside. Amber insisted it was warm enough for shorts, so she pulled her pant leg up. Hmmm . . . still needed a jacket though. Even Timothy got in on the fun. He is being introduced to the bike. Somehow I don't think he will be riding it anytime soon. Amber has to give it up first!

Of course, Emma spent the time in the dirt pile in the front yard. This is their favorite spot to play. I don't know what the fascination is. Times like today, I am convinced that my girls are definitely not girly girls. They can hold their own with the boys!

I just thought I would share these next pictures because I thought they were kindof fun. Timothy was having fun climbing into this laundry basket. He wouldn't stay out no matter how many times I moved him. Boy was he determined to play in the basket. So here he is in the basket, getting ready to climb out. I thought he was going to tip the basket over. But . . .


Basket didn't tip over. Here he is all smug about climbing out by himself. He climbed in and out of this basket for quite some time. Kept him busy though. I actually got something done knowing he was otherwise occupied!

This morning we all trooped to the Taylorsville Library for the Haunted Forest puppet show. It was cute, for a kids puppet show. And I really liked the emphasis on being safe Halloween night. Amber and Emma really liked the puppet show. There were spiders, snakes, etc. They were disappointed it was so short, especially since we were late.
Funny story on being late. I forgot about the puppet show. So ten minutes before it started I was trying to get the girls and myself ready to go, which included getting more than one person dressed in something other than p.j.'s! Yikes. Good thing Taylorsville Library is only about a block away from our house! I think today was a good lesson for us on why we shouldn't be late to things. We got to the library and there was no parking. I had to drop the kids off and then park at the rec center next door. The girls got into the room with the puppet show and didn't have a place to sit. Eventually Emma found a place to sit where she could see, but Amber had to stand up for the entire half hour! Hmmm . . . will we be on time next time? Maybe, hopefully?!?!

What happened to the cat?

We were sitting down to lunch today and Amber was telling me about school. So, two of her classmates had seen a stray cat (I guess it was at school!). Amber proceeded to tell me a story of how the cat got there. Here's the story!

"The people let the cat outside. It climbed the fence and ran away."

Exciting story, eh? Okay, so let's try another one. I guess Amber didn't like that first explanation. So she came up with another story.

" The owners took it to the school and were having a picnic. [Keep in mind that it has been very cold!] While they were eating, the cat wanted to play. So the cat ran away. The owners couldn't find it and just went home."

Hmmm . . . . I don't know. Possible? Yes. Believable? No. But Amber had fun telling about what happened to the cat and how it ended up at school!

Talking about the cat was keeping Amber's mind off her inconsolable sadness. You see, she had just finished telling me how her best friend, Imanol, was not at school today. I think about half of her classmates were MIA today. You would think it was going to be a long weekend, or something. Wink, wink. Amber does have no school on Thursday and Friday. Gotta love UEA! Playtime, yayyyy!
In light of the long weekend, I decided to let Amber and Emma watch movies for quiet time today. Their eyes lit up when I told them. It was like it was Christmas already. They haven't had movies all week. We've been too busy with other tasks. I am hoping that by giving them something they really want they will be good the rest of the day! Wish me luck.

Cold, cold, and more cold

I don't know if I'm crazy, or if I am just too determined. It has been way cold in the mornings, yet we still walk to school. I have been determined to walk Amber to school every day and so far, minus a few days here and there, I have been able to do that! Amber loves walking and gets mad when we drive. So, although it has been incredibly cold, we bundle everybody up for our daily jaunt to the school! Amber really amazes me. I thought she would wimp out a long time ago and want me to drive her to school. But such is not the case. Even Emma loves the walk. Both girls do get tired on the walk home from school, but hey . . . they are both still little. It is so amazing how much endurance they have developed. On the first day of school I wasn't sure we would even get this far into the school year before Amber wimped out! But now, if I want to drive she complains the loudest about having to drive.
Maybe now that everybody else has decided to not walk, Amber won't be so keen on it. She asks every morning if she gets to walk with Natalie. But . . . sigh . . . Natalie hasn't been walking this week. Sob! Okay, so Amber is over it. She is so inquisitive that she spends the walk asking questions about everything around her, and telling me stories. My what an imagination. Do I have an Anne Shirley on my hands here? I guess that remains to be seen.
On another note, yes, I broke down and turned on my heater a couple of days ago. The clincher was waking up to snow on the ground and my house a measly 53 degrees! Brrrrr . . . . it was cold! Even John was freezing and it takes a whole lot to make him cold enough to complain about it. So I compromised, the heater on at night and off during the day!
We have more pictures that I will post one of these days. But, ta ta for now.

Amber's bed: The place to be, I guess

I honestly don't know what it is about Amber's bed. Maybe it is just that it isn't Emma's. But Emma loves to sleep with Amber. Usually Amber gets mad and tells her to get out of her bed. But, this time, I didn't hear any complaints.
This morning, Amber was telling me about Emma coming into her bed last night. Amber said, "I told her that if she wanted to stay in my bed she had to be quiet and stay still." I guess that is why we found them curled up next to each other. I think maybe both of them were cold and needed the extra warmth. It has been getting colder and the past couple of days, well . . . . So, I have been holding off on turning the heater on. We just wrap up in blankets and warm p.j.'s. I think I am freezing the girls at night. I still don't want to turn on the heater. I don't want to admit that winter is on the horizon. If I don't turn on the heater then I can still convince myself that the long dreary days of winter are long off, right? Okay, humor me and just agree with me for once. I guess I'll not really know if you do disagree! :)

Cleaning bug!

I don't know what it is about the past week, but I have had the insatiable desire to clean, clean, and clean some more! Maybe it is because I have had so much to do this past week that I have resorted to cleaning as my reprieve, or my escape from what I really need to do.
This week I had to prepare for the Young Women in Excellence Program. We were putting together a slideshow with pictures taken throughout the year, from March to September. I guess I never realized how much of a task that would be. Thankfully it was mostly put together by the time I got it, I just had to add a few more pictures, add music, and get it copied onto CD's for the girls. Fun, fun, fun. I can't believe it was so crazy.

Guess who?

Okay, so I thought this would be kindof fun. I found pictures of my three kids when they were first born. I just wanted to compare them for the fun of it. I guess I wasn't busy enough! HA! Can you tell who is who? Maybe I'll tell you, maybe I won't. It will be fun. Leave a comment if you wish and make a guess!

Challenges and Blessings

Some days I really feel like a truck rolled over me, but wanting to make sure I was dead, backed up and just stayed there till I was so squashed I was unrecognizable. Okay, so maybe that is a little extreme, but over the past couple of weeks, I have really had to assess my life and the direction I am going, along with the direction my family is headed. You see, I believe wholeheartedly that God is orchestrating my life, but I also believe he has a sense of humor. But, sometimes I don't think He is very funny!
Most people know by now that John lost his job a few weeks ago. It has been a crazy few weeks. Not to mention stressful. Yikes! I think we were getting too comfortable with life. God finally said, HA, fooled you! To state the obvious, financial challenges are sure to arise. But, we are very grateful for the savings we have been able to build up, and the food storage. I am seeing the wisdom of the people who have encouraged these actions.
But, we sure do not miss out on blessings. John now has the opportunity to finish college, something that I have been bugging him about but never had the means to do. You may wonder how, when we have very little income, we can afford college now! As a result of John's military service he has access to lots of cool stuff through the VA. One of those benefits is Vocational Rehabilitation. They will be paying for his school! Yay! So you don't get the wrong idea, this is in no way connected to the GI Bill. Two different programs with different requirements. This is a major blessing to our family. John will have more doors open to him now! So, thank goodness he lost his job!
I think both of us have run the gamut of feelings the past couple of weeks, but as we work to find a solution, we are finding our goals realigning. For so long we have been headed different directions in our life goals, but we are beginning to come full circle, so to speak. We have redefined what is important to each of us, and what is best for our family. It has been an amazing couple of weeks and I pray our goals stay in alignment and that we can continue in the direction that we have found.
So, going back to the idea that God is orchestrating my life. He knew what would need to happen to open the way for my family to progress and come together as a more connected whole. Most often it takes other people to accomplish His purposes. In this case, God is sending our family in a new direction, but one that will allow us to be His instruments in accomplishing His purposes!